Librarian_chef

Inn on the Twenty is supposed to be good. (http://www.innonthetwenty.com/) I ate at Wolfgang Puck's in Florida and found it no better than most thin crust gourmet pizzerias in Toronto. You must remember that eventhough he does have some chef credentials, his restaurants are basically a chain. Avoid almost everything on the strip. Mark

I have eaten at Ghandi myself and liked the veggie rotis. Too bad I am rarely in the area. Mark

One of the worst ones I have been to is the Tandoori house on Yonge, north of Sheppard. Slimy butter chicken and over-cooked naan. Cuisine of india is not bad, but nothing that I would rave about. I have yet to eat any restaurant east indian food that compares with indian home cooking. For the record, I prefer west indian roti and rice dishes. Mark

Indian Rice Factory on Dupont has always been my Indian go to place. Mark

In a couple of the places I worked, the kitchen only got a percentage of the tips left on Credit Cards. Thus, I always leave my tip on the credit card and never cash. Usually its the kitchen who deserve the tip not the bus boy or Waiter (as so many are sooo terrible and inattentive). I would have loved someone to have sent back a beer, but no one ever did or at least they never made it back to the kitchen. The kitchen tips were issued biweekly and usually amounted to very little, not even enough to cover TTC costs for that period. Mark

If when you say "not in the same league" you mean not as dry or bland then I would agree with you. The corned beef and/or pastrami is served on rye, with good ol french mustard, piled VERY high (even the small ones) with a pickle on the side, and even coleslaw. You sure you went to Zuppa's?! Zuppas meats are much more moist and flavourfull than any other delis in this city. Moist being the key in my books. ← I tried the pastrami from Zuppa's and felt it was only so-so. I didn't really care for the seasoning (and it was not enough seasoning anyway). It didn't have any of the Jewish sides I wanted. The coleslaw is a maybe, not a given. I don't think either Pancers or Centre Street are dry and flavourless, unless you ordered lean (which no one in their right mind would do). Zuppa's just wasn't worth the trek downtown for me. Its still better than that Lester's stuff that so many pseudo-Montreal establishments peddle. Mark

I have had non-deli from Yitz's on Eglinton, including kishke, turkey (catered), and their blintzes. Not bad, but nothing I would rave about. They just opened one in Thornhill that has gotten some okay reviews. They are more known for their humidor these days. If I remember, their latkes were pretty good. Mark

I disagree with Sadistick on Zuppa. I tried it on a recommendation from an earlier thread. It is not a Jewish style deli and, in my opinion, not in the same league as Centre Street's Montreal Smoked or Moe Pancer's Corn Beef. Don't get me wrong, its good, just not what I want from a deli. I want my corn beef (or pastrami) on rye with decent deli mustard, piled high, with a side of a pickle and kishke (gravy on the side). Maybe a small thing of coleslaw too. Colemans on Bathurst is blah. Wolfies still uses Lesters (blech!) meats. Steeles Deli Warehouse hasn't been good in years, but is better than it was in the early nineties. Pickle Barrel meats are usually not very good either. Katz never really had a good corn beef sandwiche, one step up from Druxy's in my opinion. Mark

There are not that many Russian Restaurants, but there are a few. Barmalay Samovar on Mount Pleasant is a good choice. There are quite a few in the Bathurst and Steeles area. Russian and other former Soviet Republic foods are quite diverse., You have everything from varenkis (pierogis), Pelmeni (dumplings), borscht, cabbage rolls, smoked fish, herring (often pickled), coulibiac, brochettes, blinis, kasha Russian restaurants tend to have large portions in Toronto for some reason. I am not Russian and certainly not an authority on their cuisine, but I have enjoyed what I have tried. Mark

The susur book is $30.50 or something to that effect at Costco. It reminds me of my Nobu book and The French Laundry; a good read, but not a practical cookbook. Mark

Toronto has always been like this. Over time one ethnic enclave is replaced by another and a new enclave is created elsewhere. Nowhere can this be seen better than in Kensington. The Jewish community moved up to Bathurst (and now Vaughan), the Chinese are moving up to Richmond Hill and Markham, and the strip is becoming increasingly Vietnamese. It has remained quite Portuguese for some time though. The food in Richmond Hill really is that good (and significantly cleaner than many of the old bug-infested places on Dundas and Spadina), if lacking the urban feeling. If you are unwilling to try it, your loss. Even in the 90's, Chinatown was increasingly becoming more and more Vietnamese. Even Queen Street is changing with a recent influx of Korean restaurants from the boring pseudo-japanese sushi places that were the norm back in the 90's. Lai wah heen is phenomenal, but many won't pay the price or appreciate the artistry of making a crab claw look like a bumble bee. Mark

I always loved Saigon Palace at College and Spadina. Cheap with a huge menu and great "sour pork" balls. That being said, I haven't been down there in a long time so it may have changed. I have been to Pho Hung as well, but it was only so so. Mark

Make sure to try some of the Vietnamese restaurants on Spadina. (My personal favourite used to be Saigon Palace on the west side of Spadina at college, but I have not been in a few years). Another must are the Chinese bakeries, such as the Melewa on Dundas, for the savoury buns. Great breakfast, brunch fare and super cheap. There are also plenty of Vietnamese bun shops serving super cheap yummy sandwiches. Go to Kensington Market for some good cheap grub too. The Indian Rice Factory at Dupont and Bathurst (well just east of their around Howland Ave) is a nice choice. There are quite of few good sushi shops in Toronto. Hiro sushi is good. There are plenty of moderately priced okay ones on Queen West between Spadina and University as well. If you are going to go uptown, I can offer more recommendations. Mark

I like the Macedonian sausages that Alex Farms sell frozen. I also like the sausages from Whitehouse meats. But my favourite, is probably The Butcher Shop on Yonge in between Lawrence and Eglinton on the West side (across from sporting life). They are 100% organic, and are pretty unusual. My favourites are Lamb and Spinach and Pork with stilton. I have custom ordered meat from this shop for awhile and never been let down by the quality. Mark

I have always been impressed with Daniel and Daniel. Mark

I second the vote for the St. Lawrence, a peameal sandwiche from carousel with honey mustard (mmm). I was never a big fan of the Patrician, myself, just another greasy-spoon/diner (we ate there a lot when I attended GBC). There are, of course, the ubiquotous egg places: Eggspectation, Eggstacy, and the one near the ROM, Over Easy. I think Pho or Dim Sum both make excellent brunch meals. Lei Wah Heen is very nice, but a little pricey for a brunch/breakfast. I have always had a thing for the Pickle Barrel's deep fried French Toast. Does the King Edward still do Sunday Brunch Buffets? You could always go to a Bakery like the United Dairy or more upscale Rahier Patisserie on Bayview. All you need is some Gryfe's bagels and schmeer and you are set. I know people who swear by the croissants and coffee from Balzac in the G&W Distillery. There used to be a great diner on the Danforth where everything, the eggs, sausage, and potatoes, were all mixed and cooked together. Can't remember the name of it. Mark

I buy my live seafood from T&T in the Promenade mall. Great lobsters and crabs, a decent assortment of fish, eels, mussels, clams, oysters, etc... They will fillet and clean them too. I sometimes go down to St. Lawrence too for fish and oysters. Mark

Alex Farm Products have a number of stores throughout Toronto and have excellent cheeses in stock. Global's in Kensington has always had a good selection as well. My personal favourite is Manchego (preferably un-pasteurized). Costco is okay for Parmagiano Reggiano, Asiago, and some of the Québec soft ripened stuff. Pusateri's on Avenue road is pricey, but has a good selection of cheeses. Mark

I personally really like two Thai restaurants up in North York. Both are on Yonge. The first is Thai Mango on the east side of Yonge, just north of Empress, and the other is Thai Bistro (5306 Yonge St.), which is one block south of Church on Yonge. I would recommend both highly, but the latter especially. The cooking is almost entirely done by one Thai woman and the food is excellent. Portions are generous, but not huge. Prices are very reasonable. The Toronto Star gave Thai Bistro a good write up awhile ago. Downtown, I used to like this Thai restaurant that is around George Brown College, can't remember where exactly. I don't think it was Young Thailand. Other okay choices, include: Satay on the Road (Avenue Road location and Bayview Location), and Real Thailand on Bloor Street West (Real Thailand).

What about Dos Amigos on Bathurst in between Davenport and Dupont on the East side? Eye review To Dine review Picture Mark

I hope everyone caught the Toronto Star's review of Radical Jacks. The place sounds downright scary from the review. Anyone been there? Mark

Its funny that you speak about good "home chefs" when referring to GBC's professional programs. It was my experience when I was there that the "home chefs" rarely lasted, especially into the second year. Those who were slightly less artisticly inclined, but focussed on the craft of cooking were the ones who went on to work and continue to work in the industry. 90% of my graduating class no longer work as cooks/chefs and it was not necessarily the best who stayed. For the record, I definitely fell in the home chef category, although more traditional cooking focussed than gourmet (which I despise almost as much as I despise the concept of 'fusion' cuisine). It has been my experience that the GBC's Continuing Education Courses and night courses are geared more towards home chefs looking for techniques and recipes than the regular daytime courses. A great course is the "High Tea" course for all those intricate little amuse-bouche snacks. Mark

Almost all of the Loblaw's and A&P/Dominion's in North York carry both red and white miso paste. Finding Bonito flakes is more of a task, but is starting to become more readily available. T&T's offer a good assortment. You can also try Sanko on Queen West, Ozawa on East Beaver Creek up in Richmond Hill, and Little Tokyo on Augusta in Kensington Market. Oh, and J-Town on Steeles east of the 404. These are definately the three best japanese import stores for culinary stuff. Mark

Toronto doesn't really have a great fondue restaurant like you can find in the States where everything on the menu is a type of fondue. The Bloor Street Diner has done cheese, chocolate, and beef fondues before. Barberian's has a fondue on their late night theatre menu. Mark

I too have taken the course at GBC and would recommend it. However, David Chung also teaches sushi making through Loblaws at their various locations and its cheaper to do it there. He does not really go into too much detail regarding the slicing of the fish, but he does demonstrate a variety of styles, including gunkan, reverse rolls, large rolls (futomaki), regular rolls (maki), hand rolls (temaki), nigiri sushi, and hakosushi (box style that is popular in Osaka). The fish is pretty much just salmon, but he does use fake crab, tobiko, ebi, and a few others. His class on how to make tamago (egg omelette) is worth it. Mark