cheese – Page 15 – Michael Eats

A Decent Cheeseburger at Matty’s Patty’s

Published on September 22, 2022January 20, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 923a Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.mattyspattysburgerclub.com/

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. This place is called Matty’s Patty’s, but should clearly be called Matty’s Patties. Apostrophes: they’re not that complicated! Maybe spend the five minutes it would take to figure out how they work before you name your restaurant?

You might argue that the name is wrong on purpose because it looks better, since both words are so similar, to which I would reply that no, you need to get out of here with that. That’s BS and we all know it.

You might also argue that no one cares, and that maybe I should be talking about the food, since that’s the point of this whole thing. And yeah, that’s fair.

The food is fine! They have two main things on the menu: “Matty’s,” which is a hefty seven ounce burger that comes with mustard sauce, pickles, and onion. I tried this about a year ago, when this blog was on hiatus, and enjoyed it.

The other thing on the menu is “Patty’s,” which is a more traditional griddle-smashed cheeseburger that you can get as a single, a double, or a triple (a vegetarian version made with Impossible Meat is also an option). This one comes topped with either Matty’s Patty’s sauce, pickled jalapeno mayo, or spicy ketchup sauce. I went with the single and had it topped with pickled jalapeno mayo.

It’s pretty decent. Nothing about it blew me away, but the patty has a very mild beefy flavour and a nice texture thanks to the course grind. It could stand to be beefier and juicier, but you could absolutely do worse.

The pickled jalapeno mayo mostly just tasted like a slightly zingier version of regular mayo, which is too bad because the burger really needed something a bit more acidic to cut through the richness of the gooey cheese and the patty.

The bun was probably the highlight, oddly enough. It was super soft, squishy, and fresh, with just the right amount of heft to stand up to the patty. It kinda reminded me of the potato rolls that have become so popular in the GTA, but better.

Top Notch Pizza at North of Brooklyn

Published on September 18, 2022September 18, 2022 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 229 Geary Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.northofbrooklyn.com/

Though I’m all about the simple joys of a margherita pizza, occasionally, a more interesting assortment of toppings can be just what the doctor ordered. Case in point: the Green Out pizza at North of Brooklyn, which comes topped with “Mozzarella, Spring Cream, Spinach, Semi-Dried Tomatoes, Salsa Verde, Pecorino.” It’s about as far from the simplicity of a margherita pizza that you can get, but it’s so, so good.

“Green” is right there in the name, and yeah, the abundant spinach and herby spring cream (which is basically cream with herbs mixed in) definitely gives the pizza a verdant glow. It looks like it might be overwhelming, but it’s just right — the tender spinach balances so well with all the other ingredients.

The hearty spinach, the pops of sweetness from the tomatoes, the zinginess from the salsa verde, the gooiness of the mozzarella, and the saltiness of the pecorino is just a perfect storm of deliciousness. It’s surprisingly great.

But a pizza lives and dies by its crust, and that’s where this thing really shines. It’s super thin and crispy, but not even remotely crackery — it’s got a great balance of chewiness and crispiness, with a surprising amount of substance given how thin it is, and a great flavour. It helps that it’s perfectly cooked, with a nice even char that never overwhelms. The toppings are all extremely tasty, but it’s the superlative crust that really puts this in the pizza stratosphere.

Quick Bites: King’s Tacos, Bakerbots Baking, Hanyang Jokbal

Published on September 15, 2022 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Tacos at King’s Tacos

The most interesting thing about the tacos at Kings Tacos might just be the way they serve them — an order comes with a very generous platter of meat (in this case the King’s Special, which comes with pork, beef, chorizo, onion, bacon, and cheese) and tortillas on the side, and you build it yourself. It’s interesting, and it’s a great value, because that pile of meat is not kidding around. That’s not to mention the very generous bowl of free (and tasty!) tortilla chips and sauces that comes with the meal. It’s not just a good value, however: it’s quite tasty, too.

Cinnamon Bun at Bakerbots Baking

I’ve heard the cinnamon bun at Bakerbots referred to as one of the best in the city, and yeah, that sounds about right. It’s absolutely fantastic, with a slightly crispy exterior and a gooey (but not overly gooey and sweet, like a Cinnabon) interior. The pastry itself is top-notch, with a nice chewy texture and a flavour that ensures that the cinnamon bun isn’t just one-note sweet. Is it the best in the city? It could be!

Jokbal at Hanyang Jokbal

I mean, look at that glorious pile of pork. Do you even need me to say anything? Jokbal is a Korean dish featuring braised pig trotters; I tried the half and half, which is half jokbal and half bossam (pork belly, if I recall correctly). You eat it wrapped in lettuce with some of the tasty sides and condiments on the table, and yeah. It’s delicious. Again: look at it.

Quick Bites: Sarpa Restaurant, Burger Drops, El Pocho Antojitos Bar

Published on September 6, 2022February 15, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Franco Fries at Sarpa Restaurant

This place probably deserves more than a quick bite review, but it’s one of the many restaurants I visited while this blog was on hiatus, and this seems like it’s better than nothing. I tried a few things here, and everything was quite good, but the highlight was clearly the Franco Fries: “hand cut fries, parmesan cheese, truffle-honey essence.” This seems like an odd thing to order at an upscale Italian restaurant, but trust me — you need these fries in your life. The fries themselves are perfectly cooked, with a crispy exterior and creamy interior, but it’s that truffle-honey essence that really makes these things sing. I’m normally not crazy about anything with truffle oil (most truffle oils have never seen an actual truffle in their life), but this didn’t have that flavour at all; it was garlicky, a little bit sweet, and thoroughly addictive.

Burger and a chicken sandwich from Burger Drops

I tried a couple of things at Burger Drops. The first was the original burger, which features “griddled sweet onion, American cheese, house pickles, Drop sauce, toasted potato roll.” It’s a solid burger — the patty has a nice crust, a decent beefy flavour, and the toppings suit it well. It’s a bit on the dry side and nothing about it really jumped out at me, but it’s a tasty burger. If I had been reviewing it for my burger blog, I’d give it a solid three out of four. The other thing I tried was the chicken sandwich, which is odd, but tasty. The odd thing about it: it’s not a traditional fried chicken sandwich. Instead, it’s basically a gourmet McChicken, right down to the reconstituted chicken patty. It’s a fun novelty and a big step above its fast food inspiration, but I’m not sure that I’d ever elect to eat this over a standard fried chicken sandwich.

Chilaquiles at El Pocho Antojitos Bar

Chilaquiles is one of those dishes that really deserves to be a bigger deal. It’s such a simple dish: it’s just tortilla chips tossed in a zingy sauce. At El Pocho Antojitos Bar, it’s also topped with crema (I think? It’s been a while), cheese, and a fried egg. The sauce thoroughly coats the chips, softening them a bit, though they do still retain a bit of their crunch. It’s a thoroughly satisfying dish.

A Delicious Cold Cut Sandwich at Buon Giorno Caffe & Panini

Published on September 4, 2022 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1134 The Queensway, Etobicoke
Website: https://www.buongiornocaffe.ca/

There’s something magical about a meaty Italian sandwich, despite its simplicity. Just a whole bunch of cold cuts on bread? Too simple, right?

Wrong. Especially if it’s as good as it is here.

I was actually planning on ordering the hot veal sandwich, but when I went in, the guy behind the counter sold me on the cold cut sandwich on focaccia, which he said is a Thursday and Friday special. There was something about the way he described it, and his promise that I was “gonna love it!” had me convinced.

I think they describe it better on their website than I ever could:

This signature sandwich is only available on Fridays. That’s the day we take fresh Rosemary & Roasted Sweet Pepper Focaccia and stuff it with generous layers of Mortadella, Genoa Salami, Capocollo and Provolone and then smother it with hot Muffuletta just for fun. We’ll forgive you if you curse when you try this one. Our regulars have lovingly named this the “F@#*in Focaccia Sandwich”.

I know it seems like they’re overselling it, but you know what? I don’t think they are. The focaccia is perfectly soft and chewy, with some nice flavour from the rosemary and the peppers. The fat stack of cold cuts are all super tasty and really well balanced, the cheese adds a bit of creaminess, and the muffuletta gives it a nice zingy pop that cuts through the richness. It’s a top-notch sandwich.