Lady and Son Butchery
1175 Queen Street East
416-913-2598

As soon as customers enter the door, proprietress and butcher Voula Mantis, will most likely try to feed them. It may be the tennis ball-sized clementines just in, or decadent Belgium butter wafers, or perhaps some grilled chorizo. Even regulars who’ve just popped in to say hello as they were passing by are sent off with some homemade meatballs. Those who’ve come for dinner ideas get mouth-watering preparation advice along with their choice. For example, veal - egg wash dip, fresh chive and garlic seasoned bread crumbs, sear in hot cast iron pan with a light oil and a little butter, finish in a hot oven - and serving suggestions, to boot; “A mushroom ragout would go really well with that.”

Continue reading First Lady of Meat On Queen »

Prohibition
696 Queen Street East
416-406-2669
Lunch for two with all taxes, tip, and a bottle of imported beer: $89

Prohibition, born “Booze Emporium”, was renamed when its liquor license came under threat as the title was deemed inappropriate. There were several articles published that relayed this incident, but nary a review. More digging lead to long discussion threads on Chowhound that had widely varying opinions. I was curious about its gastropub and oyster bar promises, but it was the recent addition of a lunch and weekend brunch menu that prompted a visit.

Continue reading Positive About Prohibition »

My co-worker loves congee and thinks it’s great comfort food. Although I agree, I’ve never heard of anyone actually having a craving for it, let alone who wasn’t raised on it.

Congee, a rice porridge typically eaten for breakfast in many Asian cultures, can be of various styles and consistencies that can be accompanied with a variety of ingredients. Like chicken soup, it’s served as therapeutic nourishment for those under the weather as it’s light, and easy to digest. It’s also an inexpensive meal in a bowl that’s tasty and sating.

Continue reading Comforting Congee »

Wheat Sheaf Tavern
665 King Street West
416-504-9912
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and beer: $50

I’ve got a soft spot for pubs. Living and travelling in Asia for five years, I chased them like a mirage in the desert. This may seem strange to some, but after being repeatedly assaulted by lost in translation western food like sweet mayonnaise taking precedence over cheese on pizza, or sugary pork patties in cheeseburgers, finding decent pub grub holds more meaning. In many cases, sports bars, likely opened by homesick Ex-pats, usually provided that ilk. Now back in Toronto, I still appreciate pubs as reassuring beacons of comfort. So, when someone tells me the wings at the Wheat Sheaf, which are half priced from Sunday to Tuesday evenings, are some of the best in town, I’m so there.

Continue reading Wheat Sheaf Weaknesses »

Valentine’s Day is:

a) a day to celebrate love and passion
b) just another exploitive commercial event
c) a reminder of singledom
d) extra pressure on relationships
e) my birthday

I don’t know if anyone really looks forward to Valentine’s Day. Even though people always coo, “Oh you’re a Valentine’s baby that’s nice,” I can’t really believe that they mean it. Typically, what it does mean is that my coupled friends have plans, and I get pushed to the week before or after. If I do try celebrate punctually, restaurants and any other establishments that can cash in on the red and pink are usually too overpriced or fully booked. Over the years, instead of feeding any acrimony, a solution arose: the “birthday week”, during which I treated myself to a little something each day.

Forget waiting for candy and cards from Cupid. That’s why every year I gift myself with some I “Choo-choo choose” me, indulgences. The following are my treats for 2008. Sometimes bitterness, like in dark chocolate, can turn out to be something nice.

Continue reading Sweet Eats for Valentine Week »

A sudden craving came recently to mind one day, but there was a problem. I only knew it as ke le bin in Chinese. But it’s neither Chinese, nor for that matter originally Japanese as I later found out. A twist on the French croquette, korokke, is typically made with mashed potato or a thickened white sauce base. Eaten as a snack or an accompaniment to curry and rice, it is found in bakeries, supermarkets, and restaurants all over Tokyo.

Continue reading Craving Korokke »

“Where the M***F*** cheese go?”

So went the Ween lyrics to a proposed Pizza Hut commercial jingle, which, though ultimately declined, is the perfect theme song to my quest for cheese fondue.

What I want is a gently bubbling pot of kirsch-kissed Swiss cheeses, melting but slightly chewy gooey to the bite - (think mozzarella on pizza just out of the oven), soaked up by stiff cubes of baguette. Raclette, or Swiss style cheese fondue, is something I thought would be easily found in Toronto – don’t we have everything?

Continue reading Fondue Finds »

Dufflet Pastries
1917 Queen Street East (Beach location)
416-699-4900
Dessert and a glass of wine for two with all taxes: $30

Luscious dessert by the “Queen of Cake” paired with a carefully chosen tipple? What a sweet idea. Dufflet’s Beaches retail cafe location is licensed and has extended hours until 11pm from Thursdays to Saturdays, offering dessert and wine pairings “inspired from the cafes of France and Italy”.

It’s not the first time that a sweet-centric spot with a license to imbibe came on the scene - most of my highschool days were spent at various joints of the defunct Just Desserts chain - but it is one of the few places that promises thoughtful pairings of double decadence. As someone who has maybe gone so far as eating a brownie with coffee and Bailey’s, I was intrigued by the notion of drinking wine with the final course.

Continue reading Wine and Dessert Pairings at Dufflet’s »

Edward Levesque’s Kitchen
1290 Queen Street East
416-465-3600
brunch for 2 with all taxes, tip, and coffee: $30

Leslieville has no shortage of brunch spots. No matter what cuisine dinner service is, most restaurants in the area offer a decent plate of eggs. Finding a great brunch spot, where quality, price, and atmosphere meet as perfectly as your favourite assemblage of breakfast foods is a bit more challenging. Trying out a new place every weekend is one I’m happy to take on.

Enter Edward Levesque’s Kitchen. Pleasantly surprised that the exterior was in no way indicative of the charming interior - small but spacious, bright like a buttercup, with real linens - we were quickly seated upon entering. Calling earlier, we were told brunch brunch reservations aren’t taken. We snagged the last empty table, thankfully, big enough for four.

While we perused the small printed menus, quality coffee came swift and hot. Impressive was the daily selection coupled with the brunch only options. It was difficult to just pick one because each dish sounded like a lovely way to start a lazy Sunday.

Continue reading Your Neighborhood Kitchen »

My friends and I decided to have an amateur wine tasting. We aren’t experts and sometimes find it intimidating to be stuck with choosing which wine to order when at a restaurant. However, the assembled group have one thing in common: we all really enjoy drinking wine.

Are there good options that are also inexpensive? What would be the opinions of peers versus the experts and their complicated descriptions? Sure, all those adjectives sound pretty, but are a variety of tones, or, notes discernible to someone with an untrained palate or a lack of background in wine making and tasting?

Our group of enthusiasts compared one grape varietal from different regions. We chose Shiraz (also known by its French name, Syrah) because it is a bold red wine known for the characteristics of deep colour, berry notes, and spiciness.

Continue reading The Amateur Wine Tasting: Hurrah for Syrah, Shiraz with Pizzaz »

When I asked a vegetarian if he liked veggie dogs, the curt reply was: “I’d rather eat a real hot dog.” Contrary to his opinion, there are, however, many products that carnivores and herbivores can both enjoy. Some of them might give pause, like Lick’s Natureburger (grilled and smothered in their Guk sauce). Others are just right to hit the spot when you want something as substantial but don’t want to taste like flesh.

After a stint of being meat-phobic (blame it on watching one grisly episode of the X-Files), I acquired the taste for soy meats. Having been brought up on a tofu and whey protein/gluten steady diet helped, too. My first taste of a smoke-crisped veggie street dog laden in Toronto’s terrific toppings had me hooked.

Continue reading Where’s the Beef (Substitute)? »

The Green Eggplant
1968 Queen Street East
416-913-3361
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and cocktails: $90

Is there good food in the Beaches? There’s been online discussion threads arguing whether one can find anything other than overpriced and bland touristy fare with awful service to boot. With comments on the same venues so disparate, there seems to be no clear answer. But where to go with no general consensus on one place?

Everyone has their opinions but no one can deny a consistently packed house. Such is the case of The Green Eggplant, a restaurant that can boast of weekend line-ups out the door. What cemented the decision was the apparent rivalry with the establishment across the street. Some web forums had raters posting as many raves as detailed criticisms, including accusations of the establishment actually posting false reviews to edge out the competition. Was it awesome or awful? Only an actual visit could clarify.

Continue reading Green in Name, Not as in Envy »

It’s no secret that the GTA has, arguably, the best Chinese restaurants in the world. The popularity of this cuisine is obvious from the scores of dinner choices around town. Perhaps less popular however, is Chinese breakfast. This is not surprising as for some the thought of starting the day with plain congee is unappealing. A porridge made from boiled white rice the consistency of glue (with slightly less taste), congee is meant to be a canvas for the salty condiments it’s served with such as fuyu (fermented tofu), salted duck egg, sweet pickles, and pork floss (think cotton candy, but pork). There are, thankfully, much tastier options, specifically Taiwanese-style breakfast foods, which can be enjoyed anytime of the day.

Continue reading The Toast of Taiwan »

“You must try the burek.”

I was in Budapest, at a soiree, chatting with charming locals about things to do and see.

“It is wonderful. One piece will sustain you for a day.”

Of all the must-try recommendations, I did not expect a pastry born in Serbia, with Turkish roots. But it was indeed, lovely, and the perfect comfort food for the day after, having survived a night of many glasses of Hungarian reds, pints of Czech pilsner, and shots of rakia, with newfound friends.

Continue reading Big On Burek »