Lobster, Lobster, and more Lobster

Lobsters are always considered to be one of the super elite foods that people eat at very haughty type restaurants, which is funny considering at one point in time lobsters were considered peasant food. On a very very chilly night in January I decided to visit Rock Lobster Food Co. to feast on delicious lobster and other creatures from the sea.

You may have heard of Rock Lobster Food Co. as they specialize in seafood and have made quite the effort in promoting their wares at a lot of food events in Toronto. Rock Lobster Food Co. Even has multiple locations; one located on the Ossignton strip between Dundas and Queen, and one around Queen and Bathurst (their step to ruling the Toronto seafood scene). For this entry I'll be talking about my visit to the Queen and Bathurst location.

The Rock Lobster Food Co. located on Queen and Bathurst is the newest addition to their empire and currently occupy the former neighbourhood favourite "Shanghai Cowgirl." When you first walk into the restaurant you feel like you've walked into an eloquent fish market (similar to Rodney's, if you've ever been there). There is fresh seafood right at the bar and the place brightly lit through out the restaurant.

On this cold winter night I decided to start my meal with one of Rock Lobster Food Company' s daily specials. Deep fried okra stuffed with shrimp, rolled in cornmeal and served with a donair sauce. I wasn't expecting a mountain of food but when it arrived to the table I was a little surprised at the diminutive size. However I can't be too upset about the portion size considering that it was only 6 dollars (when was the last time an appetizer in Toronto cost 6 dollars?) The okra halves were nicely fried and held a nice shrimp surprise in the middle. The donair sauce was something I've never seen before, which I discovered to be sweet and sour (upon further research, I discovered donair sauce is just condensed milk, vinegar and garlic) and complimented the tiny morsels nicely.

 For the main event of the evening, I feasted upon Rock Lobster Food Company's Lobster burger. This delicious creation is essentially a surf and turf between a burger bun. The burger patty was juicy and cooked to a beautiful medium (which is what all burgers should be cooked to). Now to make a good thing even better, the restaurant decided to top my burger with delicious lobster meat. At first I thought the taste of the lobster would be totally lost because of the beef's strong taste, but I was wrong. As I chomped into the burger and savoured my food, I could distinctly taste the lobster along with the beef. I thought the beef was still had a stronger taste than the lobster but both proteins did compliment each other really well.

Rock Lobster Food Company on Queen and Bathurst was unexpectedly good. I had my reservation because I thought the food was going to be too expensive and not live up to hype that Rock Lobster Food Company was building around their brand. The food was priced right and they were really really creative with their offerings. I personally can't wait to go back and bring my partner in crime.

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Rock Lobster Food Company

Home of The Brave (no witty title needed)

One of the newest locations in Toronto that is starting to create a little bit of a buzz is a little spot located above Lou Dawgs called "Home of The Brave." I did have a few expectations of the place and I can safely say after my visit that it does exceed my expectations and does live up to its hype.

One of the first things you'll notice is the speak easy vibe that seems to surround the place. One of main eye catching pieces that I think most people will notice is the beautiful bar that sits at the front of this fine establishment; it is big and combines a western theme with the style of a prohibition bar. The space itself is not that big but is quite long and has quite a few booths spread through out the place, which indicates that this would be a great place for a few friends to enjoy some great food and drinks.

"Home of The Brave" lives up to its speak easy vibe by offering a nice variety of cocktails that are carefully crafted by their expert mixologist. On my visit I ordered their Bourbon and Beer, which does sound quite boozy but I can assure you the name is quite deceiving. Bourbon and beer actually consists of bourbon (of course), vanilla, femet (no idea what this is) , and root beer. This was one of the best concoctions that I have ever had. The cocktail wasn't overly sweet but was refreshing and i could pick up all of the flavours of the different ingredients (which is how a good cocktail should be.)

Looking over the menu you can immediately see that "Home of the Brave" focuses on home style comfort food with a twist; tater tots, and boloney sandwiches. For my dining pleasure on this visit I ordered one of their daily specials (and one of their best sellers) the chicken and waffles. This southern US dish was served with a savoury herbed waffle topped with crispy spicy fried pieces of chicken .......... (lost my train of thought for a moment).  The pieces of chicken were quite tender and when combined with with the savoury waffle and hot sauce honey..... well you just booked yourself a one way ticket to "flavour town" (yes i know a Guy Fieri reference.)

My culinary Side kick ordered on this visit another one of their best sellers, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Hand shake sandwich. This was quite the massive sandwich; the sandwich contained a massive seasoned and deep fried chicken quarter which was 90% deboned. Why was it 90% deboned? because they left the end with the chicken feet still attached to the chicken quarter, hence chicken "hand shake." I though this was quite amusing, unlike my slightly disturbed dining companion. After I helped my partner surgically remove the extremity from her sandwich, she dug in. This sandwich again displayed the virtuoso skill that seems to be working the deep fryer. The sandwich was seasoned like a piece of KFC chicken and was crunchy without being too oily. This was definitely a sandwich that surpasses one that could be offered by the original colonel.

I really enjoyed the vibe of "Home of The Brave," which created a nice dark ambient environment that wasn't too loud for me to enjoy. The home style food was a really big hit with me and always surprised me with their twist on things. I definitely want to head back and try their other menu items and bring my friends for a great night out on the town.

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Home of The Brave

Beef tasted better corned

You may call me simple but I cannot deny that I love sandwiches. Sure sandwiches can be simple but they can also be as complex as launching a NASA space shuttle. There always seems to be a never ending list of vegetables, meats, breads and spreads the can be used to assemble the perfect sandwich. However, sometimes the simplest sandwich can often be the best sandwich, just the like the sandwiches at “The Corned Beef House” in Toronto.

On another oh too familiar “had to stay late at work” kind of day I decided that I would venture through the concrete jungle in the entertainment district and scavenge for my dinner. My hunt didn’t seem to last too long as I found my prey on the corner of Adelaide and John, The Corned Beef House. I pushed open the glass doors to reveal a nice bar setting inside and walked up to a very pleasent server at the bar and handed my magical parchment to her, a coupon for 50% off a huge and a pop.

I quickly scanned through the menu and narrowed my decision to two choices. a voice inside my head said to me “a placed called the corned beef house, how could you not get corned beef sandwich?” but the more dopey voice inside of my head whispered “Montreal smoked meat” like sweet nothings in my ear. Well of course I made the obvious choice and picked the montreal smoked meat sandwich at a place called “The Corned Beef House”. It did seem a little blasphemous to be ordering a montreal smoked meat sandwich in Toronto and I did wonder if i was breaking some kind of law that I would need to take shelter from to hide from those montreal smoked meat purists.

The sandwich was assembled promptly and I assume with lots of tender loving care. The sandwich was quite basic; rye bread, 7 oz of delectable meats and mustard. One of the first things I noticed when I was served the sandwich was the delicious aroma emanating from the plate that remind me of sitting at the counter of a montreal deli. The food looked so good that I immediately dislocated my jaw to clamp down on my meal like a snake devouring a mouse. The bread was tasty and very sturdy, which it had to be in order to hold the mounds of deliciousness. The ambrosia like meat was very moist and salty and hit all the right taste buds in my mouth.

I hope nobody from montreal reads this but I think the montreal smoked sandwich could stand up toe to toe with the sandwiches from montreal. The flavours were there and “The Corned Beef House” kept it traditional by keeping it simple. After Sampling one of “The Corned Beef House’s” wares, i’m anticipating another visit to try what I assume is their specialty, the Reuben.

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Corned Beef House

Frankenstein Creation

I haven't been updating my blog as much I should because of work but I am going to try to be more active about writing to remind my palate of all the great things I have consumed.

On this day in particular I decided to put on my doctor Frankenstein persona and attempt a monstrosity of a grilled cheese sandwich. I had a few Ingredients laying around the house, bread and cheese, but I needed more if was going to create something utterly devious. What I needed was a magical ingredient, bacon! not just any bacon but pancetta  (fancy Italian bacon).

I took the slice of pancetta and pan fried them until they were crispy wafers of meat. I next pulled out the slices of my Dempsters whole grain bread (because i'm health conscious) and my fancy Kraft Singles and started the assembling process. I laid the slices of cheese on the bread and then placed my crispy pancetta on top of the cheese. I then paused for a moment and felt i needed to add something, caramelized onion jam!

I bought the caramelized onion jam from an artisan's fair and is one of the most delectable spreads i have ever had. The jam is sweet like caramelized onion but also savory at the same time, quite the unique taste sensation.

I spread the onion jam on top of the fried pancetta and I closed up my sandwich and was ready to butter up the slices of bread. As I reached for the butter I noticed I still had bacon fat in a pan and the light bulb turned on, I'm going to butter my bread with bacon fat! (the healthy choice).

After I finished covering my sandwich in bacon fat, I threw my sandwich in a new frying pan and I fried it to crispy perfection. I cut it up diagonally and I stood back and I admired my master piece.

I picked it up with both hands and I could feel the bacon fat cover my finger tips but it didn't stop me from taking my first bite. I bit into the gooey creation and broke off a piece of the crispy pancetta and started to chew my creation and let the flavors envelop my mouth. Each mouthful of the franken-grilled cheese filled my mouth with the saltiness of the pancetta, the sweet and savory taste of the caramelized onion jam and the gooey richness of the processed cheese. I thoroughly enjoyed my sandwich but I don't know if using bacon fat to cover my sandwich added any benefit except for shaving a few years off my life and adding a little bit of fat to my arteries. I still think it was a great to reuse bacon fat.

Bon A petite!

Spain Invasion Part 1

For my summer vacation I decided to cross the ocean and into a new continent to help satisfy my craving for authentic paella. For my summer vacation my companion and I hopped around five different spanish cities in two weeks. During our travels, we feasted on traditional cuisine, fleeced at tourist traps, and dined on some of the freshest seafood in the world.

For the first stop of the trip, I went to Barcelona. Barcelona is a big bustling metropolitan city that has a fun party atmosphere around the clock. One reason why I think Barcelona is party city is because there seems to be a ton of small restaurants and bars spread around small streets on every neighbourhood (They also seem to be never closed).

Tagliatelle in a Bolognese Sauce and Spinach Tagliatelle in a cream sauce.

What do I eat when I first arrive in Spain? Italian Pasta of course! When I finally arrived in Barcelona, it was during their siesta and not that many restaurants were open. One of the few restaurants that were open was a pasta bar in Barcelona called "La Maquina."

"La Maquina" is a pasta bar that makes all of their pastas from scratch and uses nothing but fresh ingredients. "La Maquina" must like lumber because their walls are covered with wooden planks, which gives it a feeling of eating inside of a log cabin. The space was fairly large but still cozy enough for me to just have a few beers or a glass of wine (Vino as they say in Spain) and relax. 

I decided to order the tagliatelle in a bolognese sauce. The pasta dough was made from scratch and the pasta was boiled to order, which was a very nice touch because I knew I would be getting the freshest pasta possible. The tagliatelle was cooked perfectly al dente and it could've rivalled any pasta that can be found in Italy. The bolognese sauce didn't contain a lot of meat in it like other bolognese sauces that I've had before but it still complimented the pasta and was avery nice pairing. The pasta dish tasted fresh and tasty, which was a pleasant surprise because I just flew half way around the world to eat pasta in Spain and was enjoying it.

My partner in crime decided to go a slightly different direction with her meal choice and chose to have spinach tagliatelle in a cream sauce. The pasta dish was cooked perfectly but I personally found the cream sauce a bit too heavy. This plate of pasta was difficult to finish because the portion size was quite large and the heavy cream sauce filled us up even faster.

If I was a local, I would definitely come to "La Maquina" and have a meal because they make everything from scratch and use nothing but fresh ingredients. However as a tourist I find it difficult to recommend an Italian restaurant in spain because you don't really get to experience spain's rich culinary culture at "La Maquina"(unless you count Barcelona craft beer). 

For More Information

La Maquina

Little spots around the city (Chicago) Part 3

While I was visiting Chicago, I would wander around the city in the morning looking to find a good place to eat for breakfast. One morning I walked by a place that looked like a diner that was attached to a sub way station. Subway restaurants are not really known for their culinary delights or for having the best sanitary conditions but despite all that I decided to let my stomach lead to "Ronny's Original Chicago Steak House".

"Ronny's Original Chicago Steak House" is definitely a unique restaurant. At one end of the restaurant there is a subway exit (which is located right next to the diner style kitchen) and at the opposite end they have tall diner booths. Ronny's is not going to be winning any awards on on interior decorating but did appear to be a local favourite spot. The walls of restaurant are adorned with pictures of local celebrities and members of the city Council.

While I was standing in front of the menu board trying to decide what to have for breakfast, a local Chicagoan suggested to me that I get the steak and eggs special before they stopped serving the dish.  Heeding to his advice I placed my order for the steak and eggs special.

Steak and Eggs

When the food arrived in front of me, the first thought came to mind was "Wow, I think I'm going to get my money's worth". I don't think the picture does the food justice on the sheer size of the servings. This was an 8oz steak, 3 eggs, mountain of hash browns, giant texas toast and a slice of watermelon (to make sure the meal was healthy) for breakfast. 

This was not the best steak I've ever had but I was great steak. The steak was cooked to a nice medium rare, and was very juicy. The Eggs were also cooked perfect over easy, which allowed for a runny yolk to be spread on top of my hash browns like an avalanche on a mountainside. 

I really enjoyed the food here. It wasn't anything amazing or special but simple food done right. I almost forgot to mention that the heaping pile of food cost me a whooping $6.50.

If you are on a budget and looking for what appears to be a local hangout then I highly recommend that you head over and have a meal at "Ronny's Original Chicago Steak House."

For More Information:

Ronny's Original Chicago Steak House

Little spots around the city (Chicago) Part 2

So to continue on with the theme of little chain sandwich shops around Chicago, we make our way to the "Corner Bakery Cafe." The "Corner Bakery Cafe" serves a variety of sandwiches, pastas, salads and coffees much like other chain cafes you may be familiar with.

The space for the "Corner Bakery Cafe" doesn't have anything in particular that makes it stand out. The space is nice and comfortable and decorated with a wood decor.  The cafe has your typical coffee shop vibe, where you can buy a cup of java and you can sit around and write your autobiography.

Sliced Meatball Sandwich and Chicken Noodle Soup

On my visit I decided to order a soup and sandwich combo, the sliced meatball panini and a bowl of their chicken noodle soup to warm me up. The panini was well made and was nice and crusty on both sides. The cheese was warm and gooey and the meat was plentiful. The meatballs themselves must have been the size of a small fruit because when I opened up the sandwich, large discs of meat were staring right back at me. The soup wasn't really anything special, it was your typical chicken soup that can be found at almost any typical sandwich shop in north america.

The "Corner Bakery Cafe" was quite popular with the locals because the place quickly filled up with patrons while I was chowing down on my panini. The "Corner Bakery Cafe" is the perfect place for picking up a quick bit to eat or if you were looking for a quiet place to finish up your essay.  It isn't a place to expect anything amazing or special but is safe bet for something familiar and comforting.

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Corner Bakery Cafe

Little spots around the city (Chicago) Part 1

On my trip to Chicago I decided that I would try to go to as many Chicagoan type places as possible during my stay there. Unfortunately I was only there for a short while and there were a lot of hidden Gems around the city. So I thought I would share some of the little spots I visited to grab a sandwich or a quick bite to eat while I was acting like your typical tourist.

On my very first day in Chicago I decided to fill my stomach after the long flight with a sandwich from "Pot Belly's". "Pot Belly's" is a chain of sandwich shops specific only to Chicago. This sandwich place isn't your typical run-in-run-out sandwich place that we are all accustomed but actually offers a comfortable eating space and a few things you wouldn't expect from a sandwich shop. "Pot Belly's" looks and is decorated like your neighborhood deli and makes use of a lot of wood for it's decor. It's pretty spacious and while it's no fine dining restaurant, it is still a very comfortable and inviting place to chow down on your sandwich. While I was eating my sandwich I noticed that there was live music playing, which was a nice touch to make the place more of a neighborhood hang out.

Italian Sandwich and Dill Pickle

Roast Beef Sandwich

On my visit here I had their Italian sandwich and probably the largest dill pickle I have ever seen or consumed in one sitting. The Italian sandwich was well made and quite tasty but wasn't really anything special or out of the ordinary. The sandwich contained what you would typically would find in an Italian sandwich. The pickle on the hand was quite good, I say that because I like dill pickles. it was huge and packed full of juicy dill pickle flavour (like a punch to the face). My traveling buddy decided they would dine on a roast beef sandwich. As you can see from the expertly taken picture, the provolone cheese on the sandwich was nice and gooey. The beef was not dry and juicy and was delivered on a low calorie bread. Again this sandwich was not spectacular but very satisfying and well made.

The sandwiches here are not anything special but they do deliver a tasty sandwich that hits the spot when you have munchies while wandering around the street. The best thing about this place wouldn't be the food but the atmosphere. The place is warm and inviting and the live music just adds to the vibe of a neighbourhood hang out.

For More Information.
Pot Belly's

Who's House? Chef's House

On a cold wintery night I decided to have a nice warm meal at the "Chef's House." The "Chef's house" is a student run culinary restaurant by George Brown College. The culinary students are the ones that cook your meal, take your order and even pour your beer, which is something I can appreciate because I know the money I spend on the meal will be going directly back to educating these young future chefs.

The space is decorated to be modern but not pretentious. The kitchen for the restaurant is large and long  and is actually a feature point for the restaurant. The restaurant is covered in TV monitors while the kitchen is covered with cameras directed at the students chefs in action. The restaurant's space was decorated very well and you would've never have known it was school building (at least not until you start looking for the bathroom). The wait staff were attentive and very courteous (though it was kind of fun to see how nervous the student wait staff were).

The Menu is small, which I believe was done so not to overwhelm the young chefs. There was a choice of three starters, three mains and three deserts. On this particular cold winter night my companion and I decided to order one of each. 

Before any of our courses were served a roasted sweet potato leek soup, with coconut cream, spiced walnuts came out first.

Roasted Sweet Potato

This soup was more of a puree then a thin soup. The sweet potato soup was a sweet soup which really didn't suit my tastes. I personally don't like sweet soups and I thought this soup was particularly sweet. The texture was smooth but the sweet potato was sweet and the coconut cream was sweet, which I thought was too much (Food show judges say it all the time, "too sweet because it was sweet on sweet"). The spiced Walnuts were a nice touch, the walnuts had a little bit of spice and added a crunchy element to the soup.

Next up were our starters: a house smoked trout, picked Cookstown beet, candied olives and a baked three‐mushroom strudel, spinach puree, Woolwich goats’ brie cheese.

House smoked Trout

The smoked trout with pickled beets and candied olives was a very enjoyable dish. The fish delivered a nice subtle smokiness to compliment the acidity of the pickled beet. The portion size was perfect too as to leave you with plenty of room for the next two courses.

Three‐Mushroom Strudel

The mushroom strudel had loads of flavour packed in between the flaky crust. The mushrooms were delicious and had a nice earthy taste. Combing the strudel with the creaminess of the brie and the freshness of the spinach puree creates an amazing tasty bite which I highly recommend everyone to try. 

Next up to bat were out main courses: braised beef short rib, Yukon gold pave, glazed cipollini onions and Butternut Squash & Ricotta Agnolotti, Hazelnuts, Brown Butter.

braised beef short rib.

The braised beef was expertly prepared by the young chefs. Some restaurant that serve a braised beef short ribs sometimes sacrifice tenderness for having a moist piece of meat or vice-versa but the braised short rib I was served was not only a generous portion but was extremely tender and moist. The Yukon gold pave was something I haven't heard of but was a delicious side (beef and potatoes, what not love?). The best way I can describe a Yukon gold pave would be a side dish of scallop potatoes. The potatoes were not too soft and still maintained a nice texture of sliced potatoes stacked on top of each other to compliment the tenderness of the beef.

Ricotta Agnolotti

The ricotta agnolotti like the roasted sweet potato soup really didn't suit my tastes. This was not a savoury dish and was on the sweet side. the pasta was cooked right and was al dente and the hazelnuts added another dimension to the texture but the dish as a whole didn't work for me. After having a sweet soup and then getting a sweet main to follow really was not a very good combination (at least for me).

and finally we have our deserts:

.....

well it was a little better then that.

My Associate and I had the mixed berry crumble with sour cream gelato and the flour less chocolate cake.

Mixed Berry Crumble

The mixed berry crumble was a really tasty desert and had a really nice balance of flavours. There was the sweet and sourness from the berries, and the cold, and creamy sour cream gelato. The only change I would suggest is to make the shell that held the berries less dense. I thought a thinner pastry shell would've helped highlight the berries a little better.

Flour less Chocolate Cake

The flour less chocolate cake was beautiful presented on an off centered plate and a splash of raspberry coulis. If I was a bigger chocolate lover I think I would've looked this desert better. This desert was more like a brownie and packs loads of chocolate flavour. I've never been a very big fan of brownies and thought this desert packed too much sugar on one dish. The raspberry coulis was a good way to cut through the sweetness with a bit sourness.

The Chef's House had a lot of hits and misses for me overall but I enjoyed the experience.  The student servers were all very attentive and tried their hardest to make sure we enjoyed our food. I would like to comeback again to the chefs house and try their new menu because I know the service will be top notch and the chefs would be trying their hardest to make the absolute best dish.

For More Information:
The Chef's House

Takes "Five Guys" to make fries?

Burgers are one of those foods that everybody has had at one point and opinions have always varied about which is the best place to have one. I'm still traveling around and stuffing my face with burgers and trying to find that perfect burger. So I finally decided to check out a fast food restaurant that has received a lot hype "Five guys and fries" (around Yonge and Dundas).

The new fast food restaurant is bigger then what I would have expected and has quite a few tables spread out. The space is decorated in a checkered red and white theme that reminded me of a diner from the 50's or 60's era. The restaurant walls are also covered with praises from different publications from both the States and north of the border. There is also a big open kitchen where you can see your burgers being grilled on the flat top and assembled, which is kind of neat thing to see.

The menu is not too big, which consisted a few different kinds of burgers, sandwiches and hot dogs. On this trip I decided to grab a cheese burger and their famous fries.

The regular burger at "Five Guys and Fries" is a double patty and a single patty burger is considered their small burger. On this day, my favourite dining companion and I decided to each get a burger (1 regular and 1 small) and share a large order of fries. The one thing that was a bit of shocker to me was the price of the meal, which was over 20 dollars. 20 dollars for 2 burgers and an order of fries is a lot of money, especially for a fast food restaurant. For the price of the meal I was expecting the greatest burger ever made! The one good thing I can say though is that they were really generous with the frech fries. They would fill up a cup of fries and place it in a paper bag then fill up a metal tray and just dump the fries straight into the bag.

The burger's themselves were good but I didn't think they were anything special. They were better then burgers you would get at a grocery store or at McDonalds but I could think of a lot of other places where I've had a better burger. The meat was fresh and they did a really nice job of caramelizing the the beef patty on the flat top, which gave it a nice crunch. The toppings were fresh and bun was soft and chewy which made the burger really enjoyable to eat.

The giant mound of french fries were good too, they were fresh cut and fresh fried to order. I personally prefer my fries double fried to get a soft inside and crispy outside which I think these fries could have benefitted from. The fries were good but they were too much of a good thing, 2 people eating one large order of french fries could barely finish them.

Overall the meal was good but I couldn't help but feel ripped off for what I paid. The burgers weren't topped with any gourmet ingredients or sauces like at dangerous dan's diner or big smoke's burgers and the fries were good but not great (when I compare them to other places I've been too). The burgers were above average but they don't make me crave them like I do for other burger places. I would've enjoyed my meal more if the price point was lower. I don't think I will be coming back here anytime soon (at least not until they lower their prices)

For More Information:
Five Guys and Fries

I love tacos

Mexican food has always been a personal favourite for mine, I just love the spices and fresh vegetables placed on top. I do occasionally venture to a taco bell from time to time but that really isn't mexican food, when I really want mexican food I head to kensington market where there are lots of little mexican joints around the area. Kengsinton market is where I recently found what I believe to be the greatest taco shop in Toronto, "Seven Lives".

Seven Lives is located in what only can be described as the tinniest food court i have ever seen. The little taco shop is located in a building along side other little food shops within an area that I can only estimate as maybe 1000 sq feet. There are only 2 tables in the back next to restaurant equipment, where people can go and enjoy their meal. This is not exactly a place I would go for a romantic meal but is definitely a place I would goto to get some awesome food.

The little taco stand has only a few tacos on their fridge menu but each one packs huge mexican flavour.

Fish taco and a spicy shrimp taco

For some reason I decided to go all seafood with my taco selection (and what a great decision that was.) The fish taco was fried perfectly and had a crispy batter and very moist flaky inside and really complimented the mounds of fresh guacamole and pico de gallo. The fish inside of the fish taco could've been eaten by itself with an order of fries but being stuffed in taco shell makes this dish a stroke of genius. Next up in my taco tray is the spicy shrimp taco, which packs huge flavour. The heat from the marinade  for the shrimp wasn't scorching like a fire in my mouth but flavourful and had a lot of depth. The shrimp was piled high with more guacamole and pico de gallo on top. The picture may not do these tacos justice because they are quite large (packs a lot of value for your money.) I had a lot of trouble folding one taco and trying to eat it without half of it falling out the other side. Half way through the taco I finally had the good sense to get a fork, which further increased my enjoyment of gorging on seafood. Lesson learned for next time? get a fork.

The tacos were delicious and I still salivate over the prospect of eating them again and again and again..... anyways, for those that are looking for authentic mexican food with out the bells and whistles should definitely head over to the seven lives taco stand. Seven lives taco stand may be hard to find but it is well worth the scavenger hunt through kensington.

For more information:
Seven Lives

Risottos and Chicken

So I decided to finally try two new recipes from my Gordon Ramsay cook book; a roasted zucchini mushroom risotto and a prosciutto wrapped chicken breast stuffed with sage and ricotta cheese.

 Prosciutto wrapped chicken breast stuffed with sage. This was a bit of a scary dish for me because I've never used sage before and I didn't know if i liked sage or what kind of flavour was to be expected.

The first thing i did was to make the filling; I chopped up a few sage leaves, mixed the sage with ricotta and seasoned it all with a bit of salt and pepper. I did notice the chopped sage leafs gave off almost of floral kind of scent with made me unsure if this would turn out to be a dish that i would like.

Next I butterflied chicken breasts and carefully stuffed them so that filling would not overflow from the sides or the ends. After stuffing the chicken breasts, I wrapped them up in prosciutto and cellophane and placed them in the fridge to set for one to two hours. Wrapping the chicken breasts and refrigerating them helped the breast and prosciutto maintain their shape and didn't fall apart when they were handled further.

The pieces of chicken were then pan fried for two minutes on each side to make the prosciutto crispy and baked in the oven with some thyme. When the chicken was ready I had to remove them from the oven and let them rest for a bit so the delicious juices wouldn't escape.

To go with my chicken I decided to make a roasted zucchini and mushroom risotto.

The first thing I did was halve the zucchini, score them and place them on a baking tray. Once on the tray I added olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice and a laid a few basil leaves on top. I roasted the zucchini in the oven and gave them a very rough chop and then started work on the risotto rice.

Risotto was little bit of tricky thing to do. I had to toast the rice in a little bit of olive oil and then slowly added one ladle of chicken stock at a time to my rice once my pan of dry. Cooking risotto was kind of a slow process because I couldn't just dump all the chicken stock onto the rice because I would just end up with mushy rice.

As my risotto was cooking, I started to sauté some mushrooms off in another pan to soften them up and remove some of the moisture. When the rice achieved the desired texture I combined it with mushrooms, zucchini and a bit of parmesan cheese,

 My Creation

The chicken was a bit dry because I baked them for a little too long but overall the results were quite good. The ricotta was very mild and helped the sage from being too overwhelming. This might be a personal preference but I think the next time I try making this dish I will use a different herb other then sage. Its not that I didn't like the dish, I just feel like maybe something like basil would've worked a little better.

The zucchini mushroom risotto turned out really well. The risotto rice was cooked to a nice texture and was al dente. The sautéed mushrooms added a very nice earthy taste to the risotto which really complimented the roasted zucchini. The lemon that was added to the zucchini provided a bit of acid to brighten it up.

Recipe Information:
Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite.

The holidays always make me feel "Sociale"

Over the holidays I had to loosen my belt and gorge myself on quite a few family dinners. With so many family dinners I find it very difficult to choose my favourite one but there is one meal in particular that stands out in my mind and it was my dinner at Eno-Teca Sociale (College and Dovercourt).

Eno-Teca Sociale was one of the most hyped restaurants to open in Toronto and is still one of the most busiest restaurants in Toronto. Eno-Teca Sociale serves rustic italian dishes in a small intimate environment. The restaurant is dimly lit and has small pieces of art work hanging along one side of the restaurant and a beautiful bar and white brick wall along the other. Even though the restaurant is small it is still quite loud from the hustle and bustle from the many restaurant-goers but at the same time it is still audible enough that you can maintain a conversation with your dining companion.

The wait staff at the restaurant were very quick and courteous and was more then happy to explain what ingredients each dish contained or what kind of wine you should have to accompany your meal. The friendly staff really made the experience that much more enjoyable, almost as if I was dinning at a friend's home.

On this night in question my dining companion and I started our evening with a beef capriccio and a grilled radicchio salad.

Beef Carpaccio

Eno-teca Sociale called their beef carpaccio "The Crown Beef Carpaccio", which I can honest say That it is quite the accurate statement. This is probably the best beef carpaccio I've ever had (the king of kings of beef carpaccio). The pieces of beef were soft as a cloud and almost melted in your mouth. The marrow was subtle and added a bit of creaminess to the dish. The sun choke chips were a very welcome addition to the dish that added a nice crunchy texture to keep the dish from getting boring and finally the greens on top added some freshness to the dish that kept it very light. Once you combine all the flavours in a single bite you will definitely experience a kaleidoscope of flavours and textures.

 Grilled radicchio

The grilled radicchio salad is not your ordinary salad and could probably stand on its own as an entree. According Eno-teca's menu the salad was described to contain : grilled radicchio, Treviso, pumpkin seeds, apples and burrata. The grilled pieces of radicchio were well seasoned and delicious and could've easily been mistaken as a mushroom because it almost had protein like texture. The pumpkin seeds were candied and added a sweet and crunchy taste that just complemented all the different flavours. The burrata was creamy and was mild flavoured and helped as a vehicle to deliver the flavours on the plate.

Pappadelle with a lamb ragu

For my Entree i ordered the Pappadelle with a lamb ragu. The in house made pasta was cooked to perfection and absorbed all that delicious delicious ragu. According to our server the lamb was braised for a really long in red wine, which really shows because it just shredded apart on my fork and was not dry at all. The ragu tasted fresh and had vibrant tomato flavour that made this dish that much more enjoyable.

Toasted Pasta

My date for the evening order the toasted pasta, which was predictably delicious. The pasta dish was toasted spaghetti with bottarga (was poor man's caviar according to our waitress), chili and garlic. One the pasta first arrived to the table, we could really smell a nice seafood flavour emanating from the plate.  The toasted pasta was a little crispy but not hard, which made for a unique texture. The chili and garlic sounded like very strong and pungent flavours but were actually very balanced to provide the right amount of heat and flavour. The bottarga was just like caviar, which was salty (but not overwhelming) and crunchy. The dish as a whole was very luxurious and something i'm going to have to try the next time I visit the restaurant again.

The whole dining experience was very enjoyable and relaxing. The servers were never pushy and tried to rush you off to flip the table but were always warm and inviting. Even after our meal, my side kick and I just decided to sit around a little bit with a glass of wine to enjoy the ambiance. This is a fantastic restaurant that I think everyone should at least visit once.

For more information
Eno-Teca Sociale