GordonCooks

Who's the Red Velvet cake guy in Brooklyn?

Many of those plate look very Perigee-esque. I gotta get up north soon (to Perigee that is)

I drink "EVERYTHING"

1. KOBE BEEF CARPACCIO with sesame pickled ginger and a wasabi dressing - Big Cal non-malo chard or Chablis/Meursault 2. SOFT SHELL CRAB with a fennel wakame salad & a blood orange vinaigrette - The Verdelho if you have it, maybe an Albarino (works well with the seaweed) 3. BRAISED DAIKON with organic carrots, honeycomb mushrooms & organic miso - A red or rose if you wanted to use one (Cru Beaujolais depending on the stock) 4. YUZU, LIME BUTTER POACHED LOBSTER with kimchee spaetzle - Gruner Veltliner goes well with Kimchee (I do a lot of Kimchee with soba) maybe a Sancerre or NZ Sauv Blanc (Matua) Stretches but have worked in the past - Greek Vilanas, White Oporto,

That list isn't even half correct

I think the best bartenders treat the regulars "better" than the other customers.

Canoe is "the" power lunch place in Toronto - beautiful room and wonderful food. JK Wine bar is a foodie's place but not so much as to impress.

50-60 for 375ml is right.

That's not the real recipe - Nick (the father) had to give it up at a card game years ago (he's since passed on) ← I suspected something like that... So Gordon, if you were jonesing for a garbage plate at 2am, (which is generally the only time they seem like a really good idea) where would you go? ← Well...seeing as how the original Nick's closes at 9:00 now, you could visit the second location on Lyell Ave in Gates. The sauce is sweeter than the original (due to a heavy hand with the clove) but the mac salad is mass production variety. There are a slew of imitators i.e. - the rubbish plate, the trash plate, the dumpster plate, etc For the true plate afficionado - Mark's on Monroe ave (must be after 12:30 when the night crew is on..don't ask) Some may argue Gitsis down the road but it pales by comparasion due to inferior burger patty quality. Double cheeseburger plate, with well done fries and cold, runny mac salad, extra hot sauce (their recipe comes as close to the original Nick's as I've tasted but with slightly less heat) and a half bottle of ketchup on the whole mess. It wasn't so many years ago that I was bartending and it was a once a week ordeal. My personal favorite edit - street address

That's not the real recipe - Nick (the father) had to give it up at a card game years ago (he's since passed on)

Sarah stole that one from my mother - I've been eating those since I was five

Riedel Wine Tumbler

I've had more meals in Toronto than I can count. I've always had excellent service in high end places and better than expected service in the small cafes and such. I don't have a european experience to compare it to but it's certainly on par with New York, Philly, Boston , Chicago, etc

Cooking is one the last noble crafts we have in the modern world - to eat a fine meal is one of the most satisfying things I can do. To prepare a fine meal is one of the most gratifying things I can do. Bon Apetit

Someone plan a market day

I bought a bunch of large tablespoons at a garage sale. They reside in a steel cylinder next to the stove (about a dozen) as I go through a meal, I use and toss into the sink. After, I wash them and reload the cylinder.

Hmm, you say you worked in the industry, but I'm guessing as a 'front of the house' sort. I have, but in the back - with the honest blokes . Otherwise, I'm guessing you wouldn't 'sympathize' so much. I don't - not with the waiters.Someone mentioned that it is customary in some restos to pool tips and then share with the kitchen lowlifes. But from what I know, if this happens at all (and it didn't where I worked), the lowly cooks receive no more than a token 5% of the night's haul. Result: waiters make 2x to 3x as much $$ per night (or more) when compared to the cooks, at least in my experience. And don't forget that the cooks are the important ones, the noble souls who toil with love and care and actually craft the fine dishes you consume. The waiters are mere delivery-people, who condescend to the kitchen, get the glory, and suck up the cash. They're just in it for the money. So if you dine out during Winterlicious, and you really enjoy the food, please tip the kitchen. They'll probably be flummoxed, and then invest it in beer. ← FOH? Nay I say! I've never waited a table in my life - the bulk of my time was spent behind the bar years ago but I still consider many hardworkin "cooks" as good friends and get drafted into duty at least once a month. I'm always more that happy to fill in for a sick line guy or work the off-site catering gig or cover for the a vacationing person. I still scatch my head as to why it's fun to be 12 tickets deep behind a blodgett the size of a grand piano. Servers? there are good and bad just like anything else (I've thrown a spatula or two in my day) BUT, a good server is the face of your restaurant, direct customer contact. They will make or break the dining experience - personally, I'm someone who prefers to work in a 110 deg kitchen than have some jerkoff run my ass off all night and all I can do is smile and say "yes, ma'am" Any cook worth his salt will work his way up the ladder, learning, developing, maturing, etc. I consider it a craft and work experience as training. Ultimatley, the goal is to run their own kitchen some day. My other rule? heaven help the bartender who doesn't take care of the kitchen at the end of the night. I guess I'm starting to see that it's more where you feel your money is going - to each is own but these things always have a way of working out. I'm friendly with both sides of this argument - the one common factor is that neither would trade places with the other.

I find that a round of beers, cocktails, or shared pours of a good wine is always appreciated. Even if they get shift drinks, it's the thought that counts.

So, how many pennies or did you lose count?

The doesn't make a difference to me - I guess I don't understand on getting so worked up about something like the tip. I enjoy dining, it's one of the few pleasure my hectic life allows me. I guess I just don't get so worked up over a buck or two. The reason I tip well is having worked in the industry many years ago - I can sympathize. I get more attention than I care to because I'm such an asshole anyway.

Hmm, you're right. Let's say the orange costs $1.00. I guess what I should do, then, is pay the poor fruit-seller $2.00. Then he would smile a lot, call me sir, and treat me better than the cheap customers who just pay a buck. I'd like that! ← That's the spirit

How is Yitz's these days? I always grab cigars but I've never eaten there

Senegal's a nice place and, actually...[KevV gives a smug grin]... tipping ratios in Toronto and Dakar are quite similar - around 15%. Many places favoured by foreigners will include service charges in the bill, however, because of the French influence. That's better to me. I don't believe the subject is old news either. Differences are interesting. Culture, cuisine and dining all go together. Also, this hasn't been a 'diatribe' about differences between cultures. This has been about Toronto - dining here, and Winterlicious. Someone mentioned France and NonDoctor asked about other countries. As for Rome - I haven't been there so someone else can fill us in. ← Well....next time you're in Japan, buy an orange and give the guy a quarter because that's how much they are at the St Lawrence market.

Roxanne Klein and Colonel Sanders

We overtip because we forget about all the pst, gst, etc and we can't do math in our heads. A diatribe on the economic differences of tipping within various cultures is old news. Basically, we're talking about Toronto, not Senegal, when in Rome...? To use an old hockey adage,"If the cheapskate fits...well.."