SpiceMustFlow's Profile
Bars at Woodbine & Danforth?
Same thing here. My spousal unit and I went a couple weeks ago, specifically for dinner. Ordered 2lbs of wings and a couple of pints. The place was busyish, but nobody else seemed to be ordering food, so the kitchen wasn't busy.
It must have taken 20 minutes or more for the wings to arrive- my guess is they were hoping we'd finish our drinks and order more. When they finally showed up, the wings were dry, overcooked, and lacking flavour. We were starving by then and ate them anyway, hopeless as they were.
Had high hopes for a decent neighbourhood pub. Doesn't look like this is going to be it.
The Best Of The Kensington Market
I think the other spice store you're thinking of is Casa Acoreanas, at the corner of Augusta and Baldwin. They have an unrivaled collection of spices and teas in bulk, as well as baking ingredients, coffee beans, and a great collection of international candies! I also buy my vanilla in bulk from them- it's the real thing, and it's delicious. The little cafe attached to the store has one of my favourite lattes in the market, and is an ideal spot for people watching.
I
coffee near U of T, Kensington, Chinatown
I also like I-deal and Moonbean in Kensington- both are roasteries, and do excellent coffees. And, full disclosure- I can't have caffeine, and base my reviews on how good the decaff is. Moonbean, Manic, Louie's and Bulldog are my top picks. I did have caffeine back in the day, and all those cafes do an excellent regular espresso as well.
Best Thing You Ever Ate - Toronto
Manic Coffee on College at Bathurst did sell Intelligentsia beans: not sure if they still do.
Black Hoof..what happened??
Having heard raves from several friends who've been there, I finally got to try Black Hoof recently: my partner was willing to take me anywhere for my birthday, and this is what I chose. It was not an unqualified success.
The good:
-Loved LOVED the bone marrow. The little toasts, the Maldon salt, the chimichurra- all divine.
-Liked the tongue on brioche, though the meat lacked the robust flavour I was expecting. Still very tasty.
-Liked the service: discreetly sweeping crumbs, replacing cutlery, server was friendly and knew his stuff. Also- having heard Jenn was not the most friendly with customers, was pleasantly surprised that she responded sweetly and efficiently to a minor complaint.
-Only one dessert offered, but it was imaginative and extremely tasty. Loved it.
The not so good:
-if I am spending $18 on a cheese plate (featuring tasty but TINY portions of cheese) that comes with spreadable accompaniments... why am I expected to spend extra on bread? Could a few crackers not be part of it? Strikes me as extremely mingy.
-Bone Marrow listed as "MP" (Market Price) on the chalkboard. It's a CHALKBOARD. Would it be too much to ask that they actually write in the figure every day, or is it the yacht of charcuterie: if you have to ask, you can't afford it?
-Cocktail: not as delicious as expected, really, and not for that price. My partner loved the beer list, however.
-The place appeared to be a bit overstaffed for such a small room: there seemed to be four guys in that tiny kitchen, in addition to the dishwashing boy, plus two bartenders and two or three servers.
-Partner's comment: "Sorry, but if I'm spending a hundred on dinner, I want cloth napkins, not paper!"
Final result: partner glad to make me happy, but after spending what I assume to be the aforementioned hundred bucks for three plates plus olives, bread, a dessert and a couple of drinks.. one of us was full, and the other was not. So from there we went up the street to Sneaky Dee's
for a cheeseburger. I wish I was kidding.
Edited to add: partner read this review over my shoulder, and commented, "I didn't want to tell you how much it cost, but honey, it was enough over a hundred bucks that saying it was that much would be misleading." Yikes.
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The Black Hoof
928 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA
best breakfast joint in Toronto?
I've had a few decent brunches at the Rebel House on Yonge at Rosedale Station- but part of the appeal is the very pretty patio. The eggs bennie is good, but not good enough to warrant the strangely diffident service and the truly awful coffee.
Much better coffee and an interesting menu is at Fire On The East Side, on Gloucester at Yonge. The place gets packed on the weekend, so it's worth it to call ahead for a reservation. A new favourite.
Also like Aunties and Uncles, but not so much the line up...
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Rebel House
1068 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4W2L4, CA
Aunties and Uncles
74 Lippincott St, Toronto, ON M5S2P1, CA
Sobeys - Why so expensive?
I like that Landsdowne No Frills so very much that I actually drive all the way across town to shop there. They lack a few things like Parmigiano, but make up for it with the fish counter, butcher, and the general cleanliness of ths store.
Well, all except for the washroom. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that they have one at all, but it smells like a Texas truckstop in the middle of a heat wave and a sewage strike.
Best Espresso in the city...
Your comment about the Bulldog 'tude doesn't surprise me in the least- "we don't do coffee drinks" is a line that could possibly be delivered with a smile instead of a sneer, but that's really not their style, is it?
I like their drinks, but on those days when a little human warmth would be nice along with my latte, I head to Louie's in Kensington instead.
bialetti replacement rings
This answers a prayer of my own, too- many thanks for the links!
I really didn't want to throw out a perfectly good pot just because the gasket had disintegrated yet again...
Do your nightmares involve food?
The day before I catered a largish hors d'oeuvres party for my choir, I dreamed I was being chased around the church hall by a giant flying platter of sandwiches. Little tea sandwiches, with the crusts cut off.
Can't remember whether or not I woke up laughing...
Bramley Apples
Sadly, I have never seen them in Canada. Granny Smiths might be the best substitute available.
What's one thing you've never eaten that you wish you could try RIGHT NOW?
I've never had real caviar! And I really, really wish I could try some RIGHT NOW.
There, I said it.
Chicken stock
My stock is the simplest possible- I buy a bag of thigh bones and a bag of wing tips from the chicken shop in the market (a whole $1 each), and from the freezer I take the chicken backs I cut from the back-attached chicken legs I usually buy. All into the stock pot, cold water to cover, and then a slow simmer for a couple of hours- surface of the stock barely trembling, never boiling.
When the stock is ready, it's a rich colour and the bones have a slightly pitted appearance. I let the bones cool in the stock- very important!- then strain them out, pouring off the liquid into a large container to chill. When cold, I can skim off the fat. By then the stock is practically a gelatin, even at room temperature.
Yes, there are no extra flavour builders, but somehow it's rich and chicken-y all on it's own. I store most in 2-cup portions in freezer ZipLocks, laid flat, which makes them easy to stack and easy to thaw. Some, I'll freeze in ice cube trays, for just a little shot of stock when needed.
For making stock from a roasted carcass, I'll add some onions, carrots, and celery, but I consider that to be soup base, not chicken stock.
Mother's Dumplings: Not just for dumpling cravings!
Finally made it to Mother's Dumplings, ready to see this touted contender to the rat-chewed crown of Dumpling House. Verdict? Either it's gone downhill awfully fast from all these glowing reviews, or we were there on a really bad night.
It seemed they were extra busy tending to some very large take-out orders, so I could understand the delay getting the food. But when it finally did arrive, I was seriously unimpressed.
Unlike at Dumpling House, with its long and impress list of pan-fried goodies. there were only two offerings in this category. We had the pork and bok choy, which were a little rubbery, greasy, lacking in flavour, and lacked any of the lacy golden crunch I'd hoped for. Fail.
The lamb sui mai was just pedestrian. Edible, but nothing to write home about.
The last thing to arrive at our table was won ton soup. It was just... strange. Funky smelling, strange looking, and the won tons were plain unpleasant to eat. We left it, paid our bill, and cleared out.
My dining partner is not confident about Dumpling House since that little vermin incident last year, but I don't care- never going back to Mother's, she can keep her dumplings!
Double-checking Nigella Lawson clementine cake recipe
The metric version of the recipe uses weights. The Imperial version uses volume measures. Totally different. Totally confusing that liquid ounces are not at all the same as liquid ounces and yet they have the same name.
Definitely use the 2 1/3 cups of ground almonds. One cup will.. well, I look forward to hearing how it works out, but I suspect you're going to be disappointed with the results.
Your experiences with these Toronto caterers?
I was familiar with D&D catering from encountering their product at many corporate events, so I was happy to call them when it came time to book for my own wedding. The sales manager listened to my requests, promised to get back to me with a quote in a few days, and... never called. I phoned back and left a message. No response. One other caterer had returned with a quote of such inflated prices that I knew it was a "f*ck off, we don't need your business" response, but D&D couldn't even be bothered to get back to me at all.
I then took the unusual response of writing to the owners to complain about the lack of service, but I guess they were as uninterested in my little garden wedding cocktail party as their sales rep was. So I don't care how good their food is, I'll never set foot in that place again.
Best Espresso in the city...
Too right about the owner. Once recently I made him laugh and laugh over some little joke, and he actually said, "you'll ruin my reputation!" Fortunately, I'm still welcome there.
Some friends of mine accept the 'tude as part of the atmosphere, and some are so turned off they avoid the place. I can see both points.
Interestingly, one of the afternoon baristas is a young guy whose default expression is a charming smile: he's like the antidote to the general disposition behind the counter.
Worst in Toronto
I can't speak for the original location of Ikki Sushi on Kingston- and yeah, the name is unfortunate- but I have been a couple times to their second location at Woodbine and Danforth. We were overjoyed to have a sushi place walking distance from our house, but let me just say... life's too short for bad sushi.
The last time we went there, the service was friendly but that was the only good thing I can say about the place. The food was simply appalling, and the cheery singing chef is not the karaoke hero he imagines himself to be. Fail.
Worst in Toronto
Talk about lack of truth in advertizing: I once made the mistake of ordering Fran's coconut cream pie, which the menu claimed to be "the best in town!"
Hint: it sure wasn't.
roasted potatoes
My method is very simple, adapted from English recipes.
Start with Yukon Gold potatoes. Peel, and cut into more-or-less uniform chunks: about a couple inches square.
Parboil potatoes in water to cover, around five minutes. Using pot lid, drain away water, then hold the lid on firmly while giving the potatoes in the pot a few good brisk shakes. This roughens their surfaces, which leads to golden crunchy goodness later!
Now, you must prepare the pan in which your potatoes will roast: add the fat, place in the oven, and heat until the fat is very hot indeed. I use duck fat, both for the flavour and for the high smoking point.
Dump your drained potatoes into the prepared roasting pan- they should sizzle when they hit the fat, and this is very good- use a spoon to turn them quickly to coat all sides, then into the oven they go. Check on them every 15 or 20 minutes, turning them so they'll roast evenly on all sides.
As the meat in the oven is probably roasting away at around 350 degrees, you may find these take around 20 minutes longer than the 45 minutes other commenters mention, but I think they're worth it- cooked to a golden crunch on the outside, and meltingly tender within.
Katsu Sushi on Danforth
We were actually parked on the street facing Aji (Eaton, maybe?) and as we drove bitterly away, I remembered that *this* is the sushi joint rec'd by Chowhounds.
So thanks for confirming that find, millygirl, we'll give it a try.
Katsu Sushi on Danforth
Katsu was, until tonight, our default neighbourhood sushi joint. We found the AYCE to be decent quality- not super, naturally, but very good. The tempura dishes were tender and well-cooked, the sashimi and maki all very acceptable. And we always appreciated the far greater variety on offer for weekends.
I guess the fact that the place was nearly empty on a warm Saturday night should have been a clue... that, and the fact that in the two months since we last visited, the place appears to have changed hands again, as we didn't recognise a single server or cook.
The food was strictly amateur hour. Miso soup was bland and nearly flavourless. The sushi featured great gobs of rice so poorly formed as to fall apart under the fish. Salmon was okay, red snapper was suspect, and tuna was simply not on the menu. I noticed that it wasn't mentioned in any of the lunch bentos, either- who ever heard of a sushi joint with no tuna?
The sashimi was cut in such wide, ungainly pieces that it was difficult to eat. The tempura shrimp were strangely taste-free, and the squid was rubbery. I've never had worse sushi anywhere, ever.
Service was a joke. While clearing a dish, the waitress knocked over my partner's nearly-full glass of club soda. It went everywhere. She cleaned the table with handfuls of napkins and... never bothered to replace the drink. We had to flag another server to ask for a replacement.
Final straw: the stairs leading down into the washrooms were filthy. It was like they'd never seen a broom in weeks. The washrooms themselves were also dirty.
We'll never go back.
Best Espresso in the city...
My best pal refuses to go there with me, he's *that* turned off by the snooty attitude from behind the counter. Me, I find it to be part of the charm of the place, but then I haven't been turfed out for trying to pay my bill in small change, which happens.
Good coffee drinks, very nice cocoa, if you're a regular they'll know your drink, but... definitely not the place to look for a sunny smile from your barista.
Best Espresso in the city...
I think the place you mean is the cafe added onto Casa Acoreanas, the spice shop?
Because if so, bingo- terrific drinks at excellent prices, with a people-watching perch second to none.
Cringe-worthy words in restaurant reviews
Hey, I just got back from Hedonism III, and it really wasn't all that x-rated. More like PG.
The food, however, was decadent, toothsome, and occasionally unctuous.
Chowfind at Main and Danforth
We wouldn't have known about this place but for this thread- well done, chowhounds! the husband and I are not so easy to please, so what a pleasure to find this gem in walking distance. Very good food beautifully presented, a charming and efficient waitress (chatty, but we liked that), all in all excellent value for the money.
I had the sole gratin- the waitress warned me that the cheese topping was unusually lavish, and even with her suggestion of three-quarters of the normal amount, I still found it too much cheese for the fish underneath. Not a large quibble when everything else was so very tasty. Wonderul soups and assorted bits of deliciousness on the app taster plate- the husband enjoyed his Stroganoff- and the desserts were a treat.
Because word is getting out, we're less likely to go on weekends when the place now tends to fill up, but we'll definitely keep El Camino as an ace in the back pocket for those weekedays when mama doesn't feel like cookin'.
I never eat _______ out because nobody makes it right but me.
Chicken liver.
Such a delicate but easily-ruined meat, and I don't trust anyone but me to get it just the way I like it.
Wedding Caterer Reviews For Steam Whistle Venue
Maybe they've picked up their socks in the past couple of years. I asked D&D for a quote for my wedding, and they just never bothered getting back to me, after promising a reply within days.
I called and left a polite message: still nothing.
Eventually I wrote a letter to the managers, expressing my disappointment that such a highly-rated company would blow off my nice little garden wedding... no reply.
I've had their food at other events, and thought it very good, but I will never recommend them.
Mother's Dumplings: Not just for dumpling cravings!
Even dim sum can frighten off the complete newbie. We once hosted a large table at a favourite dim sum place, and had one couple from out of town refuse to eat... well, everything, really.
Seeing them scowling with hunger and confusion at their empty plates, while surrounded by all the lush fancies, really kind of killed the vibe for the rest of us.
Good Chinese delivery Woodbine/Danforth?
We like the Eden Restaurant, on Coxwell just south of O'Connor. Ate in the first time, and it's been our go-to Chinese fix for decent delivery food. Not talking primo cuisine, here, just decent, tasty, plentiful, and well-sauced. Also, the delivery has always been fast, and the food's good and hot when it arrives.
Sorry, no contact info to hand, but they'd be easy enough to Google.
