The Yum Yum Factor

Grilled Beef Tenderloin and Butter Poached Jumbo Shrimp from King Street Social's Upcoming Valentine's Day Menu La Cubana  Oh my good god, we ate out so much this week I am almost embarrassed. It was a wealth of belly riches that started off with a bang after a trip to La Cubana on Roncesvalles. We were in the west end last Friday and hungry when Shack remembered that his friend recommended a place that makes a great short rib kimchi sandwich and since I am always up for Korean anything, I was in. He got the name (La Cubana is Korean??? okay, who can explain what these crazy kids come up these days) and address, we parked and when we rolled up to the door I was sure that we had the wrong place since this shiny, white, modern take on a fifties diner was most definitely NOT Korean but he insisted that this was the correct address, so in we went. Does this look like the place to get a kimchi sandwich?? I am sooooo glad that we went even though it wasn't a ki...

Okay, I will be straight with you. I don't give a rat's ass about football and I have no interest in eating three quarters of the traditional SuperBowl food that I see all all over the internet and on television. If you want to eat 30 layer bean dip and giant casseroles of melted Velveeta you probably won't want to hear my ideas about what I think makes a great game day spread and I am okay with that. I won't take it personally when you tell me I am nuts to recommend middle eastern inspired crashed potatoes instead of nachos covered in queso if you promise to not take it personally when I refuse to taste your delicious dip made with a package of dried onion soup, uncooked ramen noodles and nutella mixed and sour cream. Deal? So, just because I don't care about football doesn't mean I don't care about a good party with great food, drinks and friends and with that in mind, I always accept an invitation to watch the game and, more importantly, eat w...

my rare beef pho was every bit as delicious as I remembered and it will not be 10 years before I return Pho Hung I have to say just one thing before I get started: One of the things I love most about The Kid is the fact that he will go rogue when we eat out and order something off the menu that none of us have ever heard of and doesn't really even care what might or might not be in it. It was haircut time so we made our way to Kensington Market an hour or so before the scheduled appointment so we could whip in to Tap Phong for some espresso cups and grab lunch. Even though I know that neither of my boys feels the same about Vietnamese as I do, I asked if he would mind if we went to Pho Hung. I started going to Pho Hung 30 years ago, when I first moved to Toronto. It used to be at a location a bit farther north on Spadina and although I miss the open kitchen and the big, wrap around bar that you could slurp your soup at, the current location is nice and bright and cheer...

This recipe is an oldie but a goodie and what with the weather holding fast at -30000556C for the last week or so, a young girl's thoughts turn to comfort foods. It's been all stews, soups and things that bubble up in the oven around here. This shepherds pie is a lightened up version of the classic, subbing chicken in for the ground meat, it leaves out the cream in favour of a mixture of stock and evaporated milk and you replace 1/3 of the potato /sweet potato with cauliflower for the topping. If you really want to lighten things up , you can replace as much as half of the potato with cauliflower if you like but it won't be quite as creamy. As always, feel free to change up your veg - if you don't like zucchini, replace it with something you do like - you know the drill by now. It's not that I don't enjoy a heavier, meatier shepherds pie once in a while but when I can make something a bit healthier without sacrificing the Yum, I like to do that. Chick...

Bud's Coffee Bar on Queen East The week started off with a surprisingly good strip loin at My Place in the Beach, a place where we have been regular wing eaters for years (okay, the healthy wine pours don't hurt). A new cook in the kitchen and a bit of a menu shake up has seen the place offering a pretty tasty looking array of nightly specials and since I spent the entire day thinking about steak, thanks to Blade and Skillet, I was all over it when Shack suggested we try their Saturday night $12 steak night. $12 8oz NY Strip , cooked perfectly med rare as order, with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed veggies. I know where we will be on Saturday nights now.

midweek nachos are a family favourite This was a very, very low key week as far as eating goes. Because we were away in Washington over New Years and we all ate more in four days than we had eaten the previous month, we have laid low this week. We did start it off with a nice charcuterie and card night with The Neighbours though. Foie gras and truffle pate with apricot jam, olives, some meats and a very white cheese plate was the perfect dinner to enjoy over a rousing game of cards. Not that it matters but

look at all of that deliciousness

Okay, you can't eat this but it certainly screams "WASHINGTON DC"

Oh my, this was a crazy week when I actually try to sit down and write about it so I am going to just do another week in photos. We left last Sunday to take a road trip to Washington DC, where we spent 3 solid days just walking, walking, eating, eating, walking and then walking some more. I am in love with with that city and can't wait to go back in the spring when the weather is warmer so I can explore some of the other neighourhoods in and around the district.