I found these official looking Sriracha chips at Bulk Barn and I was so excited. There’s a lot of generic Sriracha chips out there but this was the only one I have found that has the actual rooster brand on it.
These chips taste like BBQ kettle chips, crunchy, with a kick! There’s definitely a hint of all the things that make Sriracha great: the garlicy spiciness.
We love tacos and at our local grocery store they sell fresh corn tortillas shelves that aren’t the generic Dempster kind. There are so many in a package for like $2 that sometimes they would expire before we finished them. So what do I do with the older tortillas? Make them into chips of course. It’s super easy!
First you cut them into triangle pieces (or I suppose any shape you wish). Then you rub them with a tiny bit of olive oil. Oil isn’t totally necessary but I find it tastes better and won’t stick to the pan. Then you stick them in the oven for approximately 15 minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit. Voila! Easy tortilla chips for eating salsa or fancy cheese.
Last night I attended The Drake Hotel’s Chip N’ Dip battle. It was hosted by PEI Potatoes. The event was FREE and we stuffed our plates with chip and dip from 10 different Toronto restaurants.
Some were served traditionally: chips with a side of dip. Others were presented beautifully as a single bite amuse-bouche type thing. There were dips with caviar, french onion, fish foam, bacon and all sorts of combinations you wouldn’t think of. Some chips were waffled, others were wavy, others BBQ’d or coloured differently for presentation.
Nash and I had a shared favourite. It ended up being one of the simpler ones. Plain potato chips with a poutine dip containing cheese curds and mushroom gravy. It was such a classic combination! People underestimate simplicity sometimes. We didn’t stay to find out who was the actual winner but in our eyes it was the poutine dip!
Before going to The Crest, I accidentally Googled the menu for the Crest Gastropub in Columbus Ohio and did not notice until we actually got to restaurant. Luckily, the Crest on St. Clair West was a pleasant surprise and one of my new favourite discoveries. The 6-cheese Truffle Mac ($8) heavenly. It was so simple, yet complex and I would return for this item alone. It’s definitely the best Mac & Cheese I’ve ever tasted (and I’ve had some with bacon).
I also had an order of Sweet Potato Chips ($6) that was served with Maple Aioli. They were thin and lovely. Definitely better than chips with normal potatoes.
To sip on, I had the Crest Lemonade ($9) which consisted of vodka, cucumber, basil and lemonade. It was very refreshing and I liked the addition of basil.
Nash ordered one of the day’s special, a Steak Sandwich with a side of fries. It was very flavourful and the portion was generous.
I’m definitely glad we went here, even if it was sort of by accident! This menu turned out to be way better than the accidental restaurant we looked up. Don’t be intimidated by the fancy sign outside. It’s definitely worth walking in.
Lays sponsored a contest where people around Canada created new chip flavours. The winner gets $50,000 and 1% royalty from future sales.
Right now they’re down to four finalists, each of which have received $5000. I missed out on the Perogy Platter (because they were not available at the time) but I purchased the Caesar Salad, Maple Moose and Grilled Cheese and Ketchup flavoured chips.
The Grilled Cheese and Ketchup greatly resembled BBQ chips, but a little blander. The “cheese” could be tasted when I licked the chips. The Creamy Ceasar Salad chips tasted a lot like a tamer version of sour cream and onion chips with a hint of cheese and a bit of garlic. By far the most original flavour was the Maple Moose flavour. They reminded me of firewood and camping. It was kind of atrocious on the first bite, but they got strangely addictive after a while.
My bet on the winner is probably Maple Moose as it is the most unique. The US contest had a Sriracha flavour which I wish I could get my hands on!
Tiana Feng 