Tag Archives: truffle fries

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!!!!

ricardas_beef_burger (5)

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…

ricardas_truffle_fries (5)

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!!!!

ricardas_caesar (9)

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!!!!!

Who needs ribeye steak when you can have ribeye bison?

So a little while back, I had some bison meatballs at the Drake Hotel. And they were tasty, but kinda small, and I was like, man I wish I had a bigger bison. So when I heard that Sassafraz, this upscale funky joint in Yorkville, was serving up a 12 oz Alberta bison ribeye, I was all over that like a Buffalo soldier, bro!!!
Meat was nice n tender, perfect medium rare. Came with a few little mushrooms, a bit of onion and some kale. But when they asked if I wanted to add Parmesan truffle fries, I was like “Dude, does a bear shit in Schitt’s Creek, bro???”
These taters were nice n crispy, more cheese than truffle. I like that they came with both mayo and ketchup, so you can grab a bit of both…
Of course, you KNOW I still had room for dessert, son! This flourless chocolate cake was a cross between a chocolate bar and a turtle pie, with blueberry compote and a scoop of ice cream. I would eat that off a snow boot, son!!!!

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: Double bacon burger with foie gras on top!

It was a sad day in Flavourtown when the Holy Chuck burger joint at Yonge and Wellesley, where I once took down a double-triple cheeseburger, announced it was shutting down on New Year’s Eve. And this wasn’t even due to COVID, but rather thanks to redevelopment, which probably means they’re putting up a fancy condo or something. At least the OG location at Yonge and St. Clair is still serving up some redonkulous burgers, fries and shakes…even if it takes a little longer to get them down my piehole.

So when I heard about this funky new culinary creation, topped with foie gras, maple bacon and truffle oil, you KNOW I had to make mine a double. Say hello to The Holy Duck, bro!!!

holy_duck_burger (6)

Now, this burger is taking me straight down to Downtown Flavourtown, son! These aged beef patties taste more like steak, cooked medium with a little pink in the middle. You’ve got the richness of the foie gras, a nice little chew from the bacon, and the aroma of truffle oil oozing all over the place. 10 on 10 would eat again! I just wish they couldda made the bacon a little more crispy, like they do on their Bacon, Fudge & Sea Salt Milkshake…

bacon_fudge_milkshake (10)

Now, the good thing about a milkshake delivery in January is you know it’s not gonna melt, bro! This creamy McDreamy had nice little pieces of fudge, and was topped with perfectly crispy bacon. If I was more thoughtful and less hungry, I wouldda broken down the bacon into little bits before going at ‘er…but even still, that ice-cream-dipped bacon was sooo outta bounds!!!

white_truffle_fries (2)

Now, this order took almost an hour to get here — and it was over 30 minutes in transit, since Uber sent the driver to finish another delivery that was several blocks out of the way. And if there’s one thing that suffered as a result, it was the Italian white truffle fries, which were a slightly soggy glob of potatoes by the time I got ’em. They still tasted pretty good, what with the truffle oil, truffle mayo and the Greek kefalotyri cheese…but the extra time left sitting out definitely did ’em no favours.

Of course, I probably wouldn’t have this problem if I could still order from Yonge & Wellesley, which is much closer to home…but I’m sure the developer will use that space to create some much-needed affordable housing for residents of the area. Yeah, when monkeys fly outta my butt, bro!!! 😆 😆 😆

 

HEATED PATIO EATS: Big steak under a big tent

Now, the last couple times we tried to eat on a heated patio, we got rained out. So basically, I’ve been living off delivery since last Tuesday. But when I heard that ONE Restaurant, this swanky joint in Yorkville, had a heated patio that was underneath a tent, I knew I had to check it out…even if it was only, like, 3 degrees last night.

Now, on this cold, not-quite winter’s night, I was in the mood for some steak. And they’ve got a few cuts to choose from, but I went with the 18 oz PEI ribeye, with sides of mushrooms and truffle fries. I’m more of an Alberta beef guy, but this steak did not disappoint me!

one_ribeye_steak (16)

It may be charred and blackened on top, but on the inside, the meat is a perfect medium-rare, tender and juicy. It goes great with the mushrooms, and they even give you some roasted bone marrow, for that extra fatty richness!

one_truffle_frites (16)

The truffle fries are topped with a TON of shaved Parmesan. That’s a whole lotta cheese, bro! I almost wasn’t sure whether to eat them with a fork or my fingers…but dude, eating fries with a fork is a five-year felony in Flavourtown!!!

ribeye_steak_aftermath (5)

Of course, even after making all that meat disappear, I definitely still had room for dessert. And after seeing the chocolate bread pudding, you KNOW I had to order it, bro!!!!

chocolate_bread_pudding (4)

Now, this ain’t no stale french bread, bro! They make their bread pudding outta butter croissants, then top it with toasted marshmallows, hot fudge sauce and a scoop of ice cream on the side. Dude, this has gotta be one of the top five desserts I’ve had all year…

…oh, and the steak was pretty good, too! 😛

Blog at WordPress.com.