Bueno

Lia is executive sous-chef at Jean Georges. My money is on her.

Please excuse the [shameless] bit of self-promo (but mommy, everyone else is doing it! ): Refined Palate

Interesting discussion and observations. I agree that the heating of all things sandwich is running rampant. Can you imagine being served a hot/toasted bahn mi? Ick. Or a muffaletta? Blech!

I've spent the last 4 months in solitude, searching my soul for the answer, and eating nothing but cheese to come up with what I believe to be my single favourite. Taleggio. There, I did it. Phew.

Toronto Life Blurb Official Website

Colborne Lane. Without a doubt. (Recent meal blew every other Toronto fine dining experience out of the water. Including Susur, Eigensinn, Splendido, Perigee, and the rest of the pack). Chef Aprile is firing on all cylanders and putting some of the highest quality plates you're going to find currently in the city. I realize these are huge claims, but I assure you that it's extremely rare that a restaurant impresses me to this extent. In fact, I rate my meal here as being on the same level as Per Se in NYC, and Manresa in Los Gatos (my two best meals of all-time).

The Europe's Best line of frozen fruits and veggies is of extremely high quality. I don't buy any other brand any more. Their potatoes, baby corn, and carrot balls being my favourite of the veggies, and their Raspberry and Mango in the fruit department. I'm also a sucker for Stouffer's original Mac & Cheese. I also really liked Stouffer's French Bread Pizzas, but they are no longer available in Canada. They were easy to doctor up with extras too.

Being Canadian, I have the distinct pleasure of having access to Ketchup flavoured potato chips at every possible corner store, which is a great fall-back option. Lays only, thanks. But, my all-time favourite are Old Dutch "Dutch Crunch" Chipotle & Lime. A close second is their Buffalo Wing and Blue Cheese flavour. Kettle cooked, and absolutely loaded with flavour. I hate it when chips are so scantly dusted with flavour powder that you can't taste what they're supposed to be. If I wanted plain chips, I'd buy plain chips, you bastards.

I feel so at home here. You are my people. Put me in the camp that staunchly defend the original, humble Egg McMuffin as the best breakfast sandwich in existence. I do enjoy a hashbrown or two with said McMuffin when I do indulge. Which is at least once a month. In fact, I've now got breakfast lined up for the morning. I'd go right now if they were serving them. eGullet owns me.

135 - Mostly big, beautiful coffee table books with lots of glorious food porn, with a modest showing of the genre's all-time best (Zuni, Hot Sour Salty Sweet, Julia books, Bittman, Hazaan, Bastianich, etc.)

1. The French Laundry Cookbook (Keller/Ruhlman) 2. A Return To Cooking (Ripert / Ruhlman) 3. The Babbo Cookbook (Mario Batali) 4. All Donna Hay books 5. Tapas: A Taste Of Spain In America (Jose Andres) 6. Alfred Portale Simple Pleasures (Alfred Portale) 7. The Zuni Cafe Cookbook 8. Boulevard: The Cookbook (Nancy Oakes / Pamela Mazzola) 9. Happy In The Kitchen (Michel Richard) 10. Aquavit Cookbook (Marcus Samuelsson) Honorable Mentions: Simply Ming (Ming Tsai) The Minimalist Cooks Dinner (Mark Bittman) Jamie's Kitchen (Jamie Oliver) Bouchon Cookbook (Keller/Ruhlman) Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine: The Inn at Little Washington

I've got them all. I find them to be the most used cookbooks in my entire collection. I can't think of a recipe I've tried that didn't come out as it should. This isn't mind-bending food; but it's of a high quality, is simple, and usually very visually stimulating which can go a long way in how we percieve it's success/failure. If I have one gripe (and it would be VERY tiny), it's that I've found there to be some repetition from book to book. But I mean, there is enough there to keep me cooking something new for years. I also love that each dish comes with a beautiful colour photo. I'm very visual, and that really appeals to me. In short, I highly reccomend Donna Hay's books. Every time a new one hits the shelves, I unquestionably pick up a copy. Marlene, I was astonished you'd not heard of her up until this point. I think you'll like what you find, after seeing your cooking.

... and he won't be in the kitchen. Sash will, and he's a great chef, but there are certainly better meals to be had. North44 is coasting on it's reputation built in the 90's. I've had numerous expense account meals in the past year at North44 and I can't for the life of me remember a single course. Have you considered Cava? Perigee is wonderful as well, of course. Splendido is another good suggestion. I'd also throw Scaramouche as a consideration for a romantic meal.

Hehehe.. cute. I think you meant "torchon".

B E E F J E R K Y ! Chimichurri! And I agree with Ling; homemade ketchup is great.

I'm in too -- but I'm making mine with Pear-flavoured Grey Goose vodka and a bit of Poire William liquer. Pear and vanilla is perhaps my all-time favourite flavour pairing. Mmmm! Thanks, FG for the inspiration/motivation!

I dunno... the Knicks are pretty consistent. Consistently horrid.

Ahem. I think you're forgetting something... Tim Horton's!

Uhh.. you're the one that started the thread. And with the sentence "It's no secret that Tony Bourdain is my hero". I find it rather amusing that you've taken it upon yourself to criticize others for being in Tony's corner. Did you expect people to automatically agree with your point of view and perhaps shower you with praise and compliments for such a thought-provoking topic of discussion?

In order for us to help, we need to know what you need help with exactly. Where are you stuck? What isn't working? What is the recipe you're using? Etc..

You're being far too vague. That's like saying "I need to know how to make pasta sauce". What kind of foam sauce? What flavours? What ingredients? How are you cooking the dish it'll be served with? Why are you intent on using a foam? Help us help you...

Ahem... I have a feeling I'm going to be going solo on my admission, but I've recently rediscovered canned snails. Great in pasta dishes, doused in garlic butter and roasted in the oven, and most recently used in a new version of bagna cauda (substituting for the anchovies). Tomorrow I plan to stuff squid with them (finely chopped, along with a bunch of other stuff).

I very often do mushroom-cursted beef. Shitakes, morells, porcini, etc.. (in dried form) work lovely when ground up and used as a spice-rub on beef (somewhat flavourless) tenderloin. Works well with venison and other game as well (as mentioned above).

I always make additions to my ramen! I didn't realize I had such large company. Some awesome ideas in this thread. I always add: Sriracha, Ponzu, Fish sauce, lime juice, and sometimes grated ginger and chopped scallions. In fact, I'm gonna go make some right now!

Tupac, you're killing me with that photo! Thank you for posting it. Man, just look at it. It's deliciousness personified! Great choices for your dishes of the year too, bud. Even your "home" dish reached new heights. Bravo!