dory's Profile
Latin American Cuscatlan in Vaughan
If you're in the Jane/400 and Steeles area, you should give Cuscatlan a try. This is a mother and son operation with mom in the kitchen "home cooking" some very tasty Latin American food. We had the pupusas, cheese filled, with crema, carne asada taco plate special, corn tamales( not the sort wrapped in leaves), chiccarones with cassava (yucca): perfectly deep fried and moist on the inside, and coleslaw. My son loved the seafood soup, chock full of seafood and fish. My favourite was something new to me, deep fried sweet plantain dumplings with a custardy filling. Next visit I want to order the beef soup, and on Sundays only they serve a beef tripe soup. I will also be trying one of their appetizer platters. Prices are very reasonable. They are licensed, but we enjoyed the horchata. According to the owner they've only been open about 5 months. The restaurant is a good size, with a small bar area at the front for those who want to watch soccer on the screens. The decor is not fancy but fresh, bright and very clean. Friendly service. I am certainly no expert on this cuisine but of the few places I've eaten it this for me, and the rest of my family, is certainly the best. Tucked away in a strip mall on 3232 Steeles Ave. W. it's in a corner next to a Pho restaurant. Really handy if you want a good meal near Vaughan Mills.
Scarborough To-Do List - What have I missed? What SHOULD I miss?
Lebanese Bakery Cafe on Birchmount near Ellesmere is a tasty breakfast alternative. Of course anything they bake is fresh, have some mint tea and foule, eggs etc. Another different breakfast is Jessie Jr's on Kennedy and Lawrence (sw corner). Very small and casual and I am not familiar with this cuisine but I enjoyed the garlic rice, egg and fish from the hot table. The sausage was not to my taste but the sweeter choices were tasty.
Salted Caramels.....I want these now!!
Costco did have Kirkland brand milk chocolate salted caramels a few months ago. Not sure if they still do. It was probably seasonal.
Burritos in Scarborough
Not big on atmosphere, bare bones tables and chairs, murals on the walls. I have tried the papusas and enjoyed those. They are served with the traditional coleslaw, and a thin tomato sauce which I cannot eat because of any allergy. Yucca is prepared in different dishes and the pork with yucca was a bit on the dry side (largely because I'm limited in application of sauces) but not tough. Plantain is another one of my favourites, fried green as an accompaniment or the sweet with crema. And I like anything with the fresh cheese. The tamales were also good, wrapped in banana leaves, the masa not too dry or crumbly. We were there with children for an early lunch so the Jarritos sodas were the beverage of choice. I found the horchata to be a bit too thin and sweet,. The kids really enjoyed the papusas (various fillings) and the enchiladas were a hit with them. And they still found a bit of room to take out the frozen dessert treats in the cooler. I can't comment on the adult beverages but the folks on the patio seemed to be enjoying themselves. Hope this helps. Personally I prefer La Bella Managua but if when in Scarborough this is a decent alternative,
Burritos in Scarborough
El Pulgarcito on Kennedy north of Lawrence is primarily Salvadorean food but I believe they do have burritos, ie Steak Burritos, on their menu. I know it is not excactly what you're looking for but its it the same neighbourhood. Their food is good, tastes homestyle, service is a bit offhand but generally a decent meal. They have a fair-sized patio if you don't mind sitting in a strip mall.
Best Chinese BAKED buns in GTA?
Is there still more than one Lucullus location? There used to be several I believe, but for me the one at Chalmers Gate has always been the best for some reason. Could it be my imagination? And I've been eating their food for at least 15 years, probably more like 20. And I agree with Charles, go early enough for a light lunch. I'm sorry my son has outgrown his pediatrician whose office was in that plaza, I don't get there very often now.
Best Chinese BAKED buns in GTA?
Is Kim Moon still open? Could be that I just missed it because I was distracted by the sign at Butterfly Bakery and went in there instead. My first visit here (last month) so we picked up some buns, fairly standard, not overly sweet and dough was a little more bread like if that makes any sense. Fillings seemed average. But it was busy. They have a bubble tea area and a hot table with quite a variety of dishes, including whole fish. Some seating at front and back of bakery/cafe.
Scarborough Gems
There is a small Indian bakery hot food takeout only in the same strip mall as the Real McCoy. I have only been once because I am almost never in this area but what I had was very tasty. I really enjoyed the biryani, the naan and butter naan?, a lentil dish, and a spinach dish. Sorry I'm not more familiar with this type of food, but to me it tasted and looked homemade and fresh, The spinach I think had nuts in it? and was pleasantly spiced. Prices were very reasonable and the gentleman serving was patient and helpful. Sorry I didn't make note of the name.
Himalya; vegetarian Indian food in Hamilton
Located on or near Centennial Parkway (I wasn't the one driving) in a strip mall. Very small, mostly takeout with several tables. I am not a vegetarian nor do I know much about Indian food but I enjoyed what I ordered, chick pea flour and yogurt sauce, mildly spiced by request. The rice pulau was light and flavourful, The naan was alright, very generous in size, I preferred the deep fried paratha. They also offer a selection of sweets.
Irish Tea Room NOTL - anyone been?
May be in the Niagara On the Lake area next weekend for lunch or aftenoon snack. Wondered if anyone had tried the Irish Tea Room. Apparently it has homemade Irish specialties,hot and cold, sweet and savoury and quite a few gluten free choices. And I love a good cup of tea. It's located at the back of the Irish Design shop if that rings a bell for anyone.
Thanks
Finding Meyer Lemons
They were also a Longo's at New Year's, but not as cheap as Costco.
Food in Aurora / Newmarket?
I realize that the original post is pretty old but for what it's worth....
Cambodia Noodle King in Newmarket near Davis and 404 (in strip mall beside Holiday Inn Express)has a solid selection of Cambodian /Vietnamese dishes and Chinese dishes. I like the curry soup that eats like a stew but then I love anything with coconut milk in it. The Pad Thai is also an good choice because they do not use ketchup in the recipe but has a nice bite of peppery heat. Portions are very generous, prices are very reasonable. This is a family owned and operated restaurant. Food has a homestyle quality to it. Decent sized sit-down restaurant and they also seem to do a good takeout business. Service is very friendly and helpful. Not fancy but clean. Many of the Chinese dishes would suit the "Canadian chinese" palate ie. lemon chicken, sweet and sour, etc. but very good for its sort.
Don't know if they deliver although I've seen a truck driving around town with their name on it.
Another Chinese takeout choice, but I don't know about delivery, is Sang's Wok which is located in the Newmarket Plaza (Davis Dr. just east of Yonge St) right near the Giant Tiger store. Primarily takeout, with a few fast food tables. This is our favourite takeout/fast food in Aurora/Newmarket for basic, tasty Chinese food.They use fresh ingredients, not greasy or mushy. Varied selection of combos (large portions) which are perfect for a quick meal. Great value. For truly fast food we order ahead and pick it up on the way home.
Tuptim Thai on Mulock west of Bayview is a decent choice for Thai but I don't know if they deliver either.
Richmond Hill/Aurora resto recommendations near Yonge St?
Have you tried Sushi Kui? It's located at the corner of Yonge Street and Orchard Heights Drive in Aurora. It's located in the St. Andrews village plaza, which is set up like a courtyard with stores and restaurants off of it, so you won't see it from the either street. At lunch time you can order from the menu, or order the AYCE option, which is not a buffet but it brought to your table. They offer quite a good selection. I've been there for dinner, but the others in my family have enjoyed it at lunch. Do try the coconut ice cream, it has actual chunks of coconut meat in it. Japanese food is not one of my personal favourites (I realize that this is a very broad sweeping statement but there it is!) but Sushi Kui seems to be very popular. Especially for a lunch in Aurora.
Caledon Burger Co.
Located in Caledon East, this burger joint has potential. Serving local food, homemade burgers from ground steak, no additives or fillers. Hand cut fries from Mt. Albert grown Yukon Gold potatoes (not my favourite variety for fries but definitely fresh), nice selection of fresh toppings. The staff were extremely helpful and pleasant, and cheerfully went the extra mile to address our food allergy issues.
They offer a choice of whole wheat buns, white or gluten free. I had the 6 oz. burger which tasted just like its supposed to - beef! Not fatty, or greasy. Some might find it on the drier side but it may be the cooking that causes this? Not sure, or it could just be the lean ground meat. Fries could have been hotter. They serve an organic chicken breast sandwich which sounded good, and their onion rings were huge...think I know what I'll be enjoying next visit. And there certainly will be more visits. It was busy, Sunday night, so that bodes well. The only drawback were some out of control young kids who managed to pull over the entire condiment cart; luckily my sister shoved me out of the way but everything went flying. A little unnerving when you're just standing there waiting for your burger, but the food made up for it.
We stopped in after a visit to the Spirit Tree Cidery which is about 15 minutes away.
-----
Caledon Burger Co.
16057 Airport Rd, Caledon East, ON L7C 1E7, CA
aurora farmers market wood fire pizza
Not sure if this is what you're looking for but there was a wood burning pizza oven booth at the Newmarket Farmer's Market last weekend.
Portuguese (But not too expensive please)
I noticed a new restaurant in Vaughan (corner of Major Mackenzie and Weston Rd) called Costa Verde. Is this any connection to the others of the same name? I
Any great restaurants in the Newmarket/Aurora, Ontario area?
We also enjoy Mexicanada, and the Portuguese bakery Portuglia(south and on the east side of the street) has some tasty bread and sweets. Does anyone know if it has a bar/grill connected to it now too?
In Oak Ridges, you might want to give EspressoBlu a try. It's in the No-Frills plaza on Yonge north of King Sdrd, near the DOT furniture store. They're a family run coffee cafe, Italian style, and according to the owner they have live music ie. a vocalist on most Fridays. Small place but welcoming. Their baked goods taste homemade, ok, but not exceptional. They also have a small selection of sandwich choices, They also serve gelato, and the owner had mentioned that they might be offering a coffee granita at some point. Not what you'd call a great restaurant but good for what it is ; a place for an espresso, a gelato with a neighbourly atmosphere.
Please add to my list of good, cheap, inexpensive FOOD in Toronto (Downtown, Scarborough, North York, Markham/Rich Hill)...
I believe that the menu states that taxes are included.
Going to Keenland in April - where to eat?
We made it to Keeneland for this meet. And the "tornado" got to Versailles before we did so we tended to stick closer to downton Lexington where we were staying. And let our son pick the restaurants. Some hits, some misses. We did get to Ramsey's, the favourite choices being the fried catfish,baked sweet potato, summer squash and peanut butter pie. The waitress was so nice and was happy to bring me some green sweet relish to put in the tartar sauce. We ate at a Mexican restaurant in a suburban residential area not far from the Fayette? Mall. Satisfying but nothing outstanding but as we were up to our axles in water it was time to pull over and eat. We drove out to Wallace Station but it was ridiculously busy so we continued along the Old Frankfort Pike to Frankfort to the White Line Diner. My husband and son had the pulled pork which they thought was decent but my son wasn't crazy about the spicing. I had the scallop po'boy which was really good, But don't look for it on the menu. Apparently Rick's seafood order from Cincinatti came with scallops instead of oysters, The blue cheese mac and cheese was a nice variation on the theme. None of us were crazy about the bread. It reminded me of an elongated english muffin that fell apart on contact. We also went to the bakery in Frankfort and bought a few baked goods, the cheese danish was nice. The chocolate shop in town was a disappointment. The bourbon chocolates were alright but far too sugary for my taste and the fudge was no better than inexpensive grocery store brands. On a late night we stopped at Tollly Ho for a midnight snack. Burgers were good old school burgers. Portions were huge. Onion rings and fries were what you'd expect. The limeade was a refreshing change. Although I must say I enjoyed every gallon of the unsweetened tea I drank on this trip! If you're at the Kentucky Horse Park try the lunch there. They had decent pulled pork bbq sandiwiches, soup beans with cornbread and a few other regional specialties. I enjoyed the bread pudding, which was drizzled with some dark chocolate. As caferias go this was a good one. Other sweets we enjoyed were Doughdaddy donuts (which I enjoyed much more than our Tim Horton's donuts).. We walked through the very tiny farmer's market near the hotel after breakfast at Della's Diner. I bought pimento cheese and beer cheese. Interesting. My son bought Easy Cheese in a spray can at the grocery store. Not sure if I really care to try either again. But we're all hooked on Ale 8 One and loaded the back of the pick up truck with cases of it. Oh yes, and a couple of bottles of bourbon for my husband. My son enjoyed the battered and deep fried dill pickles. And as for the funky chicken we didn't get any of that until just before we crossed the border at Port Huron into Canada.
-----
Wallace Station
3854 Old Frankfort Pike, Versailles, KY 40383
Tim Hortons
2206 13th St, Ashland, KY 41101
Foraging for ramps (split from Ontario board)
Thanks for posting this perspective. Even on private land landowners need to harvest sustainably. Or not at all. And the ramps are not the only plants to be effected. Other woodland plants that grow in the same environment may be trampled or damaged in the process. Some of these plants require years of growth before being able to produce flowers and seed. So if you are consuming these plants because you feel that it is important to eat organically and know where your food comes from then please ask the tough questions wherever you buy them. Ask where they came from and how they were harvested. And walk away if necessary.
Going to Keenland in April - where to eat?
Just thought I'd open this older post. We're finally getting to Keeneland again, a year late, and was wondering if there's any new favourites we should know about? We're going to be staying in downtown Lexington for 4 days at Easter but will do a day trip to Louisville. Will probably go to Wallace Station, and maybe to the White Line Diner but am still looking for southern cooking, soul food perhaps. Ambience is not important - it's all about the food. We're travelling with our 14 yr old son who gets a kick out of eating at chicken restaurants - if the chicken on the sign is wearing funny costumes. So far we've eaten fried chicken where the advertising features chickens in cowboy attire, sombreros, plaid golf pants, curly wigs and aprons, beards, moustaches and we're always on the lookout for more when we travel.
-----
Wallace Station
3854 Old Frankfort Pike, Versailles, KY 40383
Chinese Grocery Stores in northern Richmond Hill
I think you'll find that the take-out food section at the Price Chopper is closed.
There is a large asian grocery store located on Yonge south of Major Mackenzie. H-Mart is there too. (Same plaza as Grande Cheese, China Buffet King and I think What a Bagel!)
ANYTHING even remotely good in the Finch/Steeles - 400/Weston Road quadrant?
We enjoyed Pho Dau Bo. There is another Vietnamese restaurant in the same strip plaza, smaller and a more "homey" atmosphere. I am far from expert but we thought the food (bun and pho) was of good quality and value. You may also want to try the bahn mi (take out) only shop at the west end of the plaza. A good range of varieties, more than just cold cuts, and very generous portions, cheap, tasty and filling. There's a small selection of desserts as well. Nice people run it. Further west along Finch, also on the south side is another plaza with an Indian Sweets store (Vegetarian), I think there's 2 in that plaza. We go to the larger one. Can't remember the name. Very clean, good assortment and delicious. Again I'm not too familiar with this type of food but anything we've tried has been
very good. It's also pretty busy which I think is a good sign. Hope this helps.
Motherhome Myanmar Cuisine?
Is this the same place that used to be open in a food court type setting for lunch and early dinner further downtown? Always wanted to try it but the hours and location were never convenient.
Handmade Chai in Toronto?
Do you enjoy Kashmiri pink chai? There are places in Little India (Gerrard St.) that prepare and serve it to takeout I'm not familiar with any restaurants that serve it but there must be some. It is delicious, especially at this time of year. Provided that you do not have a nut allergy!
Places to try near Eglinton/Don Mills
Another place in the same Flemingon Plaza is Shaheen Tikka and Kabab House. We stopped there the other night and really enjoyed our meal. We tried seek kababs, (ground beef), chicken tikka, the spinach and cottage cheese paneer, chicken korma, rice pulau, and naan. The food was dedently presented, and medium spiced upon request. The chicken korma (with bones) had a very tasty sauce but next time I would order boneless. Generally I prefer chicken on the bone but there was so little meat in the dish it was a bit disappointing. Oh and of course kulfi for dessert and mango shakes. I am not very familiar with this cuisine so have little to compare it tobut we certainly enjoyed it and would go again. The standout for me was the naan. Hot , light and delicately crispy on the outside. I particularly enjoyed the sesame seed variety. I assume they serve lunch, there are picnic table outside, and they advertise weekend breakfast which I plan to try sometime. The plaza is under construction, and this restaurant is next to Caribbean Palms tucked back in from the parking lot.
-----
Caribbean Palms
747 Don Mills Rd, Toronto, ON M3C1T2, CA
Newmarket Area Funeral HELP!
Have just moved to Newmarket myself but the Cachet Restaurant certainly looks nice. It overlooks Fairy Lake where Main and Water Street meet. They probably have a website. I think this would be close for you.
ISO a date shake, or date puree
Thanks both of you for the suggestions. I've never been to fresh. Not the same as the ice cream shake but still sounds yummy. I will probably try making my own as well.
ISO a date shake, or date puree
Recently I've been having cravings for a date shake. The only place i"ve ever had them is in Palm Springs where they grow dates. But it's such a delicious, basically healthy treat that I was hoping someone is now shaking them here. Or does anyone know where I could purchase date puree and make my own shakes to satisfy my sweet tooth?
Diners, Drive Ins & Dives types of places in Niagara Falls, Canada
Betty's is still very busy, but I must say that I had a very negative experience there about a year ago. We were at a hotel in the area and had heard and read about Betty's for years.
I had fish and chips, their specialty, a memorable meal - but for the wrong reasons. The fish had a sweet flavour and a very mushy texture. When the waitress asked me how we were enjoying our meal I pointed it out to her. She said no that it shouldn't be that way, and brought me an entire new meal. I'll be honest I ate it rather reluctantly but it was fine, and under normal circumstances we would have visited again. The restaurant was packed and I'm sure it was just a one of experience however once bitten...
