[FOOD] Brooklyn Flea - YUM vs YUCK - 10/23/10

―――――――――VS―――――――――

'Nuff said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




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@bkflea | http://brooklynflea.com

Balthazar Bakery NYC ― Worst Cannelé EVER!

Believe you me, I ain't no Cannelé Connoisseur. But I can discern a good quality cannelé from a shhmeh cannelé. The blurbs I've inserted into the photos above speak for themselves. According to San Francisco editor of TastingTable.com, Scott Hocker, "the perfect canelé is all about a contrast of textures." The cannelé at Balthazar Bakery, however, had a soft exterior and a moist, spongy interior. No contrast of textures in this cannelé. Nope. No crunch/crackle could be heard as I bit into it. How sad. What's more, the cannelé's custard-y interior (though moist) was sweeter than necessary.





[top vid] Here I am, on an e-z breezy Autumn day along Broadway in NYC... trying Balthazar's cannelé for the first time. The sistrens be at it again!!! [bottom vid] A shnacktime foodisode of my favourite cannelé, from Chabichou, a cheese shop/café in Toronto. Small and crunchy and not sickly sweet.

The Best Thing I Ever Ate ― PASTA

Seafood Spaghetti | Terroni Restaurant, Toronto

MURKED IS WHAT IT IS!!! Hahahaha. Not one strand of spaghetti is left behind whenever I go at this dish. And that's just the honest truth. Terroni Restaurant makes their pasta from scratch, and dannnggg is it cooked to a perfect al dente. Secondly, the sauce!!! It just tastes/smells like the sea!!!



And as if that weren't enough, the clams, mussels, calamari, scallops and shrimp elevate this dish to a seafood-y explosion of bombdiddlyumptiousness. [shoutouts/muchhh love to the fams all up in this vid]

Schnitzel Bistro ― Veal Schnitz + Schnitz Fries

Jacquie agreed with me ― the classic Veal Schnitzel from Schnitzel Bistro was indeed of top-notch quality. We both found the veal to be suuuuper tender. And I was pleasantly surprised that the breading around the veal wasn't overly thick 'n greasy. Nom nom nom.



Can't say these Schnitz Fries were better than Swiss Chalet fries (my absolute faaave), 'cuz on the real, I almost wanted them to be a tad crispier on the outside. S'all good. Fried and flavoured with lemon, garlic and butter and garnished with parsley, the good folks at Schnitzel Bistro recommended we try their Schnitz Fries with 3 sauces: Spicy Ketchup, Spicy Mayo & Garlic Basil Mayo. And cotdamn was that an ingenious idea! Holler @ that Garlic Basil Mayo. Right now even.

Nadège Patisserie ― 1 Amazing Olive Oil Macaron

Nadege Patisserie's Olive Oil Macaron says "Eaaaat me, biaaaatch!!!!!!!" I concur, whole-heartedly.



But lime green???! To represent Olive Oil???! Hmmmmmph. Kinda misleading. Dark yellow, perhaps?

[Pt. I] Life is Sweet: A Cupcake House

I hate to admit we nom nom nommed 'em all down.

A [really bad] Dark Horse Cappuccino with a wimpy layer of foam. Pshh.

The one thing that struck me about the cupcakes at Life is Sweet is that certain cupcakes aren't easily distinguishable from the next. See the cupcake with purple icing? Yeah, it tasted very similar to the White Chocolate cupcake. What up with dat?! When a cupcake shop offers 11 different cupcake flavours, I'd hope each one of 'em stood out on its own, tasting uniquely different from the next. Of the six cupcakes I taste tested, my first pick would have to be Lemon Drop.



With one bite, I immediately experienced an explosion of tanginess, sweetness and sourness in my mouth. The Lemon Drop's lemon curd filling is what hits the spot. I'd rate the Coconut Cupcake 2nd to Lemon Drop, only because shredded coconut exists in the cake part of the cupcake. I'm a sucker for that. And sorry, Dark Horse Espresso Bar, but I'm baiting out your scene. You guys have never made me a crappy cappuccino before. Maybe the barista who made this one was tired. Shmeh.

[Pt. II] Life is Sweet: A Cupcake House

Let's be real. Hands down, I've had better cupcakes elsewhere. But for the sake of fairness, Cousin Lisa and I decided to give Life is Sweet a second shot by tryin' ALL their cupcake flavours. OD'in on SUGAR. Str8 up, the cupcakes I've exxed aren't worth trying. I already talked 'bout the Lemon Drop Cupcake in [Pt. I]. And so the 2 cupcakes that stood out to me were Mint Chocolate and Carrot. Why? Well, the Mint Chocolate Cupcake was just so different, but in a refreshingly positive way. Minty icing contrasts uber well with dark chocolate-y cake. And the Carrot Cupcake was the most moist of all the cupcakes we tried! Full of shredded carrot-y goodness, believe you me. Cream cheese icing wasn't too shabby.

Lavish Cupcakes ― Best Cupcakes in Woodbridge, ON?

[left] Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Mini Cupcake [right] Chocolate Coconut Mini Cupcake

"Purple sprinkles make me so badass."

Quirky and colourful, it's obvious that Lavish Cupcakes are iced with an eye for design. They definitely stand out as being more visually appealing than any other cupcakes I've seen in Toronto. As well, I like how each individual cupcake flavour is distinguishably different from the next (you'd be surprised at how many cupcake shops struggle with this concept). According to the girl at the counter the day we purchased these cupcakes, Lavish Cupcakes regularly rotates their flavours. In a few weeks, we've been told they'll be offering Halloween-y flavours... black & orange icing'ed up cupcakes, perhaps?

Late July Mini Sandwich Crackers ― PEANUT BUTTER vs CHEDDAR

Yeah yeah yeah, they're organic and all and the crackers are madd buttery-tasting, but I REALLY REALLY wanna taste more PB in the Peanut Butter one. The Cheddar one is a tad better than it's PB counterpart, as the white cheddar flavour may very well appeal to one's salt tooth. Solution: Dip the PB Sandwich Cracker in Nutella, and dip the Cheddar Sandwich Cracker in raspberry jam. That's wassup!

O&B Canteen — Gâteau Basque

Look at me! My name is Gâteau Basque and I think I'm so damn kool because I taste so damn good. Hmph!

I'm custard-y, creamy, the girls all love me annnnnnd I'm made from real vanilla bean pods so THERE!

Arggghh!!!!! Had my very first Gâteau Basque today and I. Am. Officially. In. LOVE. According to Marievee, this is O&B Canteen's signature pastry. It's so sick, she orders it every day! And it's so underrated, it's not even listed on the Grab + Go menuboard inside the restaurant! Creamy vanilla custard (that ain't too sweet) ensconced inside a cake-like tart-shaped thinggamabob. And some kinda flaky top that's lightly dusted with icing sugar. You just gotta try it to understand, maaaaaaaaaaan. So what the hell are you waitin' fooooooorrr?



...Cousin Liza didn't wait! Neither should you!!! Watch Liza's initial reactions below. [Oct. 10, 2010]



Gyahahahaha. Told you. Wish I could film ERRYone's reactions when tryin' this pastry for the 1st time.

Naturegg Omega 3 Hard Boiled Eggs

Don't mind my monotone-y disheveled-ness. It's just that simultaneously, I felt greasy, sleepy, lazy AND hungry in this vid. And it was still a 2-hour hike until we reached the end of our journey! Gotta ♥ backcountry camping. Hmph, I hate admitting I buy these eggs since I usually boil+peel my own eggs at home. But on-the-go and/or in a crunch for time, they're just so damn convenient. And they're somethin' like a dollar from grocery stores like Sobey's and Metro. Overlooking Little Salmon Lake in Frontenac Provincial Park, here I am eggin' it up. Get eggy!

CNE 2010 Cheese Tasting — Dairy Farmers of Canada

First off, my face isn't really that oily/spotty in real life, k? Can't argue with Sis though, I do pull a Pac Man Cheeseface. Anyhoodles, Sis and I attended a free cheese tasting at the CNE this year, and I thought it was quite informative. The tasting was led by a teacher from the Cheese Education Guild. Here are the 6 Canadian cheeses we sampled + my notes on them:

• Le Trappeur Brie Double Cream [Damafro] — mushroom-y smell, sweet and creamy finish
• Havarti Creamy [Arla Foods] — a sweet cheese that melts beautifully
• Smoked Gouda [Ivanhoe] — fave fave fave ! I ♥ smoked anything
• Medium Cheddar Caramelized Onion [Empire] — no notes were taken for this one, sorry :(
• Horseradish Cheddar [Ivanhoe] — tasted like liquid horseradish, need I say more?
• 2 Year Old Cheddar [Empire] — mild with a clean aroma, sticky, velvety with an acidic finish

Things I Learned About Cheese:

• take 15-20 sec to taste cheese when you eat it; multiple taste sensations will ensue
• let cheese melt on your tongue and try not to chew it
• buy cheese that requires refrigeration [whoever else hated Babybels, welcome to the club]
• the softer the cheese, the more moisture it has and the less room it has for fat
• contrary to popular misconception, brie has less fat than old cheddar cheese
• Canadian Cheddar is considered the "best" in the world
• to avoid contamination when arranging a cheese platter, serve blue cheese on one
  platter and all your other cheeses on another platter

Babycake Cupcakes Toronto

—Babycake does not have a bakery retail location
—Babycake cupcakes can only be purchased from Lil' Baci restaurant
—Lil' Baci >> 892 Queen Street East | Mon—Sun | 11:30am—10pm | 416-465-4888
—Lil' Baci receives fresh cupcakes from Babycake on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
—Babycake only carries 3 flavours: Coconut, Chocolate & Red Velvet





I am thoroughly inspired by this concept. Lil' Baci, an Italian restaurant in Leslieville, randomly sells Babycake cupcakes so that Babycake doesn't really need a bakery retail location. Any restaurant owners interested in selling my healthy baked goods? Better yet, any independant coffee shops interested in selling my healthy baked goods? Just puttin' it out there. But back to these cupcakes, the foodisode above says it all. The secret's out! Much love to Cuzzo Lisa for recommending Babycakes and for foodiographing &&& much love to Mercury Espresso Bar for a damn good cappuccino!

TIP: When we purchased these cupcakes, they were given to us fresh out of the fridge. I would recommend letting them come to room temp before eating 'em. A cupcake is meant to be eaten at room temp (this is when the icing's at its ideal texture, no?) ... but hey, whatever floats your boat.

CNE Deep Fried Butter + Deep Fried Marsbar

[left] Deep Fried Marsbar [right] Deep Fried Butterballs

CNE 2010 [aka The Ex]
Sweet Treats food stand
September 6, 2010
6:15pm — 7:45pm
1.5 hour wait



DEEP FRIED BUTTER

WTF? — Each butterball begins as a toothpicked tablespoon of cold butter that is dipped in heavy batter, then deep fried in hot, sizzling oil. After being taken out of the fryer, each of the 4 butterballs are drizzled with a different Smucker's Sundae Syrup: Chocolate, Strawberry, Caramel and (possibly) No Sugar Added Caramel. As a final garnish, the butterballs are dusted with icing sugar.

TASTE? — My sis and I expected liquid butter to ooze out of the fried butterball... but instead, when placed in the hot fryer, the butter just bursts inside the batter that surrounds it. I felt like I was biting into a hollow dumpling! The sweet sauces drizzled on top of these butterballs are their only saving grace. The taste of melted, salty butter in the same bite with sweet sauces does please the palate. But $5 for four fried balls of dough?! Aw hellz no. Never again.

VERDICT — Overrated! If they have these at the CNE again next year, don't waste your time/money.

RATING — 5/5 stupid stars



DEEP FRIED MARSBAR

WTF? — 1 whole Marsbar is dipped in heavy (cornmeal?) batter, then deep fried. The finished product looks almost exactly like a corn dog.

TASTE? — One bite of this Deep Fried Marsbar, and I felt as heavy as a brick. The Marsbar is likely dipped into a different batter than the Butterballs, as it had a crunchier texture when fried. Melted chocolate does indeed ooze out upon first bite, and for this reason, in terms of taste, I'd choose the Deep Fried Marsbar over the Butterballs. But oh gawd, if the Marsbar were replaced with a solid dark chocolate bar and then deep fried, I think I'd be in calorific heaven.

VERDICT — If you like chocolate and fried stuff and don't care for calories, go 'head and try it.

RATING — 3/5 stupid stars

The Whalesbone | Brownbag Lunch | Ottawa, ON

Mon amis Dipna lives in Ottawa, so instead of heading straight back to Toronto after a week of fun in Montréal, I decided to make a 2-day stopover in the country's capital. Advised by many a folk to check out this place called Whalesbone for lunch, Kathleen and I merrily made our way there...



The Whalesbone
The Sustainable Oyster & Fish Supply

504 A Kent Street
Ottawa, ON
(613) 231-3474

There are two Whalesbone locations. 430 Bank Street is The Whalesbone Oyster House Restaurant. 504 A Kent Street is the Whalesbone retail shop, where the famous "Brownbag Lunch" is also available from 11:00am—2:00pm, Tues—Sat." $6 for a Cod Fillet Burger?! No wonder this place had a line-up out the door at 12:45pm on a Friday afternoon! (Gotta feed the office dwellers somehow.) It was about a 10-15 minute wait for our burgers to appear. Each time the Whalesbone employee had a new batch of Brownbag Lunches to distribute, he/she called out each customer by name. Cute! PS. Don't know why they're called burgers. Seemed like sandwiches to me. Eh?

Cod Burger

Smoked Salmon Burger

Kathleen and I both agreed that the Cod Burger was the winner of the two. 'Twas just something about it, ya know?... The cod fillet was thick and juicy... it was breaded but it wasn't greasy... and it paired perfectly with slathers and slathers of mayo. The bun wasn't too shabby either. 'Twas so soft and airy, I didn't even care that it wasn't whole wheat!

Randy's Take-Out Toronto — Best Beef Patties in Toronto?

A beef patty from Randy's isn't your typical beef patty. A far cry from the dry pieces of shhh patties sold at Finch Station, Randy's beef patties actually ooze with beefy juices and tender ground beef. I can't even complain about its uber-yellow, moist yet flaky crust.

Randy's serves up 4 different patties: Beef, Chicken, Veggie and Ackee & Codfish. All these patties are a wallet-friendly $1.33 each, except for the Ackee & Codfish patty, which is $2.50. Still, of the 4 patties, my fave was actually Chicken. The patty's curried chicken filling was of exceptional quality, and tasted super home-y! Home-y like mama's cookin. Even though my mama doesn't cook curry. Warning: the vids below contain flaky mouths. Viewer discretion is advised.



Randy's Take-Out | 1569 Eglinton Ave. West | Toronto, ON | M6E 2G9 | 416-781-5313

The search for the best beef patties in Toronto continues......................................... You in?

BEST CUPCAKES IN TORONTO? — For the Love of Cake

Thank you, Groupon! Six cupcakes from For the Love of Cake cost me $7, where it would have otherwise cost a whopping $15.90! To celebrate, the cousins and I made it a cupcake date. I didn't dig For the Love of Cake's Maple Bacon Mancake a couple months back, but I luuuuurved their (Ferrero Rocher-y) Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcake this time around! In order of taste-testing...

Mochaccino >> huh? where's the coffee flavour at?
Black & White >> icing = floptacular
Strawberry Banana Split >> a floofy disaster of sorts
Chocolate Guinness >> moist, yes
Red Velvet >> not really red but dannng! feelin' it
Chocolate Hazelnut >> rich, decadent, sinful

As per always, I'm on a mission to consume the so-called "BEST" cupcake in Toronto. Suggestions for must-try cupcakeries would be much appreciated. Stanks in advance!

Taste of the Danforth 2010 ― Toronto, ON

[Pt. 1] ― $3 ELK TACOS f/ Globe Bistro
[Pt. 2] ― $1 PINEAPPLE SLICES f/ some random grocery store >> too tangy/refreshing!!!
[Pt. 3] ― $3 CHKN ROSEMARY PIES f/ Ouzeri >> the shhhhhhhhhhht! YUMM-O!
[Pt. 4] ― $2 LOUKOUMADES f/ Athens Pastries
[Pt. 5] ― $4 LAMB CHOPS f/ Mezes

Taste of the Dan just wasn't the same this yurr. Not enough food stalls participating = madd crazy stupid line-ups at any food stall serving skewers/pitas. Ugh. And it wasn't kool that walking down Danforth Ave. felt like trying to get through a club the whole time. CLAUSTRO! Oh well, gotta bigup Toronto for having multicultural food-y events like this. Still.

Woodbridge Ribfest 2010 — August 6, 2010

By the time I reached Woodbridge Ribfest last night, it was almost 11pm; the event was winding down. Nevertheless, I tried 1/3 rack of pork ribs from Blazin' BBQ, not knowing which ribber to sample out of the 5 to choose from [see video below]. The ribs were semi-falloffthebone-y. But I've had better ribs at Memphis BBQ. My fave things about this event? The hill billy-ish vibe &&& the INYO'FACE, brash aesthetic of the ribbers' signage. Slabby typefaces are sexxxxxxxxy.