This is a thread for where to get what, and for comments on particular merchants. I'll add some pics at some point too.
Just some general comments first.
I just got back from my first trip to St. Lawrence Market since moving here; what a great place. The first thing i did before I bought anything was walk around the whole building. I can't help but make some comparisons to what's offered in Montreal. Overall the Jean-Talon/Atwater markets in montreal have more produce, but St. Lawrence has more choice for meat. There's a couple decent cheese shops but I didn't spend enough time there to reach a conclusion of whether they could match the Fromagerie at the JT Market. Haven't made up my mind on other items like high quality EVOO or traditional balsamic. Haven't been to Kensington yet.
A couple things I saw that I hadn't seen in montreal were cream-cheese out of a big container and artisinal butter. I can't say i've ever had anything but philadelphia cream cheese so it'll be interesting to taste the difference, though it does look softer and creamier. I didn't spend as much time as i'd have liked though. My back was killing me so i was anxious to get home. I'll comment more on the cheese shops another day.
Some butchers looked better than others. I wonder how most people go about choosing one vs. the other. I eat a lot of veal, so I will probably make the rounds trying veal from each place, though I don't know if that will give me repeatable results... A couple places offer dry-aged beef. I saw some real angus at one place, as opposed to what businesses attempt to pass off as angus at crappy restaurants. Didn't see any Wagyu. I think another was organic (so $$). What surprised me was that the meat in one place looked like it had been out too long. Either way, there's no shortage of places to get real steaks. I don't think I saw anything cut less than an inch thick, and most were about an inch and a half. I just bought veal scallops and pork tenderloin today though. The area around the Market is really nice too. If my plans change and I do buy a condo in TO some day, i'll have to look hard in that area.
Anyway, the point of the thread is for things that are harder to find.
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Bagels: I started thinking about this when I was looking for bagels. Montreal has the best bagels of any place I've been. I don't know what the hell is so hard about making bagels, but few places seem to do it right (including NY
). Someone recommended St. Urbain bagels in the SLM. It seems like a good call. They're cooked in a brick oven right on the spot, just like i'm used to from montreal. I haven't tried one yet because I ate lunch before shopping and didn't want to gorge myself, but from the texture, size, and weight of the bagels, it looks like they might just be on par with Montreal's better bagels.
Just some general comments first.
I just got back from my first trip to St. Lawrence Market since moving here; what a great place. The first thing i did before I bought anything was walk around the whole building. I can't help but make some comparisons to what's offered in Montreal. Overall the Jean-Talon/Atwater markets in montreal have more produce, but St. Lawrence has more choice for meat. There's a couple decent cheese shops but I didn't spend enough time there to reach a conclusion of whether they could match the Fromagerie at the JT Market. Haven't made up my mind on other items like high quality EVOO or traditional balsamic. Haven't been to Kensington yet.
A couple things I saw that I hadn't seen in montreal were cream-cheese out of a big container and artisinal butter. I can't say i've ever had anything but philadelphia cream cheese so it'll be interesting to taste the difference, though it does look softer and creamier. I didn't spend as much time as i'd have liked though. My back was killing me so i was anxious to get home. I'll comment more on the cheese shops another day.
Some butchers looked better than others. I wonder how most people go about choosing one vs. the other. I eat a lot of veal, so I will probably make the rounds trying veal from each place, though I don't know if that will give me repeatable results... A couple places offer dry-aged beef. I saw some real angus at one place, as opposed to what businesses attempt to pass off as angus at crappy restaurants. Didn't see any Wagyu. I think another was organic (so $$). What surprised me was that the meat in one place looked like it had been out too long. Either way, there's no shortage of places to get real steaks. I don't think I saw anything cut less than an inch thick, and most were about an inch and a half. I just bought veal scallops and pork tenderloin today though. The area around the Market is really nice too. If my plans change and I do buy a condo in TO some day, i'll have to look hard in that area.
Anyway, the point of the thread is for things that are harder to find.
----------------------------------------
Bagels: I started thinking about this when I was looking for bagels. Montreal has the best bagels of any place I've been. I don't know what the hell is so hard about making bagels, but few places seem to do it right (including NY
). Someone recommended St. Urbain bagels in the SLM. It seems like a good call. They're cooked in a brick oven right on the spot, just like i'm used to from montreal. I haven't tried one yet because I ate lunch before shopping and didn't want to gorge myself, but from the texture, size, and weight of the bagels, it looks like they might just be on par with Montreal's better bagels.
