Restaurant Review: Acapulco Delight

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 3 comments

Acapulco Delight Restaurant & Tavern
656 Pitt St W
Windsor, ON N9A 5M4
Phone: +1 (519) 977-1881

Website: n/a
Menu



Type of Restaurant: Mexican 
Attire: Casual
Prices: E- $7 M- $10 D- ?
              $-CHEAP

Payment Options:
Visa, Mastercard, Debit/Eftpos

Hours: 
Monday:       6:00 PM - 3:00 AM 
Tuesday:       6:00 PM - 3:00 AM
Wednesday: 6:00 PM - 3:00 AM
Thursday:     6:00 PM - 4:00 AM
Friday:       6:00 PM - 5:00 AM
Saturday:     6:00 PM - 5:00 AM
Sunday:       6:00 PM - 3:00 AM


Reservations? Walk-ins welcomed
Handicap Accessible? Yes 
Vegetarian Friendly? YES
Vegan Friendly? No.
             








RATING:

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                       Quality of Food: 3.5/5
                        Service: 4/5
                        Originality: 3/5
                        Atmosphere: 3/5

The other night I was out with friends celebrating my friend's birthday. It was a night of sitting at the Loose Goose enjoying several pints of cider, followed by a short stint at the casino. We left the casino craving some grub. I had a huge craving for Taco Bell, but all of us knew we didn't want to pay the consequences of consuming Taco Bell if you know what I mean.

Adam suggested we go to Acapulco Delight. In my 6 years of living in Windsor, I had never heard of Acapulco Delight, but apparently it has been around for a long time. Adam and Eman were cracking jokes about this place. The fact that it is a Mexican restaurant run by an Asian family was often at the heart of the jokes.

Upon walking in, I couldn't help but chuckle on the inside. The tacky interior was like an Asian restaurant wanting to be a Mexican one. They had the stereotypical fish tanks filled with fish and even painted turtles but also had sombreros stuck on the walls just to prove they were indeed a Mexican restaurant.

The graphic on waiter's shirt
The waiter was quick to come greet us with menus and a conversation ensued about his Peter Griffin looking like Che Guevara T-shirt. I just kept starting at the tank of painted turtles, which the waiter also began joking about calling them the Ninja Turtles and joking that Splinter was in the kitchen.

The waiter took our drink orders, and returned back not only with our drinks but also with some hot nacho chips with homemade salsa and another slightly spicy sauce.

My two hard tacos with refried beans and rice just $7
I personally went with the hard tacos for just $7. It includes two hard beef tacos with refried beans and rice on the side and a guacamole to share. The tacos were so much better than what we would have ended up with at Taco Bell. They were so fresh tasting, with a homemade taste to the tortilla shells. The guacamole just as delicious.

It is hard to believe that this Mexican Town Restaurant exists on this side of the border in Windsor. With the open till late times, be sure to check out this hidden gem on your next time out in Downtown Windsor.





Activism MEETS Food: My Support for a Shark Fin Ban in Toronto

Monday, October 24, 2011 0 comments

It was bound to happen sooner or later. 


For those that know me, you know that I am a big activist. If something isn't right, I am usually one of the first to speak up. I have been contemplating whether to keep this food blog politics neutral but honestly-- to hell with it. Food IS Politics and Politics IS Food. There is no avoiding it. The food choices you make do have an affect on the world we all share. 


Let's get something straight. I am not here to convince you to go vegetarian [or better yet VEGAN ;) ], while I'd encourage it its not my choice to make. It is YOURS! What I will aim to do is challenge you to be CONSCIOUS of the foods you consume, that way you can at least make an INFORMED decision for yourself.


They take the dorsal fin and throw the rest back into ocean
leaving the shark to drown and die.
Banning shark finning has been an issue I have been in support of from some time. It all started with watching Rob Stewart's film Sharkwater. Prior to watching the film, I had no idea how big of a nose dive shark population was taking. Let alone that there were government's around the world who were allowing "fishermen" to catch sharks, take only their dorsal fin, and throw the remains back into the water-- wasting 95% of the shark. We are constantly bombarded by images of famine around the world yet this barbaric act continues to take place while the people we elect to represent us turn a blind eye to it.
At $80 - $200 a bowl. Shark Fin Soup-
NASTY in more than one way.


Shark fin soup is seen as a delicacy by the Chinese believed to provide "healing" properties, despite no scientific facts to back this up. Shark fins essentially serve the same purpose as potatoes in a soup. No flavour, just texture (and "healing" properties if you believe in magic). The consumption of sharks might actually harm your health due to high mercury content in the meat. Sharks are at the top of the food chain in the sea. They consume a whole lot of smaller animals in the sea who also contain heavy metals and contaminants including mercury.


Well, Toronto has taken up the torch on this very important issue calling for a ban on the sale, import, and possession of shark fin and shark fin products. Other cities and countries around the world have already accomplished this including: Hawaii, Guam, Saipan, Washington State, Brantford & Mississauga, Ontario. Torontonians, however, are meeting a lot of resistance for the ban including their current mayor everyone loves to hate-- Rob Ford. Well, it is time for Canada to help our fellow Torontonians and supportive members of Toronto City Council out.


Still unsure? WATCH THIS!



LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!


UPDATE: TORONTO HAS BANNED SHARK FINS WITH A VOTE OF 38-4 ! 


Let's hope the rest of the world will follow!

SIGN THE PETITION: PETITION


TWEET: 
Mayor Rob Ford (UNSUPPORTIVE MAYOR) 
Councillor Kristyn Wong Tam (SUPPORTIVE COUNCILLOR) 


Use the #FinFree and #FinFreeTORONTO hashtags in your tweets               


FACEBOOK: FIN FREE TORONTO


EMAIL: Mayor Rob Ford (mayor_ford@toronto.ca)
                List of City Councillors' Emails 

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Ontario's OTHER Wine Country

Saturday, October 22, 2011 0 comments

Mastronardi's Estate Winery Front Door
My contract with Pelee Island Winery is now over, so Diner's Dish is back online and ready to talk food, wine & more :)

During the previous two years, living in Australia, I had an amazing time visiting the Yarra Valley in Victoria, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, and even had the chance to do a 9 day Tasmania tour that included a whole lot of visits to the many wine regions of Tasmania.

After having visited many, many, many wineries abroad I realised how many I was missing in my very own backyward. When people speak of Ontario wineries, the Niagra viticultural area is always brought up. While the Niagara region is indeed a beautiful and popular area in terms of wine, there is yet another amazing viticultural area in Ontario-- Lake Erie North Shore.

First Wine Stop: Aleksanders Estate Winery
It was time to embark on a wineries road trip. I sent my mate Adam a message and on a day off from work on Pelee Island we went about our local wine excursion. On our hit list: Aleksander Estate Winery, Mastronardi Estate Winery, and Black Bear Farms & Winery.

Reminiscing on Pelee Island: Lebanese Night with Aggy

Friday, October 21, 2011 0 comments

Just like the Italian food night I put on alongside my mother, there were two other cultural food nights that took place on Pelee Island this summer. The first one that started the trend was the Lebanese Night with Aggy.


Aggy is not only an employee of Pelee Island Winery but also has her own catering business. She specializes in AUTHENTIC Lebanese foods, and let me tell you-- this woman is AMAZING!

COOKBOOK REVIEW: David Rocco's "Made in Italy"

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 0 comments

My first day back on the mainland, from a summer of employment with Pelee Island Winery, and I received an email from Harper Collins Canada asking if I'd be interested in reviewing David Rocco's NEW "Made in Italy" cookbook. Uhh.... WOULD I EVER!


I love this guy. If you have never heard of him before, he is what I would describe as Canada's version of Jamie Oliver-- if Jamie Oliver were Italian. ;) If you are reading this from Canada, you have probably seen this guy on the Food Network. Always cooking Italian, often visiting Italy in each episode, and then of course sharing his meals with friends.


Rocco's "Made in Italy" was just released in bookstores today. I, however, had the fortune of having it arrive from the publisher yesterday. I immediately gave it a skim through and was impressed. But who am I to criticise an Italian cookbook? I was born here in Canada. I gave it to my father who gave it a skim through before ultimately handing it off to my mum. Italian mothers tend to be the "Queens of the Kitchen". My mother gave it an extensive look through, then said, "Hey Gio, so I bookmarked this recipe that I want you to make for dinner tomorrow while I'm at work". Great....


I LOVE cookbooks. I have an extensive collection and always eager to add more. The problem with cookbooks for me is that I NEVER follow the recipes. I rather use them as a source of inspiration to cook up a storm. So it was with great excitement when I read page 9 of Rocco's "Made in Italy". QUANTO BASTA (QB). There is no better indicator of this being an authentic cookbook than this one page. Quanto Basta is italian for as much as you need. This is my style of cooking, making each dish your own, and apparently Rocco's too. He puts it, "...use as much as you want or need. This is quanto basta, and it's my philosophy of cooking".


The recipe that mum wanted me to make tonight was Scialatielli Con Pomodori e Melanzane (translated: Neapolitan-style pasta with eggplant and mozzarella sauce). For those that aren't confident with the Quanto Basta philosophy, Rocco has the measurements written in the recipes for you. This recipe called for a few ingredients I had no time to make (ie. fresh pasta) and fior di latte (a cheese that is near impossible to find in small town Leamington, Ontario). I took the Quanto Basta philosophy to the next level, substituting the fresh homemade pasta (recipe included in the book) for Zehr's refrigerated store-made pasta, and the fior di latte got substituted for bocconcini. The recipe took less than 30 minutes to make (take that Rachel Ray) and turned out tasting amazing. Sure, I might be biased since I made it but dad getting up from the table for a second serving was definitely the seal of approval.


But what about mom? Well I got her approval too: "So can I pick another recipe for you to make tomorrow?"


My response: "Of course!"


Cookbook Rating out of 5: 
4/5


I loved the book. Easy to follow with the liberation of making the recipes your own. It contains beautiful pictures of not only the food you are attempting to make, but also incredible pictures from the towns in Italy Rocco explored, while writing this cookbook. They have me craving a trip to my parents' home country. To all my friends who always ask me how to cook the dishes I do... GET THIS BOOK. It has a lot of recipes for the foods I already make. But of course, I always make them my own ;)

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Back in the swing of things....

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I've been having people ask if I have given up on Diner's Dish..... OF COURSE NOT! Food is a passion, and Diner's Dish is my way of living out that passion.


So why the lack of updates?


Many reasons. Lack of internet on Pelee Island for the first part of the summer was a major component. The other thing is.... I started my own coffee and tea company-- One Earth Coffee & Teas.


That's right! My dream of roasting my own fair trade, organic coffees with sustainability for both the planet and humanity at the forefront has finally come to life. If you read my "About Me" you will see that during my two years in Australia coffee became a MAJOR part of my life. I mean it always was since growing up, be it nonno getting up at 6am to make me an espresso or the lunch espresso, or the after dinner espresso.... you get the picture. But while in Australia I was immersed in the Melbourne coffee business. Starting off as a barista at a cafe in the suburbs and ending off with working at Beans & Bagels, a coffee roastery in Fitzroy.


One Earth Coffee & Teas is my new start-up business. With just a small 1 pound roaster at the moment, I am able to roast fair trade coffees and teas on demand. None of this roast the coffee and have it sit in the store for months deal. Just genuine, freshly roasted coffee when YOU place the order, sent out in the mail by the very next day at the latest.


I also have worked out a partnership with an amazing Canadian tea wholesaler who is supplying me with fair trade, organic, and biodynamic teas.


I'm excited to see where this takes me and am anxious to upgrade my roaster to a 6lb on already. Thanks in advance for your support of both Diner's Dish & One Earth Coffee & Teas. It means alot!


Giovanni
http://www.dinersdish.blogspot.com & http://oneearthcoffee.com


ps. Use the discount code: 'dinersdish' on checkout and I'll take 10% off your order.