Eat, Drink and be Daring

Toronto Life’s December 2007 Cover Page caught my eye – 100 Tastes to try Before You Die. (http://torontolife.com/features/eat-drink-and-be-daring/) Soooo, here are a few things of their list of 100 that I’ve tried, and would like to try if not:

Tried:
- Carousel Bakery’s Breakfast Sandwich (right at St. Lawrence Market) – not bad for $4.35! However, it’s pure comfort food… but being at the Market at 6:30am, a healthy meal wasn’t exactly a top priority at that moment.
- Greg’s Roasted Marshmallow Ice Cream – it’s okay… personally, I think Greg’s is slightly overrated, but that’s my two cents
- Toronto Street Dog – apparently it is preferred by TL over New York City’s street dogs because of the variety of condiments. I haven’t been disappointed once when I was a student at UofT, so it’s not bad at all.
- Takoyaki – although TL recommended T&T’s takoyaki… I’ve never seen takoyakis being sold there though. Hmmm.
- The Classic veal cutlet sandwich from California Sandwiches – a staple food item for the Masonite audit team a few years back… which I was part of. Apparently there’s a place at St. Lawrence that’s even better – not sure if it’s Carousel or the place downstairs.

Would Like to Try:
- Zen’s tempura eel – I’ve wanted to try Zen for a while…
- Algonquin Tea – can be found at Whole Foods on Avenue Road… an organic blend of anise, red clover, raspberry leaves
- Soma’s Black Science Ghana Nibs – from SoMA at the Distillery
- Coffee ceremony at Addis Ababa – somewhere along Queen Street West
- Nitrogen Ice Cream from Colborne Lane – Jenn and I have been meaning to try Colborne Lane for a while anyway…
- Saving Grace’s espressado – Espresso & Avocade… somewhere along Dundas Street West. (907 to be precise)
- Handmade noodles from Soba Canada at Hiro Sushi – have also been wanting to try Hiro for years.
- El Gordo’s Kimchee Empanada – just a really interesting mix
- Michael Stadtlander’s Georgian Bay Trout – the fact that he owns Eigensinn Farm makes anything after his name a worthwhile try… however, given that it’s like $275 per head… um… maybe for a really really really special occasion…

Overrated:
- The Bymark Burger
- Sushi Kaji’s fukiyose platter – Kaji is really good, but having been to Shinobu and other places, I truly believe Kaji is overrated…
- I can’t say for sure that Susur Lee’s amuse-bouche is overrated, but I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews of his place… hmm.

Your turn. Comment away :)

Coffee & Tea Places to Hit Up

What a long hiatus! But, to kickstart this blog again, here's a list of places we (or at least yours truly) intend to hit up in the near future... stay posted for future updates. Who wants to go coffee hunting in Toronto? Ooooh if you have any recommendations not listed below, please share!

Coffee Places:
Manic Coffee – Bathurst & College [Intelligentsia]
Bulldog Café – Carlton & Church (89 Granby St)
Jetfuel Café – 519 Parliament Street (off Carlton)
Mercury Café – Queen Street East by Logan Ave [Intelligentsia]
B Espresso Bar – Queen Street East, between Church and Jarvis [Illy]
Avenue Café & Bistro – University Avenue [Illy]
Mercatto Café – Bay Street Between Adelaide and King [Illy]
Faema Café – Sherway Gardens Lower Floor [Segrafreddo]
F'Coffee - 641 Queen Street East (by Broadview)
Dolce Gelato - College Street (close to Dufferin)
Aroma Espresso Bar - 500 Bloor Street West (Annex)
Dark Horse Espresso Bar - 682 Queen Street East, East of Broadview
Tango Palace Coffee Company - 1156 Queen Street East
Wagamama - King Street West (West of Bathurst) - very strong drop coffee.
The Coffee Mill - 99 Yorkville Ave
Moonbeam Cafe - 30 St. Andrews St. Toronto (Kensington Market area)
Niche Coffee & Tea Company - 1364 Danforth Avenue OR 626 Queen Street West [own brew]
Red Rocket Coffee (Queen Street East)
Sublime Espresso Bar (Kensington)
I Deal Coffee - Kensington; 84 Nassau Street
Cherry Bomb Coffee [own brew] - 79 Roncesvalle Ave
Tinto Coffee House - 89 Roncesvalle Ave
Alternative Grounds Coffee House - 333 Roncesvalle Ave

Tea Places (non traditional tea):
Tealish - 198 Walnut Avenue
Red Tea Box - Queen Street West
Tea Emporium - Eglinton Avenue West, one block west of Avenue on the south side

High Tea Places:
Windsor Arms Hotel (Bloor/Yorkville)
King Edward Hotel
Royal York Hotel
Four Season Hotel
Langdon Hall