The Week In Yum is Back with visits to Cresta, Torteria San Cosme, Foodoes and Beast




You know, even people like me get sick of eating out all the time and need to take a break. Even when we went to NYC before Xmas, it was so nice to not feel like I had to hit all of the hottest restaurants and if I forgot to photograph what we ate, oh well. For the first time, in a long time, we just wandered, popped into any old place that looked interesting, snacked here and there and just concentrated on being in the city. I put photos on instagram and updated fun stuff that we did but it wasn't all just food, food, food.



So, after a nice, long break, The Week in Yum is back. In the last couple of  weeks I have been to Cresta, Torteria San Cosme, Foodoes and ended it all with an amazing five course seafood menu with an array of amazing chefs at Beast, courtesty of MSC ( Marine Stewardship Council) to educate a roomful of bloggers and food writers about sustainable seafood so that we can, in turn, share that knowledge with our readers.

Cresta



I don't usually think of the St Lawrence Market area as a place where I would choose to go and have dinner and/or cocktails. In my head, I still think of that area as being for tourists and Bay Street guys to go and drink beer so, it was with a bit of trepidation, that I agreed to drop by Cresta for their media event last week.



Cresta is a new addition to The Esplanade, serving modern Italian food and California wines from the Cresta Ridge Vineyard of Thomas George Estates. Because it was a crowded media event, I only tasted the Pinot Noir and a handful of appetizers, but everything I tried was really delicious and the wine was lovely. Shack and I both agreed that we don't often love Pinot Noir but this one was smooth and a bit more full bodied than most. The scallop crudo was really, really great and I was only sad that I could not snatch more than two little mouthfuls but, luckily, it does appear on the lunch menu for $15 so I will go back for that alone.

the scallop crudo was my favourite 



All of the food was great, the space is bright and airy, with soaring ceilings and walls of window and I am told they have two patios that I am sure will be in full swing once the weather warms up.



I was only there for about an hour and like all these media events, I can't really vouch for the full dining experience but based on what we saw, drank and ate, we look forward to returning for dinner with friends soon.

Cresta Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato




Torteria San Cosme 


Usually when we go to Kensington Market on the weekend, we line up for ceviche at Seven Lives but there was no way I was going to walk right by Torteria San Cosme without having a sandwich. On the corner of Baldwin and Kensington, it was packed to the rafters, so I lined up while I sent Shack out to do some stuff - he gets really cranky when he has to line up for anything but I don't mind at all. I ordered a cochinita for him and an albodings for me with a side of Charros (cowboy beans). After about 15 minutes of waiting, I snagged a chair and we finally found a place to perch so we could eat our lunch sitting down. After half an hour, people who came after us were getting their orders so even I, the patient line waiting person, was losing my cool. When I asked about my order, it became apparent that my order had been overlooked at some point down the line and I will give them credit, they totally scrambled to get it to us ASAP.

Although we were both a bit pissy up until that point, one bite from those tasty tortas and I couldn't stay mad. HOLY CRAP BALLS.

I can't tell you exactly what was on my sandwich because I assumed I could access the menu online and it is nowhere to be found but trust me, it was incredible. The talera buns are made for them by Black Bird Bakery and they are perfect - super crusty exterior with a soft yet rustic interior that absorbs all of the juices from the sandwich without falling apart. I need these buns. The Charros were perfect - nice and soupy, these spicy cowboy beans are chock full of bacon and chorizo.

There is a Cubano, the Cochinita (shredded pork with pickled red onion), the Albondigas (pork and beef meatball is spicy tomato sauce) , a Milenesa (breaded chicken and manchego), the Pepito (seared steak, panela cheese and a breakfasty egg sandwich as well, all coming in at around $10ish. These are not cheap but they are huge and the next time, we will share a sandwich and a side or two since I could only eat half of mine.

The interior is bright and cheerful, looking kind of like a Mexican cafeteria, music was perfect and the service (despite forgetting our order altogether) was surprisingly brisk. Bottom line, this shop is now added to our rotating roster of places to eat every weekend when we go to the market, along with Seven Lives and Pizza Mare.



Torteria San Cosme Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato



 Foodoes

I am a bit embarrassed to admit that was my first visit to Foodoes in the Beach since it is about a five minute walk from my house but it's been a long winter and I have been avoiding venturing beyond a two block radius from my home. My friend, Kate, wanted fish and chips and Sea Witch is closed on Mondays so we stopped into Foodoes for lunch instead. 

Seeing that it was lunch, we asked if we could just order a kid's portion and our lovely waiter was happy to oblige. Fries were crispy, fish was lightly battered, fresh and crunchy and the garlicky remoulade style sauce that came with our meals was really, really great. No complaints here and I will definitely try it again during the evening soon - a welcome addition to my Kingston Road strip.


Foodoe's Fish & Chips Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

MSC Dinner at Beast

As part of a partnership with MSC, I was invited to a really amazing meal at Beast where we were filled to the brim with sustainable seafood and wine. The waitstaff was a little too attentive because I finally realized that my magic wineglass was never allowed to be less than half full and I have no idea how much I actually drank but I suspect it was way more than I should have. The food was fabulous with visiting chefs from Toronto and Montreal and I really learned a lot about what sustainable seafood is all about and why it's so important. Stay tuned for more about that in the coming weeks.



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