Jump to content

Jake

eGullet Society staff emeritus
  • Posts

    1,382
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Jake

  1. Jake, if you hate Shopsy's, you may very well love Freybe's. This is a traditional German dog, long, thin, crispy links (natural casings, and fairly strong smoking) similar to wieners in old time butcher shops. I get them at Costco, but they come from B.C. and should be available in some small shops. ← Thanks, jayt90, I'll try them next.
  2. Hey Justin, yeah, another andouille lover! My one-stop for all things Cajun is Cajun Corner on Queen St. East (they are closed until Easter when they reopen in their new location at Queen and Logan.) Clicky here Cajun Corner They are wonderful and have andouille, CRAWFISH!, Steen's syrup and all sorts of other things we can't get up here. Just talking about it makes me think it might be time for a big pot of gumbo soon.... I'll definitely give Grande a try. Popped in to Lady Yorke on the weekend and was pleasantly surprised......any more gems you'd care to share?
  3. Bbq duck and scallion pancakes. Yummy. Washed down with a birch beer.
  4. Yummm, I'd forgotten how good Gulden's was. I haven't seen it around in ages, but I haven't looked either. Have you tried Whole Paycheck, Sun Valley etc? I'll keep my eye out and post if I find any....please do the same.
  5. Looks like I'll be in the same boat, especially come summer. Thankfully the SO really does like a good hot dog (hence the reason I've tried so many) so the excuse "Honey, we need to go to NYC etc. for the weekend and bring back Nathan's" might just work.
  6. Shopsy's -- blech! Seriously, I really meant it, I've never met a hot dog i liked until Nathan's, and I have tried a lot of them. Hebrew National's were the closest I ever came to being able to stomach a bite or two.
  7. Hate (I mean really hate) hot dogs of all varieties, with the exception of a Grey's Papaya after a few beverages while in NYC. Having said that, I recently had a Nathan's all beef, natural casing, grilled. It was a damn fine dog.....surprised myself. Of course this was in the states, so I am now on a quest to find them here. Any help out there??????
  8. Nassr, north side of Lawrence, east of Warden, is a large store with foods from all over the middle east and Mediterranean, on up to the Balkans. Just across the road, on the south side of Lawrence, is a good Korean grocer (I forget the name, but the red and white sign is easy to find.) ← Ummm, like those ones too, jayt90. If you like pistachio's I love the roasted nut store on the south side of Lawrence in the strip plaza just east of Arz. Sorry cannot recall the name. The lemon pistachios a really good, and different. They also have some sweets, spices and a variety of coffee. The gentleman there is very friendly and helpful.
  9. Thanks for the antipasti rec's. I often make my own (grilled zucchini, eggplant etc.) and have a great supplier for 24 month parma proscuitto, but I have to take a platter to a dinner tomorrow and just wont have the time. As you can imagine it is NOT something I'd purchase at a supermarket. I thought I'd heard about a place on St. Clair west, but the brain is mush today. I'll definitely keep Lady York in mind and probably try it. I, too, love City Fish. Great product, great staff. Haven't been in ages and I obviously didn't pay too close attention to the plaza. Is Zuppa's real Montreal smoked meat? Best Montreal smoked meat I've had outside of Montreal itself is Centre Street Deli in Thornhill -- but it's still not Schwartz's. Thanks for the comment about the dogs. They are indeed 2 Goldens (6 1/2 yrs and 3 yrs) and a German Shep. (almost 10). The youngest golden is currently eyeing my cheese plate. Other great food shops: Cheese Boutique and Alex Farms for all things cheese, T & T Supermarket for many things Asian, and if you like Louisianna food I could be persuaded to give up my recent find (hint: they sell andouille!)
  10. Great! Any thoughts on the best place to buy antipasti when you don't have time to do it yourself?
  11. Sun Valley on the Danforth has some lovely Greek and Med. items. The deli counter has housemade tzatziki and the like. Arz Fine Foods on Lawrence Ave. just west of Warden is a fabulous Middle Eastern grocery with great pastries. In fact there are a number of bakeries, nut shops, grocers along that strip with great middle eastern ingredients. Kensington Market is a good source for Hispanic and Jamaican ingreadients as well as some middle eastern. T & T Supermarket (mentioned upthread) is fabulous for all things asian.
  12. Chiado is an excellent recommendation for something different, I concur. Same with Susur and Perigee, especially if you're looking for something different than Vancouver. I would not recommend Rain for the food, an have found the service to be less than expected on occasion as well.
  13. I've had quite a few meals at Susur with great results but your vigorous support of Splendido makes me want to give it a try - I've never dined there ← Splendido is alright, but I wouldn't personally describe it as one of the best in Toronto. Service is adequate, somewhat lackluster on some visits. I do not agree with Sadisticks other rec's. I personally find North 44 has gone way downhill, especially the service and Scaramouche is okay. As to Sadisticks other post, I would continue to reccommend Perigee and I am not smoking anything. Perhaps Sadistick would be kind enough to use specifics when posting opinions and comparisons about restaurants. Im sorry to hear about the bad experience at Susur. I have heard opinions from both ends of the spectrum on this restaurant, but 75% of them have been good.
  14. Jake

    Dinner! 2005

    Valentines dinner: Breadsticks and 24 mth old parma proscuitto to start with champagne. Followed by pan seared elk tenderloin with a pan jus (wine, demi, butter) with roasted russet potatos in duck fat, maple glazed carrots with frizzled leek and teeny tiny baby bok choy in citrus butter. (The bok choy was in the fridge we're leaving on vacances and I wanted to use it up. It went surprisingly well with the dinner mostly due to the fact that they were very small, and very sweet.) Dessert later will be simple -- some wonderful white nectarines, some chocolate for the guy, a cup of chai tea for me....
  15. I am now officially in LOVE with your kitchen!! Especially the sink....oh what I wouldn't give to have a sink like that. We did a complete kitchen remodel when we moved in (almost 3 yrs ago) but the kitchen is tiny to begin with and the remodel funds did not include actually adding any extra space. The dishwasher height is also inspired, more envy here as we just finished cleaning up from our Valentines dinner. (Well, the guy is still cleaning and I'm taking an eG break ) I hope we get to see more of the house. Thanks for the reply with regard to living in suburbia.....I'm sure it's fine for my friends, but I couldn't do it. In some ways I think she feels she made a bit of a mistake too as she often mentions she never meets new people...go figure. So in the interest of a southern blog, will you be making your grandmothers fried chicken?? Or, better yet, posting a recipe? (I admit to an unnatural fondness for real southern fried chicken, as does the guy! )
  16. Okay, how about this -- I'll relate it to food in some way. I have a friend who lives in Atlanta, I'm assuming suburbia. Their community is gated, they have their own community centre, pool, daycare etc. and in discussions with them seem to find it normal to keep to their own little neighbourhood. It does come across as rather snobby when they tell it....They have mentioned that this is usual in Atlanta (they're Canadian). Is this an isolated group or is it common in your area of the south. The food angle, well, she used to eat Kraft Mac & Cheese every day for lunch growing up. Also, will we get to see some real southern cooking/food this week. You've mentioned you like Asian, what are your other favourites and what did you grow up on? edited for pathetic typos.
  17. Therese, your blog is wonderful! I haven't been to Atlanta in 10 years, and even then it was only for a weekend. Your pictures are wonderful, and after looking at that dinner and the cheese cabinet, I'm starving!! I can't wait for the rest of the week.
  18. Opus on Prince Arthur. Arguably the best wine list in Canada, service is excellent as is the food. I think you would be pleased. That being said, everything reccommended thus far has been high-end. I personally prefer Opus to meals at the other suggestions, unless you are specifically looking for fish, then Joso's is superb.
  19. I am flattered... That Encyclopedia book sounds incredible though I don't think it is obtainable from Japan, I chcked the site and it doesn't say anything about international shipping or what kind of credit cards it takes (I only have a JCB card ). the Emeril book is available at Amazon.jp, I might try that one out, looking forward to more suggestions... ← Kris, just wanted to echo Brooks' rec. upthread for the Cotton Country Collection. I purchased it a number of months ago after he mentioned it on another thread (I believe it contains a couple of his mothers/grandmothers ?? recipes) and I absolutely LOVE the book. He's right there are a number of easy recipes that you might not make (think jellied salads) but there are some real gems, too. I also have the Emeril book and like it too, but the the Cotton Country Collection is definitely full of authentic flavour. One recipe is followed by the comment "Men love this!" Price-wise I don't think you could go wrong. ← You got a problem with jellied salads? Huh? ANd the men love this....let me guess......Sandie's Specials? Nat Troy? ← Let's just say the jelly salad with orange jello, vanilla ice cream, maraschino cherries and canned pineapple would just about do me in. Full disclosure, my grandmother made a jellied salad for every single dinner in my memory and used the strangest (oft-times God-awful) combinations ever seen. I haven't tried the squirrel yet, either. As for the "men love this" it wasn't Sandie's Specials and a quick glance hasn't helped me find it again......will keep looking.
  20. I am flattered... That Encyclopedia book sounds incredible though I don't think it is obtainable from Japan, I chcked the site and it doesn't say anything about international shipping or what kind of credit cards it takes (I only have a JCB card ). the Emeril book is available at Amazon.jp, I might try that one out, looking forward to more suggestions... ← Kris, just wanted to echo Brooks' rec. upthread for the Cotton Country Collection. I purchased it a number of months ago after he mentioned it on another thread (I believe it contains a couple of his mothers/grandmothers ?? recipes) and I absolutely LOVE the book. He's right there are a number of easy recipes that you might not make (think jellied salads) but there are some real gems, too. I also have the Emeril book and like it too, but the the Cotton Country Collection is definitely full of authentic flavour. One recipe is followed by the comment "Men love this!" Price-wise I don't think you could go wrong.
  21. Jake

    Dinner! 2005

    Last night, hangar steak, roasted yellow beets with pomegranate molasses and french green beans with an herbed dijon butter.
  22. Chufi, just came across your blog and I am enthralled. It's wonderful. I have never been to Amsterdam and your pictures definitely make me want to visit. Thank you for taking the time to blog.
  23. I believe that some of the places will only allow BYOW if it is not on their list. It may be worth calling specific places before attending with a bottle.
  24. Jake

    Gratins

    Great idea! My sister is in the last stages of destruction of one of these. I wonder how it would be with sweet potatoes? Someone on one of the other threads had done sweet potatoes with a chipotle "sauce" that could be dynamite with that combo. ←
  25. Look forward to your report, Marlene. I've been there a few times but not in the last 6 - 8 months. Always enjoyed it, though. Of course, you could smoke upstairs in the bar then...
×
×
  • Create New...