Tag Archives: corned beef

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: This Shillelagh Burger is like St. Patty’s Day on a bun!!!

Last year, Toronto went into the first COVID lockdown just a couple days before St. Patrick’s Day, where I remember drinking beers (not even Guinness!) and eating some takeout corned beef and cabbage at home, then maybe watching Contagion with Matt Damon on TV. I didn’t even blog about this, but I think it’s on my Instagram page, if you go back far enough. Now, one year later, we’re celebrating another St. Patty’s in lockdown, which totally guzzles leprechaun farts, bro!!!!!!!!

If there’s any pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, though, it’s that a few local Irish pubs have stepped up their St. Patrick’s Day takeout and delivery game for 2021. Like the Brazen Head, this funky little joint in Liberty Village, that’s offering up a sammich special that’s about to go all Riverdance on my taste buds… This is the Shillelagh Burger!!!

brazen_head_shillelagh_burger (10)

What we’ve got here is a 6-ounce patty, topped with corned beef AND cabbage, along with lettuce, tomato and onions, oozing with Thousand Islands dressing, all on a pretzel bun, son! Now, I gotta say, Liberty Village is about 4 km away, and my delivery arrived even later than the latest predicted time (Uber didn’t even give me no refund, son!), which means the bun was soggy, the fries were cold and the sauce was all over the bottom of the box. But even in these less-than-ideal conditions, this was still a pretty tasty burger, nice ‘n thick, with just a bit of pink in the middle. I’m sure it would have been a lot better in-person (Kiss me blarney stone, Doug!), but hey, at least I got to have a proper pint of Guinness…

pint_of_guinness (5)

…even if I had to pour it myself! Speaking of which, the Brazen Head also delivers a four-pack of Guinness, Harp Lager, or two of each for $14 — which means I’ll probably be drinking at least four beers tonight. 😉

This corned beef Reuben omelet is a real Irishman’s breakfast!

So, we’re hanging out at Bushwaller’s, this cozy Irish pub in downtown Frederick, Maryland. Now, I heard they had some of the best Sunday brunch in town, so we showed up right at 11 to be the first ones in!

bushwallers_crab_pretzel (1)

Even though it’s not on the brunch menu, I had to start my day off with a crab pretzel. You’ve got a soft, chewy pretzel topped with crab dip, cheddar cheese and Old Bay, with a side of beer cheese and marinara sauce for dipping. Now, the beer cheese definitely added to this tasty flavour combination, but the marinara was a little too far outta bounds for my tastebuds, bro!

bushwallers_reuben_omelet (6)

But now it’s time for the main event. This Reuben omelet is basically everything you want in a Reuben — corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Islands, all wrapped up inside an egg blanket. Plus, you’ve got these hot ‘n crispy hash browns, a whole buncha toast, and even some fruit, all for just 10 bucks…but you know what the best part is?

bushwallers_guinness_pint (3)

On Sundays, all Irish beers are 2 bucks off, which means that this pint o’ Irish breakfast smoothie, aka Guinness, was only $4.50, bro! Talk about starting your day off right!!!

Beef brisket sandwich two ways @ Smoke Bourbon

So, we’re hanging out at Smoke Bourbon, one of the best BBQ joints in this city. At this place, you can get a whole buncha beef ribs for less than 20 bucks, but sometimes, all I want is a sandwich…wait, make that two sandwiches. Well, they’ve got you covered there too, dude!

corned_beef_sandwich (3)

Their corned beef is kinda like a Texas twist on a culinary classic. The meat is thinly sliced, melt-in-your-mouth, but packs a nice smoky kick that you won’t get a Jewish deli!

beef_brisket_sandwich (3)

On the other hand, their smoked brisket sando is something you won’t see in Laredo, bro! Sorta like their Bloor Street spinoff, Bourbon Street Barbecue, this place pulls their brisket instead of slicing it…although the texture’s a lot thicker over here. It’s definitely a hearty dish in its own right–I could barely eat both of these and still have room for dessert!!!!

Smoked BBQ corned beef, bro!!!

So, we’re hanging out at Smoke Bourbon, this funky neighbourhood BBQ joint on a residential stretch of Harbord Street, just a couple blocks away from Bathurst. Now, when it comes to barbecue, this place has some of the best deals you’ll find all over this city! Last time I was here, I had a yuuuge slab of beef ribs and two sides for just 19 bucks. But this time, I paid even less than that…check out this hunka-hunka smokin’ meat!

smoked_corned_beef (7)

Now, it’s not every day you’ll see corned beef in a smokehouse, son! They take this Jewish deli classic and smoke it for 14 hours before slicing off two big portions for this 18-dollar dinner. The meat is nice and tender, falls apart on your fork, you’ve got some tang from the dill pickles and a nice crunchy slaw…but the mac is what makes it. This shit is macktastic, bro!!!!

sb_mac_n_cheese (4)

(Cuz apparently, I didn’t eat enough mac ‘n cheese last weekend or something…)

Blog at WordPress.com.