Cheap Eats Toronto restaurant guide blog

It's National Grilled Cheese Day

Logan Grill(ed) Cheese -- Thanks to
Charlatan001 for use of the photo.

While I can't find an official website confirming this, Natalie MacLean's Nat Decants newsletter tells me it is so, and Natalie is rarely wrong.

Besides, it's never a bad day for a Grilled Cheese Sandwich whether you eat it with tomato soup, top it with crumbled bacon or dip it in ketchup.

What's your Grilled Cheese Style?

Technorati Tags: national grilled cheese day, grilled cheese, charlatan001, natalie maclean

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...

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

Diwali - Eid Street Celebration

Gerrard India Bazaar celebrates Diwali and Eid every year in the Bazaar. This year these two important holidays happen to occur at the same time of the year.

To celebrate the holidays, the Gerrard India Bazaar has planned Diwali-Eid celebrations for 2pm-10pm from Friday October 20th to Sunday October 22nd.

Gerrard Street from Greenwood to Coxwell will be filled with lights and music, food and shopping. A large movie screen on the south side of Hiawatha Street, screening Bollywood songs.. Henna artists will be on hand along Gerrard St, as will sweet tables where Surati Sweet Mart will be distributing 6000 laddu free. The entire neighbourhood will be adorned with lights welcoming the Festival of Lights.

It Makes Thanksgiving...

Yes, Thanksgiving is just days away and I'm already salivating.  Turkey - yum!  Cranberry sauce - extra yum!  Potatoes - yum!  Apple in any and all forms - yum yum yum!

What makes Thanksgiving really Thanksgiving for you?

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Not cooking, but still hankerin' for a turkey dinner, check out Andrew Currie's Turkey Smackdown. 

Andrew Currie's T.O. Turkey Smackdown

As the first in our upcoming series of CheapEats' Celebrity Recommendations, we are keeping in season by presenting Andrew Currie's T.O. Turkey Smackdown. For Thanksgiving 2005 Andrew sampled the turkey dinner offerings at two of Toronto's old school favourites and provided us with his views on their turkey, 'taters, and pie.

---

Andrew Currie's T.O. Turkey Smackdown'05

... Wherein your humble author declares the victor in the ages-old battle for turkey dinner supremacy between Fran’s and The Tulip.

First up: Fran’s

Toronto’s oldest surviving diner (I think) scored points right off the bat for serving up their Thanksgiving special all weekend long*. My lady friend and I took them up on it early Friday evening.

For $19.99 we got a three-course meal, including soup or salad to start. Knowing what was in store we both chose the salad, and were rewarded with a bowl of huge uncut chunks of iceberg lettuce soaking in a small pool of Italian dressing.

And then, the main attraction…

Pancake Tuesday - YUM!

Strawberry & Nutella - Café Crêpe

Today is Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, or as I grew up knowing it Pancake Tuesday.

I never knew when exactly it was, or even why exactly it was, but mom always made me crepes! She'd slice up the nicest fresh fruit she could find, whip up cream, and make sure we had a little duster filled with powered sugar. It was a great surprise, especially since I never knew when it was coming. Was it Februrary? April? March? Who knew? Mom did and she kept it secret. (My mom rocks!)

So now I'm "grown up", it's time to fill my own day with pancakes: Bellwoods, The -- 759 QueenSt.W - pg. 40 Bloor-Jane Restaurant -- 2434 Bloor St.W - pg. 43 le Petit Dejeuner -- 191 King St.E - pg. 94 New York Café -- 757 Broadview Ave - pg. 109 crêpes: Café Crêpe -- 246 Queen St.W - pg. 49 Tequila Bookworm -- 490 Queen St.W - pg. 143 Izba Restaurant -- 648 The Queensway - pg. 82 and tasty tasty dosa: Annapurna Vegetarian Restaurant -- 1085 Bathurst - pg. 35 Chennai Chef -- 3517 Kennedy Rd - pg. 52 Everest Indian Cuisine -- 2356 Lakeshore Blvd.W - pg. 67

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So, why not celebrate Pancake Tuesday by throwing a little love around? And what the hell - buy yourself a crepe too.