Another Tuesday... another Taste. Don't worry, this 121st edition of the weekly review won't be quite as long as the epic Breakfast Sandwich ranking last week (a list which apparently angrily confused quite a few folks on Reddit... good times).
Nope, this week is much more straightforward and pretty well known. La Cubana has been on the Toronto food scene for quite some time, now with a trio of locations (plus a rum cocktail "speakeasy" on Ossington) including a stall in the snazzy food court of The Well in downtown Toronto.
The story of La Cubana starts with Chef Corinna Mozo, a Stratford Chef School graduate from Montreal who spent the early part of her career honing her craft in prestigious restaurants throughout Boston and New York City. In 2008 with her young family she came back to Canada (Toronto) to open up Delux on Ossington Avenue, which featured a blend (she supposedly dislikes the term "fusion") of French and Cuban cuisines. Noticing the considerable lack of authentic Cuban food options in the city, Chef Mozo along with her brother shifted focus to a new concept: La Cubana, inspired by the colourful retro diners of Havana (also an ode to their grandfather who ran one) opened its doors on Roncevalles in 2013 and never looked back.
This little video does a nice job sharing more about Chef Mozo and the origin/inspiration for the restaurant.
I confess my Spanish is... less than sharp... so when checking out La Cubana's menu at their Well location (which was quite bustling this particular Saturday afternoon) there were several items I did not at all know what they were. Good thing we all have that internet stuff in our pockets, eh. Now armed with knowledge I totally had in my brain ten seconds earlier (yep), I ordered their short rib medianoche sandwich with a side of their 'yuca fries'.
Indeed, yuca (or cassava if you prefer) was one of those items I was unfamiliar with. Like potatoes, they are part of that root vegetable family... although when trying them I found some considerable differences. Unlike the fluffy and soft insides of a well cooked potato, these had a dense and pastier kind of texture. Pleasantly crispy on the outside as well, but also semi-tough and firm in certain corners. The flavour had a subtle honey-like sweetness to it, much different than the full on assault of sugary flavour one gets from the commonly found sweet potato fry.
As for the dip... I didn't much care for it. Nothing bad about it, not really... there just wasn't a whole lot going on with it. Had a bit of a yogurt-like thing going on with it's own little slight touches of creamy sourness, whereas I would've liked something with a bit more zing or spice to it.
I'd say overall this was more interesting than they were tasty. The seasoning was simple (just salt) and very on point: the smaller more bite-sized fries were quite fun to chomp through... but those bigger ones had those tougher chew moments and less of that enjoyable crispy texture. Pretty all right but not likely I order them again. Not really my thing.
"Medianoche" is Spanish for "midnight" (another edition to the list of things I did not know) and medianoche sandwiches are so named this because of their popularity of being served nearby Cuban nightclubs into the early hours of the morning. While La Cubana is probably best known for their pressed take on the famed Cubano sandwich... the chance to try this short rib medianoche offering was far too appealing for my curious taste buds.
Sometimes I make unwise calls in the moment (such as not sampling one of La Cubana's in house made drinks, whoops)...choosing this short rib medianoche is certainly not one of them. You've got a guava bbq sauce, red cabbage slaw, crispy onions and a chimichurri (which comes mostly as very thinly sliced jalapeno peppers among a minimal herby oil).
This was 'that kind of sandwich' I liked more and more with each bite... like all the flavours kept further marinating together as I progressed. Just fantastic: there's a wonderful balance of a brown sugar-like thickness from the bbq sauce, those crispy onions pop in with their little crumbly crunch at just the right moments... then you've got that red slaw. Terrific zing (for lack of a better term) and bright acidity that soaks through the other flavours like a delicious undercurrent. Those particular bites where the wetness of the slaw seeped into the bread itself... genuinely incredible. A party of flavour explosion, my friends. Tangy, sweet, spicy... all in distinct accord.
Even without these fantastic supporting toppings, like if the sandwich were just the short rib and bun by itself... it probably still would be pretty good. While I'm not totally sure either way, the bun gives off a firm yet soft taste of a brioche or challah bread (considering Chef Mozo's affinity to mix in French influences I'll lean closer to brioche).
Meanwhile that beef short rib is exceptionally juicy and tender: plenty of slow braised beef flavour that fills and lingers in the mouth... a pleasant chewiness to it and the taste hardly fades at all. Considering this isn't a particularly fatty cut of beef either, the looseness of that texture is especially impressive and a testament to the high level of preparation and quality here. This is one you want to take your time with and savor, not scarf down in two minutes.
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Overall! We've got a definite winner here, folks. I could take or leave those yuca fries personally but they were very well made for what they are. That sandwich though... simply some damn delicious stuff... the perfect blend of vivid ingredients with accessibility flavour-wise. They're keeping things relatively reigned in as far as big spices and seasonings go... with the little touches they do use adding so much to something already expertly done.
I'll definitely go back in the future (and actually try one of their virgin beverages this time) while in the meantime to you, dear reader, I certainly recommend trying La Cubana if you've yet to do so. It also helps that I've always liked the smooth sleek colourful retro look of 1950s diners as well... there's an appealing charm to the shiny aesthetic of that era (not so much the era itself).
Also it should be noted that the location in The Well does have a more limited menu than the other locations, which strike me as a more sit down with table service type of dining experience. I certainly think these sandwiches are the rare type that can work both ways: casual enough for on the go, yet sophisticated enough (and not too messy) for a solid lunch date. Either way, thumbs up.
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Tuesday Tune
A couple years back I saw this band with some close friends at the Phoenix here in Toronto (which I think is still open? I keep hearing their imminent closure is getting pushed back, a pushing back which I hope continues indefinitely).
It was an incredible show (aided by a funny and legal beverage I'd consumed before heading in) full of sprawling musical atmosphere and sublime musical moments. I'm pretty sure they did this song (the length of it certainly lends itself to a live performance)... a perfect tune to get yourself lost in for a while on a sleepy evening.
That's all for this week! Until next time, stay safe, stay cool or warm or whatever you prefer here in late April... and most of all don't spill that mustard.
Yes pizza box I agree, it is Pizza O'Clock... because it's always Pizza O'Clock in these parts.
B-Town Pizza is (one presumes) so named for it's city of origin, that being Brampton... a place always much larger than I think it is. Opening up sometime in early 2021 (aka not the salad days of the pandemic) B-Town Pizza made a name for itself by offering a fusion of classic North American pizza elements with Indian cuisine... certainly not a common combination but not completely out of the blue either. After a few years an opportunity to expand to the big(ger) city presented itself, resulting in B-Town's second location on Elm Street right in the heartbeat of downtown Toronto. Which is where I come in.
Not entirely related to any of this but I want to mention how much I like Elm Street... and keep in mind this is coming from somebody who avoids most pockets of downtown Toronto like they're a talkative obnoxious party guest with corpse breath (who just got back from traveling overseas). Elm Street has a sort of old-timey classiness that reminds me of certain parts of Montreal... maybe it's the streetlamps, the little storefronts with stairs, the brick buildings with arched windows... whatever it is I approve. If not for the endless construction I'd almost pleasantly forget where I actually was.
It was just past two o'clock on a Friday so the inside of B-town was quite dead. When ordering from the menu I was legitimately torn: do I go for a more traditional pizza and see how that compares to the countless others I've tried? Or do I embrace their calling card, the cuisine fusion, to gauge how interesting and potentially different it is? Ultimately (after far too much deliberation, sorry 'dude behind the counter') I opted for the latter... building my own pizza with butter chicken (with a butter chicken sauce instead of tomato) with pineapple for sweetness. Plus a garlic dip because... it's a garlic dip. Do I have to explain everything???!???!!11
First off, a colourful and aesthetically pleasing pizza no doubt. This was one element to B-Town I'd suspected coming into this, seeing as they are one those places that do the 'heart-shaped' pizza for Valentine's Day (no need to revisit my V-Day rant from the La Roma review so lets move on).
While I do greatly enjoy butter chicken, I've had bad experiences in the past when likewise combined with other dishes. Most notoriously was a butter chicken mac and cheese I tried at the Friar and Firkin I used to work at: it was a one time daily special and no surprise why: those two kinds of creaminess (the rich bechamel versus the punchier, earthier butter sauce) clashed so badly there were simply no survivors in that flavour.
On a pizza though... it does work somewhat better. Dough and cheese, particularly of this meh quality, don't exactly overwhelm in the flavour department... allowing the butter chicken taste to dominate without much obstruction.
The pineapple ended up (believe it or not) providing a solid sweet reprieve from the other more intense flavours. Alas it was obviously canned pineapple, seeing how soft and dehydrated the chunks were once out of the oven.
As for the chicken... it's formed and diced into far too perfect little cube-like pieces, with a far too consistent texture and juiciness. Never a good sign. However, that hint of tandoori spices and colouring along the chicken does add a more roasted taste to it, not a typical flavour one finds on a pizza. Chicken on pizza often doesn't work (especially at bigger, cheaper chains) because places don't season or marinate it at all... resulting in extremely bland, dry and rubbery bits of breast. B-Town here is at least a solid step above that.
All of that coriander helped both make the pizza look pretty and give some nice herbal zing to every bite. Having a butter sauce in here instead of tomato sauce... it's certainly different and I would've liked considerably more of it. Far more of a grounded earthier taste than a creamy one and as such it blends into the baked dough and cheese more than giving the pie any kind of saucy texture. A shame: pretty sure this was the first ever time I'd encountered bits of ginger in a pizza and it actually worked pretty nicely here.
The more classic "pizza" elements aren't all that impressive... the mozzarella is just your typical thick pizza cheese with little burnt bubbles, the same stuff you find at zillions of cheap-ish pizzerias. Likewise the crust/dough is quite light and airy, with some solid crispy bubbled parts along the crust that are tasty. These aren't great ingredients quality-wise but to B-Town's credit the pizza itself is baked to it's ideal point, giving this pie a good balance of that light hollow crispiness and softer cheesier bites.
Overall... I think this proves the concept of a butter chicken pizza can indeed work but you need far better base ingredients to work with. B-Town does the best with what they've got and it does make for a fairly tasty pie... but the level of quality is right in that "generic" range.
On quality of the pizza alone this is far from distinctive... but the little touches like the coriander and the tandoori lick on the generic white chicken bits are good for a few positive points in my book. I wouldn't recommend you need to go B-Town asap and I'm in no rush to go back myself (especially since these aren't cheap pizzas either) but I'll give them a "C++" for delivering something a little more interesting than your typical run-of-the-mill mediocre cheap hole in the wall.
Another Tuesday... another Taste... and we've got a big one this week. A review grand slam if you would (ooo catchy, somebody should use that term on a menu or something). For the 120th edition of these weekly reviews (a purely arbitrary anniversary, agreed) I thought it would be fun to tackle one of the most popular "on the go" sandwiches in the fast food market.
Ah yes, the humble breakfast sandwich. Not quite a snack, not quite a feast either... filling both a meal middle ground and a peckish appetite when done right. Over the span of the past couple months I sought out and sampled as many fast food breakfast sandwiches as I could... the key stipulation being that to qualify for the ranking they needed to have at least two locations (otherwise I'd be faced with the endless task of trying nearly every damn restaurant and diner in a city of over four million people... I do have jobs and a life outside of this, you know).
There's naturally a strong possibility I still missed a place or several, so please feel free to let me know. This ranking business is an imperfect science (if it can even be called a science), but nevertheless hopefully it can illuminate the key aspects of what makes a good breakfast sandwich and what doesn't.
On that subject: what exactly makes a "breakfast" sandwich? Does it have to be on a bagel or English Muffin? Is egg a necessity without argument? Would a cheeseburger with a fried egg on top somehow qualify? Where is the line, damnit? It's an easy debate to have. So, to keep things direct and simple for my purposes here... you're on a breakfast menu? You're in.
Each sandwich is graded on a scale of zero to ten, mostly for my own organization and personal amusement. All right enough yolk jokes, lets get cracking.
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#0. Coffee Time
Upon stepping inside the closest remaining Coffee Time to my house, an unbearable weight of dimming sadness rushed through every sense within my very soul. Transported backwards into a place out of time, it's own contained colourless universe devoid of light and movement. Suddenly I was that hopeless creature doomed for all eternity, pushing a boulder up a slippery hill beneath the starless sky. Heads without faces gazed upon me and stared through my being, a stranger to the concept of existence.
I didn't belong here, I could not belong here. A grip of distrust was coiling around my soul. Without hesitation I averted my glimpse of the abyss and went straight for the door, never again to return.
SCORE: inc/10
#22: Subway (Sausage and Egg)
You know that feeling when you go into something with the lowest possible expectations... yet the result still ends up much lower than you could've conceivably imagined? That's Subway! Truly the most commonly available culinary blight of our times.
I'll give the absolute tiniest amount of credit for the freedom to choose your toppings and sauces here. Not that it's all that impressive since they are a freaking sub shop and their toppings are consistently trash anyhow... but whatever. I'm trying to be fair and this is honestly the only positive to be found within seven hundred yards of this... thing.
This likely is the worst food item I've ever reviewed. Maybe the worst thing I've ever ordered in my adult life, period. You know it's bad when you're eating it on a crowded bus and you'd still rather spit it out than actually swallow the sewage. Hey no regrets: better to be publicly disgusting for a brief forgotten moment than to be horribly ill in private for several agonizing hours.
I didn't know it was possible to make a sausage patty genuinely bad, never mind totally inedible... but Subway found a way damnit! Truly a marvel of modern chemical engineering. Imagine it sitting out in open air for days, refrozen, refrigerated, then half heated up to order. That my friends is how you give sausage the flavour of burnt rubber with the texture of a urinal cake. This was akin to eating a desiccant! Both my mouth and my spirit were dried out. Believe me when I say it was one of the most awful things I've ever tasted.
Combined with completely flavourless eggs and the most whatever ciabatta bun that ever ciabattaed... I ended up throwing most of this into the garbage at first opportunity. Just f**king dreadful... an insult to the very existence of appetites.
For extra measure/torture I tried their "potato rings" and boy they sure were ring-like...
Appealing, right? It's like if Mr. Potato Head ate something spoiled (like this sandwich) and Subway scooped the end results straight from the toilet. They tasted so unnaturally sour I had to spit those out too, by the way.
Congratulations, Subway! Among fast food chains you have cemented your legacy: the absolute best at being so irredeemably the worst. It's not even close: nothing I've ever eaten here has risen to even a "meh" level. Never ever, in any circumstance, order their breakfast sandwich. Or anything off their menu in general, really... but especially this. You're better off starving to death, it'll be less revolting. I have gazed upon the gorgon, my friends... I never knew it could get this stone cold ugly...
SCORE: 0.0001/10
#21. Country Style
Going into this project I thought for sure Country Style would claim that bottom spot without opposition. Microwaved eggs and bacon, stale chewy bagel, watery eggs... how could it get worse than this? Clearly somebody held Subway's beer.
While better by comparison (much like how eating plastic is better for you than eating glass) that doesn't change how terrible this sandwich is. It only wins the silver medal of awful rather than the gold by being dreadful only via its exceptional rubbery blandness rather than actively harmful to the tongue. At least the minimal amount of taste here you get almost resembles actual food... almost...
SCORE: 0.5/10
#20. Burger King Chicken English Muffin
And here is where we have to ask: how is this a breakfast sandwich exactly? Because it happens to be on BK's breakfast menu? That's really the only case for it... I sure as hell don't think "first meal of the day" when I see this thing. That English Muffin is doing a helluva lot of strenuous lifting here.
However you want to define it, this sandwich stinks at any time of the day. Burger King's chicken is always so stale and tasting singularly of overly ground pepper... while slathering this thing in too much mayo and a slice of processed cheese just adds to the sensation of this not being real food. Boring and fake tasting, barely qualifying as a breakfast item, while the English Muffin itself is pretty flat without any real flavour as well. No thank you.
SCORE: 1.2/10
#19. Tim Horton's Bagel B.E.L.T.
Don't let appearances fool you, friends. For a sandwich with so much supposedly going on (everything bagel, tomato slice, bacon, lettuce and egg) this is so lacking any flavour it's downright impressive. That is, if you're impressed by things that are objectively uninspired and lame.
Beyond some faint sweetness from the tomato, nothing in here has any zip or zing. Nothing at all! Quite possibly the limpest, most flaccid bacon I've ever encountered... no crispiness, no hint of salt, no grease... it might as well not even be there (you certainly don't notice it). Terrible! How do you screw up freaking bacon so badly?
The egg is equal in nothingness. I took a huge bite of only that to be sure and yeah, your taste buds would need a microscope (a tastoscope?) to find anything in here, even in its yellow "yolkier" center. I'm simply at a complete loss to how this is even possible.
When the best part of your BELT sandwich is the semi-fresh lettuce and tomato... you're in bad shape. Just not a good sandwich... all texture without substance. The quality of Tim Horton's food has seemingly taken a steep decline (not that it was ever outstanding) and we've reached the point where I think I prefer McDonald's food over this. For real. And remember, I find McDonald's extremely unappealing.
SCORE: 1.5/10
#18. Starbucks Turkey Bacon and Egg White
A notable leap in quality here.
While I can applaud Starbucks for executing a healthier breakfast sandwich option, the result is undeniably quite underwhelming. Turkey bacon is fine (I guess) but it doesn't have the same greasy, crispy, guilty punch oozing out of the good stuff. Likewise, egg whites bring good texture but lack that precious fatty eggy flavour... while this whole wheat English Muffin is soft and definitely tasting like it's good for you (which is probably still isn't) but that wheaty taste is easily the most dominant flavour here. Not for me.
Having a gouda cheese in here though is a smart touch, giving a small dose of much needed zing (frankly the sandwich needs much more of it). Overall this one is inoffensive but quite boring, its only utility being if you're on a diet and trying to cut out certain fats.
SCORE: 2.5/10
#17. Sunset Grill
Don Henley reference? Anyone?
To be totally honest I tried this one almost four years ago in the early days of the TT, all I remember about it being how greasy spoon it tasted... plus that the edges of the egg were quite filmy. If you like that kind of thing, then you'd probably find this sandwich acceptable. Me? Not so much. I love a good greasy old school breakfast diner (RIP Coach House) but this is overkill. You can't taste much of anything else, plus the bun-to-everything-else ratio is absurdly askew. A heavy hitter but not in a good way.
SCORE: 2.8/10
#16. Tim Horton's Sausage Breakfast Sandwich
Full disclosure: my real intention was to try Tim's Farmer's Breakfast Sandwich, which is basically the same thing except there's a hash brown inside of it. Naturally they messed up my order and gave me the Farmer's breakfast wrap instead... and seeing how horrible that BELT sandwich was I had no intention of spending any more actual money on anything Tim Horton's. At least I used up that gift certificate I'd had sitting around for months.
As such, this ranking is based on the last Tim's sausage and egg biscuit I had a few years ago... which wasn't all that good either. Chalky dry biscuit, flavourless eggs (a familiar trend) and too much processed cheese for my liking. I gave a much more detailed description of it here.
Entirely possible this sandwich is even worse now in 2025 than it was back then... but frankly I'm not at all interested in finding out. This isn't exactly a flattering placement on the list, regardless.
SCORE: 3/10
#15. McDonald's Bacon Egg McMuffin
The OG of fast food breakfast sandwiches, the one that technically started it all.
I did like how the English Muffin had some toasted crunch and you definitely get a hearty portion of a more flaky egg on here... but there simply isn't a whole lot of interesting flavour for the most part and that bacon is pretty darn anemic (seriously, how are so many of these places making bacon... BACON... so damn uninteresting?). This one is really crying out for something juicy or a sauce or something. Tastes like the early 1970s.
SCORE: 3.2/10
#14. Burger King's Sausage and Egg Crossian'wich
Controversy? Burger King is getting the sliiiiightest edge over the McMuffin here only because I the soft butteriness of the crossiant was considerably more interesting, even if it was so damn processed tasting. The cheese was also a bit more melted on here. Egg-wise, McDonald's is superior (BK here was unseasoned, with generic texture and extremely bland).
Neither sandwich was all that good to be honest, so anybody taking issue with this just remember: I didn't like either of them!
SCORE: 3.3/10
#13. Starbucks Sausage and Egg English Muffin
I must say I got pretty nervous when I saw this (and the egg white turkey bacon one) were both pre-made and placed to order inside a giant microwave oven-like contraption to re-heat them. Apparently it's a ventless oven (according to somebody on the internet) but neverless the entire thing struck me as a fancier, more high-tech microwave. Hey, if a microwave in a restaurant kitchen can be known as Chef Mike (shoutout to Kitchen Nightmares), what would this particular thing be called? "Hmmm yes, Chef de Cuisine Mikael is in tonight..."
Anyhow, the ventless oven does a solid job reheating this sandwich in one piece... the coverage of heat is impressively thorough. While a bit steamy hot, there's isn't much soggy moisture or resulting extra chewiness that a conventional microwave often inflicts upon leftover foods.
As a breakfast sandwich... not bad at all. The sausage patty has some genuine greasy juiciness, plenty of eggy flavour in here and the cheese does have a tiny bit of cheddary presence. Soft pillowy English muffin as well... still a bit chewy but not oppressively so.
Definitely could be better. Like most entries in this lower-middle part of the list, you really want some kind of sauce on here. While tasty enough, it still feels like something is really lacking here. Still, we're finally getting close to the point where I could envision myself ordering one of these again.
SCORE: 4.5/10
#12. McDonald's Sausage and Egg McGriddle
I still find it adorable how the logo is grilled/carved into the top. It's so tacky it's quite charming.
The biggest surprise of this entire project: my guilty pleasure affinity for the McGriddle. Artificial as it may be, that maple syrupy taste in the griddle bun itself just works way better than it has any right to... and there's a good balance among the other three players (American cheese, sausage patty, egg). Sweet, eggy, cheesy and greasy... is it actually a good sandwich? Hell no. But you can be my secret lover, meeting in a sleazy (SLEep-EAZY) motel on the edge of town. Mayor Quimby approved.
SCORE: 5.3/10
#11. Wendy's Breakfast Baconator
I survived Wendy's Breakfast Baconator and all I got was this lousy pacemaker.
The big problem here is the bacon, which is not a good sign when the name of your sandwich is literally about "baconating" whatever is foolishly in its path. Don't get me wrong, the bacon here is far better than the sorry insult to pork we saw in Tim Horton's... but it's also just very okay-ish. The egg also seems very much like an afterthought among all the heavy bacon and sausage in here, which isn't ideal for a breakfast sandwich. I want that bright eggy flavour, damnit!
Overall... it's more interesting as an expanded upon gimmick than as a sandwich. Wendy's usually is a tiny bit better than this type of mediocre offering.
SCORE: 5.5/10
#10. Hero Burger Ultimate Brunch Sandwich
Here we have an unfortunate and critical mistake: this thing was supposed to have bacon on it, the lady behind the counter even asked if I wanted bacon (I said yes) and yet: no bacon! A shame because... yeah this sandwich really could've used bacon! As is, you have some solidly fried over medium egg, plenty of cheddar cheese, a good helping of sriracha and a fairly modest spread of guacamole.
Quite a few interesting aspects to this one. The eggs are very good and fluffy, the cheddar is legit cheddar (none of that processed junk) and gives the sandwich some terrific sharpness, while the bun (which has an everything bagel-like dusting you can't see in this photo) is a very soft and squishy sweet potato bun. The guacamole is better on paper than on the tongue, as it gives oiliness but none of that hearty limey zing you really want from a good guac.
A fine entry on the list, but I can't help but think this sandwich is just missing one thing to make it significantly better... whatever could that be? Guess we'll never know, apparently. Gotta call the coin where it lands.
SCORE: 6/10
#9. Wendy's Sausage and Egg Biscuit Sandwich
The exact same formula as the Tim Horton's one, only better in every conceivable way. Thicker, juicier sausage patty with a more grilled flavour? Check. Fresher, softer, more buttery biscuit? Check. Eggs that taste like eggs? Well... definitely a minor improvement at least.
Seeing as this particular Wendy's (Leslie and Lakeshore) operates as one of those duel locations with a Tim Horton's... one may raise an eyebrow as to whether these two are transferring/sharing ingredients, thus making my comparisons here entirely pointless and invalid. Hey, as far as I can tell they operate completely separated kitchens (unless there's some kind of slimy gross passageway behind the washrooms) and besides: the sausage patty here is square, like Wendy's burgers. Square! Case closed.
SCORE: 6.2/10
#8. Hero Burger Chipotle Fried Chicken Breast Sandwich
The second sandwich on this list to feature fried chicken and by several miles the far superior one. It's a simple sandwich: chicken tenders, fried egg and a mango chipotle sauce.
Eggs and fried chicken are an odd pairing: they occupy a very similar flavour lane and as such the smaller amount of egg here feels more like a texture buffer than a co-headliner of the sandwich. On their own, still a pretty good nicely seasoned fried egg. Meanwhile, the chicken strips bring some good crunch, saltiness and juiciness... overall solid and tasty tenders.
Frankly, the real star of the sandwich is that mango chipotle sauce on here. Some legit smokey spice that pairs terrifically with either the fried chicken or the eggs... while the sweet hint of mango really only appears at the beginning before the smokey heat takes over (and the heat is indeed real).
This probably works better as a chicken sandwich than a breakfast one, but still a quality entry nonetheless. Hero Burger... who knew?
SCORE: 6.5/10
#7. A&W Bacon and Egger
If you've followed my reviews you knew ol' A and Dubs was going to make an appearance high on this list. Trying this immediately after that wretched Tim's Bagel BELT was like a light from heaven shining into my mouth. "Praise the lord, I can taste again!"
The airy hollowness of this sesame bun really makes the cheese, bacon and egg the central stars of this sandwich, a task to which they are up to. You really taste that cheddar on here, while the bacon (hooray it tastes like good bacon!) has both crumbly crispiness and a salty maple hint in the aftertaste. Great touch.
Considering the fairly hollow nature of this bun, it's a somewhat one dimensional sandwich in flavour and texture compared to the higher spots on the list. Honestly, on most bites it goes more like a cheese and bacon sandwich with a bit of egg in there. Hey, that's not a bad thing.
SCORE: 6.7/10
#6. What-A-Bagel
Now this is what a bagel B.E.L.T should look like, damnit.
While this does fall into the "not as exciting as it looks" category, this is still a very satisfying bagel sandwich (and a large one at that). The egg is very soft (making this entire sammy extremely messy) and there's an overall high degree of freshness to all these ingredients. Crisp, crunchy lettuce, vivid tomato... even the turkey bacon (yeah I know) does it's job of adding some meaty saltiness. The bagel itself has a distinct oniony flavour throughout and while I'd have preferred it had been slightly more toasted, it's entirely fine and doughy fresh here in this form.
An extremely simple and straightforward sandwich in composition and taste, indeed. Won't blow your morning socks off, no... just a completely solid and tasty breakfast bagel sandwich. Heck, considering the lack of greasiness, lower fat turkey bacon and vegetable presence... this is also probably one of the healthiest options on this entire list as well.
Also: free samples! (their cream cheese has a pleasant lightness to it)
SCORE: 7/10
#5. A&W Sausage and Egger English Muffin
A&W gettin' it right once again. Using legitimately fresh English Muffins (the floury smell and taste is unmistakable) well fried eggs and a heck of a lot of melted cheddar cheese... here you have it. I kept eating this thing without realizing it... they've got a hold on me!
I do wish the sausage patty had a bit more to it... the texture is a bit spongey and you don't get a lot of grilled greasy pork flavour in there. It's fine I suppose. Beyond that though? This simple little sandwich is bright with flavour: the aftertaste of that airy english muffin lingers nicely, the eggs pop on the tongue (and are plentiful on every bite) and again that distinct sharpness of the cheddar is a nice little gooey touch.
Would this be better with some spice, or some kind of sauce? Of course. All of these sandwiches would be! Nevertheless, a tasty little sandwich that really hits the right spot for me. Always has and still does.
SCORE: 7.3/10
#4. Bagels On Fire
The strongest bagel entry of the list and for good reason: those sweet, gummy honey baked bagels are uniquely delicious and make a fine companion for the breakfast-y goodness within.
It's a small and dense sandwich: excellent balance between the lightly fried eggs, precisely thinly sliced fresh cold cut ham and hearty cheddar cheese. A light dab of mayo and black pepper help boost the overall flavours and give a bit more depth to it all... but really the bagel is the star of the show here and is absolutely delicious.Very good breakfast elements on a wicked bread.
SCORE: 8/10
#3. Egg Club
I really, really wish that cheese was more melted (this legitimately costs them any chance at the silver medal) but there's nothing else to quibble about on this one.
A damn delicious sandwich: those folded eggs have the perfect consistently of a milky light eggy omlette, the bacon is on point and much like Bagels on Fire... the bread is the absolute superstar. That Japanese milk bread is so soft and vibrant with a slightly sweet and cream-like flavour... I could eat that fresh on it's own any time of the day. Definitely a place worthy of a revisit.
SCORE: 8.2/10
#2. Gold Standard
The undisputed winner of "this tastes way better than it looks, and it still looks pretty good".
Choosing between these top two on the list was a seriously tough call... in my heart it's pretty close to a tie for first because I enjoyed both these breakfast sandwiches immensely.
Gold Standard has a lot going on in this sammy: cheesy fluffy scrambled eggs (that hold together brilliantly), slices of pickle, some hot sauce and a helping of incredibly wonderful bacon (this here is how you do it!). My longtime friend and occasional food trying associate (who ran the kitchen of a bacon restaurant in the past) joined me on this one and indeed was eager to know which butcher GS gets their bacon from.
She's extremely correct. This bacon was perfect in its combination of saltiness, fattiness, crispiness and endless tenderness. All the "ness'! The way it lingered in the mouth too... by far the best of any sandwich on this list. The little pickles are a nice little quirky touch as well, whereas the hot sauce was mostly invisible until the final few bites. Then? Pow! An intense chili pepper like heat that did not hesitate in taking no prisoners. They sell bottles of the stuff and I'd be very interested: you don't need much of it at all to land a punch, clearly.
Combined with a fresh, soft and lightly toasted English muffin... this is a nearly perfect breakfast sandwich. No major flaws. My only complaint is wishing it were a bit larger: I probably could've eaten two of these. Wanting me coming back for more? I see your wicked ways, Gold Standard... I'm wise to this racket. Bit annoying both locations are on the other side of town from me though... damnit.
SCORE: 9.4/10
#1. Bad Egg
Apparently they're known as Bold Bites Co. now or something? Lame. I can't make lazy egg related puns on that! Booooo!
If eggs are truly the most crucial component of a breakfast sandwich, then Bag Egg combining hard boiled with scrambled and pulling it off on a sandwich surely wins the delicious day. The mix of textures: squishy with fluffy, a lightly sweet mayo sauce, fresh thick bread slices toasted just to the right point... just an absolute winner here, folks.
Nevertheless, if I was going to award them the top slot I wanted to be absolutely sure. That's right... it's a double down! (not a KFC one, thankfully)
This is their Cluck N' Good egg drop: fried chicken, lettuce, tomato, Bad Egg sauce and eggs of course. While those sliced hard boiled eggs are gone, you've still got the eggs folded over scrambled-style that fills this entire sandwich. I also hadn't noticed on my first visit that they also use egg bread (the only place on this list to do so I believe) which gives the sammy a layer of extra richness (and oiliness).
I'd say the second visit was worth it: Bad Egg holds up as still being pretty damn awesome. As a breakfast sandwich these things are heavy and filling enough that yeah, you can probably skip lunch too. Simply an eggceptional entry worthy of the top slot on this breakfast sandwich podium.
SCORE: 9.6/10
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So what have we learned here? That eggs and bacon (or sausage) in sandwich form are damn delicious, also that most major fast food chains are terrible at making them. Hopefully this list has inspired you to go check out some of these genuinely excellent ones here (and to likewise never ever try any of the downright repugnant entries). As long as you don't "break fast" in rushing out the door! Ha! Ha? Ugh. Sorry.
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Rap City
Wrote my annual report on a bad (yet intriguing for the future) Toronto Raptors season. Could they actually be... good next year? Read my thoughts here to find out.
Tuesday Tune
I still hold out hope, fading and bleak now as it is, that these three one day get back together and record another album. JPJ turns eighty next year, boys... running out of time here!
That's it for this week! Hope you enjoyed this deep dive into breakfast sandwiches here in Toronto. We'll be back with something simpler (and much shorter!) next time but until then... stay safe, stay warm and most of all don't spill that mustard.
About this time last year I was lamenting what was, in my estimation, the second worst season in Toronto Raptors history. And what an absolute wreck it was: ill-timed injuries, uncertain vibes, constant roster changes, multiple family tragedies, an awkward goodbye to a franchise icon (not to mention the separate trade of another)... oh and of course employing a player who infamously was wagering money against his own performance. The whipped cream on top? How pointless the dreadful performance of the team turned out to be, with the Raptors eventually relinquishing their #8 pick in the draft to the San Antonio Spurs (more on that later).
The long, rocky and likely painful road into a rebuild was now undeniable. Yet even accepting that, considering the glaring lack of player development in recent years (something that had been such a crucial backbone of the team's late 2010s glory years) the franchise still felt completely rudderless. Fans feared the team was now stuck in the middle of being bad: just enough good players so to not be along the slimy bottom feeders of the league but not nearly enough experience, depth or top end talent to sniff anything beyond a pointless play-in appearance (if everything went right health-wise... which it immediately didn't).
There was little nuance to what the intended plan for 2024/25 was: we're gonna lose. A lot. Hopefully develop some young players along the way and build much needed chemistry between the four key starters... but more importantly lose a whole bunch of games and hope those lottery balls shine fortune upon us. A good looking 2025 Draft, featuring multiple potential franchise players at the top, could be just the tonic to jump-start the competitive window for the Raptors... and for the first half of the season they were comfortably well on pace to challenge the worst W-L record in team history. It became a semi-serious question on the Hello And Welcome podcast whether the squad would win a road game all season, even exploring what the worst road records in NBA history are (if you're wondering it's the 1990/91 Sacramento Kings who went 1-40...!).
Thing is, that second half of the season went much differently than the first. Despite their not-too-subtle efforts certain nights to not win... from January 13th onward the team went 22-21, fueled by an extremely easy schedule and a sudden defensive turnaround. Whether or not this was a good result... well it may take a few years to know whether having the 3rd best lottery odds rather than the 7th best was the difference between getting that next superstar or not. At the current moment however, before we even know where that Raptors draft pick will land... the franchise appears to be in a much different place now than when the season began, with entirely higher expectations going into this summer and beyond.
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As were the rules last year, only players who played at least 100 minutes for the Raptors this past season qualify for a grade. This scratches out D.J Carton and Ulrich Chomche, who both briefly appeared, along with dudes who didn't in Brandon Ingram and P.J Tucker (who yes was technically on the roster for a week or so). This leaves twenty-one players, which seems incredibly small compared to the nameless hundreds it felt like wore on Raptors uniform during the swamp of last season.
Lets front with the fellas upstairs.
Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster -- A-
I suppose you can quibble about them quickly abandoning their own plan: you're in the first full year of finally accepting a rebuild and then you go off and trade draft capital for a nine year veteran? Who was an impending free agent? Huh?
Extending Ingram almost immediately after the trade certainly helped clarify the intent: yeah, this whole multiple years of tanking thing isn't for us. Ujiri and Webster looked around the league, saw the pathetic state of the other teams tripping over themselves for lottery balls and decided there was simply no acceptable path for the team to sink that deep into the ocean floor.
The Ingram trade was downright perplexing at first, without question. Considering however that the only significant future assets surrendered in the deal were a 2026 draft pick from Indiana (probably in the 20s seeing as the Pacers will likely be very good again next year) and the money you'll be paying him (which fine is a lot, but they weren't signing anyone nearly as good as Ingram in free agency anyhow)... well I've clearly talked myself into it being another tidy bit of business by this front office. Buying very low on a near all-star talent, who should add desperately needed juice to the team's crunch time offense... you can see the reasoning here. Add in the uncertain state of the Eastern Conference below the top four teams and... well there's a pathway to meaningful basketball again, that's all I'll say for now.
Improving the likelihood of that optimism is the real success story (and reason for the high grade here) of this season: the once vaunted young player development at last returning to life and plucking multiple gems out of an extremely lethargic draft class. Snagging Davion Mitchell and the second round pick that became Jamal Shead in exchange for eating Vezenkov's salary cap hit (not to mention getting Jalen McDaniels off this team) was an especially inspired move.
Maybe none of the five Raptor rookies from this draft will ever be all-stars, or even regular NBA starters... but they've potentially given the 2025/26 Raptors something previous teams haven't had in a very long time: playable depth. Those second year guys coming off the bench, plus another rookie prospect in whoever they're able to get in this draft... you've suddenly got a pretty serviceable rotation.
The true upside of this roster going forward will most likely hinge on that draft pick, however. There are guys who will become star players and still on the board if they remain stuck at 7th or 8th... can they find their next superstar there? For the long term goal of contending for another championship, it's a pick* they absolutely have to get right. In the short/medium term, the front office feels like it has mojo back towards building at least a good team again.
(*Unless they defy the odds and get the #1. That would simplify things a bit).
Darko Rajakovic -- B
My biggest concern last season was whether he could forge a quality NBA defense... and for the first part of this season that concern was amplified up to eleven (giving up 140+ points on a regular basis will do that).
Then sometime in January, a switch was flipped or a light bulb went on or the players themselves had just had enough... the effort and togetherness improved immensely. After wallowing in the bottom three of the entire league that first half, the team managed to measure as above average in several defensive metrics from that point onward.
A significant grain of salt is needed when you consider the sheer putrid quality of many of the teams the Raptors played after the all-star break. Still, it does pass the eye test: there was much more determination and energy on the defensive end, a much greater sense of pride among each individual player. All this developing mid-season despite any real playoff aspirations being burnt toast since late November.
Coach Darko deserves quite a lot of credit for all of that. Keeping a young team together and playing with intensity despite the circumstances of one deflating loss after another. The difference in team culture became abundantly clear when the Raptors were playing any of the teams in the super tank (especially the 76ers or Charlotte). The dichotomy of a collection of dudes looking for their own numbers against a squad playing together and for each other, quite striking. Cooper Flagg is gonna be real damn good but even he alone isn't going to be able to drag the Hornets or the Jazz into respectability.
If the Raptors cameo into tanking is indeed just that, with a goal of being competitive and winning being the goal next season... that will be Rajakovic's biggest test of all. We've seen the player growth, the buy-in to play hard from his guys... now does he have the tactical juice and fortitude to also be a winning coach? I suspect we're about to find out. Hopefully he gets better with the coaches challenges along the way.
THE PLAYERS
Jakob Poeltl -- B+
A career year for the big Austrian, who has always shown himself to be a reliable and fundamentally precise basketball player... this year he unlocked a little bit more and was arguably the most impactful Raptor when on the floor. Always in the right place, an unkind deterrent around the rim for opponents driving inside, also an occasional high post playmaker for you and his little push shot is money more often than it's bankrupt. He even hit a three! Jak (via his funky one handed shot and some mental exercises) boosted his free throw percentage up to 67 percent, which isn't great but far far better than his "foul me" career 55 percent mark.
Needless to say, if the Raptors have any designs of winning basketball next year Poeltl will have to be a big part of that. He's the only surefire NBA quality center on the current roster after all, while even if the Raps end up with somebody like Khaman Malauch or Derik Queen neither of those rookies are going to be ready for serious minutes banging around with the likes of Jarrett Allen, Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns. Poeltl has a player option for 2026/27 and I imagine the front office will be motivated to see if they can extend him.
Bringing things back to the trade that brought Jak back in the first place: I'll argue it doesn't quite look so egregious as it did at the time, even if the potential opportunity cost of having a younger option like Donovan Clingan or Zach Edey on the roster instead isn't nothing (not to mention this team would have had a worse record and possibly better lottery odds). The problem always was how the intention of the deal was so woefully misguided at the time: trying to squeeze one last gasp out of a core that just wasn't going to work anymore. Funny enough, having Poeltl now in this moment in time is extremely valuable, no matter how next year goes. Either it works and he's a key starter on a playoff team, or the Ingram experiment goes sideways and maybe you're seeing if there's a couple first rounders available for him. Let's hope for the former, of course.
Scottie Barnes -- B
Kind of a strange year for Scottie. He flat out was not a good offensive player in 2024/25: after the encouraging improvement of 2023 his three point shooting went completely in the toilet down to 26 percent, which did not deter him from continuing to fire (and clank) away. He had some impressive scoring games for sure, but there were some tough ones as well (particularly at the end when he played through a hand issue). Among players who averaged over fifteen points Barnes' True Shooting Percentage was second worst in the league, while his turnover rate ranked in the top twenty among qualified players.
Barnes had the ball a heck of a lot (out of necessity) and I think we're getting close to the point that having him run the offense is a nice feature but shouldn't be the all-the-time strategy if you're planning to win more often than you lose. The Raptors were a pretty bad offensive team this past season and you can put a fair chunk of that on Scottie's shoulders.
That said, Barnes (especially in the second half) was an absolute beast on the defensive end. He'd always shown flashes of that but this season is when we finally started seeing it on a consistent basis. Reigning in most of the flashy gambles and trusting his rare combo of strength and agility is all he needs to do. I also think we're seeing him grow into a more mature leadership role on the team... you only need to look and see him be as fired up as anybody on the bench when he's not playing, almost like he never sits down (maybe he isn't capable!).
The too excitable element of his game is still there, resulting in those turnovers on passes that are too hard or the unwise pull-up threes (which he really needs to eliminate from his game. He never makes them). I think considering the level of energy he brings you're likely just going to have to live with some of that stuff, hopefully minimizing it by having a pure bucket-getter in Ingram around.
Is there another leap in there? He's still young (24) but this upcoming will be his fifth season. Barnes seems too unselfish a player to take a dramatic scoring leap: he clearly enjoys passing and seeing his teammates succeed more, an admirable quality to have in a star player sure but you also want to see him physically take over a game like you know he is capable of. I'm skeptical he's ever going to reach a true MVP candidate level... but an all-star caliber, defensive superstar player on a really good team? You don't have to squint much to envision that.
The grade is essentially an "A-" for his defensive work and a "C+" for his overall offensive output.
R.J. Barrett -- B
Dude just does anything and everything the team asks of him. Lead scoring option because everybody else is hurt? Sure. Be a point guard while Quickley is on the shelf? Why not. Everybody is back, you'll still start but can you go play a bunch with the bench guys? Check and check. Even his defense, which had often been terrible, improved to almost passable for stretches in that second half renaissance.
Considering how obviously athletic Barrett is, it's confounding he isn't better at guarding people... he gets beaten on his feet a lot and his awareness isn't always as sharp as you'd like. Also... we have a season and a half of data now... what is up with the free throws? He shot 72 percent as a Knick but is at 63 percent as a Raptor... it's just bizarre.
Nevertheless, he is just relentless driving to the hoop with the ball in his hands. He isn't all that quick but he's so strong and his determination just overcomes whatever obstacle is in his way, even when it's so obvious he's going to his dominant left. Barrett didn't shoot the three as well this season as he had when first joining the Raptors, but his overall scoring efficiency remains much improved over his days as a Knick.
It's difficult to think what his role will be exactly going forward. You imagine Ingram will eat into some of his looks and touches... plus youngsters like Walter or Gradey Dick or whoever the Raptors wind up snagging in the draft (which is very small forward/shooting guard heavy at the top, you know, RJ's positions) could affect Barrett's role as well. He's clearly a valuable offensive contributor and other elements of his game still appear to be rounding into form... but does his skillset become redundant on this particular team? Well for now, the team just won only thirty games... they still need all the good players they can get.
Jamal Shead -- B-
Relative to expectations, this is the biggest home run of the 2024/25 Raptors season. Shead is an absolute hooper, man. The Raptors seem to have a knack for getting the most out of feisty barely-six-feet tall point guards and I think they've found yet another one.
Considering he was playing alongside a bunch of fellow rookies (or essentially close enough) much of the time, Shead brought a steadying presence to what could've otherwise been a chaotic, disjointed second unit... emerging as the clear leader of that group by season's end. Having a near player clone of himself in Davion Mitchell around for a few months surely helped Shead find himself, one thinks, as his tendency to throw the ball away decreased as the year went on as well. The second most assists by a Raptor rookie! Not bad for a 45th overall pick in a weak draft.
Running the bench unit full time and being the spiritual leader of the youngster brigade, barring something unexpected, appears to be Shead's destiny for next season. I think the reputation defensively overshadows the results at the moment, but he's got a keen mind for the game and isn't afraid of anybody out there. He was a bad shooter in college but had some decent stretches of success behind the deeper NBA line. Becoming an even average three point shooter would really give his game some serious pop, allowing those intangibles he brings to become even more valuable.
Ochai Agbaji -- B-
This time last year I wondered, if everything went right, if Agbaji could turn himself into a "poor man's Alex Caruso". Having seen more, that comparison wasn't quite fair since they're actually very different players. Caruso is a ruthless hawk on the perimeter who can ball handle a bit for you, whereas Agbaji is more of a play finisher relying on cuts or getting found in the corner for threes. He's also a good but not elite defender, which if he can indeed hit 39 percent of threes that's still an NBA rotation player on a playoff team.
When he came over last season, Agbaji was extremely underwhelming. Invisible on the offensive end and generally lost during his minutes on the floor. This season was like watching a totally different guy as he shot the ball with considerably more confidence and moved around with much greater intention and purpose.
Whether the shooting is a fluke or not is the key swing skill here, but it's entirely possible it's real (he was a very good shooter for Kansas). If so, buying low on him from Utah as a re-draft candidate looks like another quiet but extremely sharp move by the Raptors front office. He'll only be 25 when next season begins.
Ja'Kobe Walter -- C+
Had an injury delay the start to his rookie season, did not shoot the ball well at all those first several games he arrived (which put his FG% for the season in the gutter) and had another injury that cost him a couple weeks near the end of the season. Despite all that, we saw a lot to like from the twenty year old from Baylor.
Being named after both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant (for real) might bring some heavy expectations, but I think most of us expected Walter to be a very raw and more long term project considering his age and uneven college performance. It certainly followed that script at first, yet Walter seemed to improve by some noticeable measure with each passing week: the three point shot came around, his savvy at drawing fouls and most interestingly... looking the part of a handsy disruptive on-ball defender at times near the end of the season.
He's still so young it's hard to speculate what his ceiling might be exactly, only that his rapid improvement in nearly every aspect of his game can only be an encouraging sign. One figures he'll be a key component of the Raptors youthful bench movement come next season... in the meantime this is the second straight year where arguably the highlight of the season comes from something a rookie does in Orlando.
Jamison Battle -- C+
Undeniably, Battle can really shoot it. That skill alone should give him a career in the league, with the funkiness of a bushy haired lefty shooter adding to the appeal. This is one of the best three point shooting seasons by any Raptor rookie ever, full stop.
What else can he do? Therein lies the question. At the beginning of the year he looked dreadful defensively, although so did the whole damn team so take that for what you will. To his credit, Battle seems like a thoughtful guy who works hard and his size (6'7) suggests he can probably help you on the glass a bit as well, which he did towards the end of the season. He's a bit older than the other rookies but even if he only amounts to a 10th or 11th shooting specialist guy on your roster, that's still a great outcome on an undrafted prospect.
Davion Mitchell -- C+
"Off Night" (still an awesome nickname) came as advertised: an absolutely tenacious defender who stays glued to his man like a model plane mishap. What an absolute nightmare it must be having his guy guard you all night... even if you're making your shots it still won't be easy.
His shortcomings are also as advertised: just not an assertive enough scorer or crisp initiator of offense to be a lead guard for a team, making his fit as a starter on a good roster rather tricky. Clearly a useful player to have around for certain situations and to his credit he's been terrific for Miami down the stretch (just ignore the Heat's record for much of that time).
Mitchell's declaration about being the best defensive player in the NBA is a bit tall of course, but the stories we heard of him as a Raptor obsessively and meticulously studying the film of opponents he's going to guard shows an intense dedication to his craft. A good player to have around, even if only briefly, and best of luck to him.
Immanuel Quickley -- C
A lost season for IQ no doubt, one where random injuries stopped him from any sustained run on the court in the early going. By the time he was fully healthy, the team was "resting" starters every other game to help the tanki-I-mean for their minor ailments. Go figure.
Unfortunately, when Quickley did play he was often ineffective. He's a great three point shooter and that skill remained, but there were plenty of games you'd hardly notice him out there at all if the outside shot wasn't there for him. Quickley wasn't able to get to the rim with any reliable frequency, his mid range game was up and down and any sign of him taking a step forward as a playmaker didn't show this time around.
It's unfair to judge him too harshly on a season where he never really had a chance to get himself going, but some long term concerns are still warranted. He's not a great defender (being so slight as to get pushed around easily) and pairing him long term in the backcourt with somebody like Gradey Dick or the early season version of Barrett just isn't tenable. Still, I think you hope for a bounceback to full health and see what that looks like with all these new players in the fold (plus potentially another play-making guard depending on the draft). Quickley's ceiling as a shooter and secondary scoring threat makes him a key piece if the team does plan on being good next year.
Chris Boucher -- C
A tale repeated as often as a clock strikes twelve... Chris Boucher begins the season not in the Raptors rotation, injuries force him into it, he plays his usual chaotic yet often effective brand of basketball, Coach Darko realizes Boucher is too good if the team is trying to lose games and so Chris vanishes back into the ether for the final months of the season.
He's a free agent now (still amazed they didn't trade him) and one figures Boucher isn't going to sign up to do this yet again, right? There are plenty of good NBA teams that could find a bench role for a rangy energy big who despite his wacky mechanics (he shoots like he's heaving a boulder over a cliff) can sometimes get hot from three like Boucher can.
Or maybe he likes it so much here, his adopted home country, he comes back anyway at a price just under the luxury tax? Who the hell knows... it's still so strange that he seems to have just disappeared off the face of the Earth since the end of February. Had he appeared in just a dozen more contests he would've cracked the Raptors top ten all-time in games played.
Gradey Dick -- C
I have my concerns... but he's also still so damn young (only Walter and Chomche are younger) that you easily forget there's a lot of growing still left to do.
That early stretch of the season was pretty damn impressive. Without Barnes or Quickley much of the time, Gradey became a focal point of the offense and seemed to set a new career high in scoring every other game. I think around the end of December he ran out of gas: the shooting efficiency slipped, the fun reckless drives to the basket (and acrobatic flips off the backboard) were less frequent and his exceptional sense of when to cut lacked much of the previous boundless energy. New Years Day was the final time he scored twenty in a game and his minutes had been slightly dipping before a nasty collision in Orlando ended his season prematurely.
With the team so heavy with twos and threes like Walter, Ingram, RJ, Ochai, even Battle potentially... I think Gradey being handed a blank 30+ minutes a game cheque for his development will not be on the table anymore. His shooting gravity can be useful sure, but so much of that is still theoretical with his career percentage hovering at a very average 35 percent. Considering how awful he still is defensively (his speed doesn't make up for his lack of strength or NBA level awareness... he gets backcut a lot) that shooting will have to nudge closer to an elite level and/or he'll have to get better at creating his own shot. As is, you'd probably rather play Battle instead if you want a reliable shooting threat and are trying to win.
But Gradey is young and he's shown us enough dizzying highs already... I think a good Raptors 2025/26 team can and will still feature Gradey in a useful but dialed back role as part of the youthful bench. He started every game he played this season, which I doubt happens next year.
Jonathan Mogbo -- C
I like Mogbo a lot: he does a few things quite well that this team could use, plus he has a good sense of things as a defender. It's a bit awkward that at his best he's like an playmaking high post center in the body of a wing, but there is utility in that kind of player in small ball matchups.
He has to improve on the offensive end for any of this to work. Far too often he looked lost out there, completely unsure what to do when catching the ball and those long moments of hesitation totally wreck the offense. There's a trepidation to his game, an instinct to automatically defer to somebody else that he needs to purge from his system. Often it was like he couldn't compute things quickly when the best play in that moment was for he himself to take the shot.
It's unlikely Mogbo will ever be even an average shooter from distance but hey neither is Draymond Green, which you're hoping is the template he can follow (ideally without the violent outbursts, tonedeaf commentary and senseless beefs around the league). The tools are there for Mogbo to be some version of that.
Bruce Brown -- C
Missed a bunch of time to start the season recovering from a knee issue, came back and eased his way into playing better and better until the Raptors at long last were able to trade him as salary ballast to get Brandon Ingram.
Brown is a quality NBA player, a key cog on a recent champion and as such his fit here always felt awkward since all parties knew this was a temporary arrangement. By all accounts Brown handled himself like a professional, was a good teammate to the younger guys and most crucially of all could really rock some damn fine looking cowboy outfits (a preferred fashion choice which becomes quite strange when you realize he grew up in Massachusetts).
Orlando Robinson -- C
A flawed but interesting player: there's not much rim protection and he looks a bit flat footed on the glass for my taste (though still much quicker than Olynyk at least). On the other side of the ball, the concept of him as a stretch five among a defensive-minded bench unit is compelling... he's got a bit of a pick and pop element and makes good short passes in tight spaces. I think there's a quality backup player in there somewhere, wouldn't be my plan A for that spot but this team has done much much worse (Aron Baynes anyone? Old Thad Young as a centre?) in recent years.
The Raptors themselves may not agree, cutting Robinson loose right before the season ended while opting instead to bring Colin Castleton back. A strange move: Robinson played the 13th most minutes on the team all season... they gave him a very very long audition.
A.J. Lawson -- C
Local fella, who'd been an end of bench guy on some good Mavericks teams, comes home to a bad team and is let loose to shoot shots away at his heart's content. "We're trying to lose anyway... have at it, kid!"
Not sure I see much of a long term player in there... as a scorer there isn't much of a package beyond shooting or sheer athleticism, which he's rather inconsistent at to begin with (though he's a rangy defender I'll give him that). Nevertheless it was good fun seeing him go nuclear from the field on occasion. He's an explosive enough athlete you maybe bring him back again as a 15th man type and see if there's any other element of his game you can unearth.
Garrett Temple -- C-
A true veteran's veteran. Always ready when called upon, even after riding the bench for a month. There isn't much anymore on an NBA court he can do to help you win (some quirky moments aside) but he sure seems like a key part of the team's culture off of it. In a season with so many rookies and young players not used to this level of losing (they've been stars on every team they've ever played for, that's why they're in the NBA after all) having an experienced voice like Temple around and among the players surely has helped keep this team cohesive and still playing hard.
He did hurt his knee in the final game of the year. Here's hoping for a quick recovery as by all accounts he's thinking he's got "one more year left in him".
Jared Rhoden -- C-
This seems a good time to compare the various G League names we ran through last season compared to this one. Remember those extended looks at Javon Freeman-Liberty, or Mouhamadou Gueye, or Jahmi'us Ramsay, or Malik Williams? No? That's fine... we lost almost every single one of the contests any one of those guys appeared in and none of them have played in an NBA game since.
The difference between those guys and the likes of Lawson, Rhoden, Robinson etc... is that we're seeing them wipe the floor against that very same level of competition we were trotting out last year. The Nets, Hornets, 76ers are essentially sending out their own versions of Freeman-Liberty, Gueye, Ramsay etc... whereas guys like Rhoden are just better, more effective players within this tighter team dynamic. They don't play "my turn your turn" basketball... at least not here they haven't.
As for Rhoden himself... I confess there wasn't a whole lot he did that stood out to me either way. I wanna say he defended well? So many of those games late in the season were just a blur of bad teams stocked with fringe players we'll likely never hear of again.
Kelly Olynyk -- C-
The back issue that kept him out for the start of the season was clearly much worse than anybody let on. After missing the first six weeks he came back and looked like a shell of himself: constantly a step slow (a problem when you're already in your 30s and not known as fleet-footed to begin with) and just completely unable to keep anybody in front of him. Combined with a poor showing in the Olympics, I began to wonder if he was completely cooked. Even his ability to be a playmaker at the top of the floor seemed greatly diminished.
Things started to improve the last month before the trade deadline, fortunate timing for his salary to be combined with Brown's and match the incoming Ingram bill. He's since gone on to play like his old self for the Pelicans, suggesting he does indeed have a bit of life left. It was nice having him around for a bit, even if the team was thoroughly dreadful for his entire tenure. A fun and odd player to watch.
Colin Castleton -- D+
He's long and springy so I suppose there's some upside there (apparently the Raptors think so, re-signing him to a non-guaranteed deal for next year).
Personally, I wasn't all that impressed with what I saw. Castleton seems too thin to be able to bang around in the post, there wasn't much in the way of blocks or altering shots, we didn't see enough shooting to convince us he can be a stretch big, plus his propensity to turn the ball over (those hands seemed a bit loose) make his utility as a play finisher very questionable. Seeing as we're talking about end of the roster/Raptors 905 types at this point, it's not all that big a deal if he's a guy they want a longer look at... I just think Robinson played considerably better.
Cole Swider -- D+
Doesn't matter if you can shoot when you're not taking the shots. Swider became more comfortable after a few games, but there's not much else he seems to bring.
Bruno Fernando -- D+
Worth a harmless look in a season never destined to be competitive but he's clearly not an NBA player at this point, a reality proven by immediately catching on with Real Madrid (not that Real Madrid) of the EuroLeague once the Raptors released him. His overall play was probably more deserving of a "D" but he gave us this highlight (another standout in a lost season) so I'll be generous.
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