0
Our growing culinary landscape
28 August 2010
I think the only thing I ever really missed about the city when I moved up here was the variety of food we had within walking distance of our house in Toronto. We could walk to Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian, Greek, Korean, Italian and Szechuan restaurants, all within 10-15 minutes of home. A little further, but still not very far, we had Thai, Mexican, Lebanese, Moroccan and new-age vegetarian.
Today in Collingwood, we can walk to almost as wide a variety of national and international tastes. This town has come a long way in the past 20 years, in terms of its culinary landscape. Pizzas, doughnuts, burgers and pasta dominated it when we first arrived. Now our choices are very broad and urbane, although they are still with us.
I don't want to plug one local restaurant as better than another. We have some terrific eateries here and we've enjoyed meals in many of them. We don't eat out a lot - we're a bit parsimonious that way, more because we like cooking and eating at home. But we really enjoy eating out when we do take the opportunity, and being within walking distance of downtown makes it a lot easier and safer to go out for a meal, because we can enjoy a bottle of wine with it and not have to worry about driving back.
I can't say I've ever been disappointed by any meal at a local restaurant. I've had a few that didn't move me to sing its praises too loudly, but I can't recall any have really disappointed. Overall, I've been pleased by what we've eaten out.
I'm always surprised when I talk to someone who hasn't sampled the tastes of another nation's cuisine, especially when it's available within a few minutes' walk. To Susan and I, it's an adventure and an education to try new things and experience new tastes. There are so many delightful, intriguing and wonderful flavours in foods like Thai, Indian, Japanese and Szechuan that it would be a shame not to sample them at least once in your life.*
I wanted to give a plug to some of the international cuisines we have here and suggest if you've never tried them then it's worth going to a local restaurant to sample it. We have Thai (Siamese Gecko), Thai-Vietnamese-Asian fusion (Green Mango), Indian (Tandoori House), Japanese (Hungry Sumo) and several Chinese restaurants (98 Super Panda, Tang's and Bamboo House). Take the opportunity to try them if you've never done so. At the very least, it will be educational, but I suspect it will also be a delightful eye-opening experience.
You'll not only be surprised at the good food, and the wide range of flavours and styles, but also at how reasonably priced many local restaurants are. I've heard people say they don't want to try hot foods, but all of the local restaurants offer foods that may have rich spices, but are quite mild. Me, I like food so hot it makes your eyes bleed, but since I share many dishes with Susan, I have to moderate my demands for hot dishes when we're out. If Susan can eat it, then you can.
In Collingwood we have, of course, a lot of fine dining, as well as some great nouveau cuisine as offered by such restaurants as Azzura, Duncan's, Café Chartreuse, Brunello, Catch 22, the Stuffed Peasant the Olde Towne Terrace, San Diego, Espresso Post, Zencha Tea House and a few others. Plus we have a wide range of pub food outlets like Admiral's Post and Beaver & Bulldog, popular franchise outlets like Boston Pizza, East Side Mario's, Pita Pit, Mr. Sub, Subway, Montana's and Kelsey's, and many fast food outlets, from MacDonald's and Wendy's to Swiss Chalet to a large number of pizza outlets. And let's not forget the Red Hen, Rockdale Steak House, Georgian Family restaurants - home of the traditional "Canadian" fare.
If I've left out any, please blame it on my aging memory, not on any intended slight. I have to admit I haven't eaten a meal in every one, but I have been inside and ordered something from almost all of them.
It's the range of choices that makes me proud and delighted to be here. I delight in the wide range of culinary experiences we can enjoy if we want to eat out, rather than stay at home. My own tastes tend to the exotic - I am addicted to sushi and curries -but I'm as comfortable with a good grilled cheese sandwich or cheese omelette. In part the ambiance makes the event enjoyable, but an experience of good food (and not having to cook it ourselves) is at the heart of why we eat outside our home.
Last night we went to the Hungry Sumo, on First Street, and had a superb Japanese meal. Susan had a tempura plate, I opted for a nice maki sushi mix. The food was excellent, the presentation beautiful, the staff attentive and polite, and everything we ordered was delicious. The restaurant offers some Korean dishes, too, although we stayed within the Japanese section of the menu. Since we don't eat mammal, some of our choices are limited. But we can usually find a lot of excellent choices within a Japanese menu.
The restaurant isn't licensed yet, so we missed having a carafe of warm sake with the meal. But the staff tell me it's coming soon. If you've never been there, it's well worth stopping by and enjoying their well-prepared fare. It compares very favourably with any Japanese restaurant we've eaten at in Toronto, San Francisco or New York.
In fact, many of our local restaurants are of world-class calibre and could compete well against renowned restaurants in our cities.
As I write this, I have a hankering for a bowl of pad Thai, and a rich, curry. I can head to the Siamese Gecko, or the Tandoori House - but I think I'll save that for tomorrow and grill some corn on the barbie, along with some fish burgers tonight. After all, we want to watch Young Victoria on DVD, tonight, too.
~~~~~
* It's one thing to say you've tried a dish or a style of food and didn't like it, and quite another to never try it and still say you wouldn't like it or won't try it. It's like saying you didn't like a book you never read because someone else told you the cover wasn't entertaining. Susan and I actually met a local woman who would not eat broccoli or clams, because her friend said she wouldn't like them. That's a very sad way to go through life. Life's too short not to try new things for yourself.
Today in Collingwood, we can walk to almost as wide a variety of national and international tastes. This town has come a long way in the past 20 years, in terms of its culinary landscape. Pizzas, doughnuts, burgers and pasta dominated it when we first arrived. Now our choices are very broad and urbane, although they are still with us.
I don't want to plug one local restaurant as better than another. We have some terrific eateries here and we've enjoyed meals in many of them. We don't eat out a lot - we're a bit parsimonious that way, more because we like cooking and eating at home. But we really enjoy eating out when we do take the opportunity, and being within walking distance of downtown makes it a lot easier and safer to go out for a meal, because we can enjoy a bottle of wine with it and not have to worry about driving back.
I can't say I've ever been disappointed by any meal at a local restaurant. I've had a few that didn't move me to sing its praises too loudly, but I can't recall any have really disappointed. Overall, I've been pleased by what we've eaten out.
I'm always surprised when I talk to someone who hasn't sampled the tastes of another nation's cuisine, especially when it's available within a few minutes' walk. To Susan and I, it's an adventure and an education to try new things and experience new tastes. There are so many delightful, intriguing and wonderful flavours in foods like Thai, Indian, Japanese and Szechuan that it would be a shame not to sample them at least once in your life.*
I wanted to give a plug to some of the international cuisines we have here and suggest if you've never tried them then it's worth going to a local restaurant to sample it. We have Thai (Siamese Gecko), Thai-Vietnamese-Asian fusion (Green Mango), Indian (Tandoori House), Japanese (Hungry Sumo) and several Chinese restaurants (98 Super Panda, Tang's and Bamboo House). Take the opportunity to try them if you've never done so. At the very least, it will be educational, but I suspect it will also be a delightful eye-opening experience.
You'll not only be surprised at the good food, and the wide range of flavours and styles, but also at how reasonably priced many local restaurants are. I've heard people say they don't want to try hot foods, but all of the local restaurants offer foods that may have rich spices, but are quite mild. Me, I like food so hot it makes your eyes bleed, but since I share many dishes with Susan, I have to moderate my demands for hot dishes when we're out. If Susan can eat it, then you can.
In Collingwood we have, of course, a lot of fine dining, as well as some great nouveau cuisine as offered by such restaurants as Azzura, Duncan's, Café Chartreuse, Brunello, Catch 22, the Stuffed Peasant the Olde Towne Terrace, San Diego, Espresso Post, Zencha Tea House and a few others. Plus we have a wide range of pub food outlets like Admiral's Post and Beaver & Bulldog, popular franchise outlets like Boston Pizza, East Side Mario's, Pita Pit, Mr. Sub, Subway, Montana's and Kelsey's, and many fast food outlets, from MacDonald's and Wendy's to Swiss Chalet to a large number of pizza outlets. And let's not forget the Red Hen, Rockdale Steak House, Georgian Family restaurants - home of the traditional "Canadian" fare.
If I've left out any, please blame it on my aging memory, not on any intended slight. I have to admit I haven't eaten a meal in every one, but I have been inside and ordered something from almost all of them.
It's the range of choices that makes me proud and delighted to be here. I delight in the wide range of culinary experiences we can enjoy if we want to eat out, rather than stay at home. My own tastes tend to the exotic - I am addicted to sushi and curries -but I'm as comfortable with a good grilled cheese sandwich or cheese omelette. In part the ambiance makes the event enjoyable, but an experience of good food (and not having to cook it ourselves) is at the heart of why we eat outside our home.
Last night we went to the Hungry Sumo, on First Street, and had a superb Japanese meal. Susan had a tempura plate, I opted for a nice maki sushi mix. The food was excellent, the presentation beautiful, the staff attentive and polite, and everything we ordered was delicious. The restaurant offers some Korean dishes, too, although we stayed within the Japanese section of the menu. Since we don't eat mammal, some of our choices are limited. But we can usually find a lot of excellent choices within a Japanese menu.
The restaurant isn't licensed yet, so we missed having a carafe of warm sake with the meal. But the staff tell me it's coming soon. If you've never been there, it's well worth stopping by and enjoying their well-prepared fare. It compares very favourably with any Japanese restaurant we've eaten at in Toronto, San Francisco or New York.
In fact, many of our local restaurants are of world-class calibre and could compete well against renowned restaurants in our cities.
As I write this, I have a hankering for a bowl of pad Thai, and a rich, curry. I can head to the Siamese Gecko, or the Tandoori House - but I think I'll save that for tomorrow and grill some corn on the barbie, along with some fish burgers tonight. After all, we want to watch Young Victoria on DVD, tonight, too.
~~~~~
* It's one thing to say you've tried a dish or a style of food and didn't like it, and quite another to never try it and still say you wouldn't like it or won't try it. It's like saying you didn't like a book you never read because someone else told you the cover wasn't entertaining. Susan and I actually met a local woman who would not eat broccoli or clams, because her friend said she wouldn't like them. That's a very sad way to go through life. Life's too short not to try new things for yourself.
ilovemycat, on 02 September 2010 - 03:59 PM, said: