Joobu

hi slkinsey, I've been sifting through the ol' usenet threads regarding Demeyere, Paderno, Bourgeat, Falk, etc. According to the old usenet threads there was a significant price difference between Bourgeat and Falk. Nowadays the difference in price has appeared to close with Bourgeat being slightly cheaper at some retailers. I guess since there is very little technical difference between the various brands, Bourgeat would be a sensible choice? I was recently in Seattle and stopped by City Kitchens. There was a closeout sale on Demeyere Apollo. While I admit Demeyere cookware is overpriced, the Apollo Profi (straight-gauge) 11" frypan was on sale for $120. I was heavily tempted to buy it but opted to wait. I imagine at that price it was a worthwhile value. I noticed that Lincoln carries a s/s cookware line called Centurion. Looking at the specs and pictures recalls exactly the Paderno Grand Gourmet line. Broadway Pan handler even states that the line is by Paderno. If this is true then the Paderno series appears more readily available.

I'll second the recommendation for West. The food was excellent, the service warm and friendly and I got a kitchen-side seat, always a positive in my book.

slkinsey's point is salient. Paderno and Chaudier are made by the same Canadian manufacturer. Chaudier is a good line but a bit overpriced in my opinion. I'd seek out the restaurant supply brands and compare pricing.

There's a great place on Kingsway, a couple blocks west of Joyce beside the Raja theatre, called the Good Morning Panwalla. It's a very casual spot with good food. My girlfriend recommends a dosa restaurant on the NW corner of Clark and Hastings though I haven't had the dosas there myself.

A bit late on this one but I'd have to say if you're looking for Lodge cast iron Walmart seemed to have the best prices. If you're looking for stainless or aluminum, go to a restaurant supply store like Nikolau's (629 Queen St. W) or Dinetz (231 King St. E). I was recently at Nikolau's and I saw a lot of aluminum disk, stainless steel cookware by Sitram, Vollrath, Lacor, and Chaudier. The Vollrath and Lacor looked sturdy and were cheaper than the other brands while still having a very thick aluminum disk (1/4"). I've never been down to Dinetz but I'm interested to find out if it has similar items such as Nikolau.

I'm with you on this one. I much prefer the delicate crunchy skin to the meat. Going to have to try these...

Would you like some pork chops with that?

Nong Shim prawn crackers.

There's a couple chinese food vans on the St. George UofT stretch. As, uh, appealing as they are, I'd rather hop past the street meat and chinese food vans down to Spadina or Baldwin and go to a restaurant.

In previous knife threads, much praise has been heaped on the Shinkansen Sharpener available from amazon. It is made specifically for Global knives, other manufacturers have different angles.

Went down to Nikolaou Restaurant Supply (629 Queen W, at Bathurst) today. Got a pair of nice Edlund tongs. I saw the 10" Chaudier saute pan for $134 which I think is a pretty good price. They carry Sitram, and a couple other brands. A medium sized granite mortar and pestle is ~$45 while the larger one is ~60.

I have to give my blessings to Tap Phong and Fortune. Everytime I go shopping in Kensington/Chinatown I have to seriously control myself from buying "one more" gadget. There's a place on College & Clinton that also deals in kitchen/restaurant supplies as well. I just look at the prices for most things at W&S and shirk away.