First off Happy Birthday to my pops.. He recently celebrated his birthday (May 11th). He had a lil' birthday dinner with my family and some close friends, rushed over to the Pickle Barrel after a long day of work to enjoy dinner with the family. Unfortunately due to being late I missed the actual dinner and was forced to order from the "Take out bar". I was really eager to order something filling so I went for the pasta dinner which included Pasta, Tomato sauce, Chicken and spices. Took them a little while to heat it up but for something quick and easy I'm impressed. Reminds me of something that I could make at home but sometimes it's best to leave food to the experts. I always have a tough time making a decision when I eat at the Pickle Barrel and end up ordering the same common dish however I'd have to say this was my first time getting the pasta dish and I'm not mad at it at all. Happy Birthday Dad.. click continue to read for more photos.
- Avi Gold


read the sign.. the pickle barrel

my dinner

does that chicken look good or what?
always tired after a loooong day of work.

Labels: birthday, chicken, pasta, Spices, the pickle barrel, tomato sauce

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It has become very common amongst myself and my friends to visit Greek restaurant Messini's at least once every week - two weeks. We've been drawn to the attraction of the Greek gourmet style food and well entertained by the pretty women in "the joint" and of course can't forget the food they have to offer. Although service can be terrible at Messini's depending on who serves you (look out for George Clooney looking waiter) the food is a reward for the poor service in a sense. When thinking about it further more I come to realize that if the food wasn't so good I'd probably never go back and it's not so much that the service is slow it's that some of the waiters/waitress's don't speak english or care about desires or needs. Any how back on track myself alongside Kev, Danny and his lady Chanty decided to catch a late lunch/early dinner. This time our Tastebuds family member Danny was determined that he'd go all out and order a variety of things that I have never tried at Messini's. He ordered us all some Lamb Gyros, Rice, Calamari, Greek style fries, Chicken Gyros, etc.. As per usual the Chicken gyro was on point and tasty but fell apart on me half way in. Calamari was delicious as well and came equipped with a sauce that is memorable and complimented the Calamari in a good way. Greek fries are fun and can technically be described as the "Greek poutine" spiced well with round-ish potato's and feta cheese topped to the max, it's not something I would order on the regular unless people would be sharing with myself (it's a heavy dish). Aside from that the Tzatziki was well regarded and this past Friday’s experience at Messini's is for sure an outing that goes down in the books once again. Unsure of when I will return as we always say after we eat at Messini's "this is what Monday/Fridays (depending on the day) are all about"...
- Avi Gold
click continue to read to see photos...


bread that comes with olive dip

greek salad with feta of course

the famous greek fries

calamari.. look at that sauce

chicken gyros with french fries in it...mmmm...

picture does no justice you need to actually try it..

shot from another angle

no talking while kev is eating

we leave no leftovers

danny gives the peoples eye

olive dip.. thats right crushed olives.. so damn good

chanty's plate.. goodbye lamb haha

close up of the salad

danny is just about done

chanty is paying for us..

smiles are free

Labels: calamari, chicken, feta cheese, george clooney waiter, greek, gyros, lamb, messini's, potato, rice, salad

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...And a really miniature cheesecake dessert in a shot glass to end the meal- it was kind of overly sweet and overly creamy, but was too cute and too cheap ( $2.00!!!) to pass up....

cheesecake also= life

Labels: America, cheesecake, chicken, Fish, ginger, Lettuc wraps, Mongolian Beef, pf chang's, raw tuna, seared, sushi, tuna

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While I was content on ordering Quiznos for lunch my friend Jordana on the other hand opted for Japanese stir fry that including the likes of Broccoli, Shrimp, Chicken, Noodles, Mushrooms and 0% nuts since she is chronically allergic. Based on the conversation we had over lunch I'm assuming she really enjoyed what she ordered. Any dish that involves vegetables can never really be disappointing. Think of this post as more of a visual then anything.
- Avi Gold


A great big dish

Show you what shes got.

Labels: Brocolli, chicken, Eaton Centre, japanese, Mushrooms, Shrimp

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Thanks to the Turntablelab.com Blog I was lucky enough to find out about the latest chain of fried chicken franchises in New York entitled BBQ Chicken (Which stands for Best of the Best Quality). This chain originally comes from South Korea and apparently doesn't even serve Bar-B-Que chicken, all the chicken is actually fried in extra virgin olive oil which makes it that much more tasty and way more crispier. They've also managed to pioneer a super inventive beverage and chicken combination but in order to see that you'd have to click "Continue reading" for the remaining photos. I'll definitely consider trying BBQ Chicken next time i'm in the rotten apple. If you'd like to learn more about this Korean franchise and "Colpop" check out Serious Eats they've done an amazing write up which even includes a video.


looking crispy..

I can't believe nobody thought of this before.. When I was young I loved popcorn chicken..

Colpop.. extremely inventive and totally next level..



Everyone loves Colpop...
-Avi Gold Via TTL Blog

Labels: BBQ Chicken, chicken, Colpop, Korea, serious eats, Turntablelab, Virgin Olive oil

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Recently I had the opportunity to stop at Loblaws grocery store for some quick lunch. Decided to get chicken wings and potato's since I'm not really into the other variety's of food they offer. I'd have to say the chicken wings are well marinated in a really tasty sauce (look "for BBQ" wings). Although the chicken was to my expectation the potato's were some what difficult to enjoy because of how salty they were...*lawry's*. I think I over heard a women complaining that she had to throw the potato's away because of the minor salt issue. When it comes down to it and if I had to ask myself the question "would I return to Loblaws for lunch"... umm no only if it was convenient or maybe if I was desperate. The wings are great but simple and plain everything else pretty much sucks.


saucy wings

follow the light..
-Avi Gold

Labels: bbq sauce, chicken, lawrys, loblaws, lunch, potato, salty

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