Tag: potato salad

Amazing BBQ at Smoking Section Barbecue

Published on by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Smoking Section Barbecue
Location: 30 Queen Elizabeth Boulevard, Etobicoke
Website: https://www.instagram.com/smoking.section.bbq/

Smoking Section Barbecue is currently a pop-up at Great Lakes Brewery in Etobicoke, and wow — I was kinda blown away by how good it was.

I’ve mentioned before that finding legit BBQ in the GTA (that actually tastes smoky) is weirdly difficult.  But not impossible, apparently, because here comes Smoking Section to show everyone how it’s done.

Smoking Section Barbecue

The pared-down menu currently features five meats (brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and sausage), two sides (smokey potato salad and maple vanilla slaw), and a dessert (sticky toffee cake).  I went with brisket and sausage, with a side of the potato salad.

Smoking Section Barbecue

Good lord, that brisket — it’s exactly what you want it to be.  It’s amazingly tender (but still has texture), features perfectly rendered and unctuous fat, and is nicely seasoned, with a great amount of satisfying smoky flavour.

I’ve never tried the real deal in Texas, but I have to imagine this is pretty close.

Smoking Section Barbecue

The sausage (jalapeno cheddar, I think?) is just as tasty, with more smoky flavour, a satisfying course grind on the meat, and a very pleasant level of greasiness (it’s extremely greasy, but in the best way).

Smoking Section Barbecue

I quite liked the potato salad, too; potato salad has a tendency to just be blandly rich, but this had a nice mustardy pop, yet more smoky flavour, and some contrasting crunch from the celery.  It was really tasty.

Smoking Section Barbecue

Even the bread was pretty great.  I know plain, untoasted white bread is traditional for a BBQ platter like this, but the toasted, profoundly buttery sourdough here is a clear upgrade.

Tasty Hot Dogs at OHA

Published on by Michael NusairLeave a comment

OHALocation: 21 Ossington Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.instagram.com/oha_toronto/

Kung Fu Dawg set up shop in a little stand on Ossington last year, and they served up some pretty tasty dogs.  Alas, that was a short-lived endeavor; they’ve been replaced by OHA, which describes themselves as a purveyor of “Turkish fusion street food.”

It’s mostly a hot dog stand, however.  They have a grilled cheese sandwich and something called a “wet burger” on their menu, but they otherwise serve a variety of hot dogs.

OHA

I got the OHA Hot Dog, which comes topped with potato salad and tomato sauce.

It’s a tasty dog.  Though it lacks Kung Fu Dog’s nice snappy bite, the all-beef hot dog has a nice meaty flavour and a satisfying smokiness.

OHA

It’s topped with a thin tomato sauce that packs a decent amount of tomato flavour (I assumed this would be ketchup-esque, but it’s not particularly sweet or vinegary) and a variation on potato salad called Olivier salad.  Potato salad sounds like an odd topping, but its zesty creaminess actually works quite well with the salty and smoky hot dog.