Librarian_chef

What catalogue is it? If they have improved the ceramics, I may give them another try. Mark

And I will stick with my Thomas Keller Signature Series MACs. This isn't a pissing match. No one was claiming they were Global-quality knives. For a budget knife, they're very good. For a $200 knife, obviously the criteria becomes a little more involved. But thanks for letting us know you've got some fancy Global knives. Edit: typos. ← wow wow wow...no need to get all snippy! FYI - If you order Global knives online, you can get a mid sized knife for about $70-80...pairing knives for $30ish... I never argued whether they are good or not, I simply said that the Ad looked contrived, and obviously these chefs were paid quite well to say what they did. That does not mean that these knives may not be decent quality, but if you are going to invest in a good knife that will hold its edge, spend a bit more money, you will be happier in the long run. Oh and I agree with Librarian, I have used various Henckle series and Wustoff and I much prefer the Japanese blades. edited to add - you can also get an excellent kyocera ceramic pairing knife for $25-30 online. ← Ah ceramic, great for tomatoes because of the sharpness, and for cutting lettuce, no browning, but they shatter or chip if dropped. Mark

I have tried many different brands of knives over the years and can say that I prefer the Japanese ones over the Europeans. I like their handles and weight better. I have a Henkel's 4 star 9" chef knife and 4" paring that constantly need care, whereas I have a few low end and high end japanese items that I have rarely had to touch at all. That being said, for the home cook, IKEA or President's Choice knives are a good buy. They are forged, have a good return policy, and should hold up. I have a couple of IKEA 365+ full tang knives that I think perform better than my Henkel or Furi. Global are gorgeous, I do own one, but the blades are thin and must be taken care of and the handles can be slippery. I like the granton edge on the PC Santoku too, reminds me of Wusthof's that Rachel Ray made famous recently. If you have the money, buy MAC, KAI, (A plethora of high end Japanese lines via import), but if you were going to buy Henkel's or Wusthoff-Trident anyway, check out the PC line. On a side note: The PC line of silicone bakeware is terrible. They are too flexible and should be avoided at all costs. Stick to silpat and the other name brands. Mark

I have eaten at My Sushi (Yonge South of Finch on the West side) a couple of times. The nice thing was that the sushi is selected from a menu and not pre-made. Quality was okay. The chawan-mushi was not very good though, as it was not as smooth as I like and the hunks of crab and shrimp in it weren't that tasty. Very bland too. Mark

Will the Puck restaurant be similar to Spago or more upscale? Mark

I agree with the previous poster. Richmond Hill and Markham have turned into the place for authentic Chinese these days. So much of the western Chinatown is Vietnamese now that it hardly can be called Chinatown anymore. I used to love Swatow for late nights and some other places, but many of them have closed. I go down there for Vietnamese now. Apparently Vancouver is similar with many Burnaby really taking off. Korean food is shifting as well, moving up to the Yonge corridor between Finch and Sheppard. Sure, there are good downtown places (lunch at Lai wah heen for my father, myself and my sister was over $120), but otherwise I prefer the Ambassador and north end of the city. I used to eat at Kwungtung Dim Sum and Kowloon Dim Sum. For those who are TTC bound or who refuse to leave the confines of downtown, Toronto, you really are missing out. A dim sum restaurant opened not too far from my house, Yonge and Finch, called "Not Just Dim Sum". Have tried it a few times. I think it is overpriced, but not bad on quality. I really like their fried turnip cake. Lai Toh Heen on Mt. Pleasant hasn't gotten a great reception, anyone been there lately? Mark

T&T's buns are okay, but not stupendous; like their sushi. My wife, sons, and I usually go to the Promenade one on Saturdays (my son loves the samples, even the sea cucumber). I really like the bakery in the chinese plaza on the NE corner of Leslie and Finch. Great prices and very fresh. They don't do steamed buns though, so no Dai bao. My wife loves the cream filled ones whereas I prefer the savoury types like char chiu bao and guy bao. My eldest son (3) loves hot dog buns and the egg from the egg buns. Mark

How would they keep those soup cubes frozen in the hundreds of xiao long baos waiting to be steamed? If they are making the stock anyway, adding gelatin powder to set the stock wouldn't take that much more work... ← You are assuming that they are steaming ones that are made fresh and not frozen ones or ones made yesterday. On a side note, does anyone know where to find steamed buns with egg, Lop Cheong, and chicken filling? I used to buy them at the Melewa on Dundas west, but haven't been down there in some time. There used to be this great place just a couple doors south of the old Hsin Kuang on spadina's west side, but they closed years ago. Mark

Apparently a lot of restaurants cheat by putting in frozen soup cubes. Mark

I recommend Tap Phong, in Chinatown On Spadina (360 Spadina Ave), between St. Andrew's St. and Baldwin St. I know they sell a lot of woks/wok rings, and other cooking utensils (not just Asian/Chinese), appliances, earthenware. I've purchased many kitchen items there, and they're quite inexpensive. ← I second Tap Phong. The best store for asian cooking supplies. Great assortment of woks too, every shape and size. Mark

The Sushi is tolerable if you get it in the morning, but by midday it is pretty hurting. The Canadian Superstores and some Loblaws make it on site. The Inari-sushi tends to fare the best. Avoid the brown rice rolls as they are a gummy mess. Mark

I picked up two nice size jars of black and red alea salt from Hawaii at Pusateri's. They also carry Gris, Maldon, Fleur de Sel, and the other standards. While I like the Alea quite a bit, it can offset flavours quite a bit and should only be used for finishing. Mark

Licks on Queen used to be an experience. When the company expanded, product quality diminished. Now it is just another chain. As far as Burgers in T.O., there are lots of choices, but few are truly great. I like Groucho's on Bayview, but it was only good, not great, the last time I was in, a few months ago. I know a few people that rave about Golden Star at yonge and Doncaster (in Markham), but I think its only so-so. Fat Phils on Marlee in between Lawrence and Eglinton around Glencairn used to be great, but I haven't been in years. Webers is an institution, but it is not in Toronto (just north barrie). Steves on Vic Park is good, but I suspect frozen patties these days. I used to love Tummy Ticklers in the old Bayview Village, but it is long gone. I would love to hear what others think as I feel out of touch these days with burgers aside from the fast food rubbish, i.e. A&W, MCD, and Burger King. Mark

I am beginning to see Staub all over the place. The availability really depends on the piece you are looking for. Costco was carrying a Staub two pack (3.5 Qt and 1.5 Qt I think) for really good price in red for awhile. You could also consider other enameled cookware such as Le Creuset, Chasseur, and Fontignac. Mark

Why not eat at Hart House? The restaurant on the second floor is only open for lunch and serves seasonal stuff. It's very nice. Splendido is a short walk too. Mark

That's not a butter tart .... that's a pecan tart. (also good - but different ) ← Well...according to your logic then, a butter tart cannot contain anything else, so no raisins like you asked for either! Or else thats a butter raisin tart! ← I guess if it had too many raisins it would be a shoo fly tart. I think most people would agree that pecan tarts are not the same as butter tarts. After all, pecan pie is given its own designation and the fillings may not be the same for pecan tarts. Now if you had a butter tart with some other nut, e.g. hazelnut or cashews, I wouldn't know what to tell you. Mark

I prefer a little chocolate either in the dough or drizzled on top of the butter tart. Raisins are a must and it must be firm, not runny. The only recipe I ever used was the Queen Butter Tart recipe from the Toronto Star that appeared in the early nineties. Had too much nutmeg in it for my taste. Mark

I thought that Steingarten had it in for Susur. Susur's dishes were far more original than Flay's and the presentation of Flay's weren't that much better. Steingarten was very denegrating to Susur, but worshipped Flay's mere existence. Had he been replaced with another judge, I am sure Susur would have won. The comment about the stuffed and rolled scallops was ridiculous. And the rudeness regarding the Lion's Head dumpling being found only in Chinese establishments aimed at Americans in China was uncalled for. Too bad they keep bringing him back on the show. Mark

you're thinking of the patrician grill. a great diner with great food and a cheap breakfast. I used to go there 3-4 times a week when I was in college and I still try to go once every few weeks or so. I maily go for the breakfast but the burgers, fries and grilled cheese and bacon are all great too. ns ← I meant to say the Patrician earlier, but wrote the Patriarch. I guess I needed caffeine in me. Definitely a hang out while at GBC. Mark

I never remember the names of most diners I visit as most are forgettable. I do have some positive memories of the Patriarch and Vesta Lunch. My step-brother lives at Midway up in Markham (yonge and steeles really). There are always Diner 55 and Mars. I mostly order breakfast stuff, like eggs benny. The last time I went to the Frans on college near yonge it was attrocious. Mark

I haven't been in that Peppermill, but I have been in the one at Summerhill station that recently renovated (Across from the LCBO). The guy did ask if I need assistance, but he never left from behind the counter. It is this growing trend exactly that I am disgusted with. These snobs are sitting behind their counters acting like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. Sure the staff at Nikolau's and Academy of Culinary Arts are super friendly, but too many take one look at the customer and deem his/her stock portfolio doesn't measure up to their standards and either ignore him/her or treat them rudely. This has to stop! Why should we favour the little guy's store if they treat us like that when William-Sonoma is more than happy to show us some attention. Mark

I used to buy tons of stuff on Ebay, but the shipping costs have gone up through the years (thanks canada post). I called Nikolau's yesterday. He has no All Clad, but carries Cuisinox. Said he might have a piece for $160. I have bought stuff there in the past, but not in the last few years. I used to go to Ideal on Bathurst and College, but they aren't there anymore and Dinetz isn't good for weird pots and pans. Mark

When you ordered the All Clad online, was it from the American site directly or through one of those places like Cooking.com? I got killed on customs when I orderd a knife from Cutlery and more.com. How was the pricing? The problem is that I find many of the All Clad stores do not carry the full line, especially the odder pieces, and when you asked them to order them in the price skyrockets. I refuse to pay $339.95 for a chef pan, sorry. I will probably go back to Word of Mouth and buy their small Cuisinart Chef pan for $99.00. I noticed that Cayne's used to carry the copper-sandwiched cuisinart stuff, but don't seem to any more. Mark

What is with a lot of the kitchenware stores in Toronto going so upscale? I went to six stores yesterday looking for a new stainless steal European-style pseudo-wok / chef pan and found the pricing and staff appauling. The worst was the Calphalon store at King and Spadina where the woman wouldn't even get off the phone to help me. Some of the others I went to were: Word of Mouth, the PepperMill, Tap Phong, the other one on Spadina's West side south of College, the one at Bloor and Yonge, and the one on Avenue Rd south of Wilson. I could have gone to Dinetz or the store on Queen near Bathurst, Nikolau's, but I really wanted All Clad, Cuisinart, or Calphalon, not knock-off or restaurant no-name stuff (besides they tend not to carry the more irregular pot and pan shapes). Any advice? I will be checking out Cayne's, but I think they only carry non-stick, which I don't want. Mark

I went to Zupa's yesterday for dinner. It was my second time there. The first time I had tried their Montréal Smoked sandwiche (I had thought it was pastrami, but my memory was erroneous) and found it blah. This time I tried the corned beef. The first no-no was the friendly fellow behind the counter microwaved the meat. The meat was nicely pink, but the texture was rubbery (possibly because of the microwaving). The flavour was good, if a little salty. It appeared fairly lean by deli standards. A generous helping was given. I was unimpressed with the sandwich overall. If I wanted microwaved cornbeef I would go to shopsy's, which sadly this reminded me of. I will be sticking to northern joints (and Jewish joints) from now on. Mark