Epic Friday: Morning

My excitement has been building up to that day when it would be about nothing but food for the morning, noon, and evening.  This day I would imagine that I am the host of my own tv show and that I am hopping from one event to another with my crew in tow. It really tested me on how far I was willing to go to for my passion for food.

Thanks again to Suresh Doss a.k.a @Spotlightcity, he was able to negotiate a mini food truck event at the heart of downtown on the corner of Yonge and Gould.  The vacant lot was a good starting place to gauge the general public's receptiveness to the Food Truck concept.  Previous events in town was held at the 'Distllery District' with great success.  However I still believe that this is still very much a niche event to those in the know and spread through social media.  In the downtown core would be the best way to gauge the viability to the masses.  The time frame of the event was between 11am to 2pm to capitalize the lunch crowd one would assume.  This might be a hard sell for many since it was a blustery day outside compounded with the recently opened 'Urban Eatery' at the Eaton Centre.

When I got there I didn't think about all that serious business.  No! I was thinking to myself I might finally score some plates from Gorilla Cheese and El Gastronomo Vagabundo! Every food truck they have been to there would be 1 hour (yes, you read that correctly) line ups.  This is not a roller coaster at Wonderland in mid-summer! It's cold and windy november day and I'm here just a bit after they opened so my chances have to be pretty good. There was already a large crowd of people amassing to the side of the Gorilla Cheese truck.  Not wanting to tempt fate to be denied yet again I immediately lined up to capture the one that has always eluded me - The LumberJack.

Many people dismiss Gorilla Cheese as something they can just go home and make.  How many people really go home and actually do it? They have some really creative items on the menu and I finally got one in my hand.  This one is comprised of bacon, aged Canadian cheddar, granny smith apples, and maple syrup on white bread. From experience this item is always the first to be crossed off the menu. Aromas of melted butter, gooey cheese and smokey bacon settled my stomach and warmed more than just my hands. Grilled cheese sandwiches has magical properties like all comfort food no matter where you are.  I don't think I would love this as much in the scorching summer heat. It's not a grilled cheese unless it has been properly flattened under a sandwich press.  Don't let the apples and the maple syrup confuse you as it is still a savory dish that managed to not be overly salty from the cheese and butter. This was so great and I finished it while the cheese was runny.  That crowd that I mention are the ones that had already had their and probably contemplating if they want a second or a third. Ordering Cheeky Monkey would be too soon to have a dessert from them so I go on to my next dish and hopefully still have room to come back.

Fish tacos was something I always see on TV that I craved but was always out of reach.  Upon hearing that some enterprising folks had brought it across the border to here made me ecstatic!  Enthusiasm soon turned to despair as hordes of people show up to events where La Carnita and El Gastronimo were selling out. Now I can have my time with El Gasto's tempura cod tacos. I'll just start off by saying that it was the best thing I had that day! La Carnita's Voltron fish tacos , some say, are even better so I can't wait to try those as well.

Looking at these again I can't think of many things that I can eat all day! The tempura was so crisp, light and airy and the cod was wonderfully moist. In my mouth it hits all the right flavor notes when the trifecta of sweet spicyness of the Bajan mango hot sauce, tangy red cabbage / green apple slaw and sour cream is elevated by the splash of lime juice. Nothing else needs to be said but Mmmmm... OM NOM NOM!!!

Many of these had caught my while I was lining up for my food but these bad boys had to take a back seat since I still have the rest of the day ahead of me. These toasted raviolis came from the 'Toasted Tangerine' truck.  Inside the ravioli were stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese with a herb marinara sauce.

Only an hour had passed when I lasted checked and the Cupcake Diner had already sold out of their red velvet cupcakes.  I wanted a dessert to save for later so I opted to get a cookie and head out.  At first glance I thought it was mistaken in getting an oatmeal raisin one.  Upon closer inspection the cookie was dense and stuffed with ingredients. There were large chunks of chocolate and nuts strewn about it midst with a sprinkles of salt crystals. Yes! This is perfect for the afternoon snack!

It was about noon when I was leaving and sure enough large lines have started to form at both Gorilla and El Gastro.  Stomach is happy and the world is good.  Next stop and next post is the 'Gourmet Food and Wine Expo'.  Here are some other shots from the gathering.

No Regrets, No Remorse

First off, bonus points if you know where this phrase comes from but that's not the subject here.

The seeds of this journey was planted when I saw the article by @karonliu on "Here's the beef". Next it was all the tweets about the burger wars and cattle battles (Twitter is a blessing and a curse since for foodies).  Finally I had to work Saturday morning so I had to detour to another gym to catch my favorite instructor.  All that sweating was worth it in the end though.

In the front of the store is the cute yet dark humored picture of a cow's head with a halo on a platter and a double cheeseburger head on a cow's body.  Great sense of humor!  It was nice to see that the owners did put effort into the decor as long as the food didn't suffer.  Chinese restaurants and decor... Jussayin.

This first piece of furniture caught my eye and brought back fond memories.  A fitting homage to a bygone era.  How is this in such pristine condition and where has it been hiding? I wonder if the owner always wanted one as a kid and now he's making one of his dreams come true?

To my right I see familiar looks just like the ones I see on television.  Downtrodden faces of despair and hopelessness yielding to the meaty menace before them with time quickly running out.  Two brave souls dared to take on the 'Go Chuck Yourself' challenge and hunched over in defeat.  Let me back up and explain what this challenge entails. Better yet let me show you!

If we could have a few more of these in town then I might be able to persuade one of my favourite tv personalities to come to Canada.  How does someone finish both in under six minutes is unfathomable to me.  My order is going to be something more realistic.  I don't even want to know how many calories or how many days at the gym will it take to clear my conscience.  On the menu itself again reflected their sense of humor for all things bovine and farm.  Many of their listings sounded great but I couldn't decide.  The server stepped out seeing the quizzical look on my face and suggested I try their signature feature first.  Now I was tempted but those milkshakes looks too damn and rich for my tastebuds today. Learning from experience I had asked to have the burger cut in half to get a cleaner and nicer photos of the burger.  What came was a bit of a shocker. I didn't see that one coming.

It is always a juggling act to get as many pictures as you can while the food is still hot.  After taking a few shots I decided to reassemble both pieces together for a few more shots.

Not wanting to waste anymore time I start to take a large bite out of it.  I haven't tasted a burger this good since Burger's Priest (which I still have neglected to blog about).  The burger was cooked medium and full of meaty moistness as opposed to well done and dry.  This was where the burger meat was the focus and the main attraction.  So many places , especially one that comes to mind, have excellent toppings but it covers up or loses the burger taste in the process. It tastes like a pure burger essence on a simple burger bun.  Here is a great blog about comparisons between the two burger titans at Food with Leg's Blog.

At the end of my meal I felt that this was a beautiful burger with no pretensions and nothing to hide.  The best part was that it didn't have the weight of a lead brick on my belly doing the walk of shame home from over indulgence. Can't ask for anything more than that can I? :)

Breakaway from the Danforth

The Danforth has many great places for wining and dining. It is ironic that my favorite place for gyros falls just outside its borders. Thanks to @SpiceCityTO's blog about this place, I found another reason to explore the fringes even more.

Makkah restaurant was going to be a quick detour on my way to the gym.  The server was quite social when I entered the premise noticing that I was a new comer.  On the menu was quite a selection of offerings as well specials which had whet my appetite.  I couldn't eat too much or I'll regret it at the gym so I opted for something simple, handheld and portable.  The name also caught my eye so I ordered the foot long kebab sandwich.

After I placed the order, I was told to have a seat and the food will be delivered to the table.  Honestly I really didn't want to wait since I was really short on time before the group exercises begins.  It was a slow day because of the weather but I did see an old couple there with a tall stack of naan bread with their meal.  How would fresh naan bread with butter and spicy maple syrup taste like... my mind came back to reality as my food arrived.  Aromas of fresh baked goodness and grilled meats had me chained to the spot.  My curiosity and hunger was getting the better of me and I had to sample this while it is still hot!

At first glance it looked rather spartan and it wasn't quite a foot long sandwich.  All that was forgiven when I peeled back its silvery sheath.

The first thought in my mind was why haven't I seen this at other places!  It is deliciousness!  This is now one of my favorite handheld foods from just the aromas alone.  Toasted buttery naan combined with the charred meaty kebab and the spicy tandoori flavor with whole cardamon seeds just floored my taste buds.  Delving into it I found the longest kebab that stretched along the entire length of the pita.  Garnishes for this was slim but sufficient to give it a nice crunch.  Something that is new and different is always appreciated from the plethora of burgers, souvlakis, and gyros that have almost become mundane.

Half-way into it the stomach sends a signal back to my brain to come back to earth.  Luckily this was just enough time to catch my bus and arrive on narrowly on time.  Now I'm definitely coming back for that chicken biryani tuesday special for $3.49.

Hooked on lobsters again

There are classics that you don't get tired of no matter how often you eat them.  My experience with lobster has been limited.  It just got to the point where I would avoid it since many places cooks it using the tried and true method to please everyone.  Don't get me started when you go to a Chinese restaurant and order a lobster or go to a Chinese wedding.  My body would just shut down into a coma smelling that ginger and scallion sauce.

When I saw Kiki's Blog of Fisherman Clubhouse Restaurant I started to get genuinely excited about lobsters!

This place is hard to spot on the road since it is facing east and the view is also blocked by a gas station.  Personally I wanted a change from the family's usual go to spot for Chinese food.  I managed to get the family together and took Kiki's advice to reserve a table ahead of time.  It didn't take long before people started to pour in and only those with reservations would get seats.  The decor looks just like any typical Chinese restaurant and it's a rather small place.  The tables in the dining area are for larger groups and the unlucky smaller groups sit in a heated outdoor patio.  Sadly my table was facing the patio so there was a chill every time the waiters went in and out to the patio.  Let's forget about that sore spot and talk about the food.

The waitress on Kiki's blog was there again but she didn't serve us.  Originally we wanted to start with just the dinner for five and then see if our appetites could handle more food. Our waitress was very direct telling us we had 90 minutes of seating time before the next group comes in. If we didn't order all the food now that they wouldn't take any more orders from us later.  Apparently there are 4 categories when ordering the shellfish.  The price ranges from $10.99 to $16.99 per pound.  We settled on a five pound Lobster dinner for five with two extra dishes. After taking our order, the waitress returned with the fresh lobster, told us the weight and showed it to us for approval.  Since the Shark Fin ban may start as soon as the next day we figured we would get our last taste of it.  It was hard waiting for the food since we would see humongous dishes piled high with lobster that looked like it was one foot tall.

The first dish that came out was the Shark Fin soup in five bowls.  It was a bit awkward at first but we managed to split the soup for seven people.  While having my soup I found a nice pieces of real crab meat in the soup which was a nice touch. 

Our main course had arrived and I couldn't wait seeing all those other delicious dishes passing by.  Everyone's eyes took a double take at the mountainous pile before us.  Those pieces were so large and juicy that I almost forgot how perfectly cooked lobster tasted like.  What really delighted me was the special herb or root they used for seasoning having an earthiness with the sweetness from the meat.  It is some Chinese name that I have never heard of but it made me salivate for it.  My father was extra surprised when he picked up the lobster head and found the head was intact and with roe still inside.  I don't think I've been to another restaurant that leaves the roe and the head of the lobster untouched.

Following the lobster was the free range chicken and fish dish landing on the table. Neither of the dishes was memorable and my parents and I both agree they were a bit bland.  Luckily my niece is not a fussy eater so she was happy when the other two non seafood dishes came to 'change the flavor in the mouth' as they say in Chinese.  It is rare that they serve sweet and sour pork with the sauce separately and it is something I think more places should do.  This sauce looked like your type red was not too sweet and the pork had a light batter that made it look more like pork nuggets.  As a garlic lover I loved seeing what looks like a whole clove chopped and fried spread out on pieces of cubed steak.

All this food on the table was not the end of the meal.  It was about another twenty minute wait before the rest of the food arrived but the break was much appreciated.  In my lobster euphoria I forgot to take the pictures for the rest of the meal.  The surprise hit of the night was the fried eel with the Chinese string beans with a mystery ingredient.   Our table had fun guessing what it was since these small crispy slivers were scattered around the plate.  Referring back to Kiki's blog I found out that they were these small white rice fish and my father got it right!  I didn't know he is such a foodie!  Finally the last two dishes came out which was the baby bokchoy with king mushrooms and lobster roe fried rice.   We were a bit peeved that the rice came at the end.  The fried rice wasn't just scented with the roe as I could taste the flavor in the rice which makes me wonder how much roe did they use to accomplish this?  The complementary dessert this time was hot black sesame paste and it was rich and sweet unlike many places that serves a watered down version.  If I could freeze this then it would be close to what Yuzu Sushi served for their black sesame ice cream!

In the end I would definitely go back there again.  My parents loved it so much that they said if they won the lottery they would come back every weekend! lol

What the fish?

This is just a quickie post a random lucky find.  I haven't personally see this at any other location so it was definitely a new experience for me.  Honestly I was heading to Ghazele in the Annex when I noticed Ali Baba is now in the space where Yummy BBQ use to occupy (right next to Guu Sakabar).

My eyes immediately spotted something that was out of place.  "Choice of Chicken, Beef, Falalfel or Fish.  Back up a second there; Fish?  Where is the lamb?  That got my attention so I jaywalked over to see what it would be like to have a fish shawarma.

It looked like a regular sized wrap which was good since I didn't want to be too full.  Whenever I have a shawarma it is usually the protein that is the most predominate flavor even with the yogurt and hot sauce.  This time there was a light and harmonious balance of flavors.  Apparently the cook didn't add either dressing which was a good call. Reaching the filling, the tabouleh and vegetables transforms into a wonderful relish for the fish.  The lemony zing added nice sharpness to contrast that works perfectly with the fish.  As for the fish itself was just poaching in it's own liquid on a steam table.  I can't really comment on how it was cooked however the fish was moist and tasty inside.

The beef shawarma was about as normal as another regular place so there isn't much to say about it.