ISO Danish style Smorrebrod

[currycue]

Just wondering if anyone out there knows of a place in town that does these or similar Scandinavian open faced sandwiches.

Had them at a restaurant in Madrid recently (Olsen) and plan to visit Copenhagen in the near future.

Quite good with shots of vodka too.

Thanks in advance!

[embee]

The Danish Food Centre/Copenhagen Room was wonderful. The Valhalla Inn was good, as was Erik the Red. Even Ikea had decent smorrebrod at the beginning.

In short, Toronto had several good choices three decades ago. I don't think there's anything left.

Jennifer's Danish Pastry Shop (Kingston Rd/VP) used to sell the fixings. She's just selling rice bread these days (her baker husband retired), but I don't know what's in the fridge. Worth a call if you want to make your own.

[Kagemusha]

I still do an annual facsimile smorgasbord around the holidays for old friends. Places like Brandt, Starsky, North Fish and Dimp's supply most of the raw materials. Seems to be a renewed interest in Nordic food, judging from cookbook titles and PBS programs, as well as Scandinavian design. Still, nothing beat a few leisurely hours soaking up beer, akvavit, and the stellar eats at the Copenhagen Room.

[currycue]

Thanks all for your replies so far! I was going to check out the bakery on Kingston Rd, so thanks for the heads up. I know there is also a Danish Pastry Shop on Pape, north of Mortimer I plan to visit. In the mean time, I'm trying to order Katrine Klinken's book online (http://www.klinken.dk/english/) to try and make some myself. I know the bread is widely available.

Puslinch is nowhere near anywhere I normally go, so I might not be able to get out there for a while, but glad to know it's there. Probably get to Copenhagen before Puslinch, lol.

[embee]

The shop on Pape (Jennifer's brother-in-law, I believe) used to be wonderful, but it has been mediocre for a very long time now. Everything still looks good, but they long ago abolished the secret ingredient of good Danish Pastry - butter....

[currycue]

That sucks! I won't even step inside if they're using Margarine. For shame!

[Splendid Wine Snob]

Yes, I have to say I haven't been particularly impressed with anything I've tried there as well.

[basileater]

I second embee's comment. It should only be used for the most dire of Danish pastry emergencies, and only then if you keep your expectations low and realize you will be eating a sad facsimile.

[andy andersen]

many if not most Danish bakers use baker's margarine, not pure butter in their pastries. I like the Pape bakery, the wienerbroed there rivals some of what you find in Copenhagen, although it's rare to find this kind of old fashioned pastry there now. I also enjoy the smoerreboller, essentially wienerbroed dough rolled up with icing sugar on top.

If you talk to the baker there you can also get on the list for friday morgenbroed, a poppyseed bun that all good Danes have for weekend breakfast. They also sell good Danish cheese, marzipan, candy, and a few specialties like rullepoelse.

By the way, Sunset Villa's wienerbroed is made by the Pape bakery, they drop in the first Sunday of every month and sell Danish goods and supply the restaurant. Sunset Villa celebrates most Danish holidays, and occasionally they will have real ristet hotdogs, aebleskiver, flaeskestej, etc. The place is a crazy timecapsule by the way, Danes I've taken are blown away by it. But it's on a beautiful property and they do a few other things passably beside smoerrebroed. Do not expect to be wowed by the food however, this is not Ida Davidsen!

I'd add that Ikea makes a smoerrebroed with tiny northern shrimp which is good, and they've got princess cakes and herring, and is much cheaper than Sunset Villa.

[Splendid Wine Snob]

Good to know-thanks. I did try the wienerbroed and have had way way better (esp in Copenhagen). The quality of the pastry was not great IMHO. But perhaps it was a one off? I'll try again. Thanks for the info.

[andy andersen]

hmm, I might have overstated it with the comparison to Copenhagen - it certainly won't match up to what you can get there. But I'll happily eat it if that's the closest thing available, if only for nostalgia's sake. Just don't go anywhere near the cherry kind - get the plain or apple.

[Kagemusha]

This little spot in Puslinch is probably it. The killer places were the Danish Food Centre and the downstairs Copenhagen Room on Bloor--both long gone and sadly missed.

[KitchenVoodoo]

What a pang of nostalia! I loved the Copenhagen Room - it seemed so sophisticated and yet relaxed in a way that made me miss Europe so much. Such a gap in Toronto's culinary scene.

[tsertic]

I know it's not in town, but Sunset Villa in Puslinch, ON does them very well. It's just over an hour away.

http://www.sunsetvilla.on.ca/menu.html

I try to get them once a year. I recommened their Smoked Eel and Curried Herring...add a Tuborg to that, and you'll never have to visit Denmark!

[phoenikia]

Good to know. Is there anything else that's chowworthy in Puslinch? Is there a decent bakery in town?

[basileater]

Tak skal du have! I had no idea this place existed. I have been in serious withdrawal for years and my many searches only turned up the closed up places from days of yore. Great news, I'm planning my next road trip now.

Have you tried the leverpostej? I know it is simple but it is one of the things I miss the most (but I guess most all Danish food is simple). Also, how are the pastries? If you are able to compare directly to what is available in Denmark that would be great.

[andy andersen]

I find their leverpostej not quite fatty enough, and the pastries as I mention below are made by the Danish bakery on Pape, so most of the time they've been thawed.

Their best dishes IMO are the smoked eel, herring, and shrimp open faced sandwiches, plus the lagkage and aeblekage. They've got Danish beer on tap. Go on a friday for the specials, or the first Sunday of the month (this Sunday), which is busy and fun.

[Splendid Wine Snob]

Never seen them here but I''m sure you'll enjoy them in Copenhagen.