Hero Burger

Location:

1480 Major Mackenzie Drive East
Richmond Hill, ON

www.heroburgers.com

I like to jokingly think it's me saying "hello" to the burger.  "Herroo Burger!"

Having eaten at Hero Burger once before at the Queen Street location, I wasn't blown out of the water.  It was almost good bye burger. 

But seeing it again in Richmond Hill while quite hungry, all was forgotten and we exchanged pleasantries once more.

I got the beef burger with bacon, hold the cheese, while my husband got the turkey burger with all the fixin's.



Verdict?





While there was nothing bad or wrong with it, it's not the best I've had and failed to impress a second time. 

However, the service was great; friendly and quick, and better than the Queen St. location.

So, it may not my hero, but then, I already have one.

TRAVEL: Paris: McDonald's

Don't judge me.

We did it in India, so we had to do it Paris.

Eat at a McDonald's, that is.

And it was très magnifique!

Gotta love this guy who posed for the picture!

Oh we also had a Kronenbourg 1664 beer, but it wasn't cold enough.

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!

KFC's Double Down

Location:

466 Queen Street West, Toronto

Having received varied reactions to me trying KFC's DOUBLE DOWN burger, ranging from "Eeewwww" to the actually curious, "How WAS it?", I have to tell you, I LOVED it!
Yes, it's bacon and cheese sandwiched between  two juicy (and incredibly salty) chicken burgers, and at 540 calories, 30 g of fat, and 1,740 mg of sodium (!!!) it's not good for you, BUT it was deeeeeeeelicious and well worth it.  








Split between three of us, and no longer available in Canada, I now wish I'd had more of it!

Czehoski Restaurant

Location:

678 Queen St W., Toronto

www.czehoski.com

With its unpronounceable (and untypeable) name and rusty, industrial name plate hanging over its door, Czchzhecioski is all things cool and nonchalant.  Exactly what Queen West is about.

The downstairs already filled, we were seated upstairs, where it was cose (new word) with a roaring fireplace and a canoe hanging up on the lofty wall.  And who knows what's on the third floor - dance club? Lounge?  This place is happening!



Our service was so friendly we didn't even think our server was our server..he just looked like a person dining at the restaurant.

He embodied Queen West-ness in every manner and made us feel very welcome and at home.  Did I mention it was laid-back?

So much so that when my dining partner, who shalt not be named, returned her lamb dish (it was too gamey for her).  I'm surprised that they complied!  Bringing her a 2nd dish: this time, duck (she who shalt not be named LOVED it!).



Jordan, at Czehzgadofski, you are a God.

I heartily enjoyed my burger and fries, the bun was quite interesting...almost like a chinese bun, without the filling. Well, the filling I suppose was my beef patty.





We also tried the mac n cheese, which was amazing...very light and creamy (my stomach wasn't happy with me later, but such is life).



Altogether a 'hip' place to wine and dine, and the nonchalant atmosphere lends itself well to the fact that the tables are situated almost touching with barely enough ass-room to get by.

Oh sorry was that my ass in your soup?  Pardon me.

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!!!

Hooray, right? These sandwich and burger buns didn't last very long; especially with my husband's home-made burger recipe; they work together so well!

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.

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:

O&B Canteen NOW OPEN + O&B Cafe, Oakville

Locations:

O&B Canteen: 330 King St. West, TIFF Bell Lightbox, Toronto

O&B Cafe & Grill: 240 Leighland Avenue #235, Oakville

The new TIFF building's restaurant is now open - here's their menu online. It seems to always be packed in there and one day I will try it.

Not too long ago, we dined at the O&B cafe & grill at Oakville Place. Here, some shots.

The bread was delicious! So cutely packaged in a little metal box with little covered butter pots (reminded me of the packaging we used to get on airplanes back in the day).

This location of O&B has a really nice, quiet patio, designed in sleek woods and metals and clean lines.

Okay, but back to the bread. MMM MM mmm....warm, soft, and with a dab of butter...melted right in the mouth.

Did I mention the bread? It was soooooooooooo good!

To start us off we got the popcorn shrimp, which was AMAZING!  Very greasy though, but they'd already thought of that, placing the deep fried shrimp on a bed of crunchy filler crispy noddles which soaked up all the excess oil avoiding making the plate look slick.

Didn't really need the miso mayo it arrived with, the shrimp was just perfect on it's own.

We enjoyed a glass of Lillypilly Shiraz and a local beer.

Okay, so now, after quite some time had passed (and much bread had been consumed) another server arrived at our table with someone elses order: a plate of mac and cheese and a beef burger.  We noted to ourselves that our own server was too busy chatting it up with the couple (who appeared to be regulars) next to our table to notice this mistake on their part.

We send the food back and finally our server comes over and to compensate asks us if we want soup or salad...we chose salad and received a delicious spinach salad with sugar-coated pecans and thinly sliced pears...mMMmmmm MMM! Not exactly a healthy salad, I  assure you, but welcomed nonetheless!

Finally our meal arrives:  a chicken burger with fries and a margarita pizza. Boy, was the burger ever tasty! Usually when one orders a chicken burger, one gets a bland hunk of chicken breast with sorry looking grill marks on either side. Am I right? This, however was actual ground chicken, like we make at home. Very moist and juicy; I'd get it again in a heartbeat. Did I mention it came with bacon? Yesssssss!

The pizza had a super thin crust and was very light and non-greasy. Great tasting and a nice change from the burger.

The food was fantastic, our server was not.  Even by the time we were ready for the bill, he was still chatting it up with the regulars.  We didn't even get water refills once or asked how our food was.  When he finally did bring us our bill, it was the wrong one!  Yay!

Still, I'd go back for that shrimp.

Bar Wellington

Location:

520 Wellington St W, Toronto

Oh, Bar Wellie, how you've changed.

View

Okay, not to be quite so dramatic, but we really had some good times Bar Wellie and I. Once upon a time, when the service was nice and friendly, and I had my first taste of Leffe beer. Let me tell you, it was something else.  Now it really IS something else.

The service is sloooooooooooooow and rude and the food is, well, okay, so the food was never really THAT good.  The club sandwich, really dry and the pizza bland.

Club Sandwich

Pizza



It does have a big outdoor patio though, but size isn't all that matters.

I guess we will always have Leffe Beer.

Harbour Sports Grille

Location:

10 Yonge St., Toronto

www.harboursportsgrille.com

Fish n' Chips..............check.

Fish n chips

Beer....................check.

mmmmmmmmm....beer

TVs....................check.

Over 50 TVs and 2 big screens

Random pasta dish.............check.

Pasta

Can't ask for more from Harbour Sports Grille.

TRAVEL: Banff: The Maple Leaf

Location:

137 Banff Avenue
Banff, AB

www.banffmapleleaf.com

After a two hour trek across Lake Louise and back to the Chateau and by the time we reached Banff, we were riddled with cravings for salmon (or really, anything other than sandwiches and soups), so we headed straight to The Maple Leaf, number one on my list of Banff eateries.

Also, after not finding a single fireplace (working) at the Chateau, we were tempted to ask if there was a fireplace at the Maple Leaf, to which we got the response, "one moment please", and then, voila! A table RIGHT beside the fireplace!   Mind you, not only a fireplace, but a giant moose head to go with it, right above us.  

GIANT moose head!

I love Banff. Everything's so rugged, so earthy, so natural. If it isn't wood, it's leather or stone. The Maple Leaf ambiance was beyond cosy.

Such a cosy interior

Oh so comfortable leather chairs

The many celebs who have visited

We'd scoured the outdoor menu to make sure that there was salmon and I knew what I was going to have:

The Atlantic Wasabi Salmon...sesame-scented Asian noodles, nori, pickled ginger.

The other item we ordered was the Mahi Mahi sandwich (I know I said enough with the sandwiches, but it sounded so good!) with potato and leek soup (okay, I take it back).

Yummeh x 2!

Our only - and very slight - qualm was that the "Coke" tasted more like Cola and then we figured out it was DIET Coke. Er, no thanks. Not on vacation (or any other time, for that matter).  Our server was very accomodating and made no fuss.  Our adjoining table of seven or eight however, complained about their regular burgers being too pink and found out that the regular burgers also had a mix of bison in them (the server said something about bison burgers being more on the pink side).  They voiced that the menu made no mention of the bison mix in the regular burg and they'd have loved to have known beforehand...etc.etc.

If I hadn't overdone the whole burger thing having had two in the last four days, I would have ordered the regular burg as well, but the salmon and mahi mahi sandwich was exactly what we needed. 

Wasabi Salmon

The salmon dish was amazingly good.  Surprisingly, the noodles were chilled, but together with the crispy (breadcrumbed and fried) salmon and the fresh ginger slices, the dish was refreshing and satisfying. 

Mahi Mahi Sandwich

The fish sandwich was tasty as well; we tried to pinpoint the "indian" flavour in it.  At first I accredited it to the chilly yogurt mentioned in the menu, but then it dawned on me as being CILANTRO (to the joy of N and to my dismay).  If you know me, you know I am not a fan of the green stuff and its overpoweringly horrid scent.  That said, it was still a good sandwich.  Washed down with a cold glass of real Coke, that is.

Potato and Leek soup

The potato and leek soup was the perfect antidote to an active Winters day, while the Maple Leaf was the perfect end to an active Winters vacation.

Hemmingways

Location:

140 Cumberland Street, Toronto

Cost: Avg main is $13

www.hemingways.to

In the heart of Yorkville there's a cosy little people (or celeb) -watching pub that has the likeness of some Great-Grandfather's study. Green walls, heavy bookcases laden with old books, equestrian oil paintings lit up with dimmed wall sconces, antique wooden furniture dusty with age ----oh, hang on, that actually is my Great-Granddaddy's study...

I got carried away.

But you get my drift, Hemmingways has the authenticity of an ol' pub that Hemmingway himself might have frequented, but with a menu that's a mash-up of Eastern and Western delights, ie: bruschetta, spring rolls, escargot, Boston Clam chowder, Caesar salads, Greek salads, Tandoori what-nots, roti, pad thai, kung pao whatsits, souvlaki, fajitas....it's a really eclectic menu.

The ambiance at Hemmingways

I had the chicken souvlaki once and it was great; couldn't complain. I did however complain about the wine which tasted like that cloth one uses to wipe up counters...YOU know the one! They even confessed that they had that particular bottle sitting out for a while and opened a new one for me.

Chicken Souvlaki [caption id="attachment_1286" align="alignleft" width="604" caption="Chicken Souvlaki $13.99"][/caption]3.99

Besides that one incident (and I only ordered beer after that night), Hemmingways is quite simply: cosy.

And if you can't make up your mind on what to have for dinner, or if you have picky company to dine with, go to Hemmingways. Lots of food options PLUS beer.