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Monday, February 28, 2005

Joso's - Sexy Fish

The moment you walk into Joso's, you feel right at home. It is designed like a mid-century bordello (complete with the velvet chairs and sexy paintings/pictures...they really like breasts there). The waitstaff are friendly and the surroundings are quite relaxing.

Although Joso's has some meat dishes, fish is the big deal here. And man, do they know how to cook the fish. I went with BC, and we both liked our dishes. I started out with the grilled sardines appetizer (like Chiado, they bright out the fresh fish on a platter for you to pick from). The sardines were very good, not as good as Chiado, but Chiado is in a class of its own so it is unfair of me to compare. For my main dish, I had grilled octopus. This was without a doubt, the best octopus I have ever had. So moist and delicate, it melted in your mouth. BC had a whole fish (the name escapes us...we had a lot of wine). His fish was well prepared and fell off the bone.

For desert, I had a creme brule that was excellent - it was the prefect amount of creaminess. Both BC and I had a very strong fig grappa (I am not a huge grappa fan, but this was quite good...and did I mention strong). Luckily, the drive back to our apartment was not to far. I'll definitely make another trip back to Joso's. Four Smacks!

-JB

Joso's - 202 Davenport Rd., Toronto (416) 925-1903

Friday, February 25, 2005

Drink of the Gods

If it was not for Renée, I would never have had the pleasure of tasting the Drink of the Gods. She happened upon this awesome drink while touring Toronto's historic distillery district - an old distillery that has been converted into cool shops and restaurants. She happened upon a chocolate maker shop called Soma (a place right of Willy Wonka) where she was introduced to the Drink of the Gods.

Basically, the Drink of the Gods is a mayan hot chocolate blend of chocolate elixir, chilli peppers, ginger, orange peel, madagascar vanilla and a "unique blend of spices." This mixture is then blended in with a little hot water...that's it...a shot of pure, thick and spicy chocolate. It tastes like...well, a drink from the Gods. You can also have this mixed in with steamed milk and/or expresso. Although both of these options are tasty, you really have not experienced chocolate until you try the intense shot.

Soma also makes excellent chocolates and cookies. My favorite is Caramel Chocolates dusted with Fleur de Sel (there is something about combining salt and caramel that is pure heaven). I wish we had a Soma in the states, but for now you will have to settle on making this place a must visit while in Toronto (or order online). Five Smacks!!!

-JB


Soma - 55 Mill Street Building 47 Suite 102, Toronto m5a 3c4 (416) 816-Soma

Friday, February 18, 2005

Blowfish Far From Blows

On Thursday night, BC and I joined a director we had worked with before named JC at a restaurant called Blowfish. Although I was at first disappointed that they did not actually serve blowfish, it turned out to be a lovely evening. The restaurant is very hip and modern looking, and is quite popular (the place was so packed, it was impossible to get a seat at the sushi bar).

After standing at the bar for a little while sipping some japenese sake (smooth and dry, it was perfect) and eating edamame (their alternative to bread), we got a table an ordered some more sake and food. JC ordered a flask of unfiltered sake that looked like milk, but had a sweet taste to it that was just delicious. Then came the food...lots and lots of food. We started with the Blowfish Giant Ebi Shooter - a superb concoction of a tiger prawn, mango, avocado, tempura bits, kewpie and tobikko wrapped in soy paper and served in a shot glass. Our waiter (really nice and funny guy) suggested that we eat it from top to bottom so we can experience all the different flavors involved. He was right - at the top you tasted the excellent shrimp and tempura bits, while at the bottom you got the sweetness of the mango. Let's just say that this dish alone sold me on Blowfish.

Then came out the rest of our order - Crispy Chicken Kara-Age with a light curry and spicy miso dip, Mashed Wasabi Sweet Potatoes (holly crap this was good), Battered Tuna Roll (very light with a sweet korean chili drizzle), Red Hot Curry Salmon Roll (hot smoked salmon with a japanese chili, curry drizzle that knocked my socks off), Blue Snow Roll (basically a glorified rainbow roll...this one was my least favorite) and a Brown-Eyed Pea Roll (great roll for vegetarians and meaties alike...brown rice, snow peas, asparagus and spicy kewpie).

Well, we were stuffed after all these items...but our waiter really wanted us to try some dessert. He brought us out a sampling of banana tempura rolls (oh...my...god...) and flourless chocolate cake. If you are picking between these two, go with the banana...you'll be glad you did.

And all this good food was even made better by the company. Both BC and JC are great guys to eat with...we talked about food, places we should eat next, politics, poker... And Blowfish is definitely a place to go with friends you like to hang and eat with. They also have their own DJ, which plays way cool tunage. There is something about eating sushi and listening to White Lines play in the background that is quite perfect. Four Smacks!

- JB

Blowfish - 668 King St. W, Toronto, ON (416) 860-0606 Closed Sunday

What the heck is kewpie?

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Culinary Flashback - Miami, Fall 2002

Sometimes, memories of other's reactions to food can be as strong as your own. In the Fall of 2002, BC and I were on location on a movie set in Miami. We started a trend of going to Nobu Miami Beach (of famed Chef Nobu Matsuhisa) every other Saturday night.

My flashback is of the first time we went to Nobu. Remember, this is per diem money we are talking about, so BC and I decided to go all out...ordering the best fish and best quality sake. The waiter let us know that they had a special - white truffles sliced on an order of their new style salmon (new style is a traditional Nobu dish of thinly sliced fish, covered in yuzu juice/soy sauce combination and lightly seared by hot olive and sesame seed oil). The waiter said that the truffles would be a great addition to this dish. BC told me that he had never tried truffles before (and if any of you have not, go out and try them...a very sensual and earthy flavor...tastes like sex).

I immediately told the waiter to order us up a plate. It came out to us a little bit later after we had a couple glasses of sake in frozen bamboo cups. I looked down at these delicate slices of salmon topped with thin, white slices of truffle. This amazing, pungent smell of the truffles filled the air, begging us to take a bite. I looked up at BC and said, "Go ahead, you first." BC picked up a piece of the fish/truffle combination, stared at it for a moment and then placed it in his mouth. Immediately, a look of euphoria came across his face. It looked like he had just tasted food directly from heaven. BC then gave a slight smile...he did not need to say anything, I knew what he was thinking. I'll never forget that look on BC's face. It made me wish that it was my first tasting the truffles...although, by watching BC, it was almost like I was experiencing it again.

- JB


Nobu - 1901 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139 (305) 695-3232

Nobu Matsuhisa's New Style Sashimi

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Oysters and Tuna

On Saturday, February 12th, Renée was getting ready to go back to the States. She wanted to try Rodney's Oyster House before she left, so we went there for lunch on our way to the airport. Rodney's is definitely your traditional seafood restaurant...lots of wood and the smell of clam chowder in the air. We had several different varieties of oysters, three from the east coast and three from the west coast. The east coast oysters were milder than the west coast ones, but all were very good. I also had a saffron and shrimp chowder, while Renée tried the bowl of clams. Both these dishes were also good, not great, but good. And then there were the bathrooms...let's just say that if you have a thirteen year old boy or girl, you may want them to hold off from entering these....uh, adult bathrooms. And for those of you seventeen and above, knock yourselves out. All in all, Rodney's is a fun place to try, although I still strongly feel that Water Grill in Los Angeles serves up the best oysters. I give Rodney's Oyster House Three Smacks.

After sending Renée off to Los Angeles (sniff, sniff), BC and I decided to grab some dinner at Boba Restaurant around the corner from our apartment. We had gone there a couple of weeks earlier and had a very good meal, and we were interested to see if would live up to our previous experience...I am happy to say that it did indeed. We both got the same dish as we did last time - Rare grilled tuna filet with coconut noodles, avocado/mango salsa and black bean sauce. Now I know that it probably would have been good to try something new, but this item is so good, we had to get it again. Grilled Tuna is a hard thing for restaurants to prepare...it is easy to be just an OK dish. But Boba bats this dish out of the park. If you wind up coming here, you will not be disappointed by Boba's take on Grilled Tuna. BC and I are already wondering when our next visit will be (even though we should be going to other places first). Four Smacks.

-JB


Rodney's Oyster House - 469 King St. West, Toronto (416) 363-8105

Boba's Restaurant - 90 Avenue Road, Toronto (416) 961-2622

Water Grill - 544 South Grand, Los Angeles, CA (213) 891-0900

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Expensive Italian

So on Thursday we decided to go and try out the Little Italy section of Toronto. We went to a restaurant recommended on Zagat's called Trattoria Giancarlo. I went with my wife, Renée, and my co-workers BC and BF (BC is an editor I have worked with for many years. He has become a great friend and food companion).

Now, the food was not too bad...but unfortunately it was not that great either. The best thing I had was the appetizer, a mixed sauteé of wild mushrooms over grilled polenta...a nice combination that left me wanting more. Next came my main dish, ribbon pasta with shrimp in a basil, cream sauce. It was good...but not $20 good.

BC also thought his pasta (with shrimp in an olive oil, white wine sauce) was only OK. BF liked his main dish, the special grilled rib-eye, but said it was too salty (Steak often disappoints in a restaurant setting. Most times, the best steak is to be had at home. I have to say that I make a mean grilled t-bone, Tuscan style. More on that in the summertime). Renée was a lot more down on Trattoria Giancarlo - she though her quail appetizer was too heavy and the grilled sardines did not do much for her.

And then the check came...Wow! Very expensive, this place. One of my pet peeves is paying a lot of money for only OK food. If I am spending some bank, I want to be blown away. Ah well, what are you going to do. I have to say that some of Zagat's top picks of Toronto is letting me down.

This place gets Two and a Half Smacks from me. Renée gives it Two.

-JB


Trattoria Giancarlo - 41-43 Clinton St., Toronto (416) 533-9619

Note: Zagat is a cool website for getting ideas of places to go out and eat. I do not always agree with the Zagat reviews, but it is still a fun website.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Culinary Flashback - December 29th 1999

Since this is the first flashback, let me explain the concept first since Culinary Flashback will be a regular feature for My Next Meal. Food is one of my favorite things in life. One of the reasons is because it is tied so much to memory - memory of family, friends, good times, places. Dining is often when people get together to talk and have fun with one another, and a great dining experience can only accentuate these meetings.

One of my top memories happened in Napa Valley on December 29, 1999. My wife and I were at my parents’ house getting ready for a big Millennium Party we were throwing. The 29th is my birthday, and I decided that I wanted to go to Tra Vigne in St. Helena for my birthday dinner (This is when Tra Vigne was good. It has unfortunately become a so-so restaurant...sorry).

My dining companions were my wife, my brother, my grandmother, my best friend and a good friend of ours from Los Angeles. Now, this was just a random gathering of people...there was no thought put into this grouping. My brother was in for the party, my grandmother lived nearby and our two friends were in for a surprise visit, but were not staying for New Year's. Somehow, this became the perfect group for this dining experience. We were all in sync...laughing, telling wonderful stories and eating great food. I don't remember what everyone had (we had the standard issue appetizers that one has at Tra Vigne - Rosemary Flatbread with Roasted Garlic, Calamari, etc.). I do remember my main course (our friend from LA had the same)...Angry Sand Dabs. But they were out of Sand Dabs, so they substituted Sole (thus, it became Angry Sole). This was an amazing dish - a chili and oil sauce with deep fried basil leaves on delicate, lightly fried fish. Heaven!

My friend from LA and I often talk about that Angry Sole...but this only leads us to talk about how perfect that night was. Yes, the food was very good, but it was the company along with the food that makes this memory so special. And for me, it gives me a very special memory of my grandmother, who is unfortunately no longer with us, but still lives in our hearts. She made that evening that much more special. This night was part of an amazing week of friends visiting us, waiting for the millennium to come (the other two nights are two whole other flashbacks to be visited later).

December 29, 1999 reminds me of a time when Tra Vigne was a great restaurant, of laughing over good food, of my wife, brother, friends and an amazing woman who fit in perfectly with us "young folks."

-JB


If you must: Tra Vigne - http://www.travignerestaurant.com/

Culinary Adventures in Canada Begins

I am out in Toronto for a couple of months working on a movie. The down side is that I am away from my family and friends. The plus side is that I get to use my per diem to try as many restaurants as possible while I am in Canada.

I went with my wife to Niagara this weekend...love the falls, but man the place is tacky. We went to a restaurant on Friday night (February 4th) called Mama Mia's. Great surprise, especially since we were not expecting much. The pasta was fresh and quite tasty. I had the Spaghetti a la Carbonara - just like Mom used to make. My wife had the Manicotti, which had great tomato sauce. I definitely recommend this place - Three out of four smacks.

On Saturday night, we went to Hillebrand's Estate Winery Restaurant. This place ROCKS! Good service and excellent food. I started out with the Mussels that had a cream sauce with fennel and chorizo. Some of the best mussels I have ever had. My entrée was called Taste Of Niagara - it had Salmon, Roasted Pork and Lamb Chops. The Salmon was OK, the Roasted Park was quite good and the Lamb Chops...oh, the Lamb Chops. My desert was a variety of Crème Brule (Chocolate Hazelnut, Pumpkin, Coconut, Vanilla) that was just OK. My wife, though, had Pear Napoleon that she said was one of the best deserts she has had in a while. I highly recommend Hillebrand's Estate - Three and a half out of four smacks.

chiado
Portuguese Seafood...yum!

On Sunday we were back in Toronto and went to Chiado for dinner. What can I say except that Chiado is one of those places that will stick in my memory (definitely a candidate for a Culinary Flashback). First off, the service is amazing. Very European in that the waiter knew all about the food and wine and was quite helpful. Chiado is a Portuguese Seafood restaurant, and after eating there, I definitely will be putting Portugal on my list of places to visit. I started out with Grilled Calamari...perfectly prepared. My wife had Sardines (grilled and raw)...Wow!! If you have never had Sardines, this is the place to try them. Our friend the waiter brought out a tray of their fresh fish (if you come here, order off the tray...wonderful). I decided on the Grilled Whole Dorade. What a delicious fish. Nothing much to it except lemon juice and some pepper, but it just melted in my mouth. And our waiter even de-boned it for me (what a pal)! My wife had Grilled Skate Wing over a Coriander Risotto. She was in heaven. We ended with this dessert...sorry, I forgot the name of it, but it was basically like tiramisu with a light egg custard on top - it was so good it should be outlawed. An amazing experience - Five out of four smacks (yes, I said five out of four).

-JB


Mama Mia's - 5719 Victoria Avenue, Niagara Falls, ON
http://www.infoniagara.com/dining/Niagara-Falls/mamamias/

Hillebrand's Estate Winery Restaurant - 1249 Niagara Stone Rd. (Rural Rte. 2) Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, (905) 468-3201

Chiado - 864 College St., Toronto, ON
http://torontolifestyle.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2