dxs's Profile
The porchetta sandwich at The Sausage King in the SLM
Perhaps this sandwich was good when they first started offering it, but I gave it a try today and thought it was not up to scratch. The rosemary dominated, there was no crackling on offer (apparently they only have it available sometimes, which I don't understand - isn't that one of the first rules of food service, making your product consistent?), but worst of all, it was overwhelmingly oily. As I was eating the sandwich, oil was dripping off of it, forming a sizable puddle - I'd say a good teaspoon's worth. And it was just oil, it wasn't 'jus' or sauce or anything like that. I left a third of the sandwich uneaten because as I held it up and the oil was flowing downwards, the bottom third became saturated in oil. Really off-putting.
The pork sandwich at the churrasco place is still the SLM winner for me.
That said, the pork belly I bought from the Sausage King guys a while ago was first rate.
Djerba la duce at Danforth+Coxwell is now Taste of Tunisia
If it's a different chef in the kitchen, faster service is neither here nor there. Can you confirm if new management=new chef?
ISO: freekeh
Arz, and no doubt numerous other decently stocked middle eastern grocery stores.
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Arz
1909 Lawrence Ave E, Toronto, ON M1R, CA
Folia Grill for souvlaki & other grilled food at Pape & Cosburn
They have Bifteki on the menu, which is a burger-esque item. I don't think a north american style burger would make any sense in a greek grill.
Another thing that doesn't make sense is that horrid thousand island dipping sauce they serve with the zucchini fries. Why not just serve it with their excellent tzatziki alongside? That combination makes a lot more sense to me.
And don't even get me started on putting the fries in the sandwich - can't really complain about that too much though as it may be a regional thing. Just because I never came across it in any Athenian souvlaki house doesn't mean they don't serve it that way elsewhere in Greece, but I've only ever seen it done in Toronto.
Finger Limes?
I occasionally see them at the fruit & veg stand (Pete's?) in the lower level of St Lawrence Market South. They'd be at the cash register counter or nearby.
They usually have an exotic array of fruits available (with prices to match).
Ruby Watch Co.
Being neither a tourist nor a 905-er, I beg to differ. I've been to Ruby Watch Co. several times since it opened and barring a (very) minor misstep here or there I've always enjoyed the food and the convivial atmosphere. Some of the dishes I've had have been extremely memorable (I'm still craving the navy beans I had one night to accompany the delicious 16 hour brisket, and the lemon meringue pie that managed to eradicate all the horrible memories of it associated with English school lunches) . I've also never had an issue with oversalting.
I'm sure that many of the customers are drawn by the 'celebrity chef' aspect, but for me it's definitely the food that brings me back and everyone I've taken there has enjoyed the experience. As mentioned, it's not exactly budget dining, but it's worth the occasional splurge in my opinion.
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Ruby Watch Co.
730 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M, CA
UMI Sushi in TD food court....Nathan's hot dogs
I tried the teriyaki dog with bonito flakes. Fairly tasty, but had to drink a gallon of water after, if that tells you anything.... and would have liked to see some sort of acidic component, it was a little one note.
Fresh Pita
Second that, the one time I tried the downtown location the hummus tasted like it had been made with rancid oil, and the shish tawouk was industrial in texture and flavour-free. A big disappointment. Their bread is decent though.
Pinoli ( pine nuts)
Having experienced pine mouth, I share your concern...
I like the Italian ones available at Fiesta Farms. Don't know the price offhand, but reasonable when taking into account the quality. You won't find them in the nuts section, look for them near the mushrooms in the produce section. You may have to hunt a little.
Fresh and Wild at Spadina/King also carries Italian pine nuts, also decent quality.
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Fiesta Farms
200 Christie St, Toronto, ON M6G, CA
Sham Buffet
Edited to add that as pakmode states below, Sham is basically another word for Syria, not Damascus. My bad...
Sham Buffet
The name may be a questionable choice if trying to attract non-arabic customers, but there's nothing 'suspicious' about it. 'Sham' is the arabic word for Damascus, the Syrian city.
Salad King - What the !@#$%^&*
I've enjoyed the shawarmas I've had at Milo's Pita in the AMC building at Dundas Square. No idea what their hours are though, I feel like they're probably closed in the evenings...
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Milo's Pita
10 Dundas St E, Toronto, ON M5B, CA
Woodlot
That's funny, I sent them an email weeks ago and never received any response.
I don't get why leaving a voicemail or an email should be a crapshoot. Restaurants should have a policy of either responding to every single request for a reservation or of simply not taking reservations.
Kibbeh Nayeh in Toronto?
Strange that they make it with beef... thanks for posting though, looks like it's worth checking out when in the area.
Where can I find Jumbo couscous in Toronto?
You may be thinking of Lebanese couscous (aka Moghrobieh). You may be able to find it at Middle Eastern stores, e.g. Arz on Lawrence. Call first, although a trip there is never a waste of time.
Fregola looks similar to Israeli couscous but is around the same size, not sure if that's what you may have had.
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Arz
1909 Lawrence Ave E, Toronto, ON M1R, CA
Kibbeh Nayeh in Toronto?
If only! Never seen this in Toronto, I would guess it's too labour intensive for the middle eastern restos here, which tend towards quick & casual. The only place I've heard of that reliably serves it is Alep in Montreal, which is probably a bit of a hike for you :)
Would love to be proven wrong though.
Monforte's haloumi - midweek fix
Yes! Monforte has a stand at the mini-Evergreen market at the Bay Adelaide centre on Thursdays, 11am - 2pm.
Agree about the halloumi, it's really good.
Olive oil from Jordan, Syria or Lebanon, where to find?
Can you recommend a good Lebanese olive oil? I always check out the selection at Arz but have no idea which to try.
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Arz
1909 Lawrence Ave E, Toronto, ON M1R, CA
Help...need an interesting and higher end restaurant for this Friday
gg, if you were considering NSC for tonight I hope you see this before you make the final decision. I was there last night and maybe it was just an off night, but I didn't have the best experience (after many good ones). Food and service were fine (although portions seemed on the small side, next time I wll probably order some sides to go with the mains as I left hungry, although as a matter of principle I resent having to do that), but I don't know what was up with the kitchen because it took forever for the food to come out. We were seated shortly after 8pm and did not receive mains until after 9:30pm! Normally I would chalk this up to a bad night and not even comment on it, but given that tonight would be a special occasion for you I'd probably go with another option.
The rabbit terrine was delish though, and everyone else in the restaurant seemed happy. I'd go again, just not for a special occasion.
Help...need an interesting and higher end restaurant for this Friday
I don't know if this is high end enough for you or in the right area, but I'd suggest Niagara Street Cafe. Not sure if the online menu is current (although it's changed since I last looked), but there are definitely some interesting things on there (sweetbreads, snails, etc). I've always enjoyed the food and service here, but it's a smallish place and can get loud when busy. I find it quite romantic, myself.
http://www.niagarastreetcafe.com/menu.php
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Niagara Street Cafe
169 Niagara St, Toronto, ON M5V1C9, CA
Where can I dine near Dundas and Brock that isn't Lula Lounge?
Nathan Isberg's new place, Atlantic, is right there too. Haven't been myself but it's been getting some good buzz.
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Atlantic Restaurant
1597 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6K1T9, CA
food and drink after the symphony
I believe the Steak Frites menu is what you're looking for, or at least that's what comes up when you click 'Late Night Menu' in their list of opening hours:
http://www.leselect.com/menus/view_menu.php?menu=steak-frites-dinner
anniversary dinner that must include oysters (everything else negotiable)
I would nominate Starfish. A wonderful selection of oysters, perfect martinis, and while on my last visit my DC and I opted to skip mains in favour of appetizers (soft-shell crab & fishcakes), the mains I saw other people enjoying looked very good. They also serve a fantastic sticky toffee pudding if you like that sort of thing. Great atmosphere as well, not too casual and not too stuffy.
Omakase at Omi?
Chalk me up as a person who has visited Omi multiple times and never experienced the extremes of service you refer to. At busy times it has been a little scattered, but the food makes up for that in spades.
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Omi
243 Carlton St, Toronto, ON M5A, CA
Flat White coffee just like in Australia & New Zealand
I totally know what Flexitarian means. Whenever I've been in there to pick up coffee (which is fairly often) the service ranges from indifferent to surly. I don't expect to be served my coffee with a fanfare and a fake smile, but it wouldn't hurt for the staff in there to at least pretend they're not about to off themselves at the prospect of having to pull yet another shot.
Not that it stops me from going there mind you... beats the stuff they serve at Clafouti any day.
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Clafouti
915 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA
OMG ... fried poached eggs!
The egg yolks would only coagulate between temps of 149 - 158F. So as long as you keep the water temp under control they will still be liquid. Sounds to me like it would be tricky to keep it at the right temp without special equipment.
Also, never heard eggs being cooked in the shell referred to as 'poached' before.... I was envisioning a different dish entirely!
Looking for special birthday cake
How about Stubbe on Dupont? I've enjoyed their truffles but have not tried their cakes, however they look quite special and there are a few non-chocolate options. Perhaps others have tried the cakes and can comment (as an aside, has anyone tried the Sacher Torte?)
http://www.stubbechocolates.com/cakesandpastries.html
Where to buy Goat Shanks in the downtown core?
I don't know that Kensington Market qualifies as 'downtown core', but you might try Sanagan's Meat Locker - they had goat when I was there a little while ago. Call ahead though.
http://www.sanagansmeatlocker.com/
Anyone been to Rosebud lately?
To clarify, the Rosebud under discussion is at 669 Queen W, around Bathurst (couldn't add the !$%@ link for some reason).
Anyone been to Rosebud lately?
This doesn't sound like the Rosebud I know and love. Are you sure you've got the right place?
Also, what does 'whatever their faith is' mean?
