The Year in Static: The Places That Made Aviva and Melody Fat

Aviva and Melody gained a lot of weight this year. We’d show you a before and after picture but we’d rather not. Just trust us when we tell you that they’ve both gone up a size or two. They regret nothing. They are warriors of food, ready to slay every ‘best of’ list and will stop at nothing until they throw up. (How these two have friends, we do not know)

Here’s a recap of the foods that made them fat this year..

Aviva’s Top 5

Burger’s Priest / Pie Shack 

 

The Pie Shack is a short streetcar ride away from Burger’s Priest. Why is that? What’s their angle? They should have a shuttle bus for when i inevitably get gout in both my feet. I spent my summer going to either or and sometimes both in one day. My heart clenches at the thought.

My order: The Option (the closest we have to Shake Shack’s shroom burger) with fries and then off to get some bumbleberry pie a la mode (i like my pie warm and my a la mode cold).

Holy Chuck

I ordered the Grazer, their veggie option (panko-crusted portobello mushroom burger stuffed with feta and cream cheese) stacked between two grilled cheese sammies. I also had fries, a milkshake and funnel cake. I woke up at 3 a.m. and puked my guts out. You win Holy Chuck, you win.

Morimoto

Iron Chef Morimoto’s restaurant in NYC. This was part of the Treat Your Self ’11 Tour. Most def one of the best meals I had this year. Toro Sashimi and Braised Black Cod with a ginger soy reduction — melt in your mouth piece of fish and so rich I got drunk off the meal or maybe it was all the lychee cocktails I had, who knows.

Bouley

New York Cares: michelin star tasting menus for lunch. NBD! My gentlemen pals required jackets, for lunch! This is how the other half lives. This is the type of place where you would take your wife on your 20th wedding anniversary to hide the fact you are cheating on her.

The Dream:
- Amuse bouch courtesy of the chef
- Jumbo white French asparagus and roasted green asparagus with pencil asparagus, basil dressing, in a comté cloud (A CLOUD!)
- Carpaccio of kampachi, big-eye tuna, and striped amber jack,
- Black cod marinated with pistachio miso, organic buckwheat, ginger aromatic sauce
- Chatham skate with pineapple, anise, sancho pepper, celery root purée, and micro celery salad
- California organic orange flesh melon soup with fresh ricotta sorbet
- Hot caramelized anjou pear with Valrhona chocolate, biscuit breton, hot toffee sauce, lemon verbena, and Tahitian vanilla ice cream

At the end of the meal we stood up, dropped our forks on the floor and walked out like we were better than everyone, because we were.

Bannock

This meal filled me with more emotion than the Bon Iver concert we saw later that evening. Forget everything you thought you knew about tacos. I have been slowly working my way through the cities best fish tacos, but pickerel on steamed soft buns (topped with caviar tartar), you stole my heart.

Honorable Mentions:

Stuff Inside Other Stuff
I baked a lot of stuff inside other stuff this year, maybe I am subconsciously trying to fill the hole inside of me: cookie stuffed cookies, pies inside cakes, mini pies inside cupcakes, cupcakes inside eclairs, etc. In the end, my dog got diabetes.

All Of The Cocktails
You got me through some tough times, boys.

Shake Shack
The Original. Never Forget.

Melody’s Top 5

Sky Blue Sky

Delicious (and affordable!) sandwiches, free wifi, good music and the most wonderful owner ever. How am I not secretly living at Sky Blue Sky? I don’t know. Sky Blue Sky is more magical than Disneyland. #weloveyouchad (This is also where Static Zine got to throw its first launch party.)

La Carnita/Grand Electric/anyone that made tacos

I used to work at a Mexican fast food joint almost 4 years ago. It was a terrible job but I got to eat Mexican food every day. Naturally, I got sick of it and for a few years there I couldn’t even look at a taco without feeling sick. 2011 brought tacos back, though. Thanks to pop-up events, new restaurants and BlogTO’s best tacos list – Aviva and I are slowly eating our way through that list – I’ve discovered a new appreciation for these meat-filled shells of deliciousness. And a special kudos goes out to TacoTime ($5 for 5 tacos – it’s as horrible/awesome as it sounds) and Big Fat Burrito for satisfying my taco needs when I’m poor. (Bonus: I even celebrated my birthday this year with a taco night; I deserve an honorary sombrero) #MEWANTTACOS

Mother’s Dumplings

Mother’s Dumplings is a combination of good food and an even better location. Since it’s literally around the corner from the Static HQ, most of our pre/post meeting meals take place there (heck, we’ll even make excuses to have meetings there). And we don’t cheap out, either. Two or more plates per person. Every time. Do the math. And that is why I need to buy a new pair of pants now. (It was worth it) #futuredumplingmakers

Momofuku Restaurants

David Chang, you magnificent bastard. When I went to New York a month ago, I let my sister pick the hotel and, of course, we ended up staying down the street from Milk Bar, one of Momofuku’s chains. I was there every day. Cereal milk, pork buns, cookies galore – just thinking about it makes me drool a little. Toronto needs fifty of these, ASAP. We also went to one of Chang’s other restaurants, Ma Peche. It’s fancier and more expensive but definitely worth every piece of fish I ate that night. Halibut pot pie – that happened. New York knows how to make you fat. #ilovenyc

Swiss Chalet

Look, when your boyfriend lives right next to a Swiss Chalet and you’re feeling lazy, it happens. (And of course, it’s followed by dessert, a nap and hours of watching TV) #relationships

Shout Outs to:

Vanilla Coke 
A long time friend and honorary member of the Static team.

La Banquise 
Toronto poutine just isn’t the same. Remember that night I had the poutine with 4 meats? Good times, Montreal.

Livewires
Candy that you can only find at 7-11 or specialty candy stores. Sugar highs that last all night. Thanks to these things, I now know what’s on TV at 4am. Answer: nothing.

Everyone who ate with us this year
Yes, we’re trying to drag you down with us.

-

A special thank you to all the food truck events this year. We showed up early, we strategized and we conquered. Thank you, Toronto, for finally embracing food trucks and pop-ups. You have a special place in our heart of hearts (we now require two hearts). 

  • http://www.turntherecordover.com Lisa

    I want to eat everything on this list.