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malcolmjolley

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Everything posted by malcolmjolley

  1. It's funny, because my dad was so excited when they brought back the long neck in the 80's. I thought is had always been stubbies. For more history: http://www.stubby.ca/
  2. The spots below have furnished me with some very memorable b urgers, and offer a tasty cold pint of beer to go with: - Allan's on the Danforth - Free Times Cafe on Collage West of Spadina - Utopia on College in Little Italy - The Paddock on Bathurst at Queen The Paddock burger is not on the menu but can be begged for most nights. Very good indeed. Of course there's always the foie gras one at Bymark. [Edited addendum...] I can't believe I forgot the burger at the Victory Cafe. Nicely seasoned and accompanied by excellent fries, plus some kind of dill sauce.
  3. You gotta get a sausage - and I think it depends on the vendor, too. There's a guy who perches at Liberty and Jefferson Streets who has a fine hot italian. I'm sure we could get a list together of the better carts around town. I don't mind the criss-crossing, since it results in more surface area for crispy bits. Like the Ben's/Schwartz's comparison, though.
  4. malcolmjolley

    Leg of Lamb

    Yum! These sound all so good. I'm a big fan of the Jamie Oliver trick of inserting anchovy fillets with the garlic and rosemary.
  5. There was a NY Times Magazine article on the resurgence of PBR last Spring. Apparently it's part of an "anti-brand" / buzz markeitng strategy. I found the whole article free: http://www.robwalker.net/html_docs/pabst.html [edited to include new link]
  6. There are 3 presenters/shows on FT Canada that I will make an appointment for: - Bourdain on Cook's Tour - Jamie Oliver - Nigella And 3 I will stay to watch if they happen to be on: - Iron Chef - Food Hunter - Thirsty Traveler* Doesn't seem like much, but there are entire mainstream networks where I wouldn't watch a single show, so ExtraMSG has a point. * don't think you have the Thirsty Traveler stateside or across the pond. A Canuck travels the world sampling booze.
  7. Pardon my zealotry, but this is rather like complaining that the cheese in a grilled sandwich in a diner is processed, not craft made extra old cheddar. IT AIN'T SUPPOSED TO BE! I grew up on this stuff and there's comfrot level there. I don't want fancy-shmansy. I want a good old street meat with all the fixins for $3. (Mind you, one doesn't actually order a "hot dog"; one orders a sausage (Polish, Hot Italian, Bratwurst, etc.)
  8. Harrumph! 1st of all: I will happily defend the great Toronto Street Meat! There are times when only a hot sausage slathered with ball park, sauerkraut, hot banana peppers and sliced kosher dills will do. Shame on you all, I say, for denigrating a great Hogtown culinary institution! 2nd of all: How could we forget the great Upper Canadian Chip Truck? Doesn't this count?
  9. I'll play too: 1. Susur 2. Scaramouche 3. Perigee 4. Xacutti 5. Pangaea Certainly not exhaustive, but I haven't been to a lot of the city's better restaurants. One of the better meals I've had was at Avalon, but it's more than 5 years ago, so I'm not sure. I still don't get the Fifth, but maybe we just ordered wrong.
  10. Go alone! Brilliant strategy... Thanks for the post, winemike. I'm encouraged to hear that couples were getting a 10 to 15 minute wait. Perfectly reasonable.
  11. I don't get it: Splendido over Scaramouche? Susur: sure...but Chiado? Good, but not the best in the city. We went ot the Fifth on Saturday in no small part because it consistently gets on Chatto's list. Although it was pleasant enough, my wife and I were underwhelmed and wouldn't choose to return. Perigee, on the other hand, is excellent and on par with serious meals we've had in New York, San Francisco, London, etc. (I you want to know what I had see my post in the Perigee thread.) sgfrank: I think Perigee's "inventive and novel" concept is the "Beni Hanna" open kitchen, not the tasting menu.
  12. I understand there are no reservations; has anyone tried to get in lately? How hard would be to snag a table for 2 on a Wednesday? Or a Saturday? I'd love to try it, but I don't want to waste a baby sitting night waiting in line or settling for the Beer Markt.
  13. malcolmjolley

    ULTRA

    Jake, As I remember, the review (I wish the NP had a backlog, so I could post a link), said about as much: excellent food from an excellent chef. It was more a lament that they weren't letting the serious diners finish before it became less supper and more club. Anyway, you'll definitely have to tell us how it goes. Cheers, Malcolm
  14. malcolmjolley

    ULTRA

    LOL, I guess so. Still, Richler's description was scathingly hilarious of the "scene". And this is not how I, or most of the gourmandes I know, want to spend our foodie money. We're far too uptight for this kind of thing in Toronto.
  15. malcolmjolley

    ULTRA

    Jacob Richler had an amusing review a few weeks ago in the Post. If I remember correctly, he said the food was fine, but the atmosphere sucked. His theory was to make money they had to keep the space as a hybrid night club / restaurant. The result being a lot of people showing up for dancing or posing or whatever and the music starting to blare before he got to his dessert.
  16. The Mrs and I finally made it on Friday night and we were not disappointed, from the selection of 5, 6 or 7 courses we each had 6, as follows, as far as I can remember. I didn’t save a menu or take notes, so bear with my vague recollections (especially as the evening wore on and the vino takes hold): Seared scallops with a wild mushroom relish (her) / Deep fried large squid tentacles with a chilli dust and daikon-slaw (me) Braised endive with something or other (her) / a cauliflower compote – actually more like a moulded jelly (me) Pan fried veal sweetbreads with a chard coulis (both) Seared toro on top of foie gras with pea shoots and a hint of truffle (both) Cheese – can’t remember a blue for her and a sheep’s hard for me (both) A waffle something or other (her) / upside down butter tart with rum-raisin ice cream All of this was very, very good. The sweetbreads in particular were masterfully done – as good as I have had them since I lived in Montreal and would have them at Laloux. The upside down butter tart (a sugar tart for those of you not from the Great White North) was about the sweetest richest thing I have ever eaten, which is why I can’t remember what my wife had beyond a waffle. And, incredibly, the cauliflower mould was a wonderfully subtle dish. The open kitchen concept is a little cute, but fun to watch. What wasn't fun was craning my neck around to talk to the servers. But the food is good enough to compensate for the discomfort. We had the accompanying wines with the courses, supplemented with a half bottle of champagne and an extra glass of a Pinot Noire we enjoyed with our main. Not sure about this concept: too many competing flavours and not enough of the better wines for me. Basic verdict: one of the better restaurants in the city. It's not cheap, but neither is it ridiculous for the caliber of the cooking. I would go again in a heartbeat.
  17. malcolmjolley

    Celery

    From what I understand, parsley , carrots and celery are all from the same family. (I have a friend who is violently allergic to all three - poor thing - but nothing else.) I love the crunch and flavour of the stuff added to a risotto.
  18. Funny about your thesis, because in my limited experience criminal lawyers seem to appreciate fine food more. (Or maybe they're just more fun to hang out with.)
  19. Both look great! Thanks. I'm off to browse and shop.
  20. I would like to send my Uncle in Vancouver a foodie present, of the sort one eats. Can anyone recommend a good Canadian e-tailer? Or an American one that can ship over the border. Would be much obliged.
  21. Is there anyone other than Lawyers and IT bods on eGullet? This is scary. (I'm in e-commerce, but I have a law degree and I'm married to a lawyer.)
  22. I was just about to start one of those "the Food Network isn't SO Bad" posts, when I saw that...it clearly IS that bad. [edited for spilling]
  23. Wonderful to have the opportunity to ask you a question. Kudos to eGullet for having you and yourself for taking the time to appear. What's in your library? Which food writers do you read? What have you read lately that you particularly enjoyed and what books are your all time favorites? Malcolm
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