I tried Pho Mi Asia, on the south side of Dundas, just west of Dixie yesterday. In my opinion, it was decent food at a decent price. It was quite busy at lunch time (Saturday) with mostly an Asian clientele. I have had better (tastier, fresher, higher quality) vietnamese food at places in Ottawa, but this was OK -- not outrageously. The services was a bit slow, as they were overloaded with tables and they got part of the order mixed up/wrong.

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Pho Mi Asia
1248 Dundas St E, Mississauga, ON L4Y2C1, CA

Good question. Not too many places, but depends what you seek... Not for ambiance, but you can get a cheap meal at Soontofu (Korean with emphasis on homemade tofu) on Dundas between Kipling and Islington. in the same strip of Dundas, there's a new BBQ joint called Paul and Sandy's Real BBQ (moderate prices, quirky hours). Burgers at Magoo's (near the Bruno's market where Kingsway meets Dundas).

Try http://www.juicydesserts.com/ for some pretty spectacularly creative and artistically rendered cake designs. The web site shows a sampling , but their work is unbelievably detailed and fabulous.

Further comments on Doner Shawarma at 2491 W. Lake Shore Blvd. We tried it today for lunch. I would concur -- decent Turkish take-out at a decent price. I would not call the portions huge, but adequate in size. Nice people / English skills are not 100% and service was a little slow, but there are just two folks working all aspects. At one point, the gentleman left to make a delivery (from what I can tell). I would go back and try some more. It is not Anatolia(Dundas West) level / quality Turkish, but it is also cheaper.

I went to Silk Road tonight with my family. Despite being tucked into an industrial area and very humble little joint in a strip mall, it turns out you need a reservation on a Friday or Saturday night. We arrived around 6:30 pm and were told there would be no free tables. But I would say the wait staff was actually very pleasant, if no apologetic, and accommodating. They suggested we could do take out as an alternative -- so that is what we did. The food was great -- as all described above. Sure enough, the place quickly filled up while we waited about 15 minutes for our take out order to be prepared/packed. We loved the chicken stew -- it was fantastic. The kebabs were good, but probably taste better right off the grill -- the cooled off a bit while driving back home.

To the question of unusual spices -- not sure this is what some of you were detecting in the posts above -- but we found a couple of our dishes included whole star anise. Distinct flavor and it is a star shaped thingy about a centimeter in diameter floating in the stew. Here's a little info on start anise:

Star anise, star aniseed, badiane or Chinese star anise, (Chinese: 八角, pinyin: bājiǎo, lit. "eight-horn"; Malayalam: തക്കോലം) or hoa hồi (Vietnamese) is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a small native evergreen tree of southwest China. The star shaped fruits are harvested just before ripening. It is widely used in Chinese cuisine, in Indian cuisine where it is a major component of garam masala, and in Malay–Indonesian cuisine. It is widely grown for commercial use in China, India, and most other countries in Asia. Star anise is an ingredient of the traditional five-spice powder of Chinese cooking.

Confirmed. She is closed. I walked by last night and the windows are papered-over. Very sad.

Upon the recommendation of someone further down in this discussion, we tried the Montreal Deli (on Dundas about 1/2 KM west of higway 427 on north side). The decor was quite dated, but the parking is free the service was reasonably friendly. I am no expert in smoked meat, frankly, but I got all excited about the topic after reading all the empassioned discourse below. Anyway, I got the regular sized smoked meat sandwich. It comes in regular and old fashioned (a bit more spiced up, as the waitress explained). I went with the old fashioned style -- About $7 for the sandwich and a pickel. I very much enjoyed it, so I endorse the endorsement below. The place did a brisk business on Saturday afternoon, with a full range of clientel demographics -- but defitnitely a noticeable retiree population. It is kid friendly -- with a $5 kid menu (burger, cheeseburger, smoked meat or something else, plus home fries, bottomless pop and desert). We'll go again after our arteries unclog. ;-)

We really like Manna on Dundas West about halfway between Islington and Kipling. The owner / chef runs a great little shop, with emphasis on home style Korean food and hospitality.

Thanks again. We just got back from our first visit to Manna and we loved it too. The owner / chef was very helpful and gracious to us non-experienced Korean food eaters but otherwise adventurous eaters. I recommend checking this place out, especially if you live somewhere in or near the west end. It is a great little spot.

OK, fellow chowhounder. Thanks for the positive news. I live nearby this place and have not yet tried it out. Will go tonight, if I can talk my wife into it.... How would you characterize the price range for the goodies you describe above?

Additional recommendation:

MAPLE RIDGE FAMILY CAMPGROUND & RESTAURANT, Miller Lake, Ontario.
519-795-7575. Right on Rt. 6, northbound side, about 20 minutes drive south of Tobermory. A delightful couple named Shirley and Larry Adams run the whole operation. They have run the joint for 20 plus years and mentioned something about retirement plans... So not sure they will be there very long. Anyway, their food is relatively basic, but very good for what and where it is. And reasonably priced. Our favorites were their "broasted" chicken dinner -- something like $12 gets you 3 pieces of chicken, potatoes, corn, ice-cream or rice pudding and a homemade soup. We had the good fortune of catching them at the end of their shift and talking to them as they were winding down their day. Their warm and friendly personalities were the highlight of our visit to the Bruce Peninsula. They do have a liquor license -- you can get a frosted glass and bottle of beer for under $4. A glass of wine for about the same. Other family specialties: cole slaw, spinach and bean soup, liver and onions, chicken kebabs. All very good, stick to the ribs, comfort food. They do close down for a good portion of the winter. Call before you go to check their hours (phone provided above).

As of 5/24/08, Polish Village is closed down/boarded up -- Sadly, I was looking forward to trying it, but too late. ;-(

It's not new information, but I can now recommend Anatolia on Dundas W near Kipling. It is Turkish cuisine. It ran us about $90 for three entrees and half liter of wine, including taxes and tip. The food was terrific. The service was cordial and genuine, though slow.

I was recently transferred to Toronto and am working near the intersection of Jarvis and E. Dundas. Thus far, the I have sampled a few of the local spots on Dundas, but not yet been satisfied. Any suggestions for some chowhound worthy lunch places within a 10 minute walk of that intersection? Thanks for your help!

Mark

Try Future Bakery -- the main location is at 106 North Queen, Etobicoke, ON
(416) 231-1491. They have several different poppy seed cakes/rolls, in addition to a bunch of great old world style breads, dairy products, etc. All with a Ukrainian or Polish flare.

Marco1248
I just checked my yellow pages and did not find an Emilio's in Folsom. Where on McDade is Emilio's? Near what cross street or other landmarks?

Thanks,

M Chuchra

PJO,
I can relate. My most memorable slices were in the East Village (NYC) at a divey looking place called "Stromboli's" on the northwest corner of 1st Ave and 8th St.(I think). Most of those were consumed in the wee hours of the morning after a some light alchohol consumption (back in my youth, of course). They had GREAT SAUCE -- I'm not sure if it is still great - I haven't been there in about 5 years.

There used to be a "branch location" of Gaetano's on Baltimore Pike in Springfield, but I think they closed that location a few months ago. But I think there are still other locations in the region.

PJO,

I totally sympathize with you. I have latitude as to the thickness of the crust (obviously a matter of personal preference) -- I sometimes love thin crust pizza, but am often content with a well done medium thickness crust (which is what I grew accostomed to at my favorite pizza joints in NYC). But the key for me is probably a flavorful, spicy sauce -- few places in DELCO seem to get that part right. I would say, thus far, Italian Delight and Gaetano's were at the top of the heap for sauce flavor in DELCO. Someone earlier suggested that it is a matter of price and a willingness to pay for higher quality ingredients -- I'm not convinced that is the case. In my humble opinion, some of the tastiest pizza (sauce, in particular) in New York City is from the cheaper, corner pizza joints.

PLEASE let us know if you find any gems.

Hi there,

Thanks to all of you for the great info on Shang Hai. I just tried it last weekend. Unfortunately, I failed to ask for the Chinese Menu. I ended up ordering a couple of things off the "regular menu," and I would say the food was OK, not fantastic. But now I realize my mistake and will request the other menu. Thanks for providing your insights and I am very excited to add Shang Hai to my short list of chowhound-worthy low-cost, high quality establishments in the Wilmington... Any other great food spots around Wilmington (where I work) -- be they more Chinese, pizza, any other great ethnic food?

I'm looking to discover Chowhound-worthy casual lunch spots in the business district (preferably within a 15 minute walk of the Amtrak station) of Wilmington.

The places I have discovered and liked so far:

1. Genenelle's on Market Street (on a corner one block south of he Grand Opera House) -- Carribbean food. Cafeteria style in front room, recently opened waitress served dining room in back. I really like this place, although they recently bumped their prices upward noticeably.

2. Panghat on 4th Street corner a block west of Delaware Tech -- Indian food. Decent lunch buffet for $7 per person. It's a small place, so the range of food they put out is not huge. But still enjoyable.

3. Riverfront Market -- The Italian place has decent soup and sandwiches. The Thai place is OK in a pinch, but not noteworthy.

4. Bernie's Tavern (a pub a block west of Amtrak station)-- burgers and curly fries are decent.

What places do YOU like in downtown Wilmington? Any great sandwich places? Pizza? Soul food? Burgers? Other?!

Thanks!

Juice,
Thanks for the advice. You sound passionate about your pizza (as I am), so I will DEFINITELY try Italian Delite next time out. Sounds excellent. Can you buy by the slice there or only by the whole pie?

I have never tried bakery pizza, but will give them a try. Thanks!

Gozz37,
I took you up on your recommendation to try Imperial. The funny thing is that I wasn't even planning on getting pizza, since I had eaten dinner an hour or two earlier... Anyway, I thought it was pretty good. And a great value at $5.50 for a pie! I'd say that Imperial was toward the top of the heap for DELCO PA. And they were very fast. Maybe they were already cranking out the pies, but I think they had be out of there in under 8 minutes with pie in hand. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks. I'll put Imperial on my list to try. Any others you like out in Springfield or Media or Ridley areas?

Thanks for seconding my observations. But I think there must be some decent places tucked away nearby... I find Apollo and Little Ant-ny's sort of mediocre. One place that I like when I go shopping at the Italian Market in South Philly is Lorenzo's (on 9th street) -- it's pretty good and cheap. Maybe a bit on the greasy side. But obviously that is not in DELCO. Let's see what everyone else recommends...

We have been on a quest to identify the best pizza shop(s) in Delaware County, so I wanted to enlist the help of any local chowhound-ers...

I have tried many of the places in mid-Delco (Swarthmore, Media, Springfield areas), and been less than impressed. Mostly pretty bland and mediocre. I tried a place which I liked quite a bit called Gaetano's in Springfield on Baltimore Pike a few months ago. Unfortunately, it looks like they have closed shop (or maybe moved). I grew up with lots of humble looking corner pizza shops in NYC and northern NJ, which just seemed better than what we get around here.

I am NOT looking for "gourmet" pizza (i.e., "pizza" with lots of esoteric, unusual ingredients (artichokes, truffles, guava, you get the idea). I am looking for the best BASIC pizza (dough/crust, zesty tomato sauce, and high quality cheese) -- with an optional added topping. To me -- THAT IS pizza. The gourmet stuff is fine, but IMHO, you can't just throw whatever you like on a crust in a round pan and call it "pizza."

Anyway, what places do YOU like in DELCO?

Thanks!

I am not a big proponent of burgers in the $25+ range. To me, a burger should taste great, come with a good range of topping options (but nothing too bizarre, gourmet or exotic). And cost $6 or less. So my nomination for a decent basic burger (customizable with about a dozen different options) is McGoo's (in a strip mall on Dundas just east of Royal York). Anybody familiar with McGoo's?