Where can I find grits in Toronto?

[Sarah_G]

Hello everyone

I purchased David Chang's new cookbook yesterday entitled Momofuku. One of the recipes I am anxious to try first calls for grits. I know they are hard to come by in Canada if you can get them at all but would anyone happen to know of a spot in Toronto I could get them at? Preferrably somewhere accesible by transit as I live downtown and don't have a car.

Thanks for your input!

[djcizme]

Grits can be purchased at the Metro store just west of Keele and St. Clair. It is only on a trial basis, so if you love grits please buy some to keep it in stock at this location. Thanks.

[Googs]

You can likely swap out grits for polenta. Without knowing the recipe it's hard to say for sure. At least you won't make yourself crazy trying to find grits north of the border. Polenta's everywhere.

[bytepusher]

First thing to check is that your recipe calls for "grits" not "hominy grits" which is a related but different thing. For grits you can substitute regular corn meal in a pinch although most of is is a little too finely ground, ideally you want a somewhat courser grind, the Bob's Red Mill stuff is good or anything you find that is specifically labelled as "polenta". I don't care for the Bob's stuff for making polenta myself, it's a little to course but for grits it's perfect.

What I really wish I could find without making a Wegman's run is Quaker "quick" white grits, it's the secret to one of our go to dinner party recipes, garlic infused white polenta.

[Googs]

Whoops. Skipped that part. Grits and hominy are indeed different.

bytepusher, I call that my dirty little secret. I have two boxes of the stuff in my cupboard.

[Sarah_G]

Interesting bytepusher! The recipe does indeed call for grits (I don't recall any mention of hominy grits). I haven't been brave enough to try the recipe yet as a lot of David Chang's stuff is very involved and I'm nowhere near up to par with his level of experience and expertise.

[morty999]

The restaurant Southern Accent in Mirvish Village (Bathurst & Bloor) used to sell them. Not sure if they still do, but it would be worth a call as they sell the true authentic southern style grits.

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Southern Accent
595 Markham St, Toronto, ON M6G2L7, CA

[Sarah_G]

Thanks Morty 999. I haven't gotten around to checking out the other suggestions from TorontoJo but I will definitely make a stop at Southern Accent.

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Southern Accent
595 Markham St, Toronto, ON M6G2L7, CA

[Bobby Wham]

Telling you, Bob's red mill brand, you can get em at Kensington market, Essence of Life or even Loblaws, Metro, they have em everywhere. I make grits all the time

http://www.bobsredmill.com/corn-grits...

[TorontoJo]

This thread talks about Bob's Red Mill brand:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/704173

I've seen them at my Loblaws.

[Sarah_G]

Great thanks so much! Out of curiosity where is your Loblaws?

[TorontoJo]

Yonge and Yonge Blvd. (the Hogg's Hollow location)

But I'd call first to whatever location, given Loblaws and their seemingly neverending supply chain issues.

But it looks like Essence of Life in Kensington Market would be a better location for you.

[Sarah_G]

Yes say no more about the chain issues!

Kensington Market is a hop, skip and a jump away from where I live so I think I'll venture over there since it's very close by.

Thanks so much!

[South Carolina Girl]

I've also found Bob's Red Mill at Highland Farms in Mississauga.

@bytepusher, Curious about your party recipe...I have Quaker white quick grits in my pantry. My parents brought them up on there last visit and I really only use them for the occasional weekend breakfast.

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Highland Farms
850 Ellesmere Rd, Toronto, ON M1P, CA

[bytepusher]

It's dead easy, the recipe originally came from The Gotham Bar and Grill cookbook, where it's just called Creamy Polenta, as is often the case with restaurant cookbooks the recipe just calls for "quick" polenta, but as served in the restaurant it's white polenta not yellow. I forget now who clued us into the secret that the "white polenta" was Quaker quick grits. In any case, just take two cups of milk (or if you are being decadent, 1 cup each cream and milk) Just break smash a couple cloves of garlic and put them and the milk in a pot and just warm it slightly on the stove and let it simmer until the garlic infuses into the milk then add a 1/2 cup of the grits and proceed as you would to make "quick" polenta. Serve as the starch with sliced grilled bistecca and wilted arugula.

[South Carolina Girl]

I'm on it! Thanks for the recipe.