Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Baldwin Street - An Eclectic Gathering of Ethnic Cuisine



Have a craving for ethnic food but can't quite decide what exactly you're in the mood for? You can delay your decision by heading down to Baldwin Street, just a few blocks NW from the St. Patrick subway station. For a stretch of about 3 short blocks, Baldwin Street is the Mecca for ethnic dining.

You will find about 10 different types of Chinese eating establishments, from traditional restaurants, ones specializing in seafood, a Hot Pot restaurant, to a bakery serving pastries and Dim Sum.

My current favourite Chinese restaurant on Baldwin Street is called Eating Garden. We randomly picked it late one evening after being out since 7pm participating in Nuit Blanche, the only criteria being that it was still open, we were starving and needing to rest our weary feet. We ordered a steaming bowl of wonton soup, a plate of lemon chicken with rice and a plate of fried rice noodles with beef and vegetables. The food was delicious and we devoured it quickly. The lemon chicken was lightly breaded to perfection and the lemon sauce burst with flavour on every bite. The only word of warning is, that if attempting to stay awake all night for Nuit Blanche, eating a Chinese meal full of MSG is probably not the smartest thing to do.




There are also multiple French, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Indian, and Continental restaurants, and at current count, one each of a Korean, Mexican, Persian, Malaysian and Vegetarian restaurant. All these different foods and cultures are interspersed and happily coexisting next to each other, within a span of about 3 city blocks. I think the United Nations could learn a lesson from the cohesiveness of this group of eateries.

And next time you're not quite sure what you want to eat, head down to this street and check out all the menus. Or just close your eyes, point your finger and spin yourself around to see where you land.

Monday, November 14, 2005

Greek Dining at Christina's On The Danforth

A couple of friends and I went to Christina's on the Danforth for Greek food on a Friday night. Our reservations were for 7pm at which time the restaurant was still relatively empty. The hostess guided us to our table towards the back of restaurant, past many empty tables and farther and farther away from a booth that seemed to be set up for live entertainment. Making a mental note to request a table closer to this entertainment next time, we asked what time it might start and were told curtly that it would be around 9pm. This was by no means the friendliest wait staff I've encountered.



Looking around, I took in the decor of deep rich maroon and golden yellow. Attached to the ceiling were large exposed pipes painted to blend in with the walls, giving the place a warehouse feeling. On the walls were huge mounted colour photographs showing scenes presumably from various Greek towns. On back wall of the restaurant was what seemed to be a fire exit, but it was painted and decorated artfully to blend in with the decor. Surrounding the door were wires with lights and metal leaves attached to them, that formed an pretty archway.


We started the meal by sharing some breaded calamari which was cooked perfectly with a light tasty breading and served with a taziki-like sauce. For the entree, on the recommendation of the waiter who said it was one of the favorites, I ordered the Kotopoulo which is a stuffed chicken breast with mushrooms and peppers, served with rice, lemon roasted potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables. It sounded really good and when it came, the portions were huge. Unfortunately I found the chicken to be dry (could have used a good sauce) and the stuffing to be lacking. The vegetables were also overcooked for my liking since I like my vegetables to be crisp and crunchy. Maybe I just chose wrong, since my friends who ordered the Atlantic Salmon filet and the Chicken Soulvaki both enjoyed their meals.

Every once in a while, the tables around us would order the flaming saganaki, which according to the menu is a Greek kefalograviera cheese that is flambeed in a shot of brandy right at your table. With the cry of "Opa", the plate roars with a flame that raises what seems to be several feet before it is quickly doused. The saying "Don't try this at home, kids" came to mind.





By around 8pm, the restaurant was packed so I guess the regulars knew to come a bit later to get ready for the live entertainment. At around 9pm, the music started and the sounds of coins rattling followed. Soon the belly dancer was making her way up the stairs and towards the back of the room. At each table, she would give a quick little dance and invite the occupants to get up and join her. Our table firmly declined the offer, thinking we did not have the right "equipment" to try this (i.e. thin waists and double jointed hips). Several men were coherced to give it a whirl and seemed to enjoy the close proximity to the pretty dancer. Finally a woman got up after much persuasion from her male companion and when she started dancing, it was obvious that she was a ringer and had done this before. The two women gave quite a duet much to the enjoyment of all around them.


Finally around 9:30, the belly dancer gave way to live musicians who played some rowdy greek tunes. It got a bit difficult to continue to carry on a conversation at that point, but it was fun to listen to the music. All in all, this was an enjoyable experience and I think I would give the food another try and order something else next time.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Congee and Noodle Houses

There are many forms of Chinese cuisine, with different restaurants catering to specific styles of food and food preparation methods.  In addition to the traditional restaurants that offer choices of entrĂ©e items for communal dining, some popular ones include Dim Sum, Hot pot, Hong Kong style diners, as well as Chinese bakeries.



The type of Chinese restaurant we tried this past weekend was the Congee/Noodle House. Congee is a hot rice porridge, seasoned with parsley, green onion and salt.  It can be cooked with any combination of meat, seafood or vegetables, adding to the flavour of the broth.  Interestingly, the spice provided to give congee more zip is a white pepper powder, not the traditional black pepper.  A hearty dish which is great on a cold day, congee is usually consumed with deep fried dough fritters that can be dipped into the congee.  Topping off the experience is a plate of Chinese vegetables, blanched then stir fried in oil and served with oyster sauce.

While my parents usually like congee with seafood(shrimp, scallop, white fish, squid) or duck meat, my favorite for some strange reason happens to be pork liver and meat balls. This is unfortunate since liver is the only thing my husband Rich cannot eat even to be polite The first time I introduced the concept of congee to him, he was sick with a cold. For me growing up, congee was comfort food, like chicken soup, so I thought it might make him feel better. When I described to him my favorite congee, he turned two shades greener than he already was, and to this day, he cannot eat any type of congee since he forever associates it with liver.

One thing that even Rich cannot dispute is what a great bargain congee is in Chinese restaurants. A good sized bowl of congee with various ingredients ranges from around $3.75 to $6.00 and makes an extremely satisfying meal for 2 or more people. When Rich was in Vegas recently, he stayed at the Ceasars Palace hotel, where they were offering plain congee for $19 US Currency (remember - congee is basically water and rice)! The chicken congee was $27US!




Luckily congee places also offer many styles of noodle and rice/fried rice, so Rich has something he can eat.  There is quite a variety of Chinese noodle dishes usually stir-fried with sauces and different combinations of meats, seafood and vegetables These include crunchy chow mein, rice noodles, glass noodles and vermicelli. You can also get shrimp wonton noodle soup, which is another great choice for a cold day.


Congee Wong
3235 Hwy 7, Markham, ON L3R 0J5
905-474-1844