Cheap Eats Toronto restaurant guide blog

Breakfast in the Sky

I just returned from what is probably the most invigorating breakfast I have ever had, all to launch Amex's Summerlicious (July 4-20). But more on that later... right now I'm still buzzing from eating yoghurt & granola 35 metres above Yonge-Dundas Square.

As part of Amex's launch of Summerlicious, I was invited to have breakfast in the sky with Dinner in the Sky.  22 of us were seated, strapped in and hoisted up, up and up!  Then the champagne was popped and we all cheered, while I gripped the edge of the table tightly.

The chef, server, photographer & safety guy were walking around in the centre of the table looking after us all.  We were served Yoghurt, granola & fruit with pastries and we ate our breakfast, sipped our mimosas and snapped photos to our hearts content. All while dangling in the air on level with the huge billboards that surround Dundas Square..

The chairs even swivelled all the way around so you could dangle your feet and feel truly adventurous. All the while safely strapped into your seat with 3 separate seatbelts.

I've been waiting to try a Dinner in the Sky since I read about it being launched in London, so when I was invited to come out for it's launch in Canada, it was hard to control my enthusiasm.

It was the most invigorating breakfast I've every had and one of my top 10 dining experiences so far.  The food was okay, the company was great and the view was spectacular. And it just got better when I relaxed enough to swing my chair around a bit.

This is a not to be missed dining experience and a fantastic way to build some buzz around Summerlicious.

Thanks to Amex, Dinner in the Sky & Hill & Knowlton for the invite!

Toronto Taste

You'll just have to come to Toronto Taste and find out.

Join Toronto’s most inventive and altruistic chefs as they create some of the most memorable dishes you’ll ever have the privilege of tasting at Second Harvest's

Toronto Taste 2008  

Chef's are giving their passion and skill (and donating all their ingredients) so you can enjoy gourmet fare and equally impressive libations – all to support Second Harvest – Sunday, June 8th, 2008.

Here are some photos from Toronto Taste 2007.

Tickets are $225 and even with the tax receipt for $125 this is not a CheapEat, however it's a great event for an even greater cause.

For tickets and more information Click Here

or help out by:

• donating to Second Harvest
• buying a raffle ticket 
• volunteering at Toronto Taste.

Technorati Tags: second harvest, toronto taste, toronto taste 2008, toronto chefs, toronto restaurants, food events

[For disclosure purposes: I am on the Steering Committee for Toronto Taste 2008. ]

Tech Update & Apology

First of all,

Apology for those repetitive posts

I'd like to apologize for filling your RSS Readers with those "Quick  Notes".   My intent was to use LoudTwitter to share the CheapEats Toronto twitter updates with you.

But what was initially a quick and easy way to share short notes turned into an RSS-clogging annoyance.  

So I've turned it off, and hopefully that's the last you'll be seeing of that.

Tech Update - @CETO on twitter

However, we are doing occasional twitter updates which might be of interest to you.  If you are on twitter, you can follow @CETO, send comments to @CETO, or even tag your CheapEats tweets with #CETO.

If you aren't on twitter or if you want to track the whole CheapEats Toronto experience on twitter, check out http://twitter.zappos.com/ceot. The guys at Zappos.com/Zappos.ca set this up for us and it's great! (Thanks Zappos!)

Tech Update - New Plethora Press Store for CheapEats

On a less frustrating note, we've successfully launched our new sales site for CheapEats - the Plethora Press Bookstore (Plethora Press is our publisher, who is also us.)

Thanks to everyone who helped get test it out.  Your books are in the mail.

Did you miss out?  Sale extended to May 19th!

If you missed out on the sale, the discount checkout code cheapeater has been extended until Monday May 19th and works for CheapEats Toronto and the just-published CheapEats Ottawa.

Thanks for your patience!

Technorati Tags: CheapEats Ottawa, CheapEats Toronto, books, bookstores, Plethora Press, twitter, ceto, zappos.com, quick notes, apology

Where's The WIFI?

Last week, I was surprised by the lack of WIFI at Lettieri's Yorkville location. After complaining about my confusion, I decided to email their Director of Operations, Halina Walkiewicz, and ask what the WIFI situation actually was.  

Halina immediately replied with clarification - not all Lettieri locations have WIFI, but the following list do:

• 79 Front St East
• 21 St Clair Avenue W., @ Yonge
• 571 Bloor St West @ Bathurst.
• 77 Wellesley Street East @ Church St.
• 25 Adelaide Street East @ Victoria (snazzy new location)

Oddly enough, these are the ones I frequent most, so no wonder I thought they were all equipped. 

Technorati Tags: wifi, toronto, lettieri, yorkville, cafes, coffee shops

Ontario Brewing Awards Winners

Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to sit in on the 5th annual Ontario Brewing Awards and sample some of the Gold Medal winners. 

57 brands of Ontario brews were submitted for judging across 15 different categories.  The big winners were Mill Street Brewery walking away with 3 Golds, 3 Silvers and 1 People's Choice.  Close behind were Brick and Great Lakes Breweries with 2 Golds, 2 Silvers and 2 People's Choice each.  The People's Choice favourite was Nickel Brook with 3 People's Choice and 2 Silver Medals.

The awards, which caused some brew-ha-ha last year, were judged this year by a panel of beer experts and some regular beer drinking folks.  The Gold and Silver Medals were based on the expert tastings and the People's Choice were based on the whole panels input.  

As soon as the photo above hit Flickr, comments started coming in on the winners:

• Adam said "Hockley Stout? Gotta try that... the dark is already almost a stout."
• Raj said the Belgian Wit is "Good for the patio"
• Arieh added a note to Cameron's Auburn, "The Auburn is my favourite"

Which are you favourites? Any surprises on the list?

Keep reading for the full list of Gold, Silver and People's Choice Winners.  

What the WIFI?

When did Lettieri stop offering WIFI?

I dropped by the Yorkville location last week for a quick coffee and email check only to find there was no access.  So I asked and woman behind the counter told me if I sat near the window I might be able to pick something up. 

I was sure that all Lettieri locations had WIFI.  It was one of the great things about them.  Did I miss something?

Technorati Tags: lettieri, wifi, yorkville, cafe, ceto

Sun's Kitchen Hand-Made/Hand-Cut Noodles

One of the cool things we did this weekend with some of our visiting CheapEats Ottawa writers was to the Pacific Mall (and it's food kiosks!)

After getting lots and lots of suggestions of which places to try first, and lists of people's favourites, the first thing to hit us was the smell of fresh waffles wafting down the narrow aisles. The next thing we noticed was the smack-smack-smack sound of hand-made noodles being kneaded at Sun's Kitchen.

 
We decided to cruise all the restaurants, food kiosks and vendors in the food court before making a decision, but we all ended up in front of Sun's Kitchen ordering noodle soups anyway.

The noodles are made to order and with the smack-smack-smack sound of the noodles being stretched, and the guy across the aisle playing tunes on his small pipes, it really attracts a crowd.

If you listen carefully you can hear us ordering spring rolls and pan fried dumplings to round out our noodle soups.

Tip - the Noodle Soups are the way to go. Skip the spring rolls and pan-fried dumplings. While the dumplings come with a great honeycomb thing that's pretty to photograph, it's super greasy and not in the same class as the Noodle Soup.

Technorati Tags: noodles, markham, pacific mall, noodle soup, food court, cheapeats toronto, sun's kitchen

Romance CheapEats Style

Keith asked: Is it really possible to have a quality or romantic experience inexpensively?

Certainly!  

There are plenty of romantic and interesting spots where with a little planning or attention to ordering, you can have a great romantic experience with good service and ambiance without breaking the bank. 

Some Quick Tips?

• Cocktails at home - markups are big on booze, so keep your restaurant drinking to a minimum.  Have a cocktail or a glass of wine at home before heading out.  Even better, setup an intimate corner at home to have your dessert & liqueurs and let the evening progress from there. 
• Share your food - appetizers and desserts are perfect sharing courses and sharing is always a great way to get close and isn't getting close the main objective of romance. 
• Show some flair – know a quiet but not so fancy spot with great food… bring your own candles and linen. Hey, the restaurant might even let you set it up in advance if you are really going all out. I have a friend who proposed in a burger joint.
• Get into the mood – cluttered chic and twinkle lights may not be your idea of classy, but boho  spots can be a lot of fun if you relax and embrace the environment. Cuddle in to avoid that spring poking out of the couch and enjoy your calamari.

I polled the rest of the CheapEats team for more tips on how they do romance on the cheap...

Mimi's No More

Mimi's No More

In a span of 3 days, I had 2 people tell me that Mimi's closed. Anna emailed to let me know and then I ran into Bob Blumer who told me about the obit he wrote for Now. (don't worry, Mimi herself is fine)

---

Technorati Tags: cheapeatstoronto, mimi's, bob blumer, now magazine, red pen update, closure

Paczki Day

Did you know that Fat Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday, is also known as Paczki Day?  Though in some places, it's celebrated on Fat Thursday instead.

The idea being that making these little balls of loveliness use up all the extra "sugar, lard, eggs and fruit in the house, which are forbidden during Lent."  [Wikipedia]

Though you don't have to make them yourself if you want to celebrate Paczki Day.  We swung by Granowska's in Roncesvalles Village and picked up the mini-paczki (in the photo) filled with a fantastic plum filling and a couple of full sized paczki filled with rose petal (rosepetle) jam.

Sarah's description is bang on "...paczki, a traditional Polish treat. These soft, sweet doughnuts are filled with jam, cheese or poppy seed and almond, and are truly addictive"

Addictive is right! I'm already scheming my next visit to Granowska's.  

 

Technorati Tags: paczki day, fat tuesday, granowska's, paczki, SR, cheapeatstoronto, ceto, roncesvalles village

Lunch Money Day

Hi guys,

as you might know, I'm on Second Harvest's steering committee for Toronto Taste 2008. (more on that later)  

I just got a note from Second Harvest looking for volunteers for their upcoming Lunch Money Day, so I thought I'd take a moment and spread the word:

On Lunch Money Day, February 21, 2008,  Second Harvest asks Torontonians to brown-bag their lunch and donate the cost of a bought lunch to Second Harvest. Every $5 provides 10 healthy and nutritious meals to people in need, including children, men and women in different programs across the GTA, including at women's and homeless shelters, school meal programs, food banks and more.

Would You Glow For Sushi?

In a today's New York Times article "Warnings Don't Deter Lovers of Sushi", New Yorkers are quite cavalier about lab results showing that tuna samples from 5 New York sushi restaurants - Gourmet Garage, Nobu Next Door, Sushi Seki, Sushi of Gari and Blue Ribbon Sushi - all had  unusually high levels of mercury.  Some of the people quoted chose non-tuna items, some chose tuna anyway and Roberta Berman of Staten Island was reported to have shrugged and said :

“If I become iridescent from it, I become iridescent from it.” She added. “I’ll glow in the dark.”

What would you do if the craving for sushi hit?

Technorati Tags: sushi, new york times, mercury, warnings, gourmet garage, nobu next door, sushi seki, sushi of gari, blue ribbon sushi

2008 Reservation Resolution

I'm not a fan of New Year's Resolutions. I think that if you want to change things in your life, you should change things.  It's like promising to quite smoking in 3 days.  Trust me, those extra 3 days worth of smokes aren't going to do you any more good than those last 3 days.

However, sometimes, deep inside, I do make an annual restaurant resolution.  I will identify a restaurant that I'd like to try but haven't gotten to yet and commit to eating there at least once in the coming year.

Last year's restaurant was C5. The year before was the Rosewater Supper Club.

This year? Well, I think it's ONE

Do you have a 2008 must-try dining experience or restaurant?

Technorati Tags: toronto, must try, resolutions, restaurants, rosewater supper club, c5, mark mcewan, one, where to eat, aspirational eating, fine dining

Almost Ready - Lahore Tikka House

Almost Ready

Check it out! This is the new Lahore Tikka House finally unveiled, though not open yet.

As expected, it's huge. Two stories and a parking lot too.

I can't wait until they open for real. I wonder if they will still have the wonderful patio in the summer, or if those railing on the roof mean they'll have it up there.  I miss summer meals on their patio surrounded by twinkling lights and colourful billowing fabrics.

Food Building Favourites

It's okay, you can admit it.  We all have our favourites. Those treats we crave all year and can only get at the CNE.  The media use them to remind us of the tastes and smells of the EX (the good ones anyway), and most of us leave with our bellies full and talking about how much bigger, better or cheaper they were before.  But we all know we'll be craving them again soon and spend another year fantasizing about our favourite treats. Tiny Tom's Donuts are one of my "must have" treats. I watch them roll off the conveyor belt, get scooped up and shaken in cinnamon sugar, and my mouth waters as they are handed to me, still warm, in their brown paper bag... oh baby! This year the folks at the CNE sent me a full list of the Food Building vendors.  So for those of you who haven't made it out to the Ex yet, here is the full list (plan accordingly) MEALS & SNACKS 99c¢ Spaghetti Ali's West Indian Roti Shop (CETO pg. 96) American Original Seafood Angel Garden Chinese Anouosh Mr. Shawarma Bourban Street Grill Café' India Grill & Wrap California Burgers Campfire Grill Charlie's Farms Shish Kebob House Chicago Fries, Steak & Salad Coaches Corner (Perogies) Curly Q Fries & Finger Foods

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Take-Out Boxes

You know the ones. You see them in movies all the time.  It's late at night, the deadline is fast approaching but the problem is still not solved.  Someone has run down and picked up Chinese food.  People are pacing back and forth, chopsticks in one hand, box in the other, slurping noodles and solving the problems of the world.  I want to do that!

So I've been on a quest. I've been looking for a place that serves take-out in these boxes for years.   Every new city I go to I see if I can find a place that uses them for take out or delivery. I scoured the phone book in New York City calling every likely place... no boxes.  I've checked Chinatowns all across Canada & the US. Even in Europe.  I have never found a place that served food in these boxes.

I had decided they were simply the stuff of legend. Props used in movies but not in real life. Catering cliches. 

That is until Sunday when I was cycling along Gerrard and saw a guy carrying one of these boxes with "Thai Express" clearly labeled on the side. I nearly ran into the side of a truck.  I knew then and there, I'm getting me some Thai Express.