cfmcgrath18's Profile
Tomato bushels in Toronto
I'm planning my first tomato preserve weekend this Saturday... and am looking for bushels of Roma/San Marzano tomatoes. Am located in DT Toronto, but am willing to drive to get them.. Looking for about 5 bushels.
Any suggestions?
The Burger's Priest - Queen and Coxwell
Easily the worst burger I've ever had. About $12 got me a double/double (two hand-made patties with cheese), gluten free bun, and all the toppings (lettuce, mustard, ketchup, onion, pickle, tomato) with a side of fries.
I live a 5-minute drive away. When I got home...
Fries were cold, and measured about 1 cup. McDonald's has way better fries. My dog didn't even eat them. In the bin they went.
Onto the burger... unwrapped it from its loosely wrapped waxed paper... only to have my hands covered in grease. The bun was a standard white (gluten free) bun, the bottom of which had soaked up grease from the two burger patties... and as such, became a soggy disgusting mess. The burger, therefore, could not even be eaten as one. The meat, though mildly flavourful, fell apart in my hand, as it wasn't packed tightly enough to retain its burger shape. I know there's a philosophy to not 'over-handle' your burger to help retain moisture... however, it should at least have some sense of form. This did not. It ended up taking the shape of a meatball. And not a good one. I pulled the greasy, soggy mess apart... and ate the tomato. And I don't even really like tomatoes. That should say enough. I didn't even bother trying to give the dog what was left of the burger. That much grease would give her the runs. I don't need another mess, in addition to the one that I found when I opened the take-out bag.
BIG FAIL for The Burger's Priest. For an excellent diner-style burger in this area of the city, try Square Boy on Danforth. For a classy, flavourful burger meal that is worth the same price as you'd pay at Burger's Priest, try Great Burger Kitchen at Gerrard/Jones. If you want a quick and easy bite... with good fries... go to the McDonald's about 2 blocks away from The Burger's Priest.
-----
Square Boy
875 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4J1L8, CA
Great Burger Kitchen
1056 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1Z8, CA
Best Nachos on Danforth?
Looking for a great place for Nachos and Beer on Danforth... any suggestions??? Somewhere with a good patio would be nice, too!
Sushi East of Yonge or Danforth area?
Looking for good sushi east of Yonge or around the Danforth. Looking for a dine-in... so Sushi Marche in Leslieville (as much as I love it) isn't really an option. not interested in all you can eat, and am looking in particular for a good spicy tuna..
Suggestions?
Tips on where to buy Passionfruit???
Looking for leads on where to buy fresh passionfruit?
Anyone have any ideas?
Spaghetti and meatballs
I'm a big fan of spaghetti and meatballs -- been one of my fave meals since I was a kid. So, a friend and I tried Quattro 4 Ragazze, based on the reccs here. Have to say, it was really disappointing.
The breaded artichokes were greasy, oily and over salted. It looked like they pulled artichokes out of a can, and then tossed burnt, greasy breadcrumbs on top. Totally not what we were expecting.
We then ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, and a veal panini. The S&M was under-sauced. There were 4 meatballs embedded in the pasta -- and when you pulled them out, discovered it was actually 2 meatballs cut in half. So, 2 over-salted meatballs on a bed of undersauced pasta for $11. No thanks. Not good enough. Nowhere good enough.
The veal panini looked good -- very generous portion. Sauce and cheese were good. Veal was very over-cooked. Tough meat, overly chewy. It was as if they had an old piece of veal on hand, and just nuked it to serve it. The breading was more salt than coating. The meat was tough and altogether unsatisfying.
Didn't take anything home in a doggie bag -- even my dog wouldn't eat any of this food.
Gerrard and Jones suggestions?
I'm at Gerrard and Jones.... while there's interesting stuff along Gerrard East in Little India.. there's not much nearby here... except Pizza Pide at Gerrard and Pape. But Queen East is just a 7 minute walk away with tons of great options... great restos, super coffee shops, Meating on Queen (a great butcher shop). Can't go wrong in this end of the city!
Chino Loco @ Queen/Greenwood
So, I bit the bullet and tried the Chino Loco burrito place at Greenwood and Queen. My friend and I got the pork with chow mein, and the special -- a BBQ rib meat with mashed potato. We tried half of each and both concluded that overall, they were just okay. After reading reviews, I was hopeful, but feel a bit let down overall.
The menu is exciting -- seems like a really cool fusion of mexican and asian flavours. But that fusion falls short when it counts. The meats are cooked perfectly, beautifully seasoned, and very very tasty. Not dry at all -- very moist and flavourful. The problem is that the accompaniments don't complement the flavours of the meat - what is clearly the headliner in a good burrito. In particular, the BBQ rib and mashed potato was a contrast in well rounded BBQ flavour, and bland mashed potatoes. I know what the guys were going for here, but it didn't really work. When I think of a great BBQ pork, I think about a tasty, acidic slaw (maybe cabbage and fennel) as a complement. Not mashed potatoes. The house pork with chow mein -- again, the pork was great, but the chow mein was kind of slimy and cold. The drive home from the restaurant is only five minutes, and we dove right into our picks -- the potatoes and chowmein, added when cold, absorbed any actual heat out of the meat, making for a bit of a let down overall.
The three guys working at the place are definitely engaging. Very friendly, -- they were raised in the neighbourhood, and are committed to being a contributing member of the community. They're even hosting an appreciation bowling night. But in their enthusiasm, they forgot to offer any of the optional toppings, but remembered to suggest the toppings that cost extra -- cheese and sour cream. Don't offer the free stuff, but recommend the stuff that costs more... bad first impression. So there wasn't any extra flavour to offset the blandness of the chowmein and the potatoes. Unfortunate.
All that said, I may give them another try -- instead being a bit more discerning about my choices, and assertive in my request for more toppings. The owners seem to be really open to suggestions and I don't think they'd have much problem getting feedback. It seems like they're still working out the kinks of running a small business, and over time, I hope that with the support of the community and dedicated neighbours as customers, that they'll be successful in enhancing their overall service and most importantly, the flavour profiles of their burritos.
Weekday 'brunch' downtown Toronto
I have some friends coming into town and they want to get together for 'brunch' on a Monday morning!
Any suggestions for a good brunch-esque option in the downtown core???
Looking for a good bakery with good buns....
I'm hosting a dinner party in a few weeks where I'm serving sliders (mini-hamburgers)... and I want to find a variety of small (dinner-roll-sized) buns. Does anyone out there know of a good bakery in Toronto that has a variety of small buns for tasty little burgers?
Newly opened: La Tortillaria
I checked this place out today following the recommendation of a friend... and all I have to say is that I had a little food orga*m!!! SO Good. I had a sampler of 4 tacos... the tortillas were fresh... one taco had a special pork mixture, which was full of flavour and spice, succulent and juicy... I wanted to lick the plate after that one. The tinga (shredded chicken) was moist and meaty and very flavourful. The chorizo (although a bit sparse because of it's mix with potatoes) was mild (would have liked a bit more zing!), which was easily corrected with a spoonful of their homemade salsa. Finally, the chicharron (pork belly) was quite tasty... although I've only had chicharron fried and crunchy, this was soft and meaty. Yum. I finished it all off with a glass of their homemade jamaica juice, and paid a total of $9.00 for drink and 4 tacos. I wanted to take home a 1/2 kilo of tortillas (about 25 for just under $2), but they were sold out, as the demand from local restaurants is very high. No sweat, though.. as it gives me an excuse to go back next week when I do my shopping at Kensington.
The place is nice and clean (could use a bit of cool air, though... a bit stuffy on a hot day), with about 6 stools on the inside at a counter and 4 tables with umbrellas out front. It's a nice calm place out of the hustle and bustle of kensington market on a saturday afternoon.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Interesting Food Delivery to Leslieville
yes, sushi marche does deliver now. their number is 416.463.0114. don't know if they have a website. if i remember correctly, delivery was about $3.
ISO: Phyllo-wrapped cheesecake
A friend has requested 'phyllo wrapped cheesecake' for a birthday dinner dessert... not sure I have the skill/patience to tackle making one... any leads on where i can buy such a dessert?
Halibut Cheeks in TO?
Looking for a good fishmonger that sells halibut cheeks... a lot of fishmongers toss them aside... others sell them 'cause they're tender and oh so sweet... anyone have a good idea of where to find them? Had them out west this year and they are AMAZING.
The Cupcakery
I'm a fan of Babycakes Cupcakes -- they are sold out of the Kubo Radio on Queen East in Leslieville. www.babycakescupcakes.ca
The red velvet cupcake is decadent....
Cozy Coffee Shop for a First date???
Looking for a cozy coffee shop with great comfy couches in the downtown area (somewhere between Queen West and Leslieville, south of Bloor) that would be a good place for good coffee, good nibbles and a cozy relaxed first date.
Suggestions?
Bonjour Brioche - insanity!
I've kind of had it with BB. A couple of weeks ago, I had a late start to my work day, and decided to treat myself to an early coffee and croissant... which I don't often get a chance to do on a work day. I went by and the doors were open, there were staff and a few customers inside, so I walked in and ordered a coffee and a croissant. The snarky counter guy rolled his eyes and said 'we don't open until 8', sighed and then proceeded to pour my coffee. I stopped and asked him why, if they're not open until 8, do they have the doors open and why have they started serving people. He just stared at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. I told him I'd had enough of their bad service and would rather grab a coffee from one of the other cafes on Queen East... I'd even head to Tim's. At least I'd get decent service. He rolled his eyes. I walked away. I'm done with BB.
But I still crave their baguettes.... :)
WINGS!
I was introduced to a new place called the Honey Beestro in Streetsville (Mississauga). They have AMAZING wings.... a wonderful range of sauces, and their wings are packed with juicy meat... all good. They're located on Queen Street in Streetsville... and I think Tuesday is their 'wing night'
New fish n' chips at Broadview
Just had dinner at Deep Blue after a review in Now Magazine... a bit of a let down, I'd have to say.
We ordered the Jamaican jerk cod with sweet potato fries and the crab cake sandwich with red pepper aioli with regular chips. And a side of green pea hummus. We would have liked to have stayed in to eat, but the place was packed, so we gave the food the ultimate test and took it to go... here's the scoop.
As I waited and watched the food being prepared, the kitchen was VERY disorganized -- an interesting contrast since the guys working the fryers are in chef's whites and call each other 'chef'.
i watched the crab cake sandwich being made -- aioli was being scraped out of a plastic cup and spread onto a white mealy grocery store bun.... would have expected something a bit more substantial. topped with some wilted romaine lettuce, the bun was ready for the crab cake -- definitely generous in size, it was squished between the buns before I could ask them to let the fat drain off it from the deep fryer -- so needless to say, the bun was soaked with grease by the time the sandwich got home.
The Jamaican Jerk Cod -- mildly flavoured, I would have wanted more zip. The batter wasn't crispy (the way I like it) -- it was like a thin corn-dog batter -- doughy and mushy. I'm a bit old school and like to eat my fish and chips with my hand -- so it's tough to lift a doughy mushy piece of fish in your hand and dunk it into some tartar sauce... I ended up peeling off the batter and eating just the fish itself -- which was cooked beautifully, but it was a pity that it's doughy blanket was a bit of a letdown.
As expected, the sweet potato fries didn't make the trip home very well (an 8 minute drive). Even though we ordered one meal with regular 'chips', we got both meals with sweet potato fries, so we couldn't test both. I believe the true test of an authentic fish and chip place is the lightness of its fish batter and the perfectly cooked chip... didn't have a chance to give it the full test since our order was wrong, but I'm not hopeful.
The side order of green pea hummus (about 2 tablespoons for $1.17) was uneventful. I was expecting a nice explosive contrast of the sweetness of peas and the garlicky flavour of hummus... got neither. I can appreciate Deep Blue's attempt at inventiveness to try and replace the traditional 'mushy peas' with this green pea hummus... but it doesn't fly.
The best thing about the meal was the tartar sauce. And the think I liked most is that it didn't come in one of those annoying 'tear-open' packets... not sure if it was home made or what, but it was tasty... a nice dip for the cold sweet potato fries.
So, now that dinner is over, we've managed to toss 2 orders of sweet potato fries, the remainder of the Jamaican Jerk 'dough' and a greasy sponge of a bun in the trash. Also, the takeout came in cardboard boxes, which didn't help keep the food hot -- there's a lot to be said for the tight blanket of layered newspaper to keep fish and chips hot on the way home.
Deep Blue was very busy tonight -- I hope that they don't try to get too far away from the basics of fish and chips... it seems like they're trying to accomplish too much -- stick to the basics, and perfect he fundamentals. Then, and only then, do you have the culinary authority to get inventive.
San Marzano Tomatoes vs. San Marzano 'type' tomatoes?
Hi there--
Does anyone know if there's an essential difference between San Marzano 'type' tomatoes and actual San Marzano tomatoes?
Thanks!
Unpastuerized Butter in TO???
Apparently if you like unpastuerized cheese, you'll LOVE unpastuerized butter....
Anyone know where it can be purchased in Toronto???
Best pizza in Toronto?
Gerrard Pizza and Spaghetti House -- oddly enough, it's at Danforth and Coxwell... not on Gerrard at all... been in business for many many years.. fresh ingredients, incredible tastes and aromas... and about 35+ variations to choose from. I'm a convert,.
