Smoque N Bones

On Saturday night, a friend and I decided to try out dinner from Smoque N Bones, a new BBQ place now open at the corner of Queen and Bellwords. I’d first checked it out on Friday and noticed that the small place was packed. I also noticed that they did takeout so I decided that it would be best to go that route.

The waitress warned me up front that it would be a 30-minute wait but we were okay with that; the food did smell great. Then we learned that Smoque N Bones was out of quite a few things. Then my friend discovered that there was no sampler plate. And then we got our bill: $40 for a half rack of ribs, a side of macaroni, a side of yams, a side of string fries and the breadbasket (I don’t eat mammal and the non-mammal meat on the menu was a side of shrimp or a half chicken, which I didn’t feel like).

By the time we got home with our food, we were feeling less than thrilled with our dinner choice. And then we opened our five takeout boxes. With the exception of the ribs, the quantities all looked miniscule. We had made a mistake, hadn’t we?

My #MapleVoxBox & Reviews For Ice Breaker Duo & Skinny Cow Snacks

Last week I found out that I was one of the lucky people to receive the first ever Canadian VoxBox by Influenster, a US company that sends freebies out to “…trendsetters, social media masterminds, and educated consumers who live to give opinions of products and experiences.”

Called the #MapleVoxBox, it was packed with a number of beauty related items as well as a trio of edible ones. It also came with a card that not only listed all of the items in the box, but also explained a bit about them and *gasp* included the recommended retail price. What can’t every company/PR agency/sample box do this?

Since I have the card, I’ll let it explain what I received:

New York City Restaurant And Bar Recommendations

The best pizza ever: From Eataly

There are over 4,200 restaurants in New York City (at least according to USAToday) but it’s looking like I won’t get to try any of them this year. L However, some of my friends are NYC-bound in 2013 and one of them recently asked me to ask my sister, who’s lived in Manhattan for several years now, for restaurant and bar recommendations.

The list my sister ended up putting together was so great that I figured I should it on here, so that everyone could check it out. Hope it’s useful for a least a few of you!

LES/Alphabet City

The Wayland: Great for cocktails. Food menu is small but cheap (cheaper than the drinks) and delicious and great for snacks or dinner. This place comes highly recommended on Yelp and elsewhere. 

Cheesewerks

On Sunday night, Husband and I finally checked out a restaurant that I've wanted to try since it first opened over two years ago: Cheesewerks. While we had previously attempted to check this cheese-focused place out a couple of times, it wasn't until we bought a Buytopia coupon good for a four-course Cheesewerks dining experience that we were able to get our act together and actually get a seat in the restaurant.

Located on Bathurst, just south of Wellington, Cheesewerks is a small-ish place that feels quite airy due to its high ceilings and bright, mostly white colour scheme.  The atmosphere is casual and relaxed, thanks in part to a shelf full of board games and a giant flat-screen that plays a muted Food Network. The straightforward menu, which includes several different kinds of grilled cheese and mac and cheese, also helps to keep things unfussy.

Hey! Restaurant

When I first heard that Roncesvalles’ then soon-to-open Hey Meatball! outlet was being renamed just Hey! and would be focused on Italian food in general, instead of meatballs,  I was thrilled because I don’t eat meatballs but I love Italian food.  And then I heard that it would also be offering brunch. This place just kept getting better and better.

So when I read this rather unflattering BlogTO review about the freshly opened Hey! I was disappointed. I’d had really high hopes for this place and now it was sounding like it was going to end up as another unfriendly restaurant serving mediocre food.

Glory Hole Doughnuts

The Banana Cream Pie

There’s been a lot of hype (read about it here, here and here) about Glory Hole Doughnuts, which recently set up shop on Queen, just past Sorauren, and I’m here to say that this place is worth all of that hype and then some.

While owner/baker Ashley Jacot De Boinod has been whipping up A+ doughnuts and other baked goods for a while now (she used to work over at Buca), she only opened her own place less than a month ago and since then I’ve been lucky enough to start two of my Saturdays off with her amazing doughnuts.

New York City 2012: The Food

Not a bagel; halibut at The Breslin

By popular demand, here’s the first in a two-party series on mine and Husband’s recent trip to New York City. Let’s start with where we ate (well, at least the places that I remember).

Besides grabbing muffins and wraps at Westside Market, my favourite grocery store, we also ate the following places:

Absolute Bagel (2788 Broadway; at 107th St)
This Upper West Side bagel spot is so popular that it even had a line out the door on a Friday at 9:30 am.  The bagels we picked up (sesame seed and everything) were light and fluffy but came with way too much cream cheese. They were also massive, like all NYC food.

Street Food Block Party

I spent Saturday evening with 3,000 other people out at the Brickworks, where we stuffed our faces with items created by some of Toronto and area’s finest food trucks and vendors.

Called the Toronto Street Food Block Party, the event, hosted by the Toronto Underground Market and Food Truck Eats, had over 30 food and booze vendors selling everything from pineapple-flavoured beer to at least a dozen different versions of tacos (it was Cinco de Mayo after all).

Church Aperitivo Bar

I have found my new favourite go-to-spot for nights out with friends: Church Aperitivo Bar. Located at Queen and Dovercourt, in an actual former church, this place is only a few weeks old but I’m pretty sure that it’s going to become a very popular due to its mellow atmosphere, group-friendly tables and great menu options.


Let’s start with the bar’s aesthetics. It has all of the interior design elements that I love: an exposed brick wall, a high ceiling that has exposed wood beams, a white/black/dark grey colour scheme, interesting lighting fixtures and tons of candles (for photos of the interior, as well as some of its food and drink options, check out this write-up over at TorontoLife.com.)

Liberté Greek Yogourt

A few weeks ago I was picked by Divine.ca to test taste Liberté’s new line of Greek yogurt. This “assignment” had me trying three of the seven different flavours this product comes in and I picked the plain, the vanilla and the strawberry kinds.

All three flavours are made “…using traditional methods”, which means the base of these yogurts is skim milk and bacterial cultures (and in the case of the plain kind, those are the only two ingredients).

All three flavours also share similar nutritional benefits:  They’re fat free, packed with protein, contain probiotics and are reasonable when it comes to calories (of course the plain version has the lowest calorie count). But when it comes to taste, these three flavours definitely vary.

PC The Decadent Molten Chocolate Cakes & PC White Cheddar & Rosemary Flavoured Mini Cheese Crackers

The President’s Choice line is responsible for some very yummy things however, every now and then it doesn’t quite hit the mark. Recently, I came across two PC products that I will not be picking up again.

The first is the PC The Decadent Molten Chocolate Cakes. According to the reviews on this page, people love these things but personally, I found them bland and rather disappointing. The chocolate ganache centre is tasty, I’ll give them that, but it’s not enough to make up for the dry cake that surrounds it and there isn’t enough chocolate to saturate the cake into something I want to eat.

President's Choice Chipotle & Cheese Baked Crisps

The review on this product’s PresidentsChoice.ca’s webpage sums up my thoughts on these crackers perfectly: “Please please please DO NOT EVER get rid of these!!”

Like the person who wrote that review, I love these baked crisps (the fancy way to say “crackers”).  Made aged Cheddar and Asiago cheeses, this product combines two of my favourite flavours, cheese and chipotle, into a crispy, tasty cracker.

The chipotle flavour isn’t overly strong but it’s definitely there, giving these crackers a smoky-spicy flavour that works amazingly well with the cheese flavours.

Michelina’s Real Gourmet – 5 Cheese Chicken Ziti

I had the misfortune to try this microwave meal out last night and it was just plain “yuck”. Okay, the big chunks of white chicken breast weren’t bad but the sauce was nasty (and not at all cheesy) while the noodles and vegetables were just bland.

Sure, this meal was easy to prepare (just toss the steam pouch into the microwave) but it tastes so bad that you won’t to ever prepare it.

This line from Michelina’s does have offer other flavours, I have two of them in my freezer (yes, there was a sale), and I really hope they are better than this particular one.

Would I buy this again: Oh no.
Should you buy it: No!

Gurts

Gurts is a new bakery/frozen yogurt shop that recently opened in Queen of Tarts’ old space on Roncesvalle and it’s proving to be a great addition to the neighbourhood.

I haven’t had a chance to try the frozen yogurt yet (you get to add in your choice of a wide variety of toppings) but over the past two weekends, I have tasted a couple of the bakery offerings.

First up: the brownies. Here we have a true smash hit. These brownies are chewy with chunks of chocolate that add in some great, tasty texture, and contain swirls of sea salt caramel. That last touch means that these items are saltier than your typical brownie but personally, I quite like this.

Cold Stone Creamery

The Founder's Favorite

I’ve been wanting to check out the Cold Stone Creamery up at Bloor and Dufferin since last year but for some reason never got around to it even though it’s about a 30 minute walk from my house.

Then last night, while at Dufferin Mall, Husband suggested that we go check it and so we did. Unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience.

And an expensive one; our two medium “Signature Creations” cost over $10 (and that was without the fancy waffle bowl that you see in the picture). Now, I would have been fine paying that if the ice cream was great. But not only was it not great, it wasn’t even good.

Barque Smokehouse's Updated Menus

Since the most popular post on this blog is about Roncesvalles BBQ restaurant Barque, I figure that it only makes sense to post its updated menus below.

While I haven’t been there for brunch, I did stop by for lunch a few weeks ago. As you’ll see below, the lunch menu is small and missing many evening favourites. But this is actually a good thing because it means that you’re likely going to order one of Barque’s amazing sandwiches.

President Choice’s Blue Menu Sirloin Lean Beef Burgers vs. Backyard Beef Burgers

This is a bit of an odd review because it’s for two items that I didn’t personally try: President Choice’s Blue Menu Sirloin Lean Beef Burgers and Backyard Beef Burgers.

I don’t eat beef so that’s why I didn’t try them. However, my husband and several guests recently tried both of those burgers and there was such clear winner that I figured that I might as well write up a quick entry about them.

We recently had a BBQ and for some reason, decided to offer two different types of burgers. I assumed that since they were both PC products and were both all-beef, both burgers types would be quite similar. Turns out I was wrong.

Charras Tostada Chipotle & President’s Choice Pepperoni Wood-fired Thin Crust Pizza

One of the reasons I started this blog was to keep track of the stuff I liked and didn’t like, so that I wouldn’t re-buy the same disappointing crap. This entry is going to the perfect example of this.

Something I Liked: Charras Tostada Chipotle 

A friend introduced me to these corn tostadas a couple years ago however, it was only this weekend that I found out their exact name (she brought me some in a bag and thanks to this blog entry, I’m going to remember that name).

That bag also says things like “Original Traditional” and “The Real Mexican Flavor”. I have no idea if these tostadas are actually “authentic” (though they are made in Mexico) but I do know that they are very tasty and make for a great snack.

They’re quite thin and very crunchy, with a chipotle bite that’s not too strong for my white girl mouth.

Come To A Taste Of Parkdale On June 14

On Tuesday, June 14, come down to Gallery 1313 and check out a Taste of Parkdale, a fundraiser and birthday party for Queen Street’s Gallery 1313 (it's turning 13!).

For $30 (tickets can be purchased here), you’ll get to try food from a number of Parkdale/Roncesvalles restaurants including one of my favourite spots, Barque Smokehouse. Other participants include Stampede Bison Grill, PhoQueen and the recently opened Cardinal Rule (and I think more places might be added).

In addition to eating, you’ll also have the chance to bid on silent auction items, try your luck with a balloon burst (each balloon contains a prize, including gift certificates for local shops), listen to Spanish guitar and of course buy art.

For more details, check out this Eventbrite page or this Facebook invite.

NYC Part 2: Stuff I Ate: Eataly, HK, Overly, The Taco Truck & Lansky's Deli

Our monkfish at Eataly

My eating adventures in New York City continue...

Eataly – 200 5th Ave

Delicious chaos is probably the best way to describe this 50,000-square-foot space dedicated to Italian food. If it’s an Italian and it’s food-related, this place probably sells it. There’s also several restaurants, wine-and-cheese-bar, multiple to-go stations, a cooking school, a wine store and probably countless other aspects that we didn’t see.

Since there was a 45 minute-an hour wait at the pasta and pizza place, we decided to eat at the fish restaurant, which only had a 10 minute wait. The menu was fairly small and several items were already sold out (the waiter told us that usually more items were sold out by 8 pm, the time we ordered) so we all ended up with the monkfish filets and that was just fine because it was delicious and quite meaty for a fish.