Kagemusha's Profile
Beware of Falling Reggiano!
Look out for higher prices:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/23/italy-earthquake-parmesan-production
Keller and Aduriz's Controversial Comments
Suffice it to say they've grasped the greatest truth behind celebrity--there's no such thing as bad publicity=all buzz is good buzz. Hypocrisy and self-justification always shack up.
David Chang on his TO Outposts
Really? Purely a speculative exercise.Simply asking the local wise-arses how they'd decode this obvious vagueness from Chang and his handlers, e.g.,
"A few weeks ago, Chang announced that Toronto’s Momofuku branch—which he has said will be known as Momofuku Daisho—would be opening up on July 28th, but his public relations staff later walked back on that date, saying instead that the restaurant will be opening at some point in August."
and
"Last week, following a story in The Grid that looked in some detail at the meaning of Chang’s impending Canadian debut, Momofuku’s publicists reached out to local media with offers of phone interviews with the chef himself. The offer came with a warning that Chang would not be able to talk with any specificity about what the Toronto location will be like. With roughly three months until its expected opening date, Daisho—or whatever it ends up being called—is, despite its mounting hype, still almost completely up in the air."
My guess is as good as yours. OK, so what's yours?
David Chang on his TO Outposts
Gimme a break. Try actually reading the linked article, pal, instead of me, OK? Its author is simply asking some obvious questions. Chang's success or failure is utterly inconsequential to me.
David Chang on his TO Outposts
Can't tell if he's coy, clueless, confused or confident behind the iffyness.
http://torontoist.com/2012/05/david-chang-talks-about-his-upcoming-toronto-debut/
Dunno but I'm sensing some major glitch(es)--money, construction, partnering, concept--stalling the oft-postponed launch. Your takes?
Joanne Kates is leaving the Globe!
Yeah, right. Like the infamous Ruby Chinese Restaurant review that ran the morning the health dept. locked it down. Never understood her long-standing aversion to the 905--like she needed a visa and updated shots to visit? Adventuresome she wasn't.
Just too many other sources for reviews now. Obviously, her audience--like her influence--shrank.
Writing? Try some vintage Craig Claiborne:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/dining/craig-claiborne-set-the-standard-for-restaurant-reviews.html?pagewanted=all
Joanne Kates is leaving the Globe!
Think she's one of many scheduled to walk the plank on the good ship G&M-- probably close to the front of the line, too. Just not enough allure to tempt readers through the impending pay wall. It's not age but outlook that did her.
The Chickery - Spadina South of Richmond (David Adjey's new casual spot)
Looks like haute Swiss Chalet. Brilliant!
Keller and Aduriz's Controversial Comments
Keller, like his well-heeled clientele, couldn't give a large rat's hindquarters about these issues. After all, doesn't this reveal him to be a mendacious plonker, especially after the smarmy, baby radish-fondling American Express spot?
"vegas strip" steak, an all new cut of meat ....
Not dissimilar to the new "species" of fish that marketers dream up.
ISO Watermelon Seedlings
They're heartbreakers and really not worth the bother. You need zone 6b or warmer--way warmer.
Joanne Kates' Top 100 Restaurants in Toronto
Don't worry. The G&M is going "paywall" soon.
Ontario fruit shortage this year?
Seems to be apple growers who took the biggest hit.
Thanks, Craig.
Easy to forget how much he gave to the art and science of the resto review:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/dining/craig-claiborne-set-the-standard-for-restaurant-reviews.html?_r=1&hp
Tap Phong..
Lee Valley?
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=41613&cat=1,41504
Crappy Tire for tool rolls, too--unless you've got to have the designer version.
PC Products to go Artificial Flavour and Colour Free
Out in the western GTA, it's open war among the chains. The Heartland Loblaws, for example, is swarmed by competition only minutes away--Costco, Walmart, Highland Farms, NoFrills(?), Food Basics, and at least a dozen ethnic grocers. Their produce sucks, their fish counter stinks and the meat is so-so. Overall prices just aren't competitive. Their employees are justifiably disgruntled after recent hard-assing on wages, hours and benefits. It's all starting to add up--and not in Galen's favor. The Sobey's/Target deal is on. Never had a grocery store love me back.
ancho chili powder
That's a stretch. Whole dried chiles, while not perishable, do loose their flavor but sometimes gain heat with age--not always a good thing. Most of what's sold dried around the GTA is often on the far side of fresh.
PC Products to go Artificial Flavour and Colour Free
Smells like pure desperation--with hints of confusion and hauteur.
Just waitin' for all that dust-catcher Black Label merch to hit the sale table!
Seeking flour to make gnocchi!
Dō itashi mashite. Good Italian ingredient selection, too: cheeses, tomato products, oils, pastas, antipasti, meats.
Toronto Momofuku set to open July 28th
Expand or die? Or is it expand and die? What's Chang thinking?
Anyone watch Portlandia the TV show skewer foodies? (possible spoiler)
"...and making fun of someone in skinny jeans and a wool cap in July is funny."
And as easy as it is vapid. Do you really need a target that's parked to hit it?
Anyone watch Portlandia the TV show skewer foodies? (possible spoiler)
Lame and forced. Loathe the "post-hipster" conceit--hipsters bashing less-hip hipsters. Maybe it's the Sleater-Kinney connection--the ultimate poseur band.
St Jacobs Farmers Market?!
Like most of the others now--more or less empty.
Got into the habit of ranging out through Peel, Halton and Wellington counties. Youdonut's list below gives a sense of what's out there. Getting outside the GTA helps with quality and selection.
Walmart launches premium private label line
Not sure. Even with Loblaws chasing its tail, I'm not sure this PC-like line-up will fly with the KD 12-pac crew. Loblaws even pricier Black Label merch is apparently selling poorly around the GTA("who pays 5 bucks for a box of pasta?"). The real slugfest seems to be at the low-end, especially in the 905.
St Jacobs Farmers Market?!
There's a numbing sameness to the west end GTA markets that's spread over the last 5-8 years, including the sellers who move from market to market during the week. Brampton's and Milton's downtown markets have a little more variety. Hamilton's old Ottawa St. market is worth a visit later in the summer. I gave up on Sq 1 once the resellers outnumbered the farmers a few years ago.
