gps-shag

Does anyone know where to buy meringue powder (for use in Royal Icing) in Toronto? Already looked in Cheese Boutique, Sobey's, No Frills, Valu-Mart - no luck. Thanks.

I love the homemade guacamole at CB! However, they don't always have it available.

Wouldn't you be penalizing the server for policy they have little control over? ← It may be a bit unfair to take the tip away from the server, but if it happened enough times, the complaints from the servers because of this would eventually get back to the management.

I don't work in the restaurant industry, but I've heard that this sort of thing happens in many, if not most restaurants. Recycling not just butter, but bread that has been on other tables as well. I just try not to think about it when I go out to eat.

So has anyone eaten there recently? My wife and I have a reservation for next Saturday, and we're wondering whether or not to keep it.

Cheese Boutique (www.cheeseboutique.com) has duck parts as well as containers of duck fat.

I've eaten cakes at Dufflet's many times, and have always been happy with the quality of their baked goods. The pictures don't do it justice - they make some of the best cake in the city.

It's usually not worth the price. I'd rather get takeout from one of the sushi places on Queen or on Bloor. Overall for me? I'd give it 5/10. If I'm starving, it's acceptable - only because I know it's fairly healthy, not because it tastes any good.

Yeah - my wife and I went there August 4th - I asked our server about the chef. She confirmed that Bragagnolo had left about 3 weeks prior. They don't have a tasting menu any more. The new chef is Sergio something-or-other. Overall I'd say our experience was mixed. Not horrible, but not great either. We had an app each, and an entree each. My veal entree was overcooked, and they seemed to go a bit overboard on the truffle oil on a few of the dishes. The total cost for the meal (without alcohol) was almost $200. I don't think I would go back. It just isn't worth the money. Next time I'll go somewhere else.

I got one of those multi-packs at Sam's Club (or was it Costco... I forget now.) The brand name is "Be" gastronome. It has: Hawaiian salt (115g) Pink salt (124g) Grey salt (100g) Fleur de sel (103g) Brazilian salt (120g) Sea salt (120g) French sea salt (122g) Salt and pepper (104g) Only cost a few bucks - pretty cheap from what I remember. If you're not looking for that much, it may be worthwhile to consider.

Just made a reservation for Lobby for tomorrow, and I was informed that they no longer have their tasting menu available. Anyone been there recently since this change? Is the food still any good?

Oro is: ororestauraunt.com (Elm st. between Bay and Yonge). Celestin has no web address, but is at 623 Mt. Pleasant Rd (at Manor Rd E). I hadn't heard of them either. ← I've eaten at Oro on a number of occasions... it's always been rather good. It seems to be an under-appreciated gem. Try their calamari appetizer - fantastic.

Can't forget about the Taste of the Danforth festival! August 11-13th, 2006. http://www.tasteofthedanforth.com/ Toronto counts as a "small town", right?

Just went to Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto last night! Very nice! It's a tiny little place - only room for 6-8 people per night. Just a single seating at 7:30pm for dinner. Dinner is either 6 or 8 courses ($100 or $150 pp), in traditional Kaiseki style. The website has pictures of all their food. The whole experience is great - try it if you're looking for extremely high-end Japanese.

Just picked one up today... it was good, I suppose, but nothing out of the ordinary. I tend to really like the magazine, and I always make sure to get them. This issue was about the same caliber as any other.

Someone post pictures - please! I'm dying here!

The Cornets are a classic! It's the only way to start a meal at either restaurant....

I got tomato paste in a tube at SLM. I believe it was downstairs( I could be wrong). Randi ← I got tomato paste in a tube at Cheese Boutique. (45 Ripley St.) http://www.cheeseboutique.com/ Right on the counter above the - you guessed it - cheese.

Nope. Restaurant magazine (a UK publication) comes out with their yearly list of the top 50 restaurants in the world. Here is the list: http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/2090.cfm

We were interested in picking and choosing dishes from both menus, but our server very politely steered us away from that direction. "The chef's tasting menu is very special," he said, so we ended up getting 2 nine-course tasting menus - I got the foie gras terrine, but my wife substituted a duck breast dish from the 7 course menu instead of the salad. Dee-lish!

I just read in Toronto Life that Avalon is going to close down in March. That's really a shame - I thought it was a fantastic restaurant. Does anyone know what Chris McDonald is going to be doing after this? Will he be opening another restaurant in Toronto? What will be happening to the old space?

Heck, I also used a flash taking a picture of every course at Per Se last week. Nobody even looked in our direction. Perhaps they are used to it by now....

I'll have to agree - I was very disappointed as well. I come to NYC once a year, and having looked forward to coming here for months, I didn't find that the dinner I had was particularly impressive. It was all fine, I suppose, but not the caliber that I had expected. This past week I went to Le Bernardin, WD-50, and Per Se. Went to Daniel last year. Per Se was the most incredible meal I have had in my life - perfect in every way. WD-50 was extremely inventive and creative, but sometimes to the point that the taste of the food came behind the attempt to be new. Daniel was fantastic. Probably what Le Bernardin should be. Le Bernardin was just OK. Not bad, but definitely not one of the top few restaurants in New York.

I know this is completely off topic, but I have to disagree with this. Schwartz's deli in Montreal is better - bigger sandwiches, and at less than half the price. Even with the exchange rate being what it is. ← But Schwartz's doesn't sell pastrami, they have "smoked meat" sandwiches. ← Technically: pastrami: pas·tra·mi Variant(s): also pas·tromi /p&-'strä-mE/ Function: noun Etymology: Yiddish pastrame, from Romanian pastrama pressed and cured meat : a highly seasoned smoked beef prepared especially from shoulder cuts brisket (a.k.a. "smoked meat") Pronunciation: 'bris-k&t Function: noun Etymology: Middle English brusket; akin to Old English brEost breast : the breast or lower chest of a quadruped animal. I suppose they are a bit different. I'd rather have a big "smoked meat" sandwich in Montreal at CDN$4.55 versus the somewhat smaller (although still tasty) US$12.45 pastrami at Katz's, though. Or am I just being cheap?

I know this is completely off topic, but I have to disagree with this. Schwartz's deli in Montreal is better - bigger sandwiches, and at less than half the price. Even with the exchange rate being what it is.