Thanks, mbe, for your suggestion. I bought a jar earlier this afternoon at the very crowded St Lawrence Market. However, I should warn you and others that prices have increased considerably since you were last there with black truffle salt now at $25.00 for 100 grams and white truffle salt at $30.00. However, this is considerably better than Williams Sonoma who plan to charge $43.00 when their supplies arrive in May.

In an article I read a couple of days ago there was a mention of something called "Italian Truffle Salt." It's apparently used as a finishing touch for a number of dishes.

Anybody know if it's available in Toronto? If so, where? Any brand which is especially authentic and reliable? Downtown preferably, as I don't have a car though I do use the TTC almost daily.

Apparently it's expensive. That, however, doesn't surprise me. Anything with the word "truffles" in the title is almost bound to be expensive.

Any information when Buca in the new Four Seasons will be opening? The restaurant's name is on the window but that's all I've been able to see from the outside.

So does anybody know which stores in downtown Toronto carry these Burnbrae Farm eggs?

Has anybody been to Reds on Adelaide Street? I ask because we want somewhere which will seat us for dinner this coming Saturday at around 11.00pm and Reds is one of the few we've looked at which will do so. However, any advice as to to whether to give it a try or give it a miss would be much appreciated..

If you and your daughter would enjoy quiet, old fashioned Italian - a number of veal dishes for mains, even red velvet cake for desert, - then try Donatello's on Elm. They take reservations up to 11.30.

The recently reopened Lil' Anthony on Adelaide appears to take reservations up to 11.30. From the look of it their new menu is somewhat more "modern" but I've not been. Maybe others can help out or you can check their website.

Here are a few suggestions:

If you like old fashioned, quiet Italian, then Donatello's on Elm takes reservations up to 11.30. As well, the recently reopened Lil' Antony's on Adelaide - also Italian - looks as though it too takes reservations up to 11.30 but I've not been there.
A regular place for us, as it just kitty corner from the new opera house, is Nota Bene at Queen and University. They take reservations until 11.00pm.There's no corkage charge after 9.00pm but check whether that's just for weekends as we always go on a Saturday evening.
I doubt if you'll want to go as far North as Yorkville but One, the restaurant in the Hazleton Hotel on Yorkville stays open until midnight,
I haven't been to Le Select for a while now but that used to stay open fairly late.
And, of course, a number of Chinese restaurants in Chinatown (Dundas/Spadina) would always be happy to see you almost at any hour.
These are just a few suggestions from the top of my head. I hope others can provide more. We always like to have dinner after plays/operas so we, too, are always interested in finding places for late night dining.

Thanks for the suggestions. We settled for Pure Spirits in the Distillery District which proved more than satisfactory - an excellent lobster bisque followed by a pleasant duck breast. An easy walk to the theatre after that. Also parking after six is free on that stretch of Parliament just outside the entrance to the Distillery District so we saved ourselves a few pennies by using that.

Yesterday I noticed that some windows on the ground floor of the smaller (all condo) tower of the Four Seasons were prominently saying "Buca". Anybody have any further information about this?

Thanks, dachopix, but have now found some in a supermarket not too far from where I live.

Two of us are off to see a play next Friday at the theatre on Berkley St. We'll be traveling by car. Anywhere in the vicinity for a meal before the play? If possible, we'd prefer to park only once.

Is watercress readily available? I ask because I don't think I've seen it in my local store but that doesn't mean it's not available elsewhere. I was thinking of starting a dinner I'm giving towards the end of this month with a watercress soup but without watercress there ain't goin' be no soup.

A recipe I was reading earlier today called for a Japanese condiment called Yuzu Kosho. It sounded interesting as apparently it can be paired with roast meats, roasted vegetables, even fish.

Does anybody know where I might find this condiment? A downtown location preffered as I don't drive but I do take the TTC.

If you're asking which restaurants have red velvet cake on their menu then Donatello does as I enjoyed a slice for my dessert a couple of months ago. Donatello is a splendidly old fashioned Italian restaurant on Elm Street. It's also splendidly quiet, so you can lean back in your chair while continuing to enjoy a conversation with friends on the other side of the table. Exactly how long it's been there on Elm Street I don't exactly know but it's been there for some while now. It reminds me of Bellini's on Yorkville which closed a couple of months back.

Pangaea +1

As there's been so little mention so far on this board of the Cafe Boulud in the new Four Seasons Hotel at Bay and Yorkville, I thought I'd post a few comments of my own following a dinner I had their last night with an old friend of mine.

Cafe Boulod is clearly more than just a "cafe", but it's not aiming to be "fine dining". either.The room itself has a fairly utilitarian look about it with bare wooden tables with place mats and fairly simple chairs. However, it has a high roof and is open on one side, so it has an spacious and airy feeling to it and the noise level I found very acceptable, Mercifully, the music is very much in the background.

I took our waiter's suggestion and had the octopus "a la plancha" ($19) for my starter. It was pleasant but I couldn't say much more than that about it. I was much more enthusiastic about my main course, the roasted Ontario veal loin ($32). It was juicy and the proper shade of light pink. The accompanying vegetables - spinach and carrots - had been carefully cooked and a creamy polenta, served in a little covered copper pot, came as a side. Both starter and main were served in these large, white rimmed bowls which seem to be all over the place these days. For desert I had an apple cake ($11). It was pretty to look at with the cake surrounded by matchsticks of apple, little blobs of something green and some ginger ice cream but I thought the apple flavour of the cake itself was a little subdued. We finished with coffee ($5).

As for drinks, I started with a martini ( Grey Goose but $!9!). We then shared a bottle of beaujolais ($56). With food, drinks, tax and a 15% tip the total was $140 per person.

I happen to live in the neighbourhood, so for me it's a pleasant addition to the local restaurants but I don't see it as more than that.

I can confirm that indeed it is available at Hooked in the Kensington market as I bought some earlier this afternoon.

I was surprised to find bacon in a fish shop but the owner explained that the supplier was a friend of hers. (She also said that bacon is used in certain fish dishes). Apparently it comes from one Mennonite farm where they raise different breeds of pig - white, Berkshire and one other one was mentioned - and the smokehouse is just down the road from the farm so it is all very local.

At Hooked it costs $9.00 a pound which is one penny more than Sanigan is charging for their bacon.

Are all brands of soy sauce more or less the same or are some - or one - generally considered superior to the others? I ask because a recipe I want to try calls for soy sauce so I would appreciate any advice before heading out and buying some. TIA

Are all brands of soy sauce more or less the same or are some considered better than others? I ask because a recipe I want to try calls for soy sauce so, before going out and buying a bottle, I'd welcome any advice on what I should purchase. TIA.

Sanagan's, the excellent butcher in the Kensington Market, buys the whole beast from local farms, so I'm pretty sure he could supply you with some neck of lamb. Anyway, it's worth a phone call to ask..

Any info. on this new Spanish restaurant on King Street called Patria? It's next to Charles Khabouth's Weslodge and indeed marks the new frontier of his ever expanding empire.

Sanagan's in the Kensington market buys whole lambs for their own shop so I imagine they could order one for you as well. The lamb I've had from them has been excellent.

By the way, they are moving shortly from their very cramped current location to the 4000 square feet space where European Meats used to be.

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. My quest ended sucessfully but not in a manner I could have forseen.

Last night I was out for dinner at a very pleasant and interesting new restaurant called "Edulis" - it used to be the Niagara Street Cafe. I noticed that one of the cocktails contained elderflower cordial. I asked the front of house, wife of chef and co-owner where she got it and she said made it herself. I asked her whether she could spare a little for my gooseberry crumble. Although reluctant at first as their own supplies were quite low, she gracefully gave me a small jar of it on my way out. So that's what's going into my gooseberry crumble later today.

A recipe I was reading earlier today called for Elderflower Cordial. Is this available in Toronto? And if so, what would be the likely price range price range?

Anyway, thanks ahead for any information anybody has. I don't think it's an essential ingredient in the gooseberry crumble I'm planning to make over the weekend but I can see it would probably add an interesting extra flavour to the dish.

We always go to Bistro Tournesol for our pre-Tarragon dinner. It's located at 406, Dupont (416-921-7766). Prix Fixe menu for two courses but with plenty of choices for $29.00. There is on street parking by the restaurant but we usually park in the big parking lot opposite the theatre, maybe collect tickets then before a shortish walk back to the restaurant.

However, it is very popular with Tarragon theatre goers so advisable to book ahead.

Perhaps it's a smaller bottle, but I noticed when I was in the Yorkville Pusateris this afternoon, their 500mL bottle of 'Silver Leaf' was priced at $17.99. I don't need any olive oil at the moment but when I do, I'm going to give it a try.

I'm afraid Avenue closed three or four weeks back as part of the general closure of the Four Seasons at the Yorkville/Avenue Road location. I'm told that there will be a similar place at ground floor level when the new Four Seasons opens at Bay/Yorkville but that won't be until sometime in July.

It's to be called The Oxley and is located at 121, Yorkville. It's to be an upscale gastropub to cater, according to one of the owner's, for those who live in the area who don't want to have pricey, three course dinners every night. It has both a front and back patio. It's supposed to open around now.

Has anyone tried Fred's Bread yet.? I haven't but a friend recommended their bread to me. She finds her Fred's Bread at the Rowe Farm outlet on Bloor and Bathurst. I'm not sure what other stores carry it. I think I'd like to give it a try.

I clicked on the link and found this. Is this the same SKOTIDAKIS you had in mind?

A few brands that we know and like for regular yogurt made the worst Greek versions in our sample. On taste and texture, we disqualified Quebec-based Liberté's 0 per cent (“Thin, lumpy, chalky”), President's Choice 2 per cent (“Loose, runny spoonful of chalkiness”), and Skotidakis 9 per cent, which was too cheesy to our taste, and believe it or not, too rich to eat outside of dessert.