I finally made my way to what is known as the heart of Copper Country where there’s one pasty shop in every town… at a minimum. Toni’s Country Kitchen is more of a diner, but that doesn’t stop them from selling pasties to go. Technically found in Laurium, it’s a short 15-minute drive north of Houghton.
I don’t know how much business Toni’s gets, but upon entering, there may have been five people working in the kitchen, one of which was putting together pasties. I knew I was in the right place. Otherwise, it’s a basic diner in a small shopping center in a really small town. If the rest of your company doesn’t want pasties (unlikely), they have a full breakfast and lunch menu, though close at 5:30 p.m.
This isn’t a great review because I didn’t do a ton of investigating. I’m not even sure they sell more than one pasty variety. I went in, saw the pasties, smelled the pasties and ordered a pasty. Toni’s gets a lot of hype and for the most part, it lives up to it.
The crust tasted exactly how I wanted it to taste. It had a great flavor and great crisp, and I probably could’ve had it by itself. Unfortunately, the insides let me down a bit because they weren’t mixed the best. I had a few early bites of pure meat, but then it was a lot of potatoes after that. I’m partial to sliced veggies, but not when the meat is clumped together throughout the pasty. It passes the ratio test, but probably not the mixture test.
If you’ve never had a pasty before and want to know what a pasty tastes like, Toni’s is the place. It’s not a true pasty shop, but it has one of the best pasties for a diner. If they didn’t get lazy mixing the ingredients together, it could be at the top of the list.
Taste: 4 (out of 5)
Crust: 4.5 (out of 5)
Pasty Presentation: 3.5 (out of 5)
The Shop: 3 (out of 3)
Would I come back for Pasties?: 2 (out of 2)
Total Pasty Rating: 17 (of 20 points)
Reviewed Fall 2019
I had a sit-down meal at Toni’s quite a few years ago. I was offered the suggestion (and I accepted) that the pasty I ordered be topped with a big hunk of butter. Way over the top! Have you ever heard of it as an option, TPG?
I have never had that as an option. A lot of places will put butter on the top of the insides but not on top of the crust. Probably an alternative to an egg wash to get that golden, crispiness on the outside.
Butter in just an option–in addition to ketchup or gravy. I prefer butter. All pasty shops offer it as an option.
You have to wonder about someone who calls themself “The Pasty Guy” who’s never heard of butter as a pasty topping. Maybe he’s from New York…
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