4 Life in Kensington usually carries it in bulk.

They've them at 4 Life in Kensington for the past few weeks.

Hi all,

I'm headed to Petit St. Vincent next month, and am looking for food tips for the surrounding island. Food reviews for the "new" PSV aren't great, so I'm hoping to have some good local food when we get off the island! Looking primarily for local or seafood, but happy for any recommendations.

Thanks very much!

Went on Friday for lunch. There's a Korean stand (looks like she was part of the a la Cart program), Monteforte for grilled cheese, a bubble tea stand, the cupcakes and donuts mentioned below, and the Magic Catering people are offering indian. There were a few other stands that weren't yet open - one was definitely crepes.

Had the Korean, which was very good, and she's serving up a wide variety of snack type items - dumplings, pancakes, squid and shrimp balls and the like. The most talked about, though, was the Magic Catering indian - they're offering samosas, and a sandwich with chickpeas and lentils (I cannot remember what they were calling it, but I have bungee in my head - something close to that). The topper, though, is they will serve you a samosa IN your sandwich - apparently this is common N. India.

The one complaint I would have is that I am not sure that they're all ready for prime time. They were very busy (unexpectedly - I think they didn't know they would be getting so much press so early) and everything took a very long time. That'll be worked out, I'm sure. Great idea for the neighbourhood.

I bought it at All the Best - haven't used it yet, but couldn't resist!

Olliffe doesn't have them consistently - I was looking for a whole duck last weekend and they didn't have one. If they did, they said, it would be frozen. Of course they offered to get one for me, but they need a call a few days ahead of time. Just a heads up.

I actually have one - the 6 pod version. I had good luck with it; not only were my herbs very healthy, I was able to transplant them outdoors in pots for the summer. I'm growing tomatoes now, and not having such success.

I think Rabbit's suggestions are great, and I'd highly recommend all of them. There's also a place called "Bar Chef" on Queen W, which has some pretty great, inventive drinks, but the atmosphere isn't quite there yet. I'd call it closer to Pegu than Little Branch or PDT. I don't think you can go off menu there, either, although I haven't tried. (And I'm trying Violet Hour this weekend.... can't wait!)

The Ataulfos are already on Spadina, they started showing up last week and in full force right now. I've been covered in mango juice for a week!

I've never seen an Alphonso on Spadina; I think you really do have to go out to Gerrard for those.

This is fantastic, thanks so much! I wish there were similar ones for Chinese and Japanese ingredients. The threads we get from time to time here are great, but sometimes it is hard to sort through all of the replies and I never remember when I'm actually at the store!

It is actually on the dinner menu as an appetizer... and I have been trying to recreate it ever since I tried it!

I was looking for some on the weekend to braise - Grace Meats carry it, but they ask you to call the day before. I imagine most butchers would be able to get it for you if you ask ahead.

You might want to check out Cafe Taste in Parkdale (www.cafetaste.ca). Small, locally focused wine bar, with some cheese plates etc. for food. However (I see as I now check), not open until 5pm. I think for an afternoon glass of wine, JKWB might be your best bet.

For a wine list in Toronto, it is hard to do better than Opus (http://www.opusrestaurant.com/opus.taf) , which apparently won the 2008 Grand Award from Wine Spectator. It is on the more expensive side, but I've never had a bad meal there, and is reasonably close to the Hazelton, if that's where you send up.

For neighbourhood spots, I'm a big fan of the Rosebud (no website, but do a search on this board), which is in the same general neighbourhood as the Drake (Queen West, while the Drake is "West Queen West". Hotel Le Germain is very nice, but is in a bit of a wasteland in terms of where people actually live and dine. The Windsor Arms is a good suggestion from Rabbit, too.

You might want to try Grace Meats, at Grace and College, if that's closer for you. You'll definitely have to ask, but I've bought pork shoulder, chuck, and oxtail from them before at much more reasonable prices than what you're talking about.

Sorry, I can see how my post was a bit confusing... by central I meant downtown-ish. These are all great suggestions, though, since the real problem was that they couldn't TTC to Zee Grill. I've been to Zucca a few times, that's a definite possibility, and Quince sounds great. Thanks everyone!

Hi all,

My parents will once again be in town for their anniversary, and I am yet again in charge of their anniversary plans (which is on Valentines Day - I'm sure that seemed like a good idea at the time.)

Here are the parameters: they are pescetarian, but my mom will only eat shrimp, salmon, and some white fish (no shellfish, but not an allergy). They're fairly prairie frugal (i.e. sticker shock will mean that they will not enjoy the meal, even if I paid), so I'd like to keep mains in the $20 range, nothing hitting $30. Has to be centrally located. I sent them to Zee Grill last year, and that was not a hit (too "ususual", too far).

Any ideas? I'm stumped - my favourite places are either far too meat based, or too expensive, or too "unusual".

Second Loire. I had a really good meal there their second night, and I can only imagine that they're improving with experience.

I think you're thinking of Ninki. It is okay, a step up from Bento, but not much more than that. They're mostly sit-down, but they do have a take out counter hidden in the back. They're the same people as the one across the street on Adelaide.

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up about a new spot in the old Olive and Lemon building. They just opened on Friday, I was there this weekend, and I have to say this looks like a really promising neighbourhood spot. The menu is primarily french (as you may have guessed from the name), but it has one thing its major competition across the street doesn't have (looking at you, Tati) - actual good service, even on the first weekend. Shocking, I know.

We tried the charcuterie plate (speck, pork rilette, chicken liver parfait, and a few other things I've forgotten) - very nicely done, the rich flavours you'd expect, and great presentation with the rilette in a little mason jar, for example. The mussels with chorizo and bell peppers wasn't as brothy as I would like, but the mussels were well timed. Our mains were steak and marrow - a nice alternative to steak-frites on roasted potato with a good sized marrow bone on the side, and the pasta with chicken in a truffle oil/jerusalem artichoke sauce. The pasta could have used a little more visual impact - very beige - and was a little undersalted, but nicely rich.

The room's very warmly decorated, with a nice buzz about it. Great cocktails to start, too! Over all, a bit uneven, but definitely a great new option in the neighbourhood. Best thing - nothing on the menu was over $25, and wine was all under $80.

They do. I've left a message and they've called me back quite quickly in the past. Enjoy!

Well, I'm in the youngish range, and I always see groups of younger people when I'm there, but I agree - it is more about the kitsch value than the decor.

I'm a big fan of Senior's, at Yonge and St. Clair-ish. Very old school, decor from the 70s, but the food is good and the service is always very warm and welcoming. They do have some non-meat on the menu, but I've never had, so I can't say.

Fiesta Farms has a good olive/antipasto bar. Sometimes it is a bit sketchy (like late on a busy Saturday), but I've never had problems there.

I've definitely seen it at some of the specialty food stores, like Pusateri's and All the Best.

That's Cafe Supreme. It is a chain, but I like the version near me in the financial district - a good alternative to food court food, and the sandwiches are definitely a step above the Druxy's/Pumpernickel standard.

Just want to second this... Scaramouche Pasta Bar usually only has one linguine type dish, and maybe a ravioli. The pasta isn't really the focus (confusing I know.)

Here's a link to a menu to give you an idea: http://www.scaramoucherestaurant.com/...

I did one in a Peach BBQ sauce from epicurious this weekend... it was fantastic and made good use of all the peaches just ending the season here. 20 minutes on the grill, add brussels sprouts with shallots and apple cider vinegar, roast some potato, great seasonal meal.

Garth's Cheese, which sets up at Nathan Phillips market on Wednesdays, has both of them. (I'm excited to hear Fiesta Farms has them too, now I know where to get my fix after market season is over!)

I bought some from Garth at Nathan Phillips Square a few weeks back. I was told they're so expensive right now as they're trying to establish an environmentally sustainable organization, using wind power etc, and they're trying to be LEED certified. That's led to a pretty high start-up cost for them, but probably something worth supporting. And tasty too!