There are a lot of matters on which the Everyman and I do not see eye to eye. It keeps life interesting, to say the least.
One of the few things we can wholeheartedly agree on is the dearth of good barbecue in Toronto. For a city that claims to be so multicultural and world class, I find the lack of goods to be appalling. The stuff that is recommended is not terribly palatable, either. Since I never managed to visit, I can’t pass judgment on the recently departed Cluck, Grunt and Low, but I have sampled fare from the St. Louis chain, Lou Dawg’s and Phil’s, and I’d be hard pressed to state that any were spectacular. In St. Louis’ case, it’d be generous to say they were comparable to their frozen food counterparts. My impressions of Lou Dawg’s were posted earlier this week and can be found here. Phil’s was only marginally better but not sensational, and while ribs had the requisite smoke ring, the meat was tough, slightly dry and did not fall off the bone. I’m willing to concede that it could have been an off day, but one has to wonder how delicious the food could possibly be if they ended up on Restaurant Makeover in the first place.
It’s not official yet, but the Everyman and I have decided to embark on a barbecue pilgrimage this summer. We haven’t pinned down our exact locale of choice yet, but have both vetoed Texas on the basis that we don’t consider it to be true barbecue (sorry). So far the options run the gamut from the Carolinas to Missouri, but one thing’s for sure; it’ll definitely be in the south. I like to think of it as our own version of Feasting On Asphalt - minus the motorcycles, of course.
I’ve often wanted to plan a culinary roadtrip of sorts (if we’re going to dream, I’ll say either France or touring around Italy), but until somewhat recently, the Everyman was not overly receptive to the idea. I’m not sure what changed his mind, but I can say that this brought the idea of a barbecue tour to the forefront of mine.
Once we sort out the details I’ll post additional info and put out the open call for noshing recommendations. Looking forward to it!
Until next time…
Tags: barbecue, Feasting On Asphalt, Lou Dawg's Southern Sandwiches, Phil's Original BBQ, Restaurant Makeover, Restaurants, road trip, St. Louis Wings
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So, let me preface this by saying that I know it’s been way too long since I wrote my last post. I’m still trying to acclimate myself to the ridiculous commute to my new job. It’s about a 3 hour round trip every day, and it basically means I leave waaaaaaay too early and get home when it’s late. And that it’s dark when I’m doing both too.
So, that being said, I have several reviews that have been pending since I took my hiatus between jobs. I will say that I now feel that my trip to Chicago this summer has ruined BBQ for me forever. Perhaps if we hadn’t gone to Fat Willy’s while we were there, I wouldn’t think that BBQ in Toronto is so sub par. Who can say…
Phil’s Original BBQ was a place that the Everyman and I had always wanted to visit. And then, we saw them do a Restaurant Makeover and my desire to eat there plummeted. Even though the Restaurant Makeover chef seemed very pleased with the overall quality of the food, I still kind of felt that there was no good reason for a place that makes delicious food to do a show like that. So for a long time we put our plans on the back burner and kind of forgot about Phil’s.
While I was off between jobs, the Everyman and I had a hankering for some good old fashioned barbecue. We both realized that the closest we would probably be able to get to the nirvana that was Fat Willy’s was at Phil’s Original BBQ. Off we went.
To be fair, we visited on a Friday afternoon for lunch, and the place was almost entirely empty. During our visit there were only 2 other tables occupied, and just before we left a squad car arrived to pick up a take out order. I must commend the service at Phil’s. The waiter (who I assumed was a friend or relative of Phil’s wife) was so exceptionally friendly and fun that I still managed to have a wonderful time even though the food wasn’t first rate.
On Restaurant Makeover the one thing they could not stop talking about (aside from the BBQ) were some traditional Venezualan corn pancakes that Phil’s wife made. I decided that these were worth a taste, and indeed they were. At first they just seemed like a corn omelette filled with cheese, but the more I sampled, the more I fell in love with their fluffy sweetness. When I was finished my plate I was sad that there wasn’t more. I think Cachapas may be my favorite new ethnic delicacy.
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Tags: barbecue, Fat Willy's Rib Shack, Phil's Original BBQ, Restaurants, Reviews
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For awhile now I’ve been formulating a list in my head. A list of all the places I want to eat at that I’ve never been to before. They’re not all fancy, sit-down kind of places, just places that seem to typify the kind of eating philosophies I support. Right now, that list includes:
Colborne Lane
Treadwell Farm To Table
Gilead Cafe
Alinea
Moto Restaurant
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Tags: 'wichCRAFT, Alinea, Claudio Aprile, Cluck, Grunt and Low, Colborne Lane, Frontera Grill, Gilead Cafe, Grace, Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar, Lists, Marc Thuet, Moto Restaurant, Phil's Original BBQ, Restaurants, Stephen Treadwell, Treadwell
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