bogie's Profile
ISO of catering - social enterprise
www.fabarnak.com, for Fabarnak restaurant and catering. It is the social enterprise of 519 Church Street Community Centre.
Quiet, old-school Italian in GTA?
Very suprised that nobody has mentioned our favourite yet, Vesuvio's Pizza on Dundas West. I actually think their pasta dishes outshine the pizza. Great carbonara, lasagna, cannelloni and homemade gnocchi too.
Best Burger- Walking Distance from Eaton Center
Second on Bannock, it's an Alberta brisket burger that has an amazingly beefy flavor. It's served with root veg chips for a nice change.
unico premium san marzano tomatoes - where to find in TO?
Those Unico San Marzano "Type" tomatoes aren't too bad at all for the $1.29 you pay for them. However, I have seen the real thing lately at least at my Fortino's. They are the Pastene brand of DOP San Marzano Tomatoes in a yellow can with red lettering and DOP stamp for $4.99. It is a great brand and yes that does matter as I have bought other DOP tomatoes that are mostly juice, very little tomatoes in the can and a real rip off. If the DOP folks aren't more vigilant with some of the other brands, they'll ruin their reputation. BTW, my usual tomato is the excellent POMI strained Italian tomatoes in tetrapak. At $2.99 per they're an excellent price and make a really fresh sauce.
Good Food in Hamilton?!
A few more places to mention,that my wife and I have tried since moving to Hamilton in April:
Gate of India on James St. N-Family recipes type of Indian restaurant. Excellent food and menu including some not often seen dishes like achar chicken, special mushroom chicken curry, egg curry, phall (incendiary, hotter than vindaloo). Very reasonable prices, most mains under $10.
Parkdale Fish and Chips on Parkdale-Old school chippery in business for over 40 years, with suprisingly light and delicate tempura-like batter. They even fry up fresh Ontario perch, and I can attest that it is mighty tasty. Brown-hued frying oil indicates use of beef tallow and is no doubt responsible for the outstanding chips. They have a fish of the day, often 2 pieces of cod and chips for an unbelievable $6!!!
Union Burger-new location on Queenston-This is definitely an up and coming franchise, in a few smaller markets in SW Ontario already. Properly grilled medium and juicy 1/3 lb. cheeseburger on Ace Bakery bun with choice of toppings, Yukon Gold fries and a refillable pop for around $10. Let's face it, it's almost that much for the same meal at McDonalds now and there is no comparison believe me.
St. Vladimir's Ukranian Orthodox Church on Barton-Last Friday and Saturday of every month (except July and Aug), they sell homemade cabbage rolls and perogies as a fundraiser to rebuild their roof. Support them and get some good cheap eats.
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Gate of India
201 James St N, Hamilton, ON L8R2L2, CA
Good Food in Hamilton?!
Hillbilly Heaven, is very good I'm happy to report. I think the Burlington outpost has closed down, but this one seems very busy to me. My wife and I got a coupon from either Groupon or WagJag, I don't remember, and that prompted our visit. It is very much a casual place, with a busy takeout counter and seat yourself tables. We ordered a sampler for 2, regular price $32. It came with a 1/2 rack of side ribs, HUGE piles of smoked chicken, pulled pork and brisket, potato chips and 2 sides (we had coleslaw and beans). They have mild, medium and hot barbeque sauces on the table which are tasty and not overly sweet. It is genuine and tasty southern bbq for sure and what a pile of food! It was enough to feed us, as well we took home enough meats to assemble a further 4 large sandwiches over 2 meals. So the value is definitely there too. They have a good little selection of hot sauces for sale. We will definitely return and want to try a couple of their signature sides that were sold out, their smoked potato and also the burnt ends and black bean chili.
Memphis Fire Barbeque Company - Stoneycreek
We ate there last weekend and I have to report that this is a very good and extremely busy place. My wife had the slider sampler which is one each of beef brisket, pulled pork and cheeseburger. I had a half rack of baby back ribs with sides of beans and mac&cheese. We couldn't resist sharing the Coney Island fries, excellent fries topped with Coney Island chili, melted cheddar and their sneaky cheese (kind of similar to pimento cheese but smoky). Everything was very tasty, with the superb beef brisket definitely the standout. Also, the pulled pork was served with a side of Carolina sauce, a wonderful mustardy vinegary concoction not often seen in these parts. My ribs were perfectly pull off the bone tender, moderately sauced and had a nice pink smoke ring. The sides were great, with the mac& cheese in a creamy rich sauce not dried out like so many. The beans were wonderful with meaty bits but perhaps a touch too much cider vinegar for me. They have an amazing selection of homemade pies, and we managed to share a slice of chocolate cream pie which was rich with dark chocolate and pleasantly non-gelatinous. The pie crust was perfect and I suspect judicious use of lard for sure. All in all a great experience, we will return many times for sure to try more of the menu. However, I have to admit I likely won't order the ribs too often as I actually prefer side ribs. Note that ribs are available Thurs-Sun only and fried chicken is offered Mon-Wed. I should mention that the service was attentive, friendly and prompt. Our server had excellent product knowledge and the manager stopped by to see if we enjoyed everything. I should also mention their interesting selection of fountain beverages, much like the old soda counters. Even though we only drank water as we were coming off a day of wine tasting, we will definitely try one of them next time.
Grocery Chains - Favourites?
We love our Fortino's in Hamilton. It has an outstanding deli, meat counter and produce department. In addition they offer all of the best PC products, which is very convenient.
They even have a pizza oven and make a decent pie to go.
Best Cheddar Cheese
I love the 7 year old Hammertown white cheddar, also their delicious smoked orange cheddar (I use it in my mac&cheese) from the cheesemonger at the Hamilton farmer's market downtown.
Mac & Cheese Take-out Downtown? Ideally in the Financial District?
The new O&B restaurant Bannock, at Bay and Queen has a tasty sounding one on their menu.
Duck Confit sauces
I'd use my grandma's rhubarb relish recipe for sure! It's rhubarb, diced onions, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon and cloves, salt and pepper to taste.
What to cook with cast iron skillet in oven?
In Real Cajun, Donald Link does a Cajun version of the classic Italian sausage and peppers in a cast iron skillet. In a nutshell, andouille sausage on a bed of mixed peppers (throw in a few hot ones) and onions with garlic, creole mustard and white wine (or beer would work, I'm sure). I've made this at home several times to rave reviews!
Making jam with or without pectin?
My main issue with using pectin is the price (I'm cheap, OK?), so I avoid it whenever possible.
I have a couple of tips for you:
1) Adding some diced rhubarb to your jam works well because the fibre helps to thicken it and it adds a bitter taste component that I love.
2) A couple of years ago, I started to think "why not use icing sugar in my jam, after all it contains some cornstarch and that should help thicken my jam?" Well, it worked like a charm and I used much less sugar than you would have to with pectin jams. I use a ratio of 2 cups of diced fruit, 1 cup of icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice for anything I make.
What do you think?
Memphis Fire Barbeque Company - Stoneycreek
Nope, Hamilton location, which is up on the mountain. The WagJag was for sale just last week.
Fall LCBO release
I was extremely lucky to get 2 bottles of that 2006 Todos, can't wait to try it!
Fall LCBO release
Yes, anybody who thinks that because LCBO has "fair" business practices because it's a govt org is seriously deluding themselves. I distinctly remember becoming totally incensed one Friday night, because I saw a customer at the Dupont store walking out with a whole case of Opus One (to be released the next day and in very short supply) AND there was a memo for employees in the Vintages section specifically directing them to not sell or put out any of it until 9am Saturday!!! Of course, when I asked for one precious bottle they refused me.
Memphis Fire Barbeque Company - Stoneycreek
We didn't make it out this past weekend, but they're still on our radar and we'll report back. We also bought the WagJag for Hillbilly Heaven, so look for review of it soon.
Challah bun for burgers
Silversteins at 195 McCaul St. has a good egg bun for burgers, not challah strictly speaking.
If you can travel to midtown then Epi Bakery on Bayview has great challah buns, it's what Nota Bene uses for their burger.
Pusateri's on Bay St. carries products from many different bakeries and is also worth a look.
Memphis Fire Barbeque Company - Stoneycreek
I think I'll check it out this weekend, too!
Patio by the water
If you don't mind the short drive to Burlington, you can't beat this IMO:
www.spencers.ca
'QUATRE-FOODIES' trying out 'QUATREFOIL' ( long with photos )
Hear, hear! As a fellow Hamilton resident I couldn't agree more. BTW, I would add the new NaRoma Pizza on Locke to your list. No pizza I've had thus far in the GTA can touch it IMO.
Good chow near Fleetwood/Reading?
Thanks for the tips! I will probably try the Muddy's Barbeque truck as well as one of the Italian restos in town, probably Olyvia's. I have had Pa Dutch before, but I might grab some to take home too.
Good chow near Fleetwood/Reading?
I'm coming down from Toronto to take a knife sharpening class in Fleetwood. Are there any chow-worthy eating experiences that I shouldn't miss while I'm there? I will likely be staying in Reading, so any can't miss recommendations there would also be welcome. Thanks!
Need new foodie shopping destination in SWO, not STLM
Ottawa St. Market is our go to farmer's market as we live only a couple of blocks away. I can attest to its truly local and seasonal nature. There isn't an overwhelming amount of vendors (it takes up 2 parking lots) but the quality and selection is impressive. There is a butcher selling out of a truck and a great charcuterie place too. Prices are very good, maybe shockingly lower than TO residents are used too!
Artisanal breadmaking classes in Toronto?
St. John Bakery takes in persons with an interest in artisanal baking, every 4 months I believe. Basically an internship, you learn and they sell the products to raise funds.
HAMILTON HAS A NEW PIZZA KING - PIZZA NA ROMA
It was fantastic! They serve a great selection of slices and also make whole pizzas in three different sizes. We were in a hurry, so we opted for slices as whole pizzas are 20-25 minute wait. They are rectangular Roman style pizzas with a relatively thin crust that is extremely tasty due to 72-hour fermentation time. Crust is perfect and slightly chewy. We shared 4 slices between the two of us: Margherita, sausage, Hawaiian and proscuitto with brie. They all had superb toppings and I have to single out the Hawaiian in particular for it's fresh pineapple and quality ham. Also, the proscuitto and brie slice was fantastic with fig jam, balsamic and arugula to complement it. The slices are a good size, we only managed to finish 3 of them. Our meal with 4 slices, 2 pops and tip was $25. Very reasonable for this quality of food. We grabbed a menu and will probably call ahead and order a full pizza next time. BTW, the really great thing about these slices is that they reheat well due to the great dough and toppings. Definitely the best pizza I've had in a long time, and I've tried all the good ones in the GTA and Hamilton. Very congenial owner and staff, too.
HAMILTON HAS A NEW PIZZA KING - PIZZA NA ROMA
Finally found thier Facebook page, has me drooling already. Will be going on Tuesday PM and will report back.
crispy Szechuan beef?
Hi, Moimoi! I did satisfy my crispy beef craving at Szechuan Szechuan's location in the Financial District. It's quite good, perhaps not compared to what you can get up north, but we commute from Hamilton so we don't find ourselves in the northern environs of Toronto very often.
HAMILTON HAS A NEW PIZZA KING - PIZZA NA ROMA
Thanks, cupidom, I will have to visit Locke St. again soon for a pizza tasting. Na Roma wasnt' there last time I was on the street at Chuck's Burger Bar.
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Chuck's Burger Bar
194 Locke St S, Hamilton, ON , CA
HAMILTON HAS A NEW PIZZA KING - PIZZA NA ROMA
Are you referring to Roma Bakery on Barton E? I just moved to Hamilton and we're trying it this weekend, can't wait!
www.romabakery.ca
