Toronto – Page 26 – Michael Eats

Fantastic Mexican Food at Itacate

Published on November 4, 2024November 4, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 998 Saint Clair Avenue West, Toronto
Website: https://itacate-toronto.com/

Itacate is a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant that serves some seriously, seriously tasty eats. They only have a handful of tables, so I guess it’s mostly a take-out place, but it’s worth either waiting for one of those tables or eating in your car. It’s so good.

I tried a couple of things. I wanted to try at least one taco, and their menu is extensive, with almost a dozen choices. I went with the carnitas, which comes with a very generous amount of ultra-tender pork on a double corn tortilla.

They asked if I wanted onions and cilantro, and I said no because I am a card-carrying raw onion hater; in retrospect, I probably should have said no to the onion and yes to the cilantro, but that pork was so incredibly tender and flavourful that it was beyond delicious with just a little bit of the zippy salsa that comes on the side.

I like corn tortillas, but they’re always a bit of a crapshoot, because if they’re not very fresh, they can dry out and become unpleasant to eat. That definitely wasn’t an issue here.

I also tried the pambazo: “bread dipped in guajillo sauce with sausage and potatoes, with sour cream, lettuce and cheese.”

Man, what a sandwich. Perfect bread (with a light crispiness on its exterior and some nice flavour from the guajillo sauce), tasty sausage, and some great texture and flavour from the lettuce and cheese. Once you add some of the aforementioned salsa? All-time great sandwich. Crazy good.

Unique Thai Brunch at Kiin

Published on November 3, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 326 Adelaide Street West, Toronto
Website: http://www.kiintoronto.com/

I initially tried Kiin in 2018 and I found it tasty, but a bit overpriced. Since then, they’ve been featured in the Michelin Guide, and they’ve started serving brunch. I figured another visit was probably in order.

After visit two, I’m still more on the “like” than the “love” side of the fence, but it was a tasty meal and a pretty solid value.

I ordered the jhok: “Thai rice porridge, housemade chicken meatballs, sous vide egg, crispy vermicelli noodles, ginger, green onion, coriander, Thai cruller.”

This was a hearty bowl, with a generous amount of tender meatballs and tasty sausage (which wasn’t mentioned on the menu), a nice textural counterpoint from the crispy noodles, and pops of freshness and heat from the coriander and the sliced peppers.

And the porridge itself was creamy and comforting, with a satisfying savoury flavour. The silky sous vide egg complements the porridge quite well, adding extra richness and oomph.

It might have been too rich, however; it was crying out for a vinegary hot sauce or something with some brightness to cut the heaviness a bit.

I also tried the bua loy for dessert: “sticky rice flour balls, sweetened coconut milk, pandan, sesame, young coconut.” This was thoroughly tasty, with a bunch of pleasantly springy mochi-esque balls swimming in a sweet, flavourful coconut milk concoction. I was expecting this to be cold and was a bit shocked when my first mouthful was quite hot, but once I got used to the temperature, it was a great dessert.

Bonus: unlike my last visit, the prices seemed quite reasonable. The jhok was $18, and considering how crammed with tasty stuff it was, it’s impossible to argue that it’s overpriced (the dessert was $15, which is a bit less of a steal, but it was delicious enough that I won’t get too worked up about it).

Stellar Pizza at One Night Only

Published on October 27, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 581 Pape Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://ono.pizza/

I’ve been hearing basically nothing but great things about One Night Only since it opened — it started out as a home-based pandemic-era lark, but quickly became popular enough to justify their own storefront.

They’re way out on the east end and have somewhat unusual hours (they’re closed on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays), so it took me a while to check the place out, but man I’m glad that I did. The pizza here is phenomenal.

I tried the pepperoni, bacon and jalapeno; I typically like a more sparsely-topped pie, particularly when I’m first trying a place, but that was all they had left when I showed up at around 1:30 on a Saturday.

It’s an amazing slice of pizza. The crust has a great balance between exterior crispiness and interior chewiness/fluffiness, with just the right amount of heft and flavour.

The slice is generously topped but still nicely balanced, with a good ratio between the sauce, cheese, and toppings. And while it’s not the pizza I would have picked if I had the choice, it features great quality pepperoni and bacon, and the pops of heat from the jalapeno slices works well.

The buzz about this place meant my expectations were quite high, but this still managed to exceed them. It’s easily on par with top-tier places like Badiali, North of Brooklyn, and Superpoint. It’s so good.

Tasty Fried Chicken at Ding-a-Wing

Published on October 20, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 171 College Street, Toronto
Website: https://dingawing.com/

Sometimes I’m not entirely sure how to open these blog posts, so you know what? I’m just going to get straight to business: the fried chicken sandwich at Ding-a-Wing is fantastic. You should eat it immediately.

They have a handful of fried chicken sandwiches on the menu here. I should note that I tried place this earlier this year when they were on Roncesvalles; they’ve since moved, but it seems like the menu has remained the same.

I went with the Hawt Sandwich: “Buttermilk brined and fried boneless chicken thigh with coleslaw, pickles and dusted with our Cayenne Salt on a potato bun.”

It’s a phenomenal piece of fried chicken; the level of exterior crunchiness is just right, it’s nicely seasoned, and the meat is super juicy.

I wish it were spicier (the level of heat was somewhere between mild and non-existent), but otherwise the flavours are all great, with a satisfying balance between the hearty chicken and the zippy coleslaw and pickles.

My only real complaint is the bun, which is pillowy and mildly sweet. It’s theoretically a great match for the sandwich, but I think it was likely dressed too far in advance, which meant the bottom bun was mushy. But the sandwich was otherwise so delicious that it was easy enough to overlook this.

Solid Roman-style Pizza at A Pizza

Published on October 13, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 252 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: None

First off: yes, this place is called “A Pizza,” and yeah, I’m as baffled by the name as you are. I’m not an expert in business, but I think making the name of your restaurant so generic that it’s nearly impossible to find online may not be a great idea? As I noted above, there’s no website — or maybe there is, and I just can’t find it?

The restaurant is also inside a convenience store, which just adds to the oddness factor here.

They have a variety of slices of Roman-style pizza that you can grab and go, along with a few sandwiches and a Nutella-filled doughnut.

I got a slice of the margherita, and it was pretty decent. I don’t exactly foresee Badiali-esque lines around the block anytime soon, but it’s a respectable slice of pizza.

There’s a nice balance of sauce and cheese, and the thick crust is crispy on its exterior and fluffy within. It’s maybe a bit too fluffy, and is a bit lacking in both taste and substance, but it gets the job done.