Black Hoof: Worth a trip to Toronto.

Logan and I knew when we got to Michigan that we were going to have to take at least one trip across international borders, extradition treaties and outstanding warrants be damned.  There is some serious good eating to be done up there, not to mention the gambling, politeness, and odd vowel accentuations.

After Logan worked a full day, we packed up the Fit and headed for the border.  We waited about 30 minutes at the Sarnia/Port Huron border crossing, where the sweet-faced but unnervingly suspicious Canadian border agent scanned our passports, with their assortment of Vietnamese visas and stapled-in Italian student permits and Egyptian stamps (we're running out of pages, here!), asked if we were planning to work and just what that thing was in the back seat (Logan's computer bag) before eventually waving us through.

I was really disappointed to miss out on getting a Canadian stamp.  Whaddaya gotta do, come in by air or something?

I spent a really long time futzing with our iPhones, trying to figure out how to avoid enormous fees for data roaming.  We haven't gotten the bill yet, so I suppose we'll see how well that worked out.  Poorly, if my history with cell phone companies is any indication.

Anecdotal evidence from this, the only trip to Canada I've taken since I was of memory-forming age, proves that it rains every night in our neighbor to the north.  Pours, in fact.  It did this for basically the rest of our three hour drive from Sarnia to Toronto, but miraculously cleared up just as we neared the blazing city lights.

We got in right after midnight, threw our keys in the direction of the valet stand, tossed our luggage so it landed mostly on one of the beds in the hotel room, and hailed a cab.  We had eating to do at the Black Hoof, and last call was coming up!

When we got there, they were still seating and feeding people.  YAY!  And we didn't have to wait for a table, though I hear the wait, when it's not 12:30 in the morning, can be upwards of 2 hours!

Black Hoof is one of Toronto's buzziest restaurants.  It is simple and inviting, a modern gastropub where thought goes into the booze and most of the meats are cured in-house.  The menu changes often and is full of delights.  I couldn't see getting tired of eating there.

Said menu is written out on squares of chalkboard paint placed around the room.  What to eat, what to eat...

We wanted it ALL, and I think if we'd had a couple more people there, we would've taken a stab at it.  But with just the two of us, we tearfully nixed the much-ballyhooed charcuterie plate as well as about half the menu on the other side.  After our ridiculous bath of bone marrow the week before in Colorado, we for once spied its richness on a menu and managed to resist its siren call. 

First, though, a round of drinks to take the edge off of our 5 hours of travel.  Logan had a decent riff on a Manhattan, while I got a "blonde asian" made of, well, I didn't write it down.  Aw crap.  There was...  rhubarb syrup, and nigori sake infused with... uh... and there was szechwan peppercorn involved, definitely... anyway, the drink was refreshing and had a bit of peppery bite and a nice sweet and sourness going on.  

They had a wine list with a ton of wanna-trys on it.  During our meal, Logan and I both ordered a glass of wild-fermented 2009 Gaia Assyrtiko, from Santorini.  It was their "white of the week", and we couldn't pass up Black Hoof's simple assertion, penned under the name of the wine on the wall, that "wild-fermented wines are dope."  (And we can't pass up a wine from Santorini, because we spent four days there on our honeymoon.  More here.)  And it was oh so good.  Citrusy, with that slight mouth-coating feel and good sharpness.

But what about the FOOD?

We ordered the steelhead trout salad because, hey, salad!  What we received was sort of a salad, in that it was cold and there were some greens involved, but the star was definitely the fish.

We have here... well, total deliciousness and a lot of things I love together, on one plate.  More specifically, we have glistening slices of jewel-toned house-cured trout, each piece separated by a squeeze of smooth avocado cream dotted with crazy fresh trout roe, with a side salad of lemony sorrel, thinly sliced sharp-flavored radishes of several different types, and snipped chives.

It was like I was at an after-midnight brunch.  Seriously, on a normal night, this dish and a couple of slices of Black Hoof's superb bread (provided by Thuet Bakery, part of Conviction Restaurant) and I would have been happy.

But we had a bunch more food coming, because how often are we going to be in Toronto?

Next! An 'nduja and fava crostini.  I LOVE a good schmear of 'nduja and have not seen it anywhere in Austin.  Someone please rectify that?

'Nduja is ridiculous.  It's pork-fatty, and SPICY, and somehow chewy, and has a totally distinctive hit of sourness that will absolutely spawn blinding cravings.  Black Hoof's was kickass and tasted very close to the best we'd had in Calabria.  There were beautiful huge lightly charred fava beans placed sparingly atop this ode to pork fat, with a tangle of tiny greens adding height and earthiness to the dish.  

But the next plate to come out is the one that had convinced me that we needed to come to this dimly lit, narrow hallway of a restaurant.  

Raw. Horse. Sandwich.

Yes.  It comes out open-faced, and just in case you've forgotten what you ordered or wanted to pretend you got the beef, the kitchen has conveniently written a reminder for you in yogurt based hot sauce.

What's a raw horse sandwich like?  Well, I'm glad you asked.

First, it's awesome. Beyond that, it's a tartare.  Horse meat is much milder than beef, a little sweet, and very lean.  In Italy, we were told that it is a good food for growing teenage boys, because it is high in protein and low in fat.  

This tartare was topped with shallots and a raw egg yolk and sided by a little pile of whole-seed mustard and cornichons.  I never would have thought to put tartare on a sandwich like this, but it was great.  The bread was sturdy enough to stand up to the moist meat and had a rustic whole-grain appeal all its own.  The tartare was wonderful, but subtle.  Super-strong flavorings would have been a terrible idea, though, because of the aforementioned mildness of the horse.

We probably should have called it a day there, but we had another dish coming out- one we just couldn't pass up.  Tongue and brioche.

The tongue came out sliced super thin and piled tremendously between two slices of soft brioche.  It was flavored with a drizzle of tarragon mayonnaise, pickled celery (!), and a dab of moutarde violette.  Moutarde violette is a very specialized kind of mustard from certain areas of France (follow that link for more information) that uses grape must rather than vinegar for the liquid.  It has a strong flavor that was incredibly intriguing.  Must find jar.

The tongue was craziness!  It tasted like it had been corned, and sliced as thinly as it was, you could have easily mistaken it for a classic beef version.  But then when we bit into it, the texture was so soft and unmistakeable - definitely tongue!  With the airy bread and condiments, this was a truly impressive sandwich.  And pickled celery might be Logan's favorite thing for the month of June.  Sweet and tangy and perfect with the sandwich.  

And, well, that was it.  We lingered over our wine for a bit, but we were both pretty exhausted after a long day and a lot of travel.  How wonderful it was to have this place at the other end of it, though!  If you're lucky enough to find yourself in Toronto, I couldn't recommend Black Hoof more highly.  You might want to get there at an off-hour like we did, though, if the reports we hear of the waits have any truth to them!

I mean, how can you not like a place with curing sausages hanging from the fan?  Right?

Black Hoof (no website!) is located at 928 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M6J 1W3.  (Don't you love Canadian addresses?)  If they're slammed, you can always try their younger sister cafe across the street, Hoof Cafe, but they don't have the complete menu.

Comments

[shanks]

hi Logan and Rachel,

i just found your blog today, and i've spent a couple of hours reading and enjoying your posts about food in austin. i'm especially pleased that you guys are not shy about trying new and different things.

coming from a mixed family (i'm korean and my wife is chinese), we find it incredibly difficult to find acceptable asian food in austin. you have certainly found most of the decent korean and chinese places in town. special kudos for the write-up on Mom's Taste, a true find for korean food in austin! i've been going there since they first opened.

as a fairly recent transplant from toronto, i just read this latest post and thought that i could return the favour and provide some of my faves in T.O. (as the locals call it).

drop me a line at yjcho1578(at)yahoo.com if you would like a list of must go places while visiting toronto. it really is a mecca of global food, both on the high and low end of the price spectrum.

enjoy the eats!

[alison h]

that horse sandwich is something very special, and i love that they write it on their just to remind you... they could have drawn a little picture of a horse to really rub it in!! But wow, what a feast.

[adam]

well done on the horse! my younger sister is going to culinary school in toronto, working in a french kitchen and speaks VERY highly of this joint. hope you both are doing well. great post as usual.

[Gastronomer]

You guys have gone where no other blogger has gone before: HORSE! Would have loved a bite of that tartar.

[Sarah C.]

What an amazing meal! Just an FYI...Central Market here in Austin carries Edmond Fallot mustards including Moutarde Violette. It's marvelous.

[Boots in the Oven]

Shanks, thank you for the kind comments! Austin does lack a little for Asian food, and I do love me some Mom's Taste!

I'll have to drop you a line about Toronto. It was a whirlwind trip, and I hope to get back soon to do the place in a bit more depth.

Thanks for reading!

[Boots in the Oven]

I know! There is absolutely no fooling yourself with that sandwich. Not with all the reminders, anyway!

[Boots in the Oven]

Adam, I am so glad to hear from you! And I'm happy your sister approves of the Black Hoof. Definitely awesome.

[Boots in the Oven]

It's worth a try the next time you make it to Canada! I LOVED all of your Spain posts, by the way. Jealous! ARZAK! AUGH!

[Boots in the Oven]

Thanks, Sarah! I will have to pick it up the next time we're back in town. It's so distinctive!