Yum, that sounds good. I never use enough fennel seeds. Thanks!

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for what to do with leftover anchovy oil? Besides tossing it with pasta, anything else? I heard some judge on Chopped talk about it and now I am wondering what you can do with it.

I definitely save money on bulk cleaning products, spices and sweetener at Karna co-op. I don't have time to volunteer, I just pay the 10% surcharge and it's pretty cheap.

The produce at Karma is very good too. Fiesta I do like for other things but I have bought organic garlic there and it's certainly a poorer quality than the straight from farmer stuff.

Great, I haven't tried them yet but I will. Forgot about La Perola too, its great for mole.

Many reasons. Everyone there seems above standing in line or waiting for anything. The farmers are great though.

Not the hydrogenated shelf-stable kind, should have specified.

I hate the Barns but will have to go. This is good, thanks!!

Looking for lard, I just ran out of my home-made stuff. Any suggestions? Downtown would be preferable.

You can find both at Tierra Azteca on Bloor just east of Dufferin or either of the pupusa places on Augusta in the market.

I have definitely seen banana leaves in the frozen food part of Asian grocery stores.

That sounds like a good deal. I buy the Turkish pistachio spread and its a bit more. They have Gianduja at Fiesta Farms and Grande Cheese.

Okay, it's quite possible they were not processed long enough. I also did not have them standing up in the water bath. In the past I did this and I don't think it mattered but I was also incredibly sleep deprived when I did it so I was rushing through them. I'll toss them. Makes me sad but I don't want to take the chance. Thanks!

Just wondering how crucial the bottled lemon juice is. I just canned some tomatoes which I have done for years, heard the lids pop, everything seemed fine. Now a week later they are bubbling and hissing and there is a pool of liquid at the bottom of the jar and it looks like the tomatoes have floated to the top.

Are they safe to eat and is it because I used fresh lemon juice and not bottled? Thanks, Liz.

I like Camros and Sunny's which is definitely macrobiotic and in Noah's on Bloor at Spadina. Camros is not strictly macrobiotic but its comparable and they are nice. Don't go to Fresh if you want good service though. Sunny's is more a take-out counter.

Just picked up some boxes of this in the U.S. and am looking for a source in Toronto if anyone knows of one. They were the DeBoles brand.

Thanks!

Thanks everyone! Might actually try them all...

I am looking for some recommendations on really good soups, the spicier, the better. Pho, laksa, hand-pulled noodles, ramen, anything along those lines. I like a good broth and nothing too pricey.
Thanks!

The best stuff is from Chocosol, you bring a mason jar and fill it up and its around. $9. http://chocosol.posterous.com/

Karma Co-op also has it. The Nut House on Bloor (near Lansdowne) also has some nice agave nectars. Or any Qi health food store.

I buy most of my spices at Karma Co-op, http://www.karmacoop.org/
I can't go back to buying any spice non-organic now.

I did buy some non-alcoholic based vanilla at Pusateri's, the one at Avenue & Lawrence. It wasn't that much more than Whole Foods or something.

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Pusateri's
1539 Avenue Rd, Toronto, ON M5M, CA

I get some from Diana Grocery on St. Clair. They have cardoon seeds (cardone) and a variety of radicchios, nice stuff. They close early though.

1299 St Clair Ave W is the address, west of Dufferin.

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St Clair Restaurant
69 St Clair St, Chatham, ON N7L3H8, CA

Yeah but they are always the same, chopped egg, plain lettuce, oil-packed tuna, etc. I like to cook a lot and wouldn't go out of my way to pay money for that as opposed to some other Italian dishes.

I have had them a couple of times in Italy and I think you can just make them yourself! The funeral sandwiches comment is pretty spot-on, funny.

They have G.T.'s Kombucha at the Noah's at Spadina & Bloor. In the 5 years since I started drinking it, I haven't seen it once anywhere in Toronto so this is a good sign. I like it more than the Fairy brand.

Amazing! I am too distracted by the millions of options when I am in NY to ever make it to one of his places there. There are independent farmers raising some rare pork breeds now, its getting better all the time I think if the Ontario food police weren't so nasty!

I JUSTwent on a tour of Spadina House and they actually did chose 1920s era Austin family furniture and wallpaper as opposed to anything earlier so you picked a the most perfect spot!

Johnvince on St. Clair & Alberta has it in bulk.

Torito wasn't bad, just kind of fussy and precious compared to the stuff I've had in Spain. The tapas in Spain seems simpler and bolder But to be fair, Toronto is so land-locked it is hard to compare seafood here with seafood in places near the water.

I have only tried Pizza Pide and Babbo's in Toronto and they're good but we do need more Turkish food for sure. Have you tried that market on Dufferin near Orfus? I forget the name.

Tthanks for the NY tip cause I am always looking for new places! There is also this place that looks good: .Balkanika, 691 9th Ave, New York, NY 10036.

Oh, they don't seem to have Ethiopian in Europe, some Nigerian food though. There's always Addis Abbaba, a million new places on Bloor near Ossington.

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Pizza Pide
949 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4M, CA

Torito
276 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2L9, CA

A banh mi from either place on Spadina, and maybe some East or West Indian food from Ali's or Ghandi. There's really good Turkish food in Germany and if you're friend is from Spain, I wouldn't take them to Torito. Pupusa's in the market are also good, maybe a tamale? I am thinking of those two places on Augusta.

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Torito
276 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2L9, CA

I agree. I live around the corner, travel a fair bit and I am always so happy a bar like that still exists in Toronto, there are so few left. I don't need to eat there so I don't but the drinks are good, cheap and the staff are awesome. Plus they're nice to kids and supportive of the neighbourhood, it is kind of rare in this city to have all of that.

Oops, did I respond to this? The agar agar comes in powder form in an envelope with an elephant on it and some writing, maybe Thai? It's $1.29 and in that store on the west side of Spadina, just north of Dundas, down the stairs. It's sandwiched between two fruit stores and is the easiest to use I find.

I think this came up too but the szechaun peppercorns I find are usually called prickly ash or something like that. So much cheaper than the online versions.

I second the Chocosol nibs. They come in the shell half the time and are pretty cheap through Karma or the Chocosol loft. They're by far the best ones I have had.

We chose this place and although it was pricey, we had a buffet and that cut down the costs.

If you are really into food, talk to the chef. We had things customized for us because we were sick of bad wedding food and not only did he order from the same CSA we belong to, he changed a lot of seasonings to be more aggressive. Just as an example, we got the duck confit poutine as an appetizer and we still didn't spend that much overall compared to other venues.

Our coordinator there was excellent, we barely had to do anything. And we got a lot of stuff for free to be honest. It was a nice day in October and we got the tents outside for no charge and it looked gorgeous so we had the balcony, the ballroom and the side room. It was plenty of space.

My advice about wedding food is take matters into your own hands! I had had so much bad wedding food at pretty much all the venues mentioned here and didn't want the same thing to happen. Plus, the chef is awesome, he will give you butchering tips too!