ziggystardust's Profile
Birchmount Danforth chow
Hi guys; I have business to attend to in the Birchmount/Danforth, Birchmount/Kingston Rd. area. As it's a completely alien area to me, I have no idea what's good to eat around there. Any recs?
Mars Food (College St.) Voted BEST AUTHENTIC 24/7 DINER for 2012
I'm a fairly regular patron of the place and I've never heard the waitstaff call anyone "honey" They are mostly older ladies from some Balkan land. They are nice enough, but they're not Flo from Alice. You've been watching too much TV.
Food-related volunteering [Toronto]
I believe the Scott Mission uses volunteers to help cook meals.
Nice place for a coffee date in Little Italy
"And if the date is going well you can always switch to wine...."
Well put!
Nice place for a coffee date in Little Italy
Both are good suggestions, thanks. And going to Riviera gives me an excuse to pick up one of their fantastic cannoli!
Nice place for a coffee date in Little Italy
The title says it all. Bonus points if there's a patio
Good quality cast iron frying pan
Thanks to all of you for the information. The next question is, what advantage does cast iron have over a regular frying pan?
Good quality cast iron frying pan
Somewhere along the way I've picked up the idea that a cast iron frying pan is the way to go. Can anyone recommend a good place to buy one that's not too expensive (if they are expensive, no idea really) How about Tap Phong on Spadina? Or would they not carry good quality ones?
Bar areas in Toronto
Some friends and I are planning to do a pub crawl so we need suggestions as to areas or streets to go to. We're not interested in high end, club or lounge type places. We'd like to find a place with a relatively high concentration of bars and if they're on the divey side, even better.
El Jacal vs. Mexitaco
We're thinking of doing Mexican tomorrow night. I've tried Mexitaco a few times and liked it but the past couple of times it hasn't been as good. I've heard good things about El Jacal. Has anyone tried both and can make a comparison?
Alsatian restaurant on Baldwin
I've never had tarte flambee. Is it enough for a meal or more of an appetizer?
Alsatian restaurant on Baldwin
I've walked by this place and the name escapes me. Can someone clue me in and tell me if it's any good or not. The menu seems nice and the prices reasonable.
Romantic, inexpensive place for NYE dinner downtown
Grace seems lovely but it's just a tad more sophisticated than I had in mind. Thanks for the rec though.
Romantic, inexpensive place for NYE dinner downtown
Hi guys, I'm looking for a romantic, relatively inexpensive ($50 or less pp. not including drinks ,including tax/tip) downtown for one or two couples for a NYE dinner. Bonus points if it's a cool place to drink as well. We're in our thirties/forties so it needn't be dull and quiet but neither should it be a hipster/club type place. Cheers.
Beef stew with tomatoes?
I'm doing a beef stew in the slow cooker today and trying to think of ways to kick it up a bit. I thought of adding a can of stewed tomatoes, good idea or bad?
Sunset Park/Brooklyn
I just got back from my trip to your city and thought I'd pass along some of my eating experiences.
Tacos El Bronco (Sunset Park) I had my first meal there and it was as great as everyone said. For $10 I had a beef burrito and a large horchada. The burrito was excellent and the value was superb. The service was very friendly. If I lived in Brooklyn, I'd be a regular. Later in the week I stumbled across the their taco truck on 5th Ave. and had two beef tacos for $3. I was shocked by how such great food can be served at such a reasonable price.
White Castle (Sunset Park) Probably not a food destination for you but for me it was a novelty. I had two sliders with cheese. I concur with the posters who said it's best eaten when drunk, which I wasn't. Really greasy little concoction. Maybe it's better when you're drunk.
Nathan's Famous (Coney Island) I had the standard hot dog with cheese. The weiner was great, very juicy and tasty. My only regret was getting it with the cheese sauce which looked and tasted like the stuff that comes out of the machines in 7-11. Next time, I'd just get it with mustard.
Katz's Deli (Manhattan) I had the famed smoked meat sandwich with the pickle side. The meat seemed to be hand cut. It was really quite good but a little steep in price. But I suppose given their location, clientele and reputation they can get away with it.
Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery (Manhattan) After lunch at Katz's I felt like something sweet rather than savoury so I had an apple knish and black and white egg cream. Both were great though I'm still not entirely sure what exactly an egg cream is. As an added bonus, one of the Jewish ladies working there (who claimed to be an descendant of the original Mr.Schimmel) got into a heated argument with a customer over what exactly constitutes a knish. After the customer stormed out, she continued her side of the argument with the eight or so of us left in the shop.
Shake Shack (Battery Park) I had the cheeseburger, fries and a black and white shake. I never managed to find a black and white cookie on my trip so took them in liquid form instead. The burger was excellent, as good, if not better than In N'Out and the fries were definitely better than In N'Out. The shake was to die for.
Lexington Candy Shop (Upper East Side) I got lost trying to find the Met Museum of Art and stumbled across this place. I had a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich. The sandwich was good but not outstanding in any way. The best part was the atmosphere. A real retro diner complete with countermen in white coats and real soda fountains. I regret not getting a Coke because I've never had real fountain soda.
Luigi's Pizza (Park Slope) Someone here recommended Giuseppina's Pizza nearby and after wandering around on a rain sodden night I found to my dismay that it was a candlelit romantic affair. Being a solo male traveller, I felt a bit weird about going in so I wandered down to 5th Ave. and found this place. Good, solid, old school pizza in (what seemed to me) an authentic Brooklyn pizza joint. I had two deluxe slices for $6. Was it the best pizza I've ever had in my life? No, but if I lived in the area I'd definitely return.
Country Pan Fried Chicken (Harlem) I went for the $11 AYCE buffet. Two trips to the buffet got me two pieces of fried chicken, mac n' cheese, collard greens, corn bread and okra in a tomato sauce as well as a glass of incredibly sweet lemonade. The chicken was outstanding, very tasty, crispy skin and juicy meat. The mac n' cheese was meh, I can do better myself at home. I'd never had collard greens before so I can't say if they were well executed or not but I found them too bitter for my taste. The weird thing that I was literally the only customer in the place and yet the waitress still managed to be surly, although in a charming way
All in all, a great trip to NYC and many thanks to the hounds who took the time to give advice to a hungry traveller.
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Luigi's Pizza
686 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Nathan's Famous
1310 Surf Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224
Giuseppina's
691 6th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Tacos El Bronco
5th Ave 43rd St, Brooklyn, NY 11232
White Castle
850 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Harlem/Soul food
Can anyone recommend places for good, authentic soul food in Harlem? I've been reading posts about it and a name that gets thrown around a lot is Amy Ruth's (at least I think that's it) More recent posts suggest the place is going downhill somewhat. My guidebook (Time Out NY 2011) also suggests Country Panfried Chicken.
Sunset Park/Brooklyn
Soul food is something that's pretty much non-existent in Canada so it's on my eating list while I'm there. I was thinking of going to Harlem for that (though I'll probably go anyway). Is Mitchell's good enough to avoid an eating trip to Harlem or are there places in Harlem that are that much better if I'm going anyway?
Sunset Park/Brooklyn
I appreciate the recs for Chinese food but I live in the heart of Toronto's Chinatown and I lived in Taiwan for eight years, so as much as I love Asian food (and I really do), I'm more inclined to getting things that are harder to come by here. The Mexican recs are great and it's a happy accident that I'm staying in the part of NYC that seems to have the best Mexican food in the city because up here, the state of Mexican food is pretty grim.
Shake Shack
This place has caught my interest. Does anyone know if the Brooklyn location is open yet? Otherwise, is there a location in Manhattan that's not crazy busy? The place sounds fantastic but I don't want to line up for two hours to get it.
White Castle 4th. Ave. Brooklyn
Thanks guys. From what I've read here and talking to a couple of American co-workers today, the consensus seems to be that it's good if you're drunk/high but not much beyond that. Still, if I feel like a snack, I just may go for it.
White Castle 4th. Ave. Brooklyn
I noticed on Google maps that there's a WC near my hotel. I've never tried it but they're well known in pop culture (at least to the Beastie Boys). Worth a visit? On a trip to SF a couple of years ago I tried the legendary In N Out, I loved it. Do the two compare?
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White Castle
850 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Sunset Park/Brooklyn
Prunefeet; thanks for your tips. I guess I'll have to make the call on the Irish dive bars when I see them and catch the vibe.
