Tapas Galore at The Black Hoof

The Black Hoof Tasting Crew (Photo Credits: Karen)

Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to announce that after approximately three months of planning, my friends and I finally had dinner at the The Black Hoof (928 Dundas St W). The Black Hoof is a critically-acclaimed Canadian tapas restaurant located west of the downtown core. Holly and Karen had been dying to dine there since the fall whilst I was probably the least enthusiastic about going. Little did I realize at the time that I just did not know what I would have missed if I did not listen to my two good friends.

To The Black Hoof!
Karen and I met at Yonge and Dundas and rode the streetcar that would take us to Dundas and Grace, the closest intersection to The Black Hoof. We were forewarned that the restaurant would be hard to look for and were thus prepared for a major "Where is Waldo?" moment. Interestingly, it did not take Karen and I that long to find the rest of our party because they were seated directly by the restaurant front. In fact, we must have walked two or three steps past the restaurant before we noticed our friends conversing merrily through the window and had to back-track to The Black Hoof's sliding front doors.

After exchanging a few greetings, we wasted no time in selecting dishes from the chalkboard menu attached to the restaurant wall. We then ordered the same dishes from our server, who graciously gave us helpful suggestions on the quantity and the order at which our food would arrive.

The first dishes to arrive at our table were the horse tartare and the charcuterie (not shown). We shared the two dishes between the six of us and, together, had our first taste of raw horse meat. Our table felt mixed emotions regarding the dish but I belong to the group of people who liked it. It is much better tasting than tartare de boeuf, which I have had twice previously in Paris and in Toronto and had not enjoyed both times.   

Bland taste and texture, great picture

The next dish to grace us with its presence was the bone marrow. I am not a fan of bone marrow and, much to my dismay, my opinion of the delicacy had not changed that evening. In contrast, Holly, Simon, Karen, and Victoria enjoyed the hefty serving of bone marrow rather thoroughly. In fact, I distinctly remember Holly scraping the bone marrow off of the bone... to the bone. Har har har.

Muy delicioso!

Then came my favourite dish of the evening: the Pork Carnitas Tacos. Perhaps it was because they tasted like lechon meat to me but I really loved The Black Hoof's tacos. They were extremely tasty and I especially liked the little piece of chicharon that had been added to lend some crunch to an already fantastic dish. The tacos may have been a messy eat (there was meat all over my fingers) but they were definitely a good eat that will be worth coming back to in the future.

Salty and Crispy

My pick for dinner arrived alongside the tacos in the form of fried chicken and jelly fish. None of us had ever eaten jelly fish before and were keen on finding out how the ocean bound creatures taste on land.

They turned out to be saltier than anything I could have imagined. Perhaps it may have tasted better with the dipping sauce but I missed it during our dinner. In any case, eating jelly fish was an experience for all of us as was eating its delicious fried chicken companion. 

Dessert (Background photo credit: Karen)

Last but not the least, the ants in a foie followed by the apple skillet were brought to our table to cap an amazing evening of dining at The Black Hoof. In spite of it being categorized as a main, I combined ants in a foie with the apple skillet in one photo and as desserts because, really, the former was more dessert than main to me and you will soon find out why.

The ants in a foie was actually foie gras on a peanut butter cookie that was dressed with raisins, peanuts, and sweetened celery. I am sure I am forgetting a component or two but this dish was definitely one of The Black Hoof's finest creations. It is extremely imaginative and impressive. I was convinced that I would be eating crawling ants. Moreover, I am sure that I gave the rest of our tasting crew a bit of a scare with my prediction but we were nevertheless relieved and satisfied with what appeared at our table. I really liked ants in a foie - I highly recommend it.

The apple skillet was equally as exquisite as its predecessor. We ordered two to share between the six of us because, in Victoria's words, "it is not a question of 'if' but of 'how much'". We did not regret our decision in the slightest because it was really, really good. The apple skillet was topped with white cheddar ice cream that was confusing for the senses because it was more salty than sweet. However, it offered an interesting contrast to the crunchy pistachio praline and the soft and savoury apple cake underneath it.

A great kick-off to a year of foodie adventures! 
The Black Hoof was divine. Dining there was an experience and an extremely memorable one at that. I really cannot give enough credit to Holly and Karen for discovering the restaurant and ensuring that plans went forward in spite of my wishy washy schedule. They too had written about their experiences at the restaurant, which you can read about through the listed links:

• Holly: "#17 Eat at Black Hoof." 
• Karen: "Sharing Meat-based Tapas at The Black Hoof!" 

I am glad that we got to do this, girls! I am also glad that Simon, Victoria, and our long-lost sister Kim got to join us for dinner, too. Great food and great company make for amazing dinners. To the first of many tasting adventures for the year 2014! Ciao!