Although CNE marks the last days of summer in Toronto, I always look forward to visiting the fair and eating far too many deep fried goodies. This year was no exception. The Hubby and I met up with two other couples to overload on carbs. Since lines can get long, my strategy is to always go with a small group, find a base then divide and conquer. With smartphones in hand, we each set off to find the most indulgent plate to bring back (every year, we end up with a lot of poutine).

Bacon Nation – Bacon Wrapped Grilled Cheese
#1 plate of the night, a gooey grilled cheese, all wrapped up in a thick bacon weave and fried to crispy heaven. This was decadent, salty and had plenty of melted cheesy goodness. I would recommend sharing this plate as a quarter of one was plenty for all of us.

Poutine Balls
Deep fried balls of mashed potato, covered in gravy and cheese curds. I loved the concept of this dish on paper, in real life the mashed potato was gummy, the center was cool and overall disappointing.

Jake’s Lobster – Garlic Snow Crab Fries
#2 plate of the night, crispy garlic fries covered with shredded snow crab meat, parsley and dill. These fries had a strong garlic flavour with a touch of seafood. The box was a good portion size to split with 2 or 3 people. This was also the healthiest thing we ate all night.

Bouchard’s Poutinery – Cheeseburger Poutine
A classic poutine covered with ground beef, mustard, ketchup and pickles. I get this dish every year and we never finish it. Pictured below was the large box and best shared between 4-6 people.

Coco’s Fried Chicken – Chocolate Fried Chicken, Fried Chicken and Tater Tots
Chocolate flavoured fried chicken, normal fried chicken and tater tots. Each order of fried chicken came with hot sauce, sweet mango sauce and spicy chocolate spread. The sweetness in the batter was mild and interesting but I prefer my fried chicken salty. All the pieces were really meaty but I found the chicken had no flavour. The crispy tater tots dipped in hot sauce were delicious.

Unknown – Mexican Tatertots
Perhaps compared to the other dishes, or because my tastebuds were saturated with salt, I found these tots bland. There was no heat and the guacamole sauce was topped sparingly. Coco’s tater tots also had a much crispier exterior.

Mac and Cheesery – Mac n Cheese
Somehow this was the second lightest dish of the evening. In between bites of bacon and poutine, I was eating forkfuls of mac and cheese to cleanse my palate.

Baldwin St. is home to some great restaurants. Over the past 5 years, several new restaurants have opened (Agave Y Agucate, Ryu’s Noodle Bar) alongside long time residents. The latest newcomer is Ramyun, a restaurant specializing in elevating a simple block ramyun (Korean instant noodles).

Disclaimer: All drinks and dishes were provided free of charge by the restaurant. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

When I make instant noodles at home, I love making it healthier by adding a poached egg, bok choy and whatever protein I have around. Ramyun has a similar concept. Starting with a block of instant noodle, fresh ingredients are added to create a more balanced bowl of instant noodles. Personally, while the bowls of noodles looked good, I wasn’t sold on the price of $9-$14 per bowl. Instead, the menu section of fusion pub food drew my attention.

We started with an order of Fried Gyoza and half a pound of Ramyun Wings. The gyoza were crispy and was accompanied by a light vinegar dipping sauce. The wings were covered in crushed ramyun and deep fried. An interesting concept but not my cup of tea. I found the ramyun crust thick and hard to bite through.

Next up was the Kimchi Ramyun Poutine. This dish was a perfect example of fusion done well. The base of the poutine was fries and cooked ramyun, topped with rice cakes, bugolgi, kimchi, cheese and plenty of gravy. The plate was huge and would be perfect to share with friends, washed down with a cold beer. The gravy was rich, the kimchi added heat, the fries were crispy and the rice cakes chewy.

Harry, the owner of Ramyun came by our table to introduce a new special dish, coming soon to the menu: Spicy, Cheesy Pork Ribs. Super tender ribs, slathered in a spicy bbq sauce was served with hot, gooey, melted cheese and corn. We were supplied plastic gloves and encouraged to pick up a rib and then dip it in the cheese. The sauce was incredibly spicy, which the cheese helped mellow out. When ordering, customers can specify the level of spice. This was another great dish that just begged for a beer. I am curious to see how this dish will be priced.

Ramyun has an ambitious goal, to make instant noodles healthier, tastier and more enjoyable. The menu definitely excels with the fusion dishes where ramyun is a player but not the star. I’m eager to see how the restaurant will grow and evolve. As is, Ramyun is a good spot to start or end a night out with large portions of comfort food, perfect with a drink.

My plan ran into a few challenges. This year’s event was sponsored by Paypal, who offered a coupon covering the charge of a burger at certain restaurants if you paid with their new app. This generated a lot of hype and long lines. We ended up having to wait over an hour at Toma Burger Addiction and that really cut into my burger eating schedule. Also, many of the restaurants only offered the $5 burger as a dine-in special. This meant having to wait for a table, order one burger to split between three people and then wait to settle the bill. Again, this made each stop longer than I had anticipated. It also seemed like everyone else in Toronto had the same idea and queues for burgers were long everywhere.

Over the span of 3 hours, we managed to hit 4 stops in total and consumed 5 burgers and one poutine between three people. Not bad, but I had originally planned 6 stops. Next year, I’d love to visit more restaurants but I would span the visits over the entire week.

Rock Lobster: Surf & Turf Burger—Kobe beef, spicy carrot and cabbage slaw, and grilled shrimp
The Burger: Lots of great flavours but I was disappointed with the size. The kobe beef was tender and I liked the spicy slaw. I couldn’t really taste the grilled shrimp and it really was a small burger.
Service: This was a dine in only offer. When we arrived at just after 5pm, the restaurant was busy but not full and we were seated quickly. It wasn’t hard to place our order and the burger arrived quickly, it was near impossible to settle up. Servers passed by without giving us any attention. When we finally flagged someone down, it was another good 10 minutes before our bill arrived.
Last Thoughts: A solid meh. I wasn’t overly impressed or disappointed. A return trip to check out Rock Lobster’s normal menu is much needed.

Toma Burger Addiction: The Wild Life—Angus prime rib, truffle mayo, cremini mushrooms, double-smoked bacon, Swiss cheese, and balsamic glaze, on a homemade brioche bun
The Burger: Toma was one of the Paypal sponsored burgers and their Burger Week offer was one off of their regular menu. A regularly priced $13 burger for free, it was definitely a great deal. The burger itself was solid with a loose patty, creamy toppings and toasted bun. It made me want to try more of their menu items. Again, this was a dine in only offer and after the hour wait we were hungry. So in addition to two burgers, we ordered a Toma Mac n’ Cheese, which was cheesy. The double smoked topping was generous and you could really taste the truffle oil, there wasn’t much caramelized onions though.
Service: Walking up to Toma, we saw the lineup a block away. Considering how good the deal was (free and all), I did expect a line and didn’t mind waiting. The line moved slowly and crawled for an hour before we were finally seated. It then took 20 minutes for our burgers to arrive. Some of the servers seemed frazzled and the getting through growing queue outside did not seem to be their top priority.
Last Thoughts: Toma made a good burger, and hopefully under normal operating conditions, they’re able to do a better job of getting customers in and out efficiently.

The Happy Hooker: Crispy Tuna Burger—Panko-breaded patty with tartar sauce, lettuce, and tomato on a toasted bun
The Burger: I liked this burger. The patty was a little cold by the time we dug in but it tasted great, the panko crust was crunchy and the toppings were classic. It was a nice non-beef option.
Service: When we arrived at Happy Hooker, there was a backlog of orders and we were advised of a 30-45 minute wait. I’m not sure if there was a system in place to keep track of orders since they didn’t take our name, give us a number or anything. We waited outside and checked in at the cash after 30 minutes, a burger was ready to go so I was happy. We also didn’t have to dine in and could eat on our way to stop #4.
Last Thoughts: Again, the burger was decent. I’m eager to come back and try out their fish tacos.

Utopia Cafe: Korean short rib-burger topped with kimchi slaw, pickled daikon, and spicy karashi
The Burger: This fusion offering was my favourite burger of the night. I loved the strong asian flavours, there was a great balance between sweet, sour and spicy. The kimchi slaw and pickled daikon also added a great crunch to eat bite.
Service: The service at Utopia was the highlight of the night. There was a small line and we were happy to wait for a table or spot at the bar. When the hostess found out we just wanted the burger, she was happy to place a take-out order for us. Ready for a wait, I left the Fiance and my friend at Utopia and walked down the street to grab a coffee. Before my coffee even arrived, they had caught up with a piping hot burger.
Last Thoughts: 4.5 Great tasting burger and friendly service. I couldn’t have ended the night on a better note.

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been craving a good burger. With no time during the week to run to Burger’s Priest or Holy Chuck, I looked for options outside of the city and found Fresh Burger in Richmond Hill. The uptown location was a perfect lunch stop between Saturday errands.

Atmosphere: Fresh Burger is located in a strip mall next to a Tim Horton’s. The walls are painted a bright red and menus are prominently displayed. For a burger joint, there’s lots of seating with tables and a bar along one window. Decor is simple and clean. We arrived at noon, just after they opened and were the first customers. There was a steady stream of customers during the time we were there.

Service: Walking up to the counter, the Fiance and I took a bit of time to talk through our options. We wanted to maximize our burger experience. The person manning the counter (the owner?) patiently waited for us to be ready and answered our questions. Once we’d placed our orders, utensils, napkins and drinks in an open refrigerator were self serve. We grabbed an empty table and our order was ready after a short wait.

Food: The burger was fresh off the grill. As soon as our order was placed, the cooks started on the patties. I had the Fresh Burger combo topped with onions, pickles and sauteed jalapenos, and an upgraded poutine side. The Fiance ordered the 14oz Double Prime Burger. His was a big burger, even the bun itself was a good inch wider than mine. It was a midday nap inducing burger, delicious.

My fresh burger had a wonderful, warm toasted bun, melted cheese and a loosely packed patty. Both our burgers were super juicy and required more than a couple of napkins. I loved that the sauteed jalapenos were actually really spicy. There’s been a times when I’ve added a “spicy” topping to my burger only to be disappointed with the level of heat. Fresh burger did not dilute anything. It was hot and amazing. I also really liked their pickles, that were again really flavourful. My taste buds only picked up a slight difference in flavour between the prime and normal patty. The prime one was a bit meatier but I wouldn’t have a preference between the two.

My poutine was great, simple and with generous helpings of hot gravy and cheese curds. With the temperature of the gravy, the cheese curds melted nicely and pulling the crispy fries apart created long strings of cheesy goodness. I would highly recommend upgrading the combo.

La Poutine Week is a new food event to hit Toronto this year with participating restaurants offering their take on poutine for $10 a plate. Browsing through the menu of poutines, I was happy to see Holy Chuck taking part. They’ve been on my list to try for too long and an acceptable TTC lunch trip from work. This was the perfect excuse to round up friends for a field trip lunch.

Atmosphere: Located at Yonge and St. Clair, Holy Chuck is the spot that’s accessible from midtown or downtown to grab a good burger. Seating is available inside for groups of up to 4, a bar of single seats are set up along the window front and there’s plentiful standing space left to wait for takeout orders. Customer turnover was quick and we were able to move from two two seater tables to a four seater before finishing our meal. The space is brightly lit and functional.

Service: The restaurant is a self serve format. You place your order, give a name, wait for it to called and look for an open table. Napkins, plastic utensils and condiments are provided for customers to grab as needed. Even with the minimal service, I was impressed at how quickly trays were taken away, tables wiped down and condiments returned. The menu prices are on the higher end for a burger and it can add up if you’re ordering sides and a drink. Generally though, the bill should be under $20/person assuming a burger, fries and pop.

Food: Holy Chuck’s menu can be an overwhelming amount of choice. There are just so many variations of meats, toppings, buns and in all different combinations. That’s just the burgers, there’s also milkshakes and poutine. Since this was my first visit, I decided to go classic and ordered the standard “Holy Chuck” burger, a double cheeseburger with bacon and caramelized onions. First bite in and I needed more napkins, it was a juicy, fatty burger. The patty was lightly packed, cooked to a perfect medium and well seasoned. Really a great patty. I liked the crunch from the generous pieces of bacon and the sweetness from the caramelized onions. The cheese was still solid on the edges but nicely melted in the centre and the white bun just soaked up the grease. The burger is greasy but I could’ve happily eaten a second one on the spot. If not for the platter of poutine.

For La Poutine Week, Holy Chuck’s fries were topped with pulled veal cheek, veal cheek gravy, brie cheese and a roasted bone marrow. My favourite part of the dish was the bone marrow, buttery, salty and a rich roasted flavour. Next, I liked the veal cheek that was tender and not too sweet. I would’ve loved to see a little more cheese and gravy with a thicker cut french fry. As a side, thin fries are crispy and great, but in a poutine, I like my fries to have enough substance to soak up the gravy and carry the cheese. The portion size is large and could easily be shared and filling for 3-4 people.

Next time, The Farmer’s Threesome and Foie Gras Poutine are really calling to me.

The first time I heard about Au Pied de Cochon was from the BF talking about their famous Duck in a Can dish. He even went especially on a weekend trip to try it, a trip that was planned before we started dating and without me. Needless to say, I felt robbed. Good thing he was happy to remedy this with our own Montreal food trip in December. While we didn’t end up ordering the Duck in a Can this time, wanting to try more from the menu, I’d say he made up for it.

Atmosphere: Firstly, the restaurant is hard to spot from the street. There is no exterior signage, only large windows into the dining area and a discreet menu posted. Located on the south side, look for the street number  atop the doorway. The interior is lit with warm lighting, wooden tables and while they were cozy, the feel was more intimate than crowded.

Service: We arrived for our 9pm reservation to a full line of waiting customers. They were running late that night and we waited a good 30 minutes in the small doorway area before our table was ready. Reservations are a must. It also took me a good 3-4 days of back and forth emails before our reservation was confirmed. Although their website said they would return email requests with a phone call, my entire exchange was via email and with 24 hour lapse in between communications. I’m glad I contacted them early. Our server was friendly, albeit a bit “nose in the air” attitude. I asked for a red wine recommendation, French, not too dry with fruity flavours and he suggested a White Zinfandel from California. My face at that point: O_O, but maybe it was my mistake to ask for something “not too dry”. Oh wells. The rest of the night was fine except for the long lull between our appetizers and entrees.

Food: We had studied and researched this menu for days. At first I wanted to try the Pig’s Head, but the BF was worried about getting squeamish once we started to dig in (see his reaction to the lobster sashimi a JaBistro). We went with our second option, the Guinea Hen for two with a mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes. The BF doesn’t eat mushrooms but we were told that the dish would be incomplete without the sauce, and after having it I agree.

For appetizers, we had the Foie Gras Poutine and the Duck Carpaccio. The Foie Gras Poutine was the dish of the trip. Crispy fries, rich gravy, melted cheese curds topped with a generous helping of seared foie gras. We basically licked the plate clean; this would be my last dinner request. Honestly my vocabulary and composition skills can’t do this plate justice, just go eat it as soon as possible. I enjoyed the Duck Carpaccio but poor BF had to pick around the mushrooms. Each slice was paper thin, doused in olive oil and had a much lighter flavour than beef.

I have to admit, when the Guinea Hen first arrived at the table, it was daunting. I knew there was no way I was about to eat half a small hen, this was especially true after my first bite of the mashed potatoes. The Guinea Hen was served in a dutch oven on top of a bed of fluffy cheese, potatoes and butter. I would guess there was probably more cheese than potato in there. A can of extra mushroom sauce was served alongside the whole thing and I took full advantage of it with each bite. The meat itself was very moist and tender. We packed up a good half of the dish to bring home to Toronto and it made a great dinner the second day.

It was a heavy meal, rich and full of flavour. It was the kind of meal I love to eat at restaurants, the kind that inspires me in the kitchen and makes me feel like I’m eating from the chef’s personal kitchen.

The BF and I recently took a weekend trip to Montreal purely to enjoy the culinary scene. With so many restaurants in the city, I had a hard time narrowing down our itinerary. I wanted to visit old favourites like Schwartz’s and try classics. Gaining 5 lbs over a weekend, worth it.

These were my top 5 eats from this trip:

1. Foie Gras Poutine @ Au Pied de Cochon: 536 Duluth Street East
   • Best poutine I’ve ever had
   • Plentiful seared foie gras, melted cheese curds and perfect gravy
2. Pork Cheek Pate @ Kazu: 1862 St Catherine St W
   • Unique style to serve flavourful pork cheek with warm tortillas and great sauce
3. T-rex Poutine @ La Banquise: 994 Rue Rachel E
   • My favourite way to start a Montreal trip
   • Cheesy curds and toppings that spill off the plate
4. Brunch @ Le Cartet: 106 McGill St
   • Lots of options, rich and lighter fare, great fresh ingredients
   • Gift store at front of the restaurant offers gourmet chocolate and foods
5. Macarons @ La Maison du Macaron: 705 Rue Sainte-Catherine W
   • Convenient kiosk located in Eaton Centre
   • Lots of flavours, rich fillings and airy cookie

Signaling the end of summer each year, the CNE brings a carnival to Toronto. Fully equipped with rides, games, concerts, a casino and most importantly, festival food, a visit to the CNE is an annual tradition. For me, the draw has always been the promise of calorie-laden goodness. I’m over the novelty of deep-fried twinkies and chocolate bars. This year the focus was grabbing old favourites and trying new treats.

Epic Burger is a long time vendor, home of the “Crispy Cream Burger”, and was originally offering the much hyped “cronut burger”. Unfortunately, many customers fell ill with food poisoning after having the burger and the cause was identified as the maple jam topping provided by Epic Burger’s affiliate bakery. By the time we visited, the “cronut burger” had been removed from the menu and we didn’t have any concerns.

We ordered The Behemoth burger, a burger with grilled cheese buns. The burger looked good, fresh bread and stacked high but the grilled cheese buns disappointing. The bread wasn’t grilled very long and could’ve used more butter. The burger itself was fine but for an indulgent burger, this doesn’t quite compare to the Vatican, a similar burger concept, from The Burger’s Priest.

Next up was The Cheeseburger Poutine from Bouchard’s Poutinery. There are a lot of toppings on this poutine. I love the addition of pickles and ground beef, but could do without the mustard. I also like the classic and The Canadian.

New to the CNE this year was the Spread Nutellerie booth, specializing in all things Nutella. AMAZING. We ordered the Sweetchips, sweet potato fries topped with nutella, sea salt and icing sugar. This was my dish of the day and the wrapper was licked. I cannot wait for Spread to open their permanent location to try out every other menu item they offer.

Another classic food I have to get is the bloomin onion, a giant onion cut, battered, deep fried and served with ranch dressing. It’s always a challenge to finish the entire plate but we were pretty close this time between four people. This was also the “vegetable” of the day…

We finished the night with three dozen Tiny Tom donuts for the road and a need to hit the gym, eventually.

Montreal is one of my favourite cities in Toronto and also where I lived for 7 years before moving to the GTA. I was in town in August 2012 for the Osheaga music festival and took the opportunity to (of course) eat!

These were my top 5 eats from this trip:

1. Poutine @ La Banquise: 994 Rue Rachel E
   • Cheesy, open 24 hours, quintessential Montreal poutine
   • Classic poutines and many more toppings
2. Smoked Meat Sandwich @ Schwartz Deli: 3895 Saint Laurent Boulevard
   • Layers of meat, rich and fatty, smoked flavour you can’t find anywhere else
3. Macarons @ Point G: 1266 Avenue du Mont-Royal E
   • Unique flavours, denser cookie
4. Brunch @ L’Avenue: 922 Avenue Du Mont-Royal E
   • Be prepared for a wait, the eggs benedict are worth it
5. Coffee Break @ Brulerie St Denis: 3967 St Denis St
   • Great for a pit stop between bead stores and boutiques

Brunch is my favourite meal of the day next to dinner. I’m never very hungry first thing in the morning, but by brunch time I’m happy to  indulge in a larger and usually more savory meal, and with less guilt (two meals in one!). After my visit to Farmhouse Tavern, they are now my favourite brunch place in the city and I can not stop recommending them to all of my friends.

Atmosphere: Stepping into Farmhouse Tavern, it felt like walking into a cottage. There was a lot of cowboy kitsch, and the walls were filled with unmatched frames. I also liked the unmatched mugs and plates, and the setting felt very comfortable. We sat in the dining area in front of the kitchen and the bench was lined with mismatched cushions. It really felt like a Sunday at the cottage, with a collection of serving ware from different times, places and people, ready to present a great meal.

Service: We didn’t have to wait long for a table. I could see it being a little awkward on a busy day as the front door opens into the dining area. You’d be waiting in the middle of the room, surrounded by tables. The menu items are written on the chalkboard, but with little to no description. Some were self explanatory (steak and eggs) but what’s a Cover Girl? Our server, who looked like a blonde Anna Kendrick, was happy to go over each item for us and even repeat some descriptions while we went back and forth on what to order. Coffees were refilled and our server chatted with us while the credit transaction was being processed.

Food: After asking about every item on the menu, the BF and I settled on the Mother and Child Reunion (two poached duck eggs, deep fried, with slices of cured duck breast) with the addition of Foie Gras and the Hangover Poutine (fries, with gravy, cheese curds, pulled pork and topped with a fried egg).

Both dishes were mouth watering. The layers of the poutine complimented each other and there was no clashing or over seasoning between the pulled pork and the gravy. The fried egg had a beautiful runny yolk and the curds were melted goodness. This dish on paper, easily sounded too heavy with all of the components, but somehow it wasn’t. We finished every bite of the dish and I would highly recommend it, hungover or not.

I also liked the mother and child. I do like the taste of duck and really enjoyed all the different parts of the dish. The foie gras is a must, if it’s something you partake in. It was creamy, and nutty and I loved every bite. There were only a few pieces of the thinly sliced cured duck breast, but each was very flavourful. I loved the crunch of the deep fried, poached duck eggs, which weren’t greasy and still had a nice runny yolk. The piece of bread that came with this dish was also crusty and buttered heavy handily. It was a great addition to dip into the yolks, but not absorbent to soak any up that spilled on your plate.

It was a great meal, and I can’t wait to be back.