Restaurant Review – Page 49

Tasty Sourdough Pizzas at The Hole in the Wall

Published on November 6, 2022 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 2867A Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://theholeinthewallto.ca/

The Hole in the Wall is a delightful little spot in the Junction (with a fairly generous streetside patio) that specializes in various sourdough shenanigans: they’ve got sourdough loaves, sourdough bagels, and what I ordered — sourdough pizza.

I tried a couple of pizzas: the margherita (“fior di latte, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, tomato sauce”) and the cacio e pepe (“white base, zucchini, pecorino, black pepper”).

They were both delicious. As you’d expect from a place that specializes in sourdough, the crust was stellar — it’s got a great balance between fluffiness and chewiness, and a nice sourdough flavour that really pops. It’s a crispier than a standard Neapolitan-style pizza, but it totally works.

It’s also very aggressively charred, but it never crosses the line into burnt territory. The char adds a subtle bitterness that contrasts nicely with the more flavourful dough.

As for the pizzas themselves, they were both great (and translating the creamy, peppery bite of cacio e pepe to a pizza is actually fairly ingenious), though not surprisingly, I preferred the margherita. I’ve said it many times before — I think a good margherita pizza is a perfect food, and this was a very good one.

An All-Time Great Sandwich from Schwartz’s Deli

Published on November 3, 2022 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3895 Saint Laurent Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec
Website: https://schwartzsdeli.com/

It’s been over a decade since I’ve been to Schwartz’s, Montreal’s legendary purveyor of smoked meat, and I wondered: is it as amazing as I remembered? Sometimes nostalgia can turn rosy memories into an unobtainable ideal, and of course, legendary restaurants like Schwartz’s run the risk of being overhyped.

Well, it turns out that Schwartz’s isn’t quite as amazing as I remembered — it’s even better, somehow?? Their smoked meat sandwich might literally be one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.

I should note that I ordered the sandwich fatty, which is clearly the way to go: the fat here is creamy and luxurious, basically melting in your mouth like unctuous meat butter. It’s so good.

The ultra-tender meat is crazy delicious; I don’t know what’s in the spicing, but it’s absolutely perfect. But then everything here is absolutely perfect: the meat is super tender, incredibly flavourful, and just the best thing ever. The absolute best. The sandwich has the perfect amount of meat, too — it’s generous, but not a comically tall pile that’s impossible to eat.

I got a side order of coleslaw, which was crunchy and zingy — the perfect counterpoint to the indulgent sandwich.

Hot tip: if you’re planning on coming here (and yes, it’s worth the drive to Montreal for this place alone), arrive early. I showed up at about 10:30 in the morning; the place was already quite busy, but I was able to get a counter seat immediately. By the time I left, the place was packed and there was a line out the door.

A Decadent Meal at Joe Beef

Published on October 30, 2022 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 2491 Notre-Dame Street West, Montreal, Quebec
Website: https://joebeef.com/

Joe Beef is frequently called one of the best restaurants in Canada, so if you find yourself in Montreal and you don’t mind splurging a bit (okay, a lot — it’s pricey), it’s a must.

I tried a few things. The first was… some kind of tart? This wasn’t on the regular menu and I forgot to take a picture of the blackboard where they wrote down the specials (I also forgot to take a picture of the inside of the restaurant — I’m really good at blogging, as you can tell).

I’m not even sure how to describe this thing. It was somewhat souffle-esque, and it was absolutely drenched in an ultra-rich, buttery sauce. It was outstanding. It’s exactly the type of dish you’re hoping to eat at a really nice restaurant; it’s a delightful alchemy of luxe ingredients and high-end techniques that you could never possibly replicate at home, or even in a normal restaurant kitchen. Every bite was pure magic.

Next up was the “côte de veau sauce ‘vieux téléviseur'”, which was a veal chop covered in an ultra-rich, buttery sauce (ultra-rich and buttery is definitely a theme at Joe Beef). This was just as good as the tart, with the tender beef being absolutely jammed with flavour, and with the rich sauce complimenting it perfectly. It seems relatively simple, but holy moly, the extent to which this was better than pretty much any other steak I’ve ever had was insane.

The side was some kind of braised greens (this also wasn’t on the menu, so I’m not sure exactly what it was). This was a pretty standard version of this dish — tasty, but not mind-blowing. My photo of this turned out pretty blurry, so you’ll have to use your imagination. It was just a pile of greens on an oblong plate, so not much imagination is required.

The only big let-down of the night was, oddly, one of Joe Beef’s signature dishes, the lobster spaghetti. This was perfectly delicious, but the heavy cream sauce was one-note rich, and the chunks of lobster were overcooked. It certainly wasn’t unpleasant to eat, but coming from a restaurant of this caliber, it’s a disappointment.

Top-Notch Sandwiches at Vilda’s

Published on October 23, 2022 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 209 Dovercourt Road, Toronto
Website: https://www.vildastoronto.com/

Sandwiches! I think I’ve mentioned in the past that there are a few dishes that I think are the perfect food. A margherita pizza, for one. A great bowl of ramen. And of course, you’d have to add sandwiches to that list — but is that cheating? A margherita pizza is a pretty specific thing, but with all the different combos of bread and fillings, a sandwich can be about a billion different things.

Still, who doesn’t love a sandwich, particularly when they’re as great as they are at Vilda’s?

(That’s mostly a rhetorical question, but if you’ve legitimately never had a sandwich that you loved, then there might be something medically wrong with you. Go see a doctor.)

I tried a couple at Vilda’s: the Duca di Zucchine, and the Tuna à la Mediterranean. Both were very good, but the Duca di Zucchine (which the menu describes as “Hard-roasted, lemon-marinated zucchini ribbons. A vibrant spread of garlic scapes and tahini. Parmesan cheese! Bacon AND mint?! Together? Yes.”) was the highlight. The combo of the tender zucchini, the crispy/meaty bacon and the zingy vibrancy of the various sauces was extremely delicious.

The Tuna à la Mediterranean (“Cut up artichokes, whipped tuna, melted cheddar, olive-dressed butter lettuce and mayo”) was a bit less impressive, but still quite tasty. This one tasted more like something I might be able to make at home (or more accurately, something I think I could make at home, but could never actually make at this level of deliciousness). It was also a bit odd in that it was ostensibly a tuna melt, but featured cheese that was completely unmelted. You’d think that this would be an issue, but it was delicious regardless. It’s hard to go wrong with the combo of the creamy tuna spread and the crispy freshness of the veggies, not to mention the great bread.

A Great Chicken Sandwich at Black Camel

Published on October 16, 2022 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 4 Crescent Road, Toronto
Website: https://www.blackcamel.ca/

Black Camel is mostly known for their meaty sandwiches (though their roasted veggie sandwich is no slouch); the brisket and the pulled pork are the specialties, and both are great. I went with the roasted pulled chicken on this visit, and hey, what do you know — it’s great.

One of the distinctive things about this shop is that there aren’t really any pre-set sandwiches; you customize your meat, your sauce, and toppings (which cost 95 cents a pop). I went with the suggestion of the woman behind the counter, which was the basil pesto mayo and roasted red peppers.

It’s a top notch sandwich. The chicken is nice and tender and has a satisfying roasty flavour, the silky roasted peppers add some nice pops of sweetness, and the rich mayo holds it all together. That’s not to mention the bun, which is soft and fresh and holds up nicely to the meaty filling.

I think the chicken is either mostly or entirely white meat, which is a shame; a bit more moisture and flavour from some dark meat would have been nice. And the basil pesto mayo mostly just tasted like plain mayonnaise, and could have used a bit more zip. But mostly, it’s a great sandwich from a consistently great restaurant.