Get yourself together
let the light pour in
Pour yourself a hot bath
pour yourself a drink
Nothing's gonna happen
without warning
Down
is the new up
Another Tuesday... another Taste. We've been gone a while! I was away in Europe for a couple weeks in October, then almost immediately upon getting back... well there reasons I've always despised November and this year was no different, only in new and unexpected ways. It's a shitty month that also has imagination! Fun.
Anyhow... seeing as that shit month is behind us and I've somehow lived to lament its shitty tale... we've got some reviews to catch up on in this weird little corner of the internet. What better place to start then the very meal I had at Pearson Airport before setting out on my European adventure. It's Caplansky's Deli! A name surely still familiar to many Torontonians, yet the only physical place left you can find their smoked meat sandwiches is in that airport terminal.
Of course, this was not always the case... so settle in because this tale is a bit of a ride. Zane Caplansky, once upon a time known as Zane Caplan (the Caplans also being a prominent Canadian political family) claims the inspiration to open up his namesake deli came back in 2007 when a friend reneged/forgot a promise to bring him back a smoked meat sandwich from the famed Schwartz's of Montreal... the unfulfilled craving morphing into motivation to just try making the darn thing himself in his backyard.
While Caplansky is far from shy about sensationalizing his food (or himself), it's undeniable he hit upon something special almost instantly. In 2008 he set up shop as a pop up kitchen (something not as common in those days) to sell his sandwiches in the Monarch Tavern. The immediate demand was far beyond anything he could've imagined, as this type of inspired Jewish deli cuisine just wasn't common in Toronto at the time... well, not south of Eglinton at least. His pop up kitchen sold out of meat multiple times during what would turn out to be a relatively brief residency in the limited confines of the Monarch.
By 2009 it was time to spread the wings and a space on the northwest corner of College and Brunswick became available (as an aside: a now-former-friend's first Toronto apartment was directly above this storefront, but he moved out maybe six months before Caplansky's Deli opened up there... something I always found amusing back during the height of the deli's fame. He should've stayed just a little longer! Bastard).
Anyhow, at this moment in time Zane Caplansky himself was far from satisfied with just this single successful location: he was thinking of an empire. Imagining a fleet of food trucks (leading to the much-followed-upon-a time Thunderin' Thelma), locations across Canada, his mustards on grocery shelves from ocean to ocean. He wanted far more than just a simple classic Jewish delicatessen slinging smoked meats on an unassuming corner of College Street... no, he wanted Caplansky's to be a national brand. Thus came the pitches to Dragon's Den, the television appearances, newspaper and magazine interviews, even a radio show? No clue how that worked exactly but the point is, this guy was putting in a lot of energy towards his brand (which is essentially himself and his food) being omnipresent.
Did this big focus elsewhere hurt his actual restaurant? Hard to say "eureka that's obviously it" but it does seem (from both my own memory and general consensus at the time) that the reputation of Caplansky's Deli did slip considerably after those initial years of untamed success. Combine that with the cost of brisket spiking and well, prices went up, portion sizes went down... while the food lacked much of the same magic as before. Some speculation from this Reddit thread suggests they were changing meat providers semi-regularly, which can't be good for the consistency of your product.
Regardless, the facts are that in June 2016 the landlord (righteously or not) locked out the doors of the deli at College and Brunswick. Zane Caplansky legally fought it and was able to reopen not long after... but the damage had been done. In early 2018 that flagship deli on College closed again, only for good this time. Within a month so had the Yorkville location, his co-owner buying out the share and shutting it down. Caplansky's variety of specialty mustards do still exist, which you can indeed find if you look around hard enough... but being a moderate player in a niche condiment market is a long, long way from what was grandly envisioned just a decade and a half ago. And that's coming from me, the fella who every week signs off by warning you not to spill that stuff.
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While objectively good drama, it's a bit awkward to bring up all this backstory here considering that Zane Caplansky himself neither owns nor operates the delicatessen at Pearson Airport which bears his name. Does or should this review even count because of that? Nevertheless... onward we go. Plus, what other opportunity am I ever gonna get to talk about this? I legit loved Caplansky's Deli in the early 2010s, though full honesty I'd often forgo the sandwich because... it was really the smoked meat poutine that did it for me...
This photo is from 2014 (really had to get a shovel through my photo archives to find it) and so a fair bit past the peak of Caplanskymania... I do remember this still being quite tasty but perhaps missing the sheer mind-melting excellence of the earlier days. The sort of blended mash of smoked meat they'd use wasn't quite as meaty or saucy in the dish. For a little while though... this was not only a worthy successor to Mel's in the Toronto smoked meat poutine game, but one far surpassing that predecessor (I'm as nostalgic as they come but looking back those Mel's fries were pretty rough).
Now, after all those years and along the way getting into this whole "food reviewing" game (there's a joke in here somewhere I just can't find it)... I was incredibly curious how Caplansky's, even this stand-in shadow semi-knock off version of it... would hold up against my memories. With plenty of time before my flight (not something I could've said a year prior), it was time for a test down memory lane.
Caplansky's in the airport (Airplanskys?) is very much like your typical airport bar/restaurant. Seriously, is there some kind of mandate that any such establishment in any airport has to be aesthetically the same? I've been in multiple international airports recently and the colour scheme of this Caplansky's is near exact to a bar in the Amsterdam airport (Schiphol!) where I had a Heineken while my departing flight was three hours delayed. I feel like it's either "bright with light brown tables and counters" or "darker pub lighting with deeper browns and false windows". Yes, I notice weird unimportant stuff.
Looking over Airplansky's menu, I was saddened to see they didn't offer my once beloved smoked meat poutine. Bah! Forget the European adventure I'm going home! Actually, they do sell regular poutine as a side... but where's the fun in that? Not discouraged (I guess that would be 'couraged?') I decided on their Reuben-style smoked meat sandwich (plus fries of course, which were separate) totaling in around twenty-five bucks or so. It's airport food, I wasn't expecting a bargain.
Still a sizeable sandwich though, with a healthy portion of fries and the pickle spears are a nice (and arguably mandatory) touch. I settled into the emptier gate adjacent to where my flight was departing and dug in, trying not to look like too much of a savage as I went to smoked meat town.
On the fries quickly: they're oily with a light crispiness (which I like) and aren't all that salty whatsoever... which while fine I would've liked just a tiny bit of seasoning. It's been so long I can't recall if Caplansky's fries were always this way (this did seem familiar) and don't forget this Airplansky's is essentially a totally different entity now (at least operation-wise). How faithfully they're following original recipes (if at all) I can only guess.
I liked them regardless. They didn't taste super fresh but these were far from old or stale, and that oily crispy texture really helps it along. Mediocre fries elevated by good texture and being cooked just right.
Now for the main event. Perhaps I'm out to lunch here (I mean this was literally my lunch har har har you know what I mean) but I think the Reuben aspect of this sandwich is a bit of overkill. It brings more flavours I suppose but conceptually I don't really need the slaw (smartly they didn't use sauerkraut) or the Swiss cheese or the Russian dressing all over this thing, because all that extra stuff does detract/distract from the main attraction of smoked meat goodness within. I actually quite like Reuben sandwiches for the record but this here is a little more advanced than corned beef. The sauce and cheese especially just seem a bit too insistent rather than complimentary. It's not a great match.
Regardless, that doesn't change my overall impression that is was still a very tasty sandwich. Best smoked meat in the city? Maybe not... but there's no denying its merits remain intact. Tender, not too fatty, just the right level of encrusted black pepper flavour and that distinct cured beefiness running through with minimal chewy or dry bits... just consistently enjoyable texture and flavour all the way through. You've got some nice rye bread (toasted and buttered up so it is real damn oily) holding it all together, plus a chomp of those pickle spears just match so wonderfully on an especially meatier bite.
The dressings aside, I think there's a good balance here between smoked meat and bread also. You've got plenty of that smoked good stuff, but also just enough of that toasty buttery rye to make it feel like you're eating an actual sandwich rather than a slab of meat with a couple refined grains thrown in. Plus, this was indeed quite filling: by the time I was hungry again I was walking around in a totally different continent, so well done there.
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Overall!
As people, we definitely tend to romanticize things, people and or places we've encountered and frequented in our past, with food experiences likewise not immune to that. If you had a time machine, you'd more than likely be very surprised at all the previous things you thought were incredible in the previous moment but now don't quite hold up to this current version of yourself. I went into this review contemplating this very thing... that there was a very strong chance Caplansky's now (especially considering the story I spent 85 percent of this article telling) wouldn't be quite as incredible as I'd thought it was a decade and a half ago. And frankly, yeah. It wasn't. How could it be? Reality can rarely live up to a romanticized version of itself.
Putting that aside... this still being a quality smoked meat sandwich? Have to agree there. I really did enjoy this from the first bite to the last, and the smoked meat itself had absolutely wonderful texture. The flavour comparatively, perhaps a bit more faint... it's good but also not the most vivid smoked meat I've ever had... but all of it together, definitely a positive.
So yeah, I think I probably recommend trying Airplansky's... especially in the scenario of waiting inside Pearson Airport for a flight. Actually, I suppose that's the only scenario I can recommend them... huh. Well, it's definitely not worth buying a plane ticket for. But if you happen to be there, it will still hit the spot.
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Fishy Business
While I was in London (England) I thought it would be prudent to try some fish and chips at some point I was there, so I did a little quick research to try and find what the most acclaimed places were.
Go figure, in the end I never ended up actually trying any fish and chips in those four days (D'oh!) but this particular article from a well known local blogger about what he particularly looks for in a fish and chippery, well just in general I found it quite insightful regarding this classic dish. Check it out:
https://youngandfoodish.com/the-best-fish-and-chips-in-london/
Fording The People
Just a reminder: this guy and his whole government* fucking sucks. We're back baby!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-bill-60-housing-9.6990632
Tuesday Tune
I don't really want to get into too much emotional detail about how yet another November just kicked me with a spiked boot in a new very sensitive place (fuck November, lets leave it at that for now) and I guess my life isn't quite the same now. I don't think of friendships or people like the way I did before... which is probably bad but, ah whatever. I'll live.
That's it for this week! Things may have been quiet the past month but that doesn't mean I wasn't up to anything (well, aside from being miserable a lot).
Well, I've been quietly venturing out and working away... and so have backlogged quite a bunch of potential articles for this calendar finale of 2025... possibly even a Holiday Special thing? From me? Who am I again? So stay tuned here on this same West Collier Street time, same West Collier Channel. I might even be more cheerful, too (no promises though). Until next time, stay safe, stay warm and most of all! Don't pull a November and spill that mustard.
*The fact our gullible apathetic province gave him and his developer goons another majority mandate this past February... well it helped supercharge distress that nearly killed me at the time and I'm not even being hyperbolic. Yeah, we're getting real here in the return of the weekly review show. Welcome back! Things are still a mess, there's at least some food we can talk about now.
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