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Where Do The Homeless Apply For Food Debit Cars

A la cart makes its debut

Food critic jumps off the bland wagons

TheStar.com - entertainment - Food critic jumps off the bland wagons

LUCAS OLENIUK/TORONTO STAR

Biryani, anyone? Gulls hover as New Wave street food vendor Seemab Ahmad debuts at Nathan Phillips Square.

He gives reluctant thumbs-down as two street carts debut ethnic dishes at Nathan Phillips Square. He did have takers for his leftovers

May 19, 2009

Corey Mintz
RESTAURANT CRITIC

Desperately searching for nice things to say about the two new food carts in front of city hall, I find that my vocabulary may not run that deep. Though if it's any consolation, the buzz from homeless people and birds is extremely positive.

Please bear in mind, as I have, that this is just the first taste, on the first day. It wouldn't be fair to fully review any restaurant that soon. It'd be like gauging the earning potential of a 13-year-old on his bar mitzvah day.

The new carts and their recipes are highly regimented. There's unlikely to be much tinkering of their menus or daily specials for seasonal produce. The vendors have already had to jump through many hoops and pay exorbitant fees to secure the privilege of serving non-sausage street food.

It's a step in the right direction for this town. But it's a baby step, not a jog or a trot.

One cart serves up a refreshing mango lassi ($3). It's all downhill from there. A spiceless biryani ($5) comes with about one or two ounces of chicken and a bit of minted yogurt. And that's their better dish. The other is called "salsa" ($5) though the cart is billed as "Central Asian/Persian" in the city blurb. When I ask, I'm told it's based on a Mexican dish. It is vegetables mixed with tomato sauce, a bland ratatouille stuffed inside chapatti.

Pushing the food aside to focus on souvlaki from a Greek cart, a homeless gentleman politely asks if I'm done with the rice. As he digs in, I ask his opinion. "It's good," he grins.

The souvlaki ($5) is a step up. It's nothing brilliant, but the fluffy pita it's wrapped in is toasted to order. The chunks of chicken are pre-grilled, then kept warm in a steamtray. We understand the health code reasoning for holding the meat at a safe temperature. However, while they are nice and juicy at noon, how will they taste as the day wears on?

It's easy to poke holes in the initial taste of this pilot project. It feels terrible, though, when you see how hard the vendors are working.

The second cart deserves credit for allowing us to purchase a salad ($4) on the streets of Toronto. But how can I not point out that the tomatoes are mealy?

My homeless friend is enjoying a post-biryani cigarette. I can't seem to interest him in the salad.

There is another transient population in the square. Hordes of gulls strut about looking for handouts. As soon as I've taken 10 steps, the birds descend on the food I've left. I go back to try to get a quote but all they do is squawk.

Oprah Give Away.......

COME GET YOUR CHICKEN!

KFC patrons report they can't use Oprah coupons...

Oprah Kentucky Fried Chicken give-a-way causes mini-riots
I am not making this up... Apparently Oprah Winfrey gave away free lunch coupons for KFC and now hell is coming to America because everybody likes fried chicken: I just returned from my lunch break hoping to use the attached coupon to score some free KFC grilled chicken at the mid town location 47 E. 42nd Street. Well I guess around 200 people also had the same idea with coupons in hand.When I fin
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