Tacos El Asador

Even though this place may seem like a small, little joint – there’s nothing small about the food Tacos El Asador serves.  Seven picnic style tables with benches are almost always full with customers.  So come here at an odd time, like 2 o’clock, and you’ll have a better chance of getting a seat.

You order your meal “fast-food” style at the counter but a waiter will bring it to your table and you pay for your dinner as you’re leaving.

Mexican soda pop

Jarritos is my favorite brand of soda and it is a real treat for me when we can go to a Mexican restaurant or store to get some.

Corn Tamale

Tamales, in case you didn’t know, are any ingredient (in this case corn) mixed into masa and then wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf and steamed.  Masa is a type of dough made from corn meal.

Inside of the corn tamale

For some reason, I do not like the chicken tamales at all.  I cannot describe the taste, so I won’t bother trying.  But I do like the corn tamales, maybe because as my mother suggested, the added corn gives this tamale a sweet flavour.  To cut the sweetness, we add their salsa verde and a little sour cream.

Chorizo Quesadilla

These are so good that I always eat two of them.  Unlike what some places might do, Tacos El Asador takes off the chorizo sausage casing and then browns the meat.  This is then generously spread throughout the quesadilla.  Guacamole and the salsa verde also go really good with this.

Crispy Chicken Taco

My mom describes this as a cross between a taquito and an enchilada.  And she usually orders two as well.  At $3.20 each, this is a remarkably good deal that satisfies my mother’s cheap streak.  I really like the crunchy outer shell and the soft (meaty) shredded chicken in the center.  For that reason next time we come here (and we will!!) I’m ordering one chorizo quesadilla and one crispy chicken taco.  And don’t forget the guacamole!!!

Tacos El Asador 690 Bloor St W

Dumpling House Restaurant

Ahhhh, the Dumpling House Restaurant. We have been going to this place for years, for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, the food is incredibly delicious and secondly, it’s super cheap.
When going to the Dumpling House Restaurant, keep your eyes peeled for this sign.  Because Spadina has so many Chinese signs, they blend in like a neon sign in Las Vegas.

please excuse the glare on the windows in this photo

However, there is one unique thing about the outside of this restaurant and that is the chefs working in the front window.
It may look clean and fancy now but it looked pretty grungy a year ago before it was renovated. The food was so good that we ate there despite the dingy decor and nasty restrooms.  I don’t remember much about how the restrooms look now, but I do remember being impressed with how much they have changed for the better.
Look!!! It’s an alien lifeform!!!  Despite looking like something from a “Creature Feature”, this is actually just showing you the inside of a pork and shrimp steamed dumpling.  Don’t worry, there are no alien larvae in your dumplings (P.S. my mom was really impressed by the size of the shrimp).

Pork & Shrimp Steamed Dumplings

See how appetizing they actually look.  To be honest, I just wanted you to see them in their  “non-mangled” state.

Pork & Chives Steamed Dumplings

One thing that I think is really distinctive about this restaurant is that the dumpling dough actually has flavour.
About a year ago I did not like the fried dumplings  (above are the Fried Minced Beef Dumplings).  

 I think that is because we were on a really “healthy” diet that didn’t include red meat or fatty/fried foods.  But now my mom and me have come to love unhealthy, artery-clogging, hospitalization causing – foods like this.

Look at all the food!!!

This is why we have a gym membership.  Don’t worry, we did take some of this home for later.

Dumpling House Restaurant 328 Spadina Avenue

Toronto Food Scene

I think we should address the Poutine first.  My father,  who lives in California (where I was born), has asked several times what Poutine is.

Traditional Poutine

An ingenious creation from Quebec, this food is not for calorie counters.  Made with french fries covered in gravy and cheese curds, too much of this could clog arteries (landing you in the hospital with shooting pains up your left arm).  Enjoy!!  I do at any chance I get, because, what the heck, I’m young.

But not all Canadian food is as destructive (in a yummy way) as Poutine.  The Eaton Centre has recently renovated the Dundas Food Court to make it Greener, Healthier and all around better.

Instead of the usual plastic and foam dishes and utensils, the Urban Eatery, as it’s now called, uses real plates, cups and silverware.  And even the food to go is put into re-usable plastic containers.

photo credit: Caroline Aksich

With its better decor, plentiful seating, and restaurant quality food I personally hope that this is the new standard for all food courts.  Every time we go to the Eaton Centre we have tried a different eatery with each visit.  Blog posts on these in the near future.

You may have not have known this, but three weeks ago there was a Food Show on the Exhibition Grounds

This show was sponsered by the Food Network. 

Me with Bal Arneson - host of the show "Spice Goddess"

I never watch this show, but my mom is a big fan so she made me take this picture.  In my hand is an autographed copy of her latest cookbook.  And again, I’m hardly going to read this cookbook but my mother is very happy

Tea leaves in a tube

I thought this tea was “instant”,  before I realized all tea is instant (as in just add hot water, duh).   I thought this was special because obviously I’m not a tea drinker, and I couldn’t figure out what else was special about this “tea in a tube”.  This is actually un-environmental; teabags are bio-degradable and foil is not.
This is one of  the things we see on the Food Network (Street Eats) but hardly ever in real life.  I think its surprising since Toronto is so multicultural and full of good taste.

FREE SAMPLES!!!!!!

I hope this showed you how great the food scene is in Toronto!!

Retro Burger

A new place has opened up in Danforth Village near Coxwell.  Me and my family know this corner well because we go by there on the way to dance school, two times a week.
Well, like the name says, this place is retro but not like a fifty’s diner.  For one thing this is a fast food restaurant, not a diner. Secondly, a fifty’s diner is Fifty’s themed but this is more like the 80’s.

Case in point,, notice the Rubik's cube and Atari logo

Service was very friendly and even though we had to wait for our burgers to cook it shows that they’re more “homemade”.

We shared this Poutine

One thing that I noticed is that if they tried to put anymore poutine in, it wouldn’t fit in the take-out box.  Look at the bottom of the picture and you’ll see how large the cheese curds are.  Unlike some other gravies we’ve had, Retro Burger‘s actually had a wonderful beefy flavour instead of just being brown and salty.

The Mushroom, Swiss and Bacon Burger

I loved this burger!  The patty had a delicious charbroiled flavour and basically all the toppings (Swiss, mushroom, bacon, mayo and most notably, pickles) just tasted the best that they could.
My mom was really excited about this (free pop refills).  She’s cheap, what can I say?  She also said it was one of the cleanest public restrooms she’s ever been in.  That excites me – I hate dirty, freaky bathrooms.

Overall, this is definitely a place we will visit again.

Retro Burger 1684 Danforth Avenue