Open Face Roast Beef Sandwich

A friend of mine is craving old fashion open face roast beef sandwich, the type that sits on wonder bread with hot gravy. Any reco for this? I know Gayle does roast turkey but can't remember roast beef.

Orange in Ontario (including Toronto)

If you must eat Korean BBQ in downtown Toronto which one would you chose?

If I am in the mood for Korean style Korean BBQ and not the HK versions like Korean Grill House, my choice in downtown Koreatown are LA BBQ (606 Bloor W) and Mirak (709 Bloor W). LA has a more limited menu with the typical soups/stews and BBQ, while Mirak has a pretty good selection including some set menus.

If you expand to the Korean area in North York, I would recommend Mot Na Son Restaurant.

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Mot Na Son Restaurant
5374 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M2N5R5, CA

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Toronto Temperance Society

My friend who is a member brought me there a couple of times, and I got hooked enough to sign up for the membership.

I really like the concept of the place. There is a lot of care that goes into the drinks to get back to the old fashioned quality. Cocktails are made with high quality alcohol. (Where else does one get a rum based alcohol made with a 7-year Havana Club rum?) Ice are made in sheets & cracked by hand. Tonic (for use in gin & tonic) is a home made syrup & not canned tonic water. Their cocktail recipes are quite unique. The is a good selection of scotch. And they make big punch bowls that does not involve bottles of juice. Overall, it's just a nice space to chill & hang out with friends.

Members also get access to free events. I'm just about to head to a scotch tasting event tonight.

The owner is the same owner of Sidecar & a couple other restaurants in Little Italy. They currently serve food menu from Sidecar so it's a good spot to go for dinner as well.

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Smoked Meat Duel at Wychwood

Where is the announcement for the results?

I went with 2 friends, and 2 votes went to Goldin's (including mine), and 1 went to Caplansky. I agree with both Underdog Rally & dubchild - Goldin's has the best balance of flavor, including a nice rich meat flavor. The slight fattiness adds to the texture of the bite.

(It's smoked "meat" after all.) Caplansky's is rather bland, and the meat texture is like it's undercooked. I had to bite hard & pull the meat with my hands to take a bite. I remember it's chewy before when I visited the old location, but not to this extent.

The portion I got from Stockyard was the opposite - It's way overcooked. The meat was dry & salty.

This is a great event & I hope they do similar events with other food items.

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Caplansky's
356 College Street, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

Orange in Ontario (including Toronto)

Montreal Style Bagels in Toronto

My usual go-to place is St Urbain, either the location at St Lawrence Market or the one in Vaughan (on Bathurst just north of Steeles). Not as good as the ones in Montreal, but if you catch some fresh ones coming out of the oven (which seems to happen fairly continuously on the weekends), they are pretty good.

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Cozy coffee cafe around Markham area?

I have not had any luck finding good non-chain coffee shops uptown so far. My favorite cozy hang out when I go to Markham is Green Grotto at Steeles & Warden (plaza with T&T). I wish there were some place like that downtown!

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Toronto Essentials in 2 days

Here are some of the more unique things that I would take friends from out-of-town, depending on their background & preferences.

- Fine Dining - I would recommend Canoe, not just for the food but also the atmosphere & view of the restaurant. There are many talented local chef with great restaurants, like Wine Bar, Trevor, George, Thuet, Didier, etc.
- Casual Dining - I would second Black Hoof & jump on the charcuterie trend. Great place for brunch as well. Maybe follow that walking over to the Ossington strip for a drink at one of the bars & absorb the atmosphere a bit. The mirror of the Ossington strip on the east end of downtown would be the Riverdale/Leslieville area. I haven't been to Ruby Watchco yet but that's on top of my to-do list now. Lots of other good pics like Edward Levesque, Tomi Kro in the area too.
- Brunch - Speaking of brunch at Black Hoof / Hoof Cafe, Toronto is getting some very good choices for brunch. My favorite aside from Hoof Cafe would be Saving Grace in the same neighborhood. Petit Dejeuner, Easy are also good picks. And bakeries like Bonjour Brioche, Pain Perdu and even my neighborhood favorite Wagamama are all good places for some breakfast or snack. There also many good baristas in town if you are looking for some good espresso based drinks. Ezra's Pound, The Common, Mercury, Cherry Bomb are all good choices. (Bulldog & Manic are 2 famous places that have good coffee but I personally am not keen about them for other reasons.) For some people watching, I would recommend Dark Horse in Chinatown.
- Market / Food Court - St Lawrence Market is voted one of the top 10 markets in the world, so definitely a place to visit. I particularly like it on Saturday with the "farmers" market in the north building. But for truly unique farmers market experience, Wychwood Barn, Brick Works & Dufferin Grove are my pick for the summer when they are open.
- Poutine? - Many of my US friends like to go for poutine when they are in Toronto. Not as good as some of the ones east of Toronto, but better than none for them. Poutini is good, but Smoke's has more locations.
- Ethnic - Toronto is a large multi-cultural center, and there are lots of ethnic neighborhoods with high quality food. For example, for Chinese food, if you are from a place with not much authentic Chinese food (which having travelled through North America would include everywhere - NYC, SF, even Vancouver), I would suggest going uptown to Markham / Richmond Hill. You can find cuisine from pretty much every corner of China, and their quality are very acceptable. For lunch, maybe some dim sum at Royal Tea House or hand-made noodles at Sun's Kitchen then grab a bubble tea at Food Jungle while browsing Pacific Mall. Similarly, you can find a lot of other ethnic cuisines around the city - Jamaican roti at Island Food, tandoori at Lahore, stir-fry bacon belly at Jin Mirak, kitfo at Lalibela, bagel at St Urbain or Bagel World, etc etc etc. But also something hard to fit into a 2-day schedule.

Maybe more info about your preference, budget & what neighborhoods you will be in would help plan the menu.

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Saving Grace
907 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J1V9, CA

Canoe
54th Floor TD Bank Tower, 66 Wellington, Toronto, ON M5K 1H6, CA

Lalibela
869 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6G, CA

Lahore Tika
1365 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4L1Z3, CA

Island Foods
1182 King St W, Toronto, ON M6K1E6, CA

Jinmirak Korean & Japanese Restaurant
708 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6G1L4, CA

Food Jungle
4300 Steeles Ave E, Markham, ON L3R0Y5, CA

Royal Teahouse
10 Apple Creek Blvd, Markham, ON L3R 5Z1, CA

Sun's Kitchen Ltd
4300 Steeles Ave E, Markham, ON L3R0Y5, CA

The Black Hoof
928 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

Poutini
1112 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

Ruby Watch Co.
730 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M, CA

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Caplansky's: What the @#$%^&*?!!!

I went to the old location a while back, and was not impressed at all. The service was friendly but slow (after I told them I was in a hurry & was promised speedy sandwich since I was the only person eating at that time). The smoked meat sandwich was too dense, too lean & ultimately too dry for a satisfying experience. I must say I am partial to a thinner cut of the meat.

After reading all the reviews & posts, I think I will keep making the trek uptown to the old favorites like Centre Street Deli, Katz's, Pancer's, etc. And nothing beats picking up some fresh rugelach from the neighbouring bakeries after the meal.

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Moe Pancer's
3856 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M3H3N3, CA

Katz's Deli And Corned Beef Emporium
3300 Dufferin St, Toronto, ON M6A, CA

Centre Street Deli
1136 Centre St, Thornhill, ON L4J3M8, CA

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where can you get good steak tartare

I had some good experience at Thuet a while back when it first opened. Don't know if it's still on the menu now after changing to Conviction.

On a side note, you can also get raw flavoured beef called Kitfo at Ethiopian restaurants like Lalibela. It's served similar to steak tartare but of course with different mixture of spices. Very tasty & a different eating experience.

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Thuet
609 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V1M5, CA

Lalibela
869 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6G, CA

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Mi Pueblo in Huntley

I went to a small Mexican taqueria joint called Mi Pueblo in Huntley (of all places!) and am totally impressed!

I have done some taco trotting around Chicago in the past 2 years and have built up some favorites like Carmella's & Cemitas Puebla. I have also tried out La Rosita & Las Cumbres in Crystal Lake & Fresco in Springhill Mall since I have been spending quite some time up in McHenry County. Mi Pueblo definitely stands out with its interesting menu.

My partner & I dined in. So right after ordering & paying at the counter, we were served nachos & pico de gallo. My partner got the mild sauce, which contains dices of tomatoes, chili, etc., and was definitely on the sweet side. I got the spicy sauce; it was spicier than I thought, but the flavor was so good that I happily spooned loads of it on my nachos.

I tried 3 tacos today - barbacoa ("steamed beef"), becina ("dried beef") & chicharron (pig skin). Although I don't think the barbocoa is prepared the traditional way with cow head, the beef was tender & crispy. The texture reminds me somewhat of carnitas but made with beef. The becina was a good alternative to carne asada (steak), with more intense beef flavor. The chicharron melted in my mouth but not leaving a greasy feeling (like the La Rosita ones). Combined with the spicy pico de gallo, smoky chipotle sauce & a mild tomatillo sauce as well as the usual cilantro, onion & lime, it was definitely the highlight of the meal.

My partner had the carne asada & barbocoa tacos, plus some beans & rice. I tried a bit of the carne asada, and it was a good texture between tenderness, chewiness and caramelized exterior. It was a bit greasier than the barbocoa though. I didn't care much for the beans (which was mushy & tasted like canned) & rice (which tasted like box rice).

The taco shells are a bit thicker but softer than some other taquerias I have been to.

Tacos are $1.75 each. They can be served Mexican style with cilantro & onion, or American style with lettuce & tomatoes. They have different specials everyday - today's was 3 tacos dinner with beans & rice for $5.50. Definitely a great deal compared to other big box fast food joints in the area.

I definitely look forward to coming back to Mi Pueblo many more times to try out the different items on their menu!

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Cemitas Puebla
3619 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

La Rosita Mexican Foods
4605 W Elm St, McHenry, IL 60050

Taqueria Las Cumbres
93 Grant St, Crystal Lake, IL 60014

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Unique Chicago Ethnic Foods?

I live in Toronto but have visited Chicago quite a number of times in the past year. My number 1 recommendation is to have Mexican food when you are in Chicago. If you cruise the Toronto board, you will notice that one major complaint is that we don't have good Mexican food. My friends & I did a "taco trot" (like a pub crawl but with tacos), and it was amazing. (http://gracethespot.com/?p=378) Note especially the Cemitas - It appears Cemitas Puebla is the only place in US that serves this Mexican sandwich & featured on FoodTV. For more upscale Mexican, of course there are the Rick Bayless restaurants (http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/) which I believe is walking distance from mag mile. Too bad you are going in Feb - otherwise I would recommend getting a paleta (Mexican ice pop) from a street vendor.

I second that another must-try in Chicago would be Puerto Rican food, especially jibarito, a sandwich that uses fried plantains instead of bread unique to Chicago. I have only tried it at Borinquen (http://www.borinquenjibaro.com) & it was delicious.

Also unique to Chicago would be deep dish pizza & Italian beef sandwich. My pick for deep dish is Lou Malnati's (http://www.loumalnatis.com/) so far, and I like Portillo's (http://www.portillos.com/) Italian beef sandwich.

And while in Chicago, you should get a Chicago hot dog. Superdawg (http://www.superdawg.com/) is a pretty cool, old fashioned drive-in, although I'm not sure how well that works in the winter. Their onion chip is interesting. For more upscale "dogs", try Hot Doug's (http://www.hotdougs.com/) - very unique sausages. My understanding is that Chicago hot dogs have celery salt?

One restaurant I want to try but haven't got around to is Moto (http://www.motorestaurant.com/). Highly recommended by my colleague for its unique techie dining experience.

Some of these places may be difficult to get to without a car. I have written a Chicago trip planner that is "el" (Chicago's TTC) friendly if you want to take a look for reference on food & other sightseeing places. (http://letsfika.blogspot.com/2009/09/chicago-trip-planner.html)

Happy chow in the windy city!

Orange in Chicago Area

Authentic Thai food in downtown Toronto?

I love Sukho Thai, both the food & the owners. I recently recommended them to my office for a catered lunch. We have tried a number of Thai restaurants over the last few years, and everyone agreed Sukho Thai's lunch was the best we've had so far.

Not sure what happened with the reduced hours, but hopefully they get back to being more available soon.

Orange in Ontario (including Toronto)

Malaysian Curry at South Asia Malaysian Cuisine

I've been in search for good Hainan Chicken rice here. My complaint about Lion City is that the quality of the chicken itself is not very flavourful. If they could switch to using better quality chicken (like the "yellow fat" free range ones), it would definitely be my place of choice.

Nevertheless, I still try to eat there every time I go to Mississauga.

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The $20 challenge (Toronto)

Second Lalibela - You can probably feed 2 for about $20.

Second Island Food too. It has tables for dining in, but it's self serve style.

You can also get off either Bathurst or Christie subway stop & get some Korean food. Thumbs Up or Seoul (on south side of Bloor west of Palmerston) has a variety of home style meals; restaurant across the street (next to Kaji) offers good tofu hotpot as well as buy-2-get-1-free sushi rolls; Joon's has table top cooked chicken (min 2 portions). (Joon's has another location on Yonge north of the Sheppard subway station too.) iNoodles in that area is another option if you are in the mood for noodles.

Real Korean BBQ in Koreantown is probably out of your budget, but the HK style Korean Grill House (Queen west of University) is a good option if you are in the mood for lots of meat.

Close to St Andrew subway on north side of King west of Simcoe, you can get a lunch buffet at Kama Indian restaurant. Of course Lahore on Gerrard in Little India (along the Carlton street car) and Ghandi Roti on Queen West at Bathurst are good choices too for Indian food.

How about the various options in Chinatown & Kensington Market (along the Spadina street car). Pho at Pho Hung, various Chinese rice & noodle dishes at King's (esp roast pork with crispy skin & pork liver congee) & Goldstone, Jumbo Empanadas, Mother's Dumplings, etc.

Another interesting ethnic food choice is New Bilan on Dundas East (east of Jarvis). They serve a basic solid Somalian meal for about $8 per person.

For more sit down restaurant experience, Terroni's (Queen subway, Queen West street car & St Clair subway) can be an option.

I think $20 is pretty generous for a good 1-person meal, esp. if you are open to ethnic options.

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Egg Tarts and Chinese bakeries

I find the quality of Kim Moon has gone down since the reno. They are still relatively good in the neighbourhood (e.g. compared to Queen's next door), but not as good as before.

I had a great flaky egg tart experience last year from Tung Hing Bakery in "east" Chinatown (forgot whether they are on Dundas E or Broadview). My friend brought me a box fresh from the oven & they are heavenly. I don't find the same thing when I went to their Vaughan Mills location recently, so maybe I just need to figure out when the egg tarts come out from the oven.

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best handmade noodle?

Mother's offer handmade option for all of their noodle dishes, not just da lu noodles. I usually get the one with beef in soup.

I usually prefer the texture of noodles at the Pacific Mall place. They do use more MSG in their dishes than Mother's (or at least I usually feel more thirsty after the meal). But being able to see them make the noodles individually for each order is half of the fun. They also offer shaved noodles.

autumnlilacs - These are Northern Chinese style noodles. When you say thick, I assume you mean either this or Japanese udon. I have not yet found a place that does handmade udon. I believe Kenzo & iNoodles have handmade Japanese ramen.

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Looking for Good Traditional Dim Sum (Downtown)

For more old school feel, I usually go to Yiu Wa (the one on 3rd floor above Starbucks on Dundas). But that is definitely not a dim sum go-to place. Forestview (I believe across the street) is pretty much the same quality. I find Kim Moon an OK place for quick in-and-out type setting, but the quality (both dim sum and baked goods) seems to have slipped over the years. Rol-san is more "Hong Kong" style, even though I don't find their quality worth the higher price compared to Yiu Wa & Forestview.

For more acceptable dim sum, my go-to place is usually Royal Tea House (http://www.carbonxiv.com/?p=470) at Woodbine & Applecreek in Markham. I wouldn't say they are top notch quality, esp. compared to places in Hong Kong, but relatively good among GTA places.

I have heard good reviews from many friends & family about Golden Court (http://www.torontolife.com/guide/restaurants/chinese/golden-court-abalone/) in Richmond Hill.

Neither of these restaurants use carts. The old style carts used by dim sum restaurants are deemed dangerous in HK after some exploded on the floor. That's when many restaurants switched to using dim sum forms. (Of course, there is also business reasons to have less wastage and to cramp more tables into the spaces.) I find the carts used in restaurants now don't keep the food warm as well. Personally, I prefer the hot-off-the-steamer dim sum in restaurants using dim sum forms.

markml - I wonder if the steamed buns you talk about are "man thou" (http://sublunaryxsoul.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/chinese-steamed-buns-man-tao/). These are usually associated with northern Chinese cuisine, which relies on wheat more than southern cuisine. However, I recently discovered that they are also very popular in certain parts of southern China, often accompanied by condensed milk. I found menus of SF Chinese restaurants serving these as dim sum on Google. Some Cantonese restaurants have them on their menu to accompany meal dishes, but I don't recall seeing too many serving them as dim sum. Be careful when you order these in restaurants - There are usually 3 types with slightly different textures. I noticed the last 2 northern Chinese cuisine restaurants I went to have eliminated "man thou" and only serve the other 2 types. I usually get my fix from the supermarket ones.

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Venue with space for live band

We just did something similar at the Smiling Buddha Bar (http://www.smilingbuddhabar.com/) on Dundas West. It has a small stage for performance (we managed to have a bad with 6 guys playing). There was a minimum charge for the venue, so we did not have to pay extra since the bar bill exceeded the minimum.

They do not serve food, but we ended up getting appetizer platters from the bar down the street. We also got take out delivered from a sushi place & we got cup cakes for the birthday boy. It was an awesome night.

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Nominations for Best/Good Cafes in TO/GTA

My favourite tie with Mercury - College & Dufferin: The Common

Another small place - Roncesvalles & Queen: Cherry Bomb

Also on Roncesvalles are Tinto & Alternative Ground were more regular coffee & hang out places like Moonbean (as opposed to espresso-based drinks focused places).

Saw a new place on Harbord east of Bathurst a few days ago - anyone tried that?

Orange in Ontario (including Toronto)

Meat at T&T, Your Comments?

I know Galleria is pricier, but didn't think they are twice as much. I find their meat is very flavourful compared to most other Asian markets. For hot pot or grilling, I would choose Galleria meat over T&T.

I usually got to Asian supermarket for meat because of the cuts they offer. It's hard to find beef briskets or pork shanks at regular supermarkets. And thin slices for hot pot & the Korean cuts of table top BBQ are unique to Asian markets. The price is good & I find the quality on par with any major supermarket chains.

The trick to getting steaks (for grilling / BBQ) from Asian places is to let it cook a tad more. I find the striploins & sirloins usually quite flavourful, but not tender if it's too raw. (I'm not a big fan of tenderloin so haven't tried it.)

And if I really want to slab of raw steak, I will for sure get some from Cumbrae or Healthy Butcher. Doesn't hurt that their cattles are naturally raised, so even though it costs more, it's worth it.

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Is Boom Shiva still open?

A shame indeed. It was one of my favourite late night hangout - good selection of beer & wine, good light meals, good ambiance.

I think the shabby pizza joint has also closed down, with a sign about re-opening soon.

Orange in Ontario (including Toronto)

(Toronto) looking for a cozy coffee shop

Can't believe no one has mentioned my 2 favourite places:

- Mercury Espresso Bar (http://mercuryorganic.blogspot.com/) on Queen just west of Carlaw
- The Common on College just east of Dufferin

Both have excellent espresso drinks, friendly baristas, free wi-fi. Very neighbourhood hang out feel.

Another place I like to hang out with some savoury food option is the Roastery at 401 Richmond, just east of Spadina. There are also some other art places to browse around in the building.

Manic Coffee on College just east of Bathurst is good too.

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Where to get Ol' Grandad's Potato Chips in T.O.?

Eating a bag of regular flavour Ol' Grandad's classic gourmet chips now. This is the only version available at Min-A-Mart, so not sure if there is another kettle chip version.

The nutrition facts printed are different than the original post:

Per 50g (about 35 chips)
16g / 25% fat with 6.5g trans
210mg / 9% sodium

It taste more like regular chips and not kettle chips, although it does have better potato flavour. I like the fact that it's not salty & greasy like other chips.

However, I still prefer PC kettle chips as my staple kettle chips.

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Best Place to Find Korean Pork Bone Soup....

The one with the yellow sign is the Owl, the original location before they open the store at Yonge south of Finch.

My usual hangout is Thumbs Up at the SW corner of Bloor & Palmerston, across the street from Ka Chi. It's more a in-and-out type place, but love to see the older female (probably owner) command the shop.

If I eat with friends, our usual pick is Seoul, a couple of shops down from Thumbs Up. They offer the cook at table hot pot version of Gamja Tang, complete with dumplings, rice cakes, etc. One is good for 2-3 people. It's especially great for cold winter evenings when everything stays nice & warm.

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Suggestions for a culinary Student tour.

I agree with visconti - open kitchen is an interesting experience. I believe Perigee does not allow groups of more than 4 people to sit at the counter & watch the chef, so be sure to check first.

I guess unique or "fun" factor depends on the students' previous exposures to food and their interest. What I consider "fun" is usually food made in traditional styles (mostly hand made), food that I have never had before, or delicious fresh food that is very cheap. Based on this, I think Lalibela is a good choice, and a tour of little India is a fun excursion. (You eat with your hands at Lalibela.) I like to browse around ethnic grocery stores as well to see the raw ingredients.

Speaking of raw, another option you can consider is rather than oysters, get some unique sashimi at Japanese restaurants. The "wow" (or to some people "scary") factors can include live lobster sashimi (yes, the tentacles still move as you eat), live sea urchin/uni (yes again, the spikes still move as you eat), and geoduck. This is not so much about cooking skills as in mixing flavours from different ingredients, but another way to look at how ingredients can be used.

When you go for your Chinatown tour, be sure to check out if you can take the students to see how they do the bbq. (Whole pig is usually a crowd-pleaser.) Check out the hand made dumplings and buns. If you go uptown, also check out the hand made noodles at the Pacific Mall food court.

I think there is no way to cover the culinary diversity in Toronto through a couple of tours. But if you can peek their interest enough to make this a lifetime learning, it will be awesome!

Keep posted on what you decide & how it turns out!

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Complimentary food at the bar (GTA)

I was at Alice Foozoli's a couple of weeks ago & their bar has some free snacks. It started off with some fried finger food, but at some point got to potato chips (very good ones, although from bags, I must say).

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The Academy of Spherical Arts

I have been there a few times, but all for private functions. I am not too impressed by the food, but the space is nice for mingling.

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Question about Vietnamese dessert

I think it's a type of "Che", the Vietnamese version of the Chinese "sugar water" dessert. Some of the Vietnamese sub (banh mi) places along Spadina sells a variety of these.

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vegetarian tasting menu in Toronto?

If you want something out of the ordinary, and don't mind communal dining, try Maria, the guerilla gourmet. (http://www.cbc.ca/metromorning/beyond_burgers/index.html#guerrilla) She does private dining at her place at times. All vegetarian, mostly local products. It's BYOW.

Just e-mail or call her, and ask if she can accommodate a particular date. I had a very memorable birthday dinner there this year. Good luck.

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