T.O. Reservations » Videos http://toreservations.com I blog, I eat, and I'm hungry for more Mon, 04 May 2009 16:27:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 Video: Great Cooks On Eight http://toreservations.com/video-great-cooks-on-eight/ http://toreservations.com/video-great-cooks-on-eight/#comments Fri, 01 May 2009 03:00:57 +0000 Vince http://toreservations.com/?p=416 Great Cooks On Eight (on the 8th floor of The Bay Building) for lunch. Unfortunately, the price point was a little bit out of our range. I've always preached that the $10 limit is the merit of a cheap lunch. Unfortunately, Great Cooks On Eight does not make my list of cheap lunch ideas. But take a look at this video, you might get the idea to take cooking lessons or eat lunch there!]]> When I was working in the heart of downtown, I often suggested my co-workers to hit up Great Cooks On Eight (on the 8th floor of The Bay Building) for lunch. Unfortunately, the price point was a little bit out of our range. I’ve always preached that the $10 limit is the merit of a cheap lunch. Unfortunately, Great Cooks On Eight does not make my list of cheap lunch ideas. But take a look at this video, you might get the idea to take cooking lessons or eat lunch there!

Great Cooks on Eight Commerical – Dine.TO from S7 Productions on Vimeo.

]]> http://toreservations.com/video-great-cooks-on-eight/feed/ 0 Video: Good Eats Toronto – Buddha Dog http://toreservations.com/video-good-eats-toronto-buddha-dog/ http://toreservations.com/video-good-eats-toronto-buddha-dog/#comments Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:34:01 +0000 Vince http://toreservations.com/?p=9 As Anthony Bourdain puts it, “Every city / region has its own mutant form of the hotdog”. But it has been my elusive, futile quest to find Toronto’s own distinct stamp on this venerable fast food. In truth, Torontonians fall more deeply in love with its sausages/frankfurters, peameal bacon sandwiches, and veal sandwiches than to be bothered with boring plain old beef franks. The question is… should they?

Nevertheless, challengers continue their attempt at usurping that vacant throne. Chuck Ortiz, of “Acquired Taste”, announces such a white knight into the battlefield with his video of “Buddha Dog“.

Is Buddha Dog worthy of being Toronto’s hotdog mantra? I remain skeptical… perhaps I need to go try it myself to know for sure. At first glance, Buddha Dog does not seem to bear the uniqueness (like Vancouver’s JapaDog), nor the wow factor (of a South Carolina ‘Big Unit’), nor the kempt quality (of a Hawaiian Pukka Dog), nor the historical value (of a New York dog). The emphasis on fresh, local and unique ingredients at Buddha Dog is definitely welcomed. But to truly stand out of the crowd. I believe they have to focus on marketing one version, their unique take on the hot dog, really well.

Coming back to the video, the sped-up eating sequence seemed to do little justice to the food, and also possibly violates all established food porn conventions. But we do get to see Chuck’s enjoyment of his meal, and perhaps… that’s all anyone can ask for from comfort food like the dog.


Good Eats Toronto: Buddha Dog from Acquired Taste on Vimeo.

]]> http://toreservations.com/video-good-eats-toronto-buddha-dog/feed/ 0 Video: Good Eats Toronto – Terroni http://toreservations.com/video-good-eats-toronto-terroni/ http://toreservations.com/video-good-eats-toronto-terroni/#comments Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:16:12 +0000 Vince http://toreservations.com/?p=1 Woot! I found a nice Vimeo video video channel today. “Acquired Taste” is the brainchild of an up-and-coming videographer, Chuck Ortiz. I did not need much convincing to tell me that I should feature his videos on T.O. Reservations. Anybody who puts J. Dilla music in his videos deserve a second look. And his restaurant choices ain’t half bad either since his first video is about Terroni.

I won’t fault Terroni for being a chain. Despite that fact, Terroni is still a solid representation of traditional southern Italian comfort food in Toronto, and to some fans.. arguably one of the best. It’s been a guilty pleasure to partake in some delicious crispy thin crust pizzas, while chasing it down with parpardelle and pasta strands. Though I’m not in love with Terroni’s entire menu, I’ll leave the review for a different time. For now, enjoy Chuck’s video and visit more of his work on his Vimeo channel and also at AcqTaste.com


Good Eats Toronto: Terroni from Acquired Taste on Vimeo.

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