Julie's Dining Club: Search results for toronto

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Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Mama's Cupboard, New York

By jewree Wednesday, August 30, 2023 casual, dessert, reviews, takeout, taro, thai

Smorgasburg. Totally my kind of event.

"Smorgasburg is the largest weekly open-air food market in America, attracting thousands of people each weekend to Brooklyn, Manhattan, Jersey City, Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto to eat from dozens of local vendors."

I hadn't heard of it before my recent visit to New York, when I stumbled into the Saturday location in Williamsburg where I was staying, but apparently, it happens in a number of cities. In New York, there are multiple locations, with slightly different vendor lineup, on different days of the week. It runs all summer long. And, if you RSVP (for free) online, and are one of the first 50 to arrive, you get a token for $5 credit to use at any vendor.

I of course love my freebies, so this was greatly appealing to me, and while I could have used the $5 and paid a little more myself for any number of things, in true Julie-style, I was determined to make it totally free, so, stuck to $5 or less items. I had plenty of choice.

My choice led me to Mama's Cupboard, a Vietnamese/Thai stand. Like some of the vendors, they also do have a regular restaurant, located in Manhattan. The restaurant gets great reviews, and I'm interested in trying it out, or at least getting a bahn mi, at the stand sometime, as what I had really let me down.

Food Stand

They offer a reduced menu at the food stand, with bahn mi, their signature kimchi loaded fries, skewers, and puffs.

I had my eyes on the puffs, available in two savory varieties (chicken, curry veggie), or sweet (taro custard), all for $4.50 each, so, right in budget. Although the curry vegetable puff did sound good, and reminded me of a dish I enjoy from Osha Thai in SF (the vegetarian Thai samosa), I was there for a treat, and thus, the sweet taro custard puff was calling my name. Plus, you know I love taro enough to have an entire label for it on my blog ... if there is taro, you know I want to try it!

Sweet Taro Custard Puff. $4.50.

I was given a 5 minute wait estimate, which seemed accurate. I was surprised to see my puff dropped into a basket of deep frying oil, as I had expected a baked item. Still, freshly fried to order sounded great!

It was handed over, direct from the fryer. While the paper it came in wasn't dripping with oil, indicating it was drained, I took one bite, and was pretty let down. All I could taste was oil. The pastry looked flaky and nice, but, all I could taste was (not-very-good) oil. Sadness.

The pastry really never improved, it just tasted like oil, and wasn't particularly flaky. The filling was a let down initially as well, given that it wasn't a custard, as described on the menu. However, it was generously stuffed, and was real taro mash. There was even one fairly big lump, which I saw as a good thing, indicating that it was made with fresh mashed taro. It was sweetened, and pretty tasty. But not a custard.

I ended up eating the filling with some fresh berries and ice cream and whipped cream to make a kinda warm taro mash sundae, discarding the pastry, which was quite good. But I certainly wouldn't get this again. Zero stars for the pastry (really, and I rarely give 0 stars!), *** filling.

Monday, August 28, 2023

Yakitori Tatsu, NYC

By jewree Monday, August 28, 2023 casual, reviews, takeout

Yakitori Tatsu is a food stand, that I discovered at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn. They do not have a regular storefront, or any real social media presence, so I don't know much more about the place. I was drawn in by the menu, and the lovely aromas from the grill, but I didn't care for what I got, and the lack of lines there, compared to other places, should have been a warning sign to me. I wouldn't return.

I would return to Smorgasburg however. Totally my kind of event.

"Smorgasburg is the largest weekly open-air food market in America, attracting thousands of people each weekend to Brooklyn, Manhattan, Jersey City, Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto to eat from dozens of local vendors."

Food Stand.

The menu at Yakitori Tatsu is, well, yakitori. Skewers of assorted proteins, ranging from boring (to me) chicken or tofu nuggets, to interesting seafood like eel, scallops, or squid, and premiums like lamb chops or kobe beef. Skewers are sold individually, with prices ranging from $4-9. Besides that, the only other offering is rice, and "condiment". Buy 3, save $1. Pay by cash, save 3.5%.

Squid Skewer. $5.

My skewer was handed over after a few moments on the grill. I think most of them had been pre-cooked, and then were just being warmed to serve. This was in contrast to another skewer based stand, that was cooking them all from raw, and, in retrospect, I certainly would have visited the other, had I realized the reheating situation at Yakitori Tatsu. It came with no garnish, no sauce.

Still, I was excited for my squid. It had a nice aroma from the charcoal grill. I was a bit surprised not to see more grill or char marks though.

I bit in and ... hmm. It was very rubbery. It didn't seem particularly fully cooked, not raw exactly, but, not really cooked if that makes sense. So chewy. The charcoal flavor was nice, but, besides that, it was flavorless. It didn't seem to have been marinated nor seasoned in any way.

So, no char, no grill marks, no marinade, no seasoning, no sauce, and very chewy and rubbery. Yeah, this was a complete letdown. Not much positive about it, besides the lightly smoky flavor. *.

Monday, December 06, 2021

Morimoto, NYC

By jewree Monday, December 06, 2021 crab, dessert, dinner, foie gras, new york, reviews, travel, uni

Remember a few weeks ago, when I published basically a photo-only view of our experience at Mira, in Toronto, because I lost my review notes, and the visit was in the midst of a business trip and I didn't have time to write it up right away? Yeah, it turns out, this, uh, happens too me a bit too frequently. I take the photos, I take copious notes, I'm far too busy with the actual reason I'm on the business trip to write it up then, I plan to write it up immediately once I get home and life calms down, then, life happens, and by the time I go to write it up ... those lovely notes are no where to be found.

Which brings us to this "review", of Morimoto in New York.

I was in town for a manager training week long extravaganza, and one night, they set us all up with curated groups for dining about at reasonably nice places. The event had several hundred people, so to avoid doing massive group dining, they picked a variety of places, catering to all different cuisines and styles, within reasonable walking distance from the event venue, and let us sign up for our 1st/2nd/3rd picks. Then, someone worked magic, and mostly managed to get us all our first or second choices.

One of my top picks was Morimoto, not just drawn in by Iron Chef fame, but, by the menu of the restaurant, and the fact that for this venue, they were not having us do a fixed menu, rather, we could just order what we wanted (within reason).

Awkward conversations with strangers aside, it was a great visit. They handled our fairly large group astonishingly well given the free format of the ordering (I think we were nearly 30 people?), and I have fond memories of the food and drink, and the space, wow, the space was impressive.

And that, that is all I have. Notes? Nope, sorry, no more.

Setting

Even if you don't care about Morimoto the chef, the restaurant itself was a sight to behold.

Glass Entrance.

It looked fairly average from the street, but once you got inside ... it was massive.

Loooong Table.

Our group was all seated at one massively long table, in a semi-private area. It worked better than I expected, except for when I did need to get up to use the bathroom, and was rather boxed in ...

Open Kitchen.

The space was huge, with high ceilings, including an open kitchen. We were seated on this level, the middle of 3.

Upper Floor.

Another level above was quite open as well.

Glass Stairway.

Even the stairwell was interesting.

Lower Floor Bar.

The very bottom floor had a fairly stunning bar.

Bathrooms.

Bathrooms were down on that lowest level.

Bling.

Even that bathroom was interesting!

Drinks

Cocktail.

I remember liking the cocktails. And the wine.

Dinner

Fantastic Meal.

My many course meal managed to hit basically all my favorites: uni, crab, foie gras ... fried stuff, excellent sauces, oh my.

Cold Appetizers

Most of us started with cold appetizers from the sushi bar. All set the stage for the extraordinary meal that was to follow.

Sashimi.
Sashimi was fresh and clearly high quality.
Toro Tartar.

The presentation of the signature toro tartar (I think on the menu at all his establishments) was certainly a sight to behold, and I remember enjoying getting a perfect bite with all the elements.

"Yo-burrata" with black truffles
"Dashi soy, fresh wasabi, grilled sourdough."

Mixed Greens Salad.
Yeah, someone got this ... not me.

Perfect little bites of oyster, foie gras, and uni ...

Hot Appetizers

The cold apps showed the clear high quality seafood, but the hot apps are where I focused. I wanted nearly ALL of them. Luckily, I had neighbors who felt the same, so we shared a pile of things.

Spicy King Crab.

"Roasted Alaskan king crab with tobiko, tobanjan aioli."

I love crab, and king crab is such a treat. Paired with delicious spicy aioli ... yes!

Sauted foie gras & grilled eel.

"Sake meyer lemon, asian pear, sansho pepper."

Oh be still my heart. Foie gras and grilled eel in the same dish? Always a fantastic combo, and this was all for me.

Rock Shrimp Tempura.

"Crispy rock shrimp tempura with gochujang, wasabi mayo and house made ranch."

A kinda fun dish, I wasn't expecting the two versions of tempura, one tossed with wasabi mayo and one with gochujang. Both packed some heat, and the ranch was good to cool them down.

Pork Gyoza.

"Garlic chives, tomato, creme fraiche."

Even simple gyoza were impressive to see, with a perfect crust to break though.

Sushi

Uni.

High quality uni. How could I resist?

Mains

Broiled Black Cod.

"Ginger soy reduction."

A classic, done well.

Duck, Duck, Goose.

"Roasted & confit duck, tokyo scallion pancakes, gooseberry compote, pineapple hoisin, ginger scallion."

Not mine, but a rather cute dish.

Beef Sukiyaki.

"Wagyu beef, napa cabbage, tofu, shungiku, honshimeji, jidori egg."

Definitely not mine :)

Surf & Turf.

"Wagyu skirt steak, hamachi ribbons, okonomiyaki, crushed avocado, yuzu soy."

Such a fun play on a surf & turf! I loved the inclusion of okonomiyaki.

Dessert

After such a feast, even I, dessert girl, was tempted to skip dessert. But ... others somehow still had space, so, dessert time it was.

More Noms.

Our table got a pile of things, I of course tried ... uh ... all of them?

Dessert Wine.

To get the dessert show started, I opted for a dessert wine, I think sauternes?

Shiro Choko.

"Kinako dacquoise, white chocolate cream, passion fruit yuzu sorbet, marble meringue, sesame."

Kumo Beni.

"Okiniawa purple yam cheesecake, pineapple yuzu foam, coffee, kuromitsu powder, macadamia, coconut sorbet."

Hanabi Dama: after.

"Seasonal sorbet, dark chocolate, mascarpone cream, salted caramel ganache tart, rum."

This one was quite the show. It arrived as a chocolate dome, but was set on fire at the table, so the shell melted and revealed the contents.

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Mira, Toronto

By jewree Wednesday, November 24, 2021 canada, dessert, dinner, ice cream, pudding, reviews, scallops, travel

Today's review is going to be a first. You see, I visited Mira, a Peruvian restaurant in Toronto, with a group, during a business trip. I tried a slew of dishes. I took copious notes. I took mediocre photos. And then ... I got busy with the rest of the conference, flew back home, and ... somehow lost those precious notes.

Usually I just discard content when I have this happen (it does happen, fairly frequently, when I'm traveling for work and don't have time to write up posts). But this time, instead, you'll just get a pictorial view.

Peruvian Feast.

I dined with a group of ... 7? or so. Everything was served family style, so we got to try a variety of the menu.

Is Toronto known for its Peruvian food? Um, no. But we were able to make a large group reservation with short notice, it did get great reviews, and I was drawn in by the menu. So, Peruvian feast it was.

I remember being quite fond of the many sauces, and textural elements on the dishes, and eating far more than my share of the desserts. I think that means a successful meal?

Setting

Hard to find entrance.

One thing I don't require notes to remember ... how hard it was to find the entrance! My group circled around the neighborhood unable to find it, until we finally discovered the back entrance.

Seating.

"The bar, with its smoky mirrors and dim lights sets the tone for a unique pisco cocktail list that stays true to its Latin American roots while providing familiarity through a classic cocktail lens. A true feast for the senses. Escape to Mira for the evening, tucked away in the heart of Toronto’s King West."

My group was seated at this vantage point, looking down over the rest of the dining room. We were a fairly last minute reservation, and thus ... clearly got the worst seat in the house, located up a level from everyone else, adjacent to the door that was constantly opening with guests coming and going. It was not warm outside, and the constant gusts of cold air were not exactly pleasant.

Open Kitchen.

We did have a decent view of the open kitchen, located on the same level as us.

Artwork.

The stairwell to get inside was dimly lit, but at least it had cool artwork?

Bathrooms.

I liked the ambiance on the bathroom level.

Food & Drink

"Mira finds its inspiration from the bold flavours of Peru’s culinary culture. The menu offers a creative and contemporary take on authentic dishes with wide selections of the freshest seafood and meats made into a variety of ceviches, tiraditos and anticuchos."

Menu.

The menu was broken down into Aperitivos, Ceviches, Antichuchos, Carne & Mar, and Acompanamientos. We selected from most categories, but for those who don't want to make choices, a tasting menu is also available.

While I don't eat peruvian food often, I was pretty drawn in by many ingredients on the menu: purple corn. octopus. mango. fluke. yuzu kosho. truffle. rocoto. furikake. cassava. plantains. huitlacoche. And much much more, all ingredients I am fond of. Many of my dining companions had no idea how to interpret the menu, being unfamiliar with most of it, so I ordered for us.