Thread: Do you know of any good Chinese restaurants in Toronto?

On Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:33:54 -0500, Moby_Nick wrote:

> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?

Panda Express.

-sw

Sqwertz wrote:
> Moby_Nick wrote:
>
>> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
>> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
>> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
>> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?
>
> Panda Express.

As Michael Boucher pointed out there are entire regions and classes of
Chinese food. It's like asking what's the best "European" food place in
a city. Warsaw style Polish food and Milan style Italian food are both
European but I might not want to bother with a place that just called
itself "European".

That said, for someone who has never tried any of the regional styles at
all before there's good sense in pointing them to a place that is rather
generic across regional styles, fairly Americanized, and has low prices.
Panda Express does fit that description. How about we think of it as a
"gateway food" to the real thing? ;^) Next step would be a mom and pop
shop place that might say Mandarin or Cantonese on their menu.

Then go downtown for the real regional places. Toronto has those but
they aren't what I would recommend to someone who's never tried any of
the regional styles at all before.

Doug Freyburger <[email protected]> wrote in news:ivsfgh$4ui$1
@dont-email.me:

> As Michael Boucher

Who's that?

--

"War is the terrorism of the rich and powerful and
terrorism is the war of the poor and powerless."

Peter Ustinov

> On Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:33:54 -0500, Moby_Nick wrote:
>
> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?

Toronto has a fabulous China Town with many excellent restaurants. We
haven't been there in a lot of years but I do recall one that had Peking
Duck on the menu without having to special order it in advance. The
restaurant specialized in it so you might try to Google "Peking Duck in
Toronto" or a similar query.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

On 15/07/2011 8:33 PM, Moby_Nick wrote:
> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?
>


Do you live in Toronto are are you just going there to eat Chinese food?
If you live there, you could probably get a better recommendation from
your friends and neighbours. There are several Chinatowns in Toronto.

On Jul 15, 5:33 pm, jamie.sar...@yahoo-dot-com.no-spam.invalid
(Moby_Nick) wrote:
> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?

Solicit recommendations from family and friends and at the same time
try to arrange a dinner party. Chinese food is more enjoyable with a
large group (think six or eight) than for a single or couple because
typically you order dishes 'for the table' rather than individually.
Then you get to share, and try a number of different dishes rather
than one or two.

Chinese food may be grouped by regions, with distinct, albeit
overlapping, characteristics. Think about what kinds of food you
like and perhaps that might lead you to search for a particular kind
of restaurant. Do you like seafood? Fresh vegetables? Light
seasoning that aims to draw out the intrinsic goodnesss of the
ingredients? Then look for a Cantonese place. Or maybe you want
those things perked up with a bit of vinegar or sugar or wine? Maybe
a Shanghainese place would suit you better. You much prefer noodles
and wheat to rice? Prefer lamb and pork to chicken and seafood? A
northern style or Mandarin restaurant might suit your tastes. Then
again, if you really like hot and spicy food with fresh or dried chile
peppers, you'd do better with a Sichuan (aka Szechuan) or Hunan place,
which may also offer some terrific smoked dishes.

These are just general guidelines with many, many exceptions. It's an
interesting thing to think about. I've never met anyone weird enough
to have never had Chinese food. I'm thinking you're 14 and haven't
got out much yet....... -aem

On 2011-07-16, Moby_Nick <[email protected]> wrote:

> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?

You might try hanging out on rfc chat, for awhile. Anna often shows
up and she knows all the good places.

nb

On 16/07/2011 3:28 PM, notbob wrote:
> On 2011-07-16, Moby_Nick<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
>> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
>> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?
>
> You might try hanging out on rfc chat, for awhile. Anna often shows
> up and she knows all the good places.


I sorta got the impression that Anna prefers other types of cuisine and
only goes for Chinese food with her parents because it is their preference.


I have to treat Moby's post with a little skepticism because I am quite
familiar with Toronto and it has a significant Chinese population. There
had been a small Chinatown there for years, but over the last few
decades it has rapidly grown and several more have sprouted up. FWIW,
the greater Toronto area had a population of 5.5 million and more than
11% are Chinese. There is certainly no shortage of Chinese restaurants
in the city.

The guy popped in and posted three messages in a very short time. One of
them is asking people in an international forum for a good Chinese
restaurant in Toronto because he has never had Chinese food before. I
don't really expect him to come back to check for answers.

On 16 Jul 2011 19:28:56 GMT, notbob wrote:

> On 2011-07-16, Moby_Nick <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
>> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
>> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?
>
> You might try hanging out on rfc chat, for awhile. Anna often shows
> up and she knows all the good places.

Sheesh, you really are hard up for chat. Meds getting you down?

-sw

On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:03:32 -0400, blake murphy wrote:

> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 04:01:01 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:33:54 -0500, Moby_Nick wrote:
>>
>>> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
>>> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
>>> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
>>> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?
>>
>> Panda Express.
>
> now, now. don't be mean just because he seems a bit of a dope.

You always have a way with words, blake :-)

But it was an honest answer <ahem>. It just SEEMS sarcastic coming
from me. Never mind that they don't have a Panda Express anywhere in
Canada - I checked before I posted.

-sw

Moby_Nick wrote:
>
> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?

Toronto has one of the finast Chinatowns in the western hemisphere.
Eateries are all good, just depends what you want to eat... American
Chinese/Chinese Chinese... I wish I lived closer, I'd probably never
cook again.

On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:08:31 -0500, Sqwertz <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:03:32 -0400, blake murphy wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 04:01:01 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:
>>
>>> On Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:33:54 -0500, Moby_Nick wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
>>>> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
>>>> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
>>>> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?
>>>
>>> Panda Express.
>>
>> now, now. don't be mean just because he seems a bit of a dope.
>
>You always have a way with words, blake :-)
>
>But it was an honest answer <ahem>. It just SEEMS sarcastic coming
>from me. Never mind that they don't have a Panda Express anywhere in
>Canada - I checked before I posted.
>
>-sw

But there is King's Buffet.
www.kingsbuffet.com/
Tried their location in Cambridge once and experienced what was, in my
opinion, the blandest, most insipid, steam table food imaginable.
Just checked and, unfortunately for Moby, they do NOT have a location
in Toronto. I imagine TO's Chinese population would probably run them
out if they tried to establish there.

Ross.

On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 17:59:48 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:

> Toronto has one of the finast Chinatowns in the western hemisphere.
> Eateries are all good, just depends what you want to eat... American
> Chinese/Chinese Chinese... I wish I lived closer, I'd probably never
> cook again.

Whoa re you trying to kid? You never go out to eat. You're afraid of
people spitting in your food. I haven't heard that rant for years -
but you know you're still super-paranoid about it.

-sw

On 7/16/2011 8:49 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 17:59:48 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>
>> Toronto has one of the finast Chinatowns in the western hemisphere.
>> Eateries are all good, just depends what you want to eat... American
>> Chinese/Chinese Chinese... I wish I lived closer, I'd probably never
>> cook again.
>
> Whoa re you trying to kid? You never go out to eat. You're afraid of
> people spitting in your food. I haven't heard that rant for years -
> but you know you're still super-paranoid about it.
>
> -sw

The best part is for some odd reason he calls himself "Brooklyn1" and
doesn't even realize there are now 3 Chinatowns in NYC and things are
quite different than when he was there. And there are gems in NYC
outside those Chinatowns including one in Brighton that features the
cuisine of Xianjiang or the fantastic Sichuan place we go to in
Bensonhurst. Lots different than the egg foo yung of Sheldens days there.

On 7/16/2011 7:30 PM, Ross@home wrote:
> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:08:31 -0500, Sqwertz<[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:03:32 -0400, blake murphy wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 04:01:01 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:33:54 -0500, Moby_Nick wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
>>>>> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
>>>>> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
>>>>> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?
>>>>
>>>> Panda Express.
>>>
>>> now, now. don't be mean just because he seems a bit of a dope.
>>
>> You always have a way with words, blake :-)
>>
>> But it was an honest answer<ahem>. It just SEEMS sarcastic coming
>>from me. Never mind that they don't have a Panda Express anywhere in
>> Canada - I checked before I posted.
>>
>> -sw
>
> But there is King's Buffet.
> www.kingsbuffet.com/
> Tried their location in Cambridge once and experienced what was, in my
> opinion, the blandest, most insipid, steam table food imaginable.
> Just checked and, unfortunately for Moby, they do NOT have a location
> in Toronto. I imagine TO's Chinese population would probably run them
> out if they tried to establish there.

Chinese food is not really low fat in general and Panda Express is
more fatty than most tho' it doesn't taste all that bad.

--


James Silverton, Potomac

I'm *not* [email protected]

On 7/16/2011 9:10 PM, James Silverton wrote:
> On 7/16/2011 7:30 PM, Ross@home wrote:
>> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:08:31 -0500, Sqwertz<[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:03:32 -0400, blake murphy wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 04:01:01 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:33:54 -0500, Moby_Nick wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
>>>>>> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
>>>>>> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
>>>>>> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?
>>>>>
>>>>> Panda Express.
>>>>
>>>> now, now. don't be mean just because he seems a bit of a dope.
>>>
>>> You always have a way with words, blake :-)
>>>
>>> But it was an honest answer<ahem>. It just SEEMS sarcastic coming
>>> from me. Never mind that they don't have a Panda Express anywhere in
>>> Canada - I checked before I posted.
>>>
>>> -sw
>>
>> But there is King's Buffet.
>> www.kingsbuffet.com/
>> Tried their location in Cambridge once and experienced what was, in my
>> opinion, the blandest, most insipid, steam table food imaginable.
>> Just checked and, unfortunately for Moby, they do NOT have a location
>> in Toronto. I imagine TO's Chinese population would probably run them
>> out if they tried to establish there.
>
> Chinese food is not really low fat in general and Panda Express is more
> fatty than most tho' it doesn't taste all that bad.
>
Panda Express makes good lo mein. The rest of their food is not so
good, IMHO.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:08:54 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:

> Panda Express makes good lo mein. The rest of their food is not so
> good, IMHO.

I don't thin I've ever eaten there. I stopped there late one night
and all they had were pan scrapings left and didn't seem interested in
making anything else. So that was that.

Didn't they used to not have steam tables? I seem to remember
ordering from a menu and they would cook it up quick on a open
kitchen. There was some fast food place like this in a couple
locations in Columbus OH that I liked.

-sw

On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:08:31 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:

> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:03:32 -0400, blake murphy wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 04:01:01 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:
>>
>>> On Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:33:54 -0500, Moby_Nick wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
>>>> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
>>>> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
>>>> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?
>>>
>>> Panda Express.
>>
>> now, now. don't be mean just because he seems a bit of a dope.
>
> You always have a way with words, blake :-)
>
> But it was an honest answer <ahem>. It just SEEMS sarcastic coming
> from me. Never mind that they don't have a Panda Express anywhere in
> Canada - I checked before I posted.
>
> -sw

then in that case it's good advice. 'there's no panda express. maybe you
could try this.'

your pal,
blake

Moby_Nick wrote:
> I have never tried Chinese food (yeah, weird I know) and I would like
> to try some. But since I am a weird person, I would like to get some
> recommendations first...do any of you know about any really good
> Chinese restaurant in Toronto?
>
> Thanks

I have heard, over the years, two recommendations for finding good
Chinese food. The first one makes sense - look for places with Chinese
diners sitting in the seats and eating the food. The second, and this
makes perfect sense to me because of my upbringing, is to look in Jewish
neighborhoods. My parents were always big fans of Chinese food.

-S-