sandwich – Page 23 – Michael Eats

Tasty Montreal-Style Bagels at Kettlemans Bagel

Published on January 8, 2023 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 847 Brown’s Line, Etobicoke
Website: https://www.kettlemansbagels.ca/

Kettlemans Bagel serves Montreal-style bagels — I was actually in that city recently and tried fresh bagels from the big two (St. Viateur and Fairmount) and yeah, if you’re craving a Montreal-style bagel in the GTA, the version at Kettlemans is bang-on. It’s got a satisfyingly substantial chew, it’s a little bit sweet, and the wood-burning oven gives it some nice personality. And as you can see from the open kitchen in the store, they make them fresh throughout the day. They’re quite good.

(And yes, as far as I can tell, “Kettlemans” does not have an apostrophe, though the company themselves seems to be a bit confused about it. The logo on the shop is sans-apostrophe, but if you go to their website, it’s about 50/50 apostrophe/no-apostrophe. I’m just going to assume that the logo is right.)

They have a variety of bagel types that you can get on their own, but if you’re looking for more of a meal, you can pick from a bunch of different sandwich options. I went with the Kettlemans Special: “smoked salmon, deli cream cheese, tomato & red onion, served with garlic olives.” You can pick the type of bagel that you want, but since the photo in the restaurant used the sesame seed variety, that’s what I went with.

It’s a tasty sandwich — the smoked salmon is nothing to write home about, but combined with the juicy tomato and the ultra-silky cream cheese (it’s easily the creamiest cream cheese that I’ve ever had, with the usual zippiness of cream cheese but with a texture that’s closer to mayo), it’s a quality sandwich.

I’m not a fan of raw onions, so I got mine without, but for most normal people I’m sure that they would have enhanced the sandwich — something crunchy would have been nice.

A Delicious Sandwich at V’s Schnitzel House

Published on January 5, 2023 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 448 Brown’s Line, Etobicoke
Website: https://www.vsschnitzelhouse.com/

I’ve heard nothing but good things about the schnitzel sandwich at V’s Schnitzel House, so that’s what I ordered. It was delicious. I wish I hadn’t ordered it.

Specifically, I ordered the pork schnitzel sandwich (chicken is also an option), which comes topped with lettuce, tomato, and “Magic dill sauce.”

It’s a top-notch sandwich — the fluffy Kaiser roll has just enough heft to hold up to the meat without overwhelming, the lettuce and tomato add a nice dose of freshness and crunch, and the Magic dill sauce is seriously delicious.

I ordered the house salad on the side. It also comes with the Magic dill sauce, and man that stuff is so good. It’s creamy, a little bit sweet, garlicky, and has a pronounced dill flavour. You can buy a bottle of this stuff for ten bucks, and I’m very tempted to go back and pick one up.

But I mentioned that I wish I hadn’t ordered the sandwich (in spite of how delicious it was), and that’s because the schnitzel itself was amazing. It was hard to tell in the context of a sandwich, but I think this might have been the best schnitzel I’ve ever had? The exterior was perfectly crispy, the seasoning was great, and the meat itself was thoroughly tender. Clearly, I need to go back and try the schnitzel on its own ASAP.

A Genius Sandwich at Vilda’s

Published on January 1, 2023 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

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

I think the word “genius” is frequently misused. A lot of people given that label are probably very good at what they do, but not necessarily a genius.

That being said, they’re serving a sandwich called “The Caesaroni” at Vilda’s, and whoever invented it is a genius. That’s just a fact.

The Casaroni, as per the menu: “Pepperoni pizza and caesar salad living in harmony inside a bun. Tomato Sauce, shredded mozzarella, pepperoni and romaine tossed in caesar dressing. Delicioso!”

It’s the type of thing that seems so obvious in retrospect. But would I have come up with it myself? Doubtful! Because I’m not a genius.

And it’s just as great as you’d hope, with an absolutely delightful combo of gooey cheese, flavourful sauce, meaty pepperoni, and zippy Caesar-dressed romaine. It’s like you’re eating a slice of pepperoni pizza and a Caesar salad at the same time. I could see a lesser version of this sandwich coming off as gimmicky, but this is legitimately delicious.

I also tried the latkes, which comes with an order of five brick-like latke rectangles. It’s far from traditional, but it features an outstandingly crispy exterior and a creamy interior; it’s great.

Quick Bites: Porchetta and Co., Ruru Baked, Good Behaviour

Published on December 27, 2022 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Porchetta sandwich from Porchetta and Co.

I’ve written about the porchetta sandwich from this place before, but just as an update: it’s still quite tasty. However, on this particular visit it was a bit on the dry side, which made me kinda wish I had ordered the House Special sandwich (which comes with a bunch of toppings) instead of the porchetta on its own. And indeed, ordering the porchetta sandwich sans-toppings, which used to be the shop’s bread and butter, isn’t even listed on the menu at this point. Still, it’s a top notch sandwich however you order it.

Super Baked at Ruru Baked

“Super Baked” at Ruru Baked is a thoroughly odd (but tasty) scoop of ice cream. It’s absolutely crammed with various chunks of cake and cookies and it’s certainly not unpleasant to eat, but I think it’s like 75% chunks and 25% ice cream? The ice cream is basically just there to bind the chunks together. I like a chunky ice cream as much as the next guy, but if I wanted to eat cake I’d eat cake. Still, it’s quite tasty, so I can’t complain too much.

Chocolate ice cream from Good Behaviour

And on the opposite end of the ice cream spectrum: plain old chocolate ice cream. Yeah, it’s kind of boring, but you know what? When the quality of ice cream is as good as it is here, it actually isn’t. The chocolate ice cream here has a super intense chocolate flavour, and a texture that’s abundantly rich and creamy. This place easily serves some of the best ice cream in the city (or the best? Maybe).

A Tasty Egg Sandwich at Egg Club

Published on December 26, 2022 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 531 Yonge Street, Toronto
Website: https://eggclub.ca/

As you’d guess from the name, Egg Club is all about egg sandwiches; every sandwich here features a fluffy omelet with various toppings, served on sweet Japanese milk bread. It reminds me a lot of Egg Bae, but I think I like this place better.

You can get sandwiches here with stuff like ham, bacon, or even lobster, but I went pretty simple with the eponymous Egg Club: “Balsamic Onion, Swiss Cheese, Creme Fraiche, Egg Club Sauce.”

Between the silky eggs, the cheese, the sweet brioche-style bread, and the creamy sauces, it’s a very rich sandwich. It’s a bit one-note (this was my biggest problem with Egg Bae as well), but the balsamic onion does a pretty solid job of bringing some sweet acidity that tones it down. It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but there’s a generous amount throughout the sandwich, and it’s fairly essential in keeping things balanced.