Looks good
Finally made it to Famiglia Baldassarre. Tried some of the fresh pastas (they filled the containers we brought) and took other stuff home to try later. All pastas had great texture and the sauces and fillings were delicious.
Freshly made:
- Tortelli di zucca mantovani - sweet pumpkin filled pasta with butter, parm, and almonds - great simple combo of flavours
- Tagliolini alle trombette dei morti - wild black trumpet mushrooms, butter, parm - also wonderful
- Fior di latte - we took this home and had it with garden tomatoes (still have some growing) and focaccia - creamy and luscious
Fresh/frozen stuff to take home:
- Tagliatelle and pork ragu - rich, hearty ragu with more great pasta
Haven’t tried the other two we brought home yet.
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Tried Haifa room via delivery not impressed as middling at best (missing part of the merguez didn’t help either)
Flafel is decent (parallel is better imo)
Labneh way too watery and not creamy and not seasoned well.
Merguez box is decent
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Take-out chicken paprikash, goulash soup, cucumber salad and cottage cheese palacsinta from Country Style Hungarian. Still generous, the mains are big enough for me to save half for a future dinner. The paprikash and goulash had a little less paprika than on previous visits.
My meal came to $37.50 before tip.
Mains are now closer to $23.95, understandably with the cost of ingredients these days. Tax included. Cash only. The restaurant was able to have the food ready in 20 minutes.
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Tabule queen street location added a whole grilled fish which went well. Side of grilled vegetables add on
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Took out again from El Charro (Broadview location). Food remains really enjoyable - vibrant flavours and occasionally a heavy hand with the salt.
- Pozole: rich broth with tender roasted pork, hominy corn, and red chiles, topped with lettuce, raw onion and oregano, served with corn chips, lime and salsas (one smokey, one hot). Wonderful on a cold, blustery evening.
- Burrito Ahogado: flour tortilla filled with pork (marinated in guajillo pepper), pineapple, beans, guacamole, rice, mozzarella, smothered in a green salsa. Pork was delicious but the dish had too much salt overall.
- Pambazo: a fluffy bun dipped in guajillo salsa, filled with refried beans, lettuce, feta cheese, crema and Tinga de Pollo (pulled chicken in chipotle sauce, with fried onions). Very good, although the version with carnitas we had previously was even better.
- Torta: sandwich made with beans, guacamole, mayo, tomatoes, onions, mozzarella, cheddar and panela cheese. We got Chorizo con Huevo, so it was basically a yummy breakfast sandwich for dinner.
- some kind of special dessert with a firm cornmeal cake, not too sweet, with some coconut and whipped cream.
- Pineapple coconut tres leches - not too sweet and thus very good.
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I’ve been buying refrigerated dishes at Eataly lately, when I need a quick and healthy-ish / Italian / Mediterranean meal around Yorkville after 9 pm .
I have been finding many TO restaurants that are open midweek until 10 pm do not take food orders after 9:15 pm or 9:30 pm.
The Duke of York and The Oxley will take orders around 9:15 pm, but I’ve found quite a few other places won’t.
Kibo Secret Garden might be open then. I didn’t check.I wanted Mediterranean or pub food last night, and I didn’t want to wait long for it to be prepared.
So far, I have been happy with Eataly’s gnocchi cacio e pepe, gnocchi bolognese, eggplant parm, chicken valdostana, meatballs , Brussels sprout and hazelnut salad, cauliflower fonduta and various other vegetable sides.
They add up, mostly being priced between $7.90 and $13 for single portions, but they’re fairly generous single portions.
Getting the refrigerated takeout from Eataly has been cheaper for me than getting a takeout main and side dish at a mid level Italian restaurant nearby, and I like the food better than my most recent meal at Cibo, which is where I’d order quick meals at the counter before the Pandemic. I haven’t been to Nervosa in many years after 2 bad experiences a long time ago.
I freeze leftovers from Eataly.
I also picked up a single serving tiramisu , which was great. Maybe a little pricey for what it was, so I’ll get the medium or large container next time. They also have panna cotta with raspberry ready to go, next to the mains in the refrigerated section.
A few weeks ago, after checking at half a dozen restaurants for a takeout meal on a Tuesday night after 9:15 pm, I ended up getting a 10 piece chicken McNugget combo, which cost $13.99 plus tax at McD’s. The chicken valdostana at Eataly (no sides - heat at home- at least a 6 ounce portion, I think) costs $11.90 plus tax. A 2 piece fried chicken dinner at the new Mary Brown’s in Koreatown is $12.29 plus tax.
(By the way, I order dark meat only at Mary Brown’s, and I get a 4 piece dinner so I will have leftovers. https://marybrowns.com/menu/)
They all have their time and place, but of course.
Eataly is open until 10 pm. The hot table and pizza counter are closed by 9:30 pm in my experience.
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We went back to Lamoon (formerly Namwan) Thai Cafe. We tried them once before and liked many things, particularly the marinated pork burger with cheese on a sticky rice “bun”. Now the menu has expanded and so we tried a bunch of new things. They quite happily used our own takeout containers (except for the pizza) and bin, so didn’t have to create extra waste.
- Green Curry Veggie Pizza: Thai green curry as a base, topped with eggplant, mushrooms, red peppers, holy basil, chili pepper and mozzarella cheese. While the crust was only OK, the flavours of the toppings still made this a great dish.
- Yen Ta Fo: sweet potato noodle, deep-fried tofu, shrimp ball, fish balls (half rounds and tube kinds), garlic & black pepper sausages, green vegetables and deep-fried wonton wrappers with Thai pink bean curd sauce. Lots of fun, with so many textures and flavours.
(picture doesn’t include the soup components)
- Boat Noodle Soup: rich broth redolent of tamarind, garlic, fish sauce, served with ramen-style noodles, topped with ground pork, fish balls (two kinds), lobster balls, crunchy green vegetables (choy sum?), fried garlic, coriander and green onion. Though not quite like boat noodles we have had before, still very tasty.
(picture doesn’t include the soup components)
- Rice noodle soup (UBON Style): thick soup with ground pork, garlic & black pepper (pork) sausages, whole poached egg, lobster balls, choy sum, green onions, coriander, and fried garlic. Also very delicious.
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I enjoyed a take-out arepa filled with beef, plantain, black beans and cheese from Bacan today.
Also enjoyed a vodka pizza slice from Badiali’s. I can see what the fuss is about.
Will return to both Badiali’s and Bacan.
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I tried Raku today courtesy of UberEATS
The delivery itself was a bit odd due to the delivery person the food itself was packed very well
Kani Ankake Udon: was amazing and one of the best Japanese Udon I have had in the city (I make nabeyaki Udon at home in the winter as have yet to find a good place) the broth very distinct thick and clear. The ingredients really starred here imo. The Udon itself is amazing. I enjoyed the Kani meat which is a hefty upcharge but expected I suppose. One can try the plain version I suppose.
The side of Chicken Tatsuta-Age was ok though I expected better.
The Udon itself hmm I think I will try them again and maybe venture in person. Big thumbs up here folks as non ramen person I thoroughly enjoyed it
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I used to order the Nabeyaki Udon at Yuzo No Hana , but I haven’t ordered it there in 4 or 5 years. No one mentions Yuzu No Hana anymore.
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Finally tried Tropical Joe’s in the food court of Gerrard Square mall. Eyebrows raised? Well we had ignored it too, despite it being a few blocks from our house. However several Chowhounders recommended it, so we finally decided to give them a try. One strike against them is they wouldn’t use our own containers.
- oxtail (partially eaten by my overeager wife) - great rich flavour over good rice and peas and a bit of curried potato for good measure. I would have preferred it stewed longer, so the meat falls off the bone and the tendon and collagen melt much more.
- curry chicken - chicken got a bit dry, but the flavour was complex and fragrant.
- jerk pork and jerk chicken - redolent of different spices, though little kick if you need that. Delicious otherwise and the chicken was quite moist.
Overall quite enjoyable and a nice addition to our list of local Caribbean options.
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How salty did you find it? I’ve been finding most Caribbean restaurant food in Toronto way too salty lately.
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Not at all too salty. I agree that over-generosity with salt can be a problem with many places.
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I stopped by Casa Tropical, on College near Shaw and got feijoada to-go, which I heated at home. Delicious. Way better than my attempt to make it, and I like it better than a version I ordered in NYC.
Casa Tropical is a mom & pop restaurant with a Spartan interior. Mains are around $24ish, and generous.
This photo shows around a third of my order.
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I grabbed a slice of Sicilian ( bacon and Italian sausage) pizza at the Pizzaiolo in the Annex. That was a good slice of pizza (really, a double slice) for $5.65. I hadn’t gotten a slice from Pizzaiolo in years. Not sure if I lucked out, or if that location has a good cook working on Mondays, or if it’s good everywhere. Definitely better than my last slice from Cora’s. And a lot cheaper than a $20 pizza from Blondie’s when all I want is a slice. I’d go back.
Maker Pizza now has a location in the Annex but it closes at 9 pm on weeknights. To be honest, the Sicilian pizza slice at Pizzaiolo is more to my liking than the 2 pizzas I’ve tried at Maker Pizza
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Paid another visit to Naan Kabob, an Afghani GTA mini-chain. We quite enjoyed what we tried last year, so we got a few favourites and branched out to try some more dishes.
- Lentil soup: very nice, cumin-y, comes with lemon and pita chips
- Eggplant Borani: sweet roasted eggplant, tahini sauce, garlic and lemon juice - great!
- Bolanee: lightly grilled naan, stuffed with potatoes, green onions and herbs, served with a side of homemade yogurt - just as delicious as last time.
- Lamb Shank: tender, with all the collagen melted, served over fragrant and sweet qaubli (raisins and carrots) pulao rice, plus another piece of naan - another excellent repeat.
- Tandoori Half Chicken Din: moist, brined, well-flavoured chicken, served with the same rice, naan, and a side salad
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Chaplee Peshawri Din: slightly spicy seasoned beef patties, with the same rice, naan, and salad - tasty, though not quite as interesting.
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Chana masala side: richly spiced and a nice complement to the meats with the rice.
- Firni: Afghan pudding of milk & starch flavoured with cardamom - simple, not-too-sweet, and fragrant.
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Looks good!
No farofa?
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The specks of beige on the beans are farofa. The owner packaged the rice and kale, the tomato salsa-type condiment and the farofa separately. I guess I was light-handed with the farofa. Around 1/3 cup of farofa was provided to go with a 2 cup container of feijoada.
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