A Weary Traveler's Calming Comfort Food
My wife and I arrived in Toronto after fighting rush hour traffic and immediately went looking for someplace to eat dinner. My wife had researched before the trip and suggested Beast. I agreed that it sounded interesting and concurred. So we walked across downtown to get there.
We caught their $10 Tuesdays special. We ordered 3 different dishes to share, and they came one after another.
We started with the Bistro Greens with Chicharrones, Garlic Scapes, and Wild Ginger. This highly flavorful salad was an excellent starter.
Then we were served the Duck Confit with Hoisin on Green Onion Pancake with Fermented Black Bean and Bonito Flakes. I'd thought that the first dish was good. This was wonderful! The balance of the ingredients emphasized the duck and .... Yum!
And then the Piece de Resistance came. The Gnocchi "poutine" with gravy of the day arrived. I didn't think that they could top the duck, but WOW. My new favorite dish. I asked if they served a heaping mound of this on other days, and they said that there's always some sort of poutine on the menu, and they keep the gnocchi on hand. Wow. I will come back JUST for this.
I had a great wine that we're trying to find elsewhere - 2011 Stanners vineyard Straw House Red.
When I get back to Toronto, I WILL BE BACK!