Cheap Eats Toronto restaurant guide blog

Vintages Value List - Saturday July 4, 2009 Release

Greetings!

This time round it is all about summer – BBQs, vacation and a wonderful opportunity to taste the world on your stay-cation. Hope you are enjoying the season …

White Wine

683847 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Chardonnay 2007 (California) $16.95

Well rounded Cali Chard big on mango, peach some citrus and toasty oak flavours.

991950 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay 2007 (New Zealand) $19.95

Here is a pure and clean fruit driven Chardonnay with pretty floral and tropical fruit nose and flavours following through on the finish.

727255 Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Gris 2007 (New Zealand) $18.95

A Pinot Gris with some hue and flavour! Layers of pear and apple flavours abound, peach pit bitterness, and some mineral envelopes the palate with a slightly oily mouth feel and a lengthy finish.

662882 Sileni Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (New Zealand) $16.95

Bouncing with all the aromas and flavours that is signature to N. Z. Sauvignon Blancs - gooseberry, herb, grass, citrus, clean and crisp acidity and a long finish.

What To Drink On Canada Day

Whether you'll be at the cottage, watching waterfront fireworks or just barbecuing in the backyard, it's time to hit the LCBO to stock up for tomorrow's Canada Day celebrations. 

To help you out with your shopping list, we decided to whip together a list of:

6 Great Canada Day Drinks:

1. Bloody Caesar
   - a truly Canadian drink. Invented in Calgary in 1969 (!) by Walter Chell, and then perpetuated in 2002 by Mott's designing pre-mixed Clamato juice just for this purpose. You can't even get a Caesar (unless it's with grated parm) anywhere but here, though there is something called a "Clam digger" which is similar.  There's currently a petition to make it Canada's Official National Cocktail.
2. Steamwhistle 
   – a refreshing pilsner with a crisp, clean finish from right here in Toronto, Steamwhistle is a nod to Canada and Toronto on this day celebrating us.
3. Malivoire's Chardonnay Musqué
   - made at an eco-friendly winery in Beamsville, this light, sweet, effervescent wine is a big favourite in my house. With hints of fruit - apple, peach, melon - it is great slightly chilled for sipping on a warm afternoon or for before dinner bubbles.
   Now available (yay!) in the LCBO/Vintages unfortunately only in 1/2 bottles
4. Molson Canadian – while drinking Canadian doesn't give the nod to the increasing interest in microbrews and more complex flavours, it does say CANADIAN on the bottle and thus satisfies the most literal interpretation of a drink that says “I am Canadian”.  And besides, who doesn't love the I Am Canadian ads?
5. Canadian Club - with it's "Damn Right Your Dad Drank It" ads, it carries both the nostalgic and literal requirements to be a good Canada Day tipple. Drink it straight, on ice, or with a splash of ginger ale.
6. Canada Dry Gingerale - speaking of ginger ale, why not splash in a bit more Canadiana? Canada Dry has been the ginger ale of choice in my house since we moved from the Maritimes and couldn't get Sussex anymore.

Of course, you can also check out the list of beer Toronto is drinking on our #TObeers poll here

This post was inspired by SueB24 who asked why we didn't have a Can-con equivalent to Slashdot’s All-American Wines to Celebrate July 4.

Toronto’s Eco Eats

In a city focused on reducing waste (for obvious reasons) what is your favourite Eco-friendly lunch or take-out spot?

I thought today’s discussion really should address the biggest concern people have about the strike by Toronto’s city workers – the garbage pile up.

It’s a little shocking, perhaps, to be talking garbage on a food site, but the truth is that for every napkin used, every potato peeled, every 2-item combo on noodles ordered there is an increasing pile of garbage and we are responsible for it.

And some people have come up with brilliant ideas for dealing with it.  (If you haven’t heard about Friday night’s charity trash drive to raise money for War Child, read this now!)

But strike and accumulating ggarbage aside, even the recent 5¢ charge for plastic bags has made us more conscious of our consumption of packaging and extras.  Or at least I hope it has.

So today’s question is what is your favourite eco-friendly take-out lunch spot? Is it a sushi spot which will happily plate on your own platters from home?  A soup spot that will fill your thermos with the soup de jour?  Or a grocery prepared food counter that offers bistro tables and real plates?

We’ve already heard from karmacakedotca and RJToronto via twitter that Camros Eatery on Hayden has great organic, Persian food and all biodegradable packaging! RJToronto says they even have biodegradable cutlery made from potato starch. Now that’s COOL!

karmacakedotca adds “and their kale and beet salad with tahini sauce is my abfab fav. Their borsch is killer and their almond whip "cheesecake" phenom!”

What is your favourite Eco-friendly lunch or take-out spot?

Vintages Value List - Release Saturday June 20, 2009

Greetings!

We trust you are enjoying our rather chilly summer thus far. Warmer than tepid weather is around the corner and we’re sure the BBQ has been fired up regardless of the prevailing climate. This week’s release brought great elation to us – the feature is Malbec. A fabulous grape honed in Argentina, but originally from France under the name Cot, hailing from the Cahors region.

In France it is generally usually as a blending varietal. Malbec’s prime characteristics are its deep, dark colour and overwhelming smoothness. Depending on the producer, different flavours prevail – but they are predominately black fruits, spice, mocha and earthiness. Vintages is hailing Malbec as a fabulous BBQ wine and that it is – but we also like it with just about any meat, pasta, pizza or stew.

The varietal has seen growing popularity over the past few years and we all know what that means from a Supply/Demand perspective – prices will go up. Don’t despair, there are some really reasonable, tasty wines on offer this weekend.

Here are our picks:

White Wine

90969 Sandalford Element Classic White 2008 (Australia) $13.95

This is a blend of Verdelho, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Riesling, the nose just hits you with pungency, on the palate it is herbaceous, grassy, some guava and lime citrus acidity that carries through on the finish. Easy drinking makes for a good sipper!

682625 Domaine De La Grange Vieilles Vignes Muscadet Sèvre & Maine 2007 (Loire) $14.95

Green apple nose with some ripeness, mineral notes and lemony flavours.

1000 Tastes Plates

1000 Tastes Plates
Originally uploaded by LexnGer.

One of the coolest things, perhaps the absolute coolest, about President's Choice 1000 Tastes of Toronto were the plates.
At the Eastern end of the street filled with tastes, chefs and restaurants was a huge display of plates stuck to a big red wall. 5 walls in fact, each covered with 200 plates with an invitation for people walking by to grab a marker and add their favourite Toronto food and/or food memory to a plate.

It was fun watching the plates fill up through out the day and to read the enthusiasm with which people were participating. (Of course there were notes interspersed between the plates nothing that by writing on the plate you gave PC the right to use what you added for their own purposes.)

Port Credit Farmers Market

by Guest Market Blogger Jeff Gignac

It was with great anticipation and excitement that made sure I woke up early for the Grand Opening of the Port Credit Farmers Market.  I am a fan of farmers markets and have been to a number of them before but this one is special because it is close to my home in Port Credit. 

Although it could be considered small by market standards (there will be more vendors added each week), it is perfect for Port Credit. First stop was the Mississauga Waterfront Festival tent and gather some information on the Festival coming next weekend, which is great fun with lots of things going on for kids, families and adults. 

Farmers Markets – Guest Posts

Last week we did a twitter chat on the Farmers Markets all around the GTA, and it got me wondering about some of the markets I simply haven’t had time or transportation to visit yet. 

Is there the perfect market breakfast deal out there and I just don’t know about? What interesting flavours am I missing? What cool vendors are out there? What tasty vegetables, cheeses, meats and berries are showing up and are just outside our regular market tour?

We need to know!  (And so do you!)

So, in what I hope will become a regular series for the summer, we’ve invite one of our readers, Jeff Gignac, to tell us about his favourite market.  Read his post about the brand new Port Credit Farmers Market here.

If you want to tell us all about your favourite farmer’s market? We’d love to have you share your favourite vendors, foods, and treats just write lex [at] cheapeatstoronto.com or tweet us at @ceto and tell us which market or markets you’d like to write about. (Photo essays and video profiles are great options if you aren’t all that wordy)

On A Sunny Afternoon, It’s Beer Time

It’s a beautiful Friday afternoon, and the sun is shining bright, so of course my mind turns to a cold refreshing glass of beer.

What’s your favourite sunny day beer?

Light or dark? Hoppy or citrusy? Craft brew or import? Ale or Lager?  Stout or Porter? 

The options are endless and tasty…

So what is your favourite beer?

[ooops… this “other” field was supposed to let us write in options and have you chose from them too… please add your comments below  (click here) if this very limited list doesn’t include your favourite!]

Some of the missing favourites are included below:

V V List Release Saturday June 6, 2009

Bonjour!

Vintages is coming at you from Burgundy this release, along with a bunch of Rosés from around the world. Burgundy is generally out of reach for the Vintages Value List as they tend to be pricey. Burgundy is famous for the Pinot Noir varietal and Chardonnay aka Chablis. Burgundy is all about the “terroir” – which is wine-speak for the earth the vines are grown in, the amount of precipitation that falls on the vineyard, the slope of vineyard and the weather. “Terroir” ends up in your glass. If the soil is limestone based – the wine will likely have a minerally note. If there is more rainfall and the slope is gentle – the grapes will not be as expressive as those grown at high altitude with little rainfall during the season.

We found one stellar pinot from Burgundy that barely qualifies for the list this time round AND a great pinot from our own backyard. Buy them both and have a taste-off for fun, checking out the difference in the French terroir from the Niagara terroir.

Sparkling Wine

120949 Barth Extra Dry Sparkling Rosé (Germany) $16.95

We know … this is weird! BUT it is incredibly refreshing – not in a wet your whistle sense – but the taste is surprisingly traditional – a champagne nose, but this is paired with a dry, red fruit note on the palate.

White Wine

25064 D’Arenberg The Last Ditch Viognier (Australia) $19.95

This is a “big” white wine with a finish of marathon proportions. I read an article in the Globe this week stating that “wood is no good” for white wine. This wine was fermented in the barrel and it is an oak-bomb. So if wood is your thing – grab it. Jay Miller of eRobertParker.com fame gave it a 90.

What is your favourite Toronto-area Farmers Market?

Inspired by @TorontoEats' discussion yesterday about heading over to the  Metro Hall Farmers Market & Toronto Life's round up of Toronto Farmer's markets this week’s question is:

What is your favourite Toronto farmer's Market?  (I think the Liberty Village one is listed twice – sorry!)

 

V V List Release Saturday May 23, 2009

Hello There!

We were feeling like a couple of Mother Hubbards when we went to the tasting room this week. More than half the bottles were empty due to a scheduling mix-up that saw all the LCBO Product consultants taste in one group, rather than two. There are probably some great finds that we have missed. Be sure to ask the product consultant in your store for recommendations.

White Wine

377770 Quails’ Gate Chardonnay 2006 (British Columbia - $19.95)

Fresh and crisp like biting into a crisp green apple with notes of grapefruit and melon.

342857 Concha Y Toro Marques De Casa Concha Chardonnay 2007 (Chile - $17.95)

Packed with juicy fruit flavours of apples and pears and a finish to boot!

117028 Cantina Tramin Gewurtztraminer 2007 (Italy - $19.95)

Weird – but allegedly wonderful. This Italian Gewurtztraminer was gone by the time we got to the tasting room. A reliable source said it was great.

First Of The New Food Vendors

Yesterday marked the launch of Toronto a la Cart with 4 of the 8 new street food vendors opening their carts for business.

No longer restricted to just hot dogs carts we now have access to a biryani cart with lassi and a souvlaki cart with salad (yes! Salad!) in Nathan Philips Square. By the end of the month 4 other vendors will be opening expanding our food options even further.

What’s on Your ‘za? #CETO-pizza

This week’s topic is inspired by some recent attention my photo of Gravy Pizza has been getting over at ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com, I thought it might be interesting to hear what toppings you get on your pizza.

Yes, you read that right – Gravy Pizza. It’s a dish inspired by poutine that a small pizza joint just off Elgin Street in Ottawa came up with and it’s very popular with the post-party crowd. Personally, I couldn’t finish even 1/2 a slice… but I can see the appeal if all the ingredients were upgraded.  (more on that experience on the CheapEats Ottawa blog)

I’m happy with a good quality pepperoni & green pepper pizza too, but my favourite these days is Gorgonzola, Calabrese sausage, and roasted red pepper.  But back when Joel’s Pizza was still around I’d get their shrimp, red pepper & goat’s cheese on a rye crust… yum!

So this week’s question is:
“What toppings do you get on your pizza?” 

Note: Today’s @ceto chat will be a little different since I won't be retweeting & clogging up your tweetstream... so if you are participating on twitter please use the hashtag #ceto-pizza.  Otherwise, feel free to join in the comments below.

New Street Food MONDAY!

It’s “spring” and that means it’s finally time for new street food! 

I just talked to the people at Toronto A La Cart about when the new vendors will be launching and the news is that 2 new street food vendors will launch on MONDAY!

They were quick to tell me that the official launch party/celebration of all the vendors will be May 29th, but the two opening on Monday will be in Nathan Philips Square. That’s just 4 more days until we can start to wean ourselves off weenies!!!  (More details on the official launch party/celebration as we get it!)

Based on the last press release about who will be serving what where, Monday’s lunch will be Greek (e.g. souvlaki) and Persian/Central Asian food (e.g. biryani).  

So, who’s coming?

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Previous posts on Toronto’s Street Food:

• TOhotdogs
• Some Answers a la Cart
• New Flavour of The Street
• Lex on Street Meat
• Street Meat or Street Treats?
• Toronto Street Treats

TO Ice Cream

Today’s @ceto chat started a little late and is still going on.

I posed the question
“What is you favourite ice cream flavour?”
inspired by the Greg's Malt Ball Crunch ice cream I was having at White Squirrel on Queen West when I finally got online today.

I thought it might be a little late in the day, but it turns out it’s never too late to talk Ice Cream!