kymbrlee

My husband bought me organic edamame at the St. Lawrence Market on Saturday -- although I'm not sure at which stall....they were yummy, steamed and tossed with espellette pepper.

Any suggestions on where to find interesting, ethnic and/or artisanally-made sausages in Toronto?

A couple of weeks ago six of us went to Sushi Kaji and had the Omakase menu. It was expensive, but extremely creative and full of delightful tastes and textures. I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a special evening of sushi. One thing though -- we missed out by not sitting at the bar. To be able to watch Kaji prepare dishes to order would have made our experience even better. Kim

Avalon charges a flat rate of about $3.50 per person for all the bottled water a customer drinks any night. Your waiter just forgot to charge you for the bottled water.

kenk: I think maybe you might want to read my last post again. Although I addressed the points made in phoenix12's post, my reply did not contain personal insults and I certainly did not resort to name-calling.

Having worked at Avalon for five years and having a husband who worked there for two and a half, we take exception to your blatantly slanderous comments regarding Chris Macdonald. Although I acknowledge that the man is obsessively driven and could perhaps be considered egotistical, these qualities are entirely merited. Chris Macdonald has forgotten more about food, wine and dining than most people will ever know. Perhaps when he worked with you in the past, your project was not up to his standards and that may have been the reason that you found him to be, as you put it, "obnoxious and egotistical". As for him using over-priced ingredients to justify a mark-up, I don't really think you know what you are talking about. The product used at Avalon is certainly not always the most expensive, but it is always the finest and freshest available and the thousands of diners I waited on there during my employ were, for the most part, thrilled to enjoy the dining experience he created. As for him "buying reviews and Mr. Chatto", I would watch your words. This type of accusation is not one that should be thrown about lightly. Anyone who knows anything about the business of restaurants and restaurant critiquing in this city would surely laugh out loud at the ridiculous and spiteful nature of your comments. I'm sure that both Mr. Macdonald and Mr. Chatto would also be taken aback. (Actually, on second thought, it probably wouldn't even cause a blip on their radar.) Chris Macdonald lives a modest lifestyle, putting all his money back into his restaurant year after year. He works long hours and is as uncompromising a chef as myself and my husband have ever had the pleasure of working with. Have you ever actually eaten at Avalon? or are you basing your comments on secondhand opinions and a longheld grudge against a talented man that once trampled on your feelings?

Sorry, I can't really answer these questions for you; I'm just basing my info on what I've seen in the restaurants I've worked in. Kim

How can you assume to know James' objections may or may not be? As for the photos, I'll let you in on how it works: 1. critic visits restaurant 2. critic writes piece 3. critic submits piece to publication 4. publication calls restaurant indicating what photo it will take (not telling restaurant what text will accompany said photo) 5. publication sends photographer to restaurant 6. photo appears in magazine several months later 7. restaurant staff run to newstand to see how they fared in critic's piece. Perhaps you should ask Toronto Life magazine that question.

Having worked in the dining rooms of several of the city's top restaurants, I can say that Chatto does not pop by the kitchen before he has a dinner that he will be reviewing. He will, however, visit a kitchen before he sits down to a meal whose components may be discussed in an upcoming article. Also, in my experience--having waited on the man five or six times while he was reviewing--he always uses a pseudonym when reserving. James never purports to list the top ten restaurants in Toronto. He always reports on his most memorable dining experiences of the year. Toronto Life magazine markets his list as the best restaurants in the city. The novelty of Perigee's concept is not only that its kitchen is in the centre of the dining room, but that in lieu of an a la carte menu or even a printed tasting menu they serve only blind tasting menus. Also, the current staff of Perigee did not march, en masse, from Avalon and make their way directly to the distillery. In fact, these people left Avalon at different times over the past four years or so, going on to other projects before reuniting.