> Isn't that what we should all want? Low salt?

speaking for myself, no. that's not what i want at all.

i've also been once, and concur w/yongeman's sentiments. a great addition to midtown. they clearly take their coffee seriously, the baked goods are legit -- not the barely-one-step-above-sysco stuff you get in most cafes -- and the space is nicely appointed. i do wish, however, that they would keep the music down and more suited to a relaxed ambiance -- being blasted out by shaft & other 70's hits was a bit disconcerting.

thanks jlunar & ghetto_scarlem, that's very helpful. good to have a sense of where to go and what to keep an eye out for.

what's good at Mot Na Son & Chowon Family? these are up by Yonge & Finch, right?

went a few days ago for an early dinner -- i had the udon w/curry beef dinner set. very good quality fish on the sashimi -- fresh & clean flavors; nice light hand with the tempura. the udon noodles themselves were pretty good, but i'm not exactly an udon connoisseur. they do a "mixed vegetable" tempura, which is basically a vegetable fritter with a light tempura treatment that i really enjoyed. the room wasn't too loud & trendy, thankfully; it filled up pretty quickly with japanese families, which i suppose is probably a good sign. i'm really happy to have a new option in the neighborhood. so yes, i'd say worth a trip.

thanks everyone for the suggestions; this is exactly what i was looking for. i'm looking forward to checking out paul and chinatown coffee -- hopefully i'll be able to make it out to filter as well.

i was going to say the same thing! i'm sure not in the same league as the place that Charles has pointed out, but at a much more accessible location, for me at least.

actually, though, i think the truck i like may be a different one. i like the singapore noodles at the first truck going south from harbord. not sure if this is wokking on wheels--actually, fairly certain that it isn't. but it's good, filling and cheap.

i'm with parsnipity -- i'm a fan of iggy's bagels, though they seem best when you get them from the iggy's outpost over by alewife. i definitely prefer them to rosenfelds, though i recognize they may not be as traditional. (which may possibly be why i like them.)

i'm visiting dc shortly, and while i think i've got my dinners sorted out, i'd like to solicit some advice re: breakfasts --

1) are there any good bakeries for pastries, breakfast-y type items that are within walking distance of judiciary square?

2) any good cafes in that area? i would be particularly pleased if any of them carry counter culture or intelligentsia beans.

thanks!

thanks for the info -- it's great to know as this is much more convenient than trekking all the way out to leslieville!

do you know if they stock other bobette & belle/soma items -- cupcakes, cakes, chocolates, marshmallows, etc.? or is it just cookies?

oh yeah -- soma. definitely worth checking out. get a hot chocolate while you're there. or a bicerin.

it depends on where you are coming from. me personally i'd skip banh mi boys and enoteca sociale. banh mi are readily available at 1/3 the price all over the place, and while i like enoteca sociale, upscale italian is also pretty common. i also would not waste any time in kensington market. it's getting better, but i still find the place completely lame; it's basically a couple blocks that never realized that the 90s ended years ago.

guu is good ("guud"), but can be very loud. ramen options -- i'm partial to santouka -- are also great. if you have access to a car, i'd say go out to one of the burbs for cantonese (look for charles yu's postings for guidance.) even if you don't want to go to the burbs, there's good dim sum in the city -- i liked crown princess on bay, even if the decor is a bit comical. there's a dumpling house on dundas and huron, yummy yummy dumplings (no, for real) that's quite good. woodlot is mid-level contemporary canadian/american, and is pretty great.

the problem with toronto is that what really sets it apart as a dining city -- such as its cantonese dining scene -- are not actually in the city, but are in transit inaccessible burbs. the city itself is pretty much like any other big city as far as dining goes, except about 20% more expensive than the US, at least at the high end.

i have to say that, years later, i still find it very funny that a place named "bagels by us" actually get their bagels from somewhere else.

great fish & chips at fish street -- freshly fried, light batter, and wonderfully fresh and flaky haddock for the fish. the chips are actually potato wedges that are fried to order, and the cole slaw light and refreshing. it was enough for 2 meals for about $12. a great find!

la societe has one on the menu.

thanks for the write up -- i had not heard of king's tacos before. i have been meaning to get to tenoch -- what do you recommend from there?

to be fair, i recently had a bunch of their bagels and didn't notice anything unusual about the crust. it didn't seem thick or sharp in any way. i don't know, obviously, if that's because we have different standards for this or if it's b/c of variability in the product.

i did think the bagels were quite good, the best we've had in toronto so far. (we live around the corner from a bagel house and never go there b/c we don't particularly care for them.)

i would pick up a slice of one of their cakes. their cupcakes are fine, but their cakes are really great.

how does rogue 24 compare to these places?

vegan reuben? that sounds ... implausible.

well transit in TO is such a pain in the ass that, really, getting anywhere with the TTC takes about 40 minutes, door to door. unless you live on ossington and dundas or queen west or something, i suppose.

been a coupla times for lunch -- burgers and such. i like their burger quite a bit, and they do nice frites. i've never tried them for dinner.

yes -- absolutely! that would be lots of fun!

it was indeed a lovely meal, with great company as well. the lobster dishes were all terrific -- the stir fried lobster tails were a highlight, as was the salt & pepper lobster. the lobster & egg custard had a lovely silken texture that would have made a fantastic meal in its own right -- a pity that i was too full to have more than a nibble!

i also greatly appreciated the multi course desserts -- i'd never seen the egg white donut before, and that plus the mango mochi, black rice soup and sesame mochi really put the meal over the top.

thanks again, charles, for organizing the outing!

yeah, that's how i felt as well about museum tavern. nice atmosphere, but man is it overpriced. $16 for a sandwich and some fries is frankly insane.

not exactly a whole menu, but Fabarnak has a vegetarian version of their "square peg" lunch deal.

bobette & belle for fancy pants baked goods. i particularly like their cakes. or soma for fancy pants chocolates.

Is there something different about St Viateur bagels that makes them less prone to staling? Every other bagel I'm familiar with stales noticeably within a few hours of coming out of the oven. It's an honest question, as I've never had St Viateur bagels and it would be great if they aren't as time-sensitive as others.

If you're coming from NYC, I'd skip Khao San Road. I like KSR, but Zabb Elee is at least as good, if not better, and much more comprehensive. You might try dim sum, e.g. at Lai Wah Heen.