Izba Restaurant

Definitely worth a visit.

Izba Restaurant, located at 648 The Queensway in Toronto/Etobicoke claims to have "the BEST schnitzel in town". And in my humble opinion, it's very possibly true.

I'm a fan of schnitzel and have had many different versions of it. I've also been disappointed many, many times. Too often, schnitzel is oily and flaky - the breadcrumbs falling off and the meat (pork and veal) waaaaaay too tough. But this....THIS was amazing.

Not oily, perfectly crisp, amazingly tender and awesomely spiced (yes, I know I'm using a lot of positive adjectives, but you would too if you'd tried it).  The funny thing? I didn't even order the schnitzel (that's right, I mooched off my friend's plate).

Instead, I ordered the pork tenderloin with pierogi (I've been DYING for pierogi, but that's a story for another day). The pierogi were served with sour cream and boiled (which, I'm told by my pierogi-connoisseur friend would've tasted much better had they been pan-fried), but to my Canadian Chinese palate, tasted great. Potatoes and cheddar wrapped inside a dumpling...mmmm...but I digress...

The pork tenderloin was tender - as in fall-off-the-other-parts-of-the-meat-tender, served with a sprinkle of dried parsley (hey, it works here) and a gravy I couldn't identify. There were also roasted potatoes (which this potato-connoisseur LOVED), braised cabbage (forever ruined because of the cabbage soup diet...thank you parents...) and boiled carrots (which I didn't touch).

It was by far one of the best comfort food meals I've had in a very long time, and definitely a belly-filling one.

The portions are generous, so be sure to go on an empty stomach.

Restaurant rating: Definitely worth an extra hour or two at the gym.

(Apologies for the lack of food pictures, but it was too dark for decent pics).

Duff's Famous Wings

Mmmm...wings...

I heart chicken wings.  Truly I do.  Spicy and sour. Crispy and crunchy.  Mmmm...and while everybody knows this already, I still have to say it: Duff's Famous Wings has the best chicken wings in Toronto.

I went to Duff's back in December with my Big Brother and had a blast. Over fun conversation, we shared wings, beers and the obligatory veggie sticks.

The atmosphere is friendly and was crowded for a Tuesday night. The staff was great and well...it was a wing place. Enough said.

Restaurant rating: Definitely worth an extra hour or two at the gym.

Ketchup and what?!

I believe ketchup is one of human kind's greatest culinary inventions. Its flavours are simple (sweet, sour and salty), but it's versatile enough to stand up to many different foods. I myself am a fan of ketchup on eggs, but am also partial to ketchup on fries (really, a no-brainer), ketchup on bread (it used to be a favourite after school snack) and ketchup on chicken. And a friend recently introduced me to ketchup on pizza (which, may seem redundant, somehow works.)

As I was enjoying my pizza and ketchup, I started to think about the origin of ketchup. It was then I decided to take a trip to Wikipedia.  Some of the more interesting things I learned:
- Ketchup was categorized by the U.S.' FDA as a SMOOTHIE (EW)
- Ketchup is good for you: it contains the anti-oxidant lycopene, which has been proven to prevent prostate and colon cancers (yay!)
- Ketchup is bad for you: one teaspoon is roughly 10 per cent of an adults recommended sodium intake (*sigh*)

On my trip, I made a detour to Heinz's web site and found a recipe for ketchup peanut butter cookies. Hmm...ketchup and peanut butter, eh?  Could be the next rage...or maybe ketchup cake (stay-tuned for how these culinary experiments turn out).

Rosedale Diner

The Rosedale Diner is one of Toronto's oldest eating establishments, but despite being around for 33 years, I've never been. A friend and I had dinner there a few weeks back to celebrate some good news. It was a random pick for us, but am I glad we picked this place!

I had the organic beef burger with fries and then shared the poutine au canard (duck poutine) with my friend (I know, I know, double fries, but like I said, we were celebrating!) And boy was it delicious.

The burger was juicy and cooked perfectly, with just enough seasoning. Instead of a traditional bun, the patty was served in a pita.  The fries (garlicky) were made with fresh potatoes and was deep-fried to crispy perfection.  

The duck poutine was amazing as well, but by the time it arrived, my friend and I had stuffed our respective faces with the burgers, and therefore didn't give the poutine the attention it deserved (though we still finished everything).

The cafe itself is quite small and intimate - but by no means snooty. It's the perfect place for old friends to catch up and celebrate good news.

Restaurant rating: Definitely worth an extra hour or two at the gym.