Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives recap: Caplansky’s edition
Guy Fieri wrapped up his too-brief tour of Toronto last week with a visit to Zane Caplansky’s College Street deli. The frosted-tipped host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives heaved great approving sighs when he tasted Caplansky’s trademark smoked meat, and was pretty excited too about the shop’s extensive use of schmaltz (“You gotta love it!”). Indeed, Caplansky’s over-sized knish and kitchen manager Patrick Berrigan’s aw-shucks demeanour provided Fieri with endless banter—until a sweet, precocious tyke rendered him speechless with his spot-on analysis of what made the maple bacon doughnuts work so well: “it’s the nice mixture of maple syrup and bacon, with the sweet dough.” After last week’s groan-inducing crack about the meaning of Canadian Thanksgiving and Fieri’s earlier maple syrup–related hesitation, we’re happy to report that he managed to finish his Toronto trip on a high note, joshing Berrigan for his use of “eh” and being pleasantly surprised by the winning flavour combination of maple with bacon. Oh, Canada.
The Place: Caplansky’s Delicatessen
The Chef: kitchen manager Patrick Berrigan (with a little help from Zane Caplansky too, of course)
The Food Porn: Smoked meat (from spice rub to brining, smoking and slicing), a knish and maple bacon doughnuts (including a segment on curing beef bacon).
Best Quotes: • Fieri: “If you’re a fan of delis, and I’m talking old-school, Jewish-style deli’s, and you’re cruising through Toronto, Canada, don’t worry, they got a joint for ya. It’s right here, at Caplansky’s. • A customer: “You don’t take little bites at Caplansky’s.” • A slightly flummoxed Fieri, on the maple bacon flavour combo: “It’s not what I was expecting.” • A customer, on the knish: “It’s just like my Bubbie used to make.” • Fieri on the unexpected size of the knish: “I’ve dubbed it the King Kong of knish”; “That’s as big as my head! ...don’t say anything.”; “This is like knish gone wild!”
