Eat my way around my neighbourhood

I had to put this goal on the back burner for a while because my cat got sick and ate (ha!) into the savings I was going to use for dining. I have eaten at a few more places in the past few years, so I will write them up. I will also make an effort to actually post the write-ups in a more timely fashion.

Lunch/Dinner last Tuesday, takeout. I’ve eaten here before, and the pulled-pork sandwich, baked beans, and hush puppies are fantastic. It’s all about the sauce and, happily for me, they included an extra little tub of the liquid goodness because for some reason they don’t put enough on the pork to begin with—I guess some people just aren’t as saucy as I am… 9/10

I’ve lived in my neighbourhood for nearly 10 years and, despite the fact that there are a lot of great restaurants around me, I think I’ve been in 3 or 4 of them. I’ve decided that one of my goals for my leave year is to explore my neighbourhood more and try out the restaurants.

I’m not setting myself any real rules. My neighbourhood stretches from Bloor to Dundas and from Lansdowne to Ossington, but I’m allowing myself to go a little outside that area when I feel like it. I feel no obligation to go into any sports bars or chain fast food restaurants (or Starbucks), but other than that I want to try every place at least once. I’m including cafes and take-out places, and I’ll mostly be eating at lunch.

I finally started last Thursday with Pantry on College. It’s a store that sells packaged gourmet food as well as prepared food. You buy it by the weight, and it’s mostly for take-out although there is a small seating area. The store is very “hip” and the food looks quite posh. I was attracted to the chicken dishes, but I always have chicken, so I got some stuffed pork medallions with wild rice and beans and mushrooms on the recommendation of the cashier.

I don’t know if I was meant to heat it up (I forgot to ask) so I ate it cold. My reaction was “meh.” The stuffed part of the pork was tasty, but the medallions had big chunks of fat. The rice wasn’t great cold. The beans were quite tasty and crisp. I had a date square for dessert, which I found a bit floury. The price was less than what I’d expect to pay for that kind of meal in a sit-down restaurant.

7/10. I’ll go back and give another meal a chance (and ask about reheating).