lolabella's Profile
is my coffee maker toast?
Awesome...thanks Lucy! Will try that. I meant that I wouldn't want residue of metal polish in the nooks and crannies of the coffee maker (sometimes they leave a 'protective layer' to prevent more oxidation which wouldn't be good), but I'll certainly try the vinegar/lemon idea.
is my coffee maker toast?
I have one of those aluminum bialetti stovetop espresso makers and it got put in the dishwasher by mistake. It's now all dull and mottled looking, which I don't mind, but is it safe to keep using? I read that it can be polished to restore the shine, but I feel like that would be too toxic. Ideas? Do I need a new one?
Cheap and Dirty: Thrifty Dive Bars of the GTA
On Dupont just west of Symington there's a place called 'This Month Only' but it's been there much longer than that. Just the name is sketchy, nevermind the clientele I see walking in and out...
Russian birthday cake?
It's a Russian friend's birthday tomorrow and I was wondering if there is any traditional cake/pastry/tradition that we should try. Also let me know a good place to find it!
ISO PORTUGUESE BAKERY IN TORONTO WITH CUSTARD TARTS
ANY portuguese bakery will have them, also most churasquerias will too (the portuguese rotisserie places). I find that most places are good if you get them when they're fresh and still crispy on the outside. After a while they get a little chewy.
Nova Era http://www.novaera.ca/
and Caldense Bakery http://www.caldensebakery.ca/
have numerous locations. I also love the Portuguese chicken place in St. Lawrence market - they have good ones.
I'm jealous of your Vietnamese soup!
This is to 'that person' who's at the next table from me at Pho Hung, Golden Turtle, wherever, that has a yummier looking soup than my rare beef noodle soup...what is it?! I'm not the type to lean over and ask what number you ordered but some people are ordering a soup that has noodles, looks really spicy (not from adding sriracha, it just comes like that) and maybe it's a bit creamy too like there's a bit of coconut milk in it or something..not sure on that one. It looks mighty tasty. I've tried the special sour soup with pinapple and okra and I love that, but I'm seeing people order something else. I'm not much of a tripe person but other than that I'd love to have what you're having!
loads of graham crackers - don't say cheesecake!
Thanks everyone...this is great! There are a lot of good ideas here, both sweet and savory, so I'll get started...keep the recipes coming! I also really appreciate the goodwill circulating here. the chowhounders are a good bunch.
loads of graham crackers - don't say cheesecake!
Hey guys,
My husband works near a peak freans factory and occasionally picks up some cheap cookies from the 'scratch & dent' section. Well, a while ago on his way out they handed him a garbage bag of individually wrapped graham crackers and said 'here...free!'
He was thrilled, but now I don't know what to do with them! We've done the s'mores and we've done the cheesecake, and we haven't made a dent. Any ideas?
LB
Best steak in Buenos Aires?
Yes! We're in BA right now, and on our first night we were trying to get to Parilla Lezama but they were closed for the summer, so we stumbled upon Del Establo. (Defensa 1463) I was weary because I hadn't read about it in any guides, but it was fantastic! We have had a lot of steaks since, but this was by far the tastiest. And the service was great - a perfect first night, and we might end our trip there too.
Good lebanese sit-down restaurant in the GTA?
sadly, compared to montreal we don't really have any good lebanese restaurants...though I'd say Jerusalem on Eglinton is best.
dumb restaurant names [Moved from Ontario Board]
In Toronto (Parliament & Wellesley I think?) the Tender Trap restaurant...eeewwwww....
Good-Bye Dominion, Hello METRO
yeah...meanwhile there's that great farmer's market around the corner. it seems so strange to go from buying produce as it's 'meant' to be bought (i.e.seasonal, from farmers, with your unbleached cotton bags) to this weird fluorescent-lit over-packaged store that doesn't seem to understand what a great experience food shopping can be.
Weekend in Ottawa-suggestions?
If you're hankerin' for a morning coffee & scone, or a lunchtime sandwich, or late afternoon brownie pick-me-up or whatever, check out Thyme & Again...it's a cafe/catering place with take out or sit in and a really great vibe, great food (I was there maybe a year ago).
http://www.thymeandagain.ca/index.php
Good-Bye Dominion, Hello METRO
I was at Dominion/Metro in Liberty Village last weekend. They ONLY sell packaged mushrooms, sweating and slimy against the plastic wrap...never mind that it obviously DOESN'T keep the mushrooms fresh...aren't we so past that whole over-packaging thing?
Weekend Brunch for 8-10, in west end?
Went to Atelier Thuet this weekend and it was lousy...day old (at least) croissants that were cut up and toasted to mask a freezer taste...it's SUNDAY shouldn't these things be fresh? Pastry basket 'for two' was $14 and included maybe three of the aforementioned croissants plus tons of bread...who's eating all that lousy bread? and who wants to pay $14 for it? Music was blaring even though there were only two tables. Got eggs benny but ham was cold so the good hollandaise ended up lukewarm. The plates were silly shapes that you couldn't rest your cutlery on...all in all it was WAY too expensive and we didn't come away feeling fancy at all!
ISO: one person bodum
$1...yup ONE DOLLAR at dollarama...I bought my mini-press there a couple of years ago, so I can't guarantee it's part of their 'regular collection' but next time you're there you can't beat that (plus how nice a coffee maker do you want to leave at work anyway). While you're there pick up some stainless steel kitchen tongs (last for years and have the perfect spring...not carpal tunnel inducing like some pricier ones).
All-Clad in Toronto
I used to work at a place that sold All Clad (but not one of the big-name places) and maybe it was because we were a smaller retailer, but we weren't ALLOWED to put AC on sale...it was part of the deal of selling it. At Williams-Sonoma they have rotating promotions where a certain piece (usually something 'auxiliary' like a grill pan, etc.) will go much cheaper and usually with some bonus item like mitts or an apron, but I don't think that the big sets ever go on sale (I know someone who worked part-time at WS for 1/2 a year just to get staff discounts on AC...her paycheques didn't cover all the pans she bought!!).
All that said, they're FANTASTIC and you won't regret it. Just buy a set, and wait to buy all the extra fun pieces when they go on WS promotion. The nice thing about some of the smaller places mentioned on the lists here is that except for the promotions they're not more expensive, and you can also special order items - I bought a 10 piece, and then ordered a lid for the (I think) 10" fry pan separately which is something that I'm not sure you could do at WS.
Drink monkeys?
I'm not certain, but I would say that Balloon King on Bathurst & Dundas is a good bet - all the kitchy party stuff you could ever want.
susur with a vegetarian.....
yeah - probably one of the best high-end restos to take a vegetarian. when i was there a couple of years ago they had a vegetarian tasting menu printed on the menu...seemed like it was a pretty normal thing. And actually, after having the no-holds-barred tasting menu, I remember thinking that I would like to try the vegetarian one the next time just for a change (I think I ate about 9 different animals in one meal and it felt like a bit much for me!!)
Self-catering our wedding?
I am a caterer and a lot of my friends are in the food industry, so when I got married (on a shoestring) the food had to be GOOD but I didn't want my friends working. I agree with other people that even if I thought I could do it myself, when the day comes there is SO much to think about.
In the end I talked to a middle eastern community center and they put me in touch with a caterer who made wicked food from her home (and middle eastern food is great at room temp) and she brought it in those huge aluminum trays. (A resto would do the same thing - good food with zero presentation) THEN i hired a small, tasteful caterer (everyone has a friend of a friend who runs a small tasteful catering business from home right?) and she plated all the middle eastern food for the buffet and provided some really lovely hors d'oeuvres. Staff was a must to make it go smoothly...I really think that once the party gets started you DON'T want to be tied up cooking because everyone wants to talk to you and you need to enjoy the moment.
In the end, I had a great time, and also everyone said it was the BEST food they'd ever had at a wedding...4 months later I get more comments about the food than anything else, and if I had to do it again (hopefully not!) I would do it the same way. It was casual but elegant and choosing a different cuisine made everyone think it was really special, even the hubby's super white grandparents.
Of course you don't want to break the bank, but at the same time, it's an important day with your favorite people all together and it's important that you have time to appreciate it all (in the days before, during the party, and you don't want to be DEAD after it ends!(. I did it for a very reasonable amount, but at some point you have to accept that ALL weddings cost more than you initially plan!
Convert this Montreal foodie: Your advice please!
still voting for the second stomach (although dude you're getting dangerously close to needing a third), so if you pick one, i'd say definitely ali's...everyone's always talking about ghandi but i don't get it. ali's rocks and i know you mentioned oxtail but if you need a break from your peameal and assorted meat sundries try the spinach and pumpkin roti from ali - it's my standby i love it (and they make great ice cream in tiny little takout servings that shouldn't be missed - i go for soursop) Queen W and Landsdown-ish. p.s as for a rec further down...if you go to T&T, skip J-town it's far from downtown and not as great as the name makes it sound.
Convert this Montreal foodie: Your advice please!
like fried fish. also i vote for wine bar if you're going the JK route...possibly combined with a trip to st. lawrence market?...while you're at the market you could get a peameal sandwich from Carousel (topped with kozlich's mustard, also from the market), although it's really starting to look like you'll need an auxillary stomach!!
Banh Mi in the West end?
There's a GREAT place on Dupont just before Dundas...I think it's one block east on the corner of Dupont and Edwin maybe?. I wish I knew the name! It's a great little place on the corner, and she sells the best banh mi...the usual assorted cold cut type, but the gem is the really fresh grilled pork sandwiches - great bread, and of course super cheap. I actually just moved to St. Clair & Yonge and am totally missing that little place!
Molokheya - In Toronto?
i'm egyptian/lebanese and i don't know anywhere in the city to get molokheya in a restaurant...turns out some people think it's foul!!... we usually make it at home. We make it with chicken, though...you can buy the chopped leaves frozen at NASR or ARZ which are both on Lawrence near Victoria Park. A 'rough' recipe: combine a couple of the frozen packets with (maybe a litre?) chicken stock and barely simmer - don't boil (I'm not sure but think that boiling makes it more slimy) then fry lots of garlic, fresh corriander and ground corriander seed and add to the molokheya, plus salt to taste. Serve with chicken (when I'm making a quickie dinner I buy a roasted chicken from the grocery store and it's great!) and rice and red onions that have been 'pickled' for an hour or so in red wine vinegar. In Egypt they often make it with rabbit, and I don't see why you couldn't make it with the chicken broth but serve it with nice rich braised lamb shank meat...it would be fantastic. there is a recipe on shoofimafi.com that looks more involved but also uses lamb (they call it Mlukhieh). hope this helps!
Original Canadian Foods? Eh!
Also, I nominate the 'double double' as in 'i'll have a medium double double'...
Original Canadian Foods? Eh!
st. lawrence market is famous for peameal on a bun, and when emeril was in town he stopped by the market to try these sandwiches...it's the kind of thing you'll see at roadside diners, or some totally canadian snack bar at a country flea market (in ontario, anyway)...you know, the same place that has a stack of homemade butter tarts at the counter!
Original Canadian Foods? Eh!
peameal on a bun is TOTALLY canadian...that's why it's called canadian bacon in the states, eh?
Quick Advice sought!
same owners as brassaii, but check out brant house - okay, it's a little clubby for my taste BUT they have a 5-8pm happy hour (I think thursdays?) where ALL drinks are 2.50 (mixed drinks too!) and fantastic apps are 1/2 price. then you leave right when the place is getting filled up with the ultra trendsters. perfect. at this point i usually stumble out and find some cheap chinatown noodles.
Anybody know where I can get this "Ginger Soother"?
uh...why don't you just ask your cousin?
