Hawkins cheezies ...any sightings in T.O?

Just heard a piece on CBC about Hawkins cheezies. It brought back great memories of this awesome snack!! Haven't seen them in decades - thought they went out of business. But hallelujah! They are alive and well and making lots of the little lovelies....

So: anyone seen a store that stocks the red and white striped bags? Maybe it is only an east coast thing :( May need to do a road trip to Belleville!!

*fingers crossed*

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Source of Mustard Seeds

There is also a new place called The Spice Trader on Queen West West. The variety of spices, herbs, melange, vinegars and oils is astounding. Sometimes they have mix'n'match sales, which is helpful if you are needing the more expensive spices. My ras al hanout was $8 a tin.

-----
Spice Trader
805 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Chowfind: Elizabeth's Hungarian home cooking

Recently told by a friend that Elizabeth's is closed. Went by to verify and indeed there is another (non-Hungarian) restaurant in its place.

Anyone know what happened to the owners (i.e., did they open at another location)?

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Lou Dawgs - King & Portland

see posting thread of Memphis Smokehouse
http://search.chow.com/search?query=Memphis+smokehouse&search_board_id=23&search_boardgroup_id=13&sort_mode=newest&type=Topic&from_date=1+year+ago

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Chowfind: Elizabeth's Hungarian home cooking

Thanks for the info!! Europe is in my area so will make sure to check it out and compare.

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Chowfind: Elizabeth's Hungarian home cooking

Searching the Board, there was a query from acd123 (16Oct08) about where to find good Hungarian food. I have been lamenting this lack for some time: Csarda, the Blue Room, Olympia are all so long gone. Rooster Kakas and Paprika are way north and not subway accessible. Country Style (as noted in another thread) have gone downhill quality-wise - acceptable "college tummy-filler" fare at best (depending which day you go). [see sep post re Jolly restaurant, that has Hungarian style food.]

Therefore, I was totally thrilled to find Elizabeth's (1992 Yonge St., 2 bl north of Davisville, west side of Yonge), though the sign still says "Joseph's" (who is her husband).

Rating: 4.5/5

I had:
- the goulash soup (appetizer): not overspiced, with tender meat bits, good representation of vegetables, served with a large 1/2" thick slice of fresh rye bread
- veal goulash (entree): had it with dumpling (nokedli) which were light and served clean with only parsley to dress (not at all greasy,or chewy/reheated which is so common); the veal was so tender it broke apart with my fork, and flavourful. Meat, no gristle.
- cucumber salad: this dish is very subjective - it was good, not too vinegary or sweet - some may prefer it tarter, or dryer. The serving size was enough for 2.
- palacsinta (crepe): the dough was very good (not too sweet/doughy), the final crepe was just a hint greasy; the filling (cheese) was (for my personal preference) too wet; also, I prefer mine with lemon zest and/or raisins, but tasty nonetheless.

Total cost (tax and tip): $20

The service was fast and friendly, very much a mom&pop outfit. The other diners were older Hungarians (which is a good sign...). Space holds approx. 16 in a cafe style.

I had heard about this place from some friends who had praised the veal goulash and dessert. I will be going back with others to test the rest of the dishes and report back.

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Dinah's on Mount Pleasant - Closing

AGREED!!!
(still have a small pack of their special blend of jasmine tea left...sigh!)

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Chowfind: Oscar Japanese Cuisine

I just heard from a local, the place is closed up. Both signs are gone.

End of Oscar sushi thread. :-(

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Floor seating restaurant in Toronto

Ginko Japanese Restaurant
http://www.ginkojapaneserestaurant.ca/home

- very acceptable food, but located in Dixon/427 area (near airport, in the Doubletree hotel [Hilton]).

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Eye Weekly on Ramen in Toronto

um.. i'm a newbie to these places so ... in case others are too:

a link to P.A.T. (Bloor and Clinton)
http://www.blogto.com/grocery/patcentral

but the T&T site is in chinese so here is the English link
http://www.tnt-supermarket.com/en/index.php?
( 222 Cherry Street,)

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Where to find Liqueur (Baileys/Kahlua)filled Chocolates? (GTA)

what about the LCBO? Pusateri's?

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

What's your most disappointing dining experience?

C5
For my friend's birthday, he got to pick, and the ROM's restaurant had opened a few months earlier so he wanted to try it. Ouch. Careless service, condescending explanations of menu choices, but what was most disappointing was the stunning mediocrity of the food - any diner could have done as well. The room is large and cold with the white/black minimalist decor. It was very difficult to flag the waiter to get water, a menu, an explanation...etc because all noise echoed so you didn't dare call out. (They were told in advance it was his birthday and they did *nothing*) Very pricey and clearly not worth it.
Needless to say, neither of us will recommend the place to any of our friends.

On the other end of the spectrum: Joso's [seafood]
Hadn't been for many years. Went there a few weeks ago for another friend's birthday and it was perfection. The food (there was 10 of us), the service, the ambience (!). I had mentioned it was his birthday and they took it upon themselves to dim the restaurant lights and bring the dessert cake with candles and sing HB, as well as changing the music on the speakers to "16 Candles" by The Crests! Pricey and worth every hard-earned penny!!!

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Chowfind: Jolly Restaurant (Liberty Village)

Went to this place for a friend's anniversary celebration and was very impressed with the quality of the food: veal soup appetizer that was tender, flavourful, and thick like a stew (one person just had that for their mains); several types of schnitzel (I had the "Jolly Schnitzel") juicy, tender, not overcooked sides; and 5 types of palacsinta for dessert (yep, sampled all of them: plum jam, rosehip jam, walnut, cheese, nutella). The service was quick and attentive. When I asked for a Blueberry Tea when I arrived, they didn't know it was an alcoholic beverage. When I clarified, they went right to the internet, looked up the recipe and made it for me. Fast and attentive service throughout the night.

All food arrived promtly and at the correct temperature (there were 19 of us!!) All parties reported very happy with their food choices. I was under $50 including my alcoholic bevie.

The decor is ... moderne bistro? looks cosmopolitan (despite the Hungarian sound of their menu). They are just North (by a block from the Dufferin Gates of the Ex) so not so easy to get to, but well worth the effort. Took TTC so can't say about parking.

I'd be interested to find out if the quality is consistent and plan to go back in the new year.

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Hot Chocolate/Cocoa Mix in Toronto?

I concur with the Soma, and add Dagoba Organic [evaporated cane juice, cacao powder, dark chocolate, "and, of course, love"] I just can't remember where I purchased it...maybe in the Distillery district in a store near Balzac.

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Chowfind: Oscar Japanese Cuisine

I recently went there for a friend's birthday and was very impressed. As stated by others, the decor is blah, and the strip mall in which it is housed is not inviting. However, the food absolutely made up for it. Each dish we ordered (and shared around to sample different things) was fresh, and flavourful. The wasabi blew out my sinuses (I love it that way!) and the ginger snapped!

I didn't know I'd be writing this review at the time or I would have taken specific notes about what we ordered. Sorry. However, I will be ordering a big platter of mixed sushi for my New Year's party and will report back afterwards.

Note: it is very easy to get to this place - the Poyntz exit of the Sheppard subway station on the Yonge line (ie 20 min from downtown) - if you drive, it is harder to see because of the large sign of the restaurant next to it, and it is very close to the 401 on/off ramps. There is parking in the strip mall.

Enjoy!

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)

Dinner Saturday night

If you like tapas and Spanish wine... Caya Coco on Richmond (across the street from Paramount theatre). Only two desserts to choose from, but the tapas themselves were awesome the times I went there - and we've now ordered one of everything !! The wine selection is respectable too. Excl. the wine, I think I remember paying a very reasonable rate....

cheers

schmecht in Ontario (including Toronto)