jayt90

I've been able to find some Parker scores by Googling a wine he may have tasted, and checking out the wine lists on various U.S. wine merchants that come up on the Google list for the wine. Inevitably they will publish the score if it is available, and to their advantage. Vintages' Future offerings are also very score-oriented, or obsessed. The yearly Bordeaux list will have ratings from WS, Parker, Tanzer, Decanter, Jancis, and some others. I am not so obsessed, but I do like to find low cost sleepers, and Parker also looks for these.

Vietnamese cinnamon. ← Oooh, that's a good one. Not a spice I've ever used, what is the difference between it and "regular" cinnamon? I'll ask one of the girls I speak to next week when I go for Vietnamese food, perhaps she can help. ← I saw a brand new supply of Saigon Cinnamon at Costco (Ajax) yesterday. I know they didn't have it last week. It is packed by Club House (McComicks, London Ont.), and the label says it is hotter and spicier than other cinnamon, and comes from 15 year old barks. They claim it is the world's best, immodestly!) It is $4.49 for a fairly large 200g jar, and it is ground. Now all we need is a source for VietNamese cinnamon in bark form; the seach never ends...

What annoys me about Vinatages' use of ratings is the way they are so commercially self serving. They will always publish a rating by Parker or WS 90 or above, but rarely below 89. Often the verbal report they quote is quite favorable, but they are embarassed to use the number, which may be in the mid to upper 80's. Aren't the WS ratings available on line, at no cost? Used to be, before I lost interest in them. There are lesser known tasters of the Vintages releases using the 100 point scale, such a Wine Access, Star (Stmmell), Natalie (actually becoming well known!), and winecurrent.com. I have seen many of their ratings move into the coveted 89-92 range, when perhaps they could be a little lower; it is just good business to keep those numbers up...

One method I have always wanted to try is to seal a pot or casserole lid with dough, so that the dish can be opened at the table and produce a whiff of steam, scents, and fragrances. Is this practical? Is there a risk of cracking a clay pot? Or a difficult clean up? I wonder if the results are worth the effort? And what dishes would be a good starter?.

This is interesting. Not only where are the the places to try, but where are the good Sri Lankan cooks and chefs working? They are a potent force in Toronto restaurants, and a thread would be a good idea.

If you are really ambitious, you can get curry plant seeds from Richter's in Goodwood, or online, and grow the plant in a window.

Didn't know downtown was such a wasteland! There used to be a good dim sum place on Gerrard St. East, south side, about 6 doors east of Broadview. Haven't been there for 2 yrs., however.

Dianne, last week Food Basics was selling pork shoulders (maple Leaf) in cryovac, with skin , for $1./lb. I bought a 10 lber for brining and smoking. The latest batch of flyers says that NoThrills has cryovac wrapped pork shoulder for even less, $.87/lb., starting Sunday. They do not have rain checks, and tend to undersupply features, so go early!

True, teflon will break down and emit toxic fumes, but only if you heat it to about 600F. Teflon is completely stable at sugar-working temps, which are not higher than about 390F. ← What worries me is the way a sugar confection will group in one part of the pan, if there is a small amount, and the rest of the pan will heat up more quickly. It's not a risk that I would take if other saucepans with reliable characteristics, such as copper, were available.

I wouldn't use teflon coated saucepans for any high heat cooking, including most sugar confections. The reason has to do with possible gas emissions which are considered hazardous, when an area of the pan gets too hot. If a canary in the kitchen stops singing, then I've gone too far. I've also noticed that the non stick properties of these pans are more likely to wear out if subjected to high heat, even for a minute or two.

I asked for bonito flakes in a P.A.T. market, and the stocker showed me cans of tuna! But they did have the flakes. Jake, the halibut from Diana's was superb, just as your photo shows. Mine was poached and served with mornay, but I'll try something different if they still have a good supply later this week. The proprietor seems very friendly and helpful. He told me that there is little demand for Pompano, too bad, but his mother used to cook it. Now that's a fishmonger!

I went to nasr but didn't see jake's note in time to go to the Korean place for kimchi. Had to hurry home with my prize halibut! D, Food basics is promoting pork shoulder in cryovac. I think the skin would be intact, but I havenjt seen it. G., nasr has dried limes. I also found my bulgarian sheep's feta there. Jeez, I wish I could re-work this piece and get the errors out, but this handheld thing is too new!

I have just come out of diana's at crockford and lawrence with areally fresh Atlantic Halibut @ 6 per lb. I'll go across the st. To see if Nasr has dried limes. Will post back if they do.

Since this thread has become an instant success, I thought I'd add a few things that I can't find, but would buy if I spotted them. Most are intensely flavoured items, and I'd like to purchase from small stores rather than places like Bruno's or Pusateri's, who charge what the traffic will bear. 1. Smoked Cod roe. A suggestion in E. David's books, yers ago. 2. Buttariga (Botargue in Provence) 3. Coffee beans, roasted to order, east of Yonge St. 4. Dried Morels from the Yukon. They had a great harvest this spring, and I wonder if they are showing up dried. 5.A burr coffee grinder called 'Rocky' by the afficianados in the coffee section. 6. Hatcho Miso, or similar traditional miso made in bamboo vats, non pasteurised. 7. Bonito by the block. 8. Fresh Kimchi. Have heard about a place on Parliament St. 9. Bulgarian sheep's feta, in the green can, with a quaint seal from the state veterinary commission.

Bare copper vessels are used for high temperature sweet confections, and for beating egg whites. The real culprits are cupric sulphate (easy to spot), lead (not so easy) and aluminum (jury still out on this one.)

This thread has produced a mine field of information and misinformation. The original vessel described by bleu may well be safe because there is no note about copper showing through, and no apparent need to re-tin. Some of us think that tin is toxic, but it is still allowed for sale as a copper lining, after testing by my government. When the tin begins to wear through (my French pans lasted several years) I was still able to use them for non acidic foods, without getting sick. The usuual warnings at the time (70''s) were to avoid a pan (or food) with blue/green colouring, a sign of cupric sulphate. Never got sick, if I avoided this. I wish I could find 100 year old copper pans in my neighborhood!

Diana's is at Crockford and Lawrence E., a few blocks east of Warden. They ususally have Kingfish, and I have seen Kingfish and Flying fish at NoThrills, Malvern Town Center (a big fresh fish counter, and fresh meat including feet, tripe, brains etc. but no sweetbreads). Another busy ethnic fish counter is in the Asian supermart at Brimley and Lawrence; they usually have Kingfish. Well, where are the sweetbreads, anyway?

Is City Fish Dufferin and Lawrence? Haven't ben there yet, but it is on my list. I moved from Yonge and Lawrence to Pickering. Before that, several years in the East Village. I tend to overbuy in big marts or big box stores, and end up with stuff I take to the park for the animals. I really miss buying seafood, meats, breads, produce on Second Avenue, daily. Suburban life has its advantages, but fresh local food is not part of it! Diana's is not too far away, and Taro is a short drive. Have found many good places on Lawrence East, many of them mentioned in earlier threads.

Excellent idea for a thread, Jake. When I first moved to Toronto, I could buy Pompano in the downtown fish markets. I don't see it now, though I'm only at St Lawrence once in a long while. It was like a large Angel fish, no scales. It was really good, broiled, and I'd like to try it again.

There are several companies making fully clad sets, at a price. I found a good set of Lagostinas, charcoal grey on the sides and bottom, and SS on the inside. Their performance is much better than the cheaper disc bottomed Lagostinsa. I'm not suprised that Cuisinart offers both types, but the AC type will be harder to find.

I once had an electric starter, and it worked very well. The glowing coil will get a few coals burning in 5-8 minutes, and your away. I see these in second hand stores for a few dollars. If I have nothing else around, as in a park setting, I'll light a pyramid of corrugated cardboard. When is is burning very hot, I put a handful of coals on it, and it will keep burning until they light.

From reading the Star's take it doesn't look like the techniques are very difficult, just the shopping and lots of time to follow the instructions. I'd bet she could have saved a lot of running around with a trip to T&T Supermarket where she would have found most of the Asian the ingredients in one place. ← The link to Star article will work, but you have to register and answer a lot of consumer oriented questions. Once you do that the article will come right up. This is better than some publications, like the Wall St. Journal, or the Economist, who make you pay or susbscribe. Where is T&T supermarket?

Are you going to sample one, to see if comes up to "Parker 92" though unfiltered? If I had one, or a few, I don't think I could resist for very long.

Did anyone manage to pick up the wine of the month (well, one of them) in October, Muga Rioja Reserve (red) at $20., promoted with a Parker 92 rating? I was at work on the Saturday release date, and did not get to a store until Tuesday. All gone! How can a wine of the month sell out, all over the GTA, in a day or two? Why call it a wine of the month? Is this a "loss leader"? Or "bait and switch"? While I could have reserved some bottles by calling, I really expected the supplies to be very strong, across the province, for an expensively promoted 'Wine of the Month'!