Cheap Eats Toronto restaurant guide blog

Poll: Alternative Breakfasts

Following our discussion of alternative breakfasts, what would you have for breakfast that is non-egg and non-sweet?

QotW: What’s For Breakfast

Yesterday I got into an interesting conversation with Todd, Heather & Jennifer yesterday about breakfasts. It started with Todd’s comment “Went out for breakfast last weekend and realized: have you discovered the cheap, greasy joy of halwa puri? Big breakfast: $5.95”  Halwa puri being a “sweet semolina, chickpea curry, potato curry, and paratha (kind of greasy)”, which Todd had here: Shaheen Halal Tikka & Kabab House

It got us into a discussion which generated this week’s question about "alternative breakfast spots".

What do you get for a yummy non-egg, non-sweet breakfast?

Alternatives that came up were:

• halwa puri
• dim sum
• foul
• dosa
• doubles
• pho
• menudo

What do you order when you want something non-egg, non-sweet for breakfast? 

You can join in the conversation below by adding a comment below or follow the discussion on twitter using the hashtag #TObreakfast

National Hot Dog Day

Today, July 22nd, is National Hot Dog Day 2009. So says the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council.

Sure, it’s a US organisation but I’m sure many of us will celebrate it with relish. 

Here’s a little “hot dogs are evil” article for those of us who lean that way.

I got the one in the photo from Auberge de Pommier at Toronto Taste.  It was haute-hot-dog since it was a boudin blanc made with scallops & topped with apple-wood smoked wild salmon roe.  Not exactly a hot dog cart treat.

I would point you to our outstanding chat on the best hotdog vendors around Toronto (here) but unfortunately I didn’t capture all your comments thinking the twitter widget would… and then twitter dumped all the past discussions.  Sorry!

Please feel free to remind me of your favourites in the comments below.

Are You A Foodie?

Recently a friend asked me if I minded being called a “foodie”.

I don’t. For me “foodie” came along as a replacement in language for labels such as “gourmet” and “epicure”, and indicated a shift from food snobbery towards embracing casual home cooking, good quality comfort food and the tasty goodness that comes from what is patronizingly called “honest food”.  If I have to use a label I want it to be one that does not imply pretensions around food and food knowledge while still reflecting the enthusiasm, passion and enjoyment I get from learning more about the production, preparation and origins of the food I eat. 

However recent more people do object to being labeled a “foodie” feeling that the term “foodie” has evolved to imply a snobbery and that pretension I work so hard to avoid personally and professionally.  Or that it has devolved to become, as the NYmag.com’s Grub Street  puts it, “a derogatory term used to describe those who sit at home watching Semi-Homemade on the Food Network.”

Even harsher is one of the Urban Dictionary definitions, where one contributor added that foodie is “A politically correct term for a fat person”.

So, how about you? What do you think being a “foodie” means? Do you embrace or reject the label?  What would you prefer to be called?

QotW: Odd, Interesting, Shocking

In honour of this weekend’s Night Market – newly renamed Night It Up – and a recent request I’ve gotten for a source of frog’s legs, the

Question of the Week is:

What is the oddest, most interesting and/or most shocking thing you've ever eaten? #OddFood

So far the results have included Fried Squirrel, Spicy Fried Ants, Goat’s Liver Curry, Python, Year-old Yogurt Tube and Prairie Oysters.

So how about you?

On A Sunny Afternoon, It’s Beer Time

It’s a beautiful Friday afternoon, and the sun is shining bright, so of course my mind turns to a cold refreshing glass of beer.

What’s your favourite sunny day beer?

Light or dark? Hoppy or citrusy? Craft brew or import? Ale or Lager?  Stout or Porter? 

The options are endless and tasty…

So what is your favourite beer?

[ooops… this “other” field was supposed to let us write in options and have you chose from them too… please add your comments below  (click here) if this very limited list doesn’t include your favourite!]

Some of the missing favourites are included below:

Loving The Food Side of Toronto!

Toronto marks the 175 anniversary of incorporation for the City of Toronto.  Happy Birthday Toronto, you don’t look a day over 100!

The Toronto Star just posted Toronto Star’s 175 reasons to love Toronto and their list includes 15 foodie related reasons including a couple of my favourites:

• 30. Dining on pho at 2 in the morning.
• 45. The dim sum is as good as the tapas. (And the antipasti are as good as the panchan. And ...)
• 64. Marvelling at the machines that churn out sweet walnut cakes in Little Korea.
• 127. Feeling like you're the first to discover fresh pupusas on Augusta Ave.

In celebration of our city and it’s fantastic food, I figured I’d put out a call for why you love the foodie side of Toronto.

Gluten Free Toronto

With more allergies and food intolerances popping up, I’m getting more and more requests for restaurants that cater to more than just your tastebuds.

Yesterday, I got a tweet from @hsanderson asking about:

“any good gluten free restaurants that you know of on the cheap?”

The only one on my radar was Magic Oven, who offer gluten-free pizzas as an option for both eat in and delivery.  I thought Danijela's or One of a Kind Pasta also had gluten-free options but I can't confirm.

So I’m asking you. Here’s what we’ve  heard back so far:

• ginger_bee: Live and Rice Bar have some great gluten free options
• thenaomi:  Veda has many gluten-free options
• CherylRonna: Not sure what the "cheap eats" range is. Il Fornello has gluten-free pizza. Does that count?
• cheryljhoward: Magic Oven pizzas are offered gluten free but they charge up to $6 for it. I find them overpriced and not really that good.
• superflashphoto: how about Big Mamma's Boy? http://www.bigmammasboy.ca/
• hsanderson: thanks! I haven't tried Veda, Rice Bar or Big Mamma's Boy yet. Also heard about Deep Blue Fish and Chips, but haven't got there yet

How about it?  Know any good, cheap, gluten-free restaurants we can add to the list?

Technorati Tags: gluten free,toronto,restaurants

Your Favourites from 2008

The final post in this series of Favourites from 2008 is from you.  Favourite restaurant, food or drink event, taste experience, ingredient, dining adventure – they are all options. 

Here are some of the responses that have already come in via twitter (@ceto)

michalhay what about Cafe Crepe on queen west, definitely under $15 or even under $10 including a drink

• Cafe Crepe, 246 Queen St W, 416.260.1611, CheapEats Toronto pg. 49

TO_realestate just used a 2 for 1 coupon (c/o Toronto Life magazine) at Joe Badaldi's. the food was AMAZING and not that expensive!!

• Joe Badali's, 156 Front St W, 416.977.3064

tribal Best dim sum in Toronto. Bright Pearl is my favourite, but it's 5 blocks from my house. There HAS to be better: http://tinyurl.com/85g6b2

• Bright Pearl Seafood Restaurant, 346 Spadina Ave, 416.979.1103, CheapEats Toronto pg. 45

robtyrie cheapeats.... Yitz’s, Ackee Tree on Spadina, Swatow on Spadina, Jules on spadina, Seven Numbers on Eglinton, Five Doors North

• Yitz’s Deli, 346 Eglinton Ave. W, 416.487.4508, CheapEats Toronto pg. 152
• Ackee Tree, 170 Spadina Ave, 416.866.8730
• Swatow, 309 Spadina Ave, 416.977.0601, CheapEats Toronto pg. 140
• Jules Restaurant Tarterie, 147  Spadina Ave, 416.348.8886
• Seven Numbers, 516 Eglinton Ave. W, 416.322.5183, CheapEats Toronto pg. 131
• Five Doors North, 2088 Yonge St, 416.480.6234

jasoneano brunch at Moroco in Yorkville, ribs at Foxley, Falafel plate at College Falafel, Steak&Fries at Sidecar, Ninja roll at Asa, Vera's Kitchen

• MoRoCo Chocolat, 99 Yorkville Ave, 416.961.2202
• Foxley’s, 207 Ossington Ave 416.534.8520
• Sidecar, 577 College St, 416.536.7000
• Asa Sushi, 18 Jane St, 416.604.3001
• Vera's Kitchen, 90 Eglinton Ave E, 416.482.2878

What were your foodie favourites from 2008?

Technorati Tags: robtyrie,jasoneano,michalhay,tribal,TO_realestate

Gotta Getta Corn Dog!

  IMG_0662
Originally uploaded by Phil Marion.

This week's  CheapEats Photo of the Week is   IMG_0662 taken by Phil Marion.  (Add your own photo to the CheapEats Toronto Flickr Group and it could be our next Photo of the Week.)

Vovici Online Survey Software

Because what is the CNE without Corn Dogs aka Pogos?  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.  I like Tiny Tom's doughnuts so much that I took a video of them cooking one year.

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.

For a little bit of CNE food trivia, did you know that each year more than:

• 18,000 glasses of lemonade are consumed
• 50 tonnes of butter are used for butter sculptures
• 20,000 lbs of Tiny Tim Donuts are devoured

If you are planning your visit around the food building, check out our Food Building Favourites post listing all your, and my, food building favourites.