Ontario – Page 156 – Michael Eats

La Forchetta Ristorante at Taste of Little Italy

Published on July 20, 2013 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 613 College Street, Toronto (but it’s only served during Taste of Little Italy)
Website: http://laforchetta.ca/

The Taste of Little Italy street festival is a decent event for food — lots of interesting vendors, and generally some pretty good eats to be had. However, every year there’s one clear highlight, and that’s the Risotto al Parmigiano Reggiano served up by La Forchetta Ristorante.

Oh man, that risotto. It’s pretty basic: it’s got some green onions for colour, sometimes some chopped asparagus (though I didn’t taste any this year) but it’s otherwise no-frills risotto. I think what really pushes it over the edge is the big wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano that they serve it in. The Italian cheese melts generously into the rice, giving it a luxurious richness, and a really satisfying, almost nutty flavour. As they serve it, they scrape the bottom of the wheel with the spoon, ensuring that each serving is as packed with cheese as possible. It’s seriously good.

Dairy Cream

Published on July 16, 2013 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 715 Lakeshore Road East, Mississauga
Website: http://www.dairycream.org/

As a kid, one of my favourite things about going to Canada’s Wonderland was the ice cream; I’d either get a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone from the place right near the entrance (which, sadly, eventually turned into a Dairy Queen), or if I was feeling particularly hungry, I’d get a funnel cake.

Ah, funnel cakes. What’s not to like? You’ve got the plate-sized piece of delicious criss-crossed fried dough, the icing sugar, the very sweet strawberry-chunk-infused strawberry sauce, and finally, a heaping mound of soft serve ice cream.

No, it’s not fine dining, but if it doesn’t put a smile on your face, then I don’t even know what to say to you. You’re dead to me.

I almost never find myself at Canada’s Wonderland these days, so my funnel cake cravings have gone unfulfilled.

Imagine my delight when I found out that Dairy Cream in Mississauga serves a Wonderland-esque funnel cake, and that their version is just as it should be. The warm, freshly-fried dough, the strawberry sauce, the above average creamy soft serve: it’s all here. It’s nothing mind-blowing, but if you’re looking for a mind-blowing funnel cake, you’ll probably be searching for a while.

Lisa Marie

Published on July 11, 2013 by Michael Nusair2 Comments

Location: 638 Queen Street West
Website: http://www.fidelgastro.ca/

I’ve never had anything from Fidel Gastro, the food truck that spawned Lisa Marie, but after their outstanding offering at this year’s Burger Day (they served that event’s best burger, in my opinion), I knew that I’d have to check them out sooner or later.

I went for brunch, and while there were a few items that caught my eye, the one I settled on was the fried Cornish hen and cornbread waffles.

I have, sadly, been under the impression up to this point that I didn’t particularly like Cornish hen; the only other time I’ve had it, it was dry, not particularly meaty and, generally speaking, more trouble than it was worth.

Clearly, my first Cornish hen experience was just a sub-par preparation of what can be a tasty dish, as Lisa Marie’s version was the complete opposite: meaty and abundantly juicy, with a really satisfying flavour. I don’t think gamy is the right word to describe it, because it wasn’t that; it was very chickeny.

Yep, chickeny. That’s the kind of quality food writing that you can only find right here.

It also had an amazingly crunchy, perfectly seasoned batter that was fairly close to fried chicken perfection.

It’s the kind of dish that makes you unconsciously nod with approval, as if answering the same unasked question with each bite: “Why yes, it is delicious. Very delicious.”

The cornbread waffles are, I’m pretty sure, just cornbread that’s been cooked in a waffle iron. Whether or not that’s a good thing is up to you; I’m a cornbread fan, so I quite enjoyed it, particularly when drizzled with the provided cup of maple syrup.

I’d say it’s the best version of chicken and waffles I’ve ever had, but that wouldn’t be true; that honour goes to the chicken and waffles at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Las Vegas. But second best is nothing to scoff at.

I got it with the duck fat home fries on the side. They were tossed with some kind of grainy mustard, and came with a spicy sauce on the side. They were a bit less crispy than I would like, and definitely weren’t on the level of that amazing fried hen, but they were still pretty good.

Bake Sale – Carrot Cake

Published on May 9, 2013October 17, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3076 Bloor Street West, Etobicoke
Website: http://www.bakesaletoronto.com/

So the carrot cake from Bake Sale bakery? Best store-bought cake I’ve ever had. Seriously. Most store-bought cakes have the same airy, vaguely processed texture that I find somewhat unappealing. Not this cake; this one is dense, moist, and very close to cake perfection.

It has walnuts interspersed throughout, which add a satisfying textural component as well as a vague nuttiness that complements the cake quite well.

The cream cheese frosting is rich and sweet, but not overly so. It’s also really well proportioned, giving you a perfect amount of cake and frosting in each bite.

It’s raisin-free, which I found delightful. Hey raisins: what’s the point of you? Go home. No one likes you.

Look, it’s a classic carrot cake. They’re not reinventing the wheel here. This isn’t someone’s take on a carrot cake; it is a carrot cake, executed to absolute perfection.