Chowfind: Elizabeth's Hungarian home cooking

[schmecht]

Searching the Board, there was a query from acd123 (16Oct08) about where to find good Hungarian food. I have been lamenting this lack for some time: Csarda, the Blue Room, Olympia are all so long gone. Rooster Kakas and Paprika are way north and not subway accessible. Country Style (as noted in another thread) have gone downhill quality-wise - acceptable "college tummy-filler" fare at best (depending which day you go). [see sep post re Jolly restaurant, that has Hungarian style food.]

Therefore, I was totally thrilled to find Elizabeth's (1992 Yonge St., 2 bl north of Davisville, west side of Yonge), though the sign still says "Joseph's" (who is her husband).

Rating: 4.5/5

I had:
- the goulash soup (appetizer): not overspiced, with tender meat bits, good representation of vegetables, served with a large 1/2" thick slice of fresh rye bread
- veal goulash (entree): had it with dumpling (nokedli) which were light and served clean with only parsley to dress (not at all greasy,or chewy/reheated which is so common); the veal was so tender it broke apart with my fork, and flavourful. Meat, no gristle.
- cucumber salad: this dish is very subjective - it was good, not too vinegary or sweet - some may prefer it tarter, or dryer. The serving size was enough for 2.
- palacsinta (crepe): the dough was very good (not too sweet/doughy), the final crepe was just a hint greasy; the filling (cheese) was (for my personal preference) too wet; also, I prefer mine with lemon zest and/or raisins, but tasty nonetheless.

Total cost (tax and tip): $20

The service was fast and friendly, very much a mom&pop outfit. The other diners were older Hungarians (which is a good sign...). Space holds approx. 16 in a cafe style.

I had heard about this place from some friends who had praised the veal goulash and dessert. I will be going back with others to test the rest of the dishes and report back.

[phoenikia]

I tried Elizabeth's a few times, but my last visit, the chicken was tough, like it had been nuked after already sitting on the hot table all day long, or cooked at a high heat rather than a low simmer. Maybe it was just an off day.

I really liked my dinner at Europe Bar and Restaurant on Bathurst, just south of Lawrence. This is the best Hungarian food I've found in Toronto since the Blue Room closed. Sure, it's not subway accessible, but I think it's worth the trek if you want good Hungarian. Lots of Hungarian speaking people were there the night I went, and the service was friendly and quick.

The goulash soup was one of the best I've had, and the palascinta and cherry strudel were good. The wooden plate was huge. The schnitzel was the best part for me.

Europe serves several other desserts I haven't seen at other Hungarian restaurants, including a sweet dumpling dessert. I'll probably get the chicken paprikash on my next visit. Here's a link to a previous thread on Europe Restaurant: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/543932

[schmecht]

Thanks for the info!! Europe is in my area so will make sure to check it out and compare.

[Tatai]

Actually, Europe would be just a short bus ride east from the Lawrence subway station.

[Splendid Wine Snob]

Thanks for the great leads on the Hungarian front Schmecht and Phoenikia. I am pretty spoiled with the homemade stuff from friends but I can't invite myself over there every time I have a craving! Will check out both these places. And agreed on the cucumber salad part-it is so subjective given the whole personal palate preference on the acid to sweet spectrum, although I lean toward more vinegary than sweet.

SWS

[schmecht]

Recently told by a friend that Elizabeth's is closed. Went by to verify and indeed there is another (non-Hungarian) restaurant in its place.

Anyone know what happened to the owners (i.e., did they open at another location)?

[Tatai]

We ended up at Europe for dinner tonight. We shared the small goulash soup, which was a nicely sized bowlful. The goulash was delicious, not sitting under a pool of oil as it has been when I've ordered it at Paprika, with lots of extremely tender chunks of beef, carrots, potatoes and dumplings. Really hit the spot.

For our mains, we ordered the Wienerschnitzel and the chicken parikash. The schnitzel was very good: very thinly pounded meat (I'm pretty sure it was turkey) with a light, very crispy breading. The paprika sauce on the chicken was very tasty and had a good consistency, but the chicken portion was quite skimpy, with a few quite bony pieces and a chunk of boneless breast meat that was overcooked. We chose the dumplings to accompany the chicken, knowing we'd want to sop up the paprika sauce. The dumplings appeared to be freshly made and were very light. The "home fries" that we had with our schnitzel were standard fried cubed potatoes.

We were offered a choice of cole slaw, cucumber salad or beets, as well. The beets were thin, lightly pickled slices; the cucumber salad contained too-thinly-sliced cucumber and was quite soggy and watery. One thing I missed was the lovely braised red cabbage that's served at Paprika but seems to be unavailable here.

The service was friendly and efficient. We arrived at about 9:15 and there was only one table (of six) occupied when we arrived. It was quite interesting to be eating Hungarian food with murals of the Old City surrounding us, a remnant of the restaurant's previous incarnation as a kosher Israeli grillhouse.

[phoenikia]

Happy to hear you liked it;)

[sann]

There is a fantastic hungarian restaurant in Richmond Hill called Rhapsody (10152 Yonge Street). I suppose you would require a car to get there... but trust me it is totally worth the trek for their schnitzel.

[yojoho]

Rhapsody is amazing. They are truly authentic and have dishes on their menu many other Hungarian restaurants don't (Hortobagy palascinta)
The atmosphere is beautiful as well.

[piccola]

I know this is a long shot, but anything vegetarian on the menu?

[phoenikia]

At Europe Bar and Restaurant, as long as you eat dairy and eggs, you could find something to eat. They serve a spaetzle/cottage cheese dish, different marinated salads, as well as palascinta (crepes), strudels, etc. I think they also have some sort of fried cheese on the menu and possibly a potato pancake dish- can't remember exactly.

It's definitely more carnivore-friendly than vegetarian-friendly.

[piccola]

Eggs and dairy are my friends. I think this place will be juuuuuuust fine.

[bogie]

Much better food at Amber Restaurant east of Bloor/Jane, folks. Huge Schnitzels, borscht, cabbage rolls, goulash soup, meatballs and the best perogies ever. Everything a growing boy or girl needs.