Dr. John's Profile
Anywhere still doing old-school Danforth Greek food?
Agree that the salad is nothing special. But I like the potatoes. I always ask for double instead of getting the converted rice. Where do you like the potatoes? Ellas used to do them very well.
-John
Anywhere still doing old-school Danforth Greek food?
I've been going to Astoria since it was a hole-in-the-wall with pinball machines in the back. It is still my go-to place for grilled meats. They also serve greek yoghurt with quince paste for dessert, which is delicious.
-John
best wedding cakes in toronto
Vanessa the Cake Lady did a great job for our wedding and various other celebrations for my friends. Her chocolate cake is really moist and not too sweet. Plus, she is great with special designs. She did a grand piano for our wedding and Half Dome (in Yosemite) for my friend's wedding. She can just be a little slow to respond. You may have to nudge her a few times.
http://thecakelady.ca/
-John
Hammersmiths
Just went for brunch this weekend.
The duck plate - duck egg, confit hash - was excellent. The scones were also delicious - both the chocolate and the apple. The bacon omelette with salad was also nicely done.
The staff were also nicely accommodating of a not-quite-two year-old, providing some sliced apple and scrambled egg on request.
The main downside was the price. Three adults plus a toddler came to $84 with tip and taxes. Seems a bit steep, even given the quality ingredients. Will likely go back, but not when the budget is tight.
-John
100 Foods to Eat Before You Die - Toronto/GTA Edition
If by calamari, we mean any version of fried squid, then I would vote for either the version at Lee Garden on Spadina or the version at Origin.
Hooked sometimes has a nice smoked carp.
For Goulash, Country Style is still reiable.
You can make your own s'mores at the table at Moroco.
There are many varieties of umeboshi in J-Town and also at Sanko.
-John
Best Lunch Picks - St. Lawrence Market
The chicken sandwich at the Churrasco is also very good, as are the egg custard tarts.
Is the sprout place still there? They used to do a very nice sprout salad.
-John
Best Caribbean in Toronto?
Bacchus has been a favourite for me for nearly two decades.
I used to eat at Coconut Grove and liked it, but haven't been in several years.
Mr. Jerk was great when I used to live near it, but also haven't been back in years.
Sounds like I should check out Tropical Joe's since I live near Gerrard Square.
-John
Late Night Good Eats
7 West is decent and reliable - especially for something open 24 hours. The veggie chili and the pastas are all OK.
Sneaky Disease is fine for nachos or huevos rancheros at about 5:00 AM, when you will eat anything greasy and salty.
Agree about Swatow - I thought they close at 2:00 AM.
A number of Greek restaurants are open late. Omonia is pretty good and open until 2:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
-John
Chowhounds best 10 Resturants in GTA - 2012 version
Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto
George
Splendido
Scaramouche
Queen Margherita
Pizzeria Libretto
Chinese Traditional Buns
I'll add three more if I remember any others.
-John
Where are you still eating that you were 20 years ago and is still good?
Agree about Jerusalem - especially the sauteed tomatoes
Agree about United Bakers - the soups
Agree about Lee Garden - been going for >30 years and still love their fried squid among others
Agree about Scarmouche - been going since the 80s and although lots has changed, it is still very good
Agree about California Sandwiches
Agree about Le Paradis
Would add:
Swatow - for the shrimp dumpling noodle soup and special fried noodle
Astoria - for the souvlaki and also the chicken breast (been going since the mid 70s)
Sher-e-Punjab - a nice, reliable place in my neighbourhood
Country Style - the last Hungarian bastion in the Annex
Jumbo Empanadas - since the days of the cart in front of the egg place
Pearl Court - cuz the dim sum is pretty decent and also just around the corner
Lalibela - one of the better Ethiopian places
Greg's Ice Cream - coffee toffee! and also roasted marshamallow!!
-John
Ethiopian Recommendations - Danforth
We have eaten at Dukem, Wazema, Lalibela, and Rendezvous. Of these, Dukem is our favourite in terms of variety and quality of dishes. Lalibela is a close second, and one of the few places that serves some of the breakfast dishes we had in Ethiopia. Wazema was fine but has less variety. Rendezvous was oversalted and unimpressive.
Dukem also beats all the others we have tried elsewhere in the city: Ethiopian House, Queen of Sheba (good stews but weak injera), and Addis Ababa (oversalted).
We'd be interested in hearing about the others on the Danforth - Ibex, etc.
-John
Consistency and reliability - not necessarily a bad thing
I was inspired to post this thread after reading some of the other threads on this board. There are many former favourites that have been judged to have gone down in their quality. There are other places that have been criticized for keeping things the same and not changing/innovating. So I am interesting in hearing about places that have remained consistent over the years AND people also still like going there.
I'll start by listing a few myself. Note that I am not necessarily saying that these are the best places to dine in the GTA. But they do have something that I like that has remained dependably and reliably the same over the years. Most of these places I have been going to for decades.
Bacchus - for the spinach and squash roti
Country Style - for hearty Hungarian dishes
Lee Garden - for the deep fried cuttlefish
Astoria Shish Kebab House - for the pork souvlaki and grilled chicken breast
Swatow - for the shrimp dumpling noodle soup
Bonjour Brioche - for the brioche, baguettes and the clafouti
Jerusalem - for the sauteed tomato appetizer
Jumbo Empanadas - for the empanadas obviously
United Bakers Dairy - for the soups
Interested to hear what other people pick.
-John
You have $10 for a meal, where do you go in Toronto?
ramen @ Tokyo Grill or Kenzo
noodle or rice bowls @ Manpuku
spinach/sqaush roti @ Bacchus
various sandwiches @ Rose's
shrimp dumpling noodle soup @ Swatow
assorted veggies or ground meat with egg @ Pizza Pide
any of the empanadas @ Jumbo Empanadas
-John
Hooked Seafood - New fishmonger on Queen
I live around the corner from Bill's and have never been disappointed by the quality of their fish. Diana's has great selection, but is a bit of a trek as you pointed out. Neither has a particular emphasis on sustainability, so I am left purchasing only what I can feel are sure bets (e.g., Alaskan fisheries). For local fish, I used to buy from the First Nations vendor in the north market at St. Lawrence - nice perch, pickerel, and lake trout - but I think he switched to other markets in the city and haven't sought him out since. Never tried Ocean Treasures and haven't been to Pisces in a long time, so can't comment there.
-John
Hooked Seafood - New fishmonger on Queen
I've been buying stuff from Hooked for the past month and have been generally happy with them. We try to only eat seafood that we can be sure is sustainable. It's nice to have a place where I can buy wild shrimp that isn't farmed or bottom-trawled or line-caught albacore tuna (first time I've bought tuna in years). We've also tried some of their prepared fish products - gravalax, smoked carp, smoked mackerel - and they've been pretty good.
They don't have the best seafood in the city and their prices are certainly not the best value. But we're willing to accept those compromises to buy sustainable seafood all in one place.
-John
pandoro and panettone
I am far from an expert, but have tried many of the less expensive versions ($5-$20 range). Of these, Tre Marie has been my favourite. The bread bit is not cloyingly sweet and nicely balances between dry and moist.
I'd be interested to hear about the more expensive versions to see if there is something worth upgrading to.
-John
ISO taro leaves for lau lau in the Toronto area
I am planning a Hawaiian themed dinner party and want to try to make some lau lau. We actually have a potted ti plant so we have those leaves covered. But I would also like to use taro leaves. Where can I buy them, fresh or frozen? Do Asian supermarkets carry them?
-John
Who makes the best chocolate cake?
Vanessa the Cake Lady did our wedding cake and we have had her stuff at a number of other occasions. Her chocolate is our favourite - moist, dark, not too sweet. Plus she will make it into any design you want. Our wedding cake was a grand piano. We have also seen her do a Volkswagon Beetle, Half-Dome in Yosemite, and a fluffy white lamb.
http://www.thecakelady.ca/index2.html
-John
Foodies Coming to Winnipeg
Just got back from Winnipeg. We only had a few days, but managed to fit in at least some of the recommendations:
Had dinner at Mise. We really enjoyed the Buffalo styled duck wings, the quail stuffed with bison, and the venison spring rolls with curry sauce. But the top dish for us was the BBQ pork ribs, which were fall-off-the-bone yummy. The accompanying wild rice latke fries were also delicious, if a bit on the heavy side.
We also had dinner at Rae & Jerry's. The red leather banquettes and old school cocktails were lots of fun and the beef was fine (not spectacular, but fine). We ate too much to be able to tackle dessert, so we'll never know if the coconut cream pie is worth it.
For several breakfasts, we grabbed stuff from Tall Grass Prairie at the Forks Market. The savoury bread pudding was particularly delicious, with lots of veggies and some nice cheese. The whole-wheat cinnamon buns were also excellent. We also enjoyed the walnut pumpkin loaf and the saskatoon berry muffin. We also went out to breakfast at Prairie Ink, which was consistently good but not fantastic. The best dish was the French toast with bananas.
We only managed to try the pizza bagels and the apple jacks from Gunn's. Both were really good. We were too full to sample the other options, but wish we could have gone back.
We also went to Luda's Deli for borscht and perogies, both of which were yummy. It seemed strange to be charged 75 cents extra for a dollop of sour cream, but we didn't argue give that the overall prices were still very reasonable. In a similar Eastern European vein, we also ate at the restaurant at the Mennonite Heritage Village. The borscht there was of a different style - cabbage and smoky sausage - but also very delicious. The vareniky with cream gravy and the kielke with cream gravy were very rich and satisfying. The rhubarb platz was thicker than what we are used to, but still very good.
We went to Eva's Gelato and felt it was so-so. The chocolate coconut version was the best flavour, with plenty of bitter chocolate tones. But pistachio, lemon, and mint were just OK (the lemon was too sweet for my liking). We went to BDI and enjoyed that more, primarily for the over-the-top spectacle of it. The Cantaberry was actually not too overwhelming, being about half fruit.
Never got to try smoked goldeye so we'll have to leave this for a return trip.
Thanks for all your suggestions and direction.
-John
Moving to Toronto
West of Koreatown are a bunch of Ethiopian restaurants. Lalibela is probably the best of the bunch in terms of the quality of the injera (the pancake with which you eat everything) and the range of the wots (stews). Rikishi is a quiet little Japanese place on Bloor at Shaw that has some vegetarian items that you won't find in many other places. Not as fine as the top Japanese places, but a less expensive place to drop into.
In Kensignton, I would second any votes for Jumbo Empanadas. In Chinatown, Chinese Traditional Buns is a bit dilapidated, but serves lots of northern Chinese yumminess.
Have fun.
-John
delux on ossington
Went last night and were fairly impressed. Tried the cubano sandwich naturally and loved it. But it is pretty rich and might not slay you so much if they used a little less butter in the panini press. We also tried the fried "tiny white fish", which were crispy, not oily, and perfectly done. For mains the steak frites were very good - tender juicy steak, tasty salsa verde, and very good frites. The duck confit was even better - crispy skin, moist flesh, not too salty or greasy - and the pureed parsnip was a nice accompaniment (the fried chard was a bit oily to my taste). The doughnuts were a great dessert - very light. Service overall was casual, but decent.
-John
Eskimo Food In GTA
Nothing I've heard of here.
I've been to Baffin Island a couple of times and what gets served in the (few) restaurants there is not what the Inuit would have traditionally eaten (primarily raw or semi-rotten meats and seafood). I kinda preferred the "down south" preparations of the local ingredients. The caribou and char were particularly delicious. Musk ox is also a fine meat.
-John
new Hoof items?
Was just there on Sunday. I found the sweetbreads disappointing. The smokiness was nice, but the deep frying left a couple of them chewier than they should be. If I'm going to eat a thymus gland, I don't want it to be chewy.
The pork cheek and green strawberry was very nice and the tongue sandwich was fabulous. Also agree about the dessert, which was the same for us but had a lemon sorbet.
Foodies Coming to Winnipeg
Thanks for the comments and recommendations. Will post after our trip.
-John
Foodies Coming to Winnipeg
We are also foodies, coming to your fair city over the August long weekend and into the week. Like JDeQ, we like to focus on local food experiences. This could mean local ingredients, signature dishes, or places that are Winnipeg classics. We will eat anything from take-out to fine dining. We have a car and will travel across the city if need be.
Being from Toronto, we have lots of access to many ethnic cuisines, so we are less interested in trying your best Thai, Greek, etc. unless there is something singular about your version. Perhaps the one exception is Eastern European, which is spottily represented in Toronto.
Reviewing this thread and others on this board, here are my ideas so far. Please help me by separating the wheat from the chaff (and suggest anything else that you think is better).
For local ingredients done with style, we could try Mise, Fude, and Fusion for dinner. For local foods brunch, I was thinking of either Tallest Poppy or Prairie Ink.
For a classic experience, Rae and Jerry's seems like the choice.
If we want a continental dinner, we could go to Dubrovnik or Bistro Dansk.
For pizza bagels, we could go to Gunn's. For other baked goodies, we could try Tall Grass Prairie.
For smoked goldeneye, it seems we would need to buy one from Gimli and somehow eat it al fresco. Any other suggestions?
For ice cream/gelato, we can go to Eva's and BDI.
I'm not sure a burger is a priority, but VJ's and George's seem to generate praise (and debate).
Lastly, it seems that Alicia's has closed. So where do we go for pierogies and other Eastern European treats?
Thanks for your thoughts and advice.
-John
Best Bagels in Toronto
I'll add another vote for The Bagel House in terms of Montreal-style bagels. I even like their cinnamon and raisin bagels, which is probably heresy. Even worse, I also am a fan of "bread with a hole in it" when it is done right. Bagel World is one of my favourites. It looks like I need to try Kiva's too.
-John
Shamrock Shakes...they're BACK!!!
Glad to hear this. The Shamrock Shake was a favourite of my childhood. I never found them all that minty. I just liked having a green shake (green has been my favourite colour since childhood). I went searching for one a few years back and was disappointed to discover that they weren't on the menu, so I guess I'll be heading to the golden arches sometime in the next week.
-John
ISO Downtown cheap-but-tasty dim sum restaurant with carts
We've been going to Pearl Court for years. The dim sum is inexpensive (even cheaper in off hours) and reasonable (to my taste) for the price. Standards like har gow and siu mai are dependable. The rice noodles for the cheung fun are just the right thickness. The nor my guy is nicely perfumed from the lotus leaf and doesn't come with tons of pork fat like some versions. You can pass on some of the deep fried stuff, which can get a bit greasy. But the rest of it is unpretentious and satisfying.
-John
