Michael Eats

Mike’s Hot Honey Sandwich from KFC

Published on February 20, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 156 The Queensway, Etobicoke
Website: https://www.kfc.ca/

I mentioned recently that KFC has really been leaning into wacky novelty items of late, which I quite enjoy. Mike’s Hot Honey Sandwich, on the other hand? Pretty standard stuff. It’s just a generic fried chicken sandwich that’s a little bit sweet.

Not the most exciting thing ever, but I guess they can’t all be delightfully weird.

The sandwich, as per KFC’s website: “The Mike’s Hot Honey® Sandwich features our triple-breaded chicken and is topped with signature Mike’s Hot Honey® – crafted from 100% pure honey and chili peppers. It’s also topped with crispy jalapenos for the perfect blend of sweetness and heat.”

(The website doesn’t mention it, but the sandwich also has pickles, and a decent amount of a mildly zippy mayo-based sauce.)

It’s… fine? Like I said, it’s a pretty standard sandwich, though the slight sweetness from the honey does work pretty well. I was afraid it was going to be too sweet, but it was actually pretty subtle. Plus, the zippy pickle slices do a good job of balancing out the honey’s sweetness.

As for the heat, it’s mildly spicy, but nothing that’s going to get anyone too hot and bothered. Even McDonald’s recent attempt at a spicy chicken sandwich, the McSpicy, is hotter.

Mostly, it’s a solid sandwich. Mostly. This is a luck of the draw thing, but the chicken itself was pretty dry and tough. I know they can’t do this (because it would acknowledge that the current way they do things sucks), but if you’re not in a rush, I really wish they’d let you wait for piece of chicken that’s freshly fried, rather than getting one that’s been drying out in a drawer. Oh well.

Tasty Sandwiches at Frank Ranalli’s Pizza & Italian Beef

Published on February 16, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 185 Baldwin Street, Toronto
Website: https://www.frankranallisitalianbeef.com/

I should note that this place is actually inside Woofdawg Hotdog in Kensington Market, so if you’re looking for Frank Ranalli’s signage, you won’t find it.

They serve Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches here, which you can get topped with sweet or hot peppers.

This style of sandwich consists of a hearty amount of thinly-sliced roast beef topped with giardiniera (pickled veggies) and, since I ordered the spicy version, hot peppers. The thing that makes an Italian beef sandwich stand out is the fact that the bread is given a quick dunk in a beefy au jus sauce. It’s a sandwich that pretty much cannot be dry by default. It’s delightful.

They also serve this type of sandwich nearby at Marq’s Chicago Beef, and I’ll admit that I liked that one a bit better (it has a more satisfying beefy flavour), but the sandwich here was still thoroughly delicious.

McSpicy at McDonald’s

Published on February 12, 2025 by Michael Nusair2 Comments

Location: 1001 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

The McSpicy isn’t the most exciting new item at McDonald’s. It’s basically a spicy McCrispy? I don’t think the chicken patty is identical, but the flavour and texture of the breading is similar enough that if they had called this the Spicy McCrispy, no one would have batted an eye.

Here’s how McDonald’s describes it: “The McSpicy chicken sandwich brings the heat, made with 100% seasoned white meat chicken breast marinated, battered and breaded in a fiery seasoning blend. Enjoy this crispy delight topped with shredded lettuce and cooling mayo-style sauce, all in a toasted sesame seed bun.”

It’s not super exciting, but also: it’s pretty good. Notably, the spice level is actually surprisingly pronounced. No, it’s not going to blow your face off, but for something from a fast food joint, it’s got some heat.

And that spice actually does make a difference — it takes what would otherwise be a pretty ho-hum, vaguely dry fast food chicken sandwich and gives it a decent amount of personality.

Amazing Sandwiches at Charlie the Butcher in Buffalo

Published on February 9, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: https://www.charliethebutcher.com/
Website: 1065 Wehrle Drive, Buffalo, NY

You’ll have to drive to Buffalo for this one, but you know what? It’s worth it.

If you’re not familiar with a beef on weck (which is a Buffalo thing that is, sadly, unavailable in the GTA, though please correct me if I’m wrong about that), it’s a pretty simple roast beef sandwich. What makes it so magical is the kummelweck roll it’s served on, which features a generous sprinkling of chunky salt and caraway seeds.

You wouldn’t think the salt/caraway combo would add all that much, but it gives the sandwich a ton of personality.

The version at Charlie the Butcher comes piled high with good quality medium-rare roast beef, some jus to moisten the bun, and a little cup of horseradish on the side.

It’s simple enough that if any element were lacking, the whole sandwich would fall apart, but I’ve been getting sandwiches from this place for years, and it’s consistently great. It’s beefy and delicious. Top 10 sandwich contender for sure.

Tasty Japanese Food at Tanuki

Published on February 4, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3160 Steeles Avenue East, Markham
Website: http://www.tanukirestaurant.com/

Tanuki is actually in the same location as the great Shiso Tree Cafe, which, sadly, shut down near the beginning of the pandemic. I kinda want to hate this place on principal, like, how dare you try to replace the Shiso Tree Cafe?? But you know what? Just based on this one visit, I think Tanuki might be just as good.

I came during their brunch service and tried the seared duck breast (“served medium rare, chimichurri, garlic chips”), along with the omurice (“soft omelette, chicken fried rice, shiitake, edamame, gravy”).

Both were very, very tasty. The duck breast was perfectly cooked; it was tender while still having a nice meaty bite, and while the skin wasn’t crispy, once I started eating, I didn’t miss it. The garlic chips give it that crispiness while also adding pops of flavour. It’s a great dish.

The omurice was just as good. Slicing the omlette open to reveal its eggy interior is thoroughly satisfying, and the creamy eggs complement the tasty fried rice quite nicely. That fried rice would have actually been perfectly fine on its own, with the mushroom/chicken combo being thoroughly delicious, nice pops of freshness from the edamame, the occasional bite of crispy rice, and some nice smokiness from the wok.

But once you add the perfectly cooked omelette, things really take off. The omelette is silky and creamy, with its richness only amped up by the gravy that comes on the side. Add a few spoonfuls of the zippy habanero sauce they have on the table, and you’re really in business.