The Best Of........

I love to try new restaurants. I constantly seek out the best hamburger, best steak, best fish and chips and best Chinese food. It's like a game to me. There are a few sites that have top 10 lists, but I have quickly learned that they are shiiiite. People who claim to know the best spots, are people that haven't tried anything else, therefore they have nothing to compare their slop to.

Case in point? Dairy Freeze at Caledonia and St. Clair is stated to be one of the top 10 burgers of Toronto. Bitch please. It was like particle board, yet somehow chewy too. The onion rings were so disgustingly beer battered that I was scraping the grease off the top of my mouth with my napkin. True story. Grow. Dee. I'm pretty sure the people that like this place don't own a car and walk across the street to eat since it's most convenient for them.

So far I have found the best Chinese food, best souvlaki as well as the best fish and chips. I'm still working on the best burger.

Chinese Food (North Americanized)















House of Wong at Morningside and Kingston Road. Yes, it's out of the way, but well worth the drive. I was out driving with Andrea one day and we decided to have Chinese, but decided to just choose the next ma and pa restaurant that we stumbled across. House of Wong showed up, and voila - decision made. Little did we know that it would be the best Chinese food out there. Delicious. Make sure you eat in the dining room instead of taking it out. Food seems more delicious that way. Lunch isn't so great - save your experience for dinner time, when the take-out orders are in full force, making the food fresher due to quantity being prepared. Best Cantonese Chow Mein I've had. Lemon chicken is great, and the General Tao Chicken is orgasmic. Egg rolls are yummy too, and not too big. I have introduced this restaurant to many friends, and they have taken their friends too.

Fish and Chips

My Place. This restaurant is at Victoria Park and Sheppard, in the strip mall beside Johnny's Burgers. Which, incidentally is a favourite of mine, but not the best burger out there. I have tried many other fish and chip places - Reliable, High Street, Old Yorke, Penrose, Danny's, etc.....and this is by far my favourite. Nothing to write home about when you walk in. The menu is displayed under the plastic table slab. So bare bones, it's not even funny. This restaurant is owned and operated by Asians, which kinda made me giggle for some reason. Little did I know that I was going to love it.










There was a couple sitting behind me (on the same side of the booth [gay!]) and I heard him say that this was the best meal of his life. I thought he was either high or being dramatic, but honestly, I kind of agreed with him.

Instead of using beer batter, they almost use a light tempura batter on their fish. It's so amazing because you actually enjoy the taste of the fish versus the batter. So wonderfully tasty. The fries are delicious too. Not too thick, not too thin. Pickled beets and the coleslaw were equally good.

The cost was decent- at $8.75 for halibut and chips. Most places will run you from 9-12 bucks. Top notch! Well done my Asian friends!

Souvlaki

Esquire. This is right next door to My Place (above). I should admit to you that I don't have AS MUCH experience with this as I have only tried a few before I found this gem. I have tried the regular restaurants like Mr. Greek and The Friendly Greek and a few Greek places on the Danforth. Nothing compares to the quality of this food. When you read reviews about this place, people complain that their food takes too long - well hello..... it's made fresh. It's not made hours earlier and sitting in an oven, drying out until it shows up on your plate. The wait is worth it. The chicken is so tender that you aren't fighting with it. Most souvlaki is hard to cut off the stick - but this is perfect. The tzatziki is thick and properly spicy. I can't stand when you get watery, yogurty tzatziki.

Tip: avoid the booths in the middle. Only anorexics can fit in them comfortably. As well, if you are picking up your order, call it in 10-15 minutes before.

Remember, fresh is best. Don't complain about the wait, when what you get, is great!

In conclusion (ending my essay off properly), when you search the "best" foods in Toronto or any other place, read the list quickly, and then pay MORE attention to the comments at the bottom of the blog. Those people usually know what they are talking about, and they aren't swayed by the bells and whistles. They know about good food, not a flashy place with flashy prices.

I'd choose a greasy dive with excellent food and good prices versus a beautiful, expensive place with mediocre food, any day.