Best Italian coffee on Danforth

Braodview does do a pretty good cap. But like I say, the Rooster is hit and miss with their drinks, I think. I often get a scalding hot latte when I've ordered a capuccino. I finally sent one back and got a serious evil eye for it. The thing I like about Crema is the quality of the roast, which is very fresh and has wonderful fruitiness in it, along with a decent sting. And they do a terrific job with the milk.

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Crema
3079 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6P1Z9, CA

barksducks in Ontario (including Toronto)

Best Italian coffee on Danforth

By which I mean espresso-style, and since I've lived out here on the Danforth for almost a dozen years, I'm glad I can even start this thread. When I got here, there was Starbucks and Tim's. Lots of Greek coffee, and lord knows I love Greek food, but the coffee? Not so much.

Now there's The One Cafe, Crema, there was Iliada (but let's face it, he didn't know what he was doing behind the bar), The Rooster, Broadview Espresso, and not too far a more field like Te Aro and Red Rocket. All in addition to a clutch of Starbucks.

My favorites now, in order, are Crema, Broadview Espresso, and The One. The One isn't always super consistent, but they're so nice there and you can sit for hours in comfort, etc. Wifi, too. The Rooster is likewise inconsistent, but sometimes they're also a little snarky.

But for taste, there's nothing better on the Danforth right now for a properly made capuccino with very high quality espresso than Crema.

barksducks in Ontario (including Toronto)

ISO downtown Vancouver bakery/cake shop

Nelson the Seagull is well worth the effort of going to Gastown. It has a lovely picniccy atmosphere, and the food, all of which is done from scratch in the wide-open back kitchen, is very fresh and rather fine. The coffee is excellent as well.

barksducks in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Nicli Antica Pizza

I went to Nicli last week and, being from Toronto, the prices didn't shock me too much. I had the capricciosa and thought it was fantastic. We have a decent napolitano place in Toronto called Queen Margharita, way out on Queen East, that reminds me of Nicli. I guess the softness of the crust is a personal thing, but I like it a lot and they did it perfectly at Nicli. I also like that every pizza comes out looking like a slightly cockeyed person made it. Lots of character. Ingredients were fresh and copious, the sauce was excellent, and I hope the restaurant continues to attract lots of people and survives!

barksducks in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Two dinners in Vancouver

I was glad I went back to Kimura. The meal was superb and varied. The dishes, as I recall them, were tuna carpaccio (absolutely sterling, fresh, wonderful flavours with the parmesan and pepper), slices of cold, rare magret de canard w a mango sauce, seafood stew in a hollowed-out orange (not my favourite, but still quite tasty). This was followed by gelatinized skate wing. I'm sure this is an authentic dish, but as Kimura-san made clear to me, you were supposed to eat the bones and although I tried, I couldn't. This was a texture issue for me, and others may find the same dish delectable. I didn't. However, it preceded an incredible wild-mushroom stew topped with lobster, and then there was a nigiri course, all of which was so fresh I felt like a bear swatting salmon out of a river. I read with interest some comments on other boards about Kimura's knifework, and I can see what people are saying. Something about his cutting and the avant garde jazz that plays in the place seem of a piece though. In all, I was glad to go back, and in fact, I enjoyed it so much I bought two more omakase dinners as an engagement present for friends ...

barksducks in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Two dinners in Vancouver

Okay sourpuss, for one thing it was a joke. But secondly, I CALLED them at noon that day and asked BOTH people I spoke to if 9pm was ok to come in for omakase. They both told me yes. I KNEW it was late, that's why I called to make sure. So should I then go to their site to compare? That's not great service no matter how talented the chef. And in case your sense of humour isn't totally atrophied, Chef Kimura-san was VERY sorry.

barksducks in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Two dinners in Vancouver

Dammit! I'm going back to Kimura. I'm not paying $100 for non-Tojo knifecuts and flourishes. Kimura-san knows I was disappointed to miss his omakase two nights ago, and okay, it's not the most wonderful room in town, and blast it, it's in frikking BURNABY, but he's going to make me his $50 meal tonight and we'll see how sorry he is. I hope VERY sorry.

Mmmmmm

barksducks in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Two dinners in Vancouver

And, I should add, Tojo's just called to say that Tojo-san isn't going to be in tonight! Argh. Three nights of sushi come to bust! Maybe I should give Kimura a second chance???

Would you eat omakase without Tojo in the kitchen? Maybe I should just go order a la carte .... man I miss that tuna sashimi appetiser. Mmmm.

barksducks in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Two dinners in Vancouver

Well, now I've been to Kimura, and you know what happened there, and tonight I went to Octopus's Garden and at Sada-san's omakase. (I believe I called him Saba-san a couple of times, which I think means I was calling him a mackerel. Oops.) I liked it plenty, although I have to say the timing of the meal was off. I had the $100. The oysters were fantastically creamy, and then came a sort of uninspired salad and miso. Then, boom boom, the tempura dungeness crab and the foie gras came right at the same moment. Bit odd, that. The crab was a shooter on rice with a raw quail's egg, and although a sort of unfamiliar combination of textures, I'd say I liked it. The foie gras with mango on rice was a novel twist and very fine. After that, everything raw was terrific. Extremely fresh. I could eat toro until it came out of my belly too.

Then, after the seventh course, time stopped and I waited almost 25 minutes for the next course. Very odd again.

But no matter, it was very good. BUT: it was not better than I remember Tojo's, and I won't go back to Kimura, so I'm off to Tojo's tomorrow night. I still would like to have my sock's knocked off, and so far, stiil have socks on ...

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Octopus's Garden Restaurant
1995 Cornwall Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J1C9, CA

barksducks in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Two dinners in Vancouver

Well, finely laid plans. After all this research, I chose Kimura and called to make a reservation at 9pm for omakase, making sure it wasn't too late, and then I got there and they said it was finished for the night!! So far, NOT IMPRESSED.

barksducks in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Two dinners in Vancouver

Hello from Toronto. When I come to Vancouver, I want to eat EXCELLENT JAPANESE. I've been trolling on the boards and looking up favorite places, including Tojo's and Hapa Izakaya, but new names seem to be cropping up more, so I want to ask:

If I want two absolutely memorable meals, omakase or not, but INVENTIVE and MEMORABLE, price no object, would you send me back to Tojo's? Or is there someone giving Tojo a run for his money? Is Lime or Octopus's Garden the place to go? I like Hapa's approach, too, but I was there a while back and I got the feeling that corners are being cut, and it's not the top drawer place perhaps it once was. But I do like that style too, so if something comes to mind for that, let me know.

I know this gets asked a lot on this board, but things change so quickly. I'd also love to know if Van has any worthwhile BBQ, be it Memphis, KC, Carolina, or whatever.

Thanks!

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Octopus's Garden Restaurant
1995 Cornwall Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J1C9, CA

Hapa Izakaya
1516 Yew St, Vancouver, BC V6K3E4, CA

barksducks in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Boulevard Cafe salad dressing

Lirio wouldn't tell me!!

Boo hoo. I have all the ingredients put together for supper now and no dressing!

barksducks in Ontario (including Toronto)

Boulevard Cafe salad dressing

Does anyone know what the ingredients are in the Bully's Salpicon de Pollo salad dressing?

barksducks in Ontario (including Toronto)

Coming home after two years: new faves?

Hello fellow Ontarians --

We've been living in France for two years (yeah, poor us) but we're coming home in a month, back to Toronto, sadly but willingly. I haven't been following foodie stuff from afar and I'm interested to hear from people on what's changed in Toronto's food culture in the last two years, if anything. Any hot new restaurants? Any old heroes gone downhill or closed? What are the new food trends? Are things getting better in T.O. on the culinary front, or worse?

Thanks!

Barks

barksducks in Ontario (including Toronto)

Paris Culinary Plan - Thoughts/Advice

I'm probably too late to offer these suggestions, but when in Rome, some of the best gelato is at Giolitti's -- about 80 flavours and everyone who works there is mean, so it must be a sign of how good the gelato is that it's always packed.

Also, do no miss Dar Poeta in Trastevere for what I think is the best pizza in Rome. Second best is a place nearby called "The Morgue" ("orbitorio") by the locals, on Trastevere. Its real name is "Ai Marmi". People fight over which of these two make the best pizzas in Rome.

barksducks in France

Best bistros in Paris? Please help!

I second souphie (the man is a one-stop Paris-resto bureau, check his posts as well as his blog) but I would add La Regalade to the authentic-bistro experience. It's a bit off the beaten track, down near Porte D'Italie, but well worth it.

barksducks in France

Restaurant recommendations in Aix en Provence/Avignon

In Avignon the best place to go is Le Cilantro. They just got their first Michelin star and it hasn't gone to their head yet.

barksducks in France

Kitchen AKA laboratory

Oh my, Louise, you NEVER roast a poulet demi-deuil, you poach it! In a bouillon de volaille, with carrots, onions, turnips and potatoes. Then you mash the veggies after everything's cooked for an hour, slice the chicken up and lay it on the mashes veggies. Roasting truffles will destroy them; turn them into flavourless truffle chips in fact.

How do I know this? Because I made a poulet demi-deuil last night. With a 60-gram truffle. It was, um, delicious.

barksducks in General Chowhounding Topics

Dordogne, Lot, Aveyron, Lozere Gard and Tarn

We just got back from the Dordogne and had two good meals worth reporting on, one at Le Grand Hotel in Souillac featuring the various classics of the region, but done with extra panache. I understand that La Vielle Auberge in the same town is as good or better. We also had some excellent pizza in Souillac, which, as I am resident of France, was a revelation, since French pizza STINKS and this place actually used real mozza. Unfortunately I don't have the name of the place, HOWEVER, it's on the main drag, on the east side of the street, north of where Le Grand was, across the street from a dingy bar advertising Karaoke, and sort of kind of kitty corner to the fakey Irish pub on the other side of the street, on a corner, just a bit north.

The other nice meal was in Beynac, at the Hotel Maleville, right on the river. Just the classics, again, done nicely and plentifully, with some good wines.

As for the person who lived in Domme, I don't know how they stood it: it was the worst of all the tourist traps in the Dordogne and the people who had to live and work there HATED tourists and were mean and mingy and we had two rotten meals there.

barksducks in France

Suggestions for a very special 40th birthday dinner?

Souphie -- I did not get your email ... can you try again? pinelake@bellnet.ca.

barksducks in France

Suggestions for a very special 40th birthday dinner?

Well, you're quite right about table availability: I heard from Taillevent and they have the Thursday and not the Friday. But I must say, the email I got from them (whether or not it was actually written by M. Vrinat himself, which is how it was signed) was astonishingly detailed, enthusiastic, and delightful and whether or not the food reinvents the wheel, I feel confident they'll show Anne the time of her life. So nice to have the dining experience start this early, with such a letter.

This means moving the Savoy to Friday lunch, which I've requested, but which I fear may not be possible. That's probably okay: I might just opt for one of the classic bistrots that you recommend (uh, somewhere ... souphie, if that link is handy, I'd be grateful for it.)

So one down, one to go ... I do have a Friday reservation request in at Le Bristol; I think if they have a Friday table, I may take that over Taillevent in order to have the big birthday event right at the end.

PS: In an earlier post, Souphie, you mentioned being able to help with reservations. If you have any insight regarding how I might snag that Friday night table at Taillevent, I'd be delighted to know it ...

B

barksducks in France

Suggestions for a very special 40th birthday dinner?

Again, my continuing gratitude for everyone getting involved in this very important decision! I have decided to do the lunch/dinner experience, and I have succeeded in reserving the 100 Euro table at Guy Savoy for the Thursday (Nov 15). I am now trying to decide between Taillevent and Le Bristol for dinner on the 16th. I believe that Le Bristol does *not* have a prix fix for dinner, which may decide it for me, as 80 euros for an appetiser is beginning to push the envelope for me. Then again, Savoy and Taillevent may be too close in terms of an eating experience, if I understand Souphie correctly, and I may want to simply forget the numbers and go for the exactly right choice. The one issue is that the birthday girl may not be able to enjoy her meal as much if it crosses that line between a very special splurge and remortgaging the house, so I have to take that into consideration (I wish they still had those sexist menus without the prices for the women!!)

Thanks again.

PS, Souphie, Ledoyen has not figured into any of your replies ... is there a reason?

barksducks in France

Suggestions for a very special 40th birthday dinner?

Also: would it be overdoing it to try to have lunch at one of these marvellous places on the Thursday (we're talking November 15) and then dinner the next night at the pièce de la résistance, whatever that turns out to be? And if you were going to put together a one-two lunch/dinner combo, what might it be, knowing that I want to save the killer meal for last ...

barksducks in France

Suggestions for a very special 40th birthday dinner?

Thank you for this reply souphie, and yes, I should tell you more. My wife and I are experienced restaurant-goers with what I like to think of as excellent taste and both food and wine are important to us. I have to say though that I do like to encounter the modern with my classic and I would lean toward a brilliant restaurant that has one foot in the contemporary. I also like to feel welcome and special in a very fine restaurant (such as they can make you feel in Babbo, in NYC, for instance), and I am inclined to not want to repeat an experience, no matter how good the food, if I feel that the restaurant has communicated to me that it was my privilege to eat there. To give you an example of a great meal I wouldn't repeat, I was at Pierre Orsi in Lyon with my wife last summer (to celebrate MY 40th!) and although it was one of the most spectacular meals I'd ever had (although they are almost entirely a CLASSIC French restaurant) I felt, how can I say this, a little intimidated. They did nothing to create this impression: they were entirely professional, the service was excellent and even personal, but there was something just 10% too precious about the place, as if there was a very subtle subtext that I ought to be careful not to break anything.

So I am looking for a SPECTACULAR meal in a place where our worldliness and intelligence as eaters and drinkers will be rewarded with warmth and welcome and give us a sense that we belong there, while also taking us to new heights in terms of food. I do not want to feel that I am lucky I got a table, nor that it is a place where one's voice should be kept low out of respect for the restaurant's reputation.

Does that help narrow the list some?

PS: I am still leaning toward Taillevent, but I am very surprised to hear that you consider the food to be second to other places. I've never heard that before; the impression I get of Taillevent, as well as Ledoyen and Les Elysées is that they are impeccable. Could I have more details?? (I also lean toward them because if they lost their third star through some caprice of Michelin's, it seems to me the very best time to eat there would be in the period they were working to regain it!)

barksducks in France

Suggestions for a very special 40th birthday dinner?

By the way, I should say I am leaning toward Taillevent, but also have Rostang, Ledoyen, and Athenée in the mix. About Taillevent, I know it used to have three Michelin stars and now has two -- does anyone know when it lost its third star and why? And given these four restaurants, is any one of them a no-brainer. I'm still interested in having as far-ranging a discussion on this matter (and I have read many of Souphies posts now, with pleasure).

Finally, this dinner is for the 15th or 16th of November; I presume this puts my reservation into the "tight" category and I'm going to try and make it this Monday or Tuesday.

Thanks again ...

barksducks in France

Suggestions for a very special 40th birthday dinner?

Hello fellow gastronomes ...

I'm living in France for a year (poor me, I know) and my wife is turning 40 in November. I'm surprising her with a trip to Paris and I'm wondering what your suggestions would be for a brilliant meal. I know Paris pretty well, but I'll admit in the past that I've not indulged in the higher-end eateries. (I'm usually too busy wandering the streets and museums with my jaw hanging open.) This time, though, money is no object; I just want to ensure she has the most brilliant meal of her life.

I'd like to take her somewhere marvellous, but not necessarily the tourist's version of marvellous. So I'm not really thinking Tour d'Argent, for instance. I'm wondering about Taillevent, though, or one of Joël Robuchon's places. I'll admit I find the choice of excellent places daunting to wade through.

So this is where you come in. What's your candidate for a flawless, brilliant, perfectly Parisien, no-holds-barred, celebration meal?

Many thanks!

Barksducks

barksducks in France