California Native Visits Toronto for Partner’s Family and Food
Most recently, my partner and I went back to Toronto, Canada to visit his family. I personally didn’t want to do too much sight-seeing, but since my boyfriend’s a foodie, he chose a couple of restaurants for us to try in the city.
He ended up with two that were top rated in some Canadian culinary magazine, and wanted us to go try. As someone who is quite skeptical and prefers to eat food that is mildly priced, I tend to stay away from uppity places that make me uncomfortable or feel like it’s meant for older upperclass white folks. While I was a bit worried that we’d be going to snobby-like places, but these places proved me wrong. Maybe it was the Canadian friendliness that put me at ease, but we both had a wonderful time eating at both restaurants.
Linny’s – Smoked Pastrami and a Romantic Candlelit Ambiance
Linny’s felt like an ode to steakhouse culture and delis, but with a romantic vibe over a candlelit dinner. My partner really wanted to try this place for its pastrami meats, so we ended up getting the tasting menu. It’s definitely more than I anticipated for two people, but we were able to take some food home and enjoy this long course meal together.
Challah service – fresh cheese, jam, and meats
Caesar salad – chicken skin, caraway, and lots of Parmesan cheese
Chicken liver toast
Beefs with pistachios and shallots
Fluke and fennel – my partner’s favorite as it was watercress soaked in fennel oil
Linny’s cut pastrami
I’m glad I was able to try it, but I don’t think I’d try it again since Toronto has such a wide, eclectic range of delicious restaurants to try out. I’d personally recommend it to someone who loves deli meats, and wanted to try something kosher.
Takja BBQ House – My Favorite Bougie KKBQ Joint
This bbq house has changed the way I eat kbbq. Wow, this restaurants has usurped San Ho Wan in San Francisco for me. Think traditional korean bbq meets high end fine dining with no frills that puts you at ease. I’ve never had such juicy meat grilled to a perfection, with impeccable service coming in at the right times to cook and flip the meats, effortlessly filling up our water cups without interfering the flow of our conversations. I usually judge junctions based on food, service, and how they manage the ebb and flow of conversation and food service.
We skipped the Hansang (“a table full of food”) as I really only wanted to eat the meats. That is the $135 per person with a seafood tower, seafood pancake with hokkaido uni, banchan with salad, chef’s selections of bbq, mushroom pot with rice, and bingsoo (shaved ice). We debated about it for a while, but because a majority of it was also just filling carbs, we decided to focus on what people raved about, the meat itself. We ended up getting three different cuts of meat; our waiter had said most patrons were surprised by how much they liked the pork cuts. I was skeptical as I always ate beef at kbbq joints, but we decided to try it. Lo and be hold, it was the juiciest meat as it’s been marinated in its own juices and my favorite part of the entire meal. They also had the ventilation done so well that I didn’t smell like bbq at all. I normally leave with my jacket smelling a bit smokey or like I stepped in front of a campfire, but there was so smoke residue on our clothes which was quite impressive.
For the two of us, we ordered:
- Dry aged Ribeye
- Short Rib Galbi
- Our favorite – Iberico Presa (a thick, boneless shoulder steak from the Iberian pig, prized for its rich flavor and marbling)
- Perilla oil noodles
- Banchan (came for free) and they refilled our kimchee radish and salad for us which was a nice touch
I enjoyed the food so much that I told my partner we had to come once a year, when we visited Toronto together. It would be our annual Canadian celebratory meal of our American-Canadian relationship over delicious bbq.
The entire experience was so amazing that I told my partner we had to come every year as our new tradition when visiting Toronto.
Fat Pasha – Mediterranean Meal for a Light Lunch
I’m a pretty big sucker for mediterrean styled meals, especially as they’re quite filling with their legumes and sauces. We had the Chef’s Choice of Four (4) Dips for two people to share. I thought we could easily finish this, but we had so many leftovers.
You’re able to ask them about any dips you’d like to try and they would be happy to include it. This includes dill pickles, six falafels, and three pita breads. Service was very friendly, and shares an outdoor patio with the bagel shop next door. We sat outside while it rained, as it had a cover above, but it was quite nice while we ate our food and had a cup of tea. There was definitely more options on the menu, but just seemed a bit pricey for what it had. I wanted the roasted cauliflower, but it was near $26 and I couldn’t justify paying that much for it.
