Today's special guest star...my mom! Capunti con Broccoli... Cozze e Patate al Forno... Tagliatelle con Lenticchie...
October 9, 2021: The Week in Eating!
Chawan mushi Spam onigiri Katsuo tataki Milano-style duria Mapo tofu Daikon mochi Compliments to Chef Akemi.
The sordid and shameful history of Deep Dish Pizza!
Many take issue with my perceived disdain for Deep Dish Pizza. They ask me: "Joe - taste, texture, and vile appearance aside - what is your problem with deep dish pizza?" Well, the answer partly lies in its shocking and tragic history... We can trace the origins of Deep Dish Pizza back to the late 19th…
Top 10 Chocolate Bars!
In honor of National Chocolate Day, I'm counting down my Top 10 Favorite Chocolate Bars. No high-end bars here. No Amedei Chuao or Pralus Papouasie. Just your standard chocolate bars you'll find in most convenience stores (depending, of course, on where you live in the world). #10. Snickers Love the chocolate and peanut combo, but…
October 22, 2019: The Return of the Weird Food Purchase of Day: Durian Edition!
July 25, 2019: The waiting is the hardest part!
People (Generally, those not in the industry) react with amazement when they find out I'm juggling multiple development projects. I'm sure they imagine me working 24/7, going from one project to the next, with little room for rest. Sadly, however, this couldn't be further from the truth. Much of "development" is waiting. Waiting for someone…
November 17, 2018: The Projects, Poll, and Fried Chicken Update!
Well, this past Thursday afternoon, we pitched Untitled Awesome Project to a broadcaster. As you may (or may not) know, I'm especially excited about this one as it's a notion that (like Dark Matter) was many years in the making. And by "many years in the making" I mean that, like Dark Matter, I came…
November 8, 2018: Toronto’s Top 5 Mochas!
As a fan of mochas, lattes, and various chocolate/coffee drinkables, I make it a point to sample as wide a variety as often as possible. For research purposes mostly. And, having done my due diligence over the past year, I offer up my Top 5 Toronto Mochas... #5. Bar Buca This place boasts a host…
October 6, 2018: Guess Where?
Peppers before. Peppers after. A progression of peppers... Hot! Hotter! Hottest! Crab mousse. Sweet canneloni. Lamb and sausage. Pistachio Friendship Cake. Best version ever! Sis bearing gifts! Matching outfits and collars for the girls. Maple candies for Akemi and ghost pepper chili powder for me. P.S. Mom says hi.
Garlic and Chocolate!
Two of my favorite things. On Sunday, we hit the Toronto Garlic Festival, THE place to go if you're looking to stock up on garlic - fresh, powdered, pickled, and in ice cream or popsicle form. There were fewer vendors and food options this year, but we made the best of things, sampling some Syrian…
The World’s Saddest Sandwich!
Today was the second day of the UF Writer's Room and I'm pleased to report things are coming along nicely. So far as the show's creative is concerned anyways. Lunches, on the other hand, are a work in progress. While I appreciate the sentiment of catered lunches ("Ooooh, catered lunches!"), I am forced to point…
Out and About – The Toronto Edition!
Squeezing in as much fun (aka food) as humanly possible ahead of this Monday when I will be swallowed by the black hole known as The Writers' Room. Packing it in...and on... Choose a flavor (matcha or black sesame), then a filling (red bean, custard, or nutella), then your toppings. Snap your instagram-worthy pic, then…
Night out with the guys and gals!
I love reunions! So, a couple of weeks ago, Roger Cross (Dark Matter's SIX/Griffin Jones/Kal Varrick, and every other show's everyone else) sent out a Toronto-wide text to let everyone know he'd be in town shooting one of his innumerable productions. Last night, we finally got together for a feast of steak, sides, steak, wine,…
Taste-Testing Japanese Snacks and Sweets
Ivon and I taste-test a smorgasbord of Japanese convenience store offerings. The snacks... https://youtu.be/YbS8TUZxS-0 The sweets... https://youtu.be/axqhHxIqzfM
Recent Eats!
Given the fact it's impossible to get an Impossible Burger here in Toronto (ironic, no?), I thought we'd try the next best thing: the meatless burgers at Planta Burger. To be honest, they were...okay. Texturally uninspired (I was hoping the "crab cake" would, at the very least, be crispy) and underwhelming in flavor. The cauliflower…