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CityBites Magazine
I usually see it at the Healthy Butcher. It's on Queen between Portland and Augusta.
made-from-scratch lemonade or iced tea- 2012
Come and Get It, the pop-up place at Queen & Spadina has a nice iced tea. It comes unsweetened. But they let you sweeten it yourself with a "watermelon syrup" that adds a nice subtle sweetness.
Food Trucks: The New Cure for Male Romantic-Comedy Heartbreak
I was just dragged to see The Five Year Engagement. Romcoms are definitely not my thing. I was hoping that having the main character a chef would make it more palatable (sorry for the pun). But found the attempt to squeeze as many current food trends very ham-fisted (ok, last one). In addition to food trucks, pickling, foraging, locavore, gourmet tacos, and so on were all brought up. Then there was the cringe inducing depiction of a working kitchen.
Capping it all was it seemed that Tom's boss at the beginning was meant to be a nod to chef Elizabeth Faulkner. Did anyone else see this connection?
Fuzz Box: East Coast donair in Toronto
I've never had the real thing before. But I have noted the heated posts about the lack of Haligonian donairs in Toronto. Well, for those bemoaners, NOW has posted about a new place opening on the Danforth:
http://www.nowtoronto.com/daily/food/story.cfm?content=186324
The deep fried pepperoni has me more intrigued than the white sauce.
Back in Toronto -- Help me prioritize the new restos and eateries!
For casual chow, you should definitely check out what El Gordo's space has morphed into in Kensington Market. There are now multiple vendors. The big draw is Agave y Aguacate. His stewed beef tongue served on a tostada is out of this world. But the other vendors are also great, including the Rebozos outpost and the new Korean stall.
And, if you still have room, don't miss Segovia's next door. Over the last few years they've added quite a few take out foods in addition to being just a butcher. They have South American fare like feijoada, coxhina, and Chilean empanadas.
What a Bagel Spadina & Richmond
Walked by today and they have a big sign saying the grand opening is April 24. Everything looks in place though. All of the fixtures and equipment seem ready to go.
2012 Food and Restaurant CHANGES and CLOSINGS
Maybe you were by there on a Wednesday? That's the one day a week they are closed.
Food Cabbie...the BIG KAHUNA
Just read on Food Cabbie's Facebook page that he may have to move from this parking lot. He has a long post explaining how he thought he had all the proper paperwork and licences. But then he gets issued a noticed that there's some contradictory by-law forbidding food trucks operating in a parking lot with paying parking customers! Just when it seems the street food scene has been making great strides in the last year. Sigh.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Food-Cabbie/137387466356927
ISO Liquorice Root
Another place in Kensington Market that has it is House of Spice.
Toucan Taco Bar
Same owner and team. Here's the whole story: http://www.postcity.com/Eat-Shop-Do/Eat/March-2012/Torontos-taco-craze-heads-east/
Global Cheese Kensington Market.
There's a letter taped up saying they are renovating and will be closed for a few weeks.
The porchetta sandwich at The Sausage King in the SLM
Yup. Look on their menu for "bifana" sandwich. It's a Portuguese sliced pork sandwich. Very tasty.
dondon izakaya
Toronto Life had a little write up about this place a while ago. There are 3 owners, one of whom is Japanese. But it's the chauffeur service that's intriguing.
http://www.torontolife.com/daily/daily-dish/restauranto/2011/08/11/dondon-izakaya/
Niki Rothman vindicated At Last...by Harold McGee
Kenji on Serious Eats also proved over a year ago:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/05/how-to-cook-pasta-salt-water-boiling-tips-the-food-lab.html
Where to buy food grade beeswax
Would Clapham’s Beeswax Salad Bowl Finish work? I use if for my wood cutting board and utensils. It's beeswax mixed with a little mineral oil. So, it's not pure beeswax if that's what you need. But it's made by a beekeeper in BC and is food grade.
I bought a small container at the Gardiner Museum gift shop where I also the cutting board. Clapham's website lists Lee Valley Tools as another GTA retailer.
http://www.claphams.com
So, can I put the whole ice cream machine in the freezer while it's running?
As others have said, the recipe is fine.
As Acgold7 mentioned, you definitely should invest in a fridge/freezer thermometer. Or at least borrow one. A freezer's setting numbers are very relative. Just because your peas are frozen, doesn't mean your freezer is cold enough for the canister. Just for the day or two before when I'm chilling the canister I crank my freezer to the coldest setting. The colder the canister, the better the results.
Here are some links for ice cream making tips:
http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2008/06/10-ten-tips-for-making-homemade-ice-cream-success.html
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/07/how-to-make-ice-cream/
So, can I put the whole ice cream machine in the freezer while it's running?
It seems the canister unit wasn't left in the freezer long enough. I've used a Donvier and Cuisinart.units. Usually I leave the base unit at least 2 full days in the freezer.
How liquidy was your ice cream after 30 minutes of churning? Did it not thicken at all?
Also, what was the recipe?
2011 Food and Resto CLOSINGS
Toronto Life has some details:
http://www.torontolife.com/daily/daily-dish/deathwatch/2011/12/23/granowskas-to-close/
Lakehouse restaurant and Libretto - similar needed
By "Lakehouse", did you mean Lakeview restaurant? It's on Dundas just around the corner from LIbretto. Yes, it does get busy there. Especially when it gets later and most other restaurants are closed. The food is okay. It's supposed to be a more modern take on diner comfort food.
As for other restaurants to get a gift certificate, there's Terroni on Queen. For something a bit more upscale, but given their age they would find fun, there's the Drake restaurant.
Carpano -- now what?
Postcity has a short article on this. Really sad to hear them admit the rebranding/renaming was partially to blame. Will miss the fennel salad and peanut butter gelato.
http://www.postcity.com/Eat-Shop-Do/Eat/November-2011/Carpano-better-known-as-Negroni-has-closed-sold-to-new-restaurateurs/
Quick lunch at King and Spadina?
I just started going to L'Eat Express a few weeks ago and it's quickly become part of my regular lunch rotation. It's on Adelaide one building west of Spadina. It's owned and run by the guys of Paese restaurant. They have salads, sandwiches and soups. But it's the daily lunch special that has won me over. It's usually made up of one protein and 2 sides which are veggie-heavy which is a welcome departure from the usual starch overload. Every morning they tweet what the special will be.
http://twitter.com/#!/LeatExpress
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Paese
333 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V, CA
Thai ice tea in Toronto?
Khao San Road makes a nice rendition. It has a strong tea flavour.
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Khao San Road
326 Adelaide St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1P7, CA
First Date with a Foodie
Beast is very close by to where your friend is staying. Very cozy place. If it's not too cold this weekend, the patio is really nice given it's on a residential street.
Cheap, quick, good eats
One of the newest Scadding Court vendors is a Korean place. I already had a sloppy bunjo from the Magic Oven guy so only got a few snack items. Ordered the squid "balls" (more like patties) and a bbq pork belly skewer. Both were great especially the pork. And cheap! I think $2 for each order. Have to go back and try one of their meal sized items.
Where to find dried hibiscus flowers / flor de Jamaica in Toronto?
Do you mean Caribbean Corner on Baldwin?
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Caribbean Corner
171 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T1L9, CA
breakfast in toronto - garden/financial district
The Bay at Queen & Yonge has been undergoing renovations. There will be a new casual restaurant Bannock opening next week. So that would be a new option. BTW, The Tea Spot in the basement is gone, but there's a new Foodwares Market that just opened this week also developed by O&B that also looks exciting.
http://newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2011/18/c4488.html
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Foodwares-Market-Queen-Street/109126542522161
Another interesting brunch option would be Harlem on Richmond just east of Jarvis. They serve a modern take on soul food.
http://harlemrestaurant.com/
Is that food truck thing at the distillery worth going to tomorrow?
Here's a map with all of the vendors. I'm so glad that they created this. The layout is way more spread out than last time.
Gelato / Ice Cream Challenge - Toronto
Well, it looks like there will be another serious gelato contender. Postcity has an article about how Manic Coffee has been preparing to offer gelato. Sounds they will be as hardcore about it as their espresso:
http://www.postcity.com/Eat-Shop-Do/Eat/August-2011/Manic-Coffee-set-to-become-the-next-player-in-Torontos-burgeoning-gelato-scene/
nice paper plates and napkins to serve up appetizers?
The most beautiful paper plates I've seen are made by Wasara, a Japanese company. Goodegg in Kensington Market carries them.
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/4052/wasara-japanese-paper-dishes.html
Foodie visit to TO
For a sweet treat spot, Soma is worth checking out. They're a great artisanal chocolatier who are also known for their gelato. They have 2 locations: one in the Distillery District and one on King West near Spadina. Both locations are in areas that are nice to walk around too.
http://www.somachocolate.com/
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Distillery District
55 Mill St, Toronto, ON M5A, CA
