Marion Kane: Food Sleuth®

  • Home
  • Podcasts
    • Sittin’ in the Kitchen®
    • Whither Kensington?
    • Assorted
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • Bits & Bites
    • Marion’s Books
    • Videos
    • Books for Cooks
    • “Marion’s Farewell”
    • “Au Revoir Kensington”
  • Julia Child’s 100th
  • About Me
    • Bios
    • Mum and Me
    • Ode to Mothers
  • Contact Me

No Fries on Me

July 16, 2010

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

I have an obsession with french fries – good ones that is.

As with any food, I have barometers for assessing the quality of this ubiquitous but usually underwhelming rendition of the lowly spud. Of course, they must be home-made not frozen, cut from the right potatoes, blanched and then fried just before serving and cooked in good quality oil.

Ultimate fries are served at Bistro 990 on Bay at Wellesley in downtown Toronto, at the fish and chip shop located in the Camden Town underground station in North London, U.K., and at some Swiss Chalet locations – yes, it’s true. (Note: Swiss Chalet also has excellent coffee – go figure.) Oh, and the round, thin and crispy, disc-shaped fries at Amadeu’s in Kensington Market are superb.

It was in search of good fries in Kingston, Ont., while Ross and I were en route to the Jazz Festival in Montreal last month, that I made a discovery. Using my foolproof sleuthing method – grilling folks who work in restaurants about their product – I asked the manager at the Keg in downtown Kingston if their fries were frozen. (I was also having a craving for steak that night, an urge that often comes upon me.) As usual, this method proved extremely fruitful. Walking us outside the beef emporium where he works, this helpful young man pointed at a pub across the street, a place he heartily endorsed and where, he noted, many restaurant staff eat after work. I had heard enough. Minutes later, we were seated in white plastic bucket chairs on the crowded patio at The Pilot House being served by a charming waitress called Kristi.

Yes, the fries were indeed home-made and the battered haddock they accompanied was good. Recommendation: Order the half-portion – it’s plenty. Returning the next day for lunch, I ordered meatloaf – excellent. Ross’s cheeseburger pie was good. The garden salad, made with sliced radishes, celery and tomatoes tossed with lettuce was, like all the food here, prepared with care. The dressing I chose, wasabi buttermilk , was delicious.

But the piece de resistance at The Pilot House was pie. Kristi informed me, when quizzed about is origins, that raspberry and blackberry were both baked in-house “by a woman who comes in each morning.” Well, the raspberry pie, with its side-kick of vanilla ice cream, was probably the best I’ve eaten: solid fresh raspberries, barely sweetened if at all and encased in a perfectly flaky, yummy crust made, we were told and not to my surprise, with lard. I’m contemplating a trip to Kingston for another slice but am likely too late for fresh-picked raspberries by now. Still, there’s apple pie to try in late summer!

Filed Under: Sleuthing Tagged With: amadeu, buttermilk, camden town, celery, cheeseburger pie, fish and chip shop, french fries, garden salad, haddock, jazz festival, keg, kensington market, north london, pilot house, plastic bucket, quality oil, restaurant staff, spud, swiss chalet, underground station

Marion Kane, Food Sleuth®

Marion Kane, Food Sleuth®

Get Tasty Updates on the Latest Podcast and Recipes

Related Posts

  • One Pots and Two Zimmermans – Surviving and Thriving in Toronto’s Kensington Market
  • As I Turn 70, Immaturity and Hair Dye Keep me Young
  • I Net the News on Fish and Chips from Humble to Haute, from London To Toronto
  • Cheesecake: My Entrée into Cooking and an Omen of my Culinary Career to Come
  • Save Kensington Market: The Battle is on for my Neighbourhood’s Heart and Soul

Recent Podcasts

  • All You Need is Love – and a Nicely Designed Kitchen

  • Carlos Pereira’s Little Shop Spices Up Kensington Market

  • Haven Toronto Serves up Hot Meals and a Warm Welcome

  • Sean Brock: His Friend Tony, Fatherhood and Fried Chicken

  • Street Nurse Cathy Crowe: A Fearless, Passionate Activist

Recent Blog Posts

  • <span class="hideHome">One Pots and Two Zimmermans – </span>Surviving and Thriving in Toronto’s Kensington Market

  • Delicious Food Memoirs that Entertain and Feed the Soul

  • Recipe for Success – or Failure

  • 20 years on, I’m Still a Fan of Charming Chef Jamie Oliver

  • My Croqueta Quest in Miami

Search the Blog

Marion Kane, Food Sleuth®

Marion Kane has been a leader in the world of food journalism for a few decades. She is an intrepid populist whose work combines social commentary with a consuming passion for all things culinary. For 18 years, she was food editor/columnist for Canada's largest newspaper: the Toronto Star. She lives in Toronto's colourful Kensington Market and is currently a free-wheeling freelance food sleuth®, podcaster, writer and cook.

Connect with Marion

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Spotify
  • TuneIn
  • RSS Feed

Tasty Updates

Get Tasty Updates on the Latest Podcast and Recipes

copyright © 2021 " Marion Kane, Food Sleuth® " web site by nrichmedia