The Starving Artist

The Culinary Experience through the eyes of a working Musician/Ex - Line Cook

[phillstarvingartist]

So, typically, I play a few seniors home gigs every month. For the ones outside Toronto, I get one of my best buds, @jakesaenzmusic or @_spinningplates to join me. Though these gigs are always fulfilling in a sentimental way, it's also been a great excuse to have an amazing lunch afterwards. Usually Scarborough is the destination (for those who don't know, Scarborough has some of the best food in Toronto). Yesterday, we found this amazing Pakistani joint in Ajax. I got the Beef Nihari and naan for $8, and Jake splurged on the chicken Karahi, which was served in the wok it was cooked in. Amazing food at Lahori Karahi Taste Restaurant! The added bonus is that there was a Mary Brown's across the street, so I grabbed some chicken for takeout AP that I'd get a little taste of home before heading on tour. I've really got to make more of a habit of posting about these food finds as there are so many great restaurants tucked away in the outskirts of the GTA! #food #foodporn #pakistani #chicken #gts #sjax (at Lahori Karahi Taste) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChIKo3fg7nW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[phillstarvingartist]

It's been a while since I did a burger review, and I'll tell ya that I've had very many disappointing smash burgers over the course of the year of lockdown in Toronto! However, this was not one of them! Situated at the corner of Queen and Pape, this neighborhood diner serves up top quality smash burgers with 5 guys portions of hand cut fries, with a menu as customizable as any Harvey's or Lick's (for those Torontonians who remember the latter establishment being a a familiar sight in the city). Today's offering was a bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and garlic mayo with a side of fries and side veg gravy (like one would get from a proper poutine joint in Quebec). Buther was perfectly cooked unlike many of it's competitors, which I have generally found to be over done, or under seasoned. This one seemed to have just the right balance! Topping to patty ratio was on point, and perfectly held together by a soft and fresh potato bun! These guys also offer brownie desserts, and a selection of milkshakes with Kawartha Dairies ice cream! I'm gonna give these guys a 4.5/5 stars, just because I'm a sucker for a good shoestring or crinkle cut fry over the hand cut style (which was still very tasty!). If you're in Leslieville, you've definitely gotta check this place out! #burgertour #burger #foodporn #food #leslieville #takeout #diner #shakes #fries #handcutfries #smashburger #toronto #torontoeats https://www.instagram.com/p/CPL5IW5NtYh/?utm_medium=tumblr

[phillstarvingartist]

Clam chowder and garlic toast to keep my stomach warm and happy while I self-isolate this week. #clam #chowder #chaowdah #food #seafood #foodporn #shellfish #comfortfood https://www.instagram.com/p/CLYdVBnA-gO/?igshid=x7ryrnfkvjf7

[phillstarvingartist]

Beef Bones soaking in the fridge. It's going to be a long, hard winter as we enter into another lockdown here in Toronto. So, I'm coping with the same things as the last one: Korean soups that require hours and hours of boiling bones till the marrow breaks down into a creamy broth. This is the real deal, folks! Comfort food at it's best! I'll be adding a cut of brisket to this in a few days, and after many patient steps, we'll have ourselves a hot bowl of Seolleongtang. We must savor the things we still have. #koreanfood #beef #soup #brisket #bonemarrow #seollungtang #bones #lockdown #quarantinelife https://www.instagram.com/p/CH4MT62AiOK/?igshid=1bw4enlgdf4jd

[phillstarvingartist]

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The world has been a crazy place these last 6 months. We are all trying to adapt to a "new normal" as we tread through late breaking horror stories, social injustice, and hysteria. It's with this in mind, that I try to lighten the mood with a.....wait for it....Burger Review! I found this in the vault today while skimming through some videos of my California trip back in February. This particular day was spent at Universal Studios in Hollywood, so I decided, being a Simpsons fan, to give the ol' Krusty Burger a shot! I'm not going to lie. This was one of my favorite burgers from the whole trip! I wasn't expecting it, but this burger was a perfect balance of all the things I love in a fast food burger. It most certainly hit the spot, and paired well with a mug of Duff Beer! I gave this one a 4/5 for flavour, composition, and sheer novelty! #burgertour #burgersofamerica #burger #california #hollywood #universalstudios #thesimpsons #springfield #krustyburger (at Universal Studios Hollywood) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEUoWYDgQu0/?igshid=1sljygu00tnr9

[phillstarvingartist]

Creamy miso shrimp udon with edamame and 2 levels of roasted garlic #food #foodporn #shrimp https://www.instagram.com/p/CBhc_BngM88/?igshid=49mof5fbkez4

[phillstarvingartist]

A little throw back to the Seolleongtang I made a month ago. Sooooo delicious! #koreanfood #food #foodporn #kimchi #soup #brisket #yum https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGWbndARXs/?igshid=9ufhdso8xosu

[phillstarvingartist]

This week's kitchen trend has been Korean home cooking! I lived in Koreatown back in 2009-2010 during a pivotal point in my life, so I always feel nostalgic for this stuff when I've got the time to make it properly. Last week we had one of my favorites, Gamjatang (Pork Bone Stew). Last night (seen here) was Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup with cornish hen). Today, I start my second boil for my Seolleongtang broth. Seolleongtang is an Ox bone soup with a very rich bone broth with a milky consistency. It takes 8-12 hours of rigorous boiling to do properly, and I've been craving it ever since I first tried it at a restaurant in LA! I'll be sure to post a pic when it's finished! It's traditionally served with radish kimchi which Ibstarted 2 days ago, and should be fully fermented by tonight #food #foodporn #korean #koreanfood #soup #chicken #ginseng https://www.instagram.com/p/B_DgWFOg2Y3/?igshid=137nrac2n5okw

[phillstarvingartist]

Radish Kimchi. 1 day into the fermentation process. Gonna let it sit for one more night before trying it out. #kimchi #korean #food #fermentation #quarantinelife https://www.instagram.com/p/B_A_H_OpV2y/?igshid=1rd3yuva1ff2l

[phillstarvingartist]

It only took 15 years, but I finally got my Nigerian BBQ fix, @madanshul ! To think that it took that long to find another Nigerian restaurant, and that they delivered it to me half way across town (as we traveled 15 years ago) in a thunder shower, during a global pandemic! What goes around comes around when you're playing that BBQ waiting game! Side note: The pepper soup on the right was a true star! I thought I had tried every spice in my life until I tried that! #foodporn #food #nigerian #suya #bbq #bbqaroundtheworld #quarenteeneats https://www.instagram.com/p/B-tBNp_gBU2/?igshid=1ufgb4wf8wgli

[phillstarvingartist]

"It's got some Monterey Jack cheese or something on it, which is cool, cause we're in Monterey"

I'm gonna come out and say it:

I LOVE Jack in the Box. It's as cheap as Burger King, but if Burger King was trying to be a little more like Carl's Jr.

We were in fact in Monterey for this review, and the Buttery Jack was the perfect end to a night of snacking and exploring the craft beer scene in this beautiful town!

4/5 stars!

#burgertour #burger #foodporn #food #jackinthebox #monterey #california

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kVi2AAbux/?igshid=1qmol3a5yslhr

[phillstarvingartist]

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Hey Guys! In this difficult time we are all in, full of sickness, paranoia, and isolation, we could all use a pick me up. What better way to pick us all up than with a burger review? I didna few of these while in California last month. California is well known for it's many diners and burger joints, and although I reviewed the great In-N-Out Burger while in Las Vegas last year (and gave it an extra star upon my return and trial of "animal style" on this trip), I wanted to share some of the other burgers that you can find in this beautiful state! This review comes from the legendary Mel's Drive-in in San Francisco, CA. This location was the original "reboot" diner to be opened in the 80's when the brand made a comeback, a decade after the original Mel's had closed down. I went for the bacon avocado burger as it felt very Californian, and I typically like that style in the right circumstances. Though the burger was under-seasoned, and the toppings got a bit sloppy when trying to eat it, it was cooked to order, and was more than filling! The accompanying quinoa salad was a welcomed alternative to fries on this particular day, and it was far beyond what I expected it to be, so I'm adding a bonus point for that. I'm giving it 3/5 stars. #burgertour #burger #cheeseburger #america #usa #sanfrancisco #california #food #diner https://www.instagram.com/p/B99vFsigovn/?igshid=12bh6i9js3aer

[phillstarvingartist]

From Doc Brown's Garage to being late for school and skateboarding past the Burger King. Who remembers this early Bacl to the Future scene? I was pleasantly surprised to find the Burger King still there 35 years later! #backtothefuture #greatscott #whereweregoingwedontneedroads #burgerking #burbank #california @burgerking (at Burbank, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B87qOEfgB_K/?igshid=15nl18aj5n4wv

[phillstarvingartist]

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Peter's Drive-in: Calgary, AB My friend, Kristy recommended this place to me. Apparently it holds a lot of nostalgia for people in the province. Burger was charbroiled, with a Burger King vibe, but better. A small fries was a small bucket, so I'll give them points for that! The Peter sauce was kind of just like a ketchup, and there was no mayo available in the toppings list which is kind of a downer for me. Jesse recieved a completely different burger than what she ordered. All around, it was tasty, but kind of became a soggy, condiment soup in the last few bites. I've had worse, I've had better. Glad I tried it either way! 3/5 stars. #burgertour #burger #food #drivein https://www.instagram.com/p/B8eyppypLAb/?igshid=1iwxwnx1r7wtt

[phillstarvingartist]

So here's a new thing...I rarely review the food at the bars I play at, but this particular burger could not be ignored. In fact, I like it so much, that I've started planning my "cheat days" around my gigs at @irishsnug so that I can enjoy one of these bad boys on my set break. This is one of 2 burgers that T.J. O'Shea's offers in their menu. It features a delicious patty made with a 70/30 mix of chuck/bacon and is consistently juicy and delicious! The soft brioche bun is a perfect vessel to carry the patty and assortment of toppings which include pickled onions, tomato, arugula, and a delicious dijonaise. This burger wins the game of balance in flavor and hits all the right spots for me. The fries are also crispy and perfectly cooked, and served with a side of O'Shea's signature honey-dill dip. I'm a big fan of the whole package, and would recommend this burger to anyone looking for some pub grub on the Lakeshore! 4.5 out of 5 stars. BAM! #burgertour #burger #foodporn #food #lakeshore #longbranch #etobicoke #irishpub #toronto (at T.J. O'shea's Irish Snug) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4vOjKSAHq-/?igshid=12au0g3n7upkq

[phillstarvingartist]

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One last review for the day as I had a few of these in the back burner waiting to be posted. This review comes from Weber's Charbroiled just south of Muskoka. It's such an institution for cottage goers at this point that they even have a pedestrian bridge for traffic going the opposite way on the highway. You can buy these patties frozen at your local supermarket, but this is the original location with it's train car aesthetic and billowing burger smoke rising from it's kitchen. I have been hearing about this place for years, and wanted to see how it stacked up against my favorite road trip burger, Super Burger. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The burger was only $4.50, and I can see why, as it was very small. The patty had a signature charbroiled taste, but was also reminiscent of the frozen version I've had at many a backyard bbq. Toppings were more abundant than the meat itself, and the bun was dry and flaky. The fries however were pretty good! I'm going to give it 3/5 stars. An acceptable stop for burger nostalgia on highway 11, but not even comparable to highway 10's burger options. #burgertour #burger #food #beef https://www.instagram.com/p/B2kC0jOAR_t/?igshid=1kyda7u5tvuyu

[phillstarvingartist]

I had a few burger reviews backlogged from the summer, so here's a special Toronto episode of my Burger Tour. Our first contestant is one of my current favorites in the city: RUDY @rudyresto , which now has multiple locations across the city. What really sets this burger apart is it's simplicity and attention to detail in that simplicity. With a soft potato bun, juicy patty with an amazing crust (which comes from a good sear and the caramelization of the right meat/fat ratio), American cheese, thinly sliced lettuce and tomato, and special sauce...well what can I say....this burger has taken the best parts of New York's Shake Shack and put their own Toronto spin on it! A must have for any burger lover in Toronto, or for someone feeling nostalgic over the Shake Shack they had on their last trip to the US. 5/5 stars. This burger is perfection! Next up, we have Extra Burger @extra.burger on Dundas west. This one was also in a similar style to RUDY. It featured a smash style patty with a similar dark crust and lots of flavor, and a soft bun (though not quite as pillowy as RUDY, it still held it's own and worked well for the burger). As per the style of the burger, it also featured melted American cheese. This was definitely a great burger, and I would happily return for a second taste test as my one complaint may have been a circumstantial thing: The lettuce on the burger was near non-existent. I found 4 little shreds of iceberg lettuce and I can only assume that the person who made it was not paying attention when adding toppings. This burger featured a "Mac" style sauce. Would recommend. Would return. 4/5 stars. #burgertour #burger #toronto #food #foodporn #beef #cheeseburger https://www.instagram.com/p/B2kAFT8AjHr/?igshid=1j1sdxhnrc09q