stet's Profile
Toronto Star $29 jam article
The ingredients don't always make the meal, though. Maybe, even though wild strawberries were used, the jam really isn't made very well? Just because it's expensive and contains wild strawberries doesn't make it automatically better than commercial Smuckers crap.
Have any of us tasted the jam?
Toronto Star $29 jam article
It seems strange that people rushed out to buy it since the article wasn't exactly fawning over the value, and described the taste as "over-cooked berries."
Bobby Flay haters (Flayters?)...this one's for you
It was in New York, yes, but it was on a Japanese show.
And then, during the rematch held in Japan, when he was finished, instead of standing on the cutting board he threw the cutting board on the floor and stood on the counter in victory. As if that's any better.
Want flavor? Just add water!
I've always found diluting certain spirits to result in a more interesting drink. I've never tried it with gin, but scotch and ouzo come instantly to mind.
Pepsi Throwback - Here it comes again...@Pepsi Tweeted today...
Corn Industry backlash? In Canada, all our Pepsi is listed with the ingredient "Glucose/Fructose or Sugar." I'm not sure how much of that is actually sugar.
I'd really like a Pepsi made with cane sugar, like Boylan's soda.
Ruby Watch Co.
Went last night. Overall, the meal was decent, and there were some highlights, but there were also a few fundamental flaws.
There were two of us and we were seated immediately (8:30 seating), which was nice. People around us were at various stages of their meals, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. It's not exactly an intimate setting, but despite the noise, it wasn't at all off-putting. I ordered the "East Side Iced Tea," with Bourbon, Avalon Sweet Tea and Mint, which was delicious. The mint wasn't so much a part of the drink as it was a garnish that added to the fragrance, which I thought showed excellent restraint, and ended up being one of the highlights of the meal.
The first course was the golden beet and zucchini salad with pistachios and smoked goat cheese. I have to confess that normally, I cannot stand goat cheese. I find it overpowering and overused and it has ruined many dishes for me in the past. Here, though, it was mild and creamy -- used liberally, but not overpowering. The smokey tones were a nice addition, and they worked well with the dressing. The greens were peppery and flavourful and slightly crisp. I guess if I had one complaint it would be that at times, the dressing came across as salty, almost briny. The salad came with cheddar buttermilk biscuits, which were, of course, heavy and buttery and incomparable.
This, though, is where one of my first issues arises. A dinner at Ruby Watch Co. is a lot of food. The salad was remarkable in size, and neither I nor my dining companion are very large people. In the end, though we enjoyed it, we left a third of what was on the plate because we didn't want to fill up before tasting the whole meal. It seems odd to some that "a lot of food" is a complaint, but I feel awful when I leave that much food on a plate, and the waitress even commented that she "hoped" we weren't done with it. But I insisted we were, and she cleared the plates and gave us new ones for the next course.
The main consisted of grilled bone-in pork chops in an apricot chutney with balsamic reduction, a sweet-pea risotto with ricotta and pancetta, grilled broccoli in a garlic scape butter and a wild mushroom salad with frisée and parmesan. The chops were nice, but a little over-cooked for my taste (white through, with some pieces a little dry), though the chutney was an excellent tangy addition. The cocktail I had went well with the meat, which may have been why it stood out to me, and provided a sweet note to the acid in the sauce. The mushroom salad was nice, though the citrus-based dressing somewhat overpowered the more delicate of the mushrooms. I did find a large "tree" of clumped mushrooms in the bowl where the stems hadn't been separated. The risotto was creamy, and the ricotta luxurious, and the sweet peas provided a nice contrast to the texture, but the pancetta was underused and mostly crumbled on top. The broccoli was a disappointment, undercooked to the point of being difficult to cut and the butter barely hinting at having used garlic scapes. Again, this was an extreme amount of food. There was enough for the two of us to fill our plates and still have the same amount as seconds for every side-dish. We didn't finish again.
The cheese course was a semi-soft cow's cheese marinated in cognac and with a marmalade. This is one of my points of contention with the resto's concept. That there is a cheese course every night and that everyone gets it might seem nice on paper, but in execution there's a major flaw. The minute we stepped through the doors, all we could smell was the thick, sour aroma of the rind. The cheese was incredibly odorous. Sure, some people like and even revel in the smell of a heady cheese. The issue, though, is that the smell is so strong that the whole evening, it was all I could smell. I could not smell my meal, and the only relief I got was when I drank and was able to enfold myself in the scent of mint (and maybe that's why I liked the cocktail so much). Even if the smell had appealed to me, which it didn't, overpowering the rest of the meal you're serving with that aroma doesn't make sense at all. The waitress even mentioned that she "loves this cheese" but she'd "been smelling it all night and there's a bit of a breaking point." I forgave her for her comment about not finishing our portions earlier because I really did feel bad for her. I thought our clothing would reek for weeks.
The dessert was terrific. A raspberry shortcake with light and airy vanilla ice cream sounds simple, but it was a wonderful end to the evening. Another highlight for sure.
So, there you have it. A few highlights, and a few disasters. Overall, it was nice and I'd recommend it to someone who hasn't been before -- but I don't think I'll be back.
I simply am not built for Ruby Watch Co.
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Ruby Watch Co.
730 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M, CA
Interesting WSJ story about picky eating as a type of disorder
Using it as an excuse for obesity is unacceptable, yes. THAT, I'm sure, is indeed a recent development and also patently ridiculous.
Interesting WSJ story about picky eating as a type of disorder
I'm not sure what you're getting at with the supertaster thing. You know this isn't a new idea, right? It goes back almost a century, and it's just the title of "supertaster" that dates back only a decade.
I'm not sure if you don't believe that supertasters exist or if you really think Dr. Oz is the only person talking about this, but the concept has roots in evolution, anatomy and biology, not television psychiatry.
It's not even that complicated an idea, either. It's simply an expression of genetic variation.
Interesting WSJ story about picky eating as a type of disorder
Do you have a source on that
Browne's Bistro on Woodlawn - what's the story?
I went there once about 8 or 9 years ago. As I recall, I had a braised rabbit on orzo dish that was quite nice. I remember the dessert being good too, but I can't remember what it was.
At what point is Charlie's Burger not "underground" anymore?
http://www.thestar.com/living/food/article/833669--charlie-s-burgers-european-vacation
Almost all of the past few dinners have been reported by the mainstream press. And yet, they still continue to call it an "underground" venture. I'll tell you one thing, I don't believe for a moment when he says that most of the takers for his latest menu aren't affluent. If you can afford to fly to London and Paris and find lodging at a moment's notice for a $900 pair of dinners, you're affluent.
nakiri abuse
Ugh, it's not even the misuse of the knife that bothers me, though it probably ruined the blade. What bothers me is that she almost hacked off a finger twice throughout the video and she's an "expert."
Hidden away, independent cafes, worth making a special trip to visit.
I enjoy their lattes. What'd they do wrong?
Interesting WSJ story about picky eating as a type of disorder
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/PersonalBest/story?id=2740603
Interesting WSJ story about picky eating as a type of disorder
You can test yourself at home using a stick-on notebook paper reinforcement and food colouring. You can see your own taste buds in the mirror with a magnifying glass, and if in the hollow circle of the reinforcement you have more than a certain number, you classify as a supertaster.
2010 closings
Musa has closed because it burned down:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/fire-ravages-popular-dundas-street-restaurant/article1628223/?cmpid=rss1
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Musa
847 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J1V6, CA
The Supersizers Go...
I've been watching, also in Canada. I like it a lot, though it's only moderately about food. The woman is rather nuts, but I think she adds a certain charm.
A Canadian Culinary Journey by Ian Brown
Those kinds of people take the fun out of eating. It's not a competition, it's a meal.
A Canadian Culinary Journey by Ian Brown
Every single person he describes sounds like the worst sort of cantankerous culinary snob. Why would he ever take "Tim" along on a cross-country journey? I'd barely want to spend 10 minutes with that blowhard.
Tuna’s End
ipsedixit, that's a ludicrous limitation on what we, as "Chowhounds," should talk about. Responsible eating doesn't necessarily have to conjure up visions of Alice Waters and PETA. We all partake in responsible eating. If someone started a thread about cannibalism, are you suggesting it would be wrong to bash them on a moral stance unless we had tried eating human flesh? What about sneaking into a zoo to kill and eat an endangered tiger?
"Gosh, you know, it really is delicious, so I guess I can't argue with that."
No, just as we have the responsibility to report about the quality of ingredients, we also have the responsibility to help ensure that others will be free to use those ingredients in the future.
I find absolutely nothing romantic or desirable about senseless eating.
Iron Chef, Bean Battle
Ugh, I can't stand it when an ethnic restaurant serves unleavened bread. That is SO 1980 B.C.E.
Online Ordering Services for Delivery opf food
orderit.ca has a huge variety. They also have a huge mark-up. It's very expensive.
Little Nicky's Coffee
Their doughnuts are indeed delicious. Also, when I ordered 6 I got 8 instead for the same price. Bonus!
My Omega 3 Eggs Have White Yolks!
This website: http://johnsadventures.com/archives/2007/07/i_thought_egg_yolks_were_yellow/
has a few comments of note. One of them says that the pigment in yolks is dependent on the diet of the hen, and the more corn they're fed, the deeper the colour can get. Either way they're safe to eat, but no flavour is a downer.
ISO Harbour Sixty Smores - What do they use to create the fire?
Just to reiterate though, don't eat it, it can very easily make you go blind.
ISO Harbour Sixty Smores - What do they use to create the fire?
You can eat it, it's just terrible for you and you'll end up hammered. People used to eat/drink Sterno to get drunk in the 1920s, when it was better known as "Canned Heat." The rock band "Canned Heat" is named for a blues song written around that era by Tommy Johnson, who wrote it about his addiction to Sterno.
TOP CHEF SEASON 7 - WHEN WILL IT AIR IN CANADA
Nope, there are no plans as of yet. I had to unsubscribe from their Facebook group as well, because they're not very bright and kept broadcasting spoilers from the first episode. It's really despicable of them to say that the finale will be in Montréal, Canada and then disallow Canadians from watching the series live, so it'll most definitely get spoiled for us.
