Beavertails & Butter Tarts: an American up north

GERRARD STREET BAKERY Black Dog Baking Co. 7 / 10 Maple Leaves 635 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1Y2, Canada https://www.gerrardstreetbakery.com/ Presentation: 7 Flavor: 7.25  Texture: 6.75 Center: 7 Crust: 6 Bite 7.5 Happiness "yum" Factor: 7.5 This is actually the second time that I’ve had the Gerrard Street butter tarts. On first glance, the butter tarts from Girard Street Bakery tend to look a little more like a small actual tart than that of a traditional butter tart. The first thing you really notice is the density the thinner nature of the outside crust. It really leaves this butter tart to not having that crumble ability, and, more so a firm more define bite. The texture is good. The flavor of the crust is nice, but overall its texture that really makes this one different. Now, the filling is somewhat of a medium runny consistency and has the appearance of runny yolk.. There is a slight crust to the top, which is a nice contrast, but the filling does tend to move more...

THE SWEET OVEN 9.72 / 10  Maple Leaves 90 Park Pl Blvd #2, Barrie, ON L4N 6P8, Canada https://thesweetoven.com/ Presentation:10 Flavor: 10 Texture: 9.75          Center: 10 Crust: 8.5 Bite 9.75 Happiness "yum" Factor: 10   Though I’m not new to butter tarts, I started this adventure at the request of a friend of mine at The Sweet Oven in Barrie Ontario. A bit appropriate because according to my friend Barrie is the home of the Canadian butter tart. Though Deepak IS a native to the area and perhaps this is local lore (he is a great guy tho). So, in short, it better be good.  The Sweet Oven offers two basic tart experiences; the less runny or the more runny. For my first review here I chose the latter. Though I hate to start with a banger right off out of the gate based on my previous experiences in several provinces this may have already topped the charts. If anything changes I’ll be sure to come back and note the update the folks we started w...

ANNINA'S BAKE SHOP 8.32 / 10 Maple Leaves 300 Durham Regional Hwy 47, Goodwood, ON L0C 1A0, Canada https://www.anninasbakeshop.com/   Presentation: 8.5 Flavor: 8 Texture: 8.5    Center: 7.5 Crust: 7.5 Bite: 9.5 Happiness "yum" Factor: 8.75 For lovers of the show Schitts Creek, this is a must do. Settled right in the center of three of the show's landmarks; Annina's actually served as the catering for the production team during filming. During covid the show's stars promoted and kept alive the shop though their glowing endorsements. Though butter tarts are a focus, the shop offers a variety of baked goods and small home made food choices. Annina’s butter tarts, at first look, are a little bit larger than your average butter tart; not as large as some of them come but a little bit more than the two or three biter that you normally expect. Biting in you immediately noticed the thickness of the crust, which actually looks thicker from the outside due to the sligh...