child of the storm

I just got back from NYC, had an amazing dinner at Momofuku. That scallop dish was outstanding, and I also found the chili squid salad to be a breathtaking dish. Then the 6 of us annihilated the pork butt...frankly, it was one of the best things I've ever eaten. I had a great dinner at Babbo, and a very fun tasting menu at Palo Santo in Park Slope, but that dinner at Momofuku is what I'll remember the most.

If a place like Sassafraz had burned down in my hometown of Montreal - say, a supper club on St. Laurent or something - everyone of course would assume circumstances were dodgy.

Last night I sauteed a duck breast, and then did some potatoes in the fat. There was about half a cup of it in the pan, which I had on high. Diced the potatoes very small like hash browns and threw them in there. After about 4 minutes I drained the fat and stir-fried the potatoes, which cooked beautifully thanks to all the fat they had been previously swimming in. Garlic, s&p, and rosemary...so GOOD. I wish I had made twice as much. Best part is I didn't have to bother with the oven - one pan cooking, got to love that sometimes.

Thanks! I will definitely check a few of those out. And I promise to be home before dark - I know Italian roads and its crazy drivers pretty well.

Kensington Market...Go to Torito. GREAT little tapas place, currently quite hot, and it won't break the bank. Also in Kensington, if it's a nice day you could sit on the patio at Amadeu's and eat very good Portuguese food whilst drinking sangria. La Palette is a terrific and inexpensive French restaurant...they even serve horse, although it's not on the menu to appease the squeamish. Finally, El Trompo has not so much in the way of atmosphere, but serves truly authentic Mexico City-style tacos. On Baldwin, Konnichi-Wa has very, very good ramen noodles - closest I've had to true Japanese street food in Toronto. Or you could get the always-excellent "2 lobsters for $26.95" deal at Wah Sing, which is one of the best Chinese seafood places in town. Lastly, John's Italian has good pizza, and like all places on Baldwin a nice patio. Have fun.

I'm Canadian, I like walking. Or in this case, staggering. And hey, Tuscan countryside, right?

Planning my honeymoon through Italy this summer, and have of course been using eGullet to plan my "restaurant schedule." Yes, it is all laid out on a spreadsheet, and yes I will NOT be showing said spreadsheet to my bride. She already scoffs at the level of my food-nerdiness. However, I could use a specific recommendation for a Castellina in Chianti restaurant. We are staying two nights at the agriturismo Collelungo, and I am planning on at least one night where we get drunk on their wine, stagger into Castellina in Chianti, and have a great meal with more wine. Needless to say I will be leaving the car in the parking lot that night. Anyone?

I like the Daughter too. If you like it there, you'll like Sweaty Betty's, I bet.

For good cocktails, the Paddock is a great choice. The Beaconsfield is a nice environment but can get crowded. I personally drink at Sweaty Betty's a lot, but it might be a bit too hipster-ish for some. I would also suggest Czehoski upstairs, food is great too.

LCBO Vintages is good, it's true. But there's something to be said for a depanneur that will deliver you beer and wine (plonk, but still) in the dead of winter!

I moved here two years ago, born and raised in Montreal, and I guess I just took delivery for granted - you can get virtually any kind of food delivered in the 514. I love to cook but hey, I'm busy, and in Montreal I had delivery at least once a week. Once I had Ethiopian delivered on a date where we unexpectedly stayed at mine, and it showed up nice and hot, the injera fluffy and just right. Here in Toronto, forget about it, except for the occasional pizza or Swiss Chalet (and I prefer St. Hubert). This thread is making me homesick.

I went to Lalot on Friday night for the Winterlicious menu. I was curious to try the place as a friend had raved about it's "nouvelle Viet" dishes, but I was worried that the hipster factor might have won her over. And based on their Winterlicious menu, my fears were well-founded. Starter: Fried calamari & shrimp in salt and "peppa" This was actually the tastiest dish of the night, although you could find this basic recipe executed well all over Chinatown. The shrimp were the tiniest I've ever eaten, but that just gave them a nice popcorn-y quality. Main: Grilled tilapia with Vietnamese herbs An extremely tiny portion of tilapia, and while I prefer many types of fish grilled to slightly rare, tilapia is not one of them. It was a bit slimy. The sauce and herbs were very bland, and in general the dish was under-salted. Served with plain white rice, zzzzzz... Dessert: Poached pear with some kind of syrup I think this was done in rice wine, but really, nothing special. I am so tired of poached pears everywhere. And considering how few calories I had just consumed, I needed something more substantial. One of my companies had the rice pudding (?), which was some weird electric shade of green. Tasted ok, but the colour freaked me out a bit. Look, this meal was only $25, but I was still disappointed. My girlfriend had the stir-fried beef tenderloin with vegetables and it was beyond dull, with low-quality beef. I would have been disappointed had I paid $8 for a takeout container of it on Spadina. She enjoyed the cracker it came with - after it was forgotten at first - and politely asked for another one, only to be brusquely denied by our awful server. Plus the bathrooms were a nightmare of flickering fluorescent lighting, peeling paint, and zero effort whatsoever on decor. A bottle of hand soap from the dollar store, no towels or dryer. Just wipe your hands on your pants I guess. I think Winterlicious is a chance for new restaurants to make a good impression, and Lalot blew it. I won't be going back. And I looked longingly at Rosebud as I hailed a taxi. Would that I had spent more money and gone there instead...

Yep, last night was rapini...blanched first, then sauteed with olive oil, garlic, a bit of lemon zest, and a few chili flakes. Delicious served with trout and I felt like I was doing the best possible thing for my body. I need to eat more meals like that.

Alas, not a chance. Like many Muslims, she drinks...but the pork thing is just a huge taboo for them, seems like. She says it's the one thing that every Muslim tries to stick with, no matter how far they stray from the path. I made a ton of duck confit last week and then realized, no cassoulet will come of this! That's just not right.

I try for Bymark and Canoe every year, and it never happens. A lot of the places I find there's no point, really. I'll probably go out for it at least once or twice though.