I like the Suraj brand Madras Curry powder from Loblaws.

The larger breasts come off of birds that are weighing between 3-5 lbs, also known as roasters. The smaller breasts come off of birds weighing 2-3 lbs, known as fryers. It's just the size of the bird, which COULD be as a result of hormones, but more likely breed and dependent on the farmer and feed. Battery fed chickens can result in larger birds, as opposed to free range or "organic" chickens.

Remember, McDonald's bred their own chicken breed called the "Mr. McDonald" which has larger breasts for their own use.

You can get watercress very easily at most, if not all, Asian supermarkets - where are you located? They're usually $0.89 to $0.99 a bunch.

Not in Toronto, but the following place makes them, along with other sausages:

Sapori Italiani Manica Luigi Limited
120 Carlauren Rd
Woodbridge, ON L4L 8E5
(905) 264-1786

Try Kostas Meat Market at Warden/Ellesmere

What area are you in, Diane?

I usually buy a case of leg quarters - 40 lbs, for $48.00 - either processed by Maple Leaf or Olymel, from Chinese supermarkets.

Walmart has vacuum-sealed packages of 2 side ribs for only $9.00

What kind of pork was it - organic, antibiotic-free, Berkshire? If it were "average" Ontario Grade A pork, then yes, it's a bit much, seeing as you can get St. Louis style side ribs for $1.99/lb or $4.39/kg.

Saw a few cases at Farm Fresh chinese supermarket in Scarborough, on the north-east corner of Brimley/Sheppard

Have you tried looking at your local Loblaw's or the other chains?

I'm a big fan of dim sum at Emperor. Suggestion - make reservations for the table of 15 and show up early. Even though you're having lunch at 11ish, it can get VERY busy on a weekend. Mind you, 11am is still kinda early for the lunch crowd, but reservations are a best bet - I once made a reservation for a table of 15 on a Sunday at 1:00, and I still had to wait 45 minutes.

Charles Yu would definitely have a good weigh-in on choosing between Casa Victoria and Emperor. The tea and service, IMO, is excellent at Emperor, and they treat non-Chinese VERY well, the servers and managers speak English, and the food is wonderful.

Whole Foods Yorkville has it. Some of the Loblaw's/Real Canadian Superstores have them in their "organic" chips sections.

There's also that Organic grocer in the Beaches, forget its name, has a green awning, near the Goof - they have it.

Where are you located, Herne?

With all the talk about the new Pig Out BBQ in Pickering, I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Johnny Midnights.

Located at 1410 Bayly Street, Unit 5B, it's next door to the GO Station, and smack dab between the Service Ontario and the local Thai restaurant. Very inconspicuous place, barely visible from the street, I happened to notice it when I had to go next door. As I was running late, I just ran in to get a take-out menu. The owner, John, greeted me and gave me a brief history about his place - open for around 4 weeks now, on-site smoker (I noticed the scent of smoke/bacon in the parking lot), and homemade sauces. He has seven different BBQ sauces, with their own different flavours.

His menu (http://johnnymidnights.com/barbeque_t...) has sandwiches (Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, and Brisket) for $5.49, or a combo for $7.99 (drink plus one side, as per his menu). Later that week, I came in with my family and we all had sandwiches - my wife and father-in-law had the Pulled Chicken sandwiches, and I had the sliders combo (all 3 sandwiches, in slider form). The Pulled Chicken sandwich was excellent - smoky, but not dry, definitely taste the chicken and the smoke, it was breast meat. My wife has fries - freshly fried up, nice and hot. My FIL had coleslaw, Texas style - red cabbage with shredded carrots and a vinaigrette-based dressing, not the creamy kind. You also has choice of toppings of tomatoes, lettuce, onions, hot peppers, and chipotle mayo. The brisket was smoky and very flavourful, not dry at all. The pulled pork was smoked and pulled perfectly - the pork was not dry, had excellent smokiness, and no trace chunks of fat (the fat has emulsified into the meat itself while being smoked). The different sauces were excellent, and beg to tried - I'm having a difficult time remembering the names and flavours together, but I know they were all so tasty. I also had the Pulled Pork chili - great flavour, slightly sweet, and oh so good.

The place itself is not the largest, mostly deals with take-out, with only 3 tables for four, and one table for two, but well worth the trek for the food. I've yet to try the ribs, but I'm looking forward to that. The menu doesn't have whole chicken and chicken pieces available, but the owner said he was more than willing to accommodate special orders.

Give Johnny Midnights a try and get the word out to other people in Pickering - there's not just one place for BBQ, there's Johnny Midnights.

Johnny Midnights Smokehouse BBQ
1410 Bayly Street, Unit 5B
Pickering, Ontario
L1W 1H6
905-839-2112

Try Anthony's Espresso Equipment
905-264-0433

I have heard of people using Grand Bacchus Banquet Hall in Scarborough (on McNicoll, between Kennedy and Midland). I think they allow on-site cooking and have had Chinese banquets catered there.

Try Kostas Meat Market at the Southwest Corner of Warden/Ellesmere for the goat and lamb - lots of supply for lamb there.

You can try Long Fa at Keele/Sheppard
Tone Tai at Peanut Plaza (Don Mills, south of Finch)

T&T has a 4 day sale (this Friday thru Monday) for watercress - 4 bunches for only $2.00!

Try T&T at the Promenade Mall. Closer than going downtown if you're in North York - what particular area of North York are you in?

Wolfberries are a staple in Chinese medicinal soups/teas - you can get them cheap in most, if not all, Chinese supermarkets, located in the herb sections. No need to go to an herbalist or buy them in Health Food stores. They come prepackaged in 100g or more.

Diana's Seafood is always an excellent choice. I've seen Old Bay and Zatarain's at many of the local big box supermarkets as well.

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Diana's Seafood
2101 Lawrence Ave E, Toronto, ON M1R, CA

Walmart carries them as well - $2.99 per bag

There's a Chinese restaurant supply store on Kennedy Rd, south of Steeles Ave, on the East side, south of the Petro-Canada and the Active Green & Ross/Speedy.

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Petro-Canada
, Haileybury, ON P0J, CA

All of the Asian supermarkets carry watercress. What area are you in? I usually go to the Chinese/Vietnamese supermarkets for watercress, as cheap at $0.49 per bundle to a $1.00 per bundle. H-Mart & Galleria carry watercress too, but at a higher price ($1.29 per bundle).

Just came back from dinner at Emperor. Once again, Charles Yu has not led me astray with his reviews and recommendations, even though his original review is over 8 months old.

As a bi-racial couple - I'm Chinese, and my wife is Jamaican, we have had to endure some racism and prejudice from individuals and businesses that openly disapprove of our relationship. Fortunately, not at Emperor Chinese Cuisine. We have been have twice, so far, for dim sum, and the staff, both floor and managerial, have been very graceful and openly friendly, acknowledging both of us with smiles and excellent service. Based upon this reception, we decided to try going for dinner tonight.

When we arrived, the doors were locked, even though it was only 7:30pm. However, there was a sign that said "ring the bell," which we did, and someone came to let us in. The general manager seated us promptly and tea was immediately offered. Incidentally, I find their tea leaves to be of excellent quality - we had Iron Goddess tea, and with cheaper quality tea leaves, I notice that the tea may leave a sour aftertaste, but not this tea though.

We settled on a simple meal, as my wife is pregnant, but craving Chinese food. We ordered baby bok choy sauteed with garlic, a whole steamed Striped Bass, and seafood tofu soup to start.

The seafood soup arrived in individual portions, as per our order, and was excellent - the broth was light, flavourful, and did not overwhelm the other aspects of the soup, mainly the seafood, which included shrimp, crab, and scallops. My wife noticed the freshness of the slivered Chinese broccoli stems, which added texture and hints of sweetness to the soup.

The baby bok choy arrived next. The garlic sauce on the bok choy was light, fragrant, yet not overpowering and not oily - some places heap on the garlic or use fried garlic, and ruins the delicate flavours of the bok choy. Or there is so much oil/sauce, that the choy is swimming and tasting of grease. This dish was executed with perfection and tasted delightful, without being cloying and overpowering.

Our steamed whole Striped Bass arrived next. The server removed the bone and served us initially, very friendly and done very carefully without any mishaps. The fish was steamed to perfection - the flesh was sweet, flaky, and there was not any chewiness indicative of overcooked fish. Unfortunately, the staff did not bring out the fish itself to the table to display its freshness, but perhaps this is something not practiced, as it may put off some diners. The simple soy-based sauce was light, flavourful, and did not overpower the sweetness of the fish.

My wife, upon eating the fish and choy, decided that we perhaps needed some chicken as well, lest I don't have enough to eat. So, I ordered a half chicken, fried. The chicken came served with fried garlic chips on top, something I've never encountered before, but this lent a slight aroma to the chicken, which was very complimentary. The chicken itself was a yellow-skinned chicken, and served mostly deboned. The chicken was fried excellently - the white meat was juicy and the skin was crisp. The chicken was not oily, nor was it fatty and exude an oily film when consumed. The chicken was very well received by my wife, who claimed that after consuming the chicken, it was possible to have some more fish and taste the original flavours of the fish because the chicken was seasoned lightly and not oily, an excellent tasting chicken.

The meal ended with red bean soup and some pastries. My wife did not partake. The red bean soup was standard and always a nice way to finish. There were two pastries - a sesame dough ball with lotus paste filling and coconut jelly roll with custard centre. Nice way to end, nothing special, but it was something that did not distract or diminish the meal's memory.

We spent around $100, including tip - not the cheapest price for such a "simple" meal, but the quality of the food was excellent, and the service spoke volumes of how they considered all of their clientele. We were very impressed and know we will be back for more.

I checked out the online purchase of tickets - it's $5.00 dollars per ticket plus a $2.00 service fee, taxes included, so it's really $7.00 per head if you buy tickets online.

For Ontario lamb, I would recommend Kostas Meat Market, at Ellesmere & Warden - they get them in by the truckful, and more than willing to accommodate whatever type of cut you're looking for. Try them for goat as well.

For wild/organic Salmon, unless I see the box/crate they came in, I tend to be VERY skeptical about what it truly is. I've worked at places where they would get whole fillets of farmed/cultured King Salmon and claim it was "Wild" Pacific salmon.

Saw buckets at the Real Canadian Superstore at Dufferin/Steeles

On the other hand, it should be considered that not everyone's palate will take a liking to fresh wasabi - if one has been eating sushi/sashimi with the powdered type wasabi, that's all they'll know and expect.