The Stockyards Smokehouse and Larder

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I have been meaning to get up to The Stockyards Smokehouse and Larder up on St. Clair West.  Let’s face it, us west enders try not to go that far north if we can help it.  But since I am on holidays, a trip was in order.

As per The Stockyards website:

‘The Stockyards is the modern day interpretation of the family diner/ BBQ joint! We offer reverently prepared renditions of comfort food and diner classics, from our 48hr. brined and marinated fried chicken, as well as authentic wood smoked Carolina style BBQ. The Stockyards respectfully embraces traditional methods of dry curing, aging, and smoking that require time and patience. We hope you enjoy our effort as we are honored to have you grace our restaurant.’

So yes, don’t go to The Stockyards with your hipster vegetarian mates.  This shop is the real deal and mouth watering yummy.

When I popped into their location, just a shave before 5 p.m. to take advantage of their BBQ Ribs and Chicken offer – the young lady at the till advised me that the ribs were just out of the oven and ready for purchase.  She seemed a bit snippy, not sure what that was about…but whatever.  Yes, meat!  Apparently, I hear that it gets pretty busy after 6 p.m. The BBQ Ribs and Chicken runs on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays only at 5 p.m..

You can get a:

Whole Rack $26.00

Half Rack (Pork) $14.00

Pit Smoked Whole Chicken $14.00

½ Chicken $8.00

I opted for the Half Rack and ½ chicken along with fries that were added to as a combo for an additional $2.50.

I was starving by the time I got home and couldn’t wait for some proper protein.  The food was still warm.  The chicken was juicy and tasted like summer.  You knew that taste – a properly cooked chicken that tastes like its been roasting lovingly in a bbq pit and evenly smoked for hours.  Every bite was a snapshot into ecstasy.

The ribs were decadent too.  Do you know when you bite into some ribs they taste really fatty, and there is not enough meat coverage on the bone?  It’s so disappointing and you start feeling ripped off because you paid some proper coin for some bones.  I may as well give it to my dog to naw on.  Not at The Stockyards.  These ribs were thick with meat.  Since they were still warm, the meat was practically falling off the bone.  I’m not even kidding!  The meat stacked onto the bone was greater than the actual bone at times.  It tasted sweet, rich and my measure is if I feel like I need a nap after a meal – it’s been a good meal.  This was one of these times.

I wasn’t a fan of the bbq sauce they added to my order.  It tasted a bit ordinary.  When I dumped some onto my ribs at one point – I regretted it after the first bite.

The fries were okay.  I was actually expecting more.  The next time I’ll skip the fries portion of the evening.

Also a little bit better packing of my order would have been nicer.  The juices and liquids had dripped out of the paper bag into the fabric recyclable bag I carried my order in on my way home.  Which was disappointing.  Nothing worse when you take your order out of a paper bag and it’s leaked on everything from the day.  A plastic bag maybe a better choice in presentation and product delivery Stockyards.

Overall a positive experience and was worth the one hour subway ride to the north west of Toronto.  By the way, that order gave me three nights worth of dinner.

The Stockyards Smokehouse and Larder

699 St.Clair Ave. W, Toronto M6C 1B2

PHONE:  416 658 9666   

http://www.thestockyards.ca

Boston Chocolate Tours: BOSTON CHOCOLATE TOUR OF THE SOUTH END

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One of the best parts of my trip to Boston last November was the Boston Chocolate Tour I took of the South End of Boston.  It was such a blast and I got to meet some cool people too.  I love taking off the beaten track tours when I travel.  It gives me a real flavour of the neighbourhoods and a grass roots take from its locals.

The November Fall weather made for a lovely jaunt around town and the eating of crazy amounts of chocolate from some pretty swish boutique cafes and shops whilst I was on holiday.  On the tour be ready to pick up plenty of samples on the way, plus tips on tasting, buying and storing fine chocolate.  Each participant also receives a VIP Card, good for discounts and VIP treatment at local gourmet businesses.

I was glad that the leader gave us a Ziploc bag that came along with my goodie bag at the start of our journey.  I came with a full belly but man I can eat only so much chocolate.  I’m glad I saved the lion’s share of the samples.  They came to good use when I was able to eat them for dinner on my flight back to Toronto.    Holla!

BOSTON CHOCOLATE TOUR OF THE SOUTH END runs on Saturdays at 2:00PM

 The exclusive 2 ½-hour walking tour highlights the historic South End neighborhood. This area is home to elegant Victorian brick row houses, many dating from the 1800s, and one of the most diverse populations in Boston.

Some of the destinations we visited were:

 •Feature stop: ChocoLee  – this award winning chocolate shop is owned by Lee Napoli one of Yankee Magazine’s Top 5 Chocolate Makers

 •Enjoy chocolate heaven in the form of a homemade Oreo at a bakery owned by Celebrity Chef Joanne Chang

 •Yelp reviews call this hidden spot’s “chocolate chip cookies” to die for

 •A neighborhood landmark restaurant with a celebrity chef shares their special chocolate martini during their pajama brunch

 •The best homemade chocolate ice cream in Boston can be found at this Pizza restaurant

 •Enjoy cupcakes named The Madison, The Harriet and The Simon voted “The Best of Boston” by the Improper Bostonian

 •Rosie’s Bakery is not in the South End but their famous chocolate orgasm is and we know where to find and sample it.

The Boston Chocolate Tour of the South End meets on Saturday afternoon’s at 2:00PM at Code 10, 1638 Washington Street in Boston’s South End. The walk itself is moderate and it ends near the Boston Center for the Arts.

My favourite spot on the chocolate walking tour was a stop at the world renowned Flour Bakery.  The homemade Oreo Cookie were to die for and the gluten free brownies were enough to put me into diabetic shock.  I’m glad I indulged on the trip early on because tons of walking was needed to work that decadence off. 

I even found the book ‘Flour’ by Joanne Chang that housed the recipes for these two gorgeous creations.  It retails for $35.00 USD from Chronicle Books.  Check it out here:

‘Flour’ by Joanne Chang $35.00 USD from Chronicle Books

Advance tickets required for any of the Boston Chocolate Tours – tour size is limited to 14.  Check them out here:  http://www.bostonchocolatetours.com/tours/

Thank you to Victoria and Veronique for such a fun and highly educated chocolate walking tour!

Yours,

Mel xo

Starbucks Holiday

Starbucks Skinny Peppermint Mocha

I was in Starbucks today picking up one of their Skinny Peppermint Mocha’s.  Have you had one?  It’s a yum treat for a mid afternoon pick me up.  The skinny is a lighter version of the traditional Peppermint Mocha. A perfect treat with 100 calories in a Tall.  It’s a combination of espresso, steamed non-fat milk, skinny mocha sauce and sugar-free peppermint flavoured syrup.  How much did it cost?  Well almost the price of a meal; at $4.50 Canadian.   I noticed Starbucks also had a Tall Eggnog Latte and Tall Caramel Brulee Latte for the same price.  If you want a lil Christmas cheer – give them a try and let me know your thoughts!

Starbucks Cake Pop Kit

The power of Starbucks merchandising beckoned me to their Seasonal Gift Shelf before I left the store.  I found a cute Starbucks® Cake Pop Kit which sure is a gimmick but the more I looked at the packaging I thought it could make a nice alternative to a candy cane to adorn gift bags this year.

 The Starbucks Cake Pop Kit contains all of the ingredients you’ll need to make 12 cake pops: vanilla cake mix, vanilla frosting, peppermint candy toppings and most importantly, the sticks. (You’ll also need water, oil and an egg.) Step-by-step instructions are included. The Starbucks® Cake Pop Kit comes in a ready-to-gift holiday package, trimmed with a holly ribbon.  It makes 12 pops and costs $9.95.  Oh yes, it’s time to start my holiday baking! 

Tamra Davis Cooking Show

Pfft, I’m not even remotely a fab of cooking shows but man do I love creeping Tamra Davis’ cooking show through her website http://www.tamradaviscookingshow.com/ .

It’s pure Beastie Boy porn.  Yes, Beastie Boys.  Tamra is married to Mike D.  This afternoon I’ve been watching countless shorts about Tamra making Linguine and Clams, Cookies and the like for the hope we’ll bump into Mike D.  Oh yes, and he does make super sweet appearances.

Plus their kids are cute too.  I’m a pretty decent cook and baker – I don’t do loads of it but you know maybe I should start doing a lil more baking again.  The hols are coming and hey what’s another 15 minutes on a treadmill between friends?

Mel xo

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The holidays are coming up and for those faithful followers to my blog, I would like to post out a sweet gift as a thank you in December!

If your a fan of my blog and already subscribed…Thank you!  Expect a gift in the post! Just e-mail me your mailing address by making a comment on any of my posts.  Better yet e-mail me at thirtyfourflavours@gmail.com

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Yours in fashion,

Mel xo