artgeek's Profile
Where to find soda chargers
We got a wire-encased glass one from Williams Sonoma a year or so back - does a great job and looks great. They're not showing on the website now, but I think I saw one in the Eaton Centre store not so long ago. Might be worth a look if you're in the GTA area. Good luck.
Where to find soda chargers
Golda's Kitchen stocks them for $12.50CAD per box of 10 - www.goldaskitchen.com
Dual Fuel Gas Range
We have a Thermador Professional 36" dual fuel with griddle. I love it too, but we've had on-going problems with the burner ignitors (continually clicking but not igniting, or not sparking at all). Evidently it's a known issue with the models that have the simmer setting. Several service visits and parts replacements have failed to resolve it. It's an older model (about 4 years old now) so hopefully they've fixed the issue. Enjoy your new kitchen!
Thai-to-Go....impressed!
Seconded. Haven't been to the restaurant yet but we've had delivery from them twice (the first time was just after they'd opened and didn't have a driver yet, so the very charming owner delivered the food in person). Food was beautifully done, high quality stuff - especially considering delivery doesn't usually showcase a restaurant's food in the best possible conditions.
Chew Chew's Diner
Have been twice for brunch in the last month and can recommend them highly. Menu features the usual suspects - Eggs Benny & Florentine are nicely done with three eggs, lemony hollandaise, and non-greasy home fries. Coffee is good, service is friendly, and the interior is clean and bright. You can't swing a set of rosary beads without hitting one of the three churches in the immediate neighbourhood, so I expect Sundays will be busy!
Where to buy Shun knives
http://www.kuttersknives.com
Listing of other online dealers:
http://www.kershawknives.com/dealers_listing.php?brand=shun
Organic delivery service in Toronto
I suppose you saddle up your high horse to get yours.
King Arthur AP Flour in Toronto (or other good brands)
They do ship to Canada - at least they did when I asked the same question a few months back. Unfortunately I got distracted with other priorities and I didn't follow through with the order.
Failing KA, I find Bob's Red Mill is pretty good for WW and AP flour. I get it from the organic grocery store on Parliament at Carlton (not Lennies, the other one further north).
Lunch near AGO
From my experience:
On McCaul at Elm: Midi is wonderful, as is Sage (the latter a bit more casual/cafe).
On Baldwin: La Bodega or Cafe la Gaffe (ditto).
On Queen: I thought the Queen Mother Cafe was OK (others have raved though)
Enjoy the show, and lunch!
AG
dundas from bay to university
If you're in the mood to take out, Salad and Sushi (199 Dundas, south side) is very good. Great quality, no fuss, and very friendly people.
vegemite and twisties
Pure evil (must try!).
Can't help with Nutrigrain - I've only seen it as breakfast bars, not in cereal form. On visual inspection Weetabix is probably the closest equivalent you can get to Weetbix.
vegemite and twisties
In truth no, I'm not sure. I've seen it at the Lakeshore Loblaws many times on previous visits, but haven't been there on a Vegemite search for at least a year (due to a stockpile of the real stuff acquired from downunder!).
vegemite and twisties
Vegemite, cheese, lettuce and potato chip (salt & vinegar, natch) used to be my favourite, will have to try your beetroot version now! Cheers.
vegemite and twisties
Just bring some with you. Vegemite can be found here and there (in Loblaws in teeny, tiny jars), I've never seen Twisties (but - if I'm thinking of the right product - I'm sure you can find a local powdered cheese/extruded starch equivalent). And make sure you put down the Vegemite long enough to enjoy all of the other cuisines that Toronto offers!
Bienvenue and bon appetit, cobber.
South Island, NZ restaurants
I second Caffe Roma - great flat whites, served with a chocolate fish. Which is neither as nautical nor as unpleasant as it sounds.
Can I send a cake to NZ?
I don't think so; fresh and/or unprocessed food is a no-no, but there's no specific prohibition regarding baked goods (when we lived in NZ we used to get cakes mailed to us from Texas with no hassles). Good idea to double check with MAF though:
http://www.maf.govt.nz/quarantine/foodstuffs/index.htm
Nice thought, by the way!
Mother in law visiting - any suggestions
No particular food recommendations, but just want to say .... jumping the pond at 81 - good for her! I'm half her age and I don't want to leave the house.
CH honeymoon in New Zealand or Australia?
Best way to approach a wedding, IMO!
Yes, that'll be the Kiwi spring/summer; November through March is peak season in the South Pacific - airfares, accommodation and availability will be at a premium, so book early or keep an eye out for specials (Flyertalk.com is a great resource as a starting point).
If you're spontaneous types, I highly recommend the road trip approach (rent a car in Auckland and work your way around the country - DH and I did this before leaving for Canada a decade ago). Alternatively, every city is a short plane trip away, and there are plenty of quality hotels/motels to choose from (check stuff.co.nz, the NZ Automobile Association, and local newspapers online).
Bon voyage!
CH honeymoon in New Zealand or Australia?
Congrats on your impending wedding! I agree with Deb, stick with NZ - great food, great wine, very laid back. Maybe try to fit in a stopover in Aus on the way there or back (both Qantas and AirNZ have routes that will accommodate). Or get a Circle Pacific fare and go nuts!
You should check out the vineyard tours in the Auckland, Marlborough, and Central Otago regions as well. Many of them have partnerships with local restos, if not kitchens onsite.
Farm visitations may be limited by season. What time of year are you planning to visit?
48" Thermador Professional Dual Fuel Range Question
Hi, we've got the 36" version of the Thermador Professional (dual fuel, 4 burners with grill). We've had no problems with the grill - gets damn hot - so I think you have a service issue.
We do, on the other hand, have annoying ongoing issues with the burner ignitors, you may want to watch out for this:
The first time we ran a cleaning cycle, the heat from the oven melted the shielding on wires leading to the burners and shorted the ignition switches (we found out later that our model wasn't installed with solid core wiring). End result (after a loud bang and a shower of sparks) was the none of the ignitors would work at all.
Service techs visited repeatedly and replaced various parts, despite being told that the problem was probably related to the cleaning cycle and a melted wire, "so could you check the wiring please" [ but, I'm just a girl so I don't know what I'm talking about /]. Finally a senior tech showed up, found the melted wire (ta da!), and replaced everything with solid core.
However, the ignitors are still dodgy - sometimes they'll work, other times they'll spark maybe once every 10 clicks, sometimes they won't spark at all. We love the range otherwise, but this is very frustrating - especially when using the Extra Low setting. Probably won't buy Thermador again.
Wait a second now - regarding Top Chef II - kitchen manners? are you kidding?
Amen. My most vivid memory is watching a grill chef - armed with a carving knife - chase the sous chef through the kitchen immediately before lunch service (lovers tiff).
Any time you introduce a group of creatively driven humans to a high-pressure, time-compressed environment you're going to see some pretty interesting psychology.
Posh Nosh - absolutely fabulous
Oh, and fans of the current Dr Who will want to check out the episode "Comfort Food" for a young David Tennant.
"Jig 100g of organic plain organic flour and a pinch of organic salt into an organic basin ..."
Posh Nosh - absolutely fabulous
Don't know if it's playing on the telly, but excerpts are available on the Beeb's website and I'm told episodes can be found via bitorrent. Now if you'll excuse me, I have coriander to exacerbate.
What besides Vegemite should I request from Auckland?
Second the burger! Although 'pickled beets' may confuse - we called it 'beetroot'.
If I can advise another item to keep and eye out for (and stay WELL away from), that would be a 'classic' of Kiwi cuisine ... the custard square. A square of flaky pastry, topped with a couple of inches of solid custard (made from powder), finished with a layer of sweet icing. Previously famous for harboring the highest bacteria count in random food inspections in the '80s. Avoid. Hope she has a great time!
Restaurant Supply Toronto
Seconded. I haven't had any bad experiences with Dinetz, but the guys at Nicalau are hilarious and helpful.
Flavorful Additions to Bittman Bread. What's yours?
I added sunflower seeds to a 2:1 AP/wholewheat batch last weekend. Yum. This weekend I'm trying toasted hazelnuts (husband is lobbying to add chocolate chunks -> Nutella bread).
Homemade pasta sauce in toronto...
There's a pasta place on Yonge, on the east side just north of Millwood. Sorry - I forget the name, and I haven't been in for more than a year, but I think it's still there. When we lived in the neighbourhood we regularly bought sauces and noodles from them - made on premises and very good.
what to do with bison stew meat
If you'd like to try something other than stew, do a rough grind with some bacon and make bison burgers. Yum.
