Suburban Girl Eats: From Big City Eats to Hometown Favourites

September 28, 2012

Urban: Donut vs. Doughnut Part 2


The Doughnut

Gloryhole DoughnutsScoff all you want at the name, or at the fact that I brought my mother to Gloryhole- you are missing out if you haven't ventured down to this Parkdale establishment. If backdoor donuts aren't your thing, you just are a streetcar ride away from bliss.



Their blackboard features the rotating menu: from a traditional Cinnamon Sugar, classic Cookies and Cream to more kooky Bread and Butter, or morning appropriate Beer-flavoured doughnut (made with Kensington Brewing Co. beer-flavoured frosting). 

I got the king of doughtnuts- the Elvis with Marshmallow ($4.50). My affliction with bacon probably requires therapy at this point. Peanut butter frosting, banana chips and bacon topped with a homemade marshmallow: you don't need me to tell you how great it was. In the name of research, I also indulged in the pretzel topping, chocolate glazed doughnut ($3.50). After all, one needs to be well-rounded (in their doughnut selection, not their body shape...)

Elvis is in the building. Thank you, thank you very much. 

This may be urban legend, but rumour has it you can add bacon to any doughnut for only a dollar. With me as a customer, there may soon be a piggy shortage- sorry veggies!

Check out Part 1 of the Donut vs. Doughnut post here: http://suburbangirleats.blogspot.ca/2012/09/urban-donut-vs-doughnut-part-1.html 

September 26, 2012

Urban: Donut vs. Doughnut Part 1

The Donut

Dough by Rachelle. There is something whimsy and top-secret about getting a donut out of the back door of a restaurant. Then again, maybe I am an optimist, riding upon my unicorn to work at Queen and Bathurst. When I was downtown for the summer, smack dab on my route were donuts- aww shucks!


Every Thursday starting at 8 am, donuts were served up fresh from the back door of Beast Restaurant. Rachelle posts her flavours on the @doughtoronto Twitter account the night before, with flavours like maple bacon and apple fritters as consistent favourites. I have noshed on those delights, as well as strawberry basil and balsamic hazelnut creations, all before lunchtime.


If you are lucky enough, you'll be there on an Ultimate Maple Bacon day. (I am personally not sure when anything with bacon isn't ultimate, however.) With a maple topping and bacon-y goodness crumble a la the traditional donut, but then kicked up a notch, oozing with a maple curd. Puts a Timmy's Boston Cream to shame, and totally worth the $3 price tag.

Now, if you are a little more donut-crazed, Sam James Coffee Bar will now be serving up her sugary wonders on the weekend, according to the Grid.


September 24, 2012

Urban: Sausage Fest at WVRST

There is nothing better than a good sausage fest. Add a beer, and you're a god sent.

All joking (?) aside, I couldn't wait to try WVRST, so I brought my best girlfriend- Mom- along for the ride! This King West hot spot-meets-German beerhall is a great lunch spot just far enough from Union Station to make you feel a little less like a tourist. With eighteen different sausages, dirty duck fries and communal tables perfect for tuning into your neighbours' conversation, this vowel-less hangout isn't just a watering hole.


The menu is simple and the concept cool. Walk up to the sausage case to pick your porky (or chicken, game, or veggie) poison, pair it with one of the Ontario beers they are serving up, take a number and seat yourself.


We were feeling a little vanilla, and both opted for pork varieties, but next on my hit list is the bison, made with maple and blueberry. I got mine on a bun, with a choice of two toppings: sauerkraut, jalapenos, peppers and sauteed onions. With a healthy dousing of yellow ballpark mustard, we was set to dig in. Now onto the sidekick...

Dirty duck fries. After a small WTF, you can't help but drool a little over these babies. Duck fat frites smoothered in sauteed onions, peppers, jalapenos and their signature WVRST sauce, which is a tomato curry delight. This is the same stuff you can get with cut up sausage in their currywurst. 

*The* dirty duck fries. 


Get on your lederhosen, and get down to WVRST.

September 14, 2012

Urban: Pad Thai Throw Down

There is nothing I love more than carbs and loads of flavour; my love affair with pad thai seems only natural. With lacklustre food court fare as the only "Thai" option in suburbia, you can often find me digging into a small mountain of pad thai downtown after work or on the weekend.

Now, I am not one to pick favourites, but there are certainly some places in the restaurant "doghouse". Pitted against each other are two of my top places to carb-load on pad thai. Heck, if they can't get a staple like pad thai right, that's a darn shame!

Urban Thai
638 College Street



I certainly didn't expect good Thai food smack dab in the middle of Little Italy, but Urban Thai doesn't disappoint. The restaurant is small, yet finding a seat is typically easy. If you're stopping by with a large group, I would recommend a reservation as tables are limited. You can also grab Urban Thai's menu to go- they do a booming take-out business- or get delivery from Just-Eat

The Star Attraction
Curry chicken pad thai. It's a heavier, but more flavourful, version of the regular pad thai which you can get topped with chicken, shrimp, beef or vegetables. I am partial to Urban Thai's curry pad thai, which has robust flavours and is coated in a creamy sauce. Many other curry pad thai dishes I have tried have been dry and notoriously neon yellow from excessive use of powdery seasonings- ick! Bean sprouts, peanuts, green onion and herbs are all served on the side- feel free to mix-and-match to your taste. The portions here are huge, so get a doggie bag; the pad thai is even better day two. 

In Supporting Roles 
  • Calamari. Crispy coating, never chewy and served with a fish sauce-based dip. 
  • Sangria. White or red loaded with fruits for only $14 a pitcher. Student budget-friendly is always a plus in my books. 
  • Free ice cream. The free mango, green tea or red bean ice cream need not only be a staple of all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants, so save room! 

326 Adelaide Street W.

I am guilty. After Khao San Road opened last year, I attempted in vain to get a reservation before filing it away on my exhaustive "to go" list. After a pad thai horror story, my co-worker told me I was nuts for not opting for Khao San Road. I decided to buck up and cross it off the list finally, but not before enduring the wait. No, they don't do reservations anymore, but keep calm and nom on. 

The Star Attraction

Chef's Special Pad Thai. This stuff is the real deal. Perfectly coated noodles coated with their tamarind sauce that is sweet, sour and savoury. Loaded with scrambled egg, tofu and bean sprouts, then topped with peanuts and lime juice, this dish is the perfect meal. While Yelp is all abuzz about the Khao Soi, this is the dish that will keep me coming back. 


In Supporting Role

If I could get an "I Heart" (foodie-style) t-shirt, it would be for the Gra Bong squash fritters. Sweet from the squash, spicy from the red curry paste in the batter (very pakora-like) and crispy from the deep fryer- these babies are delicious. As if they weren't already awesome, they are served up with a sweet and sour tamarind sauce. You will need a bucketload of it. Six fritters come in an order, but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do: sharing is for wussies. 


Image source. 


Winner 
Khao San Road by the narrowest of margins and really it's because of those squash fritters that I still dream about, leaving shameful drool stains on my pillow. 
Now if only they had sangria... 

September 12, 2012

Suburban: Costco's Edamame Hummus

There are few things more suburban than Costco.

Going to the mecca of mass-produced and packaged goods is quite literally a pilgrimage for many suburbanites, myself included, usually capped off with a lunch of free samples. Sure, four bitty chocolate-covered acai berries doesn't exactly count as a meal so you may have to splurge for the $1.50 hot dog and pop.


On a recent back-to-school shopping stint, I sampled my way through Costco, stumbling upon one of my new favourite products: edamame hummus. 


Yes, I am cheating on chickpeas. 

Eat Well Enjoy Life's hummus makes it so easy, not too mention delicious. For under $8, I purchased two tubs and I am already scraping the sides of the container to stretch it until my next Costco journey. 

My favourite accompaniment for edamame hummus is store-bought naan bread. I favour naan over pita, as it tends to be lighter and fluffier. Give it some love in a frying pan on high, flipping after a few minutes, and you'll have a toasty number to pair with your dip. 

Some like it hot and if that's you make sure to try the wasabi version, topped with pickled ginger and horseradish. Looking for some more innovative hummus creations? They also have spicy yellow or red lentil versions, and a white bean hummus topped with pine nuts. 


Not near a Costco? Resist the urge to sob first. Then head to Sobeys, Loblaw's and Metro- all who carry the Eat Well Enjoy Life brand- to get your hummus fix.  
 

September 10, 2012

Urban: TIFF + Food Trucks

Some go for the celebrity sightings. Some for the flicks. But me? I go for the food.

'Tis the TIFF season, and for me that translates to the season of food trucks. While some may be noshing and sipping at hot spots like the newly opened Weslodge or the celebrity landing pad Sassafraz, I prefer sharing nibbles street side.

Until September 16, the city is not only be home to one of the most important film festivals, but will host food trucks from across Ontario.

Along with my beautiful foodie friend, and photographer avec iPhone, we started the evening oh-so glamorously on a GO bus to see The We and The I. From Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), the film chronicles the bus ride (irony) back to the Bronx of inner city teenagers on their last day of school. Flashbacks are told through cell phone videos, and the story unfolds with rare authenticity as the teens play themselves. In fact, the film was incepted from a workshop Gondry did with the teenagers cum actors at an after-school arts program.

You can still catch The We and The I on Saturday September 15 at Scotiabank Theatre.

Tickets in hand after a *very* long wait. 

The star attraction of the evening for us was of course the food trucks: Buster's Sea CovePer Se Mobile and Food Dudes. I had been jonesing for a lobster roll since the CNE, and still remember the Food Dudes catering from two summers ago (yes, it was that good!)


The lobster roll ($13) did not disappoint and was our favourite of the evening. There was loads of lobster piled into that side-split bun, all toasty from the grill and done right the traditional Nova Scotian way. That claw meat alone has the makings of food porn. 

Next stop was the Food Dudes truck, where they are known for their Captain Crunch-coated fish tacos and "sambos" aka sandwiches. We opted for their shareable fare- mac and cheese balls ($5) and Nutella bombs ($4). 


Mac and cheese balls were ho-hum, but a definite step up from the CNE's offerings by the same name. Honestly, it's hard to dislike things with parmesan though- it's simply not human. 

As two single ladies, we followed up the balls in true ball-busting style with the bombs. 
Nutella + Captain Crunch coating + deep fryer + whipped cream + bourbon caramel, need I say more?

Delish. 


Looking to get in on the food truck action too? Each day new foodie delights will be on special, so being a regular is highly, highly recommended (read as: absolutely necessary). I am looking forward to reuniting my belly with Urban Smoke Fusion BBQ (and their Nutella mascarpone grilled cheese), as well as Blue Donkey Streatery's feta fries. Happy TIFF-ing!

September 6, 2012

The PB & J Experience

Call me sheltered. Say I never had a childhood. Tell me I was missing out.

Yes, until recently I had never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. At the age of 21, this topic came up in conversation as I tried to tell my friend NO I hadn't eaten a PB & J, but I was a curry connoisseur at the age of 5. That surely had to count for something. She thought otherwise, and it became her personal mission to introduce me to a staple in every child's diet.

Of course, my roommate at the time loved to document everything I did- including late night exam time KD feasts- so out came the camera for this momentuous time. Joy.


I am not a fan of foods touching. The PB co-mingling with the J was too much to handle. 


Nevertheless, I was optimistic. Surely there had to be a reason why so many people consume so much white bread. Other than the fact that they to are "white bread". 


My faith in humanity was obviously blown far out of proportion. No, people just have bad taste. And are cheap as hell. Not even the toaster and "fancy" jam could make the Dempster concoction good. 


There was hype. There was fanfare. Heck, there was paparazzi. But there was no faking the trademark Kodiak smile knowing I still had half a sandwich to go. 


Verdict? "Do white people ate this a lot?" 
I think I will stick with my curry, thanks.

September 4, 2012

Burger Love


This Sunday, the world record for the largest bacon cheeseburger was set in Carlton, Minnesota. That barbecued baby weighed in at over a tonne, measuring about three metres in diameter. Moreover, that's 27 kilograms of bacon, 23 kilograms of lettuce, 23 kilograms of sliced onions, 18 kilograms of pickles and 18 kilograms of cheese, according to this article from the Toronto Star. 

Rewind a few weekends ago and competitive eater Furious Pete demolished a 12x12 (that ladies and gentlemen is twelve patties with, you guessed it, twelve slices of cheese) at Burger Priest. 


People are burger crazed. Me on the other hand- not so much! To put it in context, I was always the chicken nugget kid. If we want to talk way back, play back I was actually a McDonalds pizza kid!

Sporting the war paint, but too *chicken* for the burger. 

I have never eaten a burger at the Golden Arches.  Not a Big Mac, nor a Quarter Pounder and, god forbid, never an Angus! Yet despite not being in Ronald's good books, there are a few burger joints between here and the big city that I will chow down at. 

Urban: W Burger Bar
Located at College and Yonge, W Burger Bar serves up some awesome patties and sure, the $2 shots don't hurt either. In the burger department, you can pick from traditional beef, health-conscious turkey, lamb and more, then go nuts with the toppings. For the ho-hum, there is the burger trifecta (ketchup, mustard, relish), but the more creative can load up on more unusual fixings like tzatziki, beets and cranberries. Just please not together.

Suburban: Licks
It probably has everything to do with the GUK sauce, but Licks is my weakness in the suburban burger department. From the staff singing your order to the ice cream shoppe, I always make sure to save time (and room in my belly) for Licks during a stint of Christmas shopping. 


Honourable Mention: Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Honestly, the best thing here isn't even the burgers. The humble french fry has always been the burger's best companion, allowing their juicy partner to steal the spotlight. At Five Guys, their regular fries serves four, easily! So forgo the diet, rip open that greasy bag o' fries and dig in. 


Where to next? My next burger to conquer has to be from The Works. There is something about a PB, bacon and banana burger that intrigues me. Call me a freak, but who doesn't want a "Hunka, Hunka Burnin' Love"?

Confession: Also have never had a PB & banana sandwich.