balthazar's Profile
Dim Sum at Dragon Dynasty - Could be some of GTA's best!
I love Dragon Dynasty. Excellent post and thanks for the pics!
TRUFFLE OIL WHY USE IT???
I know this is an older post but am wondering about this question. How do you know if you have truffle oil made with actual truffle (or truffle essence made from actual truffle, if such a thing exists)? I've read the NYT article, and a lot of other articles about how "most" truffle oil is made with synthetic flavouring, etc. But if that's "most" and not "all" why do most articles I read then carry on to basically assume all truffle oil is fake?
I'm not disagreeing, just confused because not a lot is said about that small percent of truffle oil that might be made with/infused with flavouring from actual truffle. For example, I have a truffle oil the label says:
Royal Command Black Truffle Olive Oil
Product of Italy
Ingredients: Olive oil, black truffle essence (Tuber Magnatum Vitt). And that's all.
It is a small bottle, golden in colour. Very pungent but flavourful used very sparingly and occasionally. There is no mention of 2,4-Dithiapentane on the ingredient list. So - is it fake? Or is Tuber Magnatum Vitt some form of flavour that comes from actual truffles? I won't be upset if it turns out to be fake - I just want to know if it is, so I can stop using it :) ! Googling the brand and Tuber Magnatum Vitt didn't shed any light. I only found postings about how truffle oil is generally fake...
Agreed that even if it's real, truffle oil in my limited experience tastes nothing like real truffle. It's more sweet. Real truffles are almost... soap-like (or maybe I've only had sub-par truffles or truffles way past their prime, or served with an overly heavy hand! :) ).
Where to find German Radler in Ottawa/Toronto?
Don't know where to buy it to take home, but Biermarkt has Austrian Stiegel Radler on their beer list. Had it a few weeks ago for the first time and love it!
Quebec City Trip Report
Will be travelling to QCity this month and found your excellent post. Have not been there in many years so this is terrific information. What a great report. Many, many thanks!
Best Dim Sum in downtown Toronto
Some of my favourites and why:
- Pearl Harbourfront (because it's good, reasonably priced, good selection, conveniently near work, great for taking friends, visitors, business colleagues, first-timers, etc., and you can't beat that view!). This would be my midrange pick in terms of price/quality.
- Lai Toh Heen (great atmosphere - stylish but not too stuffy, a bit pricier/higher-end quality but still manageable, a step above creatively from typical everyday dim sum, easy location for me; LTH is one of my favourite restos in the city but I tend to go there only for special occasions). This would be high end pick in the city.
- some place on Dundas the name I can't remember (close to Asian Legend on the north side. In the category of good cheap eats. Great for lunch weekdays, easy to get to from financial district, carts come fast, is easy on the wallet. Not high end, but perfectly fine if you just want to eat and enjoy, not spend much and don't care about whether it's the "best". This and a other places (Pearl Court on Gerrard, for e.g.) are my picks for inexpensive but enjoyable dim sum when simply good is good enough and I really don't care if it's the "best" or not.
LWH is very nice dim sum... I just find that for me personally, the significantly higher price tag for eating there isn't matched by a significantly higher enjoyment of the food (and I do find the atmosphere stuffy, another minus). Plus you will rack up quite a bill if you go there hungry...
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Lai Toh Heen
692 Mt Pleasant Rd, Toronto, ON M4S, CA
Can you find real Quebec-style curd cheese in Toronto?
Have you been to Taste of Quebec in the Distillery? I haven't shopped for cheese curds there but they specialize in incredible cheeses and artisinal products from Quebec. If anyone would have the curds you want, they probably would%3
http://www.atasteofquebec.com/
listing of some of the fromageries who supply them%3
http://www.atasteofquebec.com/products.html
Even if you don't find the curds there, enjoy the other cheeses! :)
Good kitchen carts in Toronto? Where to buy?
Many thanks for this tip, thebutcher! I will check out High Tech - I'll also look for your link on C-list depending on timing (any chance you will list tomorrow (Sunday)?)
P.S. Interesting: I also just found online that Black Loon Millworks sells kitchen islands:
http://www.shopblackloon.com/catalog/2/kitchen_carts
Nice to see a Cdn. company doing beautiful craftsmanship, too bad they didn't have more modern, less cabinet-like cart selections to match the gorgeous butcher block surfaces they are creating.
Good kitchen carts in Toronto? Where to buy?
Hi everyone,
This may be a bit off-topic (home cooking supplies/tools?) but does anyone know where to buy a decent butcher-block top kitchen cart in Toronto (John Boos, Chris & Chris, Catskills type carts - not IKEA)? Kitchenstuffplus.com has a few but not what I'm looking for. Have been searching for days and all I can find is US websites that ship to Canada. Tried all the Canadian websites for Home Depot, Sears, Canadian Tire, Rona, Lowes, Costco, Leon's, The Brick... Having a surprisingly tough time finding local stores that sell decent kitchen carts or portable islands. Weird.
Any tips on local stores you know would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.
Cooking classes in Toronto or area
I enjoyed a Calphalon cooking class: completely hands-on (everyone cooked at the same time), nice recipes and a great chance to use/learn to use premium cooking tools (talk about knife and pan envy, which is obviously why it's great for Calphalon). I like that they have one-off classes so you don't have to commit to a program.
I also enjoyed an Indian cooking class with Arvinda's http://www.hgic.ca/ . Good recipes, and a nice approach to home cooking Indian food. I would have preferred a more hands-on class (it was mostly demonstration, with volunteers helping out here and there), but I still enjoyed it.
Bayview/Eg breakfast or brunch
Oh - Herb, you are right. I was responding after reading someone else's Sept. 8 post. Oh well...
Bayview/Eg breakfast or brunch
There are lots of choices, it depends what you want. Not all places are open at 10 a.m., however so you may have to check hours. Some of my faves:
Segar is delicious for a twist on classic breakfast items (eggs, etc.) - but only if you like creative spice route flavours (if you want something very traditional-tasting, this is not for you).
Celestin (Mt. Pleasant & Manor Rd.) is lovely in all respects for brunch/lunch, lovely atmosphere (but you don't have to dress up) with full menu of everything from soup to brunch dishes to meals, the pastries (croissant, pain au chocolat, etc.) are also available. Highly recommended, and a great value price wise for the brunch/lunch menu.
Simple Bistro on Mt. Pleasant & Manor also do brunch, but I think they are open later 11 am-ish.
Rahier, Cigogne (Bayview) and Jules (Mt. Pleasant & Manor) are all excellent for very casual French pastry breakfast. Only Cigogne has omlettes on the menu.
Chai on Bayview is good for eggs (omlettes, scrambled eggs) and brunch, has delicious chai tea and also has a selection of dumplings, noodles, tofu, bok choi that you can select to make your own platter. A good place for anyone with special food issues (vegetarian, gluten free, etc.). Note: they don't have decaf coffee.
Homeway on Mt. Pleasant is good for basic breakfast/greasy spoon (so I hear, haven't been for brekkie). Rosie's is a neighbourhood fave for classic egg/sausage/bacon/inexpensive/very casual (the I'd cook-it-at-home-but-can't-be-bothered kind of place, they are super friendly).
There's also the Bagel House if you want a great Mtl-style bagel with egg or cream cheese, lox etc. They have a few tables you can sit at (it's not about atmosphere - just a place to sit and eat your bagel).
There's also McSorley's for a good basic pub-style egg breakfast. They usually don't open until 11 a.m. though.
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Rahier
1586 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4G, CA
Celestin
623 Mount Pleasant Road, Toronto, ON M4S 2M9, CA
The Homeway
955 Mt Pleasant, Toronto, ON M4P2L7, CA
Cigogne
1626 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4G, CA
Simple Bistro
619 Mount Pleasant Rd, Toronto, ON M4S2M5, CA
Bagel House
1548 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4G, CA
Chai
, Toronto, ON M5G, CA
Segar
1568 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4G, CA
Neptune Oyster or something like it? Recos needed.
Just posting back belatedly to say thank you to everyone for the recommendations, and especially to everyone who urged me to give Neptune a try anyway. OMG. I went. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Had to wait a bit (15 min. or so) in line on a Sunday night but that was OK. We ordered oysters on the half shell, then that oh-so-incredible lobster roll with, of course, melted butter! It was heaven! The lobster was wonderful, but even the BUN was terrific. Service was good that night too. I sent some friends from New York there the next day, and they said it was the best lobster roll they'd ever had, and they had had many.
It was by far my most favourite meal while in Boston (I also managed to get to Durgin Park, Legal Seafood, Grotto, and a few other places).
Thanks all! It's been a few months since I went there but I'm still fantasizing about Neptune Oyster. :)
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Neptune Oyster
63 Salem St Ste 1, Boston, MA 02113
Durgin Park
1 Faneuil Hall Sq, Boston, MA 02109
Fun, interesting places to eat in Toronto ?
I second the vote for Southern Accent! It's easy to get to from where you will be, bakersma. I think it's right near Bathurst Station on the TTC: on Markham St. just south of Bloor (i.e. around the corner from Honest Ed's). It has a fun vibe, some history (many of the paintings were done by the former maitre'd), a good music playlist (often music from New Orleans, last time I went it was 50's music) and I enjoy the food. Some of the dishes I like: cracker catfish, bourbon chicken, hush puppies, pickled okra, piquant shrimp.
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Southern Accent
595 Markham St, Toronto, ON M6G2L7, CA
Where to find the best baguette in Toronto?
I'll have to try Epi - I've heard good things about it but never manage to get there!
Where to find good bread in TO.
Yep. There's also a Future Bakery on the top level of St. Lawrence Market.
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St. Lawrence Market
92 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E, CA
Where to find good bread in TO.
Good call, estufarian. Those Moisson breads are great value and quality and what I look for in Metro (those or Ace bakery breads in ValueMart or Loblaws) when I can't get to the French patisseries. My favourite Premiere Moission breads are the sourdough walnut (so good), olive ciabiatta and the hazelnut raisin. I've been able to find them at the Metro on Front St & Church, and at Bayview & Eglinton on a regular basis. If you get there later in the day (e.g. around dinner hour), however, a lot of the loaves are usually already sold out.
I was so happy a few weeks ago when I wandered into the Loblaws at Don Mills & Eglinton, and found out they carry an amazing challah bread from Open Window health bread bakery. Fluffy, eggy, lightly sweet deliciousness. Open Window has its own locations (I never get to these):
http://www.owbakery.com/index.htm
There's also this past CW on where to find egg bread:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/574327
Needed: Private Venue for Company Dinner in DT TO core for Accountants
I second C5 on food & decor. You'd have to check with them on privacy though, since I'm not sure your group is large enough to book the whole place exclusively.
What about Canoe? It's great for business meals: food, service, location - all spectacular. Again for only 50 people, you'd have to check with them on privacy options.
Origin for birthday lunch?
It's good for lunch. The small plates choices are good. I wish I could remember what we ordered but it was a while ago and I enjoyed all the dishes. The patio is now open too if you want to eat outside, they do have an awning and umbrellas for shade. Sorry, this isn't a very helpful post but yes, I'd go and try it!
Lai Toh Heen - Summerlicious dinner
I am a fan of Lai Toh Heen, and while their Summerlicious/Winterlicious are OK, I much prefer to order off their regular menu. The regular menu food is much more interesting to me. One exception is that I went there once for Summerlicious dim sum (lunch) and that was quite nice.
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Lai Toh Heen
692 Mt Pleasant Rd, Toronto, ON M4S, CA
Catering Breakfast for an office downtown
Have always had a great experience with any event catered by Daniel & Daniel especially for work functions. I highly recommend them. They have 2 continental breakfast menus which should fit the bill of not needing cutlery (or not much of it):
http://www.danieletdaniel.ca/menus/breakfast/menu_01.shtml
http://www.danieletdaniel.ca/menus/breakfast/menu_02.shtml
Where to find the best baguette in Toronto?
Agreed with the recommendations for Thobor's (Celestin), Jules (both on Mt. Pleasant south of Eglinton) and Cigogne, and there is also Rahier (both of those are on Bayview south of Mt. Pleasant). They all have nice baguettes but each place varies in style/texture of baguette. My personal preference in order is: 1. Thobor's; 2. Jules (a bit on the "heartier" side, crust-wise); 3. Rahier & Cigogne tied. But they are all good, and between them you can probably find the one that suits your taste.
I lived in Paris for a time and noticed that there too, baguettes varied from bakery to bakery. Which is lovely. You could try different places and settle on the one you liked.
Also a note on Thobor's: they bake some other terrific breads too. Try the fig bread (which has fig in it and is shaped - like a fig!). It's beautiful to look at, fluffy, delicious and always gets people's attention if served at dinner parties (slice but keep the entire loaf in shape on a plate or cutting board - makes for simple but striking presentation). Most of these four also make other loaves: ficelle, olive fougasse, etc. I won't even start on the pastries... mmm.
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Rahier
1586 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4G, CA
Cigogne
1626 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4G, CA
Thobors
627 Mt Pleasant Rd, Toronto, ON M4S, CA
Asian Legend Rave
Thx Juno & Piggy Smalls, I agree with going north, etc. It's just if you're popping out from the office downtown/financial district for an hour for lunch, driving north isn't an option, so you're stuck with the Dundas strip (or Pearl Harbourfront). So I'm interested in whatever downtown places people find are consistently good!
Agreed on Congee Queen, I also like Congee Star. I wish they had those downtown!
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Congee Queen
895 Lawrence Ave E, Toronto, ON M3C3L2, CA
Congee Star
900 Don Mills Rd, Toronto, ON M3C1V6, CA
Asian Legend Rave
You always have impeccable taste for dim sum restaurants, Charles, I enjoy your reviews. I agree that Asian Legend is disappointing compared to places with much better dim sum (especially for their prices). The service, agreed, is not great.
Yet weirdly, despite this, I find it can be a good spot for a casual lunch on weekdays, because it's downtown & easy to get to from the financial district, and if going with a group of people who rarely go for Chinese food or dim sum, the food isn't too challenging, everyone usually finds something they like, and the decor is pleasant. It's easy to give instructions on how to find it and how to get there. I find myself there on and off because of that, or because people choose it. Not totally satisfying, but it's "safe" and works out OK. I guess it's not really about the food, but the whole menu/decor/location/price package. I actually much prefer another place on that strip for casual dim sum (I always forget the name), with carts, plastic tablecloths, and you order in Chinese, but some friends would find that atmosphere and style of eating unappealing or too challenging.
If anyone has a favourite casual/inexpensive go-to dim sum place for lunch downtown (i.e. not Lai Wah Heen), do tell, I'm always interested in trying new places to try. Pearl Harbourfront I know, but I so rarely get to the Dundas strip. I know there have been some other threads in past about this, but the downtown suggestions are usually few or end up at LWH or the conversation moves north.
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Lai Wah Heen
108 Chestnut St, Toronto, ON M5G 1R3, CA
Any suggestions for dinner around the Manulive Centre (55 Bloor ST. W.)?
If you like Indian, try Utsav on Yorkville Ave. (between Bay St. & where Cafe Nervosa is). It is not a buffet restaurant. The dishes are flavourful and delicious, great quality, and the owner is really nice. This is my go-to place for dinner before a movie at Manulife, or given the choice, for dinner in Yorkville generally. If you are not in rush, finish the meal with cup of the chai tea, it's freshly brewed and not too sweet (you can sweeten on your own). Lovely! I haven't been there in a few months but now I am craving it after writing this...
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Cafe Nervosa
75 Yorkville Ave, Toronto, ON M5R1B8, CA
Utsav
69 Yorkville Ave ( Near Bloor and Yonge ), Toronto, ON M5R1B8, CA
Asian Legend Rave
I love Congee Star. Delicious. Inexpensive. Great for casual eating.
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Congee Star
900 Don Mills Rd, Toronto, ON M3C1V6, CA
Where to find good bread in TO.
If you drive, there are some terrific French bakery/patisseries in the Mt. Pleasant/Bayview/Eglinton area (e.g. Jules, Thobor, Rahier, Cigogne).
I second the suggestion by ylsf about Premiere Moisson breads, carried by most Metro stores. They are good. Some supermarkets carry Ace bakery breads too (I've found them at some Loblaws or ValuMarts). Not sure what the ValuMart in Bloor Manulife has by way of bread selection...
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Rahier
1586 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4G, CA
Cigogne
1626 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4G, CA
Thobors
627 Mt Pleasant Rd, Toronto, ON M4S, CA
Neptune Oyster or something like it? Recos needed.
No, not this Sunday, sometime in the next few weeks. Thanks for checking!
Neptune Oyster or something like it? Recos needed.
Thanks ljt064 & purple bot! You two are making my mouth water with all this talk of oysters, fried clams, beer and lobster rolls...
That is great feedback. We'll try for Neptune, and have someone get there a bit early to put our name in for a table. Much appreciated!
Need Asian restaurant recommendation in Toronto DT and GTA
Speaking for dim sum only, downtown:
LWH does have good quality, but is pricey - two hungry people who like dim sum and are not in a rush can easily tally a bill of $100 or more and still be hungry afterwards, so you have to know that going in. It will be really close to where you are staying, though. I actually prefer Lai Toh Heen (LWH's sister restaurant, at Mt. Pleasant south of Eglinton). I find the quality to be good, not quite as creative as LWH but still interesting, and a bit less formal & pricey.
For upper-end decent but not necessarily the best DS, there's Dynasty in Yorkville, and Pearl Harbourfront (nice for visitors because of the great view of the lake if you reserve a window table). There are of course other places that are cheaper. A lot depends upon expectations for price vs. quality, do you want carts or ordering off the card, etc. The best for both is still north/Markham, there are others who are experts on those places (I don't get out that way enough to stay current).
Happy eating!
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Lai Toh Heen
692 Mt Pleasant Rd, Toronto, ON M4S, CA
