About Ashleigh McKenna
After first subscribing to sweetspot.ca to get to know her new city, Ashleigh McKenna now gets to help find the sweet stuff worth sharing as Editor and General Manager. Go behind the scenes from favourite manicure spots to product sneak peeks and more.
Adventurous Eating
girl about t.o. Toronto
(Apr.02.09)
Vegetarians, look away.
Picky eaters, you might also be uncomfortable.
I admit, I'm not much of a foodie (how a chef's daughter managed to avoid cooking for so long is probably a whole other story) but luckily, I have friends who are (and who know that just because I don't make a lot of meals doesn't mean I don't appreciate someone else's effort).
So it was on Saturday night that I found myself at The Black Hoof, a great little spot on Dundas West that's getting a lot of attention. 
(Which also explains why there's no Sweet Nothing newsletter on it, we only email out sweet finds you won't have heard of yet.)
Since they don't take reservations, our name was added to a list, phone number taken and we went down the street to Magpie for a few drinks (50 for $3.75 is a great start to an evening but if you're on a specific time line, maybe go another night - the kitchen's open until 2).
This charcuterie (code for a lot of meat) serves up great food, drink and what couldn't have been a friendlier atmosphere the night we were there thanks to owners Jen Agg and Grant Van Gameren (our server Patrice also walked us through everything expertly). Sure, there are some dishes an average meat eater might find unconventional (I admit, I've never craved a taste of tongue before) but I decided to dive in, figuring best to leave it to the experts.
Our table split the large charcuterie plate ($25, arranged from mild to strong flavours) and then some truly tasty mains. While the sight of a raw egg on top of an open-faced sandwich might turn a few off (my mom's best dessert includes one so who was I judge?), the raw bison sammy ($22) was a delicate mix of tastes.
Seared foie gras on brioche ($20) was ridiculously rich, but not in a bad way. And the testina and lentils ($13) was a friend's return visit recommendation. Tongue in brioche ($13) was shaved down (just because I was willing to try new things, didn't mean I was ready to see them in full form) and impressed everyone who took a bite.
Great night, great food but yes, I still had cereal for dinner on Sunday.
The Black Hoof
928 Dundas St. W. (at Grace)
416-551-8854
The night's menu in images:
Thought this was sweet?