TRAVEL: Boston: Tory Row
Location:
3 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA
www.toryrow.us
YOU GUYS, I'VE FOUND MY FAVOURITE FRENCH TOAST!
It's at Tory Row, in Cambridge, Massachussettes!
At first I was a little dismayed by it's small portion size, making sharing all the more difficult.
But with the blueberry jam and the New England maple syrup, and for only $7, with a side of applewood smoked bacon,
I was in love.
And to think I almost went with the english muffin egg sandwich. Wtf.
(If you know me, or have been reading this blog) I always get french toast for brunch). Always.
N gave me a look when I said, "Maybe I won't get french toast, this time." hahahaha! Who was I kidding? SO glad I did. It was perfect...not soggy in the middle or eggy smelling, which I hate, but crispy and moist and just cinnamon-y enough..and with that blueberry jam and NE maple, I want to go back.
Besides that, the "hashbrowns", which are really cut up potatoes were incredible! Especially with the pico de gallo (salsa) it came with.
One thing they could definitely improve upon is to serve hotter coffee! As it was, when served, it was luke-warm at best and then our server took longer still to bring the as-is cold milk, which further cooled down the coffees. We asked to get our cups warmed, but then received new coffees, which were still not hot enough. And, no Earl Grey tea?!Fo' shame. I did enjoy my OJ, though and the Spiced Apple Cider was lovely.
The flatbreads are served on wooden boards, looking very rustic and also easy to cut into if needed. The jalepeño chicken sausage, black bean, egg flatbread ($9) was good, but the pico de gallo would have been better as the sauce spread atop the flatbread instead of the black bean.
The vegetable frittata arrived in an iron skillet. The only problem with this is that the egg overcooks sitting in its heat, and is too hot to eat before it overcooks because its sitting in it's heat - see where I'm going with that?
The greek yogurt filled with berries and bananas and granola (from Nashoba Brook Bakery) is a steal at $5 and a great light breakfast.
Next time, would love to try the parmesan prosciutto black pepper scone ($3) from the Nashoba Brook Bakery and something from the lunch menu - those burgers were massive!
The decor is simple and modern.
Perched on the high stools at long commune tables, the place was mainly filled with Harvard students, with their friends or parents. There are Shepard Fairey pieces on the back wall. That's the artist who did the famous Obama "Hope" poster.
As an aside: those coffee shop white mugs with the wide-as-your-lips-rims, have gotta go. Come on, people; drinking from them makes you feel as though the coffee's going to dribble over the side of your mouth.
That said, Tory Row is a keeper. Kept!
Mitzi's Sister
Location:
1554 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
www.mitzis.ca
Best place to go with your best friend after getting your hair did?
Mitzi's Sister.
Absolutely, hands down, the best brunch place I've eaten at, yet.
Challah French Toast
Served with home fries, fresh fruit, pure maple syrup & fresh whipped cream. $13.50
This week's topping was pomegranate!! Amazeballs.
And the Huevos Rancheros (Scrambled eggs in a grilled tortilla with refried beans, guacamole, tomato salsa, sour cream, home fries and fresh fruit. $10.95) was incredible!
Oh yes, I had a Side of English Bangers. $3.50
No photo of them because our server forgot my order and they arrived a bit late; after I was almost done with my French Toast. But fat and juicy, the bangers were really good.
As is our hair.
Mitzi's is highly recommended.
Local Feature: Harlem Underground
Location:
745 Queen St W, Toronto
www.harlemrestaurant.com/underground
With a wall-mural/graffitied glass hallway and red interior walls, Harlem looks like how you'd expect a restaurant in Harlem to look: cultured-chic, friendly and somewhere you'd want to spend a few good hours with friends and wholesome Southern cooking.
Cajun Tempura Fried Okra
$4.95
Of all the fascinating side dishes on the menu ( fried plantains, candied yams, bacon mac n' cheese, collard greens,) we had to try the deep fried okra. Arriving piping hot, and with plenty enough to go around, it did not disappoint. Granted, okra is not for everyone...the slimy texture and odd taste is certainly something to acquire. I, for one, love okra and have had it in many forms, so this was just another lovely treat for me.
Harlem Benny Poached eggs, chili-garlic greens, atop a sausage and grits flap jack along with cheesy hollandaise
$10.95
R who had this dish, was worried that the portion size and the density of a grit flap jack would be too heavy since she'd already eaten breakfast, but the flap jack was light and the eggs perfectly poached.
Mile High Jawny Toast Three egg-dipped thick slices of egg loaf drizzled with maple syrup, crushed pecans and fresh fruit
$10.95
OMG you guys. Undoubtedly the best FT I've had to date! THICK, yet fluffy slices of bread and an absolutely mouth-watering, nutty, berry sauce on top. While splitting this dish with A who ordered the fried chicken and waffles, I ended up with a smorgasbord of salty (fried chicken) and sweet (waffles and french toast) goodness on my plate (usually how I like to eat things - all on one plate) which was wiped clean with the last bite of toast.
Southern Fried Chicken & Waffle With a Chipolte-corriander-lime maple syrup
$11.95
Speaking of the Fried Chicken and waffles, does four pieces of chicken sound enough to you?! Thank goodness we were sharing! What portions are these, my friends? Amazing! The chipotle-corriander-lime maple syrup was an excellent accompaniment to the waffles (which unfortunately lacked that fresh-out-of-the-waffle-iron heat).
Yam & Yukon Potato Hash Topped with a sunny side up egg cooked with spicy sausage, served with biscuits and greens
$9.95
We all agreed, the potato hash was incredible! Especially with the spicy sausage.
Veggie Omelette Sweet peppers, onions, mushroom and spinach
$8.95
N who got this dish said even with the cheese it was a tad bland for her taste.
And none of us cared much for the sweet potato biscuits accompanying the omelettes. They weren't warm or soft enough and had the texture of a scone; fairly dry. I think with everything else going on in the dish, the side biscuit came cross as rather plain in comparison. Regardless, I wish it had been better 'cause there's nothing like a hot biscuit!
Still, with any personal requests (ie. cheese in the omlette, collard greens instead of spinach) there were no hesitations to comply, in fact suggestions were made to accommodate dietary concerns, if possible. Our server, Jen, imparted just the right measure of attentiveness without being intrusive.
Oh, and a shout-out the to the low-ceilinged washrooms, which we figured is the "underground" part of Harlem Underground. We all emerged from it as if we were the (recently rescued) miners. (Yay, miners!) :)
But in all seriousness, HU is such a wonderfully warm and friendly place, I would not hesitate to return. And with a group of seven, the verdict was unanimous: come hungry, and leave content!
Flo's Diner
Location:
70 Yorkville Ave., Toronto
www.flosdiner.ca
Granted, it has a lovely rooftop patio, and the fabulous diner-look going, but the food is average, if not below average and the service ins non-existent.
I had Flo's Big Breakfast - Belgian waffles, 2 eggs, sausages, bacon, home fries $10.95 and "Freshly squeezed orange juice". While the waffles were were lukewarm, it wasn't terrible.
Beerhogger had a Coke Float (!)
and a GRILLED CHICKEN with sundried tomatoes. Fried mushrooms, fried onions & basil on foccacia bread $8.25
The sandwich was uber bland and the chicken was pink in parts and chewy. Gross? Yes.
While it's fun to dine at a 50s diner, if the food (and service) were more 50s-like, we'd be talkin'.
LOCAL FEATURE: The Blake House
Location:
449 Jarvis St Toronto
www.theblakehouse.ca
Open only three months, one of the last standing heritage structures (built in 1891) in Toronto has been converted into a restaurant called The Blake House (previously, The Red Lion).
One of the three owners and brothers, Jim Vasilakakos sat down and chatted with us as well. He described The Blake House as being "comfort contemporary"; a feeling we instantly felt when we arrived, as Jim himself greeted us at the door.
The interior is gorgeous...all dark wood, warm lighting and lined with giant black and white photographs from Jarvis Street in the 1800's.
We were blown away by the food; everything was so fresh and so tasty! As Jim told us, they only buy local, fresh ingredients and everything is house-made. So, our compliments to the Chef David Araya; thank you for a wonderful meal!
We started off with a local beer, Mill Street Original and an Okanaagan Shiraz...which was delightful.
10oz $3.75 - 20oz $5.75 - 60oz $15.95
Mill Street Original
Prospect Red Willow 8 / 23 / 35
Shiraz, Okanaagan
Had to try the poutine; how could you not?
Poutine 8
Hand Cut Fries and Cheese Curds.
Topped with Bourbon Beef Gravy.
We were warned about the large size, but were blown away by it in reality. It was huge! For $8?! And not drenched in gravy, we could actually taste the hand-cut fries. I've personally decided it's a keeper.
Then, arriving smoking hot, we had the Chicken Pot Pie which I was dreaming about ever since checking the menu prior to arriving at the restaurant.
Chicken Pot Pie 13
Root Vegetables and Roasted Chicken Smothered in
Herb Cream Sauce. Served with Green Salad.
It was one of the best pies I've ever had, not to say I eat a lot of pies, but the very best pie I'd had was in Edinburgh from the Pie Maker. That's, Maker of pies and THIS was on par with THAT.
It was flaky and oozing with such a delicious filling, atypical from the usual potato and rubbery-and-questionable chicken filling. You could actually taste the vegetables (and distinguish them!) from the chicken. The green salad wasn't doused in dressing, either.
The bread and butter are both house-made, the butter changing every night or week according to the chef's desire: Roasted red pepper butter one night (what we had), sage butter, citrus butter... Brilliant and well executed!
Maple Glazed Salmon 18
Roasted Atlantic Salmon. Served with Smashed
Seasonal Potatoes, Braised Leeks with Bacon Burre Blanc.
I found it refreshing to get potatoes (smashed, at that, with salmon, 'cause usually you get salmon:
"seasoned with crushed black pepper and salt served on a bed of basmati rice with vegetables"
OR
"seasoned with a dash of dill and served on a bed of wilted spinach"....
I question a restaurant when they consider salt and pepper SEASONING.
This maple glazed salmon we likened to the way we cook at home: with flavour! The crispy top and break-away center of the salmon was exactly the way I like it. The sweetness of the leeks with the potatoes brings makes me salivate even as I write, as it was just melt in your mouth delicious.
Market Crumble $6.00
Seasonal market fresh fruit and homemade oats baked
golden brown and topped with ice cream (ask your server)
How to describe this market crumble, made to order with blueberries and arriving smokin' hot and so fresh? Oh, I think I just did.
Crème Brulee $6.00
Baked vanilla custard topped with a crusted layer of
caramel and fresh berries
I don't usually order crème brulee, but lately have had cravings for it, and this was a remarkable one and unforgettable. I'd get it again.
The place was packed, even when we were leaving, a group of 25 showed up; but it was no issue to seat the large crowd as the open concept of the interior allows for big as well as intimate gatherings. Our server Kaitlyn was gracious and efficient as well, not missing a beat.
We met with the other two brothers, Nick and Mike, as well; it was so nice to talk to each of them and learn how much it meant to them to preserve the history of the building.
It's evident in the interior design that the original stained glass windows and wood burning fireplace only add to the ambiance of the restaurant. Their patio is possibly the largest in the city, as well.
With an upscale environment serving upscale food but with a down-to-earth vibe and certainly down-to-earth prices, we'd have to agree with Jim and his expression of The Blake House being "your home in the city". Afterall, three hours later, we still weren't ready to leave.
NEW: O&B Canteen
Location:
330 King St W, Toronto
Another one of Peter Oliver and Michael Bonacini's babies, O&B is part cafeteria, part full-service restaurant, with all the wood, glass and metal (and gorgeous pops of orange Le Creuset dishes) that entails opening up a restaurant these days, it's also in the new Bell Lightbox building.
In the company of several foodies, including Hobography, his family, AC, and AL who is our resident food and drink expert and founder of Foodies Toronto, our verdict is?
Well, O&B Canteen is no great shakes.
Here's what we ate:
I started with a Soltice Mojito (it's listed on the menu as such, but makes me wonder if they meant Solstice?) with loads of raspberries - a juicy, refreshing drink with a hint of mint, I slurped every last sip, and not only because it was $10.
They have only two beers on tap: Mill St. Tankhouse (sm $5, lg$7) and Stella Artois ( sm $6 and large $8) and the sizes arrive in tiny glasses. The wine was served in a slightly more reasonable portion. The rest of the beers (more Mills St., Keith's, Bud, Guinness, Leffe etc.) are bottled.
The Steak Frites ($21) was the best dish on the table, but discussions were had on how it was cooked.
The "Chef's Daily Creation" was a hand-made pappardelle with some type of sausage and mushrooms, which took forever to arrive and once it did looked like an appetizer in size.
It didn't fare well in flavour either; I'd like to quote Hobo here on how it was:
"It was overcooked, bland and flavourless."
The Gallo Mussels ($18) arrived in a hot pot looking quite beautiful, as did the french onion soup; I can't vouch for the taste.
The Basket of O&B Artisan breads (with spread and olives $8), I wish had more craft to them...as they were, they didn't excite.
Hobo ordered the Chicken Liver Parfait (cumberland sauce, pickle, baquette $8) and ended up having to request several refills of "baquette" as there was decidedly more parfait than "baquette" and I think we'd have preferred the entire "baquette" instead of only slices of it. Interestingly, you can find Michael Bonacini's Chicken Liver Parfait recipe, here.
The refills were also greatly needed since Hobo's fresh pasta didn't arrive for 45 minutes.
My All Day Breakfast ($14) was decent - the sausages and bacon absolutely delicious but the potatoes were luke warm and the bread, kind of boring. It didn't help that the butter and jams had to be requested several times before making an appearance and the hot sauce didn't make it to the table for a while.
The house-made "Canteen Catsup", spiced with cinnamon, coriander and celery seed, wasn't very good. I think it's best not to mess with what Heinz has perfected.
The desserts, however, managed to impress.
The Lemon Posset w/ chantilly, berries ($6), Soma Brownie w/vanilla ice cream ($7), Fresh Fruit w/ mint, lemongrass syrup and sorbet ($8), Espresso Affogato w/ almond biscuit ($5) Gateau Basque w/ vanilla ice cream ($7), were all divine; each carrying a distinct flavour. Muah!
Overall, I think everyone felt a disappointed. While they've got the signiture O&B style down, the service definitely needs work. It was waaaaaaaaay too slow for the type of idea they're selling. If you're calling it a canteen, it should operate as one.
I'll give the service a few months and go back to try the breakfast and those butties...perhaps with Lurgs?
Product: Pita Break
I was recently sent a large box filled with Pita Break products: a variety of One Bun pitas and Lavash "Flax and Honey" crackers.
Now, it's no secret that I like to eat, so it was almost instantaneous that I broke into the Lavash cracker box! It just so happened that I'd just met up with some friends for after-work beers, and these crackers were the perfect snack for the walk over to our Chinese restaurant for dinner.
Slender maybe, but quite "Lavash" in size, the nutty, natural, fibrous flavour would appear to be rather tasteless, but instead is quite the opposite.
Full-mouthed and double-fisting the crackers, all of us agreed they were addictive!
The pitas?
Are quite simply, fabulous. And the variety that they have is astounding!
My favourite is the Breakfast Pita: Cranberry Orange. They were so good in the morning and as a snack (of which there were many while these babies were around) they were perfect with a bit of almond butter and/or jam (usually both, who am I kidding?).
My hubby preferred the Apple Cinnamon.
And because we often like making breakfast egg sandwiches the Breakfast Muesli was perfect for this.
And let me just say, what an ingenious idea to make hamburger buns THINNER!!!
What's better than the thin hamburger bun? The OneBun Hot dog bun - not only thinner, but like a taco, sits neatly on it's side. Love it. And multigrain, to boot!
We can't get enough of these pitas..they're all -natural, preservative free, kosher and made in Toronto. And they even won the Best Lunchbox Item and Best Snack for the Canadian Live Foundations LIVERight Awards.
Congratulations you guys, I'd have to agree.
LE GOURMAND IS BACK!
LOCAL FEATURE: Crepe Delicious
Location:
100 City Centre Drive
www.crepedelicious.com
If it's not pancakes or french toast for breakfast, it's crepes (from scratch) at our house, so to receive two packs of Crepes De Licious mix in the mail was quite refreshing.
That said, if you're not a crepes-from-scratch person, and you like a good crepe, these packages are worthwhile. Better yet, you can just go OUT for crepes and visit your local Crepe Delicious!
We did that, too.
There's a little kiosk of Crepe Delicious at the Square One Mall. With breakfast crepes, paninis, savoury andsweet crepes.
Ian and Michael were the talented young specialists on hand for whipping us up some yummy crepes: savoury and sweet!
I don't care much for savoury crepes in general, but the Caesar Chicken ($7.95) one made for us was quite good, and packed with filling.
The sweet crepes is where it's at. Nutella? Yes, please!
The Tuttie Fruitte ($6.99) was absolutely divine and made far better than even the crepes we had in Paris!
Nyum Nyum.
They use all fresh toppings, so much so, that they run out of popular ingredients such as apples and panini loaves. It's a kiosk afterall; it would be great to see this place get it's own restaurant as it was busy and has only a limited number of stools. Most customers got the crepes to go anyway, wrapped up neatly in foil. For the busy shoppers at Square One this type of kiosk probably works better than a dine-in restaurant, especially since you can smell the crepes a mile away and can have it as a snack or a meal.
We wanted the Crunchy Caramel $5.85 but they had run out of apples so Ian, who is the resident expert at that location, having been there two years, made us a custom super-duper, nutella-banana-caramel crepe!
I'll post up our own home-made crepe recipe, but until then, if you happen to stop by a Crepes Delicious, try the nutella/banana crepe! You shan't be disappointed.
Cora’s Breakfast and Lunch
Location:
277 Wellington Street West, Toronto
www.chezcora.com
Did people eat more in the '90s? I'm not sure. All I know is I ordered the 1990s Harvest for breakfast at Cora's on Saturday and it sure was a gigantic portion!
There's not a whole lot of selection for brunch downtown...I mean, really downtown, near the Queens Quay area. The closest place we could think of was Cora's. And I guess everyone else thought the same. The line-up was huge! And that too, on such a blustery cold day. Our wait was about 20 or so minutes, normally we'd have gone elsewhere, but there was nowhere else to go, except for maybe the brunch at 5 Senses (or is it Sen5es?), which didn't have a line-up, which we took as it either not being good or being too pricey. Turns out a "gourmet" breakfast buffet will set you back $21.95. A bit too much to pay for eggs and toast, me thinks. As it is, breakfast is the easiest meal to prepare and uses the cheapest of ingredients.
At Cora's it's still a little too much for what it is, but it really hit the spot that day.
Of course, I'm sure everyone could have done without the wait, but when we did finally get seated, our server was really nice and my 1990s Harvest was absolutely perfect....the raisin french toast, the bacon, the eggs, the pile of fruit (all of it exactly like the larger than life photo in the menu) . What a heaping portion. The blueberry crepes were a bit of a dud, but between the two of us we covered all of our cravings...AND some.
Frugal Fare #6: The Banknote
Location:
663 King Street West, Toronto
The Banknote is one of those work-lunch and after-work dinner/drinks places serving up burger & beer type meals in a bank setting. Yes, aptly named The Banknote, as it used to a bank, they still have the ol' vault in the back and teller booths. If that ambiance doesn't suit you, there's always their cosy patio on the King Street side.
It's a great place for post-rock-climbing eats as Rock Oasis is just around the corner! I'd choose this over The Wheatsheaf, if you were wondering. :)
Burger and fries special
Pasta of the day:
Eggplant Parm Burger:
Penne:
Chicken Burg:
Fish n' Chips:
Recipe: Good Old Fashioned Pancakes
Just in time for Saturday morning's breakfast!
I'd only ever made Aunt Jemima pancakes when I was younger so when I found this recipe for pancakes on Allrecipes.com (with 4.5 stars and 3,327 reviews!), I had to try it. It's easily the best pancake recipe, ever, and the only one I use and will continue to use from now on.
Here it is, with my changes in italics:
Ingredients
-
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (definitely DON'T use whole wheat flour, ever! I tried this once and the pancakes were too chewy, thick and heavy)
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 C *or as desired* Ghiradelli's (or any brand) dark chocolate chips
Directions
1.In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2.Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Toppings
Frozen blueberries and/or strawberries tossed into a saucepan makes a lovely fruit topping
or
Fresh raspberries and powdered sugar on top of maple syrup.
Sometimes I like to spread Godiva chocolate spread over the pancakes...yep, it's delicious.
NEW: Frankly Eatery
Location:
1118 Queen Street East, Toronto
www.franklyeatery.com
So, I first posted about Frankly Eatery in April. Our friends opened up Frankly (the name deriving from them not knowing quite frankly what name to give it) in Leslieville and we finally got the chance to check it out this past weekend.
Loving the signage outside and how warm and cosy the interior is.
They had a few weekend specials, one of them being: Scrambled eggs w/ scape-jalapeno pesto topped with sausage & bacon, tomato and red scallions served w/side salad & baguette.
Everything Everything was fresh and came out hot and tasting delicious.
I got my standard: French Toast (Vanilla cinnamon French toast topped with our mixed berry compote and pure maple syrup and a side of fresh fruit. $7.75). I have to admit I knew what I was going to get when I saw the menu before Frankly Eatery even opened :) And it was incredible - we were loving the baquettes and the berry sauce on top. Perfect.
The Aloo Parantha (large Indian style flatbread stuffed with shredded spiced potatoes served with a homemade cilantro sour cream and side salad 8.50) was cooked to perfection - exactly the way we like it, tasting wonderfully homemade.
The Egg Bhurji (Spicy Indian style scramble with onions, peas and tomatoes served with green salad and sliced baguette. $8.50) was amazing!! Definitely something I would get again.
One of the other specials was the Tandoori Chicken Wrap (Tandoori chicken, slaw, roasted chick peas, garlic aioli w/ side salad) which, with the side salad, was quite filling.
And finally, there they are! The fantastic crew bringing it all together: great job guys - everyone is loving the place and we can't wait to come back!
Frankly Eatery NOW OPEN!
Here's the scoop directly from one of the owners: