Cooking with Alison

Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

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Mario Batali’s Piastra Cracked During First Use

In Reviews on August 29, 2010 at pm

Mario Batali’s Piastra is an Italian grilling stone made of solid granite.  It is double sided (grill/griddle), although the griddle is what’s used traditionally, and is meant to be used for cooking foods such as seafood and flat breads over a hot grill.

Considering it cost around $50 US, I was extremely disappointed when it broke the first time I used it.  I followed the washing and care instructions carefully and as I was heating it up for the first time, a huge crack appeared that spanned 3/4 of the length.  According to the instruction booklet, if the stone cracks, you are to discontinue use immediately.  I suspect that a hairline crack was already present when I purchased it.  From reading customer reviews, I discovered that this has happened to other people as well.  Sounds like poor quality control to me.  Anyways, I can’t get a refund, but hopefully I can spare someone else the frustration with this product.

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Il Fornello Restaurant Review

In Reviews on July 20, 2010 at pm

When Ed and I made plans to have dinner at Il Fornello for the first time, I had no intentions of writing a restaurant review.  But I was So disappointed with the food, that I felt I needed to warn other foodies about this popular Toronto chain.

Restaurant Information:

Il Fornello is a very popular restaurant chain with nine locations in Toronto (and the Greater Toronto Area), Ontario, Canada.  They specialize in Italian food and wood oven pizzas.  Ed and I dined at the Richmond Hill location.  The restaurant decor was very nice.  It was elegant and stylish while maintaining a comfortable, casual atmosphere.

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Cooking with Alison wins Best Review!

In Random, Reviews on June 7, 2010 at am

On June 4, 2010, Cooking with Alison won “Best Review” from Marx Foods for the Review of Marx Foods’ Dried Mushrooms!  This is Cooking with Alison’s first award!

Marx Foods wrote, “Best Mushroom Review: Cooking With Alison’s dried mushroom review was the most thorough and well thought out review” (link here).

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Review of Marx Foods’ Dried Mushrooms

In Reviews on May 23, 2010 at pm

I discovered the online company, Marx Foods, recently.  I had the privilege of trying samples of their dried mushrooms, for which I created the recipes, Wild Mushroom Ravioli, Warm Mushroom Salad with Goats Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette, and Gourmet Mushroom Risotto.  This post will be updated as I make my way through the samples. This is my review of their mushrooms and my experience with their customer service.  Note that I am not a professional and this review is based on my personal opinions only.

Company Information:

Marx Foods is an online store that sells fine foods in bulk.  Until 2007, they only distributed their products to high-end restaurants.  Luckily, they are now offering their restaurant quality products to everyone.  They have an excellent assortment of products that range from gourmet salts and organic seeds and grains to pates, sausage and charcuterie.  They even offer meats, seafood and truffles.  The first rule of cooking is to use the best quality, freshest ingredients available to you.  And regardless of your cooking level or taste in food, Marx Foods carries ingredients that you like and use regularly, as well as ingredients that you’ve been wanting to try.  [I’m waiting for a special occasion to try their natural white truffle oil.  Chef Michael Smith, whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting (post here), went to Italy in search of white truffles and I’ve been wanting to try them ever since.]

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Dining in the Dark (O’NOIR Restaurant Review)

In Reviews on April 22, 2010 at pm

For my last birthday, I received a gift certificate to the O’NOIR Restaurant.  It was the perfect gift because I had been wanting to try it ever since I first heard about the concept of dining in the dark.  I went to the restaurant in Toronto, ON on a Saturday night with Ed and my sister.  It was a wonderful gift, and a very interesting experience that I’m Very grateful for.  We were disappointed in the food and service so I decided to write my first restaurant review.  Please note that I am not a professional and this review is based on my personal opinion and experience only.

Restaurant Info:

O’NOIR is a restaurant that offers the unique experience of dining in the dark.  It started in Europe and O’NOIR can also be found in Australia, L.A., New York and in Montreal and Toronto, Canada.  This is meant to allow people to enjoy their food with heightened senses while gaining a better understanding of what it’s like to be blind.  More interestingly, the wait staff are blind.  (I think it’s absolutely wonderful that these job opportunities have opened up for the visually impaired.  And according to O’NOIR’s website, 5% of their profits are given to local associations that support blind and visually impaired people.)

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Abeego Reusable Food Wrap Review

In Reviews on March 21, 2010 at pm

When my sister was in Vancouver, Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics, she brought me back eco-friendly, reusable food wrap.  It was the perfect gift for me, since I always avoid using saran wrap because I think it creates too much waste.  (I’m always using mismatched plates to cover the tops of bowls, which really doesn’t keep the food fresh at all, haha.)  Since this was my first time hearing about this product, I thought I would introduce it and write a review. Note that this is not a professional review and is based on my personal opinion and experience with the product.

Photos below:  Only the Abeego Flats are shown.  Go to http://abeego.ca to see the Abeego Wraps and Abeego Snacks.

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