CUTCO Knife Skills

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend a knife skills class held by CUTCO.

Chef Neil Noseworthy of Taste Worthy Cuisine and the CUTCO team instructed us on the use of various knives to prepare a number of dishes from salads to mains. We were really impressed with the sharpness and solid hand-feel of the CUTCO knives. They felt precise and cut through especially difficult to cut areas, like in-between orange wedges, with ease. The knives are made of surgical grade high carbon stainless steel and have thermoresin handles to keep them performing well for a long time.


The trimmer we used had CUTCO's "Double-D" edge which I never really noticed on a knife before. It made it feel safer to handle... yes we did try touching the edge; but kept it really efficient at slicing through even tough food items.


We also enjoyed some fine Pinot Noir and Riesling courtesy of Earth and Sky Wine.



Click here to see more pics on Flickr



Thanks to Alexa Clark of www.unsweetened.ca for hosting this event at Liaison College Culinary Arts



Posted by: Mark Rodas

Yamato

Yamato is a popular Japanese restaurant in Yorkville for Teppanyaki, where a chef cooks the food on a griddle in front of the customers with as much flair as he can muster, and sometimes a little song and dance. The highlight of the performance is the onion volcano, which you can see in the video below.

Yamato is a relatively inexpensive lunch option for the entertainment value you get, all while enjoying a steak or seafood with rice and vegetables. I highly recommend the fried rice option. There are other typical Japanese items on the menu as well, but that's not why people go to Yamato, so why bother?

Click here to view on YouTube







Yamato is at 24 Bellair St., Toronto


 Posted by: Mark Rodas

Flo's Diner

There are some places one goes to just to kick back and enjoy a simple meal. Diners as a whole fit that bill most of the time as who can argue with the calming effects of eggs, greasy potatoes and a good stiff coffee?

I'm sure everyone has their opinion on the best or trendiest greasy spoon in Toronto, and honestly... I'm pretty reluctant to write about Flo's. Not that the food is bad, it's pretty good. I don't want to tell everyone where it is, because it's my diner!... and I better not see you there. I've been going there since I came to Canada in high school,  one score and some odd years ago.

It used to be in this really cool Art Deco building on 10 Bellair across from Harry Rosen, a stone's throw away from a derelict ruin of a theatre marquis / parking lot which is now the entrance to Pottery Barn.

Oh I so loved that place, what comfort and nostalgia.


"Built mid 1980s, Retro brushed steel Art Deco dining car restaurant....Originally called 4D's Diner when first opened, later location of Flo's, demolished in 1998 for condominium 10 Bellair (photo off the internet)" - Greg Stacey on Flickr

Thanks to Mona Bhalla for the 4 photos below. I swear I'll get an iPhone one of these days.



They have a pretty decent menu of diner classics including various melts and sandwiches, but we really end up there for the all day breakfast, usually their excellent eggs benny or some variation thereof.

I usually get steak & eggs sunny side up with some egg bread and home fries.

Diners are so deeply embedded in the fabric of North American culture. Here's a clip from the upcoming Tom's Restaurant movie a.k.a. the "Restaurant" in Seinfeld.



Which also happens to be the diner in this 90s hit... yeah I'm really dating myself!



C'est moi





Flo's Diner is at 70 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto


Posted by: Mark Rodas