Hoof Cafe Brunch

The most decadent brunch I've had to date, by far was had today at the Hoof Cafe (and most expensive at $80 for 2 with no booze). It was attempt number two for the hubs and me - with our first try ending in empty stomachs and furrowed brows. Given that they will be closing as of next week, I was determined to make this visit a successful one. 

The plan was to arrive just before 10am to avoid the hour long line ups - fail. A night out at Ame the night before lead to four young women stumbling down Wellington trying to hail a cab. Needless to say, all I wanted to do at 9am was roll over.

Around 10am, sheer determination to get my hands on a tongue grilled cheese set in and I finally willed myself up. Thank all things good that I did. 


Despite of the horizontally blowing snow and the hour long wait (in our car since all near by coffee shops were full of Hoof Cafe queuers), it was magnificent.

We started with the tongue grilled cheese - a sandwich like no other. Thinly sliced smoked beef tongue layered on perfectly grilled, evenly buttered dense bread with a mild, creamy brie.

Then I had the suckling pig benny which, after the grilled cheese was just good. I imagine if I wasn't hung over and didn't have the grilled cheese first, this would have been a dream benny. The suckling pork was sweet, saucy and perfectly cooked.

 

This decadent, over the top foie gras french toast is like nothing I've ever tasted before. Thick cut challah toast was crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside - how everything should be. It was drizzled with warm maple syrup, peanuts and a sweet, vanilla sauce. The foie gras was thinner than I expected but added a rich deliciousness to each bite. Even if I did have pangs of guilt for the little duckies. 

Let's hope the Black Hoof & Co keeps brunch on their menu for the sake of the hundreds of us who would brave all kinds of craziness for a bite.

Enoteca Sociale

On a blustery cold Friday night, the comforts of a heaping bowl of pasta, great wine and amazing company can't be beat. Last night three of us made our way to Enotec Sociale, where the menu changes frequently, but always promises to be dishes you'd find at grandma's house. That is, if grandma was an old school Italian nonna.

We gave Gary, our knowledgeable server, the task of ordering for us.

He started us off with an arugula salad with blood oranges topped with candied pecans and fried risotto balls served on a bed of caramelized onions and more arugula. They were both tasty but not mind blowing. The salad could have used a bit more oranges and pecans. Thankfully, it got better.







The main dishes were three different wonderful pastas. The first, a plate full of ravioli stuffed with butternut squash with a hint of goat cheese and again with the candied pecans. The second a deliciously simple manacotta stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach in a clean tomato sauce. The third was our least favourite, a carbonara with panchetta. It was a little too heavy on the oil rather than being a creamy sauce.

Then came desserts. It was perfect to end the evening with. A chocolate ganache like pudding with sea salt and olive oil and a tiramisu cake.

The New Canoe

If you've had the pleasure of dining at Canoe on top of the TD Building, you know that people don't go there for the decor and you've probably also known that it closed its doors for a brief moment to go under the knife and get a face lift last month. A million dollars and a mere 31 days later, Canoe is reopened with Toronto Life exposing first photos of the nip and tucked space.

It's pretty, but not anything to really swoon over. Given that the O&B franchise has done a heck of a job with their rapidly expanding empire, I expected a tad more from the space. Perhaps they left the space comfortable and chic cottage feeling to allow for the food to shine. That said, Canoe never needed to make any exceptions for their food to shine. Dark wood accents and concrete floors modernizes the space and takes it from the pale drabness to a contemporary and generic chic.

Experimental Foodies will definitely be perching high atop the 54th floor soon. If you are interesting in joining us, drop a comment or email us with your contact info for more details.

Photos: Suresh Doss via Toronto Life