I Win the Triple Crown

So the Leafs were playing. I had to go watch some hockey. I was hungry. This is how a lot of nights start for me. We were going to try a new place called "Let's Wing It" on Yonge at College but it was just me and my buddy Chris so we decided to try this other place we had heard good things about.

We hit this place called the Triple Crown Pub just West of Vic Park on Lawrence. At first look when i was walking in I thought it was a banquet hall. It had a weird entrance and then a weird look as I came in with a dining portion and a bar portion separated by a glass wall. However, I did notice that there were peanuts on the ground so I guess that this was my type of place!

Lots of TVs and newly renovated, this place had a great atmosphere. Apparently there was a fire there recently and it was closed for a bit and reopened. I even saw one of my buddies from baseball there who happens to live around the corner and this is his regular place. There is a lot of intense pool that goes on here with a bunch of leagues. Very pro Leaf bar.

On to the important part..... WINGS!!

They were tasty. not dry they were saucy and if you like spice go a little higher than you usually go. I went medium but felt after eating I could have gone hot. They were large wings though and plenty of them. No deals that day but you get wings fries and veggies on a huge platter so it is for sure a good deal.

NOTE: I heard after I ordered from an inside source that the best flavour isn't even on the menu and it is CAJUN.

The Leafs won and I was stuffed from my food. Beer was relatively cheap and I would for sure go back to this place. Just would eat less peanuts before my meal came.

More Thai Food for Me

Asian food twice in one week does not come along all that often but when it does it is magical. Coming back from Ottawa on Sunday I was driving back with my friend Cass and we had some time to kill before her train took off. It was dinner time so we thought some fine (read: casual) dining (read: food) might be in order. On Bayview there is small place called Asian Bowl. I was not disappointed.

Lets put this out there right off the bat. I really like Pad Thai. I can eat it many times in a month or even a week and not get sick of it. I find that there are many different versions that different places end up making. The variation on the dish is mind boggling and I bet I could write a whole blog on just Pad Thai. However, I digress.............

To my surprise I ordered the Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai. It hit the spot. The key to this was that it had a bit of a kick to it that I had not experienced much of before. There was minimal cilantro (the perfect amount) and the sauce was not thick and overbearing as it sometimes tends to be. The peanuts were evenly distributed and had just the right amount of crunch. The portion was large (enough for lunch on Monday). The only thing that I would improve on is to serve it on a plate rather than a bowl. This allows for better movement and working with the meal.

For a starter we had the Shrimp Krystal rolls in rice paper. they were tasty but what really brought the flavour was the dip that came with it. It had kick with a bunch of different flavours.

The music was a casual jazz which had an interesting juxtaposition in this atmosphere. I quite liked it. It was a very fun "date" with Cass (She is engaged btw. CONGRATS!!) and I was able to get her in and out in an hour and get to the train.

I rate this place GOOD EATS!!

Cheers.

Cafe 668 - Duncan Goes Veggie

I know I know. This is highly irregular. I have a bunch of veggie friends and I have to let them pick sometimes. This was a product of their picking and it took me to Dundas just west of Bathurst.

I am always interested to see what all veggie restaurants have to offer someone who eats a lot and enjoys meat.

This place hit the spot.

I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of Mushroom offers that i could choose from (I love mushrooms). We started with the dumplings that were pan fried and they were really good. use the sauce they give you as it has a really nice tang to it.

I then moved onto the fried mushrooms that came with a little bit of a spicy sauce. They were able to keep the juiciness of the mushrooms while frying them up.

Moving on I had the King Mushroom special. The only issue I had with it was the sauce was a little much. Not as in taste wise but there was a little too much of the sauce. It had some zip to it and the veggies were plentiful. The noodles looked homemade and were amazing. If you want something that has the crispy noodles I would switch to the egg noodles. Fantastic. All in all it was too much food for me to eat. Had to take almost a full meal home.

The price it a little bit more than I usually go for but I had a ton of food for $30 no drink all in.

Suggestion........... go here. You should enjoy even for the biggest meat eater.

Rosie's Kitchen

Brunch has got to be one of my favourite meals. There are few local gems in the Leaside area for a good brunch time meal.

Rosie's Kitchen on Bayview just South of Eglinton is one of those gems. This place is very small and family run. Basically home cooking with simple stuff. I had a great Butternut squash soup with a club sandwich. Very Tasty.

If you are looking for a quick bit and a homey atmosphere go here and get some soup and sandwiches. You will not be disappointed by the food or the price.

Wings in a Barn

I didn't actually eat wings in a barn but I did eat them in Art Thompson Arena which is pretty much the same thing.

They actually were not that bad. I expected them to not be good at all but the price was good and the wings were large. at $10 for a pound and a pint or $24 for 2 pounds and a pitcher they were not bad prices. They are not that hot so I would suggest if you like Medium to get the Hot.

If you are at Art Thompson Arena in Pickering you should pop upstairs for some.

The icing on the cake was the old guy who runs the bar. I have never seen anyone other than him cooking or serving or bar tending. He does it all with a nice big.... mustache on his face.

Story of the day: So I walk in after playing and he asks if I played with the "Doyle crew" which is who rents the ice for us and I said yes. He then proceeds to explain for about 15 minutes about 2 guys who I play with but he doesn't remember what they look like at all and all he can tell me about is what type of beer they order. He tells me this......... FOR 15 MINS. Priceless.