Author Archives for greedocatucci

About greedocatucci

Guy Fieri only wishes he had my hair.

Eating all the tacos @ Blood Brothers Brewery

Now, Blood Brothers is already one of my favourite local breweries, so when I found out they had teamed up with Beast, formerly a funky joint near King West, to run the kitchen at their brewpub, you KNOW I had to come check it out! And it turns out they’re serving up all kinds of tacos, along with other Mexican dishes like tostadas, esquites and crispy pig’s ears. Dude, this is body by tacos, bro!!!!!

Naturalmente, we’re starting off with desayuno, their take on a breakfast taco, with chorizo, potatoes, chicharrones and salsa verde. OK, so it’s no Tamale House East taco, but still not too shabby.

Up next, we’re going vegetarian with a super-tasty mushroom taco. You’ve got some nice, meaty pasilla mushrooms, cotija cheese, onions and a couple jala-atcha-peno peppers, for that extra kick.

Now, it’s time for a south-of-the-border specialty — carne guisada, cabron! This braised beef cheek is served street-taco style with onions and cilantro, to bring out its meaty richness.

On the other hand, this fried chicken taco is a feast from the Middle East with tahini, dukkah, pickled onions and hot sauce. It’s definitely got a bit of a kick!

And finally, we’ve got an Asian sensation with this pork hock taco, served with kimchi, peanuts and kewpie mayo. Definitely not something you’d find at your typical taqueria!!!!

But you KNOW we ain’t going to Blood Brothers and drinking virgin frozen margaritas, bro! This here’s Hail Saison, a Satanic sour with Hallertau Blanc and Wai-iti — Wai-what now????

Up next, I’m on the Highway to Hell with this Munich Helles. Light, crisp and refreshing.

And of course, you can’t have Mexican food without a Mexican-style lager. More bready than sour, No Manches actually reminded me more of a helles in Munich than their Munich Helles…

But you KNOW we ain’t leavin’ here without some crispy pig ears! This pork ear candy is salty, crunchy, fatty… everything a growing boy needs! Now, I didn’t think of it in time, but next time, I gotta put some of these on top of a pork hock taco — that would really kick it up a notch!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who needs bacon & eggs when you can have brisket & eggs, bro?

Dude, this is body by beef brisket, bro! So when I heard that Industry Snack Bar, this new funky joint on Bloor, just west of Bathurst, was smoking brisket for 12 hours, making their own Jack Daniels BBQ sauce and serving it up with eggs, toast and home fries, you KNOW I’m all over that, homeslice!

So, the brisket is super-tender, you can pull it apart with your fork. Home fries are salty and crispy, and then you get a few bites of runny egg, with some toast to soak it up — nothing wrong with that at all!

Now, they do have a handful of macrobrews here, but Estrella Damn is the only one on draught. It’s nothing special, but it beats drinking OJ, bro-jay!!!!

Dude, this dish comes with a side salad — and I even ate all the salad!!!!!!!

Bacon cheeseburger avec gruyere, mon frere!!!!

Man, when France won the World Cup in 2018, Ricarda’s, this funky French bistro on Peter Street, was off the suitcase! People were packed into the courtyard, watching the game on the big screen, and losing their phoquing minds… Dude, I was so wastey-faced, I started singing along to La Marseillaise — and I don’t even speak French, bro! (OK, maybe un petit peu.)

So let’s just say it was un petit peu toned down when we stopped by for brunch last weekend. I mean, they did have a live jazz trio, so there’s that. But who needs live jazz when they’re serving up this festival of funk in Flavourtown — a bacon cheeseburger with gruyere and a side of truffle fries!? Fermez la porte en arriere!!!!

First of all, this bacon is amazeballs. Perfect thickness and just the right texture, not too crispy or too chewy. Dude, I would order a bacon sandwich with a side of bacon from this place! Nice tang from the caramelized onions, with a soft and chewy bun. The gruyere didn’t really shine through as much as I thought it would, though…

Now these truffle fries were more like truffle-aioli-on-the-side fries. But still, you’ve got nice, hot, crispy taters, topped with shredded cheese and parsley… Nothing mauvais with that at all!!!!

Now, surprisingly, they don’t even serve Kronenbourg Blanc 1664 here. Their only beers were Peroni and Asahi, which get a big shruggy from me. So instead I had a couple caesars. The first one tasted like too much tomato, but the second one had a much stronger kick. Now that’s what I call Dirty Deeds Done for 16 Bucks in Flavourtown!!!!!

I’m real Fonda these tacos, bros!!!!

Dude, this is body by tacos! If you say tacos, I say “When and where, bro?” So we’re hanging out at Fonda Lola, this funky little joint on Queen West that’s literally right next to Prime Seafood Palace. And hey, this place is pretty small, so it might actually be easier to get a table at Matty Matheson’s meat mansion than at Fonda’s on a weekend — let’s just say you definitely need a reservation.

But when it comes to the menu, we’ve got no reservations… They’re serving up seven different kinds of tacos here, and they only come three (or four) to an order, which means I might need to eat 12 of them. (Wouldn’t be the first time, bro.)

But first, we’re putting the fun in queso fundido, this ooey, gooey cheese sauce that’s like Fondue Gone Loco in Flavourtown. Now, this ain’t my first fundido rodeo, and I gotta say, this one needed to be heated up a little longer — it wasn’t quite hot or melty enough. But did I still eat all of it? Yes way, Jose!!!!!

Now it’s time to kickstart this fiesta with some Baja fish tacos. Dude, this is like a Baja Blast to my tastebuds, bro! Fish is lightly breaded, not too heavy, with a crunchy cucumber and cabbage slaw, purple onions and sprouts on top — there’s like a whole garden in here!!!!!

Up next, it’s cochinita pibil, aka Mexican pulled pork. Pork is chewy, tangy, with just a bit of a kick from the axiote sauce — it’s like Axe Mouth Spray in Flavourtown!!!!

This shrimp taco was crunchy, juicy and more than a little messy — dude, there’s like four shrimp hidden in here, bro! Between the fish and the shrimp, I actually liked the shrimp more.

Their Top Sirloin was like a more typical Mexican street taco; steak, onions and cilantro, with a bit of salsa verde in there. Nothing wrong with that at all!

But even after crushing all those tacos, you KNOW we’ve still got room for dessert! We’re talking churro bites, these tasty deep-fried nuggets of goodness served with strawberries and cream, and sides of dulce de leche, berry compote and salted caramel for dipping. Dude, you could put that on a sombrero, and it would still taste good!!!!!!

Chuggin’ some Drunken Noodles @ Lao Lao Bar

Now, we’re no strangers to Thai food in Toronto, but food from Laos is something you definitely don’t see every day. So, we’re hanging out at Lao Lao Bar, this funky joint just north of Yonge & Wellesley, where they’re serving up dishes from just north of Thailand. Mind you, from looking at the menu, it seems like Lao food is very similar to Thai… or maybe they’re just doing a bit of both here.

Actually, Lao Lao is what they call moonshine rice whisky in the old country, but they don’t have it on the drink menu at Lao Lao Bar. (I’m guessing the LCBO wouldn’t be down with that, bro.) So instead, I’m drinking some $8 Sapporo draught beer and going to town on these Drunken Noodles with shrimp:

One of the origin stories for Drunken Noodles (aka Pad Kee Mao) is similar to Nashville Hot Chicken — an angry wife decided to get Montezuma’s Revenge on her husband by serving him something seriously spicy. Other folks say they’re just called Drunken Noodles cuz the heat helps soak up the booze. In any case, Lao Lao’s version of this dish isn’t spicy at all… so instead of slamming six Sapporos, I might only have five. 😦

But that’s not all we’re eatin’ here tonight, bro! This Lao sausage is coming in hot with a side of sticky rice. It tastes kinda like the Northern Thai sausage at Favorites Thai BBQ — maybe someone smuggled it across the border?

Now this bar snack will getcha back on track — we’re talkin’ Lao Heavenly Beef Jerky. You KNOW heaven isn’t too far away, bro!!! This has gotta be the first time I’ve ever had beef jerky served warm, but it doesn’t take away from the taste at all. I could eat this any day of the week!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shut the back door Lobster Thermidor @ Honest Weight

Now, we’re no strangers to lobster here on Triple B. But of all the different lobsters I’ve devoured, I don’t think I’ve ever had Lobster Thermidor before. This culinary classic takes the lobster out of the shell, cooks it in wine sauce, and puts it back where it came from, topped with breadcrumbs and cheese. So when I heard it was the daily special at Honest Weight, this funky seafood joint in The Junction, you KNOW I had to check it out, bro!!!!

But first, we’re starting off with some seared scallops, son! These crispy little critters were cooked perfectly, not too soft or too chewy, served on top of an asparagus puree. You cuss, I cuss, we all cuss for asparagus!!!!

But now it’s time for the main event. This lobster is soft like butter — you can just pull it apart with a fork, no knife needed. Served with a side of super-legit smashed potatoes and enough asparagus for three lifetimes. After tonight, this is body by asparagus, whether I like it or not…

But you KNOW we’ve still got room for dessert, bro! This caramel crunch cake crunches it up a notch with baked meringue and marscapone, topped with caramel and pecans. I’m just glad they didn’t put any asparagus in this one…

65-dollar, 66% buffet brunch on Mother’s Day

Now, we may have been raised by wolves in the wilds of Alberta, but that doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate Mother’s Day on Triple B — especially when there’s a buffet involved. We’re hanging out at Dia, this funky joint on the second floor of the new Canopy by Hilton at Bloor and Sherbourne, where they’re serving up a $65 Mother’s Day brunch that’s not quite a full buffet, but pretty close.

Y’see, while they have a buffet-style spread for starters and desserts, you order your entrees a la carte from their Mother’s Day menu… which means you only get to pick just one. But there is plenty of food to go around for starters, though:

What we’ve got here is garden breakfast pizza, bacon breakfast pizza, a bacon & marscapone shooter, marble cheddar, hummus + goat cheese, Greek pasta salad, Virginia ham, sopressata and some bread for hummus dipping. I deliberately avoided adding any veggies to this plate, but there are some onions, peppers and mushrooms on the pizza, so that counts. The bacon breakfast pizza was TheBomb.ca, but the hummus on fresh bread was actually the best thing on this plate, bro!!!!!

Now, there were six main courses to choose from, but you KNOW I went with the prime rib roast — dude, this is body by prime rib roast! But while I was expecting some freshly carved prime rib, Toronto Beach Club style, this piece of meat clearly came out of the kitchen. It wasn’t bad, but it was only the third best prime rib I’ve had in the past six weeks. At least the carrots and asparagus helped me not die of scurvy this week, so there’s that…

But you KNOW we’ve still got room for dessert — and I grabbed one of almost everything on the dessert table, bro! We’re talkin’ strawberry chocolate truffles, strawberry trifle, vanilla crème brûlée, chocolate explosion brownie AND pecan pie… oh my! Now, we don’t normally trifle with trifle on Triple B, but I gotta say, this trifle was quite tasty. You’ve got strawberry jam topped with whipped cream, topped with shortcake, more whipped cream, and a couple strawberry slices on top. It’s like a festival of funk in Flavourtown!!!!!!!

Signature Poutine Hot Dog vs. Canadian Caesar Hot Dog @ Rogers Centre

Dude, nothing goes together like hot dogs and baseball, bro! Last year, I destroyed 10 hot dogs for 10 bucks on Loonie Dogs Night, but now the Blue Jays are kicking it up a notch at Schneiders Porch in the Outfield District, where they’ve got some funky new culinary creations like the Signature Poutine Hot Dog and the Canadian Caesar Hot Dog. You KNOW I had to try them both, bro!!!!!!

The poutine dog knocks it outta the park with the classic Canadian combo of cheese curds, fries and gravy on top of an all-beef frank. It’s basically La Banquise in a bun, bro! Although the fries here are more like mini hash browns. I guess full size fries on top of a hot dog would be weird — unless, of course, you’re in Pittsburgh.

But now we’re about to kick it up another notch with the Canadian Caesar Hot Dog. This playful, mysterious little dish does have a bit of a caesar flavour, thanks to the tomatoes and celery leaves. Plus, it’s topped with lotsa good things like green peppers, fried onions and bacon bits. I mean, you could make a Canadian Caesar Flip-Flop with those things, and it would still taste good!

And I gotta say, while I’d eat 10 poutine dogs on any given Tuesday (unfortunately, they are NOT part of Loonie Dogs Night), I gotta say, the Canadian Caesar is the winner, winner, hot dog dinner!!!!

Now, Schneiders Porch was closed for a private event, so I didn’t get to slay those dogs on their patio. Instead, I headed over to the WestJet Flight Deck, where they’ve got a new bar serving up some craft beers that won’t give Kid Rock a heart attack. Like, I never thought I’d find Bellwoods Jutsu at the ballpark, bro! Too bad they don’t have Jelly King, though…

But that’s not all, folks! The Flight Deck also has Henderson’s Rush Golden Ale on tap!!! Now, I wasn’t a big fan when I had it in a can, but on draught, it’s got a richer, maltier flavour that gets by on you. (insert drum solo here)

Cannelloni, maitake & Birra Moretti @ CKB

You KNOW this is body by Italian food, bro! So, when I heard about CKB, this funky new Italian joint on Roncy, I totally had to check it out. This place has a small menu, which changes every month, so you know they’re keeping it fresh. And we’re starting out with a stuffed Italian classic — Holy Cannelloni, Batman!!!

Now, we’re no strangers to cannoli, but we don’t see the entree version at many restaurants in this city. To me, though, this is classic comfort food, dude; noodles stuffed with cheese and topped with sauce. The only problem here was they put a whole lotta spinach inside. I mean, the filling is like 80% spinach, 20% cheese — and that’s not my kinda ratio, bro!

But moving right along, these fried maitake mushrooms more than make up for any disappointment back there.

These crispy, crunchy creatures in Flavourtown are heading straight down my piehole, bro! This batter doesn’t shatter, making things super-crunchalicious. They’re served on a bed of polenta with some pickled veggies — those pickled peppers really kick it up a notch!!!!

Where it comes to beer here, you’ve got three choices: Peroni, Birra Moretti or Guinness, none of which are on tap (which means we ain’t drinkin’ Guinness, mate). Peroni might be more popular, but I think Moretti has a bit more flavour, so let’s just say I had un pugno di Moretti, Clint the Squint!!!!

This cider house rules, bro!!!!

Now, I don’t always drink cider, unless it’s for breakfast. I mean, it has apples, so that counts as fruit juice, right? So we’re hanging out at Her Father’s Cider Bar, this funky little joint on Harbord, and they’ve got almost as many different kinds of cider as Miss Likklemore’s has rum. Plus, we happen to be here for brunch — so I guess I can wait until it’s actually five o’clock before cracking my first beer, bro…

This here Thai ginger cider from Kitchener Waterloo is more sweet than heat. It’s mostly apples, but you get a kick at the end from some Thai chilies and ginger. It’s not really spicy, though…

And because not every cider has to have apples, we’re chugging this funky peach and apricot cider from Steel Town. It’s a little more sweet and a little less tart — not that there’s anything wrong with that.

For brunch, we’re chowing down on some chorizo sausage hash, with hash browns, onion jam, carrot top pesto and a fried egg on top. Plus, I paid extra to add bacon — first rule of Flavourtown is always add bacon! And I gotta say, the bacon is what makes it. Otherwise, the onion jam overwhelms the chorizo, the pesto is only off in one corner and there’s way, way, way too much parsley here, bro…

Now, we don’t always have dessert with brunch, but when they’re serving up Turtles cheesecake, you can sign me up anytime of day, son! You’ve got a nice, creamy centre with a crunchy crust, some caramel drizzle and toasted almonds on top. You KNOW I love Turtles, bro!!!!!!!!!

1 2 … 122 Next →

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30