ACTINOLITE: No farmer would subsist on these dishes
These are the memoirs of a meal I ate at Actinolite a few weeks ago. The restaurant is named after a small farming town in Ontario, which, if one were to infer from the portion sizes at this restaurant, has a starving underfed population. To sum up what is to come, the service was terrible, the food was at times delicious, at times misguided, and the building looks wonderful.
Our server started the evening off this way:
Server: “Hi, is this your first time visiting Actinolite?”
Us: “Yes, it is.”
Server: “Oh…well…I mean…do you know about the food?”
Us: “No, please tell us.”
Server: “Well, what their doing here is really, um, innovative and on the cutting edge.”
Us: ::Realizing he told us nothing about the food:: “Ahh thanks. We’ll order drinks. We’ll have a bottle of [insert name of second cheapest red wine].”
Server: “You know, at that price point I think you can do better, for example, I’d recommend…ummm…can I see the menu? ::we hand the server the menu:: You know you can get, well…I think..no, actually, I think that Red is the best you can do.”
The server couldn’t answer basic questions about the menu (What kind of berries are these in this dish?) and kept interrupting our conversation instead of waiting for natural breaks. All that would be fine if he didn’t have such a pretentious attitude. In fact, if I revisited Actinolite again, and saw him working, I would walk out before being seated. He was that frustrating.
Food
We had a three course menu. The most memorable dish was simply two braised carrots. By far the best carrot I’ve had. And at $6 a carrot, it should be.
The presentation of the food needed work. For some reason, despite spending major money on renovating the building, Actinolite served its food on dark Ikea plates (at least, they match my Ikea plates at home). Not only does it look cheap, the dim lighting in the building combined with the dark plates made it difficult to see the details of what we were eating. Most places use white plates for a reason: it makes the colors and textures of the food visible to the guest.
The food was good. Simple. The portions were amazingly small. The lamb that most of the table ordered was two to three bites of meat for about $24. I ordered trout which was slightly larger in size, but rather bland besides some dill. The people of Actinolite must be a skinny folk if this is their diet, and they must be poor if their food costs this much. There is little value to be found. It’s also unfortunate that the small country style touches that would set Actinolite apart fall completely flat. For example, one dish used a juniper infused oil. No one could taste any juniper – if it was there it was masked by the dill. In fact, the chef’s love of dill became a running joke at the table, since it was appearing strongly in almost every dish. When the time came to order dessert, one person joked that there was probably going to be dill in it. We laughed. We then laughed harder when the server described the savory dill ice cream on the menu.
The Building
The location is beautiful. The redesign of the building turned out well, and I love the wine cellar at the bottom of the stairs on the way to the washroom.
Buddha Pie
With Buddha in the name, you’d expect a humble, quiet, and contemplative pizza shop. And while the small place, decorated with children’s drawings on pizza boxes, certainly is humble, the owner is a gregarious, funny, and a genuinely nice guy. His sign advertising rabbit pizza on the day before Easter drew me in, and I’m glad it did.
The pizza here is interesting. It is by far the thinnest crust I have ever had. The dough is pressed by some sort of device, which results in a crust not much thicker than a few sheets of paper. It is then baked at high heat producing small blisters, but without the charring you get from ovens like those at Libretto. The toppings however were delicious. The pear and prosciutto pizza, with a mild blue cheese, was perhaps my favorite pie in Toronto yet. The BBQ chicken, with some coleslaw on top, also made my taste buds jump. If you are in the area craving pie, check the place out!
Splendido
I went to Splendido for a special occasion last week, and I have to admit, I had an amazing meal. On top of that, Splendido had the best service I have experienced in Toronto. Before our reservation we received a phone call asking if there were any special dietary needs, and informing us that there was no more valet service (which I am happy about, because patrons would clog the bike lane on that portion of the street). At the restaurant, our server was knowledgeable and friendly, but the coordination of the service was remarkable. Below the waist each wore jeans, while above it white collared shirts and black vests or jackets were the uniform. When serving a large table, all the food came out at once with the servers coordinating the exit from the pass, as well as ensuring that the placement of the dish on the table happened at the same time for each diner. Very impressive.
The food was as good as the service. Memorable was the deer heart tartar with an oyster emulsion. While I usually think of organs as chewy, this raw heart was tender and delicious. My salmon entrée was nicely balanced with a white bean ragu and a delicious chive and mustard combination. My partner’s lamb was tender and delicious – she wouldn’t share much of it with me! We finished the meal with a goat cheese cheesecake. The next day we enjoyed the complimentary shortbread, provided by Splendido upon retrieving our coats, with tea. Overall a great experience.
Campagnolo
First of all, I need to apologize to Chef/Owner Craig Harding for complaining on Twitter about my reservation. See I had used Urbanspoon to make a reservation for “next Thurs” by selecting the next Thursday listed on the reservation site (which was the 30th). When I showed up on “next Thurs” (the 23rd) the restaurant was closed. I was disappointed and said as much on Twitter. I obviously hadn’t looked at the dates, which had skipped a week in Urbanspoon’s system due to the closure. I hope Craig accepts my apology.
That said, I kept my reservation and dined with a good friend at Campagnolo. The brick building just west of Bathurst on Dundas used to be a Coffee Time before being painted gray and turned into this award-winning Italian restaurant. I’ve frequently ridden down Dundas at dinner time, and I can assure you the place is usually full. Given what I had seen and heard, expectations were high.
Service
The service at Campagnolo was not overly friendly or attentive. I arrived in advance of my partner and sat a bit. A few servers asked me if I wanted drinks, but I asked for only water until my companion arrived. When my dining partner did arrive, the server only came to the table to lean over my shoulder and check what I was looking up on my cellphone. We ordered two appetizers. The table next to us was then seated. About 10 minutes later, they ordered four appetizers. Despite ordering later and having a larger party, their appetizers came out a good 5 minutes before ours arrived. We were drooling over our neighbor’s food.
Atmosphere
The wood tables, big chairs, and candle light reflecting off of wine glasses, really gives this place a cozy feel. The tables can be quite close to each other – but this is sometimes a good thing. By the end of the meal we had a good rapport with our neighbors. They had been picking on me for taking photos of my meal – and even asked, in tourist like fashion, if I wanted to pose with both dishes at once. They joked about switching dishes and stories about ex-girlfriends started to flow. Really, making new friends over food became the highlight of the night!
The food
First thing to note is that the prices were (too?) high, but the entrée portion size was huge. The two of us could have shared either of the two entrees we ordered and been satisfied. The menu changes frequently, but presented a bit of a challenge for us. My dining companion is pregnant (our neighbors thought it was my child! It’s not!), so shellfish (Chilled Corn Soup with Lobster) and possibly undercooked fish (Seared Albacore Tuna) were off the menu for us. We had also just cooked pasta for a recent dinner party, and thus felt compelled to order something else. So we started the meal with the house-made Baguette and Gougères and the Roasted Bone Marrow with Oxtail. For mains, we ordered the Crispy Sea Bream and the Buttermilk Fried Chicken.
House-made Baguette and Gougères – $4
So yes, I was looking up what gougères were when the waiter leaned behind me to see what I was doing. I hadn’t run across these French cheese flavored pastry balls in a restaurant before. They were light, fluffy, and somewhat cheesy. The Baguette was a disappointment: it had clearly been in the oven a bit too long, and although still only a dark brown, biting into the crust gave off a displeasing burnt flavor.
Roasted Bone Marrow with Oxtail and Plum Marmalade – $13
This dish was the highlight of the night. Served in the cavity of a divided bone, the fatty bone marrow was cut nicely by the rich flavors of the oxtail. The plum marmalade gave it a slightly sweet finish. No faults with this dish, if you go, order it.
Crispy Sea Bream with Romano Beans – $28
Fish was served pan-fried with the skin on. The crispiness of the skin was delightful, and the fish was flavorful and not over cooked. Between the two fillets of fish were romano beans, arugula, tomatoes, and pesto Genovese. The tomatoes did a wonderful job of cutting the slight bitterness of the arugula and brought out the flavor of the beans. The pesto was good, although there wasn’t enough of it. Over all the meal was solid and tasty.
Buttermilk Fried Chicken – $27
Three large pieces of fried chicken were served with Parmesan biscuits and gravy, sweet corn salad, as well as a watermelon, mint, and cucumber salad. Although I’m sure the Italians fry chicken, this dish struck me as very southern American, except for the Parmesan used in the biscuit. Each piece of chicken was juicy and moist on the inside. The buttermilk coating was thick and heavy – a little too heavy for my taste, but it did pack a buttermilk punch. By the end of two pieces, I really wanted to soften the coating a bit – dipping it into the gravy helped – but there was not enough gravy to handle even a half piece of chicken. I didn’t care much for the sweet corn salad – all I could taste was sweet corn, and if we’re going to do that, let’s just serve it on the cob (we’re eating fried chicken after all). The watermelon salad was delicious, especially after the hard buttermilk coating.
Budino
Budino is the Italian word for custard or pudding. This custard or pudding, which I believe was caramel flavored, came with bits of meringue and a salted caramel sauce. While the texture was nice, the salt was overwhelming. My partner thought that both the custard and the sauce and been salted – which accounted for why we could taste little else.
Conclusion
Campagnolo did some things brilliantly (the oxtail), some things well (sea bream and chicken), but ultimately didn’t seem to pay attention to the details (baguette and Budino). Campagnolo’s signature dishes (oxtail, pasta, etc.) may be the talk of the down, and it may be our fault for not staying with those dishes while ordering. We left the restaurant satisfied, but by no means blown away. In the end we’ll probably remember our conversations with the table next to us more than the food. If our neighbors are reading, tell us if your experience differed in the comments.
Zócalo
The front of Zocalo
1426 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON M6P3L4
Zócalo may not be the perfect restaurant, but it is definitely one of my favorites in Toronto. I’ve been several times, and for the price, you don’t get a better meal. There is a slight emphasis on “for the price” in that sentence – Zócalo ’s hearty and rustic cuisine is sometimes a little too home-style for me (i.e. steamed broccoli and cabbage). Overall however, Zócalo has a solid, seasonally-changing menu that is sure to ignite your inner foodie.
Zócalo has a menu that matches seasonally available produce, meats, and cheeses. Staples of their menu include house made sausage, a Canadian cheese selection, and firecracker cornbread. Many of these dishes are served with their delicious flavoured butters.
While their menu is impressive, the location is understated. You might miss their north-side of Bloor heading into The Junction location, unless you see the “Z” in chalk on the blackboard outside. The restaurant boasts a capacity of 27 (including bar seating), most of which is around hard red tables. The walls were mostly bare during this visit, but the real candles on the table and happy customers around gave the place a cozy feel. Surprisingly, I’ve never waited in much of a line at Zócalo.
The service at Zócalo is friendly, knowledgeable, but NOT quick. The wait staff is usually only two people, so things can take awhile. The food is reasonably quick and, but really, there is no reason to rush out of this place.
Smoked Trout and Tarragon Celery Salad – $10
Smoked Trout with Strawberry and Pink Pepper Cream
The trout was served with a strawberry and pink pepper cream and a buckwheat crepe. Honestly, when this dish arrived I was skeptical that I would like it. I’ve had fish with a cream only once before and it was one of the worst fish dishes I’ve ever eaten. When I tried the cream alone, I thought it was going to be too sweet. I was wrong. Put a little cream and a little trout on the crepe and the combination of smoky and sweet flavors balances nicely. Adding the salad to my cream and trout crepe made the dish even more delicious. No regrets here, it was tasty to be wrong.
House made Steak and Cremini Mushroom Sausage – $11
Seriously good Sausage
I don’t like mushrooms, but this was possibly the best sausage I’ve ever tasted. It was tender, juicy, and delicious. The roasted corn hummus was very different than the Middle Eastern-style hummus I’m used to, but it was no less flavorful. The fresh breads and salad with the hummus was a nice blend of flavors. I loved the potato and pickled red onion salad, but my dining partner wasn’t as fond of them. She loved the sausage too. Did I mention that the sausage was really good?
Lamb and Kale Meatballs – $14
The meatballs came in a tomato and caraway sauce with firecracker
Lamb and Kale Meatballs
cornbread and spicy steamed broccoli and cabbage. The meatballs were tender and the tomato and caraway sauce added a touch of sweetness and moisture. The cornbread was soft and delicious (my diningartner and I love cornbread). The spicy steamed broccoli and cabbage was a disappointment. It lacked spice and simply tasted like steamed broccoli and cabbage. Overall the dish was solid, but not one to rave about.
Chocolate Stout Loaf – $8
This chocolate cake was made with honey and locally brewed coffee porter. It was served with a mashed cherry and bourbon syrup. The cake was good, although I was hoping to taste more of the coffee porter, which I could barely discern. Unfortunately, we didn’t notice the bourbon syrup below the cake in the bowl. The syrup added a lot of flavor and was delicious! I wouldn’t mind re-devouring this again with the syrup to see if it changes my somewhat lukewarm perception of the dish.
Dessert
Ricotta and Roasted Corn Cheesecake – $8
Although good, the chocolate cake was put to shame by this cheesecake. The cake was light and fluffy, with a touch of added sweetness from the roasted corn. It was served with a roasted plum and granola cracker and combining the flavors proved to be a brilliant move. This is a great ending to a summertime meal.
Conclusion
Well, it’s obvious I like Zócalo . Two can eat some really high quality food for under $50 total. It’s not a perfect place. The menu includes cornbread with too many dishes; it’s very possible that it will come with your appetizer and your entrée (in fact, I usually order in a way that ensures I don’t get two cornbreads, despite my inclination for cornbread). The service isn’t fast, and sometimes, you get some boring old veggies on the side of your otherwise tasty meal. Still, I will continue to recommend Zócalo to my friends interested in good food at reasonable prices.
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- Lamb and Kale Meatballs
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- Seriously good Sausage
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- Smoked Trout with Strawberry and Pink Pepper Cream
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- Dessert
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- Chocolate Cake
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- Cheesecake
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- Front of Zocalo
Saving Grace
907 Dundas St W
Toronto, ON M6J1V9
Note: I forgot the battery to my camera, so I apologize in advance for the camera phone pictures in the gallery below.
Saving Grace is one of those places I’ve been meaning to eat at for awhile now. The unusually small breakfast and lunch nook on Dundas always boasts a line of hungry patrons waiting outside on little pink and green benches. It used to be a residential home and the kitchen, if you peek in, almost looks like your mother’s. While the place is cute, Saving Grace’s fare isn’t as good as the long lines would make you believe.
Service
It’s a good thing we were early. A line the size of the restaurant’s capacity had formed well before Saving Grace opened. There was no semblance of order when the restaurant opened, and some line holders were upset that recent arrivals walked into the restaurant ahead of them. While we got a cozy seat without much problem, the staff wasn’t good at dealing with the hordes who were all seated at once: our drinks took 20 minutes to arrive and we had to wait another 20 minutes to order. When we ordered, the table on one side of us already had their food; the table on the other side was complaining that they hadn’t even received their drinks yet. After all of that, one of the two dishes that came to our table was incorrect. The meal took almost two hours. It’s no wonder why there are lines in front of this little eatery.
Savory French Toast – $11.50
The savory French toast sounded delicious. French toast served with gruyere, caramelized apples, and roasted red onion accompanied by mixed greens and roasted potatoes. But descriptions in restaurants are often deceiving. What arrived at my table was closer to a grilled cheese sandwich than what the menu described. Lots of gruyere overpowered the smaller amounts of apple and onion. The real disappointment was the French toast. Each slice had only been grilled on one side, which left the middle and non-grilled side soggy and bready. This is not a sandwich that I would order again.
Potato and Green Pea Masala Omelet – $12
The potato and green pea masala omelet was ordered on account of it being an interesting dish that neither one of us had sampled before. This dish was much better executed than the French toast, but was still a bit disappointing. The masala just wasn’t very flavorful, and when you put something like that inside eggs, you want it to provide a flavor that pops. Instead it landed flat. When combined with the super-tasty chutney and eaten on the provided roti, the dish wasn’t bad, but definitely not worth standing in line for.
Summary
The best part of saving grace was certainly the atmosphere: the small space allowed us to interact with both of the nearest tables. I’m not sure if my taking pictures of the food tipped them off to my blogger status, but when we had finished, the table next to us struck up a conversation about the food. They, having ordered totally different dishes, also found the meal unsatisfactory. At first I had thought maybe I was being too hard on Saving Grace; maybe we just ordered the wrong dishes and deep down, there was more that the little place had to offer. But when strangers, unsolicited, want to share their poor experience? Maybe it’s a sign to wait in line elsewhere.
Bellwoods Brewery
124 Ossington Ave
Toronto, ON M6J1R5
http://www.bellwoodsbrewery.com
@bellwoodsbeer
I’m a food critic, and in all honesty, I drink very rarely. But since I was visiting a Brewery, I had to sample the brews. Still, I thought it best to invite along a true authority on beer with me, Kevin Kuhl (yes that’s his real name). This review will be divided into two parts, one reviewing the food, and one reviewing the beer. Thanks goes to Kevin for a fun night of drinking and an excellent review!
THE FOOD
Let’s be clear, the beer at Bellwoods Brewery is really good. Both the brewhouse and patio create a comfortable and lively atmosphere. The food however, doesn’t live up to the brews. The portions are underwhelming and the flavors are not adequately balanced. While I respect Bellwoods’ efforts to bring pub fare to new gastronomic heights, they need to ensure they put the same kind of care into their food as they do into their beers. No criticism I make can’t be easily fixed. In truth I’m pulling for Bellwoods and want them making food and brews for years to come.
Bellwoods has really tried to bring pub grub to a new level. Their small menu (on a chalk board) looks more like the offerings at a corner bistro than it does a sports bar. Dining with a friend, we sampled the veggie board, the sausage, the cold fried chicken, and the duck hearts. We had high expectations after the waitress informed us that the breads they serve are locally baked, the pork sausage was created from a pig slaughtered in house, and the chicken was hand fried. While theoretical considerations had our mouths watering, the actual food didn’t match the anticipation.
Veggie Board $12
The board consisted of olives, spicy peanuts, spicy lima beans, pickled carrots with daikon, and white bean dip served with freshly baked dark bread. The flavors on the board were good, and overall this was the best dish in terms of execution. Outside of the bland bean dip, the flavors were rich and went well together. Getting more than a slice and a half of bread would have been nice, as we had much more dip than we had things to dip. When paired with the beers, these flavors, especially the carrots and daikon, served as a sharp cut to the beers [Kevin pointed this out].
Sausage $8
This was a Toulouse style sausage with crispy pork, sauerkraut, spicy sauce and homemade mustard. The sausage was tender and cooked well, but lacked even the mild salt and pepper flavor you expect from a Toulouse sausage. If there was any flavor to the sausage it was masked by the toppings. These toppings were great, and deserved to go on a sausage that complimented rather than highlighted their flavor. One other thing to note, if you look at the photos, all the other dishes had been plated nicely; this one however, looked like it was just thrown on a much-too-large plate.
Cold Fried Chicken – $9
The cold fried chicken was served with strips of cucumber, chopped radish, and drips of hot sauce. The fried coating was simple and delicious. My dining companion and I agreed that the hot sauce wasn’t spicy enough and tasted simply like black pepper and Tabasco. We were puzzled by the chunks of radish that easily could have been sliced for a sleeker appearance (which would also indicate we should eat it with the chicken). The serving size of this dish was a real disappointment. The serving was approximately half of a chicken breast, a total of 6 bites.
Duck Hearts – $4
The hearts were served 4 to a skewer. Coming off the grill, they maintained a pleasant texture. The roasted jalapeño sauce, however, dominated any other tastes. Commenting on this to the waitress, she acknowledged that the recent batch of sauce had come out much spicier than it was supposed to be. It is relieving to know that it is not normally served that way, but why are they still using that sauce on the dish if they know it is too overpowering?
Summary
The food at Bellwoods aims high, higher than most Brewhouses and gastropubs in Toronto. They should be applauded for that, and for their commitment to local and fresh ingredients. However, they fall short of the high expectations their own menu establishes. It won’t take much for Bellwoods to be a truly great brewery and eatery, but there is still a bit of ground to cover.
THE BEER
Guest review by Kevin Kuhl
Barrel Aged Biere de Garde
A coppery brown ale. A thicker head than other beers I had this evening, but nowhere near the thickness of an imperial stout. No lacing.
Strong malt which gives a bit of a caramel flavour, with fruitish notes over the top, maybe a bit of tannins. Not noticeably boozy, but a strong beer. If you’re in the market for hoppy beers, this wouldn’t really be your thing — a sweeter beer, with lots of malt flavours, and a bit of fruitiness.
Witchshark Imperial IPA
More of an amber than the barrel aged Biere de Garde, but a thinner head with more lacing, but nothing over the top (the residue you get from the head of the beer — beers which are stickier and sweeter will leave heavier lacing). Sweeter than the BdG, and of course, extremely different in taste. Definitely in with the family of North American imperial IPAs — hops and citrus dominate the beer.
Not overly boozy, but much stronger than the BdG. I’d say a more complex American IPA — think a less in your face Souther Tier Gemini. Doesn’t smash you in the face due to lack of citra hops, but a complex mix of flavours that certainly stand up with beers like Tree’s Double IPA. Some pleasantly citrus-y notes.
This is a seriously good beer. A little more moderate than something like the Black Oaks Ten Bitter years. It’s noteworthy, and certainly helps raise the bar for Ontario brewers when it comes to developing the style. The only complaint is that it wasn’t as large of a pour as you want.
Baltic Porter
More chocolatey than I was expecting, but still gives you the boozy feel that makes a baltic porter worth drinking. It’s pushing it for a beer in the summer — but it hits the right notes for the style. Molasses, chocolate and alcohol, definitely a beer I would drink in the fall or winter. Definitely a nice break from other boozy dark beers in Ontario.
Summary
All said and done, Bellwoods Brewery and bistro is doing very solid, good work on the beer front. Definitely worth going if you are a fan of carefully done, tasty beer.
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Crown and Dragon Pub
Front of the Crown and Dragon Pub.
http://www.crownanddragon.com/
890 Yonge St
Toronto, ON M4W 2H2
Torontoians love their wings. Being the self-described foodie I am, I’ve been in more than one debate over who has the best wings in town. The Crown and Dragon Pub will inevitably come up in these debates, and for awhile there, I was a supporter of their claim to wing supremacy. After my last few visits, I’m not so sure.
The Crown and Dragon Pub looks like it was built in the early nineties. The outside has an “I’m walking into a strip mall bar” kind of feel to it. The inside is furnished with old wobbly dark tables, creaky chairs, and some built-in benches. Seating gets re-arranged willy-nilly, and it’s easy to be pinned in a corner or inches from strangers at another table. There’s a big projector TV on the far wall, a few LCD’s above the bar, and a sweet 20-something inch CRT television hanging over a booth. But who cares about all this? We’re eating wings!
I’ll be honest, I loved the Crown and Dragon for a long time. I would go on half priced wing nights, which used to be Tuesdays and Sundays. The wings were cheap, the beer flowed, and the place was packed. I would go with six friends or so and close our week with chicken and beer. This last visit, we were sad to learn that half price night was no longer, but had been replaced by a $3 off night. Not really an enticing offer, especially since you still had to buy a drink. The menu had also changed, and there were many more non-wing offerings. Wings are now regularly priced at $11 a pound with some slight savings for ordering multiple pounds.
The Wings
Foghorn Leghorn (left), East Coast Donair (center back), Honeycomb Heaven (center front) and Mardi Gras (right).
Crown and Dragon (C&D) has two types of wings and 32 flavors. 26 of the 32 flavors are for your standard fried chicken wings and the other 6 flavors adorn C&D’s unique baked wings. The expansion of the menu was not a significant change for us. We’ve sampled from the regular menu before, and nothing, other than the wings, was worth eating. Dining with 5 friends tonight, we ordered 11 pounds of wings and two baskets of fries. We ordered 3 pounds of Original Buttery Buffalo, as well as single pounds of Foghorn Leghorn (baked), Roadside Lemonade, African Firecracker, East Coast Donair, Viva Italia, Honeycomb Heaven, Asian Heat, and Mardi Gras. The wings C&D serves up are bigger than what I’ve found at the franchises (almost double the size of Duff’s or St. Louis). When cooked properly, they are juicy and delicious. Although good chicken is a prerequisite for good wings, good wings also require good sauce.
People were so eager to eat wings, they couldn’t keep their hands out of the photo! 3lbs. of Original Buffalo Butter in the foreground.
The sauces, unfortunately, were rather bland. The menu listed African Firecracker at “four dragons” in terms of spice, but the actual wings were less hot than the two dragon Original Buffalo Butter. I had a hard time telling the difference between Asian heat and Mardi Gras. The Original Buffalo Butter was the best wing that we had, but it wasn’t extraordinary in terms of flavor. There were more than a few East Coast Donair wings left over at the end. We also noticed that the recipes of some of our favorite wings had changed. Foghorn Leghorn, a traditional favorite of ours, now displayed some tomato based stickiness that it had lacked on prior visits. Asian heat was not the pleasantly spicy experience it once had been. The accompanying dipping sauce and veggies were also disappointing. You have to ask especially for blue cheese unless you are content to be stuck with a watery dill dip. The eleven pounds of wings were accompanied by 8 carrot sticks and 8 celery sticks. That’s not even a carrot stick per pound ordered.
Service
One pleasant change was the quality of the service at C&D. Prior experiences had led to a reputation for awful service. The last time I was at C&D, I received a set of cold wings. I asked for a fresh batch, and originally the waiter told me that he couldn’t do that because his “bar manager wouldn’t let him.” I asked again for a fresh batch, and he took them away. Two minutes later he appeared with more wings for me, but really he had microwaved my old order and told me they were fresh. They were now dry and dreadful. I wasn’t happy.
This time the server was friendly. He checked in on us, and he got some blue cheese when I asked, and tabulated the bill so that we saved the most money per pound with their special offer. I hope the service is a result in an overall change of attitude. However, it could be that the pub was no longer busy, and the waiter actually had time for us. Previously on half price wing night, the pub was packed. Only three tables were occupied for $3 off night.
Conclusion
Crown and Dragon beats any of the franchises when it comes to wings, without a doubt. C&D’s wings are bigger and juicier. Despite my gripes about the sauces above, they are still better than anything that Duff’s or St. Louis has to offer. However, the flavors aren’t as good as they used to be, and I’m sure they could be even better. I’ll probably still go to C&D, but the change in flavors, as well as the elimination of half price wing night, will have me looking around town for better and cheaper options.
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Foxley
207 Ossington Avenue
Toronto, ON M6J 2Z8
(416) 534-8520 (No Reservations)
It really doesn’t look like much from the outside. I’ve walked by it hundreds of times and never realized it was a restaurant. In fact, since I’m usually on the other side of the street, I didn’t even realize it was a functioning establishment (Really. I haven’t lived in Toronto that long). My roommate (who is new to the area) and I were wondering the Ossington strip to find a place to eat on a Friday night. We passed by BQM, didn’t want Libretto, knew Fishbar was too expensive, and couldn’t get a seat at Delux. So when we walked back up the street and saw Foxley, we decided to give it a try.
The lack of people worried me for 8 PM on a Friday, but we were escorted out back to the patio which became full with our arrival, and 20 minutes later, the whole place was crowded. The menu was merely a white sheet of paper. No fancy cardstock here. Prices ranged from $5-$22 for tapas style dishes. The patio had a very lively and unsophisticated feel. There was no cutlery, only chopsticks. Seating was standard aluminum furniture upon which the diverse and happy clientele was eating. At one point the table next to us burst out in song. The inside seating looked comfortable with a large exposed brick wall providing a rustic ambiance.
The menu is best described as Asian fusion, but even that isn’t a good description of the place. One major food rating site lists Foxley as “Vietnamese, Spanish, Malaysian, Asian, and international.” That description really helps…doesn’t it? The food is done tapas style with plates more large enough for two people to get a decent taste. The waiter suggested that we order four or five plates between the two of us. He highly recommended we try a ceviche, said the duck was good, and mentioned that the side ribs were one of the most popular dishes. We took his recommendation, opting for the arctic char ceviche, duck breast, and shallot glazed side ribs. We filled out the order with pork and duck dumplings and veggie spring rolls.
“Grilled Vegetables Fresh Salad Spring Rolls” (Yep. That’s a quote from the menu.) – $6
I do really enjoy this kind of roll. Leafy veggies with mango, red pepper, cilantro, all combined in a cellophane noodle wrap. This version was notable for including a crunchy stick of some sort (almost like a fried spring roll shell) on the inside. There isn’t much to say about this dish – it’s not the kind of thing that can be spectacular, but if you like the dish, you’ll enjoy Foxley’s Version.
Lamb and Duck Prosciutto Dumplings – $7
The pork and duck dumpling was a lightly fried dumpling served with a light dipping sauce. I really like dumplings, but these were only satisfactory. With the first bite, any juices the meat possessed seemed to shoot out of the dumpling and onto the plate (or the closest neighboring table). The meat was surprisingly dry and under seasoned. It just didn’t pop in your mouth. The dryness was mitigated by the light sauce, which added needed moisture. It also could have been helped by letting the dumplings cool a bit longer so the juices would return to the meat rather than shooting out of the dumpling. Alas, we were hungry. I wouldn’t say that these are a must-try.
Wild Nunavut Arctic Char Ceviche with Green Apple and Ginger – $15
The ceviche was one of the highlights of the meal. One could think of Foxley’s ceviche as thinly sliced sashimi “cooked” in citrus and covered in oil. Adding to the flavor of the fish are chopped green onion, basil, hot red pepper, and sesame seeds. The dish was topped with an apple slaw. Although I don’t like the aesthetic look of this dish (I can’t see the fish under all that apple!) I really enjoyed the taste. I would recommend this dish to anyone stopping in at Foxley’s, and if I return I will try some of their other ceviche offerings.
Grilled Side Rib with Caramelized Shallot Glaze – $9
The waiter said this was their most popular dish, and I can see why. Tender falling-off-the-bone meat was combined with
a sticky and slightly sweet sauce that coated your mouth in pure bliss. Hints of orange and ginger added to the complexity of the sauce, which I was guiltily spooning up with my finger after the meat had somehow vanished into my mouth. The picture only shows one rib, but two came with the order…I was just overly eager to get my hands on my half! A must have if you visit.
Roasted Duck Breast with Umeboshi and Port Reduction – $20
This was the most expensive dish we ordered, and the most disappointing. Rachael, my new roommate and eating partner, was excited to have umeboshi again (she lived in Japan for awhile). For those of you that don’t know (I didn’t before the meal) umeboshi is a Japanese pickled fruit that tastes 
similar to a plum and is in the same taxonomic family. I expected to receive sliced duck breast with a fairly thick reduction dressing the top. Just to be clear I love duck. When cooked properly, duck is by far one of the most delicious and tender meats. I order duck almost whenever I can, and Foxley was no exception to this rule.
To my surprise the dish came with what seemed to be a pile of onions. The “reduction” was thin and the duck was immersed in the watery liquid. The meat itself was overcooked and slightly chewy. Given the high quality and care that seemed to go into the ceviche and ribs, I was surprised that the duck was merely thrown together. The reduction simply needed more time on the stove; it didn’t pack the powerful flavors that constitute the very essence of a reduction. And why does anyone need that much onion? On paper these flavor combinations should be great, but in practice the execution was just sloppy.
Strawberry and Chocolate Spring Roll with Ginger Ice Cream – $8
The description above captures this dish, it was simply strawberries and chocolate fried in a spring role. The chocolate 
was melted, but the strawberries held their firm consistency through flash frying. The crunchiness added a nice bit of texture to the dish. The ginger ice cream was a nice compliment, although it tasted as if it had once been vanilla ice cream to which ginger was added. Still, a good and a fun dessert.
Conclusions
I left the meal very happy, although this was just as much due to the atmosphere and a glass of wine as it was the food. The service had been very friendly and informative (the only minor gripe was twice a server came to put food on our table that was someone else’s). The bill came to approximately $90 after tax and two glasses of wine. I would go back to Foxley and happily sample more of their menu. However, I can’t help but have a lingering feeling of disappointment: Foxley is a good restaurant, but it could be a great restaurant if the quality of dishes were more consistent.
Burger Day
This past Sunday was the first Burger Day in Toronto, as well as the first culinary event for DITW. What better way to launch a blog than by reviewing multiple specialty burgers! With the help of my friends we pick one winner out of the 10 sliders sampled.
Burger day was the culmination of Burger Week, a seven day event sponsored by The Grid, Muskoka Brewery, and The Stop Community Food Center. Throughout the week 20 Torontonian burger joints served up a special $5 burger, with some serving special “black tie” burgers for which a portion of the proceeds were donated to charity. For Burger Day all the joints came together at Artscape Wychwood Barns to show off their pattied creations.
Food Events and Burger Day
I’m no stranger to food festivals, but over the years I’ve questioned if they are worth the cost and if the food served is representative of the establishment serving it. The events usually charge a cover and then extra for the food. For example, the Phantom Gourmet BBQ Beach Party I attended in Boston charged a $10 cover and $7 for a portion of 3 ribs at each vendor. That means for $31 you are getting a half rack of ribs. No value there. I would never go back to that event. But even if I did, can I learn anything about the restaurant by the three ribs it served me? These events serve hundreds of people, from propane grills, under tents. The different environment means a totally different experience from a restaurant. It’s an open question if you can learn anything about a food establishment from what their kart serves up.
I’m happy to say that Burger day was financially affordable. The cover was $5, and the food was reasonable: sliders $3, fries $1, and beer $5. I spent 25 dollars in total, and burned it all on sliders. The sliders were big enough to split between two people while still feeling like you got to experience the flavor of the burger. Were the burgers indicative of the restaurants serving them? I can’t know for sure. Each joint slung about 400 sliders onto the grill. The event was supposed to run until 4:30 PM, but stalls started running out of sliders around 2:30, and by 3 all but four places had shut.
Burger Review
Overall, the entire group of sliders was impressive. The quality of meat across the board was high, as was the level of juiciness. Since we couldn’t afford to eat every burger being offered, we tried to stay within the core of the burger genre by foregoing sliders that were not strictly speaking “burgers” – like those based on pulled pork or braised short rib (with one notable exception below). Present with me at the event (and helping to judge the best burger) were Ari, Candice, Gwyndaf (yes that’s his name, and he’s not a wizard), Jake and April. Ratings are out of a possible 100. Not everyone was there to sample every burger, so we took simple averages of those that did get a taste. It is not a science…yet. Now for the review.
Utopia: Ultimate Bacon Burger (Black Tie)
http://utopiacafe.ca/home
Ground beef, pork, and pork belly, topped with smoked provolone.
Pros: Porky, smokey, great bun
Cons: Slightly elastic texture, have to like pork
Utopia isn’t that far from my home and the only thing that’s consistent about the place is the long wait and slow service. Their food is hit or miss. Sometimes they serve up a delectable juicy burger, at other times a dry patty. They don’t cook their beef to order (it’s always well done). Their burger here set the standard by which others were judged (by virtue of us trying it first). It was smokey and flavorful, and not overcooked. The bun was the best of the event. It was however a bacon burger that lacked…bacon? There was a lot of pork but mine didn’t have bacon. Furthermore, the texture of the meat was slightly elastic. While this was a solid slider, it just didn’t stand out as anything special.
Rating: 80.66 (Candice – 80 pts; Greg – 80 pts; Ari – 82 pts)
Grindhouse Burger Bar
http://www.grindhouse.ca/
Las Vacas Locas – Beef patty, sour cream, chili, kidney-bean salsa, hot peppers and avocado on a cornbread bun.
Pros: Tastes like a taco
Cons: Tastes like a taco
We tried this burger thinking that it was within the genre we had defined. It wasn’t. This was a taco on a bun. The patty didn’t stay together in the slider and the meat was way over spiced. The corn bread was the highlight. If you like tacos you will like this offering, but why not just go get a really good taco?
Rating: 60 (Greg- 60 pts; Ari – 70 pts; Candice – 65 pts)
Holy Chuck
http://www.holychuckburgers.com/
The Depressed Cow: Two beef patties with smashed Spanish onion, mustard, and pickles.
Pros: Seat cooked delicately, fried onion
Cons: Salty
This slider was like getting a whole burger for $3. The two patties were cooked to perfection and extremely juicy. The burger had fried onion on it rather than whatever “smashed” onions were. Immediately after the first bite it was obvious that this burger was better than the other two we had before it. The excitement for this burger lasted awhile, but there was a serious salty aftertaste which detracted from the overall experience. Although delicious, we questioned if this burger was better suited to the slider format than a full burger.
Rating: 92.75 (Greg – 91 pts; Candice- 90 pts; Ari – 95 pts; April – 95 pts)
The Stockyards
http://thestockyards.ca/
Beef burger with smoked American-style cheese, pickled sweet onion, and brown butter cornichon aioli.
Pros: Aioli was very nice, burger not over cooked.
Cons: Bun was flowery/cakey
Why would anyone make an American style cheese? American cheese really isn’t cheese and it doesn’t taste good. I can’t imagine why someone would aim to imitate that plastic like substance. Moving past my ideological stance on cheese, the burger didn’t impress. The bun was flowery and it ruined the texture of the slider. The beef was cooked nicely, but it couldn’t make up for the cheese or bun.
Rating: 81.5 (Greg – 78 pts; Candice – 85 pts; Ari – 84 pts; Gwydaf – 79 pts)
Keriwa Café
http://www.keriwacafe.ca/
Bison burger with Saskatoon berry chutney, wild leeks, aioli, and Thunder Oak Gouda on a red fife bannock bun.
Pros: Bison was perfectly cooked, Saskatoon berry chutney was delicious
Cons: Slightly gamey, the lower portion of the bun was tough and chewy.
I’ve never been to Keriwa Café before, but I’ve heard great things about it. Their bison burger did not disappoint. If you’ve eaten bison before, you know that it is a lean meat and that the lack of fat can easily lead to overcooking. Not in this case! The bison was done to perfection and still fairly juicy. The ratio of Saskatoon berry chutney to beef and aioli meant that the berry didn’t dominate the burger. There were some weaknesses however. The first was the bun, whose underside was very chewy. I removed the lowest layer of the bun (which crumbled off easily) for an upgraded experience. After eating the burger, the five of us were in a circle and I asked “Did anyone taste any Gouda?” It was a good thing that no one answered “yes”, because the cook quickly told me there was no Gouda on the burger! I was disappointed, but this was a solid slider anyhow.
Rating: 85 (Ari – 78 pts; Candice – 85 pts; Gwyndaf – 90 pts; April – 90 pts; Jake – 81 pts; Greg – 86 pts)
Hrvati Bar
http://www.hrvatibar.com/
Ontario Beef with smoked mozzarella and caramelized onions, surrounded by a Croatian steamed bun.
Pros: Bun, flavor Balance, scalable (to full burger)
Cons: Bun (too chewy), simple, greasy
It was the long wait for Hrvati Bar’s slider that made us wonder if burger greatness could be socially determined. Hrvati Bar’s line was by far the longest at the event. The closest competitor was the line for Holy Chuck, which among the group had been the favorite offering so far. Expectations were high for Hrvati Bar, but at this point our stomachs were getting full of beef and the wait was welcome. Once at the front of the line, a pretty burger was placed in our hands. Biting in, we were rewarded with well balanced flavors, juiciness, and a fair bit of grease. The bun on this slider was like a biscuit. On its own it was delicious, but the bottom portion of the bun was just too chewy; it was still in my mouth long after all the other ingredients began their journey to my stomach. I was also unimpressed with the greasy nature of the burger. Hrvati Bar was the first place I noticed that had foregone open flame cooking for a cast iron griddle. Cooking 20ish sliders at a time meant that each one was sitting in a substantial amount of grease. Open flame cooking is a beautiful thing; I’m not sure why anyone would pass it up willingly.
Rating: 86.2 (Ari – 91pts; Candice – 82 pts; Greg – 84 pts; Jake – 89 pts; April – 85 pts)
Hadley’s
http://hadleys.ca/
Ground chuck with smoked blue cheese, house-cured and smoked bacon, and apple rosemary marmalade.
Pros: Blue cheese and marmalade were delicious
Cons: The beef on this burger was a vehicle for the toppings. Greasy.
Hadley’s was also using a griddle instead of the open flame. I asked them about it, and they said for burgers this size it was helping the meat to retain the juices. While they were nice to talk to, I found this answer less than satisfying, as the “juice” retained seemed to be grease. In terms of toppings, this burger might have had the best at the event. The blue cheese was delicious (and done in house), as was the bacon and apple rosemary marmalade. The problem however, was that the strength of the blue cheese overwhelmed everything except a hint of the marmalade. I couldn’t taste the beef or the bacon. Maybe this is less of a problem in the full burger version but it really hurt the experience here.
Rating: 81.5 (Ari – 85 pts; Greg – 78 pts)
Caplansky’s Delicatessen
http://caplanskys.com/
Kishke Burger: Fresh ground chuck with kishke, garnished with smoked meat on a challah bun.
Pros: Ari said it was “OK”.
Cons: Salty, lacking flavor.
I don’t know Zane Caplansky, but I wish I did. I’ve seen him before at his restaurant and around town. If I could have a meal with him and Rod from Hey Meatball!, I think we would find a lot in common. I hate to say it though, I’m always disappointed with Caplansky’s, and Burger Day was no exception. Kishke, to the best of my knowledge, is eastern Europe’s answer to haggis and black pudding. It’s a blood or organ meat sausage made with several grain fillers. For some reason, the Kishke was combined with beef. One might expect it would compare to The Caledonian’s haggis and lamb burger. But whereas the Caledonian realized that they could counteract the oatmealy nature of haggis and the tendency of lamb to dry as it is cooked with a nice chutney (and well controlling the cooking temperature), Caplansky’s just put a piece of smoked meat on top. The burger that resulted was the driest of the group and it finished with a salty aftertaste. No condiments here either, unless you include Heinz mustard and ketchup put out on the table. It is likely that Caplansky’s didn’t see Burger Day as a competition, but if you look at what all the other places are serving up, you have to ask “Why is Caplansky’s even here?”
Rating: 69 (Greg – 68 pts; Ari – 70 pts)
*NOTE: I ate the Caledonian’s haggis burger during burger week, so it isn’t reviewed here.
Brassaii
http://www.brassaii.com/
Lamb burger with wild leek aioli, heirloom tomatoes, housemade pickles, and feta cheese on an Ace Bakery bun.
Pro: Lamb not overcooked, cheese was tasty.
Cons:Cheese strong compared to lamb.
This was the last burger we ate. In fact it was one of the last places to still have meat, and it was raining. Still Brassaii’s burger was a solid offering. The lamb was cooked perfectly, the bun texture complemented the lamb, and the cheese was delicious. However, on our slider there was so much feta that it overpowered the lamb. Ari didn’t even notice it was lamb. I brushed some feta off and tasted the meat directly, which was the only way to ascertain that it was indeed delicious. It would have been better if the meat had been free to show off its natural flavors.
Rating: 87 (Greg – 86 pts; Ari – 88 pts)
Yogalicious
http://www.yogalicious.ca/
Chocolate frozen yogurt(?) with kefir grains coated in shaved chocolate, frozen mango dessert “cheese” square, kewi and strawberries on a profiterole bun.
Pros: Nicely worked into the burger genre, the berries, bun.
Cons: Mango cheese(?) square.
April’s Comment – “Too Cold”
So we had to stray outside of the genre for a dessert burger. I’ve never even heard of a dessert burger before (I’ve always called them ice cream sandwiches!). This was an experience. I give Yogalicious lots of credit for working within the burger genre for a dessert. The kefir frozen yogurt (or whatever it was) was good and it was complimented nicely by the berries. The profiterole bun (you know the puff in cream puff) was the right choice to carry these ingredients to your mouth. The mango dessert “cheese” square was the one disappointment; a nice slice of mango would have been much more pleasing.
Rating: 85 (Ari – 85 pts; Candice – 90 pts; April – 85 pts; Jake – 75 pts; Greg – 90 pts)
WINNER: HOLY CHUCK – The Depressed Cow: Two beef patties with smashed Spanish onion, mustard, and pickles.
This really was the most flavorful burger we ate and it was the one we had the most fun eating. We are still doubtful about this slider’s ability to grow up into a full burger. DITW will have to head out to Holy Chuck one night and try this with some of their other offerings.
Overall
We had a great time at this event, it was affordable and delicious. The location was great. But there are some suggestions for next year. In general, there was a lack of burger culture at the event. There was one fry place and it closed early. There were no handmade local micro-brews or sodas to be found. The invited speakers and bands were playing inside the building, but the burgers (and people) were outside, at least until it started raining and then everyone ran inside. Some of these things are logistical and can’t be changed (the beer and wine was served inside the building because you can’t take booze into the open air according to Ontario law). For a first time event though, it was impressive. I hope The Grid does it again next year. I’ll be there!
Ducks in the Window 