Temperance be damned: eight of Toronto’s largest restaurant dishes
Temperance be damned: eight of Toronto’s largest restaurant dishes
When it comes to flouting moderation at the dinner table, Toronto may not be Texas, but it definitely has its share of big food. Vegetarians have a few outsize items to choose from—Urban Herbivore’s mega-muffins, the three-inch falafel balls at Tov-Li—but it is meat eaters who have most of the opportunities to attack large portions with primal zeal. We hit the street to find the establishments able to satisfy that deep-seated lust. From upmarket foie gras to a diner’s mile-high burgers, here are eight of Toronto’s biggest restaurant dishes, each begging to be conquered.
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- <u><strong>Dangerous Dan’s Diner</u></strong><br /> The truly overindulgent will want to get their hands on this gem: the Colossal Colon Clogger Combo ($23.95), or the “Quad C” for short. The burger comes complete with a 24-ounce patty, two fried eggs, and a quarter pound each of bacon and cheese. A small poutine and a 24-ounce milkshake accompany as sides. All in all, it’s about five or six pounds of food.<br /> <em><a href="http://www.torontolife.com/guide/restaurants/diner/dangerous-dans/">Dangerous Dan’s Diner</a>, 714 Queen St. E., 416-463-7310. </em>
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- <u><strong>Lone Star Texas Grill</u></strong><br /> This chain restaurant requires a full day’s notice to prepare its mammoth 72-ounce sirloin steak. True to the Texan vibe of the place, the giant piece of meat comes with a challenge: anyone who can finish it (along with the trimmings) in under an hour gets to waive the $55 price tag. But don’t expect a glamour shot on the wall; staff say it’s fairly common, and customers frequently make <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_zWhEWCOAQ">YouTube videos</a> of the feat. Furious Pete, a Toronto-based professional eater, managed to down the half-cow in about seven minutes. <br /> <em>Lone Star Texas Grill, 200 Front St. W., 416-408-4064. </em>
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- <u><strong>Dutch Dreams</u></strong><br /> This monstrous royal Dutch baked Alaska ($20) is basically an ice cream cake covered in lemon meringue, then topped with fruit and almonds. To complete the extravagance, the dessert arrives flaming, set alight with a Jamaican rum flambé. It’s intended for a minimum of two people (though the owner confides that the smallest size could probably feed four to six people).<br /> <em>Dutch Dreams, 78 Vaughan Rd., 416-656-6959.</em>
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- <u><strong>The Corned Beef House</u></strong><br /> These sandwiches come in three absurdly titled sizes: huge, giant and colossal. The colossal rendition of the corned beef sandwich ($15.25) is one of the biggest in the city, with a pound of meat stacked so high that the addition of bread seems a little pointless. <br /> <em>The Corned Beef House, 303 Adelaide St. W., 416-977-2333. </em>
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- <u><strong>Country Style Hungarian Restaurant</u></strong><br /> The six ounces of chicken, veal or pork used to make the schnitzels ($16.95) at this Annex spot may not sound like much, but by the time they are hammered out, dipped in egg and flour, breaded and deep-fried, these cutlets take up most of the real estate on the wooden plates on which they’re served. Enjoy them with nokedli dumplings drizzled with chicken paprikash sauce or some cucumber salad. <br /> <em><a href=" http://www.torontolife.com/guide/restaurants/other-european/country-style/">Country Style Hungarian Restaurant</a>, 450 Bloor St. W., 416-536-5966. </em>
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- <u><strong>Cataplana</u></strong><br /> As tradition dictates, this Portuguese seafood dish comes served in the wok-like copper pan in which it’s cooked. There’s enough shrimp, monkfish, skate, scallops and clams to feed two people. The seafood is simmered together in a tomato-based sauce infused with saffron and vermouth.<br /> <em>Cataplana, 938 College St., 416-538-1562. </em>
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- <u><strong>Gio Rana’s Really Really Nice Restaurant</u></strong><br /> This Leslieville mainstay serves an Italian meatball that’s traditional in every way, except for its girth: it’s about the size of a baseball, packing in over eight ounces of meat ($7.95). The globe of ground veal and pork is served in its own bowl, dressed with tomato sauce and flakes of parmesan cheese. <em>Gio Rana’s Really Really Nice Restaurant, 1220 Queen St. E., 416-469-5225. </em>
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- <u><strong>One</strong></u><br />The entire foie gras that appears on One’s winter menu is meant to be shared between four to six people, but that all depends on one’s appetite and how much one loves the dish. At $120, this delicacy features about a pound of liver that’s roasted whole and accompanied by some slow-braised seasonal fruit and fresh black truffle shaved on the top.<br /><em><a href="http://www.torontolife.com/guide/restaurants/hotel/one/">One</a>, 116 Yorkville Ave., 416-961-9600.</em>
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When it comes to flouting moderation at the dinner table, Toronto may not be Texas, but it definitely has its share of big food. Vegetarians have a few outsize items to choose from—Urban Herbivore’s mega-muffins, the three-inch falafel balls at Tov-Li—but it is meat eaters who have most of the opportunities to attack large portions with primal zeal. We hit the street to find the establishments able to satisfy that deep-seated lust. From upmarket foie gras to a diner’s mile-high burgers, here are eight of Toronto’s biggest restaurant dishes, each begging to be conquered.
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This Burger looks (and sounds) completely disgusting. I just can’t believe people would go out of their way to eat something like this!
Be careful – I ate there (not this exact burger) and there were cockroaches on the table. This burger may have more than meets the eye.
When is this stupid trend going to go away?