East/West
Stick Shift
Gourmet pogos? Junk food may never be the same By Eric Vellend
BEERBISTRO, Corn Dogs, $9.75 / TOSHI SUSHI, Kushikatsu, $1.50 to $2 each
Image credit: Christine McAvoy
Called corn dogs, hairy dogs, Pluto pups and pogos, battered hot dogs on a stick have been a classic summer fair staple since the 1940s. But two city chefs have elevated the hand-held snack from greasy carnival fare to art.
Long before the first North American battered and fried a frank, the Japanese were enjoying kushikatsu, the love child of yakitori and tempura. At Toshi Sushi (565 King St. W., 416-260-8588), chef Shinji Mori skewers everything from pork to scallops to lotus root ($1.50–$2 each) before dipping them in flour, beaten egg and panko and frying them in hot oil. Well browned and extra crunchy, they’re plated with a sweet, smoky barbecue sauce (tonkatsu) and hot mustard paste (karashi), plus a lemon wedge on the side. Bar food doesn’t get much better.
At Beerbistro (18 King St. E., 416-861-9872), chef Brian Morin wraps shredded duck confit around a stick and dunks it into a cornmeal batter lubricated with Sleeman Cream Ale. Fried to golden perfection, two miniature corn dogs ($9.75) are propped up on a custom-made stand and garnished with designer sprouts. Condiments show a sense of humour but respect tradition: a purée of roasted pineapple sweetens sharp mustard, and house ketchup gets a fruity note from dried cherries and cherry beer. The crisp, light coating yields to moist, succulent duck, and with sauces this good, it’s hard not to double-dip.
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