BBQ!

Where: Fette Sau - New York
What: BBQ platter of my own design

Pie Hole Notes: I love me some beebeekew. I discovered this little gem during my tenure in Williamsburg. Located in part of an old auto-body shop...Walk down the driveway, past the row of patrons chowing down whilst sitting down on picnic tables; through the doors your eye holes will be met by a vast room, laden with wood beams, a bar with tractor trailer seats; your nose holes will be greeted by just the right amount of smokey goodness in the air. Owners, Joe and Kim (also of Spuyten Duvil, beer emporium) have created their own Brooklyn BBQ instead of imitating other regional styles; Joe uses a dry rub of his own concoction that is espresso based and wonderfully delicious. At Fette Sau (fat pig in German), one orders meat by the pound, served on butchers paper - all sauces (I prefer vinegar based with my BBQ) come on the side. Try the ribs - pork or beef, pork belly, flank steak, fennel sausage and pastrami; if you are lucky, they will have pig tails on the menu. Yum! Make sure you get plenty of pickles, sauerkraut and of course, wet-naps.

To wash down all that food that you just shovelled into your pie hole, consider ordering some bourbon. Fette Sau has just over 55 varieties to choose from, including New York's only Bourbon: Four Roses and Hudson Baby Bourbon.

Cheeseburger!

Where: The Stockyards Smokehouse and Larder

What: Cheeseburger

Pie Hole Notes: This is the best cheeseburger that I have had in Toronto. It is sublime. Now, I prefer a flat-top burger to a charbroiled burger. I feel you get a juicier burger, a more pronounced bark (the flavour heavy crust that comes from not touching the meat whilst it cooks) and a purer beef taste. This fits the bill on all accounts. It has the perfect ratio of meat to burger. It has a super soft bun. It has the classic toppings. It has....Everything. Just go and eat one already! Sheesh!

Cupcake!

Where: For The Love Of Cake - Toronto

What: Red Velvet Cupcake

Pie Hole Notes: Ok. I am not a huge cupcake fan. I've had many from all over North America over the years. But now, I am finally ready to hitch a car to this train. Why the epiphany you ask? It is all due to this little bundle of joy at For The Love Of Cake in Liberty Village. Granted, I have been a lover of the red velvet since the Armadillo cake in Steel Magnolias. 3 simple reasons why this is the best cupcake for my pie hole:

1) Super moist cupcake

2) Super moist cupcake has a chocolate ganache filling

3) Super moist cupcake has cream cheese frosting

I will neither confirm, nor deny that I have once eaten 3 of these at a time and have also refused to share them with my friends (even when asked nicely for a bite).

Loukoumades!

Where: Athens Pastries - Toronto

What: Loukoumades

Pie Hole Notes: Athens only has 6 items on their menu...a good sign in my books. Of these 6 items, there is one that you must order. It may very well be the most perfect morsel of yumminess that ever enters your pie hole. Loukoumades are little fried balls of dough that are then soaked in a honey based syrup, then dusted with cinnamon. Pop one of these babies into your mouth and you will be transported away to a magic land of childhood memories of fried carnival food and Grandma's fresh-out-of-the-oven love. Don't try to eat them in two bites; to get the full goosebump rendering experience, you must shove the entire Loukoumades in your pie hole. I recommend you start with an order of 12.

Dumplings!

Where: Yung Sing Pastry Shop - Toronto

What: Pork Dumplings

Pie Hole Notes: Best dumplings I've ever had the pleasure of eating in Toronto! A perfectly chewy/crispy wrapper yields to the most moist and succulent pork; spiked with shards of garlic and ginger and surprising morsels of cabbage. Eat them. Prepare for your pie hole to be amazed. After: Go around the corner to the AGO. Take the stairs to the fifth floor (c'mon, work off those dumplings!). Stare at Evan Penny's Stretch #1. Prepare for your eye holes to be amazed. This is my perfect recipe for noon on any given Sunday.