Monday, April 28, 2008

CORNED BEEF - A FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD

Living in small-town British Columbia for 15 years had very few drawbacks for me. I love the small-town life. And the two places where I lived in BC, Squamish and The Okanagan, had everything I needed close by. But not everything I wanted was available.

One of my favorite comfort foods is corned beef on rye. In all the time I lived in BC, I didn't have one corned beef sandwich. That's fifteen years without corned beef!! Now, It wasn't because corned beef wasn't available. It was. But they don't make corned beef sandwiches in the areas I lived they way I remember having them in Toronto; warm and piled a mile high. And that's the only way to eat corned beef! It has to be served on rye bread with yellow mustard, coleslaw and a pickle too. Everyone knows that!

So, the other night Lola decided to bring dinner home. I didn't know what she was bringing; it was a surprise. She walked in with a single brown bag and I could smell a familiar smell coming from within it. I wouldn't let her open the bag until I guessed the smell. It registered in my mind instantly, but it took a moment for the light to go on. DING! Corned beef!

I have to say...eating that sandwich was pretty amazing. It was just a corned beef sandwich, yes, but it was also a connection. It was a connection to the past and to something I enjoyed a long time ago. It was also a connection to my dad because he was the one who usually took me for corned beef at Shopsey's when I was a kid. He's dead now, so it was a nice memory for me.

Anyway, I looked on Chowhound for the best corned beef places in Toronto after that. That opened the door for the "experts" to tell me that we can't get good corned beef in Canada and that I'd have to go to New York for the real deal. "Yadda, yadda, quack, quack, quack." Whatever! I was quite happy with Lola's find, and she found it just for me and that made it taste even better.

She did a little research on the Net and found The Corned Beef House at 303 Adelaide West. The sandwich was perfect and I can't say as I've ever had better, New York or not! I'm looking forward to going in to have a sandwich and a cold beer in the restaurant soon rather than taking it to go. I'm also looking forward to trying some of their other menu items. Here's a link to The Corned Beef House's web site: http://cornedbeefhouse.com/

One thing I know: I'm going to introduce my kids to a big, fat corned beef sandwich at The Corned Beef House soon and I hope it will become a favorite of theirs. It's so simple yet so perfect!

3 comments:

Sheena Rae said...

Mmmmm.... i LOVE a great corned beef sandwich but I was introduced to it by having a reuben - Rye bread, saurkraut and swiss cheese grilled to perfection much like that of a grilled cheese sandwich. I am salivating just thinking about it!

Livingston Cooks said...

Yeah...a Reuben is a close second for me too. I love sauerkraut and mustard together with corned beef. The flavors combined are as good as anything else out there!

Another thing I have missed while in BC is the hot dogs and sausages sold by Toronto street vendors. They are simple foods, but again, hit them with a little kraut and mustard and your into a good treat.

Perhaps when you get here from Australia we can take you out on a Toronto eating tour. That would be fun! I have a lot of places to hit myself and I am always looking for the best samples of Toronto cuisine.

Kait and Garret are coming to visit me for the May long weekend. I haven't been able to have them here yet because I've been working most weekends, so I'm really happy they're coming. I hope to have you here to see them when you arrive.

Let me know when you get here and we can make arrangements to get together.

Marko

Sheena Rae said...

Mmm... street meat hot dogs! They definately don't have hot dogs or sausages for that matter down under! Not even oscar mayer!

I am definately looking forward to a Toronto taste tour when I get back home! Or the Taste of the Danforth is in August I believe and I will be home for that! That's always good fun!

I am looking forward to meeting the kiddies as well... I speak to Kait every so often on the computer and its nice to see how things are and attempt to build that relationship again!

I am so excited for the cuisine back home, but can you believe it is Kool-Aid and KD that I miss the most! Shocking I know!