bobbob911's Profile
Any good grocery stores near Scarborough Bluffs?
Thanks!
We were excited that there was a Sun Valley foods (at Birchmount and Danforth Rd) but its the most ghetto SV I've ever seen - certainly nothing like the one on the Danforth! At least the churrasco place in the same plaza is a home run....
Any good grocery stores near Scarborough Bluffs?
Thanks guys! The Metro at Kingston & Eg sounds perfect, and I'll check out the Highland Farms too.
Been to Arz, some good stuff in there.
A Taste of Iceland at The Drake
When I was in newfoundland last year I asked around to see if any restaurants served Puffin (there are many Puffin rookeries off the east cost of newfoundland). I received more than one shocked look of horror :)
A Taste of Iceland at The Drake
Dont they eat puffin in Iceland? Would have liked to see that on there! I always wanted to try reindeer though so I might try to hit this
Any good grocery stores near Scarborough Bluffs?
Just moved out to this area of town, and man o man it seems to be a wasteland of No Frills stores everywhere! I was under no illusions that there would be great boutique stores but even a Loblaws or a Sobey's would be nice....
Anyone know of some good grocery stores in the area? I saw there was a Valu Mart in the guild but I havent checked it out yet.
Thanks!
Is anyone going to the Brickworks picnic?
Thanks, but I should have known better - the amount of food we ate the first pass there was no way there would be room for more in a couple hours :-)
Great event!
Brickworks Picnic 2009
Well you guys hit all my favorites:
Vertical's lamb crepe -> I couldnt believe the flavor of this lamb, I asked what they braised it in and he said simple chicken stock! I think he said it was marinated in chermoula. I'm going to try to replicate at home
Chocosol's tejate chocolate drink -> apparently they sell this as a mix at farmers markets around the city. Delicious!
Torito's pulled pork -> Again, an excellent version of mexican cochinita pibil - very flavorful and moist, they must have used the best cuts from the pig. Most pibil pork in mexico isn't this good
Allen's lamb skewer -> The website said this was wild boar, I was skeptical after the first bite and had to ask :-)
The bison sausage (with saskatoon berries) -> Too bad this guy does not sell these anywhere, they were terrific. The combination of the smokey bison and the tangy berry was perfect.
Royal York's honey ice cream with blueberry compote -> yeah, pretty much awesome
Table 17 ontario kiwifruit in jelly with basil leaf -> Also incredible! They grow these miniature kiwis in Barrie!
Mole Rojo vs Mole Poblano vs Mole Negro
I have wondered that, but that link you gave is actually an interview with Rick Bayless, who's recipe I gave above, which states:
"Chilhuacle chiles are very difficult to find unless you’re in Oaxaca (even then they’re sometimes hard to obtain). Without them you can make a very respectable black mole"
Which indicates to me that the chile substitution alone would not change the flavor of this recipe into that of a Rojo or Poblano Mole.
Mole Rojo vs Mole Poblano vs Mole Negro
No because when you read the three descriptions they all sound similar (and I think the description of Mole Rojo as being "lighter red ... than Coloradito" is wrong). The Poblano description is clearly applicable to the other two.
I'm hoping someone has tried all three of these moles so they can describe to me how the flavors and appearances are different.
Thanks!
Mole Rojo vs Mole Poblano vs Mole Negro
Sure. I have links for Rick Bayless Mole Rojo and Mole Negro:
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/279591
http://www.bravotv.com/foodies/recipes/oaxaca-black-mole-with-braised-chicken-plantain-tamal-and-grilled-nopales
Here's one link for Mole Poblano:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/recipe_mole.htm
Mole Poblano is not from Oaxaca and is not part of the "7 Moles". However to me it looks the same as Mole Rojo, both in terms of ingredients and appearance (and both have chocolate as an ingredient). Mole Negro is supposed to be darker (and quite possibly jet black but I don't know if this is just an exaggeration) but if so it must be solely due to the cooking techniques because again the ingredient list is very similar (if you substitute chilhuacle negro chiles which is a given option on that recipe)
I agree with you that these mole recipes change and vary depending on the cook, but I am assuming that because of the well known "names" of the 7 Moles that each of these should be fairly distinctive to one another. But perhaps I'm mistaken?
Mole Rojo vs Mole Poblano vs Mole Negro
Hi,
I'm trying to understand what the differences are between these three Mexican Moles are. When I research the recipes they seem to have 99% the same ingredients and the recipes all seem very similar. I also suspect the names are mixed up a lot. Can someone clarify for me what the differences are between these three Moles?
Also, is Mole Negro supposed to be completely black or just very dark brown? If its supposed to be black what makes it so? I know you are supposed to toast the chile seeds until they are blackened but I don't think this alone would cause the whole sauce to be black. Do you also blacken the chiles themselves? Or the various nuts?
Thanks!
Is anyone going to the Brickworks picnic?
Anyone know if you can go and come back? We live in the area so we were thinking of going early, and then returning closer to the end again when we have some hunger back!
Best tasting menu for vegetarians?
Who's got the best vegetarian friendly tasting menu in the city? (by vegetarian I mean no meat or seafood, but not vegan so cheese, dairy, eggs etc are fine). But not at a specifically vegetarian restaurant.
Or if someone has had a great experience where a restaurant created a great vegetarian tasting menu by request!
Thanks!
Best Indian in Toronto - where is it?
I've tried nearly all the places on this list, and I have to say: I think The Host is probably the best, most consistent indian food in the city, believe it or not!
Toronto Life's Best List
Burgers there are $5 and its by far the best "chain" burger I've ever had. They even leave it a little pink inside (There are even signs plastered everywhere saying this is normal and they meet food & heath regulations, so no worries!)
In other words, you're memory does not serve you right.
Avli Review (Long-ish and Not So Good)
BTW I agree the side vegetables at Avli are the one weak point of the meal. Thats what the terrific selection of dips are there to compensate for :-)
Avli Review (Long-ish and Not So Good)
I wish they would. For what its worth, when I visited Greece several years back not a single restaurant we went to even knew what Saganaki Opa was. In other words, its another of those horrible touristic kitsches that you are better off never having to experience!
Perigee - mixed thoughts...
We just went to Perigee, and I have mixed opinions:
- I dont really like seafood and my girlfriend is vegetarian (and we mentioned this). However, the very first thing to come out of the kitchen was a plate of four bite-sized finger foods of which 2 were seafood! So half of them ended up discarded. A small thing but it set a bad tone for the rest of the evening.
- All of my girlfriends vegetarian dishes were very interesting and quite delicious, but I felt mine were mostly less than inspired. The first course was an amazing seared venison in a broth with vegetables, but the subsequent courses were essentially fried chicken, puff pastry hors d'oeuvres, and a pulled apart steak sandwich (complete with mini pickles and mini coleslaw). It was all tasty but I was expecting something significantly more special and creative. Even the dessert, a bland lemon loaf, was uninspiring.
- The main course was plated on the same plates and same portion sizes as the other three "small" plates - is this usual? I swear I saw the people around us getting a larger plate for the main, and I certainly would have expected that.
- We ordered a bottle of shiraz and received a bottle of cabernet savignon, and didnt notice until it had already started to be poured. Of course, at that point I didnt feel like making a fuss about it.
- We were offered more bread, but it never came. Of course, this happens all the time at other, lesser restaurants but with the atmosphere (and cost) of the evening it felt out of place.
Overall, I thought it was good but not spectacular, and spectacular is what I was expecting.
Milagro?
Gotta disagree. I really tried to like El Sol but I find it average at best, the menu is just uninspired (although I'd like to try thier chile relleno, but I dont often find myself thinking 24 hours ahead of where I'm going to eat!)
And I strongly disagree about the margarita. Weak watered down mix margarita, and I think it even had regular salt (not kosher salt) on the rim!
For me, the only other usually-good Mexican is Jalepeno. Some of the menu is admittedly mediocre but some of it is really good.
A Good Burger
There's nothing wrong with Licks in a fix....
I'm always baffled by Johnny Burger. Its the quintessential greasy spoon burger, which isnt my idea of a *good* burger. Its like In-n-Out burger in California - I suppose its good if it reminds you of your childhood.
I notice none of the $40 "trendy burgers" are on this list - are any of them actually worth it?
Milagro?
I tried the pulled pork pibil which was excellent (although I would have prefered a little less pork and a little more of the amazing little sides which were simple but incredibly flavorful). I also had the house salad which entices on the menu with promises of jicama and pepitas, but there was none of the former and the latter were sunflower seeds! (Pepitas are mexican pumpkins seeds, they are very different than pumpkin seeds up here).
My girlfriend had the non-relleno vegetarian main which was also excellent.
We tried to order margaritas non-frozen on rocks and did not succeed. The frozen margaritas were very good, however.
Overall I was very impressed for the restaurant being so new, and doubly so considering Toronto is starving for high-end mexican. Its no Frontera Grill but its a start.
"bold spins on traditional Mexican food"
Yes, I think thats exactly the point. Its exactly the kind of restaurant you would find in Mexico City (as opposed to Oaxaca or rural mexico). Think of it as Mexican Fusion :-)
