The Stockyards

I didn’t know how to start this post because I can’t confess my love for this place enough.  Whenever I want something delicious and fatty, it’s my go-to. I’ve been at least 30 times and have recommended it to many friends.  Everyone that goes comes back with rave reviews.  It’s a small restaurant with counter service, a huge takeout business and usually a giant crowd of people waiting to sit down.

As sad as this is, this is a direct quote from one of my friends: “you are the unhealthiest eater I know”.  This is one reason you can trust me about comfort food.  I consider myself to be an expert of fried chicken.  This chicken is insane and it’s my #1 in the city.  It has perfect, super crispy skin and is unbelievably juicy and flavourful.  $14 for a half chicken (cut into four pieces) with fries, coleslaw and hot sauce similar to Frank’s Red Hot.  I also love their BBQ sauce – it’s sweet and tangy (similar to the delicious McD’s) and not smokey at all.  My strategy for devouring this meal is one hand with a fork, the other for ripping the chicken and picking up fries – one clean, one dirty.  I order the chicken 98% of the time.

the best fried chicken

The other things to get are the burgers.  I’ve had the classic, the butter burger (blue cheese, bone marrow butter) and recently Jess had the Beast (cooked with mustard).  They are made from mounds of beef, smashed perfectly on the griddle.  They have this amazing butter roller contraption that ensures each bun is perfectly buttered before toasting.

The Beast

Shout outs go to the green of the day.  I’ve had the brussel sprouts with bacon, balsamic and srirachi as well as the creamed kale with caramelized onions and golden raisins.  They are green, but that’s all that’s healthy about either of them.  Both are delicious, but my preference is the kale.  They usually sell out before the end of the night.

Brussels with balsamic and sriracha

My husband is a huge fan of the biscuits.  I’m a big fan of their weekend brunch chicken and waffles.  The grilled cheese is pretty great too.  They used to have an awesome limeade which recently disappeared from the menu (but I’m hoping that’s just for the winter).  I really haven’t had anything bad.

Oh.  And they also have smoked chicken and ribs on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.  Why just those days?  They take up to 18 hours to make them in a wood burning oven.  It takes time to make magic like this.

My recommendation for you is to get the chicken and share a burger.  It’s really the perfect combo.  You deserve a treat.

http://www.thestockyards.ca/

699 St. Clair Ave. West (west of Bathurst)

7 Numbers (on Eglinton)

Sometimes it’s harder to find old standbys that you can trust than new and hip places you will only go once.  I had been to 7 Numbers on the Danforth, but not on Eg.  It was a while ago and I liked it, but didn’t love it.  Recently a friend told me I should try the Eglinton location and then about a week later another friend suggested we go.  I’m happy I said yes.

Right when you walk in, there is an Italian grandmother cooking.  You can tell this is the real deal.  The menu changes nightly (from what I can tell, there is a lot of consistency, but no guarantees).  We got there around 6:30 so we had our choice of seats, but it definitely filled up as the night went on.  The prices are far below what you would expect and for what it’s worth, which means you can order more!  My recommendation is that you don’t order a la carte, but that you go with the AMAZING $29 per person family style meal.  Get ready for great value and a lot of yumminess.

To start, we had a plate full of 3 salads – tomato and bocconcini; arugula, goat cheese and roasted pepper (freshly roasted, not oily jarred peppers) and spinach and blue cheese.  The salads were equivalent to 2 generous salad portions at another place, but it was nice to be able to try all three.  They were simple, but tasty.  PLUS we got calamari.  I don’t eat it (due to a scarring high school science teacher), but my friend said the batter was delicate and light albeit a little greasy.  She still went to town on them.

three salads

For the second course, we tried all three pasta dishes on the menu that night.  Veal lasagna, orechiette with ricotta and linguine with rapini.  This may have been my favourite course and this is despite the fact that I am currently enrolled in a 6 week pasta cooking class.  These also all came on one plate all in a tomato sauce.  The lasagna was so tender (the star for sure), but we also kept working our way around the plate.  They served it with a jalapeno oil that added some zing, which was a bonus, but not required.  I took home some pasta and enjoyed a full other meal from this and some asparagus we got with our main.

Pasta and more pasta

For our third and final course, we were both able to select a main course.  I went with a beautifully braised lamb shank with peas.  My friend went with eggplant parmesan.  By this point we were stuffed, but it didn’t matter.  I would highly recommend the lamb – it was super tender, had great flavour and the peas were mushy, but it’s not exactly pea season.  We also got two sides – a bitter green salad and grilled asparagus.  Other mains I would like to try: veal meatballs stuffed with mozzarella (two covered in tomato sauce about the size of tennis balls) and the osso bucco.

Lamb and out of season peas

For a quick recap – $29 each, we shared: 3 salads, calamari, 3 pastas, 2 mains, 2 sides.  These are NOT small portions.  This is the deal of the century.  I wanted to have the flourless chocolate dessert, but just couldn’t eat anymore.

I look forward to returning again and again.

Best: Veal lasagna – just the way you expect grandma to make it, except grandma’s is never that good

Not the best: bitter green salad – it was a simple salad and not to my taste, but I know a few people who would love it

PS. After writing this post, Jess and I started talking about it.  She’s obsessed.  It’s now going onto The List.

http://www.sevennumbers.com/

516 Eglinton Ave West (between Avenue and Spadina)

Soupalicious

Sip, Slurp and Savour

Soupalicious is my favourite food event of the year.  This was my fourth time attending and every year, I can’t wait for the next. Over the years there have been go-to soups like Red Velvet from the Annex Hodge Podge (beet and potato soup with sour cream and green onions), but unfortunately, no red velvet this year.  With 10 soup samples, we were able to try some new favourites and some others.  Overall, I met some great people and it was a delicious day.

Highlights

Cheesewerks  – Cheddar and Ale Soup with Pretzel Crouton.  Just like it sounds, this cheesy beer soup was the perfect comfort food.  The pretzel croutons were insanely delicious.  I could have eaten the entire bin.  Kevin, the man serving the soup, was also soup-er (I had to) friendly.  I even bought a rice krispie square, with granola, dried fruit and I want to say… vanilla?  Whatever is in it, it is massive and delicious.

Cheddar. Beer. Pretzel croutons.

Southern Accent – Collards & Cannellini Soup.  This vegan and gluten-free soup wasn’t missing anything.  Really flavourful with warm cajun spices; I went back for seconds.  I also had their other soup, more my usual style, but the Collard and Cannellini soup did it for me.  Last year, Southern Accent had my favourite soup – a basil corn bisque.  I can’t wait to see what they have next year.  But no need to wait, I promised Wendy I would be stopping by Southern Accent soon.

Cajun yumminess

Non-soup favourite shout out to No7HotSauce.  I’m a hot sauce fanatic as my Not Foodies partner knows.  This hot sauce has  great flavour AND good heat, but is not overpoweringly hot.  Plus, Carlos and Sandra are awesome.  I chatted with them for a while and they were giving out a bunch of tips (hot sauce and brown sugar chicken wings?  I think so!).  Carlos also gave me a Mexican restaurant tip.  I’ll have to check it out and compare to my favourite, Playa Cabana.  We saw them later that night at Foodieonfoot’s Foodival too.

Best: Tough to say.  I think Cheesewerks overall, but it was very rich and I’m not sure I could eat a full bowl.

Not the best: Utopia Hall’s beet soup.  It tasted like beets and water.  And not good beets.

Until next year, I will retire my spoon (I have to admit that line was stolen, but it was too good not to use).