Tag Archives: mac n cheese

BIG APPLE BITES: Mac n cheese pancakes? Shut the back door!!!!

So, we’re hanging out at Mom’s Kitchen and Bar, this funky joint at W 48th and 9th serving up all day brunch. This place has got your classics like avocado toast, omelettes and even a pancake burrito… but when I saw the mac n cheese pancakes, you KNOW I had to check em out!

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The creamy noodles go great with the fluffy pancake batter, and then you’ve got some extra mac with cheese sauce on top. I paid extra for a side of thick cut bacon, which really kicks it up a notch!

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We’re chasing it with a Dad-mosa, bro! You’ve got UFO White beer, peach liqueur and orange juice, served in a 21 oz goblet. OJ and the wheat beer go together nicely, while the peach flavour is a little more subtle. That’ll wake you up in the morning!!!

Funky takes on German beerhall food @ The Golden Pigeon

Now, I’ve never been to Germany (yet), but any place with Beerhall in its name is gonna be on my radar. Dude, this is body by beerhall, bro! So, when I heard that this funky joint called The Golden Pigeon Beerhall opened up on Parliament St, you KNOW I had to come check it out!

And while you can order “Eine Maß bier” here — more on that in a bit — they’re also putting a funky twist on German food with dishes like the Auto Bahn-Mi, Baked Spaetzle Mac ‘n Cheese, and this must-have in Flavourtown, Chicken Schnitzel Double Down!!!!

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Dude, the KFC Double Down is one of the best things that ever happened to me, so when I saw they were givin’er its own Teutonic spin, I knew I needed this in my life. Chicken is coming in hot from the fryer — I needed to keep it in the wrapper cuz it was too hot to touch. And then they put sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and grainy mustard in the middle. All that’s missing is an Oktoberfest ham hock!!!!

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But of course I couldn’t come here and NOT order the baked spaetzle mac ‘n cheese, right? This dish was super-creamy, cheesier than that Poison and Def Leppard tour, and baked in a french onion soup pot, so it’s also coming in hot. Looks like I’m gonna need a few beers to cool this down…

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The Pigeon has 11 beers and two ciders on tap, so you’re not stuck choosing between light and dark lager. But we still started off with a German-style schwarzbier from Muddy York called Black Opal. Even though it’s blacker than a banker’s heart, it goes down nice ‘n easy at 4.6%.

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Speaking of black beer, this Junction Irish Stout gives off major Guinness vibes. I’m pretty sure an Irish stout at a German beerhall is something you’ll only find in Toronto, bro!!!!!!!!

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And yes, you can order a litre of beer here — but it has to be their Golden Pigeon House Lager, which is brewed by Common Good. I was hoping for a nice, crisp helles, but this was more watery and tasteless. I guess a bigger beer isn’t always better.

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So from there I switched to a Hatch pale ale from Slake Brewing in Picton. It’s got the hops of an IPA, without being as heavy, at 5.2%. I think I’ll have a couple more of these…

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For dessert, there’s just one thing on the menu (unless they have a daily special), and that’s this Black Forest Cheesecake Parfait. Now, I like black forest cake — or any chocolate cake, really — but this parfait seemed to be more whipped cream and cherries, and less cake. It did add some flavour to the house lager, though…

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: BBQ ribs combo to go, bro!!!

Although patios are open in Toronto, it’s really hard to get a table right now. I mean, that’s great for the restaurants in this city, but not so good when you’re rolling out, looking for the greatest burgers, bacon and beer. Don’t get me wrong, we’ll still be going out to eat as much as we can…but let’s just say the takeout reviews aren’t going away, either. 😉

Now, I haven’t actually been to The Carbon Bar since that one time, in 2016, when their Pit Master Platter failed to satisfy my hunger. But I’ve heard a few good things about them in the meantime, and when I saw they were part of the Toronto Premium Restaurants deal on DoorDash, where you save 7 dollars when you spend 30 or more, I figured I’d give ’em another shot. As it turns out, their pork ribs combo with two sides was $28, and when you add a side of gravy, it’s an even 30, so there you go…

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These ribs are served St. Louis style, which means you gotta bite through the gristly bits at the end. But they are still nicely seasoned, with a good, smokey flavour, and taste great with the side of sweet ‘n spicy sauce, which does what it says on the label. Plus, the metal catering tray kept ’em nice and warm on the way over, which is definitely a plus.

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This mac ‘n cheese is TheBomb.ca, bro! Creamy, crunchy, with a mix of mozza-cheddar and some breadcrumbs on top — again, the catering tray kept it nice and hot till it’s headed down my piehole!!!!

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Now, the thick ‘n lumpy gravy was probably meant for fried chicken, but it still tasted fine on these fries. And hey, if I’m spending two dollars to save seven, you can pour some gravy on me in the name of lard anytime, bro!!!!

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Now, because The Carbon Bar’s beer selection is basically just Budweiser, I reached into my fridge for a Clutch American Pale Ale from Redline Brewhouse. The light, hoppy flavour goes nicely with some smokey BBQ, I gotta say. And no, this brew has nothing to do with the heavy rock band from Maryland — but that does kinda look like their logo, though…

 

 

 

 

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: Double stacked mac ‘n cheese attack!!!

2-for-1 week on Uber Eats continues until the end of the long weekend, so you KNOW we’ve still got time to double down, bro! And when I heard that The Pilot, this funky old tavern in Yorkville, was serving up two mac ‘n cheeses for the price of one, I definitely had to get me some!!!!!

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Their tasty spin on this comfort food classic takes cavatappi pasta in a bechamel sauce, and adds bacon, tomato and green onions, for that extra kick. Food arrived in under half an hour, and the plastic containers with the vented lids kept everything nice and warm. I gotta say, though, just one order would be a light lunch in Flavourtown — but two is at least a decent-sized dinner. I wasn’t really full, or anything, but I don’t think they even have dessert, so, y’know, I’m good.

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Washed it all down with a Settebello, this nice Italian-style pilsner from People’s Pint. If you like a refreshing pils with more flavour than, say Labatt Blue, then this is the beer for you! I probably needed more than one beer with two macs ‘n cheeses, though…

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