Toronto Retail and Restaurants Thread

[Taller, Better]

Sorry, but I can't stand sake. Just a personal preference, I guess. Also, does the phrase "widely available on the west coast" refer to any more makers than Artisan SakeMaker on Granville Island? I don't know of any others, personally, and I didn't like what I tasted from that one.

[BluJayz]

These are so yummy! but lot of fats!

[Gerrad]

Originally Posted by Taller, Better

Sorry, but I can't stand sake. Just a personal preference, I guess. Also, does the phrase "widely available on the west coast" refer to any more makers than Artisan SakeMaker on Granville Island? I don't know of any others, personally, and I didn't like what I tasted from that one.

Have you had it both hot and cold? Better sakes are able to be consumed cold and there's a huge difference in taste.

[Taller, Better]

I tried the ones from Granville Market cold, and to me they were waaay too strong tasting, and the flavours just repelled me. Just a personal thing, I suppose. I'm more
of a beer and wine guy, myself. There are lots of aperitifs that I don't like the taste of, either... (Benedictine, Sambucca, Crème de Menthe, Campari, etc....). I'm not even
keen on Scotch or Cognac.

[InTheBeach]

Originally Posted by CrazySerb

Since this seems like a good place to ask, I'm wondering if anyone knows a place in Toronto where one can buy Vienna-style cakes & other sweets?

Things like this...

image hosted on flickr

I second Travis' recommendation for The Sweet Gallery in BWV.

[InTheBeach]

Originally Posted by Taller, Better

I'm not even
keen on Scotch

That is too bad.

For sake, you should buy some for cooking. It is great for sauces. And then you might warm up to it (as you sip it while you are cooking).

[Travis007]

I actually visited the "Ontario Spring Water Sake Company" in the Distillery today and purchased a couple of bottles. The shop is neat because you can actually see them distilling in the back, through the window. You can sample at the bar, with a price per shot unfortunately. The staff is friendly, and the sake was great. It's extremely drinkable, and smooth. Has a bit of acidity like a nice white wine. Only bad thing was that for the small 300 ml bottles, they are a bit pricey at $12.95-14.95. But I guess, the quality was worth the price.

[spongeg]

do they have roche bobois in toronto?

[Travis007]

^ Yes! 101 Parliament Street, Eastern part of downtown

http://www.roche-bobois.com/#/en-ca/stores

[Taller, Better]

Originally Posted by InTheBeach

That is too bad.

For sake, you should buy some for cooking. It is great for sauces. And then you might warm up to it (as you sip it while you are cooking).

I remember a few times in the past when I sipped a bit too much wine while cooking!

There used to be a Roche Bobois on Albert Street in Winnipeg, and I worked there when I was going through University.

[Travis007]

http://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_best_pho_in_toronto/

The Best Pho In Toronto

Posted by Simon Yau / MAY 21, 2011

The best pho in Toronto is a title that comes inherently with a little controversy. With so many restaurants at which to enjoy the Vietnamese soup noodle dish, the relative simplicity of pho means any discussion about the best version of this steamy comfort food quickly becomes a passionate defense of personal beliefs: how intensely flavoured should a broth be? What is the best type of noodle? What is the ideal meat to noodle ratio?

Harkening back to its street food origins, pho has become one of Toronto's most ubiquitous options for a quick and tasty meal, no matter the time of day or where in the GTA you might be.

This list features a broad swath of familiar favourites from neighbourhoods across the city. Some of my personal haunts just missed the cut, including Pho Pasteur at Dundas and Spadina, as well as Scarborough's Pho Metro and Pho 88 at Bamburgh Circle Plaza. But hey, that's the great thing about pho - there always seems to be another potential best bowl out there to be tried.

Here are the best bowls of pho in Toronto.

[ACT7]

Can anyone confirm if Puma on Bloor has closed? I thought that one was sticking around.

[rbt]

Originally Posted by Taller, Better

I tried the ones from Granville Market cold, and to me they were waaay too strong tasting, and the flavours just repelled me. Just a personal thing, I suppose. I'm more
of a beer and wine guy, myself.

Sake is beer; rice based instead of barely/wheat based. You do need to like rice just as a person who hated wheat bread is going to find our beer difficult to deal with.

Anyway, if you have $8 to spend go to the large LCBO on the waterfront (near Jarvis) and get a bottle of "Nigori - Creme de Sake". Sometimes you can find it at the Wellesley/Yonge location. It's actually an American product out of California rather than a Japanese import and is a different Koji (yeast) than normally used. Berkeley knows their yeasts.

Serve cold in small glasses (shot-glasses will do); just above 0 Celsius. Coldest spot in the fridge and a quick trip through the freezer, or ice-bath like you would with Champaign. Gently shake the creamy rice silt through the product before pouring.

Sip.

My wife and I found this one while in Seattle in the Umajimaya market and practically begged the LCBO to import it. If you don't like it, PM me with your address and I will send a cheque for the cost of the bottle.

[Taller, Better]

very kind of you, Robert. Maybe I will give it another chance some day! The most popular one you see around is in a small frosted blue bottle. There are sake bars in town, notably in the Korean Village. I didn't specifically photograph any of the windows advertising types of sake, but it is along this strip:

[current]

yahoo online article:

Buffalo Wild Wings Begins Canada Push

Reporting by S. John Tilak; editing by Peter Galloway
On Monday May 16, 2011, 5:01 pm EDT

TORONTO (Reuters) - Buffalo Wild Wings Inc expects to generate annual sales of $150 million in Canada in five years as it makes its first foray outside the United States, its top executive said on Monday.

The U.S. sports bar chain, known for its namesake spicy Buffalo-style chicken wings, is at the start of an international expansion drive in which it also plans to set up shop in Britain and the Middle East, Chief Executive Sally Smith told Reuters in an interview.

The company, which opened its first Canadian restaurant in Oshawa, Ontario, on Monday, will open 50 restaurants in the country in five years, and eventually there will be 100 to 150 of them, Smith said.

"Canada has a lot of the elements that we look for: You've got large cities, dense demographics, love of sports," said Smith, who handed out some of the first chicken wings to customers at the Oshawa opening.

The company plans to have four restaurants up and running in Ontario by the end of the year -- the others being in Guelph, Mississauga and Newmarket -- and will open 10 in the Greater Toronto Area by the end of 2012, Smith said.

Elsewhere in Canada, it is looking at the cities of Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, as well as Vancouver and the province of Quebec, said Smith, who took the helm of the company 15 years ago.

Canada has marginally higher real estate and food raw material costs than the United States, but profitability should be similar to U.S. levels, she said.

She projects the Canadian restaurants will be profitable in less than a year, said the costs of the expansion have been factored into the company's annual outlook.

The company is also involved a legal fight with Aurora, Ontario-based restaurant chain Wild Wing, which offers similar fare, over the right to use the "Wild Wings" name in Canada....

Read more: http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/Buf...816748684.html

[current]

Lego opened its first Lego Store in Ontario at Sherway Gardens a couple of weeks ago. Parentcentral.ca online article:

Lego Store Launches With Giant Droid

Brandie Weikle
May 13, 2011


....“There are a lot of people like me out there that have only had the mainstream department stores to shop in with their limited selection. Of course there’s the online shop, but who wants to wait to shake that box of little plastic bricks?”

The Lego Store’s bricks come in more shapes, sizes and colours than fans can find anywhere else, says Childs. The pick-a-brick wall — where customers can select exactly what they want, filling a large cup for $19.99 or a small cup for $10.99 — is a popular destination for fans keen to build their own creations.

“From time to time we have fans in the community who monitor the wall, and when we get certain pieces in they come in droves,” says Childs.

Popular with the younger crowd is the station where kids can make their own Lego mini-figures (three for $12.99), as well as the master builder bar where fans can follow instructions on computers.

Strategically placed at the height of the average 6-year-old are display cases featuring models you can’t buy — these are sets conceived in the imaginations of fans who put them together for the store. Other highlights include a gallery in the storefront window, where the iconic Death Star is on display, as well as other collectors’ sets.

Sandy Pedrogao plans to take her son, Andreas, 5, on Saturday. She’s a pretty big Lego fan in her own right. “I think it will be pretty cool to help build one of the bricks used in the huge R2D2.”

“This is going to rock my kids’ world,” says Danielle Botterell, mom of Charlie, 7, and Eve, 6. “They’ve been wanting to go the (New York) store — I’m sure we’ll be hitting Sherway very soon.”


Read More: http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/n...th-giant-droid

[Filip]

No word of a lie, if I didn't have any shame I'd be getting my legos from the garage and spending hours building crap in my basement.

Sadly, I'll wait till I have kids then I have an excuse!

[allurban]

Originally Posted by Filip

No word of a lie, if I didn't have any shame I'd be getting my legos from the garage and spending hours building crap in my basement.

Sadly, I'll wait till I have kids then I have an excuse!

why would you feel shame over having an interesting hobby that keeps your mind & eyes keen and builds dexterity & design skills?

Sorry but building with LEGO (at least to me) is a lot cooler than hanging out in an online forum At least at the end of the day you have built something to be proud of.

No shame in that.

Cheers, m

[Skybean]

Has anyone tried Sushi Kaji omakase?

$80, $100 and $120 options.

http://www.sushikaji.com/menu.html

[Taller, Better]

Originally Posted by allurban

Sorry but building with LEGO (at least to me) is a lot cooler than hanging out in an online forum

What isn't?

Originally Posted by Skybean

Has anyone tried Sushi Kaji omakase?

$80, $100 and $120 options.

http://www.sushikaji.com/menu.html

No, but that sake place "Guu Izakaya" on Church Street and now on Bloor is going mental being packed every night of the week by 6pm.