shiro miso's Profile
Found: GREAT sushi in the beach!
It's signage does not to it justice, I'll agree. Looking forward to my next meal there....
Glad to be of service! Living in the beach you need to really go out on a limb to find great food sometimes. Enjoy!
Found: GREAT sushi in the beach!
Hey Googs....
Quality in my estimation is right up there with Zen. So is the manner in which the sushi is cut and presented... temperature for both rice and fish was perfect. Perhaps I would shave a point off for less adventurous fish options than Zen - I recall trying some very obscure Japanese fish there at the sushi bar.
Just went again last week and sat at a table and ordered from the menu. Fantastic again... and the assorted Japanese pickles dish is beautiful, plentiful, and a bargain for $6. Highly recommend. They remembered my name from the first time! And once she (Sandy) had learned all the people in the party's names - she used them regularly. What a great touch. Will be back there soon.
Found: GREAT sushi in the beach!
Some pics from my dinner. Natto and sushi.
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Yumei Sushi
2116 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4E1E2, CA
Found: GREAT sushi in the beach!
Hello all,
With two hours of free time to (hopefully) enjoy some stellar food without hubby and kids - a luxury - I ventured down to the beach for an unlikely sushi adventure. After reading some hit and miss reviews of Yumei I decided to give it a shot (after my first call to Zen yielded only a potential late night seating)
Some context: Have enjoyed some incredible meals at Kaji, Zen, Gari in NY... love sushi and am pretty adventurous.
Called at 6:30 and requested a place at the sushi bar at Yumei this Friday night for 7pm... they fit me in... and they took my name and number.
When I arrived, there was a cute post-it with my name on the back of a chair at the sushi bar. My server was lovely and welcoming and did not react at all strangely to my dining alone. She called me by name from start to finish - a small thing but a big thing.
I asked her about 'omakase' and she seemed a bit confused.... clarified that I wanted the chefs to select for me a variety of sashimi and sushi. No problem, and I was not disappointed.
All around me were beach families with well behaved children (future 'hounds?) enjoying great food. Sorry... this is not a first time romantic date suggestion for a Friday night at 7. Maybe 9...
Hot towel and complimentary noodle soup was first up, very soothing and a nice set up for the sashimi.
Sashimi was fresh and plentiful. Scallop, salmon, maguro, yellowtail. Simple, fresh, well cut and unadorned. Very nice.
After this course the chef came to me and asked some leading questions... I said things like 'ikura and uni good...' and we were off. His saba (mackerel) was second to none. Marinated in-house and not frozen pre-prepared as many sushi restaurants offer. Salmon belly sushi was a real treat. Uni was exceptional... Very generous chilled fish on warm rice. Contrast in temperatures was fantastic, and the rice was prepared perfectly.
Sidenote - if you are into this kind of thing, brown rice was on offer. I didn't try it though.
A surprise after my 'final' nigiri sushi came as a foil cup filled with natto (fermented soy bean) uni and tuna. Smoky, musky, and delectable.
A perfectly cut orange, 2 glasses of wine at $11 each, and a generous tip of $15 (she used my NAME!! for the whole meal!) and I was out of there for $100.
So not a cheap two hours by any means, but I wouldn't have changed a thing. Except: My empty plates sat empty for too long on the bar, and my hot towel was not taken away as fast as I would have liked. So I could not give this five stars, but if it was based on my food experience only, I would have.
Nice: No blowtorches or mayo based sauces in sight.
Hooray for great sushi in the Beach!
Shiro Miso the sushi lover.
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Yumei Sushi
2116F Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4E1E2, CA
Naturally Raised Kosher Meats in Toronto
Refreshing this thread in preparation for Passover...
Are there any new sources for Kosher, naturally raised meats downtown? I noted from one website the Honest Ed's has a freezer full of Kosher chicken but I think I will take a pass on that.
Could anyone who shops at Healthy Butcher in Queen West tell me if they have Kosher chickens there? I tried calling them and got voicemail.
Thanks all -
SM
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The Healthy Butcher
565 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V, CA
Toronto Office Coffee!
Third Imperial Coffee. They've been servicing our office for years - and there's this nice guy who comes every week to replenish stock and clean the equipment.
We also love the Flavia. No mess!
We use them for our water too.
http://www.imperialcoffee.com/
Dining in the beaches
My husband and I love Bibiche Bistro http://www.bibiche.ca/ for a romantic dinner. Around 10 tables in the whole place, great wines, and lovely food. Very friendly proprietor as well.
Ichiban Sushi is our fave - Japango is good too.
Feathers has great Coronation Street atmosphere and the veggie curry is quite nice, the prime rib weekend special is a staple. Simple food, well done. On Wednesdays (I think) they bring in steaks from Close to the Bone, across the street and they are very well priced.
Recently had the BEST eggs benedict ever at the Queensland Diner on Kingston road at Pickering St.
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/1557994/restaurant/The-Beaches/Queensdale-Restaurant-Toronto
Good luck finding your favourite spots and happy eating!
Dinner suggestions - staying at Meridien Versailles - 1808 Sherbrooke W
Hello from a Toronto hound...
I am in Montreal for 2 nights and am looking for dinner suggestions (dining alone) near my hotel. I love adventurous food, price no object, ethnic is fabulous - but hoping for something in walking distance.
Would love some guidance from those in the know. Thank you Montreal hounds!
SM
2010 closings
Bright Pearl on Spadina. Very sad. Their fried soft shell crab dim sum was divine.... what happened?? (Yes I read the posting and replies on this board and it's still not clear ;-) )
Will miss our bi-monthly visits there. Now Rol San is PACKED.
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Rol San
323 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2E9, CA
Bright Pearl
346 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2G2, CA
Deep fried BUTTER offered at the Ex this year!
If it is anything other than a big frozen pat of butter, battered and fried, I will not be happy.
I am imagining an exploding fried butter bomb. Mmmm.... perhaps I am setting the bar too high.
:-)
Deep fried BUTTER offered at the Ex this year!
I am not kidding! What will they think of next?
Check out this Sun article if you don't believe me...
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/08/18/15062456.html
This will wash those Tiny Tom donuts down nicely. ;-)
SM
Nathans Hot Dogs
Thanks doc!
I will check those out for sure... and interesting about the ACC. I think that Olde Spadina has a branded location there, the Nathan's dogs must be sold somewhere else in the building.
All the best,
SM
Nathans Hot Dogs
Found some sources for this *elusive* Nathans dog!
Johnny Rockets restaurant... they have a grill and locations at yonge/dundas and vaughan mills, square one, and niagara:
http://www.johnnyrockets.com/locations/locations.php?Country=CA
The International Centre too, and the ACC.
I wonder if I can bribe a Johnny Rockets employee to sell some raw out the back door for my charcoal Q. Hmmmm....
Hopefully they will get their retail act together soon. Tried to smuggle some in from Chicago and it didn't end well. ;-(
Here's an article from the restaurant news on Canada's first Nathan's restaurant. But Alberta is far...
http://can-restaurantnews.com/content/publish/national/Nathan_s_Famous_crosses_the_border.shtml
Shiro Miso
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Johnny Rockets
100 City Centre Dr, Mississauga, ON L5B2C9, CA
Restaurant near Front and John?
Hi everyone,
Just wondering if there is a worthy bistro or gastropub within walking distance of the Metro Convention Centre. A brief search turned up Azure... not really our scene. Fast dinner before a trade show.
Looking for decent food, and not too crazy. (Ie. NOT Jack Astor's)
Any help appreciated!
Thanks,
SM
Delicious, inexpensive Chinese on HWY 7 near Leslie?
Hi everyone,
I am taking the family out for dinner tonight but with the holidays fast approaching, money is tight. Usually I would go to Ambassador - or Chim Chai Kee (I think that's what it's called) for lunch... but I am looking for something along the lines of New Ho King... only on HWY 7. Big dishes, tasty, crispy beef for the kids, and not pricey.
Any tips for me?
Thanks!
Shiro Miso
Charlotte from Sex in the City, eat your heart out! (cook your heart out??) 'Cook like a Yenta!'
Too funny! Thanks for the tip. I have two girlfriends who NEED to know about this site. They both got married recently and were in a panic trying to figure out the high holidays last week, what to eat when, etc. This is a good resource. And... it's quite amusing.
Only 9 posts though, so far. I hope she keeps going with it. It's so sad when you get hooked on a blog and the author gets bored and stops posting. Keep going Yenta!!
SM
Soft drinks with balls
Hey there... much less sweet than Boylan's. Be VERY CAREFUL opening the bottle though -it's very fizzy stuff!! Enjoy. Hope you like it - wish I remembered the producer's name on the bottle... seemed like a very small outfit... I think from Quebec.
Soft drinks with balls
Jamie Kennedy's lunch place, Gilead (King East, East of Parliament, S Side down a laneway beside Morning Glory) has birch beer and spruce beer. It's pricey at I think $6 per 750ml, but VERY novel stuff. A bit yeasty in taste, and a nice tree - like finish. Not too sweet and comes in a cool bottle.
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Gilead - duplicate
4 Gilead Pl, Toronto, ON M5A, CA
So, what are you foraging and eating? - moved from Ontario board
Lemon Balm Mojitos!!!
and Lemon Balm Pesto.... loving the lemon balm this year.
Oh... and I keep passing these people picking things at the side of the road on the Don Mills South hill from the Parkway... with plastic bags... could it be dandelion? I can't imagine... maybe I'm missing a best kept secret....
Hmmm...
Midland-Penetanguishene and environs
An update on the Dock Lunch...
Was there on the weekend and it was packed. BUT, the burger just wasn't the same! Fries weren't even salted... perhaps they are going through some early season staff learning curves, but the burger bun seemed a bit dry, and the burger itself lacked flavour.
favourite ice cream or gelato flavours and where to get them 2009
Soma is awesome. Try their english toffee dark chocolate bark crumbled on top of their gelato for an unbelievable treat. They should offer it in little pieces as a topping (Soma, are you reading this?!)... but don't. So you have to buy a little bag of it and break it up... but it's SOO worth it.
Kitchens Alive - personal chef find...
Hey millygirl, I totally agree. She's well qualified (taught at various schools, worked in the industry, graduated from George Brown) but her website communicates none of this... I guess she's a better cook than a marketing pro. Hopefully she updates her site with more meaningful information.
Kitchens Alive - personal chef find...
Hi Everyone,
I had the good fortune to be invited to a fundraising dinner at a friend's house in Toronto (not a hound) last weekend and she had let us know that she'd hired a personal chef to cater the dinner in her home. Interesting, I thought. We had some vegans, some people who eat Kosher style, and some definite carnivores, like me.
We got the menu in advance by email, and the dinner (which was 100 mile 'inspired' and Kosher style, meat optional) was delicious. Two kinds of handmade ravioli with morel mushrooms and smoked trout from Woodstock (is that within 100 miles??) with chive oil, roasted tomato and fennel gazpacho, a yummy roasted asparagus, and celery root potato mash, and she stuffed chicken breast with fresh herbs... a sun dried tomato jus, ice wine sorbet and grilled pears for dessert. She did a mini-lesson when we first got there on asian fresh rolls, which were our finger food before sitting down, and we all got to make some.
Now, I say 100 mile 'inspired' because rice paper clearly is not produced here, nor are the wonton wrappers she used to make the ravioli... or the olive oil for the chive oil but all the main ingredients were sourced locally, apparently at St. Lawrence Market.
It was a fun evening and the food was great - not michelin star worthy - but well prepared, healthy, tasty, and nicely presented. She was very knowledgeable about food and inspired a healthy debate amongst the guests: peeling the bottom of asparagus spears vs. not peeling them... and fit right into our crowd. We all just kind of hung out with her in the kitchen chatting, and watching her work.
Her website is: http://www.kitchensalive.com. She does in-home cooking instruction and catering.
I (sensitively) asked our host after the meal and she paid $66 per person including our welcome cocktail. (a lemon balm and mint mojito... not 100 mile by far but a great drink!) Jennifer, the chef, did all the shopping, serving, and cleanup.
Thought I would pass the info along in case some chowhounders have friends who like to entertain well but can't cook. ;-)
SM
Holy Samosa!
They have an amazing spinach and cheese samosa - as well as the tandoori chicken samosa... and the spicy sauce is fantastic. I always ask for extra.
If you have an issue with the grease factor and want to fry them at home... they do sell them frozen in large bags.
Enjoy!
Scarboro Golf Club
I haven't eaten there - but have been in their kitchen, which is immaculate, and spoken with the chef de cuisine, who is lovely and very knowledgable. By all accounts (people that I know have eaten there) the food is excellent. They have a very good reputation and the membership pays very high fees to keep the quality of the facility 'world class', food included. I would definitely talk to them and sample some of their fare.
For Really Bad Deli, Try Centre Street
I laughed out loud at this. Love your description of the place!
Sanyo rice cookers
Hey there... don't know about Sanyo specifically but last time I went to Ozawa imports they had a great selection of rice cookers that they really recommend. I got mine there and it was a panasonic. 6 years later it still looks new and works perfectly...
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Ozawa Canada
135 E Beaver Creek Rd, Richmond Hill, ON L4B, CA
Bagel O's
Thank you so much! I found them at Shoppers near me and bought the plain... my little guy enjoyed them 'straight up' and I had them with a little spicy red pepper jelly on the side with a beer.
Actually, the beer / Bagel O combo really worked well! We had a fun conversation trying to figure out how they get the filling inside the Bagel O. Same as the cadbury secret? Hmmm...
Will definitely try the salmon next. I was a bit suspect of it - but now that I know it's real, maybe worth a try.
SM
Bagel O's
Hello Everyone,
I read an article in the National Post today about Bagel O's. They are these round bagels with cream cheese in the middle... has anyone found them in the city? I found their website, but their store locator is broken it seems. They sound good for school lunches. My son loves bagelfuls (he gets them at his friend's house... not MINE!!!) and I would like to give him a healthier option. AND, the bakery is local. Which makes me happy.
Thanks everyone!
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theappetizer/archive/2009/06/04/lunchbox-revival-tasty-bite-size-bagels-stuffed-with-cream-cheese.aspx
Any Winterlicious standouts this year?
LOL. It could be... just the unmentionable parts of the Kobe cows that make their way into hot dogs...
;-)
