North Pole will have both baked and fried Zeppole di San Giuseppe the week before St Joseph’s Day (March 19).
My last visit with a friend before the initial lockdown took place on March 13, 2020, and I had stopped at North Pole specifically to purchase the Zeppole di San Giuseppe. I posted about it on Chowhound, but not on HO.
My friend took a photo of the Zeppole from North Pole. I think we liked the fried version a little more.
Good to know. We got introduced to Zeppole di San Giuseppe through Forno Cultura and are now hooked.
Tried a shish tawook wrap from Askadenya on Queen a couple blocks west of
University Ave. It’s halal. Very slow. No one was ahead of me in line to order , and it was 1:35 pm on a Sunday afternoon. It took 18 minutes for the wrap. I was in a rush, and should have just grabbed a hot dog or snacks at Rexall instead, in retrospect. After I ordered, I noticed a sign that says their food might take a while to make.
There was a generous amount of chicken breast, probably close to 5 ounces, and some fries, garlic sauce and red cabbage were inside the wrap. I don’t think I will go back. Too slow and not that great. It seems like all the shawarma/doner places I’ve tried on that stretch of Queen between University and Spadina are overpriced, although large portions and generally meh (Askadenya, German Doner Kebab and Me Va Me)
Nice packaging, though. They do a lot of orders through DoorDash et al.
I also picked up some mushroom soup from Country Style Hungarian tonight. It’s a broth-based soup with paprika and carrots ($6.95) Tried the noodles & cabbage, which were okay- generous portion- rustic home cooking, probably more of a comfort food for some than others ($17.95, includes marinated beet or cabbage salad).
Tried the kibo secret garden seafood Udon at that price point skip imo and Raku instead. Didn’t feel like sushi so picked up the soup I guess stick to their forte 
How much did that run you? The website says $25, but that’s not covering delivery. Was it the flavour or the presentation that didn’t work out for you? It’s hard to tell from the photo, but it looks like a few items would have been better off submerged in the broth.
Why is your Zeppole staring at me?
It was 26$ on UberEATS though I did a pickup as live nearby. Broth was ok but I think a below 20$ price point would have helped. The broth reminded me of one that’s made from concentrate and the Udon noodles serving though decent portion nothing to write home about. I would pick Raku over these if getting a delivery.
Ordered the Tokyo hot fried chicken Nashville style again today. Oh boy this always hits the spot. Good stuff
Since we are still not doing indoor dining for the most part, we grabbed haddock burritos from Burrito Boyz before the opera. It’s still a tasty package overall. The fish was nicely fried and moist, though needed a bit of salt. The many condiments added flavour and texture. Maybe not as great as days long ago, but still enjoyable.
I think I only went once, around 2006. I went through a fish taco phase for a good 3 or 4 years, and had a running list for both Toronto and New York at one point.
I was trying to figure out where I will get take-out before my next opera. If I have time, I might try the croque at Bicyclette.
If I’m in a rush, I’ll probably get take-out from The Oxley or Eataly, and eat the take-out at home before heading to the opera.
Other than the Oxley and Kibo Secret Garden, does anyone have take-out they think is worthwhile in Yorkville these days? The momo place on Bay is decent. I haven’t tried to many other places in Yorkville over the past year.
I guess Alo Bar is an option.
I would recommend Bhoj (technically Yorkville) I enjoy their BBQ items and Biryani not sure its Opera worthy food though 
Nervosa?
Also Souvla by Mamakas has pop up on Scollard and Hazelton (an odd area as there aren’t any restaurants I can think of on that side of Scollard) I was hoping to try but a friend gave poor feedback. Oh Miznon opened as well and they keep selling out!
Scollard Variety used to serve breakfast and souvlaki. Is Mamakas at the Scollard Variety site? Scollard Variety had been owned by a Greek couple. Haven’t been since 2019, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it closed over the past 3 years.
I used to work in a gallery on Scollard a long time ago.
Thanks for mentioning Souvla, and thanks for your other recs.
Have you tried Sofia? The brunch looks good to me. It reminds me of Buca’s brunch 4-6 years ago. https://sofiayorkville.com/menus/.
I noticed Miznon. 4.8 rating on Google, which is not common!
I will have to try Bhoj at some point. Thanks for the reminder!
I am not a fan of the restaurants by CK so tend to avoid them. Brunch I enjoy Clay in Yorkville and for splurge Cafe Boulud prix fix on the weekend.
Planta is OK I guess.
Aiming to try the Mamakas Prix Fix brunch over the weekend lets see as enjoy their food.
I hear you. I typically avoid those restaurants, too, but was considering making an exception for Sofia.
I found Clay okay last summer. I shared maybe 5 dishes with a friend.
I used to do the Café Boulud brunch maybe 4 times a year up until 2019, but I haven’t been in 3 1/2 years, and haven’t gotten take-out. Café Boulud got rid of the duck confit, egg and potato dish I used to order. I also like the lemon ricotta pancakes (weekday breakfast only) and the eggs Benedict.https://www.cafeboulud.com/toronto/menus/#weekend-brunch
I still haven’t tried Planta. Just doesn’t float my boat.
Maybe I will see if Le Paradis on Bedford north of Davenport will do take-out. I haven’t been in ages. https://www.leparadis.com/
Oh Le Paradis have been meaning to try them ever since I moved to the area but I guess the lost years due to COVID don’t count. Do share where you end up on the takeout.
Will do!
I ended up getting take-out from Planta on Queen after the opera. Mushroom udon (25.50), crispy gyoza ($14.75) , mushroom bao ($6.25) and bang bang broccoli ($14.75).
I would definitely get the udon and gyoza again. I was pleasantly surprised. Somewhat different menu on Queen than in Yorkville, although the dishes I ordered are available at both locations.
The CO2 inside was around 1200 near the coat check/ hostess stand at 10 pm tonight. Not great, but could be much worse.
Primrose Bagel on Oakwood. I had the Lox & Sås, my DC had the Stanton.
There are picnic tables set up outside Primrose Bagel. No heaters.
Empanadas and alfarjores from La Morena on St Clair W west of Dufferin. I’ll try more next time.
I also want to try food at La Tienda on St Clair W near Dufferin.
Takeout from So Famous in the Annex, which is cheaper if you log into their site. Taiwanese basil chicken and fried noodles.
Update at Eataly: The hot table is already closed by 6 pm on Sundays.
I ended up getting refrigerated chicken valdostana ($11.90, my new favourite schnitzel-to go!- much rather buy this and reheat at home than go for fast food ) , pasta alla norcina ($8.90), the lemon Brussels sprout salad ($10.90) and Tuscan beans ($7.90). All good.These 4 dishes are enough for 2 meals for me.
In case you’re concerned about CO2, the C02 reading at Eataly from 6- 6:20 pm last night (a Sunday, the store was moderately busy) was 1200ish. I wear a mask when the reading is above 800.
Check the dates on the packages, especially for the combo plates. Some of the same dishes are packed the day before. I look for the most recent ones.
