Good Eats!

My bestie and I have recently discovered that you don’t have to travel to the heart of the city to find an amazing restaurant.  There are plenty of yummy delights in your own backyard.

We stumbled upon our newest fave hot spot because my friend and I simply couldn’t fathom travelling all the way downtown for lunch on one of the hottest days of the year.  So we decided to avoid the congestion of the city, and check out a spot that was a little closer to home.

We both had no idea where to eat, but agreed on a location and we’d take it from there.  As soon as I stepped out of the subway station, I saw the words “Po Boys”.  I was enthralled (psssst- I looooove anything bbq or creole, basically any food from the south).  So when I met up with my friend I told her that we should check it out.  She laughed and said that while she was waiting for me to arrive; she already looked at the menu on the door and decided what she wanted to eat!  LOL!  Gotta love my girl!

The restaurant was quaint and fortunately not crowded.  I perused the menu and had trouble deciding what to get. Honestly, everything looked delish.  After much debate, I settled on getting a blackened catfish po boy with sweet potato fries.

Note- this is not a pic of the po boy I ordered.  It was taken from the restaurant's website.

 

Twenty minutes later my meal was placed in front of me. I sunk my teeth into the sandwich and I swear a tear flowed from my eye!  The po boy was incredibly flavourful.   The catfish was nicely seasoned, tasted great and wasn’t too spicy.  The fish was fantastic, but the flavour was kicked up a notch with spoonfuls of creamy garlicky sauce smeared all over the crusty French bread.  I loooooove this po boy! 

My meal was accompanied with thinly cut sweet potato fries which were also mouth-wateringly good.  They were crispy and not greasy.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals (no crumbs were left on our plates!) and the service.  I highly recommend anyone looking for a tasty po boy sandwich to visit this restaurant.  Don’t forget to let me know what you think!  Enjoy!

Billy Jacks Po Boys

3369 Bloor St W, Etobicoke, ON M8X 1G2

www.poboys.ca

(647) 352-3369

Michelle

Hot Spot!

Harlem Restaurant

Whenever I meet up with Sharon—one of my food-obsessed friends—we like to hit restaurants that we’ve heard about, but haven’t had the chance to fully experience. The latest restaurant on our illustrious list is Harlem Restaurant , a restaurant that mixes traditional American soul food with the heat of the Islands.

I read about the eclectic restaurant in an issue of Sway magazine. I made a mental note of it, as I was dying to try their food. I was also quite curious in the setup of the restaurant. Owners Carl Cassell (who is a talented artist) and DJ Carl Allen wanted to recreate the feel of the Harlem Renaissance by mixing good food, art and entertainment.

When I told Sharon about the restaurant, she was sold in a matter of seconds. All I did was read off a few dishes from their online menu and I could practically hear the girl salivating on the phone! We quickly decided on a date and time and made our way downtown.

With a bit of hesitation, Sharon and I sloooowly entered the restaurant. We weren’t sure if we were in the right spot as the décor had a slight South Asian flair. However, our doubts were laid to rest when we sauntered in and smelled the sweet aromas of jerk seasonings and scotch bonnets which seemed to dance in the air.

The restaurant is a little small, but has a cozy, homey feel (*it literally smells like my house on a Saturday afternoon!). While Sharon and I perused the mouthwatering menu, we couldn’t help but gaze at the funky artwork that adorned the walls. This was the kind of place that we were completely looking for! We were hoping the food was just as good.

We decided to start the meal with an order of fried plantains and guava ketchup. I grew up in a West Indian household, so fried plantains is nothing new. Sharon and I were curious about the guava ketchup that was served as a dipping sauce. Let me tell y’all, both were amazing! The guava ketchup wasn’t really a “tomato ketchup”. It was more of a sweet dip that went well with the plantains.

Being friends for a long time, our tastes are pretty similar. So similar, that we ordered the same meal—The Harlem sandwich.

Sharon and I are not really sandwich people, but the ingredients in this sandwich sounded way too delicious to ignore—jerked chicken salad, black forest ham, avocado, mango mustard and melting cheese on a challah bread! Damn! I think we were close to eating the menu!

When it arrived to the table, we stared at it for a good 5 minutes. We practically examined all the layers. With that first bite we were in heaven. It tasted fantastic. My fave thing about the sandwich was the jerked chicken salad layer. It was incredible. It was nice and spicy and had a little kick. I tried to eat the whole thing, it was way too big and I had to leave a portion of it on my plate. It was good though.

I am so happy that I finally had the chance to eat at this restaurant. The food was great, the service was great and I will no doubt be back to try the dinner menu.

Michelle