….To eat with us.
Nola Schmucker had an ability to make pies like no other. In 1948 she and her husband opened Schmucker's Dairy Bar. Serving the fine folks of Toledo ice cream and her delicious home made pies. Their son Allen would peddle his bike around the neighbourhood selling ice cream novelties to the locals. Eventually Allen would dedicate his life to the family business which would go on to become Schmucker's Restaurant. A basic, no frills diner serving scratch cooking for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
While Allen's kids would work the restaurant all through high school, it would be Doug who would take over and become the third generation behind the counter.
Some of the things I love most about places like this are the big neon signs out front and the feel inside. These classic signs from yesteryear have gone the way of the dinosaur. The chrome stools and phone booth inside are original and for the most part, everything is as it has been for decades. There's a certain charm that comes with that kind of tradition.
Schmucker's has always been about family dining. Even employees are treated as one of their own. All wear name tags and how long they've been a "Family member." For some, it's "Since 2010." Others, such as Doug himself, has a tag that says "Since birth."
The diner is a fairly inconspicuous box in the Reynolds Corners neighbourhood of Toledo. Were it not for the sign, you may miss it. Inside it's all diner. Counter seating, booths, open kitchen and of course, a dessert cabinet that looks more like a trophy case. 
That's where Doug keeps his pies. And make no mistake, this place was built on those pies. So well known, so good, so in demand it's not unheard of for them to "whip up" nearly 2,000 of them around Thanksgiving. All from their main kitchen in the back. There’s a standard line up with "Doug’s Pie of the Week" rounding things out.
They say man can not live on pie alone (though I'm willing to try) so the rest of the menu better deliver. Let me tell you, it does and then some.
I ordered a side of chili. It was nice but nothing mind blowing. I found it rich in tomatoey goodness and chili spice but seemed to lack some balance. A little Tabasco helped with that. The acidity and heat provided perked it up. While it's not the best I've had it's a good solid bowl of red none the less and as such, enjoyable.
Mrs. Sippi, as you can imagine, was all over the Hot Beef Platter. A gravy enveloped roast beef sandwich on white bread with mashed potatoes. The picture on the menu was inviting. What arrived at the table was mouthwatering. It hit on all points. Gravy; nice and rich. Beef; Beefy and tender. Bread; Just there to provide structure. Mashed Potatoes; Creamy and flavourful. If all that wasn’t enough, the horseradish was potent. Seriously, this stuff is not for the timid. Use it respectfully. Just a fabulous dish.
My Dagwood was more or less a Club without the chicken or a BLT with ham. It also had a fried egg on it. Either way you (ahem) slice it, it was great. It was just one of those satisfying, “Comfortable old shoe” type foods. Calling it a "safe bet" doesn’t do it justice but that’s what it is. It’s not sexy in anyway, shape or form. It’s just a terrific sandwich.
The fries were a bit undercooked and as such, underwhelming. They’re fresh cut and tasted great but were a little too flaccid and a few were al dente. Next time I'll order ‘em well done.
It would be nice if everything was made in house at every restaurant. Sometimes this is not possible. That doesn’t mean it can’t be good though. Take for instance the Perch Sandwich. Unless you have the ability to buy a large piece of whole fish daily and cut to order, you’re best off with frozen. Fish and seafood deteriorate as such a rapid level, IQF is the way to go. Here, locally caught Perch from Lake Erie is enveloped in a crunch, tasty batter. Encasing the delicate tasting and creamy fish. Topped with mayo, lettuce and tomato on a dinner roll it’s one fine sandwich.
I added a nice pile of Hash Browns (with onion) on the side and they were quite satisfactory.
Now for the pies.
Mrs. Sippi went with the Cherry Crumb. It’s tough to say that this is the best cherry pie I’ve had. All the others have been the traditional double crust type. This has your typical “Crumble” on top and it adds a dimension that’s really difficult to beat. The balance of sweet to tart from the cherries was perfect. It was spectacular.
A long standing tradition is the use of the term “Scutterbotch” which in Schmuckerese means Butterscotch. One of their more popular pies is the Scutterbotch and it’s easy to understand why. Delicious butterscotch pudding under a pile of whipped cream and caramel drizzle.
Being the gigantic chocolate fiend I am there was no way I could turn down something named Triple Chocolate Indulgence. I would however be lying if I said it was everything I hoped it would be. It was just that much better. The crust is nothing special but it’s really just an exoskeleton for the most part. On the bottom is chocolate pudding topped with chocolate mousse and garnished with hunks of chocolate brownie. I know, right?? Well, I took a couple bites and was utterly blown away. Ya see those coloured streaks in the mousse?? Well those are M&M’s. Totally unfair!!
So there you have it folks. A fantastic little family diner serving all your favourites.
You can find Schmucker’s at 2013 N. Reynolds Rd, Toledo, Oh.
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You can also find them on the web and facebook.
Well that’s all for now folks, we’ll see you next time in the food court.
It can be a little bit like winning the lottery. You have an idea for a restaurant, open the doors and are instantly inundated with customers. Or can it? Too much too soon can kill a place. Service, quality and ultimately reputation suffer.
In December of 2011, Banh Mi Boys opened up and were, lets face it, overwhelmed. Far too popular for them to keep up they shut their doors and regrouped. A complete overhaul of service and space occurred. They reopened a couple months later and were off to the races. As popular again they’ve tidied up the store and tightened up their chops.
The brainchild of David, Peter and Phillip Chau, the brothers come by their abilities honestly. Their parents opened the very successful Nguyen Huong Food Co. back in 1986 and now have multiple locations in the GTA as well as their own bakery. The boys plan was to, for all intents and purposes, serve food truck foods out of a store. Popular mobile kitchen goodies like Korean Tacos and nouveau Vietnamese Subs are selling like hot cakes from curbside vendors south of the boarder. They wanted to bring that same food flair to the Big Smoke. From their little sandwich shop on Queen St. W they’re doing banh mi, tacos and bao along with fries and salad. All with their unique spin on things.
The renovation has given the boys a spiffy, east meets west, old meets new interior. Barn board, mixed with Formica meets Oriental lanterns and technology. Splashy paint on some walls, reclaimend wood on others. Menus on flat screens are there too but the best thing they got out of the reno was tables. Once a grab n go place it now has seating for 20 or so. There’s a main kitchen in the back and an open kitchen/prep station at the back of the long, thin dining room.
Those kitchens are where all the magic happens. Everything is made in house. All sauces, breads, condiments and proteins are made on site. Heck they even have their own little smoker. Slightly bigger than a mini fridge it’s perfect for a college dorm room.
So lets get a look at these goodies.
Perhaps my least favourite thing first on menu is the Jicima/Papaya salad. It’s very good but for me, nothing all that mind blowing. I actually think it would be amazing as a sandwich condiment. It has a lot more going on than do chua. It comes with an Asian salad dressing and I think I probably used too much of it. I really kinda drowned it. I’d order it again but as I said, it’s not my favourite thing here.
The Kimchi Fries were simply fantastic. Fries covered in mayo, pulled pork and kimchi. Garnished with green onion. The whole dish was great and really did scream drunk food. Broken down I found that pulled pork to be among the best smoked pork shoulder anywhere. Also, the fries on their own are some of the best I've had in the city. If not anywhere. They held up very well (both in terms of flavour and crispiness) to the components above and had a great potato taste. The kimchi tasted pretty much exactly like what my friend's Korean wife's family makes. I have 2 small complaints though. First off, the kimchi was cold. By the time I got half way through it had warmed to room temp and I much preferred it then. Perhaps that was because I was there right after they opened it was fresh out of the fridge. Also, I'd like to have seen a touch more pulled pork on them. Not a whole lot more would be needed but the smoky, porky flavour could've used just a bit more punch.
The 5 Spice Pork Belly Banh Mi was nicely packed with all the requisite goodies. Cucumber, cilantro, and do chua. They add sliced pickled radish and a nice helping of the pig tummy. I told the girl to make it (spice level) like she'd have it since she likes hot stuff. She gave me "Hot" and it was perfect. I could handle hotter but this was the right heat level. Enough to light up the taste buds without drowning anything out. On it's own the pig tummy was fabulous. Tender, tasty and not overwhelmed with the 5 Spice. Complimented and allowed the porky goodness to shine.
The Squid Taco is worthy of it’s praise. A friend and fellow food nut is totally in love with this and it’s easy to see why. The squid rings are perfectly cooked. Breaded with panko they’re deep fried to the point of golden brown but not so much that the meat turns into tires. Topped with do chua, cabbage and cilantro, then add some minced Thai chilies it’s incredible. Don’t let the picture fool you. There’s squid rings under that there vegetation. Plenty of it too.
The Grilled Chicken Taco is, so far, definitely my favourtie thing on the menu. Grilled and sauced chicken that’s totally tasty. I think the tortilla was flavourful enough but very nicely grilled and somewhat hearty. The meat was saucy (some say too saucy) which, as I've said before, is right in my wheelhouse. The vegetation on it was a good compliment of taste, temps and textures. I could eat a hundred of these.
The Fried Chicken Bao is often cited as a favourite of people and there’s good reason. It’s awesome. While bao isn’t exactly my favourite bread it’s okay but what they stuff inside is what makes this sandwich. It’s dressed much like the banh mi so you know that’s a huge plus. The big thing is, one of the best pieces of fried chicken stars. A thin piece of breast meat in a fabulous breading is deep fried to perfection. The chicken is nice and juicy while the breading gets a golden brown, crunchiness. Simply fantastic.
So there you have it folks. A great little sandwich shop churning out some cool twists on traditional favourites.
You can find Banh Mi Boys Sandwich Shop at 392 Queen St. W. in Toronto.
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You can also find them on the web, facebook and Twitter.
Well that’s all for now folks. See ya next time in the food court.
Davwud
As I had mentioned before, conquest is good for the food scene. When one nation occupies another, new foods develop. Indigenous ingredients are introduced to old world recipes and old world ingredients are incorporated into local recipes. One of the best results of this fusion is the Banh Mi.
Also knows as a Vietnamese Sub, Hoagie or Po’ Boy the Banh Mi is just about the perfect sandwich. One part French and one part Vietnamese this South Asian offering is a cheap and tasty treat.
In the middle of the 19th century, the French started colonizing South Asia in what would become French Indochina. The local Viet peoples would be introduced to a variety of French delicacies including pate and the baguette. The addition of local ingredients would give birth to a whole new sandwich based loosely on the French “Salad Sandwich.”
The basic recipe consists of the bread with butter or mayo, a smear of pate, fish or soy sauce, cilantro, cucumber and do chua. A pickled salad of shredded carrots and daikon (a type of radish). That said, any of these ingredients can be omitted. (except the bread of course) The addition of grilled chicken, BBQ pork, sausage or a number of other protein are the variables. You can also get breakfast and veggie options as well.
One of the best I’ve had is the deluxe “Thit Nguoi” (assorted cold cuts) from Rose Cafe in Toronto’s East Chinatown.
Rose’s place is a small cafe/grocery store specializing in Vietnamese fast foods and deserts. Sandwiches, spring rolls and banana leaf wrapped delicacies are interspersed with South Asian dry goods and even DVD’s.
Whenever I’m in the Leslieville/Cabbagetown area it’s my go to snack stop.
But enough about that, on to the sandwich.
My order, “Deluxe Spicy” is just about the perfect sandwich. The heat of the chilies balanced with the cooling of the cucumber. The richness of the pate played off against the cilantro. The sweet and sour of the do chua. The tasty, salty meats in harmony with the bread. It’s a masterpiece.
The components are broken down as follows. Starting from the ground up…..
The bread is a light baguette made from rice and wheat flours. The resulting thin, crispy crust can end up making quite the bread crumb mess if even if you’re careful.
Rose uses butter (not mayo) when making hers and then some pate is added.
Next come the meats. To a certain degree it’s mystery meat. Typically though, ham, chicken breast and pork roll are used but some places add head cheese. Rose does not.
If I were to take one thing that I just couldn’t live without it’s the do chua. This slaw like garnish as just about as tasty as it can be. The sweetness of the carrot with the pungent daikon and the tart pickling is fantastic. The balance in this garnish is a microcosm of the sandwich it’s self.
The cucumber adds a nice coolness and a bit of crunch.
Enough hot peppers are added to liven it up before fresh cilantro provides a fresh taste and some more crunch.
As great as all this is, you just can’t beat the price either. Just $2.50 will secure one of these beauties for you and that’s actually expensive. Somewhere in the $2.00 range is usual but the extra cold cuts jack the price up slightly. More than worth the money.
You can find Rose Cafe at 324 Broadview Ave. Toronto, Ontario.
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Well that’s all for today kids. See ya next time in the food court.
Davwud
Nola Schmucker had an ability to make pies like no other. In 1948 she and her husband opened Schmucker's Dairy Bar. Serving the fine folks of Toledo ice cream and her delicious home made pies. Their son Allen would peddle his bike around the neighbourhood selling ice cream novelties to the locals. Eventually Allen would dedicate his life to the family business which would go on to become Schmucker's Restaurant. A basic, no frills diner serving scratch cooking for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Some of the things I love most about places like this are the big neon signs out front and the feel inside. These classic signs from yesteryear have gone the way of the dinosaur. The chrome stools and phone booth inside are original and for the most part, everything is as it has been for decades. There's a certain charm that comes with that kind of tradition. 
That's where Doug keeps his pies. And make no mistake, this place was built on those pies. So well known, so good, so in demand it's not unheard of for them to "whip up" nearly 2,000 of them around Thanksgiving. All from their main kitchen in the back. There’s a standard line up with "Doug’s Pie of the Week" rounding things out. 
I ordered a side of chili. It was nice but nothing mind blowing. I found it rich in tomatoey goodness and chili spice but seemed to lack some balance. A little Tabasco helped with that. The acidity and heat provided perked it up. While it's not the best I've had it's a good solid bowl of red none the less and as such, enjoyable.
Mrs. Sippi, as you can imagine, was all over the Hot Beef Platter. A gravy enveloped roast beef sandwich on white bread with mashed potatoes. The picture on the menu was inviting. What arrived at the table was mouthwatering. It hit on all points. Gravy; nice and rich. Beef; Beefy and tender. Bread; Just there to provide structure. Mashed Potatoes; Creamy and flavourful. If all that wasn’t enough, the horseradish was potent. Seriously, this stuff is not for the timid. Use it respectfully. Just a fabulous dish.
My Dagwood was more or less a Club without the chicken or a BLT with ham. It also had a fried egg on it. Either way you (ahem) slice it, it was great. It was just one of those satisfying, “Comfortable old shoe” type foods. Calling it a "safe bet" doesn’t do it justice but that’s what it is. It’s not sexy in anyway, shape or form. It’s just a terrific sandwich.
It would be nice if everything was made in house at every restaurant. Sometimes this is not possible. That doesn’t mean it can’t be good though. Take for instance the Perch Sandwich. Unless you have the ability to buy a large piece of whole fish daily and cut to order, you’re best off with frozen. Fish and seafood deteriorate as such a rapid level, IQF is the way to go. Here, locally caught Perch from Lake Erie is enveloped in a crunch, tasty batter. Encasing the delicate tasting and creamy fish. Topped with mayo, lettuce and tomato on a dinner roll it’s one fine sandwich.
Mrs. Sippi went with the Cherry Crumb. It’s tough to say that this is the best cherry pie I’ve had. All the others have been the traditional double crust type. This has your typical “Crumble” on top and it adds a dimension that’s really difficult to beat. The balance of sweet to tart from the cherries was perfect. It was spectacular.
A long standing tradition is the use of the term “Scutterbotch” which in Schmuckerese means Butterscotch. One of their more popular pies is the Scutterbotch and it’s easy to understand why. Delicious butterscotch pudding under a pile of whipped cream and caramel drizzle. 
Being the gigantic chocolate fiend I am there was no way I could turn down something named Triple Chocolate Indulgence. I would however be lying if I said it was everything I hoped it would be. It was just that much better. The crust is nothing special but it’s really just an exoskeleton for the most part. On the bottom is chocolate pudding topped with chocolate mousse and garnished with hunks of chocolate brownie. I know, right?? Well, I took a couple bites and was utterly blown away. Ya see those coloured streaks in the mousse?? Well those are M&M’s. Totally unfair!!
