I can't believe I'm back in Toronto

Omakase at Yuzu

2010-09-27T21:01:00.020-04:00

This is a super belated post about the breathtaking omakase I had in late April with mom at my favourite restaurant, Yuzu, at Adelaide and Duncan. The nine courses below were an impossible $70/person, which included two servings of toro each. How is this possible?

First Course: Oyster shooter with ponzu, quail egg, and uni. This is much less scarier than it seems. It tastes like the ocean.

Second Course: Okra stuffed with sea bream, rapini wrapped with napa cabbage, and miso duck breast. Like little savoury petit fours.

Third Course: Chawanmushi. Smooth and comforting.

Fourth Course: Toro and sea bream. The gold foil was perfectly a propos.

Fifth Course: Clear seafood soup. Beautifully clean with generous amounts of seafood.

Sixth Course: Breaded lamb. We were encouraged to pick it up by the tin-foiled handle and gnaw the meat off the bone.

Seventh Course: Sushi. I can't remember the two on the left, but the two on the right are amaebi and toro (again!).

Eighth Course: Gindara black cod with miso on magnolia leaf.

Ninth Course: Sake cheesecake. This was fantastic. I ate mine and most of mom's.

Yuzu is just too good to be true. I could eat there every day. For the omakase, make reservations at least one day in advance; otherwise, you can usually just walk in.

We ate everything on the menu at Amuse-Bouche

2010-04-29T20:18:00.023-04:00

After hearing the sad news that Amuse-Bouche is closing, we immediately booked a table for Tapas Tuesday. Our seating was early (6PM)—good thing because the evening turned into a decadent 3-hour long feast where we got to sample every single item on the menu. We hadn't planned it that way, but just before diving into the arduous task of deciding what to eat, the waiter saved us by suggesting we share some multi-course tasting menus in order to have a little of all sixteen dishes. Who could say no? This is what we ate:

Ham and wild leek croquette with smoked apple compote—a wonderful, crispy start

Baby beet salad, fried capers, Baco Noir reduction—fresh and spring-like

Ontario beef carpaccio with truffle vinaigrette—Liana's favourite

House–smoked salmon tartare with potato confit—creamy and decadent

Bajan fish cakes with Amuse-Bouche tartar sauce and black Hungarian pepper sauce—hearty, satisfying, and conveniently portioned for the five of us

Ricotta and carrot gnocchi with Uncle John's parmesan hollandaise and baby vegetables—so smooth and delicious; my favourite

Duck confit poutine with house pickles—Darryl's favourite

Homemade duck and lamb chorizo with crispy polenta—lots of meaty texture

Garlic and nori–encrusted salmon—I ate the lion's share of this; yum!

BC prawn ravioli in lobster bisque—rich shrimp and lobster flavours

Wild garlic–encrusted BC herring with lemon aioli—delicious little fried fish

Pan–seared Qualicum scallop with fennel and orange confit—light and tasty

Giggie's pan–seared rainbow trout with Savoy cabbage and carrot emulsion—great crispy crust

Butter-poached Nova Scotia haddock with leek fondue and beurre blanc—velvety sauce with fresh fish

Ontario Yorkshire pork tenderloin with mushroom fricassee—generous amount of tender pork; loved the straw mushrooms

Cumbrae's grilled bavette with beurre maitre d'hotel and 100km potato—lovely, rare beef with crispy on the outside; soft on the inside potatoes

Everspring Farm roasted duck breast with spaetzle—generous amount of high quality duck

Pecorino Toscano and Brie—sharp, hard Toscano with mild, soft Brie

Front row (L-R): Flourless chocolate cake with candied orange, hazelnut chocolate mousse, berry mousse, macaron with chocolate. Back row (L-R): Gianduja parfait, white chocolate and apple crumble, lime and apricot panna cotta, creme brulee—everything fantastic, especially the Gianduja

The whole experience was magnificent. Even though we didn't tell the waiter it was a birthday dinner, he noticed the cards and gifts on the table and put candles in the dessert. So sweet. And the cost of all this luxurious food (for five people) plus one glass of wine each?: $270 before tip.

Last Chance to Amuse-Bouche

2010-04-14T20:55:00.004-04:00

I was disappointed to read in Toronto Life's Daily Dish that Amuse-Bouche Restaurant will be closing at the end of May after five years in the King West neighbourhood. I met chef Bertrand Alépée and maître d' Sarah Lyons last summer at Luminato while covering 1000 Tastes of Toronto for Torontoist, and I had a chance to try their awesome pulled pork sandwiches with chocolate chipotle barbecue sauce. The restaurant is very close to my office, so I walked by at lunch and saw the big FOR LEASE signs plastered on the quaint facade—makes me sad.

I'm going next week for Tapas Tuesday, which sounds incredible. Savoury plates are $10, cheeses are $5, desserts are $5, and wine by the glass is $5. They also have 5, 7, and 10-course tasting menus for $40, $55, and $70, respectively. And they are one of the few restaurants who reliably take reservations through email (mail@amuseboucherestaurant.com). Amuse-Bouche closes on May 31.

Best Pho Restaurant Name Ever

2010-04-10T21:41:00.005-04:00

I made Russell pull over so I could take a picture of this place in Cambridge. Why haven't I seen a pho restaurant with this name until now? Love it. http://www.phoshizzle.ca/

Halifax Donair & Pizza in Milton, Ontario

2010-04-10T20:37:00.008-04:00

After hearing so much about this place for well over a year, we finally drove out to Milton to try Halifax Donair & Pizza, the place we heard is run by guys who used to work at King of Donair in Halifax.

This tiny shop on charming Main Street is clean and bright with an open kitchen, allowing customers to watch in anticipation as the food is lovingly prepared.

Just like King of Donair, Sicilian, and European Food Shop in Halifax, the menu consists of donairs (Halifax-style only, which is like a gyros but with a sweet sauce made of evaporated milk, vinegar, and sugar), subs (with donair meat and otherwise), pizza (again, donair and otherwise), and some other odds and ends. We ordered donairs (only $3.99 for a small) and garlic fingers (pizza crust topped with garlic butter and cheese, sliced into strips and served with donair sauce for dipping).

During the time we were there, lots of people came in, including several hydro workers in orange coveralls and two guys in tuxedos who must have been in a wedding. Halifax donairs are pretty different from other middle eastern fare in the GTA due to the sweet sauce (that I remember disliking as a kid, growing up in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia), so I'm glad to see so many locals enjoying them. The three guys working there, who I suspect are the co-owners, also treat everyone wonderfully.

We drove all the way to Cambridge (4o agonizing minutes) with our goodies to share them with more friends, so it was all a bit cold by the time we ate it (I forgot to take food photos!), but it was definitely the real deal. The experience was just as I remember from home. It's so wet and sloppy that you can't actually eat it as a wrap; you just eat the insides until the point where you can attempt to pick up the soaked pita while the sauce drips down your arms. I know that sounds awful, but it's really good.

I'll miss you, Ayngelina!

2010-03-30T22:38:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow, my friend and Torontoist partner-in-crime Ayngelina will be taking off for a 12-15 month long trip of a lifetime to Central and South America. She's been saving and planning for well over a year, and I can truthfully say I've never seen anyone so prepared. I know she's going to have an amazing time. (If you'd like to follow her on her journey, she created a blog, aptly named Bacon Is Magic, and her Twitter handle is @ayngelina.)

Ayngelina and I met back in 1998 when we were both unfortunate co-op students at the communications department of the Canadian Space Agency (heard of it? It's our NASA) on the south shore of Montreal. We're both from Nova Scotia, so we got together a couple of times in Halifax, but we pretty much lost touch until around 2008 when we both coincidentally started blogging about food in Toronto.

In February 2009, I started writing for Torontoist and quickly realized my mad point-and-shoot skills weren't going to meet their lofty photography standards. So, even before she was officially on staff herself, Ayngelina enthusiastically made herself available and accompanied me to fancy store openings in Rosedale, flavour-tripping Miracle Berry tastings in Parkdale, and everything in between. Not only did she take amazing photographs, but she knew so much about food and PR, which made everything easier for me. Since she did such an fantastic job, Torontoist hired her in June of the same year. I'll miss our collaboration very much.

Since I'm such a sentimental sap, I thought I'd compile a list of my favourite posts we did together over the past year along with a few behind-the-scenes details.

Enough Already with the Bathrooms, Says Mildred - February 2010
Despite the exhausting media circus that surrounded Mildred's Temple Kitchen before Valentine's Day (click the title link to find out more), co-owner Kevin Gallagher graciously spent close to an hour on a busy Friday evening filling me in on his side of the story. Something that I felt was lost in all the hoopla is Mildred's has the most incredible food (Veda's Choice at brunch; there are no words). So, the morning after the interview, Ayngelina, her boyfriend Geof, and I went to the restaurant and she took some of the most beautiful food shots I've ever seen. It all tasted as good as it looked.

501 Queen Car Goes Splitsville - October 2009
On a beautiful day in late October, Ayngelina and I rode the 24-km Queen streetcar route from end to end to test the TTC's experiment of splitting the city-spanning route into two (in the hopes of improving service consistency). We met after work at Yonge and Queen at the height of rush hour and spent the better part of three hours negotiating transfers, picking out landmarks to photograph, and desperately trying to get Ayngelina and her camera as close as possible to an open window. By the time we reached Long Branch (in the shadow of Mississauga), it was pitch dark and Ayngelina had to travel all the way home to Yonge and Eglinton before editing dozens of photos for me.

Oh l'amour - September 2009
Ayngelina was 100% responsible for seeking out this amazing photography exhibit called Thirty in Twenty: An Exhibition of Photography, Food, and Wine. Over 25 years ago, Toni and Ria Harting embarked on what sounds to me like the most romantic trip. Toni had inherited some money from his mother who wanted him to enjoy it, not save it. So, they decided to spend it all dining at ten 3-star Michelin restaurants in France while travelling in a rented van and camping to save on expenses. Toni took photographs of the entire journey and they saved the menus (some of them handwritten!) from all the restaurants. The couple themselves were at the opening and they were the loveliest people. Their sense of adventure is something they have in common with Ayngelina.

Miracle on Queen Street - August 2009
On a hot, sticky August day, we received a last-minute invitation to a small, exclusive Miracle Berry (exotic fruit that make everything eaten afterward taste sweet) tasting at the home of a Parkdale couple who had just started berry distribution business. We were already booked that night to cover the fabulous SummerWorks Performance Gallery at the Gladstone (see below), but we squeezed in a short visit, during which we ate the berries then filled our poor stomachs with tequila, vinegar, sour candy, and lemons (oooo...the heartburn). We felt fortunate to be there as our party companions were all from the Globe and Mail, Toronto Life, CBC, and the Toronto Star. No one else's photos were as nice though.

Night at the Performance Gallery - August 2009
We arrived late due to the Miracle Berry party (see above), so some of the performances we wanted to see were already done for the night. But happily, several of the performers offered to stay and do extra shows just for us. I fell in love with haunting opera singer Anthony Bergamin in Quietness and beautiful Hannah Cheesman in My German Lollipop. The performances took place in the small rooms on the 2nd floor, so Ayngelina took many of the photos while lying on the floor to get a good angle. These dark, moody images captured them perfectly.

Toronto Tastes Great - June 2009
The great people at Second Harvest very generously invited Ayngelina and I to attend and cover their swanky fundraiser, Toronto Taste, in Yorkville. We dressed up in our best and tenaciously interviewed some of Toronto's most famous chefs and Food Network personalities (Michael Smith, Laura Calder, Bob Blumer). Needless to say, I was scared to death and Ayngelina provided much needed moral support. All of the food photos she took were glossy magazine quality, but I think my favourite was of chef Marc Thuet. We couldn't get close enough to interview him during the event, so we gave up and started making our way to the subway. Then, all of a sudden, there he was—leaning against a nearby building, taking a smoke break with one of his cooks. We scooted over, chatted for a bit (he was so sweet), and Ayngelina took his picture. He's the most physically majestic person I've ever seen (not unlike a lion), and I think this comes across really well in Ayngelina's photo.

Small Boxes at Summerhill - June 2009
Thanks to my wonderful and talented friend Olivia Bolano (head chef at All the Best Fine Foods), I get invited quite often to events at the Five Thieves, a group of well-respected and long-standing gourmet food shops in Rosedale. The 19th-century era buildings have been undergoing lengthy restoration and renovation, so back in June, Woodcliffe (their landlord) held a press event to unveil of the first four shops to be completed. The stores were beautiful, especially Pisces Gourmet who had a stunning array of exotic fish on display. Funnily enough, even though there were tonnes of "press" in attendance, we were the only ones actually working that night. Some of the shops owners told us at the after-party that no one else took any photos or asked questions. And we didn't see any other articles about it in the following days. Score one for Torontoist!

The Original Fifteen - June 2009
"The Original Fifteen" is the nickname we gave to the Basic Culinary Skills Training program at the YMCA because they've been helping people on social assistance learn to become working professional cooks decades before Jamie Oliver. Ayngelina and I got up at the crack of dawn and visited them at their training facility before going to work. I can barely put into words how wonderful the whole endeavour is. The chef instructors are kind and caring, but serious, and they are always thinking about how to make the program better in order to get their cooks into stable and enjoyable employment. I've never seen anything better in my life.

Shang to Shang in Thirty-Six Hours - April 2009
This was a such a fun piece. Back in April of last year, Susur Lee had just opened his New York restaurant, Shang, on the Lower East Side. Since many people here were curious about the food being served there, Susur simultaneously offered a sampling of the same dishes at his Toronto restaurant, Madeline's. Coincidentally, I had a weekend trip to NYC planned at the same time, so within two days, I dined at both Madeline's (with Ayngelina and my friend Marcelo) and Shang. I was so nervous taking pictures that would be laid side-by-side with Ayngelina's!

The streetcar went by like I wasn't there - April 2009
I've been a big fan of Toronto textile artist Yasmine Louis for years. I cherish a dark (now faded) grey hoodie I bought years ago that has what might be my favourite line written by anyone screenprinted on it: "The streetcar went by like I wasn't there." It's vulnerable and sad; I love it so much. I was so happy to finally meet and interview her for Torontoist. Ayngelina and I visited her in her sunny, peaceful Queen West studio and had so much fun talking about her work and travels. Yasmine only sells through shows like the One of a Kind Show, so it gives her ample time to take long, adventurous trips to exotic places; much like Ayngelina!

Have a fun and safe trip, Ayngelina, and thanks for all the photos! I'll miss you!

Photo by Yasmine Louis.

Love Studio Brillantine in Parkdale

2010-01-24T08:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, on my way home, I needed to pick up some birthday cards so I popped into Studio Brillantine at 1518 Queen West at Fuller (near Sorauren). They used to be located further east near Dovercourt, but have been at the new premises for some time now.

A few years back, my sister and I went in because we couldn't find the David Kaye Gallery. We spent close to an hour looking at the cards and asphxiating because we were laughing so hard, especially at the fomato ones. This was my absolute favourite.

Aside from cards, the shop is full of amazing little everyday objects, exceptionally designed. It reminds me of the Japanese design exhibit I went to see at the Design Exchange all those years ago. They also have great kitsch things, like Barbapapa paraphernalia. Ferdinand Suzara, who I think is the owner and curator, is the sweetest. If you need a gift, card, or a little pick-me-up present for yourself, it's the perfect place.

Sunday Dinner: Jamie Oliver's Pan-Fried Chicken with a Delicate Pearl Barley, Pea and Lettuce Stew

2009-11-22T21:49:00.005-05:00

I didn't go see Jamie Oliver today at Roy Thomson Hall, but we (Darcy actually) coincidentally made an Oliver recipe for dinner. We saw Jamie make it on the Food Network this morning and I couldn't think about anything else. It was called "Pan-Fried Game with a Delicate Pearl Barley, Pea and Lettuce Stew," but we didn't have access to partridges, so we used chicken (legs and breast) and it was amazing. The pan-fried poultry is served on top of a kind of barley and pea risotto with fresh lettuce mixed in at the last minute. So good. You can fin the recipe here.

If You Tweet It, He Will Come

2009-11-20T16:24:00.002-05:00

My post about how Toronto comedian Bob Kerr used Twitter and Facebook to convince LA comedian Paul F. Tompkins to perform in Hogtown for the first time ever is up on Torontoist.

This is, without a doubt, my favourite post. I didn't initially plan on writing about this at all. I heard about Bob's campaign to get PFT here, but I thought it wasn't a necessarily "Toronto" story. I attended the show and completely fell in love with Paul within mere seconds. It was one of the best comedy shows I've ever seen, and I would put him right alongside Louis C.K. As the weeks went by after the show, all these new copycat Facebook groups started popping up, trying to do the same thing. At last count there were over thirty cities, mostly in North America, but also some as far as Sweden and Scotland! This was fast turning into something really big and it all started in our little city.

But, more than that, I was so happy for Bob. I feel like it must have taken so much courage to engage Paul, convince him to perform in Toronto, and take on the responsibility of making sure the audience showed up. It turned out better than he could have hoped and he even got to hang out with Paul after the show. I wish both Bob and Paul every success.

Save the Last Deli

2009-11-11T20:44:00.006-05:00

Photo by Marcelo Ithurralde.

My post about David Sax's excellent book, Save the Deli finally went up today on Torontoist. I wrote the first draft last week, but my editor rightly asked me to give it another looking over, at which point I realized it was awful. So, I started again from scratch and also asked one of Torontoist's illustrators, Sasha Plotnikova, to do an original illustration, which I think came out beautifully. David Sax himself even found the post just a few hours after it went up and re-posted it on his blog (yay!).

I read this book in one weekend and I was amazed by how much research and legwork went into it. I can't imagine doing that many interviews, let alone ones with people who are running busy delis and don't have much time to talk. His stamina continues to amaze me as I follow his blog, describing his exhausting book tour.

Everyone seems to be fixated on the book as a deli travel guide, but I think the best part of it is the historical details of Jews in North America that lend context to the current situation—the disappearance of traditional Jewish delis. The point that stuck with me was that the source of this cuisine was all but extinguished during the Holocaust. As Sax says in his book, "Delis are cooking from the fading memories of a time and place that no longer exist."

Live-blogging Nuit Blanche for Torontoist

2009-10-04T11:03:00.006-04:00

Last night, I had my first live-blogging experience as my star photographer friend Ayngelina and I tried to faithfully record the weird and wonderful things we saw throughout the night at Nuit Blanche: http://torontoist.com/2009/10/blanche_slate_nuit_blanche_live.php. A note to anyone trying to do this in the future, you cannot count on free wifi, or even paid services like Boingo. I ended up texting my editor instead.

Not only did my editor, David Topping, put together the post on the site as the night unfolded, but pieces of it were also projected on a big, blank outer wall of the AGO. We got there at about 1AM. My friends patiently waited as I stood poised with my camera, waiting for one of mine to come up.

Nuit Blanche always sounds really good on paper, but more times than not, the execution lacks something. "Dance of the Cranes," a piece where construction cranes were supposed to move in tandem to music was just two cranes with monotone blue Christmas lights spinning slowly on their axes. And the "Wild Ride," which was two midway rides located in the middle of the Financial District and staffed by carnies in suits to represent the "wild ride" workers in banking have had this year, didn't put any emphasis on the dressed up operators and just looked like a regular carnival ride with hordes of people waiting to get on.

I think the coolest thing was the "plane" that flew across the ceiling inside the 24 hour grocery store in Liberty Village. People are shopping, everything is as usual, then the sound of a jumbo jet fills the store and the immense shadow of a plane crawls across the ceiling...then it's gone. Loved it.

I think Nuit Blanche needs an injection of theatre, performance, and people. How cool would it have been to see Cirque du Soleil-type acrobats crawling over those slow-moving cranes? And really making those Bay Street carnies standout with crisp suits and Venetian masks.

Oh, l'amour

2009-09-08T21:07:00.001-04:00

On Friday, Ayngelina and I had so much fun at the public opening for Thirty in Twenty, which I wrote about for Torontoist. I had such a hard time composing this post because I was overwhelmed by the richness of Toni and Ria Harting's story and how refreshingly real and sweet they were. Seeing them in the room, alongside the precious photos that chronicle their French culinary adventure from almost 40 years ago, made me well up. The photos capture the essence of youth, adventure, fun, and love.

The show is curated by another beautiful couple, Johanna Reynolds and Zach Kellum, who have such wonderful taste and styled the room perfectly for the show.

If you're in Toronto, don't miss it. It's free and runs until September 26.

Photo by Toni Harting.

Miracle on Queen Street

2009-08-12T12:38:00.007-04:00

So, thanks to my Torontoist editor David Topping, who is a friend of Tyler Clark Burke, Ayngelina and I were able to attend a "miracle fruit" tasting last Thursday and we posted about it on Monday. Many high profile media people were there (Toronto Life, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, CBC) as well as little old us. We were crammed together on a tiny back patio and it was really fun.

Due to my own mix-up, we were double-booked that night and had to go to the Performance Gallery at The Gladstone as well, which we were slightly late for. After having some berries (which make everything eaten afterwards taste sweet) and scarfing down too much of the test foods (lemons, salt-and-vingear chips, sour candy, hot peppers, vinegar, tequila), we made a hasty exit and had just 45 minutes to see all of the gallery's performances.

At one point, we were watching a fabulous performance called German Lollipop that took place in the bathroom on the second floor. The night's performances were supposed to be over already, but since we were media, they did an extra one for us. In the show, Hannah Cheesman played a German wife who was being gradually driven to madness by her husband. It was a creepy, powerful performance and it was fantastic. I loved it, but the door was shut and it was a million degrees in there and my stomach was super mad that I filled it with dietary acid at the party. Word of caution: do not make plans to do anything after a "flavour-tripping" party.

Photo by Ayngelina Brogan.

Theatre Buff

2009-08-10T22:45:00.006-04:00

With all this writing for Torontoist, my own blog is getting terribly neglected. Between the Pride Parade and now, I've had the amazing opportunity to review plays for the Toronto Fringe and SummerWorks. I've always loved theatre and see quite a bit of it usually, but this is the first time I've written any formal reviews.

During the Fringe, I went to see about 16 plays, mostly with Marcelo, and loved every minute of it (well, the vast majority). I couldn't get enough. Even at lunchtime, I snuck away to the Factory Theatre (just down the street from my office) and squeezed in an extra play.

As for SummerWorks, so far, I've seen only three traditional SummerWorks plays, one SummerWalk, and one visit to the awesome Performance Gallery. I simply fell in love with Quietness by Anthony Bergamin. I am a sucker for opera or any singing really.

So, belatedly, here are the posts I wrote for the Fringe and SummerWorks (to date) for Torontoist:

First Class Baggage (review of Baggage)

Bert and Eye (review of Bert and I)

#FringeTO (collection of tweets by Fringe performers)

It's in the Bag (review of BAGS: Obsessions of a Hoardaholic)

Night at the Performance Gallery

Remember Lola Lita (SummerWalk walking tour)

Proud Crowds

2009-06-29T09:55:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, Torontoist photographer Andrew Louis and I were so lucky to march in the 29th Annual Pride Parade with Heterosexuals for Same-Sex Equality. To do something a bit different, we took photos of the crowd instead of the floats to shine the spotlight on all the amazing people who came to show their support.

It was my very first time at the parade and I was overwhelmed. Everyone there was smiling, dancing, laughing, and cheering. Makes me tear up to think about it. Happy Pride to everyone!

Toronto a la Cart's First Thirty Days

2009-06-24T10:16:00.002-04:00

My post on the hard-working Toronto a la Cart street food vendors is now up on Torontoist. I had originally thought I'd write about the food they were offering, but when interviewing them they told me so many exasperated stories about working with the City that I changed tack to focus on that.

These vendors are working incredibly hard. Young Jin Kim and her son, Simon, are downtown at 9 a.m. every day to pick up the cart. By ten, they're at Yonge and Eglinton and they stay until 9 p.m., after which Kim goes to her restaurant to do the dishes and prepare for the next day. These guys deserve all the help they can get. Please support them.

Toronto Taste in USA Today

2009-06-17T15:08:00.005-04:00

I'm so excited that USA Today linked to our post on Torontoist about Toronto Taste! And they pulled the closing quote by Mark McEwan out as well for their quotes page. It was a great quote. Mark McEwan is awesome.

Toronto Tastes Great

2009-06-16T13:18:00.007-04:00

My post about Toronto Taste, Second Harvest's biggest yearly fundraiser, went up on Torontoist this morning, and happily just got linked in the Globe & Mail.

It was a star-studded event with many celebrity chefs and Food Network personalities, including Mark McEwan (Second Harvest's ambassador), Marc Thuet, Michael Smith, Laura Calder, Bob Blumer, Brad Long, and Donna Dooher. My girl, Olivia Bolano, was also there making her debut at Toronto Taste as Executive Chef of All the Best Fine Foods.

I was so intimidated to talk to Mark McEwan and Marc Thuet, but they were both extremely accomodating. McEwan talked to me at length about how devoted he is to Second Harvest, and how he does everything he can to help them, using his incredible influence in the industry.

We almost didn't talk to Marc Thuet, but as we were leaving we caught him having a cigarette with one of his cooks outside the grounds. In real life, he is as magnificent as a lion, and I think Ayngelina captured that so well in her photograph (see the post).

Debra Hubner from Second Harvest told us that 1200 people were in attendance that night, making over $250,000 for the charity.

The Original Fifteen

2009-06-09T15:46:00.003-04:00

My post about the Basic Culinary Skills Training program at the YMCA on Charles Street went up today on Torontoist. It's an amazing job skills program that helps people on social assistance learn how to cook professionally and find jobs in the hospitality industry.

To research this piece, I spent several hours at their bustling kitchen in the basement of the YMCA, talking to the director, Kelvin Ramjattan, and instructors. All of them are former restaurant cooks and two of them, Dan Prewer and Adam Lariviere, left restaurants less than two years ago to begin teaching. What blew me away was how much they care about their students and mentor them to not only cook, but also cope with working and life in general. They help them figure out how to deal with conflicts, stress, gossip, language barriers, money, and countless other things.

Seeing these chefs run this kind of program day in and day out for 25 years is one of the most hopeful sights I've ever witnessed.

Ontario Ribfests 2009

2009-06-04T13:14:00.005-04:00

It's finally here, guys. The first ribfest of the season is this weekend in Pickering. And even if you live in Toronto and don't have a car (like me), it's like a kilometre or so from the Pickering GO station. And here is the GO Train schedule for the train between Toronto and Pickering.

View Larger Map

I haven't decided if I'm actually going to go or not, but I seem to have done a lot of research. Mmmmm. Can't resist.

If you'd like to plan out the rest of your rib summer, Darcy updated the calendar we made last year for 2009.

Small Boxes at Summerhill

2009-06-03T16:23:00.004-04:00

On Monday night, my talented photographer friend Ayngelina and I went to the grand opening of the Shops st Summerhill, an amazing cluster of shops close to Summerhill subway station that have excellent quality food and have been around for about 30 years. My friend Olivia Bolano is the executive chef at one of the shops, All the Best Fine Foods, which is probably why I was invited at all. Lots of top tier media were there, including the Star, the Globe, and Toronto Life.

We did a sort of "shop crawl" for about an hour followed by a sit-down dinner at MBCo. Pisces Gourmet had by far the most impressive display. They had an actual shark, a whole monkfish, and a gorgeous parrotfish, among many other things, all arranged beautifully in the cases. The fish were so fresh and bright-eyed that they really did look alive. And even though the shop had tonnes of product, it might as well have been a clothing store because it didn't smell fishy in the least. How fresh is that?

The shops were amazing too. These are all high end shops, so not cheap, but the quality is incredible.

My post about the shops went up this morning on Torontoist and it was picked to be linked on the Globe and Mail's Toronto hub. Eee!

Lineup at the Don Jail

2009-05-24T10:04:00.009-04:00

Yesterday, ace Torontoist photographer Michael Chrisman and I were so lucky to be able to get a preview of the Don Jail before the poor crowds who waited for hours in the sun. We arrived at 9 a.m. and by the time I left at 11, the line-up looked like this:

Blustery Brunch at Mildred's Temple Kitchen

2009-05-17T16:26:00.005-04:00

What is up with this 5 °C on the May long weekend? I braved the wind and cold this morning and finally went back to Mildred's Temple Kitchen for brunch today with friends I don't get to see nearly enough. And we solved the problem of how to have the blueberry pancakes and try something new at the same time: order one plate for the table and share. It worked like a charm (as long as you have four people). Note that the pancakes now come pre-dressed with the sweet and delicious Lanark County maple syrup.

Fans of the old Mildred's have dished out a lot of criticism on their new modern decor, but it's a fresh, clean, and airy space with very comfortable chairs, and the waitstaff don't pressure you to hurry up and leave (apologies to everyone waiting for a table this morning; we had too much fun catching up). And the food is flawless, as usual.

Cluck, Grunt, and Lowdown

2009-05-16T22:32:00.004-04:00

The information around the closure of Cluck, Grunt & Low is pretty sketchy at best, and it looks like they took off in a hurry (i.e. without paying their staff).

I went to this place a few times, but not recently. Their beef ribs were amazing (and enormous). I also liked the fried green tomatoes. Torontonians love barbecue and aside from Phil's Original, there really isn't anywhere to go. If any southerner came up here and started an authentic Carolina, Kansas, or Texas joint, they'd make a killing.

The Howling Fantods

2009-05-16T11:50:00.005-04:00

After poor little Zoe the chihuahua was abducted by a coyote in the Beaches in late February, media both near and far covered the story and solicited reams of passionate comments. In addition to local residents concerned with the safety of their pets and children, rural folks also weighed in reminding us that we’re not the only ones with a problem.

In the frenzied days immediately following the Zoe incident, the initial response was to euthanize the animal (dubbed “Neville” by local residents), but this tactic proved to be wildly unpopular, so they changed tack and decided to trap and relocate it humanely. Normally, the Ministry of Natural Resources advises that animals be moved no further than one kilometre from their origin because of the possibility of spreading disease (e.g. rabies) and the fact that beasties don’t do well when introduced into unfamiliar territory. For this particular case, Toronto Animal Services got special permission to move the coyote further away in order to get him outside city limits. (As of today, Neville still remains at large.)

The problem, as outlined by Owen Roberts in The Guelph Mercury and by some commenters, is that the country already has their fair share of coyotes that not only interfere with pets, but also with livestock (i.e. their livelihoods). Unwanted wildlife dumped in the countryside, especially urbanized animals that rely on humans for their food, most likely will either perish or seek out new hosts.

The end result is a quandary where wildlife is first being unintentionally domesticated, and then pushed into the narrowing spaces between all of us humans, city and country dwellers alike.

And coyotes aren’t even close to being the most populous wild species in the city. Kathleen Quinn, a supervisor at Toronto Animal Services, tells me that the top five (according to their numbers) are raccoons, squirrels, skunks, opossums, and groundhogs. The difference is that these animals are generally easier to live with and have not made off with anyone’s pets (yet).

When I asked Jolanta Kowalski, Senior Media Relations Officer at the Ministry of Natural Resources, if there is a province-wide plan for dealing with problematic species like coyotes, she told me “the best way to avoid problems with any wildlife is to remove any food attractants...and never feed them. Learning to peacefully co-exist with wildlife is always the preferred option.” So it seems all we can do is try to make our dumpsters and backyards less of a buffet, and hope these critters prefer the wild...or what's left of it.

Best of Home for a Short Holiday

2009-05-09T21:20:00.014-04:00

Last week after an insanely exhausting and unhealthy month of working far too much, Darcy and I popped home to Nova Scotia for a quick holiday that involved lots of fresh sea air, walks along the coast looking at all the stuff that washed up, visiting family, and eating amazing food. If you're planning on visiting Nova Scotia, Halifax or otherwise, the best food really can only be eaten at someone's house. My advice would be to rent a place with kitchen facilities and a car and go out to buy your own lobster, crab, mussels, and smoked fish. Here is some of the best stuff we ate, in chronological order:

Dim sum at Zen Chinese Cuisine in Clayton Park, Halifax. Awesome dim sum in a relaxed, sunny restaurant with menus only—no carts. My parents go every week.

Lobster from Fisherman's Market. These were 1.5 pound hard shell; very tough to crack and full of meat. They were also selling jumbo lobsters that were two feet long. You could cook one and serve it like a turkey.

Lobster roll made from leftover lobster tails, celery, mayo,and the whitest white hotdog buns.

Prime rib roast with asparagus, Yorkshire pudding, and mushroom gravy. This is one my favourite mom foods that we haven't had in years. And we cooked it at Mom and Dad's new seaside house, which made it even more fun.

Soba noodle soup made from 80% buckwheat noodles bought at Sanko Trading Co. in Toronto. One of my favourite things in the world.

Japanese barbecue dinner: wakame salad, onigiri, and yakitori (I grilled the yakitori myself!)

Smoked fish from Willy Krauch's in Tangier. We went to the actual smoking facility and it's a tiny little place with just a small stock available for sale in store, but they do a huge mail order business. They use wood and brick ovens with hardwood smoke and they made smoked trout, mackerel, eel, and two kinds of salmon: hot and cold. The cold is the raw type and the hot is chunks of smokey cooked salmon.

Seafood Platter at Harbour Fish 'n' Fries in Musquodoboit Harbour. It's the best place for fish and chips in the world. They opened about 15-20 years ago as a chip truck that turned into a shack that they added onto and now they seat about 40 total (indoors and out), which is good because they're packed at lunchtime. They're open from April to November.

Scallop pasta chez Mom and Dad. Only at home can you get as many scallops as you want. Yum.

Dad's ramen. Made with egg white noodles and homemade pork stock and char siu.

Mom's gyoza. Made with chopped pork (not ground), garlic chives, shiitake mushrooms, and napa cabbage.

Urban Repair Squad

2009-04-18T08:21:00.002-04:00

Last week on Torontoist, Jonathan Goldsbie wrote about a covert mission undertaken by the Urban Repair Squad, an organization that wants to "encourage bicycling as an antidote to the poison that is car culture." They say, "Your city is broken. Don't wait for the bureaucrats to fix it. DO IT YOURSELF." In the past they've painted bicycle lanes on streets that don't have them (Bloor Street West!) and just on Easter weekend they did this: http://torontoist.com/2009/04/the_plywood_man_argument.php. I love this video.

We Offer Good Health with Delight & Taste

2009-04-11T19:11:00.004-04:00

A month ago, I planned to write about Japanese chocolate and candy for Torontoist in anticipation of Easter. In my exhausted mind, Easter was next week so I didn't have nearly as much time as I thought I would. Thank goodness Ayngelina already had the candy and was taking photos for me. I woke up at 7AM and hopped on the subway to pick up the candy from her so that I could get back here, taste everything, and write the post.

Meiji and Morinaga, the two companies I wrote about have extensive information online in Japanese, but not in English so I had to call my parents in Nova Scotia and get them to translate a few web sites and box copy.

I ate more than 10 different kinds of chocolate and candy this morning. No more. The rest is coming with me to work on Monday.

Here the the post: http://torontoist.com/2009/04/good_health_with_delight_and_taste.php. And above is a picture of my messy desk post-post. Why do I need two phones?

California (Dreamy) Sandwiches

2009-04-01T22:42:00.004-04:00

I know I'm probably the last person in Toronto to have tried the veal sandwiches at California Sandwiches, since they've been around since 1967, but I never got around to it. Finally on the weekend, I went with my dear friends from my first job and it was amazing. I've been to Mustachio in St. Lawrence Market many times and enjoyed it for the most part, but now I've seen what is possible. The breaded exterior of the veal is fresh and crisp without feeling greasy. The tomato sauce is light and not at all tinny. And the mushrooms are so fresh. No cheating here at all.

The meatball sandwich is also delicious with a pillow soft, enormous (I'm guessing veal) meatball, but my heart belongs to the breaded veal sandwich.

Got Me On My Knees, Laila

2009-03-18T09:29:00.006-04:00

Since I was there anyway, I tried the food at Laila and wrote about it for Torontoist: http://torontoist.com/2009/03/got_me_on_my_knees_laila.php.

I got to meet the cook, Fariha, who has been there ever since Sam opened the place as an Aida's Falafel franchise back in about 1996. She's a Lebanese grandmother who makes everything from scratch with the exception of the baklava. So the hummus, falafel, sauces, stews, and salads are all made fresh. People call her "Speedy Gonzales" because she can work so fast. In addition to doing all the cooking, she manages the ordering and inventory.

I can't believe how cheap this place is considering everything is homemade. I didn't write about it, but Darcy had the shish taouk sandwich and it was full of really good quality chicken breast. They make their sandwiches by lopping off the top of a pocket pita and loading it up instead of wrapping it, so there's quite a bit in there. My personal preference is for pitas that are wrapped, so I'll probably stick to the plates.

On our way out we picked up some tabouli, which she told us is really good. I love how proud she is of her food.

Laila, Darling, Won't You Ease My Worried Mind?

2009-03-15T20:51:00.005-04:00

My post about the mysterious posters lambasting Laila restaurant went up today on Torontoist: http://torontoist.com/2009/03/laila_probably_doesnt_kill.php. Josh Glover, a Torontoist reader, sent us the tip on Tuesday.

I was so nervous initially when I went to talk to Laila owner, Sam. I hadn't ever been to Laila and I didn't know what to expect. I was afraid he was going to get upset, but he turned out to be the sweetest man. He spent a long time telling me about the restaurant and his family. Regarding the posters, he wasn't upset or really surprised at all. He didn't think it was interesting enough to write about but didn't mind if I did.

I also spoke at length with Jim Chan from Toronto Public Health who has been working there for 31 years. In addition to being an inspector and manager, he has worked on, among many other things, investigations of tobacco sales to minors and unregulated retirement homes. He was so knowledegable and helpful and it was inspiring to meet someone whose life's work has been to protect public health. I learned a lot about Toronto Public Health that should make us all feel very secure and well cared for.

Chicken Hot Pot Broth at RaviSoups

2009-03-12T12:18:00.005-04:00

I've now tried everything on the menu except for the Beef Miso soup and the RaviStew. A couple of days ago, even though we brought our lunches, Jessica and I went down and I had the Chicken Hot Pot Broth for the first time. Reviews of this soup have been lukewarm, but I loved it. The broth is coconutty, but still spicy and it's full of goodness like thin ramen-like egg noodles, napa cabbage, baby bok choy, and tonnes of shredded chicken breast. It's an extremely hearty, feel good soup.

Scanwiches

2009-03-09T22:08:00.002-04:00

Saw this site mentioned on Gothamist today. It's very much like the This Is Why You're Fat format, but it's colour scans of sandwiches in cross-section. Very fun: http://scanwiches.com/.

Desperate Times Call for Free Beer

2009-03-09T16:19:00.003-04:00

My post about the "beerbistro bailout" is up on Torontoist: http://torontoist.com/2009/03/beer_bailout.php. Had a great dinner at beerbistro at Yonge and King in the name of research. Something I found out that I didn't know before was that everything there is homemade with the exception of corn and flour tortillas. So, they make their own bacon, ham, sausages, sourdough bread, baguettes, buns, condiments, desserts, etc. Incredible.

I only mention the corn dogs and smoked chicken pizza in the post, but we also had the excellent fries and the new chickpea tikka masala. The fries are to die for and in such a generous portion. The masala was served with brown basmati, I think. It was nice and spicy and full of vegetables, but it may not be the most exciting thing on the menu. It's definitely healthy though.

Everything on the winter menu is under $25 so it's affordable luxury. You'll love it.

Many thanks to Marcelo for taking such beautiful pictures for me.

Hot or Not?

2009-03-02T13:11:00.002-05:00

My article about the chilli scale at Salad King just went up on Torontoist today. I went with Marcelo to see how spicy "20 chillies" really is: http://torontoist.com/2009/03/hot_or_not.php.

Bottom line was that we're weren't blown away. When we were in India for work, I ate a unbattered deep-fried green chili in one bite because it looked like a green bean. Now that was hot.

Torontoist Cupcake Bake-off for Toronto's 175th Birthday

2009-02-26T19:42:00.002-05:00

Torontoist is having a cupcake bake-off to celebrate Toronto's upcoming 175th birthday. All you need to do is bake and decorate a cupcake that says "Toronto" to you, take a photo, and send it, along with a description of your design, to: cupcakes@torontoist.com by lunchtime on March 4. First prize is $50 and the next two runners up each get $25. All details are here: http://torontoist.com/2009/02/torontoists_birthday_bake-off.php.

Good luck!

Bloor Jane Restaurant, what kept us apart?

2009-02-22T23:28:00.007-05:00

Darcy and I had intentions of going to Yama for lunch, but it was closed so we went to Bloor Jane Restaurant and had such an amazing breakfast/lunch. I've been living in Bloor West Village for 8 years and I'm ashamed to say that this was my first time. Darcy went ages ago when Todd lived in the neighbourhood, but not since then.

It's a typical diner run and owned by John Kourogiorgas since 1972. The restaurant itself has been there since the 5os. Everything about it is really old school and comforting like the long counter for single diners facing the grill area where you can watch all the food getting prepared at lightning speed.

Darcy had the club sandwich ($9.50) and I had peameal bacon with two eggs over easy. My eggs came with hash browns and two slices of buttery brown toast with jam. No idea how he cooks the eggs so perfectly. Completely runny inside. Darcy's sandwich was awesome and the fries were fantastic. I can't wait to go again.

This is why you're fat

2009-02-19T22:42:00.002-05:00

Everyone seems to be talking about this blog today: http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/. People can submit their photos of over-the-top decadent food, most of which involves burgers or bacon. Some of the entries must be gags like the Chicken McNuggetini, but a lot of them are real. I think it's a fun idea.

I love RaviSoups

2009-02-07T22:48:00.005-05:00

So, I am once again mayor of Luckytown because my company moved right next door to RaviSoups on Adelaide West at John. The chef and owner is a former sous from Mildred Pierce, so everything has that same attention to detail, quality, and perfection. I haven't fallen for a place so hard in a long time. I went on Thursday this week and I had to tie myself down so I wouldn't go again on Friday.

They have a small menu of about 5 soups and 5 wraps, both in the neighbourhood of $9, but you can get a soup and wrap combo for $11 that includes a smaller version of both. I had the corn chowder with crab garnish (real crab!) and the roasted pork wrap. The soup was smooth, spicy, and hearty. The wrap was full of shredded pork with some great "RaviSlaw" inside, which has real pineapple in it.

My friend Jessica had the wild mushroom soup with the curried lamb wrap. The soup was full of chunks mushrooms and the wrap was so vibrant and beautiful with the dark, savoury lamb, green spinach, roasted yam, and edamame.

This place is so great and affordable. They're open from 8AM to 6PM Monday to Friday and they have "Happy Hour" on Fridays between 5-6PM where everything is half price.

Kevin Brauch on the TVA Podcast

2009-02-03T22:42:00.007-05:00

My husband Darcy and our friend and comedian Todd Van Allen have been producing a comedy podcast called the TVA Podcast for almost two years now. They've been getting some great guests and today they released Episode 107 where they interview Kevin Brauch, the Thirsty Traveler! Todd ran into him at the Football Factory and charmed him into coming on the show. They talk about booze, of course, as well as Iron Chef America, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, Jeffrey Steingarten, Susur, and many more Food Network stars. I'd say I wish I was there, but I'd probably have been too nervous to ask any questions.

If you'd like to check it out, you can download the episode for free through iTunes or listen on Todd's site.

Mangia, Bevi, and Be Merry

2009-01-18T23:28:00.004-05:00

I posted this on a Toronto food blog on Friday, January 9, 2009.

"How did you ever find this place?” everyone always asks me when I take them to Mangia & Bevi. The restaurant's mailing address is on King, but the authentic Italian eatery can only be accessed either from inside the Ontario Design Centre or through an inconspicuous, almost hidden entrance on Ontario Street. Luckily, a savvy friend of mine who works in the Toronto Sun building across the street let me in on the secret.

Mangia & Bevi is co-owned by brother and sister duo Eleonora and Federico Caldato who are from Treviso just north of Venice, Italy. They grew up surrounded by good food, both at home and in restaurants owned by friends and family, and as Eleonora says, “It is a culture of food in Italy. Everybody is into it . . . it’s part of who you are.” They both had careers outside of the food industry when in Italy and didn’t consider opening their own place until coming to Canada.

After arriving in Toronto, Eleonora attended George Brown College where she completed the Culinary Management program and immediately began working in catering, eventually running her own business that served prestigious clients such as the Italian Trade Commission and the Italian Chamber of Commerce. After building her reputation for 10 years, it felt like a natural progression to open a restaurant along with her brother in the King Street East area just a short walk from her alma mater.

Eleonora and Federico opened Mangia & Bevi in March 2005 as a breakfast and lunch place with only themselves on staff and a small menu of about 20 items, including sandwiches, salads, sweets and coffee. Eleonora cooked while her brother took care of front of house. Amazingly, the chef was 6 months pregnant at the time of opening and kept working until the week before her daughter was born. Without taking any maternity leave, she returned and with the help of her family carried on cooking while her newborn baby slept in the restaurant’s office, breathing in the aroma of her mother’s delicious food.

As the years went on, they gradually added more items to the menu, including antipasto, thin-crust pizzas, and pastas, and extended their hours to include evenings and Saturdays while also providing catering services for meetings and parties.

Vibrant antipasto platters, available at both lunch and dinner, are a mix of high quality imported items, including prosciutto di Parma, bufala mozzarella, and gorgonzola and local ingredients such as vine-ripened tomatoes and mixed greens.

For entrees, there are 24 varieties of thin-crust pizza that vary from simple ones like the Marinara with fresh tomato sauce, garlic, and basil; to the Atene that is a combination of black olives, anchovies, and red onions with an egg on top that makes for a oozy, delicious mess when cut into. The time elapsed between the oven and table is mere seconds so the pizzas arrive almost too hot to touch, with a wafer-thin crust that is both tender and crispy. After devouring more pizzas at Mangia & Bevi than I care to admit, I must say my favourite is the Burina topped with tomato sauce, chunks of sausage, thick cubes of pancetta, garlic, oregano, and mozzarella cheese.

The pasta selection is small, but excellent with the most popular being the Ragu made from top quality ground veal and pork from St. Lawrence Market. This Bolognese sauce remains true to its roots by being light on tomato but full of savoury flavour. They make it in small batches to preserve quality, so it's not always available. The Affumicata with tomato sauce, sausage, and smoked provolone is also brilliant.

For dessert, tiramisu made according to the Caldatos' mother’s recipe and exclusively with Galbani mascarpone from Italy is not to be missed. It’s light, smooth, cool, and boozy with a portion size small enough to allow for a few bacetti on the side. Bacetti, “little kisses” in Italian, are bonbon-sized dark chocolate-covered ice cream treats made by Gelati De Luxe in Woodbridge.

While many restaurants in the city are closing, Mangia & Bevi is flourishing, likely due to their quality and affordability. They are currently looking for a new location in the same neighbourhood in order to expand without leaving their loyal clientèle behind. Until then, step through the barely marked door on Ontario Street to enjoy some exceptional Italian cuisine.

Mangia & Bevi
260 King Street East (entrance on Ontario Street)
416-203-1635

Second brunch and counting at Mildred's Temple Kitchen

2009-01-15T21:35:00.004-05:00

To celebrate my dear friend Michael's birthday and to wish him well on his pending move to the States, we got together for brunch at Mildred's Temple Kitchen. This was my first time back since the preview brunch in November and the place was bustling.

As at Mildred Pierce, they do not take reservations for brunch, so it's best to get there early. There is a coffee bar set up facing the vestibule that separates the "waiting room" from the dining room, so we didn't see the hordes of people chomping at the bit while we lingered over drinks and conversation. Many apologies to you all.

I had a dinner plans at Le Select Bistro that night, so I was slightly on the conservative side and ordered the Salade Lyonnaise. It's a frisee salad with small bits of bacon; lots of sauteed wild mushrooms; and a nice, runny fried egg. As usual we also had biscuits and scones with butter and homemade preserves.

I also got to see the Huevos Monty for the first time. I usually order the Veda's Choice, so I had never had it before except when my talented friends Diane and Dennis made it at their house from the Out to Brunch cookbook. I stole a little taste from Liana's plate and it was delicious.

Winterlicious?!

2009-01-13T11:41:00.003-05:00

Anyone notice that Winterlicious is enormous this year? I counted 149 restaurants. I guess we can thank the economic slowdown. Best of luck to those places who are charging $45 for dinner. I've cooled off of Winter and Summerlicious over the past couple of years, but a really good place to go is beerbistro. The food is excellent, the portions are generous, and they've kept their prices low ($15 lunch; $25 dinner).

Temptation by Chris Klugman at The Rosedale Diner

2009-01-11T13:40:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday, I was happy to attend the opening reception for Chris Klugman's photography exhibit at The Rosedale Diner called Temptation. For this show, Chris took colour photos of female models with fruit and flowers, rendered them in black and white, coloured parts of the photos manually using an image editor, and printed them on canvas. The effect is beautiful and the colour accents are skillfully painted.

In attendance were the fun people from All the Best Fine Foods where Chris is the consulting chef. Executive Chef Olivia Bolano, Sous Chef John Danner, and COO Sue Bowman were all there helping Chris celebrate. I also got to meet Maia Filar, journalist and daughter of the owners of The Rosedale Diner. She is a trained chef and has written many pieces on food for City Bites and the Toronto Sun among many others.

I got to try All the Best's new flavours of cheese straws, beautifully packaged with product photography by Chris. In addition to the classic Sesame & Cheddar ones, there is now Lemon, Cracked Pepper, Reggiano and Herbed Chevre & Walnut. I love the Lemon, Cracked Pepper, Reggiano. Chris very generously gave me some boxes to try and I'm ashamed to admit they are now all gone.

Chris' show is on until February 1st in the front part of the restaurant, so you can enjoy a meal at this long-time Toronto institution and some beautiful photos at the same time. If you are interested in purchasing a print, you can find Chris' contact information here: http://www.chrisklugman.com/contact.html.

Best of 2008

2008-12-31T17:51:00.009-05:00

A quick list of some of my favourites from 2008:

Sushi chez Mom and Dad: Toro, maguro, shrimp, scallops, cucumber.

Omakase at Hiro Sushi

Pastrami sandwich at Katz's Deli, NYC

Guacamole at Rosa Mexicano, NYC

Chocolate iced cupcake at Magnolia Bakery, NYC

Veda's Choice at Mildred's Temple Kitchen

Dim sum at New Treasure Restaurant

Venison pate sandwich and arugula pesto pasta from All the Best Fine Foods

Vegetarian squid at Simon's Wok

Bozena Shero at Lalibela

Roast Pork at Bassell's, Niagara Falls

Udon chez Mom and Dad

Scallop pasta chez Mom and Dad

Pumpkin pie and blueberry grunt at Darcy's folks

Ham and cheese sandwiches chez Mom and Dad

Lobster salad sandwich chez Mom and Dad

Pork tenderloin, baked potato with sour cream and bacon, and mushroom risotto made by Darcy

My own grilled ham and cheese sandwiches on sourdough with an egg over easy

Grilled lobster sandwiches at Eat to the Beat

Pulled pork from Carolina Rib King at Burlington Ribfest

Momos from Kathmandu Restaurant at Tasty Thursdays

Chorizo Hash at The Kitchen

Garden Maki at The Kitchen

Banana and Jack at The Kitchen

Chocolate mousse at Lil Baci

Crab at the Smiths' on Fogo Island

Dessert dim sum at Susur

Crispy fishies at Meze

Fish and chips at Kingsway Fish and Chips

Pork thingie at excellent restaurant in Markham that Ming took us to

Mildred Pierce potluck at Diane's

Fries at Phil's BBQ

Blueberry pancake, turkey bacon, and hash browns by Darcy

Ragu at Mangia e Bevi

Tiramisu and bacetti at Mangia e Bevi

Taro puffs at Restaurant Lotte, Montreal

Mixed plate at Mazurka, Montreal

Homemade ham, cheese, basil panini, tomato salad, and buttercup squash soup at Koto's, Montreal

Toaste and poutine from Frites Dorees, Montreal

Tamago sushi at Ematei

Second Harvest Turkey Drive: Goal Reached

2008-12-17T13:01:00.002-05:00

A big thank you to everyone who donated to the Second Harvest Turkey Drive. Donations made between Sunday and today made up for the missing 290 turkeys, so all of Second Harvest's agencies can enjoy a turkey dinner this holiday season. Y'all are the best!

Second Harvest Turkey Drive Extended

2008-12-16T10:05:00.004-05:00

Even in these harsh economic times, Loblaws shoppers were very generous and bought 4,710 turkeys during the 2008 Second Harvest Turkey Drive, which is tantalizingly close to the goal of 5,000. Second Harvest have extended the drive by accepting donations on their web site that will go toward buying the remaining 290 turkeys. If you would like to donate, please visit: http://www.secondharvest.ca/.

Thank you, Second Harvest

2008-12-12T16:20:00.006-05:00

I'd like to say a big thank you to the great people at Second Harvest for being so generous with their time while I was researching my piece on the Second Harvest Turkey Drive. I learned so much about the organization that didn't make it into the article, but I plan on doling out that information here in future installments.

I'd also like to send my best wishes to Zoe Cormack Jones who will be leaving Second Harvest this month after 12 amazing years as Executive Director. Zoe is an inspiration to anyone who meets her and I am in awe of her kindness, generosity, and desire to take care of people and help them grow. We're lucky to have her in our city.

Ketel One at Kultura

2008-12-05T20:38:00.008-05:00

So, an interesting thing happened to me last week. I know this probably happens to famous writers and bloggers all the time, but little ol' me was contacted through this blog to attend a Ketel One vodka tasting at Kultura by Matchstick, a 'word-of-mouth' marketing company. We were told that we'd have a formal tasting of luxury vodkas followed by cocktails and gifts. I brought Marcelo, who knows way more about vodka than me.

Everyone there was a blogger of some sort from Toronto, so there were people who write about food, drink, fashion, music, pop culture, and many other things. That itself was pretty cool. I met Carlos Weisz, a music blogger for BlogTO. Carlos is from Mexico City and has been in Canada for 10 years. I'm not sure what the actual name of his day job is, but he's like a DJ but with video. So one of the things he does is splice video live for parties and events. Cool day job. I, of course, asked him if he liked any Mexican restaurants in Toronto and he said Milagro for Filete a la Tampiquena (grilled beef dish) and Taquitos Rosaritos (shrimp tacos), and Tacos el Asador, which is El Salvadorean.

I also met Jesse Ship who writes for Format Magazine, an urban arts and fashion blog. Jesse had crazy, Sideshow Bob hair and was definitely the most sociable blogger there. He has a brand new blog about art and music called fubitch.

As soon as we got there, a very hip and friendly photographer hired for Ketel One got us to pose in front of a Ketel One logo. It was the closest I've ever come to doing a photo shoot. He directed us on how to pose and what to do, "Hold up your scarf...make a gesture..." So funny. My friend Ayngelina who writes about food for BlogTO very aptly said that that we should have done the photos at the end after the tasting and free drinks.

While we were waiting for everyone to arrive, waiters circulated with hors d'oeuvres and they were all amazing! We had Crispy Tofu with Garlic Chips and Miso Consomme (best ever - soft tofu with crisp exterior), Mediterranean Chicken Samosas, Caprese Salad Canapes, Miso Carpacci on Prosciutto Crisps, and Tandoori Beef with Tamarind Sauce and Coconut. If you want to throw a great party and have buckets of money, Kultura is a beautiful, large venue with fantastic food. The room we were in was small and intimate and seated 20 people comfortably, but there are larger rooms as well.

After the hors d'oeuvres and a Ketel One martini, we all sat down for the tasting. Nadia, Ketel One's "Ambassador", told us about the history of Ketel One and their distillation process. My notes from the night are pretty messy due to having the equivalent of 5 drinks, so the details are a little fuzzy. But I do remember that it's called Ketel One because they still use the original copper still from 1691. The company has been in the same family for the 10 generations and someone from the family must taste a sample from every 300-gallon batch before it is bottled for sale.

For the tasting, we had room temperature samples of Ketel One, Grey Goose, and Absolut. Nadia had us smell and taste the Ketel One first and said that it doesn't have a strong smell or overly boozy taste. Then we did the same with the Grey Goose and Absolut. They definitely were very different from each other and the Ketel One was the easiest to drink straight and warm. My husband tried the bottle I brought home that night and he was surprised by how unaromatic it was. Nadia said that this was because it is distilled and filtered longer and more times than other vodkas. I am by no means an expert on vodka or booze of any kind, but I did like it the best. And it's cheaper than Grey Goose, so it really is a good choice for a premium vodka. If you're mixing your vodka with Crystal Light though, you can probably go with the Absolut. :)

We closed the evening with one more Ketel one cocktail, a Cosmo for me, and they gave us all taxi chits to get home safely. On our way out we saw a huge sausage party on the first floor and realized that mayor David Miller was in the middle of the sea of grey.

Ayngelina, Marcelo, and I topped off the evening with an East Coast-style donair from College Falafel. It really is the closest thing to the real deal that I've had outside of Nova Scotia. And pairs well with Ketel One. :)

All photos courtesy of Ayngelina Brogan.

I Heart New York Food: Final Day

2008-12-01T22:30:00.007-05:00

After the marathon day before, Diane and I slept in by mistake and got a bit of a late start. Darryl had already been out and had a bagel, but we didn't eat until after 10 so we were raring to go to Barney Greengrass on the Upper West Side.

Brunch: Barney Greengrass

I saw this place on a Tony Bourdain show. They must have cleared out the restaurant when they shot the show because it was crazy crowded. We got lucky and were seated almost immediately because the people in line ahead of us didn't have their entire parties there. We were squished into a small table for two, but it was totally worth it.

Barney Greengrass specializes in smoked fish like sturgeon, whitefish, sable, and salmon. The menu was enormous, so I just asked to waiter for whatever was the best. He said the lox scrambled with eggs and onions, so that's what I had. With it, you could have a bagel or a bialy. I'd never heard of bialies before. It's like a bagel, but smaller and with English muffin qualities. I loved it. The eggs were hearty and delicious. The lox was in chunks instead of sliced and the onions were so caramelized and sweet. Yum.

A different waiter brought a plate of potato pancakes out of the kitchen and was going around the room showing them to everyone saying they weren't on the menu and there were only a few left. It true; they're not on the menu, so we had to have them. You can't really have too many potato pancakes in one weekend. They came with generous bowls of sour cream and applesauce. I love potato pancakes.

The service at busy restaurants and cafes in NYC is incredible. The waiters move fast and plates are whisked away as soon as they're empty. They never leave you waiting for the cheque and at Barney Greengrass they call you "doll". I thought that was cute.

They have a large, mouthwatering takeout counter with huge slabs of smoked fish, salads, chopped liver, and other goodies. If only I could get it across the border.

Zabars: Food Heaven

So, embarassingly, most of what I know about Manhattan comes from Sex and the City. Carrie mentioned Zabar's in the episode when she was dating the short story writer whose mother was Valerie Harper. Since we were in the neighbourhood, we snuck in for a peek.

Oh. My. Lord. It was incredible. I have never seen that much gourmet food in one place in my entire life. The cheese alone was enough to make you pass out. The cheese section looked to me like the size of my apartment. They have the same size bread section, gorgeous prepared food, a whole counter dedicated to smoked fish, they roast their own coffee, plus all of the non-perishables. I'd never seen anything like it and I was amazed. If you like food at all, GO!

Darryl overheard a cheeky conversation between the man behind the counter and a lady ordering lots of food. He said that she must be having a party and she said she was. Then he said, "You know, when I have a party I cook."

Outside there were a few tour buses parked and when they opened their hatches, we saw that every single person on the bus had a huge cooler down there. People were coming out of Zabar's with bags of stuff and loading up these coolers. I'm not sure where they were from, but I think it's a kind of long distance Zabar's shuttle bus. I'd do it to if I lived within driving distance.

Snack: Last cupcake at Magnolia Bakery

Another day, another cupcake. This time I got the Hummingbird cupcake, which is banana and pineapple with cream cheese icing and pecans. I guess it is based on a classic southern cake. It was delicious. And the young server was so sweet. He said it was a really good flavour and that he hoped I enjoyed it.

Dinner: Last supper in Little Italy

We ended up in Little Italy later in the afternoon, but we didn't already have a restaurant picked out. The main street in Little Italy, Mulberry Street, is almost entirely made up of Italian restaurants, each with someone outside trying to lure people in. It reminds me of Old Montreal in that way and I think they're both tourist traps. We went to Buona Notte because there wasn't anyone standing outside and there were a lot of people inside. But, I think the person standing outside was just on break because he was there later on.

The food was decent, but not outstanding. I had a spicy, seafood pasta dish that was good and the portion was a nice medium size. Service was excellent.

Miscellaneous Food Sights

Early in the evening and we walked past a different restaurant on Mulberry Street where the waiters, cooks, and busboys were having their staff dinner. It looked so cool with them all dressed in their uniforms and chef's coats digging into food together. And they were eating with such voracity. It was quite a site to see.

Also in Little Italy, we walked past Di Palo's Fine Foods that had a magnificent display of cheese in the window. Upon Googling on my return I see that it's a very popular place. Again, too bad I couldn't get any of it across the border.

One of the last things I saw was a cluster of little Japanese girls buying hotdogs from a cart and giggling. It was cute.

Thank you, New York. We love you!

I Heart New York Food: Day Two

2008-11-30T21:03:00.007-05:00

Saturday was our biggest day of the trip with approximately 16 hours of activity, the majority of it outside and in the freezing cold! We had lots of hearty food to keep us going though.

Breakfast: Sarabeth's

Sarabeth's is Darryl's favourite breakfast place in the city. There are several locations, but we went to the one on Central Park South. It is expensive and you will pay dinner-like prices for breakfast. They also add an automatic 18% gratuity even for a party of 3 with an line for "extra tip". But, the food is of excellent quality. I had the Pumpkin Waffle that came with raisins, pumpkins seeds, berries, and honey. It was good, but I think the best sweet breakfast is the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. They're feather light with just a touch of lemon. I also had a side of the best roast potatoes and Darryl shared his order of chicken apple sausage, also amazing.

Gyro Cart outside Grand Central Station

We didn't have a gyro or kebab while in NYC, but I was impressed by how fresh the ingredients looked and how great it smelled.

Union Square Farmers Market

This market was super crowded, but full of incredible produce, meats, and preserves. They had tonnes of vegetables that I'd never even heard of before. So many kinds of potatoes. There was a cute stand that sold lamb meat and lamb wool.

I took a paparazzi-type photo of a very cool-looking woman shopping at the market in an immaculate white coat with a white clutch purse, black heels, and sunglasses. She seemed very New York.

Lunch: Katz's Delicatessen

Lunch at Katz's in the Lower East Side was probably the most stressful yet delicious meal of my life. I'd read about it online and it's been around since the late 1800s, so I was dying to try it. Here is the thing. No matter when you go it will be very crowded. When you come in, a security guard will hand you a small ticket. It works like Marche so you need to get your food at various counters where the staff will write down the price of what you received on the ticket. When you leave, you give the ticket to the cashier and pay.

Table service is available only at the tables touching the walls. Everywhere else, you have to get your food yourself. There aren't any signs saying what is available from which guy. Sandwiches are from one guy, platters from another, fries, coleslaw, and drinks from another, potato pancakes from another. Water is at a self-serve stand at the back. Cutlery is next to the fries/coleslaw guy. It's pandemonium. Everyone moves fast and you'll always feel like you're in the way.

Diane and I both had pastrami sandwiches. The sandwich guy can cut a side of pastrami by hand in less than 5 seconds while serving you, the takeout orders coming from the right, and the waiters' orders from the left. He gives you a slice to try before he makes your sandwich. I'm not even really devoted to smoked meat-type sandwiches and I LOVED this one. It came on really fresh, soft rye bread and there is a slightly hot mustard at the table. I'm sorry to say this, but it kicks the ass of anything in Montreal. It really does.

With your sandwich, they give you a handful of Half Sour pickles. They're very lightly pickled pickles and retain a lot of their original cucumbery qualities. I'd never had these before and I loved them.

I went to the wrong counter three times, but I perservered and got potato pancakes. The guy told me "5 minutes" when I asked for them. I didn't know what that meant, so I sat down and started eating. In 5 minutes he yelled "POTATO PANCAKE" so loud that I knew it was mine. They came with applesauce and sour cream. Amazing.

Snack: Mini Chocolate Pudding Pie at Magnolia Bakery

We went to the original Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village and there was a line-up out the door. The one close to Rockefeller Center seems to be much easier to get in. But, the wait wasn't too bad. One of the bakers acted as bouncer at the door, letting in a few people at a time. So you know, the cupcakes at this location are self-serve. You get your own cupcake and if you want something in the display case, you have to ask for it. By the time you get to the cashier, you must have everything you need. The cashier cannot get anything for you. He was annoyed with me because I asked him for my pudding pie.

I brought the pudding pie back to the room and it travelled very well. The picture makes it look huge, but it's actually very small. And delicious.

Dinner: Tapas at Meson Sevilla

We were so full from lunch that we waited until after seeing Avenue Q to have dinner. Fortunately, 10:30PM is a very reasonable hour to be having dinner in Manhattan. Meson Sevilla tapas restaurant was almost full.

We ordered ham and potato croquettes, chorizo in red wine sauce, artichokes in vinaigrette, white anchovies in vinaigrette, red peppers stuffed with crab, and a potato omelette. I think the best thing was the chorizo. I've had chorizo many times before and this is the first time I've been really impressed. They were small links of sausage with onions in dark red wine sauce. So good. The croquettes were excellent and the vinaigrette dishes were very sour, complimenting the fried items nicely.

We were asleep as soon as our heads hit our pillows. Full of food and fun.

I Heart New York Food: Day One

2008-11-29T20:39:00.011-05:00

Last weekend I went on a whirlwind trip to Manhattan and was overhwhelmed by the variety and quality of food there. I'd hadn't been since I was a teenager so I don't remember what I ate before. I only have vague memories of ridiculously huge portions at a deli and a salty pretzel. We were lucky because Darryl has been to NYC many, many times and he is unfailingly reliable when it comes to food. I'd advise anyone going to plan ahead and try to find out where the locals like because when you only have a few days, a disappointing meal can be a real letdown. New York is such an amazing place to eat.

Porter Airlines

We took Porter Airlines from the island airport and it was the best. A free Porter shuttle picks you up at the Royal York Hotel and takes you to the ferry terminal where you can check in if you don't have any bags and want to get it over with before getting on the ferry. There are automatic kiosks for domestic flights and a real live agent for New York flights. The ferry takes you to the terminal where there is an enormous lounge with lots of comfortable seating, individual desks for laptop users, and a kitchenette with free tea, coffee, pop, juice, and water. It's self serve and you can take as much as you like. I had two bottles of water and a Diet Coke.

On the plane itself, they give you a snack box with half a good quality sandwich, a Babybel, Melba toast, and a cookie. Beer, wine, and softs drinks are complimentary.

Snack: Pretzel in Central Park

We arrived in the city in the afternoon, too early for dinner, so we stopped at a snack cart at the entrance to Central Park. I had a pretzel with mustard. It was kind of stale, but the mustard application was impressive. Darryl had a tiny steamed hotdog.

Another Snack: Chesnuts

Before we went in the MOMA, we stopped at a cart so that Diane could get some roasted chestnuts. Almost all the carts in Manhattan looked exactly the same and sold the same things: chestnuts, pretzels, hotdogs, knishes.

Food Displays at MOMA

There were a lot of pieces by a Swedish artist named Claes Oldenburg who specializes in modelling everyday objects, including food such as burgers, ice cream, and cakes. He's my guy!

There was also this fun still life by Tom Wesselmann that was sort of a kitchen collage.

And of course, Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans. This girl got scolded for leaning on the pieces.

Dinner: Rosa Mexicano

We got to Rosa Mexicano at about 7:15PM and we were told there was quite a wait unless we could have a quick dinner. One table was available, but had to be vacated by 8. We are fast eaters all, so we went for it. We consumed pomegranate margaritas, handmade tableside guacamole, and our entrees in 40 minutes.

Everyone in the restaurant was having the guacamole - it was so good. The waiter mushes up avocados in a big stone bowl and adds jalapenos, tomatoes, and other things that went in too quickly for me to see. You must have it. It comes with small, warm tortillas and chips. The salsa were amazing too. One was super smoky and I don't remember how the green one tasted, but I know I loved it.

Dessert: Cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery

I finally had my first cupcake from Magnolia Bakery and it lived up to the hype. Nice and small with delicious icing that wasn't too sweet. I had a plain cupcake with chocolate icing. Yum.

Most Beautiful Bergdorf's Windows

I loved these windows. Not only were they beautiful, but the window dressers were dressed so stylishly while they worked. They were even more interesting than the windows.

First Brunch at Mildred's Temple Kitchen

2008-11-16T15:23:00.011-05:00

Today I am mayor of Luckytown because I was invited to attend a soft launch of brunch at the yet-to-be-opened Mildred's Temple Kitchen, Kevin Gallagher and Donna Dooher's beautiful new restaurant in Liberty Village. Kevin knew from my blog how much I loved brunch at the former Mildred Pierce restaurant, so he asked me to come and provide honest feedback. As my guest, I brought my good friend Marcelo, the perfect brunch companion, who has a great palate, mad food photography skills (he took many of the photos in this post), and lives literally next door to the restaurant (envy, envy).

Kevin invited me by posting a comment on my blog, but didn't leave his contact information so I didn't know how to get in touch. I put up a desperate post yesterday saying I would be coming, but didn't receive a response so I was afraid we wouldn't be on the list. I was surprised and flattered that the charming hostesses and lovely manager Jayne McMahon knew me as soon as I mentioned my blog's name (blush).

I met Donna at Eat to the Beat a couple of months ago, but I had never met Kevin before. He was so kind and earnest as were everyone we met there today. I think Donna and Kevin are a wonderful, talented couple who are working incredibly hard to run a high quality yet affordable restaurant where every single patron feels welcome and cared for. I wish them all the success in the world.

I could barely contain my excitement as we looked at the offerings. Devoted Mildred fans will be happy to know that old favourites such as the black currant scones, buttermilk biscuits, Huevos Monty, Veda's Choice, Mrs. Biederhof's pancakes, and Green Eggs and Ham are all on the menu. I know that I should have tried something new, but it's been a long, painful wait this past year so we ordered our usual scones with housemade preserves, biscuits, Veda's Choice, Mrs. Biederhof's Buttermilk Pancakes, and rosemary bacon and sweet fennel sausage on the side. Greedy, greedy.

To drink we had glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice and sparkling water, filtered and carbonated in house from Toronto tap water. The large bottle of water is presented on a coaster explaining "Temple's Manifesteau" - their project to use reverse osmosis to produce their own drinking water (flat and sparkling) instead of participating in the wasteful process of buying and serving pre-bottled water. Isn't that great?

First came the black currant scones and biscuits with housemade plum and peppercorn preserves. They are presented on long, white plates unlike the baskets previously used at Mildred's. Both the scones and biscuits were exactly as I remember - buttery, buttery, delicious. The preserves were amazing - chunky pieces of plum with a very subtle peppery taste. Our entrees came lightning fast; even before I finished half a scone.

Is there anything better than a friend who is okay with eating half of an entree and then switching so you can eat a bit of both things? I started with the Veda's Choice, unarguably the best incarnation of Eggs Benedict in the world - the Platonic ideal. Two runny poached eggs on top of luscious smoked salmon, covered in Bearnaise, and sandwiched between two halves of a light, buttery croissant. On the side were oven roasted red-skinned potatoes that are different from the ones I remember at Mildred's, but I actually like them even better.

The pancakes were also exactly as I remember. With the first bite the food memory came flooding back. I love the whipped cream and powdered sugar on top made even better by drizzling on some Lanark county maple syrup. Back at the last brunch in July 2007, I poured the leftover maple syrup in a water bottle and took it home, much to the embarrassment of my companions, but I was so glad I did. It has a light floral quality that I love.

The sweet fennel sausage has a very homemade feel with lots of contrasting textures and a great mix of savoury meat and sweet fennel seed. The bacon was cooked to a nice happy medium with just a touch of rosemary.

To finish we had one shot espressos with raw, coarse sugar. It was the perfect ending to a decadent and delicious meal.

Even though we were starving, we couldn't finish all the biscuits and scones, so they wrapped them up for us in a container made from sugarcane fibers that composts under commercial composting conditions within 45-60 days.

Afterwards, Kevin asked if we had any suggestions for improvement. He wanted to know if there was anything in the experience (music, dishes, cutlery, service, timing) that could have been better. He also shared his simple yet brilliant philosophy that restaurant service must warm and friendly so that people feel free to offer feedback. If the food at a restaurant is fantastic but the service is bad then most people won't come back because they don't feel welcome. Good service, he says, gives restaurants an opportunity to receive criticism and ultimately improve. Isn't that the best? And all that any diner wants, apart from wonderful food, is to feel respected and cared for. Mildred's Temple Kitchen has all those bases covered many times over and they haven't even opened yet.

On our way out, Kevin showed us the cool unisex bathrooms that have closed stalls with sinks in them, so it's like having your own tiny restroom, much like on an airplane. Lights in the dining room next to the bathroom door let you know which stalls are occupied, also very much like a plane.

After saying our goodbyes the beautiful hostesses were already waiting for us with our coats. From start to finish, what makes Kevin and Donna's restaurant stand out is their genuine affection and attention to every detail no matter how small. And the food is flawless as it has always been.

The restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday for final tweaking and will open to the public for lunch and dinner on Wednesday, November 19 with the first brunch the following weekend. The wait is over! Enjoy everyone! And I know y'all want to see the dinner menu, so here it is. Click to enlarge:

Mildred's Temple Kitchen
85 Hanna Avenue, Suite 1
Toronto, ON
M6K3S3

Kevin, yes I'm in!

2008-11-15T11:12:00.003-05:00

This is a special message to Kevin who left a comment this morning. Yes, I will be thrilled to attend tomorrow and I'll be bringing a friend. Please let me know what time we should arrive. I sent a message to the restaurant's general email as well, but I thought I'd post here in case you didn't receive it. Thank you so much for thinking of me.

Everyone else, please excuse all this subterfuge. Check back in a couple of days!

Where to eat in Niagara Falls

2008-11-09T22:47:00.016-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Niagara Falls to watch my sister run the Niagara Falls Marathon, a race that started in Buffalo and ended in front of the Horseshoe Falls (she had to carry her passport on her). Last year on the way back to Toronto from a Buffalo Bills game, a group of us stopped in Niagara Falls to find some food and were naively shocked to see that a dinner at a place like T.G.I.Friday's can cost $100 for two! I was determined not to fall into this trap again, so for this trip I did some research beforehand and combed the web trying to find places where the locals go. I think I did pretty well and we had some good food. In case you're in the same boat, here is where we went:

Wolfgang Puck

For lunch on the first day, we went to the enormous Wolfgang Puck restaurant across the street from the Fallsview Casino. This isn't a cheap place, of course, but the quality is good for the price. All lunch items on the menu are from $7.50-$26.50. We shared a generous order of calamari ($11.50) that was very crunchy making me think they use cornstarch in their batter. Koto an a really excellent Wild Mushroom Pizza with Goat Cheese, Carmelized Onion, Roasted Garlic, and Thyme ($14.50). The crust was crisp, but not cracker-like and there were at least half a dozen whole roasted garlic cloves that were mellow and delicious. I had the Barbequed Pork on a Sour Dough Baguette with Honey Dijon and Pickled Onions ($16.50), which was decent, but it is not a pulled pork sandwich like I expected. The pork was thinly sliced and hardly dressed at all. The fresh baguette was fantastic.

Golden Lotus Restaurant

For dinner, we went to the Golden Lotus restaurant, a Chinese place right in the Fallsview Casino. This is an extremely expensive place with some dishes on the menu going for upwards of $50. However, they have an authentic buffet that is in the neighbourhood of $20 per person including non-alcoholic drinks. Unlike most Chinese buffets, they had some really interesting things like pig's knuckle, Buddha's delight (mix of different funghi), shredded pig's ear and sprouts, thousand-year eggs, baby squid, shumai, and Vietnamese sausage. For dessert they had many kinds of cold puddings (mango, coconut, red bean) as well as guiltless-sized egg tarts.

Room Service at the Crowne Plaza

The morning of Koto's race, I saw her off at the shuttle bus at 7AM and then crawled back up to the room and ordered room service for breakfast. I'd never done this before and it was so much fun. I ordered Eggs Benedict and it came on a big wooden tray conducive to eating in bed. I gave it a go, but it's actually pretty hard to eat Eggs Benedict in bed so I moved to the table. It was so decadent with real back bacon (not ham) and the English muffins looked like they were made in house. They weren't the kind that split in half; each half was its own animal and resembled a pancake.

Basell's Restaurant and Tavern

Post-race Koto needed a big meal and I had sat out in the cold for 2 hours waiting for her at the finish line so we went to Basell's, an old diner away from the tourist area. Our cab driver asked us how we knew about this place and I thought that was a good sign. I love places like this. We got there at about 3PM so nobody was there. There was a long counter with swivelling stools, a cake and pastry case, and thick, patterned crockery.

I ordered the Roast Pork special and Koto had the Hot Turkey Sandwich. The Roast Pork special was a bowl of soup or juice (I had chicken rice soup), a roll with butter, a dish of coleslaw, a dish of applesauce, about 2 lbs of pork, mashed potatoes (or fries), and corn. The soup was homemade with large, flaky chunks of chicken. The roll was not baked in house, but was fresh and soft and the coleslaw was nice and vinegary. I couldn't believe the amount of pork they gave me. It looked like it'd be tough, but it fell away as soon as you touched it and the potatoes were impossibly creamy. Koto's "sandwich" was about 6 inches high and we couldn't even see the bread. She probably ate about one inch of the height. We both asked for containers to take the rest home and which point the waitress told me mine came with ice cream! We piled two scoops of strawberry ice cream into our already full bellies and rolled on out of there. The bill came to $25.95, about as much as my breakfast, and I made three sandwiches with the leftovers.

When you're in Niagara Falls away from the actual falls themselves, you might feel like it's a terrible, cheesy place with depressing casinos. But when you stand right next to the falls with the sound filling your entire consciousness and see the force of the water plunging over the edge, you can see why people come from all over the world to see them. It's amazing.

All the Best Fine Foods: Order your Thanksgiving dinner and chat with Bob Rae

2008-10-10T10:32:00.004-04:00

This just in from Olivia Bolano, Executive Chef at All the Best Fine Foods: this Saturday, October 11, former Ontario premier, Bob Rae, will be at the 1101 Yonge Street location from 4-5PM to help them promote their take-out Thanksgiving dinners. This election-themed promotion offers two complete Thanksgiving dinners: a "Conservative" one called Harper's Turkey Dinner Extravaganza with classic apple sage stuffing, roast garlic mashed potatoes, and turkey gravy, among other delicious things, and a "Liberal" one named after Dion with twists including Berkshire sausage/pear stuffing and cardamom mashed potatoes. For just $25.95 per serving for either choice, it's an amazing deal. You can also add a la carte items such as Wild Mushroom Veloute, Pumpkin Buttermilk Biscuits, and Apple Cinnamon Pie. I'm starving just thinking about it. I wonder if you'll have to place your order behind a curtain?

All the Best Fine Foods
1101 Yonge Street (@Marlborough Avenue)
M-W: 8:30AM-6:30PM
F: 8:30AM-7PM
Sat: 8:30AM-6PM
Sun: 10AM-5PM

$2 grilled cheese sandwiches saved us during Nuit Blanche

2008-10-05T21:08:00.004-04:00

Last night, I went to Nuit Blanche for the first time and braved crazy crowds on Queen West that were a combination of Nuit Blanche attendees and club kids making it impossible to walk or find anywhere to eat that wasn't packed to the rafters. At Queen and Palmerston, Marcelo spotted a small sandwich boarding saying that $2 grilled cheese sandwiches were available all night at Kensington Market Organic Ice Cream just north on Palmerston and happily there was only one other person in the small shop.

None of us had ever been there before and while we were waiting we enjoyed reading their cheeky ice cream flavour names like Strawberry and the Devil (strawberry, anise, and eastern black pepper), Emotional Rescue (vanilla and cardamom). They had really dark, decadent-looking vegan chocolate as well. I'll definitely go back for ice cream as soon as I can.

I have a feeling that the man serving us was Brad Kurtenbach who is the owner and founder. He was so cheerful, sweet, and patient with all the patrons, including the loud, drunk girls. While we were there he told a young guy that he'd brew him some fresh coffee and bring it out to him so that the kid could keep dancing in the crazy performance art thing that was going on just outside. True to his word, he went out there, coffee in hand, trying to find him in the throngs of dancers.

We each received our classic grilled cheese sandwiches (cheddar on white bread) in cute little brown paper bags and ate them sitting on the curb outside watching the strange lip-syncing, flag-waving, go-go dancing. Nothing could have been better at that moment. I forgot to ask if they have them all the time or if it was just for Nuit Blanche. I'll have to go back to see.

Kensington Market Organic Ice Cream
650 1/2 Queen Street West (entrance on Palmerston)
Toronto, ON

Ward's Island Day Trip: Barb's Jams and The Rectory Cafe

2008-10-04T17:05:00.009-04:00

Today my friends and I fulfilled a long-standing date to go to Ward's Island and have lunch at The Rectory Cafe. We took the ferry nice and early from the foot of Bay street at 9:45AM and had a leisurely walk around the residential areas where we coveted many quaint and interesting houses. The people who live there really are so lucky. And kitty cats run rampant through the sidewalk-like streets unafraid and adorable.

Pretty early on in our walk, we found Barb's Jams at 9 Third Street. Barb actually took the ferry over with us after having spent the early morning grocery shopping in the city. She has two large cupboards in her living room filled with jams, jellies, chutneys, and pickles that she makes from scratch. She has many different, delicious-sounding varieties, including rhurbarb, peach, blueberry, saskatoon berry, cranberry, eggplant, carrot, beet, etc. In the end, I decided on the eggplant chutney (which tastes very similar to the eggplant pickles made by Edna's Pickles, which I love), cherry jam, and mustard pickles. It's $5 for any small jar and $10 for a large. Her place is quite hidden and we felt quite lucky to find it. She said that she'll be selling at a Chirstmas bazaar organized by the Algonquin Island Association on Saturday, December 6.

We got lost between Barb's and The Rectory Cafe, so we worked up quite an appetite walking in circles (no thanks to me; I have no sense of direction). The restaurant is warm and cozy inside and they have a lovely heated patio where you can enjoy the crisp fall air and enjoy a view of Lake Ontario. If you make a reservation, they'll save a table for you underneath the umbrellas that keep the heat from the lamps circulating around you.

For starters, we shared the crabcakes, antipasto, and hummus. My favourite was the crabcakes. Large and full of plump, genuine crab alongside fresh greens.

For my entree, I had the lamburger, which was a manageable size with lots of delicious blue cheese. Heavenly.

For dessert, we shared that day's Luisa cake (made by a local baker), which was a hazelnut chocolate cake, and the bread pudding. The hazelnut cake was dense and rich with lots of thick chocolate icing. I haven't had much experience with bread pudding, but it was warm and comforting with oozy caramel and whipped cream.

The Rectory Cafe has a large lawn with an archway leading toward the path and lake, which make it the perfect place to have a wedding.

I hadn't been to the island in years and I'm so happy I finally did. It's a wonderful was to spend a fall day and it's quite easy to get back and forth to the city. Now I must rest up for Nuit Blanche tonight. Hope to have some great pictures for you tomorrow!

Barb's Jams
9 Third Street
Ward's Island, Toronto
To order: 416-203-0866

The Rectory Cafe
102 Lakeshore Avenue
Ward's Island, Toronto
Phone: 416-203-4152
Reservations recommended

Guest Post by Jane: Friday Night Is Pizza Night 3 - Pan-Seared Shrimp with Chipotle-Lime Glaze and Parmesan-Crusted Sweet Potato Pizza

2008-10-03T09:40:00.001-04:00

(Shrimp topping adapted from Cook’s Illustrated No. 67.)

Shrimp baked on top of pizza can end up rubbery and tasteless. Cooking them on top of the stove while the pizza bakes allows for perfect timing and a sauce that is addictive. The addition of besan (chickpea flour, available in Indian and Pakistani grocers) gives the crust a pleasing nuttiness and makes it brown beautifully. The O’Henry variety of sweet potato, which has yellow skin and flesh, was used in this recipe.

For the crust – substitute ½ cup (125 mL) hard whole wheat and ½ cup (125 mL) besan for 1 cup (250 mL) of all purpose flour. See Friday Night is Pizza Night 1 for ingredients and method.

Pizza Topping
1 lb (500 g) (2 medium) sweet potatoes washed and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
2 tbsp (30 mL) Parmesan, freshly grated
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
2 tbsp (30 mL) adobo sauce
1 tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar
4 tbsp (60 mL) lime juice (half a juicy lime)
4 tbsp (60 mL) chopped cilantro, more for garnish
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
1 lb (500 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) freshly ground black pepper
pinch sugar

While dough rises, make sweet potatoes. Heat oven to 400 F (200 C). On baking sheet or in cast-iron skillet, mix sweet potatoes with oil, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Spread evenly, place in oven and bake, scraping and stirring a couple of times during baking, until browned and barely tender about 20 to 25 minutes.

Increase oven heat to 500 F (260 C).

Pizza Base
1 unbaked crust, rolled out
olive oil for brushing on the dough
6 oz (175 g) fontina, provolone or other cheese of your choice, grated

Transfer dough to pizza pan and brush lightly with olive oil. Distribute cheese evenly on dough then top with baked sweet potatoes. Place in oven.

While pizza base bakes, make sauce and shrimp. Stir together chipotle, adobo sauce, brown sugar, lime juice and cilantro. Remove 2 tablespoon of sauce and set aside for later. Heat vegetable oil in 12-inch (30 cm) skillet until smoking. Meanwhile, toss shrimp with salt and pepper in medium bowl. Add shrimp to pan in single layer and cook until spotty brown and edges turn pink, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat. Using tongs, turn each shrimp over, then add sauce, cover skillet and let stand off-heat 2 to 3 minutes until cooked through.

Remove pizza from oven when edges and underside are nicely browned, about 10-12 minutes. Place crust on cutting board, top with shrimp and additional cilantro. Sprinkle with reserved dressing, slice and serve immediately. Makes 8 slices.

Eat to the Beat 2008

2008-09-30T22:00:00.009-04:00

Last week I volunteered at Eat to the Beat, a fantastic charity event at Roy Thomson Hall benefiting Willow, a breast cancer support organization. Over 60 female chefs from local restaurants, shops, and catering companies provided amazing food and wine and for the reasonable ticket price of $150 you could eat and drink to your heart's content. The volunteers were being organized by a friend of my manager's, so I jumped at the chance to help out and I'm so glad I did.

Before the event began, I took a spin around the tables and took some pictures. Everyone was so sweet and accomodating and the food looked fantastic. I even sampled a few things, my favourite of which was the Fresh Air iced tea from Tealish. I know this may sound like I'm exaggerating, but I liked it better than any iced tea I've ever had. I'm going there as soon as I can to buy some.

There were many, many famous lady chefs from the city, including Anna Olson and Doona Dooher. I was too shy to introduce myself to Anna, but I did pluck up the courage to meet Donna for the first time. My friends and I love Mildred Pierce restaurant and we attended Mildred's last brunch in July 2007 as well as held our own brunch party where we all made recipes from Donna's cookbook, Out to Brunch, and watched the eponymous 1940's movie. It was such a thrill for me to tell her in person how much I enjoyed her restaurant and cookbook. She told me that they tested the recipes ruthlessly when developing the book and it really shows. Everything we tried was amazing and the Sunday Best Mac and Cheese is a no-fail-best-thing-you've-ever-eaten recipe. I got the word that her new restaurant, Temple Kitchen, is opening in Liberty Village in 2 1/2 weeks (eeeeee!).

I also ran into my girl, Olivia Bolano, formerly of The Kitchen who is now the Executive Chef at the iconic All the Best Fine Foods, a specialty food company that has several retail locations in addition to providing catering and special event planning services. She was attending the event with her new co-workers whom I was so fortunate to meet. Jane Rodmell, All the Best's founder, is an accomplished food writer and recipe developer and has published many cookbooks. Miranda does All the Best's PR and also used to work at The Kitchen with Olivia. Chris Klugman is a famous chef and photographer who among many other things opened Bistro 990. I knew his name sounded familiar when I met him, but I couldn't place him at the time (insert embarassment here).

During the actual event, my job was to restock the Fiji Water display, which agreed very well with my meticulous nature. I was very diligent for the majority of the evening until toward the end when the silent auction results were being read and I abandoned my post to sample food.

I sampled many, many yummy treats. The one that really sticks out in my mind is the tiny lobster and cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches made by the chefs at the Park Hyatt Toronto. I could have eaten the entire tray. By that time of night, none were being held under the warming lamps; they were all fresh from the griddle. The cheddar was oozy and delicious around a generous amount of fresh lobster. Sigh. I also partook in chorizo-stuffed dates wrapped in double smoked bacon from Temple Kitchen, "pork and beans" on tortillo crostini from Black Dog Pub, seared scallops with bean and pea puree on savoury shortbread from Mysteriously Yours Mystery Theatre (who knew they had such great food!), macarons and tiny cupcakes from Bake: Dessert Co., and countless others. My very favourite bread, Fred's Bread, was there, but sadly I didn't realize it until I was helping to dismantle their booth.

This was my first time volunteering at an event like this and I loved it. It's a fabulous gathering with excellent food for a great cause. I'll see you there next year!

Guest post by Jane: Friday Night Is Pizza Night 2 - Roasted Corn and Avocado Salsa with Tender Chard

2008-09-26T09:30:00.001-04:00

Roasted Corn and Avocado Salsa with Tender Chard (adapted from James McNair’s Vegetarian Pizza)

This Mexican-inspired pizza was made mainly with ingredients from the Riverdale farmers’ market along with the obvious exception of the avocado. Tender young chard needs no cooking and makes a welcome alternative to lettuce in any salad. Dry-roasting the corn caramelizes the sugar and deepens the corn flavour. Well worth the extra effort and the dirty skillet. Serve pizza with lime slices on the side for a fresh hit of juice to balance the sweetness.

For the crust – substitute ½ cup (125 mL) hard whole wheat and ½ cup (125 mL) cornmeal for 1 cup (250 mL) of all purpose flour. Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) mild ground chile pepper and 2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin to the flour and mix in well. See last Friday's basic crust recipe for ingredients and method.

Pizza Topping
1 cup (250 g) fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 sweet pepper (green, yellow or red)
¼ cup (60 mL) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
¼ cup (60 mL) cilantro, finely chopped, more for garnish
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced jalapeno pepper or chipotle in adobo sauce
¼ cup (60 mL) black or green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
4 tbsp (60 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice (half a juicy lime)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1 bunch tender young chard
1 avocado, diced just before serving
1/3 cup (75 mL) feta or menchango cheese, crumbled
1 lime, sliced in quarters or eighths

While dough rises, make salsa. Heat skillet without oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add corn kernels and stir frequently until brown spots appear on corn, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Roast sweet pepper directly over gas flame or under pre-heated broiler, turning frequently until skin is charred all over. Transfer to medium bowl, cover with plate and let stand 10 minutes. Rub away charred skin, cut pepper in half, remove seeds and membranes, dice, return to bowl and add corn. Toast pepitas in toaster oven for 5-7 minutes at 350 F (180 C) or dry-roast in skillet until lightly browned. Add to corn and sweet pepper. Add cilantro, jalapeno or chipotle, olives, lime juice, salt and pepper, mix together, cover and set aside at room temperature.

Heat oven to 500 F (260 C).

Pizza Base
1 unbaked crust, rolled out
olive oil for brushing on dough
6 oz (175 g) cheddar, Monterey Jack or other cheese of your choice, grated

Transfer dough to pizza pan and brush lightly with olive oil. Distribute cheese evenly on dough. Place in oven.

While pizza base bakes, remove stems from chard, wash and spin-dry. Place several leaves together, roll up and slice cross-wise into thin strips (chiffonade). Repeat until all chard is cut. Dice avocado.

Remove pizza from oven when edges and underside are nicely browned, about 10–12 minutes. Place crust on cutting board, top with chard. Add avocado to salsa, stir gently to mix and scatter salsa evenly over chard. Strew feta or menchango and extra cilantro over top, slice and serve immediately with lime slices on the side. Makes 8 slices.

Guest Post by Jane: Friday Night Is Pizza Night 1 - Fresh Spinach & Cheddar Salad Pizza

2008-09-19T10:50:00.000-04:00

Barbara Kingsolver’s best-selling, and for some, life-changing book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, is about her family’s experiment in raising their own food, buying from local farmers, or trying to do without – with the exception of essentials like coffee, spices and olive oil. Amongst all the vivid descriptions of planning, planting, cooking, canning, and turkey mating, one thing that struck me was that Friday night is pizza night at the Kingsolver-Hopp household, just like mine. Her pizzas, made with fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes, onions, spinach, herbs and home-made mozzarella must be bursting with flavour but Friday after Friday, those ingredients, no matter how tasty, must start to pall. Tomato, mozzarella, vegetables – pizzas can be so much more than this. That’s why my essentials include shrimp, capers, chipotle and avocado to make three Friday-night pizzas that are anything but traditional.

The theme of these pizzas is that each has a topping that is added after the crust with cheese comes out of the oven.

Basic Pizza Crust (adapted from Didi Emmons’s Vegetarian Planet)
¾ cup (175 mL) lukewarm water
1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
1 ½ tsp (7 mL) dry yeast

2 cups (500 mL) all purpose flour plus more for dusting surface
1 tsp (5 mL) salt

olive oil as needed to oil bowl and dough

To make dough by hand:

Stir 1/3 cup (75 mL) water and sugar together in large bowl then stir in yeast when sugar is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5–10 minutes. Mix in rest of ingredients, blending until dough comes together. Dump mixture onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5–10 minutes. Rinse and dry bowl, oil lightly and add dough. Turn dough to coat with oil, cover with plastic wrap and place in warm spot to rise for about 1 hour, until doubled in size. When risen, punch down and roll-out on floured surface. Makes one 14” (35 cm) thin-crust pizza base.

If making dough using a food processor, follow manufacturer’s directions.

Fresh Spinach & Cheddar Salad Pizza

(adapted from Alan Tangren in Fine Cooking No. 43)

The hot pizza warms the spinach slightly, removing some of the raw taste but leaving the freshness intact. I was leery of adding the hard-boiled eggs, but don’t be tempted to omit them – they’re essential.

For the crust – substitute 1 cup (250 mL) hard whole wheat for 1 cup all purpose flour.

Pizza Topping

2 eggs
2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
1 tsp (5 mL) honey
1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
¼ cup (60 mL) capers, rinsed and patted dry

1 bunch tender spinach (not the curly kind), stemmed, washed and spun dry
¼ cup (60 mL) pine nuts
2 oz (60 g) Parmesan

While dough rises, cook eggs until hard-boiled then immediately place in cold water and when cool enough to handle, peel and set aside. In salad bowl, make dressing. Whisk together lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. When blended, add olive oil while continuing to whisk. Set aside.

To make fried capers, heat vegetable oil in small skillet until oil starts to shimmer, just below smoking point. Carefully add capers and fry until they bloom like tiny flowers. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Set aside.

Heat oven to 500 F (260 C).

Pizza Base

1 unbaked crust, rolled out
olive oil for brushing on the dough
6 oz (175 g) cheddar, Gruyère, or other cheese of your choice, grated

Transfer dough to pizza pan and brush lightly with olive oil. Distribute cheese evenly on dough and place in oven. Check after 2-3 minutes and deflate any big bubbles if needed.

While pizza base bakes, give dressing a quick whisk, add spinach and toss to coat. Toast pine nuts in toaster oven for 5-7 minutes at 350 F (180 C), or dry-roast in skillet, until lightly browned.

Remove crust from oven when edges and underside are golden brown and cheese is bubbly, about 10-12 minutes. Place crust on cutting board, top with spinach salad then capers and pine nuts. Coarsely grate hard-boiled eggs, shave parmesan and spread each evenly over top. Slice and serve immediately. Makes 8 slices.

Guest Blogger: Jane!

2008-09-16T19:56:00.005-04:00

I'm very excited to let you all know that my friend Jane, who I met back in 2006 at a food writing seminar, is going to be writing a series of guests posts for me about her Friday night pizza-making ritual. Every Friday, Jane and her husband make delicious homemade pizzas from scratch using novel ingredients and combinations that I've never encountered before and can't wait to try. Check back on Friday for the first installment where Jane lets us in on her secrets for making a Fresh Spinach and Cheddar Salad pizza. Thanks, Jane!

Burlington Ribfest: Yes, it IS the best one

2008-08-30T18:35:00.004-04:00

So, yes, 'Canada's Largest Ribfest' did turn out to be the best. It was located on a beautiful stretch of lakeshore that offered some much needed cool breezes. The alleyway between the rows of rib stands was enormous allowing for easy browsing, which I didn't do much of because I only had eyes for Carolina Rib King.

I got the pulled pork plate ($8), which included a generous amount of pulled pork, spicy baked beans, creamy coleslaw, and a piece of cornbread. Carolina Rib King doesn't put any sauce at all on their pulled pork so you can add and much or little as you like, mild or spicy, from huge pump containers. It was all so good. I wanted to buy a container of just pork to take home, but they don't sell by the pound. The sauce is available for sale in bottles though.

In addition to the ribbers there were vendors selling every kind of decadent summer food imaginable, including apple pie with ice cream, artisal soda, funnel cake, 'pizza ears', fries, bloomin' onions, butterfly chips, fried veggies, loaded baked potatoes, sausages, cotton candy, candy apples, popcorn, Tiny Tom's donuts, ice cream, and a million more things that I can't remember. Insane.

The problem with having a ribfest with 14 vendors is that you can't possibly taste them all. But you wouldn't regret it if you just went to Carolina Rib King.

Burlington Ribfest
http://www.canadaslargestribfest.com/

Goodbye Tasty Thursday

2008-08-29T21:45:00.003-04:00

The rain held off just long enough to have a lovely last Tasty Thursday. I went with my old faithful, the steamed chicken momos at Kathmandu Restaurant. Both the sauce and the dumpling filling is spicy, so um be careful if you're not used to spicy food. They are delicious and very much like Japanese gyoza, but spicier and with chicken instead of pork. The side salad is nice and fresh without any dressing and is a pleasant coolant. I'll miss Tasty Thursdays, but Kathmandu is just up the street so I know where to get my fix.

Kathmandu Restaurant
517 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
416-924-5787
M-W: 11:30AM-3PM, 5:30-10PM
Th-F: 11:30AM-3PM, 5:30-10:30PM
Sa: 12-3PM, 5:30-10:30PM
Sun: 12-10PM
Menu: http://www.kathmandurestaurant.ca/menu.asp

Linda Restaurant and Avenue Q

2008-08-27T08:41:00.012-04:00

Last night before going to see Avenue Q (so so good, more on that later), we went to Linda restaurant, Salad King's upscale counterpart. I haven't been to Linda or Salad King in ages and they really are the best places to go for dinner in that neighbourhood. We would have done Salad King, but it's impossible to talk in there, so we decided to go for the slightly quieter Linda.

If you do go to Linda, make a reservation even if you're going early. It's a tiny room and it fills up quickly. When you call, make sure you're somewhere where you can yell into the phone because it's always chaos on their end. They will call you back on the day of to confirm you still want the reservation.

The menu is quite different from what I remember. The majority of the dishes are not on the Salad King menu, whereas before I think there was a lot of overlap. They do have the same spicing scale as Salad King, which starts with Mild, then Medium, then 1-20 Chillis. I've only ever had 3 Chillis (aka Thai Medium) and it's plenty spicy for me, but Marcelo tells me that he gets 10 Chillis usually. Hardcore.

Mieng Kum

I'm so glad we ordered this. I've never had it before and I loved it. They give you six little bowls filled with diced limes, crushed peanuts, chopped green chiles, red onion, tiny dried shrimp, and shredded coconut along with some 'aromatic leaves', which I think are betel leaves (the same ones used in paan), and some sweet chile sauce. You pile everything on top of the leaf, wrap it up, and eat it in one bite. It's so delicious and light.

Beef Satays

These were yummy and tender and came with some thick, creamy peanut sauce. So good.

Fish Curry Hotpot

I did my research beforehand and was curious to see the 'paper cone' that everyone says this dish is served in. They wheel out a cart that has what looks like a large aromatherapy stand with a coffee filter in it. They spoon the curry into the paper cone and then light a candle underneath it. I suppose the paper doesn't catch fire because the curry is so dense and liquidy. The curry was great. Smooth and coconutty with pieces of deep-fried whitefish, okra, and fresh grape tomatoes.

Hot Chicken with King Oyster Mushroom

This was a very clean, healthy tasting dish with chicken breast and lots of fresh vegetables. The king mushrooms were sliced nice and thin.

Pad Thai

No visit to Linda/Salad King would be complete without pad thai. It's great here. Although once you have it, you won't want it anywhere else.

Avenue Q was incredible. It's definitely far and away the best musical I've seen in Toronto. It's clever, funny, and we did laugh out loud. It closes on Friday, so definitely go if you can get a ticket. You won't be disappointed.

Linda Restaurant
335 Yonge Street (entrance on Gould Street)
Toronto, ON
Menu: http://lindarestaurant.com/mms/menus.asp

Avenue Q
Elgin Theatre
189 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.ca/artist/973986?camefrom=GGLECN_AVENUEQTKS

Burlington Ribfest: Get yerselves to Carolina Rib King

2008-08-26T16:50:00.003-04:00

The second last Ontario ribfest of 2008 is this Labour Day weekend in Burlington and I'm beside myself with joy to see that Carolina Rib King is on the bill. They have the most amazing ribs and my very favourite pulled pork sandwich. They don't put any sauce at all on the pulled pork, so you can dress it as heavily or lightly as you like. Their hot sauce is fantastic and has a latent, but fiery heat. I can hardly wait. See you there!

Brunch at The Kitchen: Mmmmmmm!

2008-08-24T20:54:00.005-04:00

So, I messed up and planned a brunch date for 10AM at The Kitchen when they actually didn't open until 11. I'm an idiot. If this happens to you too, The Drake is open from 8 and you can kill time with some surprisingly cheap tea and coffee.

When we got to The Kitchen, the patio was lovely, peaceful, and sunny. I ordered the Chorizo Hash just like Olivia suggested and it was fantastic. It is sauteed chorizo and potato topped with 2 eggs made as you like, and accompanied by four half slices of white or whole wheat toast and either salad or fries. I was a pain and asked for a bit of each and they gave me a generous serving of both. The chorizo hash was nicely spicy and salty and the poached eggs were like something from a food magazine. It's so difficult to make a poached egg look attractive and these were beautiful and perfectly runny inside. The fries are those great tricoloured ones that are on the dinner menu and they make the plate even prettier. The greens were dressed just the right amount with their tasty house dressing.

The Kitchen is a really great bet for brunch in Parkdale, especially in these waning summer days. The patio faces Northcote instead of Queen and is comfortable and quiet. The brunch here is a well-enough kept secret that you can have a leisurely meal without having people in line glaring at you to wrap up, yet still have amazing food. I'll be back for sure.

The Kitchen
1186 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
Website: http://thekitchenonqueenwest.com/

Dinner at The Kitchen: Goodbye and good luck, Olivia!

2008-08-23T21:44:00.006-04:00

I finally went back for another dinner at The Kitchen this Wednesday and was both sad and excited to hear that my girl (and executive chef) Olivia Bolano got a great, new opportunity so she's moving on. I'm so happy for her, but I'll miss being able to eat her delicious food.

It was kismet that I happened to bring my mom, sister, and friend Marcelo to enjoy what would be my last Olivia-made dinner at The Kitchen. We sat outside on their lovely patio, drank nice, cold glasses of wine and indulged in many, many tapas:

Grilled Octopus, Caper & Tomato Salad

Just like the grilled squid dish I tried back in March, the octopus was expertly cooked and tender with some nice charred bits. The salty, vinegary capers went perfectly with it.

Garden Maki

Asparagus & red bell pepper dusted in a panko crust with wasabi yogurt. This is probably my favourite thing on the menu. It's a maki roll that is covered in egg wash, dusted sparsely with panko breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. It sounds strange, but it's incredible and my Japanese mom, who didn't think it would work, absolutely loved it.

Green Onion & Apple Slaw

This was a lovely, fresh, crisp salad made of green apples, onions (I'm not sure what kind, but they were sweet), and a creamy but light dressing. So refreshing.

Root Vegetable & Chevre Salad

This was a pretty mix of greens with multi-coloured pickled beets and a luscious wheel of slightly toasted goat cheese all drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette.

Tempura Black Cod

Olivia and her crew really know how to fry. These tender pieces of whitefish were light, crispy and delicious. I couldn't get enough.

Beef Sliders

Beef sliders are everywhere these days and my main complaint is that they're usually too big. These adorable little sandwiches were itty biity, but still thick and juicy. The little poppyseed buns had nice grill marks on them and the gruyere and mushrooms combination was fantastic.

Japanese Eggplant Parmesan

We ordered this dish at the last minute and we were so glad we did. The skinny Japanese eggplants were cooked just right and the mozzarella and tomato sauce were so tasty. I love fresh tomato sauce.

Mixed Frites

My best guess at the three potatoes in the mixed frites is russet, blue, and sweet. They made a yummy mix and were served with ancho bbq sauce, cajun sauce, and a garlic mayo.

Banana Spring Rolls, Jack Caramel Sauce

No visit to The Kitchen is complete without the banana spring rolls. This is honestly the best dessert in the city. Even if you go somewhere else for dinner, drop by for some of this. It's the best.

Tomorrow morning I'm off to The Kitchen again for brunch and it's Olivia's last day. I hope the rain holds off so I can enjoy the patio again and have some nicely lit pictures for you of Olivia's brunch offerings. She told me that the chorizo hash is her favourite. How will I be able to sleep tonight?

The Kitchen
1186 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
Website: http://thekitchenonqueenwest.com/

Tasty Thursdays: one more to go!

2008-08-23T20:59:00.007-04:00

As summer winds down, so does Tasty Thursdays. :( I'm going to miss them. I did really well this year and managed to go to 5 of 8 so far and nothing will keep me from this week's! The question is whether to try something new or go with my favourite. Without doubt, my number one place this year was Kathmandu Restaurant. I tried everything, including the samosas, momos (ground chicken dumplings), tandoori chicken, channa (chickpea curry), and rice. I loved everything. Nice, generous portions a of spicy goodness. If you haven't gone yet and are going this week, you can't go wrong with them.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Edo booth to try the Kobe hotdog and sunomono (seaweed and cucumber salad). I saw these hotdogs at the Gourmet Food and Wine show last year and I thought it's such a waste of Kobe beef. But then I realized that they probably weren't using the filet portion of the cow, if you know what I mean. The hotdog was definitely different in texture and taste from your average weiner. It was a bit pastier. They topped it with sauteed cabbage and I added some Japanese curry sauce and wasabi mayo from the condiment station. It wasn't anything special, but it was a hotdog and how bad can that be?

One two other occasions, I tried the Vaughan Korean BBQ place. They had two main offerings: a BBQ dish (choice of beef or pork) and a chicken stew. Alongside these mains, they gave you lots of free sides, including kimchi, sauteed glass noodles, and blocks of fried tofu. Very generous. The chicken stew was nice, but had what seemed like a slightly cheesy taste? I couldn't pin it down. The BBQ beef was sweet, savoury, and tasty, but beware that you need to eat the whole rib in one bite. The meat is kind of chewy and can't be broken off easily. Only eat this with close friends.

While waiting at Edo for my hotdog, I saw the crabcake and shrimp that were being served at Big Daddy's Crabshack. It looked pretty tiny and stingy to me. The crabcakes were slightly bigger than poker chips and if you order the shrimp you only get two. They're presented atop a scoop of jambalaya rice that doesn't look like it has much in it besides tomato. I shouldn't talk too much smack since I didn't try it, but it didn't look promising.

So everyone have a great last Tasty Thursday. I'll see you there!

Tasty Thursdays
Nathan Philips Square
11AM-2PM, Thursdays until August 28
Menu: http://www.toronto.ca/special_events/thursdays/restaurants.pdf

Lil' Baci: Happy Birthday to Me

2008-08-12T23:14:00.005-04:00

Tonight my awesome friends took me out for a fantastic dinner at Lil' Baci in Leslieville. Queen East has so many yummy looking restaurants and food shops that are largely unknown to me, so I jump at any chance to go this neighbourhood. Lil' Baci is a casual Italian place much like Mangia e Bevi with antipasto, a large selection of pizzas, a few pastas and authentic Italian desserts.

We started with an antipasto platter for two shared among 5 of us so as not to spoil our appetites. The platter comes with 3 antipasto selections along with some sliced meats (prosciutto, salumi, etc.) and a bit of parmesan. Darryl chose our selections, which were Tuscan white beans with roasted garlic, mushrooms with roasted garlic, and Ontario roasted tomatoes. All were excellent and the portion was just right for two people to nibble without filling up too much. Between the 5 of us, it was quite a tease.

Not on the menu, but definitely worth raving over was the bread from Brick Street Bakery just half a block away on Logan. I'm not absolutely sure, but I think this is a second location (I believe the Distillery District shop is still open). The waitress told us that Lil' Baci gets their bread as well as spelt for their pizza crust from Brick Street. Tonight's offering was sundried tomato and it was amazing. On some nights, we were told they have olive. Swoon.

For dinner we all shared the house salad (very healthy mix of greens and herbs dusted with salt and pepper, garnished with a slice of lemon), the roasted beet salad (with goat cheese and greens), a Funghi pizza (smothered in mushrooms), a Napoli pizza (anchovies, capers, and olives), the veal cannelloni, and the gnocchi (with spinach and lemon). Everything was delicious. The pizza crust is a bit thicker than at Mangia et Bevi. It's like Terroni, but better I think. The veal inside the cannelloni was so soft and smooth that it's almost Chef Boyardee-like, which I happen to love. I know, classy. The gnocchi was outstanding.

Sharing four mains between us 5 left some room for dessert so we had the dark chocolate mousse and ricotta cheesecake. We learned that the mousse is made by Ambiance Chocolat at Queen and Broadview and is 66% cocoa. It was fabulous -- smooth, dark, and rich. The ricotta cheesecake was interesting. It had a dry, crumbly texture and felt light, if that is possible for cheesecake. The combination of the two together worked, but if you have to pick one, get the mousse.

Lil' Baci has a beautiful, quiet back patio that is ideal for a summer evening of catching up with friends. The temperature and weather were just right tonight so we lingered for a long time. How comforting it is to hang out with old friends. Best birthday dinner ever. Thanks guys!

Lil' Baci
892 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON
Website: http://www.lilbaci.com/

Tasty Thursdays: One month left!

2008-08-05T00:28:00.003-04:00

I promised myself that I would go to every single Tasty Thursday this year, but the world is conspiring against me. Still, I managed to go twice so far and had some great food.

Kathmandu Restaurant

Momos: I think these are my favourite. They remind me of gyoza, but are made with chicken instead of pork and come with a fiery sauce. So good.

Non-veg meal: I love this name. It reminds me of when I went to India and everything with meat was labelled 'non-veg'. The non-veg meals consists of a small piece of tandoori chicken, chickpea curry over rice, and a bit of salad. So delicious and the curry is nicely spicy.

La Fiesta

Roast pork: This meal came with shredded roast pork, rice, beans, salad, and a potato omelette (mashed potato seared on the griddle). This was a very generous, tasty, and healthy (I think).

La Cocina de Dona Luz

Empanadas: I have a weakness for anything in pastry. You can't lose with these.

This week, my eye is on the Korean BBQ.

Tasty Thursdays
Nathan Philips Square
11AM-2PM, Thursdays until August 28
Menu: http://www.toronto.ca/special_events/thursdays/restaurants.pdf

Toronto Ribfest 2008: Try Carolina Rib King

2008-06-28T20:59:00.009-04:00

Today (yes, I'm blogging on the day of!) Darcy and I went to the 2008 Toronto Ribfest in Centennial Park in Etobicoke. Yup, there was a lot going on in the city today including the Toronto Jazz Festival, Gay Pride, Fiesta Mexicana, the CHIN Picnic, but no. We went to Ribfest and it was glorious.

I've never been to any of the big BBQ states before, so I really wanted to try something from a real American outfit. We went straight Carolina Rib King, which is the real deal from South Carolina. Everyone working there had a fantastic southern accent and a really nice, laid back attitude which made me feel like they were confident they had good stuff.

We got a half rack for Darcy and a pulled pork sandwich for me. The pulled pork sandwich was amazing with soft, minced pork that was moist, but not greasy, even without any sauce at all. They had three huge barrels of sauce out front so you could add as much as you want. I really liked it this way because too much sauce can so easily ruin a great sandwich. I squirted on a bit of both sauces (mild and hot) and they were delicious. The hot sauce doesn't taste hot at all at first, but then it really kicks in. So good. Best sandwich from any ribfest I've been to.

I nibbled a bit of Darcy's ribs and they were impossibly tender. Usually smoked ribs aren't as tender as those baby back ones you might get at Baton Rouge that are boiled first then baked, but these were. They came away from the bone and melted in your mouth.

The terrible thing about ribfest is that there is so much there, but you really can only eat so much. So, we got some stuff to go, including another half rack and a 1/2 pound of pulled pork (just the meat) from Camp 31, our favourite from last year, as well as the Vegetarian Nightmare (pulled pork, ribs, and chicken) from Uncle Sam's.

We took everything home, metabolized for a few hours, and then had the ribs, chicken, and half of the pulled pork. Everything was good, of course, but if I had to pick a favourite, I'd say you can't go wrong with Carolina Rib King.

In addition to the BBQ, there are tonnes of other goodies like roasted corn, french fries, hotdogs, Tiny Tom's donuts, and kettle corn. By far the most popular was the bloomin' onions and butterfly chips at Bob's Bloomin' Onions. The bloomin' onion is an enormous whole onion sliced crossways many times, but with one end intact so that when it's deep-fried, the slices fan out like flower petals. I'd never seen the butterfly chips before, but they are made by thinly slicing a potato in one long spiral and deep-frying it so you get a huge, entangled, very 3 dimensional mess o' potato chips. They were as visually impressive as a Thanksgiving turkey. We didn't get any, but I wanted a picture desperately. I tried to get a paparazzi-style one, but couldn't so I found this one on the web.

Toronto Ribfest runs until Canada Day, so you've got a few days to get there. You could even go twice.

Toronto Ribfest
Centennial Park
256 Centennial Park Rd.
Etobicoke, Ontario Canada
Web site: http://www.torontoribfest.com/index.html

Ontario Ribfests

2008-06-28T16:41:00.025-04:00

Update: The Google calendar was updated for 2010, but not the text below it.

Since we love the Toronto Ribfest so much we wanted to go to more but couldn't find one web site that listed them all. So, with the power of Google, we compiled a list with links to the individual ribfest web sites along with a handy calendar so you can plan your summer's gluttony. Click on a city name in the calendar to see details and a link to its location. Enjoy!

Pickering: June 6 - 8

Niagara Falls: June 13 - 15

Ottawa: June 18 - 22

Gananoque: June 20 - 22

Bowmanville: June 27 - July 1

Toronto: June 27 - July 1

Timmins: June 27 - June 29

Peterborough: July 4-6

Barrie: July 10 - 13

Markham: July 11 - July 13

Sarnia: July 17-20

Mississauga: July 17-20

Kitchener: July 18 - 20

Uxbridge: July 18 - July 20

London: July 31 - August 4

St. Catharines: August 1-4

Scarborough: August 1 - 4

Brockville: August 8 - 10

Woodbridge: August 8-10

Quinte (Belleville): August 15 -17

Northumberland: August 15 -17

Newmarket: August 16

Guelph: August 22 - 24

Burlington: August 29 - September 1

Oshawa: September 5-7

Part 3: The trip back to Toronto aka The Odyssey

2008-06-28T11:32:00.006-04:00

On the Sunday morning, we got up bright and early to start the journey home. Paula's hubby indulged our irrational fears of missing the ferry by driving with Darcy the night before to leave our rental car in line-up. We arrived and our shiny car was first in front of about 20 other cars. We drove up to it and got in like VIPs. The locals must have though we were nuts.

Just like the first day, it was pouring rain so after some hasty goodbyes, we scrambled into the car and waited to board. After that point, the day was supposed to go like this:

Take ferry from Fogo to Farewell
Drive from Farewell to Gander
Fly from Gander to Halifax
Connect in Halifax and fly to Toronto
Take a cab home and arrive just in time for dinner

Steps 1-3 went pretty seamlessly. The ferry ride went without a hitch and the drive to Gander was easy peasy. We arrived in plenty of time to find some food and return the car. There isn't too much in Gander in the way of local cuisine, as far as we could tell. If you want a local experience, you might have to eat at one of the hotels. The Albatross Hotel restaurant is a good bet. Because other than that, you're looking at fast food: McDonald's, Subway, A&W, etc. We had Subway.

By the time we got to the Gander airport, I was absolutely freezing (6 Celsius!) and the little turkey sub I had did nothing to warm me up. So, we went to the cafeteria at the airport. I was jonesing for something hearty and Newfie and my prayers were answered: Fries, Dressing, and Gravy. It's basically a Newfoundland-style poutine with bread stuffing instead of cheese curds. Darcy's stomach was a little upset so he had to sit away from me while I dove in. I ate the whole thing.

When we got to Halifax, we heard rumours of thunderstorms in Toronto but our flight wasn't delayed by too much. We took the opportunity to have something to eat before boarding which we were very thankful for later. We went to the new Beaches Bar and Grill (I think this is what it was called) at the far end of the departures level. It's much quieter than the Legends, the sports pub, but they still have TVs and it has a Nova Scotia surfing theme. Yes, that's right, despite the year round frigid water temperatures, surfing is big on the south shore of Nova Scotia, particularly at Lawrencetown Beach which is 20 minutes from where I grew up. I took this last chance to have something east coast-ish and ordered the lobster roll. The lobster was minced pretty small so I suspect it wasn't fresh lobster picked from the shell. Ah well.

The flight was fine until we were just about to land and then couldn't due to the thunderstorms. Instead, we flew to Montreal, waited in the stifling airplane for an hour, then in the terminal for an hour before we finally took off again at midnight. By 1AM we arrived and the airport was busier than Christmas. Every flight had been delayed and we were all waiting for our bags. Needless to say it took about 2 hours to get the bags before we stumbled out to wait in line for a cab. I was complaining about this to a co-worker who flew the exact same night and was in Montreal at the same time. It turned out that his flight got cancelled in Montreal, so he slept in the airport before boarding again at 5:30AM. So, we were actually pretty lucky.

Thank you so much to Paula and family for hosting us in Fogo. We had a great time and we'll be back again!

Part 2: I can't believe there's a Chinese restaurant in Fogo

2008-06-25T22:12:00.011-04:00

After a glorious night's sleep, Paula cooked us an amazing breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast with a side of fishcakes (mixture of whitefish and potato formed into patties and pan-fried). Luuurv fishcakes. Crispy on the outside and soft and pillowy on the inside with a slight salty taste of fish.

Later in the day, we went on a long drive around the island hoping to see icebergs, whales, or caribou, but it was a tad too foggy and rainy. Nevertheless, we saw the fishery where Paula bought the crab, interesting old houses, graveyards with tombstones dating back to the 1800s, and the tiniest post office I've ever see. I love post offices.

Now, people say that there is a Chinese restaurant in every town in the world and now I believe it. Kwang Tung, Fogo Island's only Chinese restaurant, is just a stone's throw (literally) from Paula's house and and is run by a Chinese woman and her son. We picked up a few combos for an early dinner.

I wanted so badly to take pictures inside the restaurant, but I thought that might appear patronizing so I abstained. The restaurant is in a small, converted house. When you walk in, you're immediately in the middle of the dining room and there is a tiny window cut between this room and the kitchen where you pass your money through and receive your order. I took a picture of the menu in case you're ever in the area and want to plan ahead. On the flipside of this menu is some North American specialties, including sandwiches, burgers, and steaks, but I heard that the best thing to order is the Chinese food, so I'll leave that picture out. Blogger keeps inserting it sideways anyway.

Paula and I had the Kwang Tung Specialty C (egg roll, garlic spareribs, chicken fried rice, chicken guy ding) while the husbands both had Specialty A (garlic spareribs, fried rice, sweet and sour chicken). Oh, you know you love it -- Chinese Canadian food. Good in that guilty pleasure kind of way. The spareribs were fantastic, but we were all a little disappointed that the egg rolls had actual recognizable vegetables and meat in them instead of that uniform meat paste. I love that meat paste.

You might think that after all that food we couldn't possibly have dessert, but you'd be wrong. Paula and I had these peanut/coconut/chocolate-covered things bought at the grocery store with a side of vanilla ice cream and brownie.

At the same time, Darcy enjoyed the local brew, Black Horse, which doesn't have such a great reputation, but he really enjoyed it. We all plunked down on the couch with our respective treats, half watched the U.S. Open, and indulged in the comfort of hanging out with old, old friends.

Part 1: The journey to Fogo Island

2008-06-17T21:14:00.011-04:00

It'd be pretty silly to apologize for my blog laziness these days, since I've been so absent, but I'd like to say sorry for my tardiness to my good friend Paula who graciously hosted us in Fogo Island, Newfoundland last weekend and treated us to such a good time. She and and her wonderful hubby Steve were so great about showing us around and feeding us such yummy food.

So, after spending a night in Gander, we headed for the fabled Fogo Island, which was made famous in that I's the B'y song that everyone sang at some point in school. My oldest friend (for 27 years!) Paula moved there a few months ago with her husband, new baby, and adorable dog, and we were their first visitors.

Let me say firstly that it was a lot further than I expected. It took in the neighbourhood of an hour to drive to Farewell where the ferry leaves. For anyone who is planning on going, I have two pieces of advice: 1) bring a map (there aren't many signs along the way); 2) eat in Gander before you go. We were excited and left without breakfast and discovered that there isn't anything in Farewell except the ferry and a vending machine. We were super early so we backtracked, but still couldn't find anything but a gas station where we bought some of those plastic-wrapped sandwiches that somehow have expiry dates stretching one month into the future. Mine was actually pretty good.

The ferry ride was quick and pleasant with a very short stop in the Change Islands. The vessel was the same actual boat that used to carry passengers between New Brunswick and PEI before Confederation Bridge was built, so it was very familiar. Again, for anyone planning on making this trip, there is only vending machines on board, so be prepared. The crossing is only about an hour.

After getting off the ferry, we drove the last 20 minutes to Paula's place and it really was such a different world. After a straight stretch of highway at the beginning, the road started to wind around inlets and rocky terrain covered with red heather alongside the foggy coast. All the businesses (convenience stores, pubs, and even a tanning salon) were inside old residential houses, which is so charming.

Upon our arrival, Paula had a huge spread of freshly caught crab that she got straight from the fishery, Newfoundland potato salad, and yummy white bread rolls. I think I ate twice as much as everyone else. Rule of thumb: 8 lbs of crab is more that enough for 3 regular people and one greedy one. The crab was by far the best I've ever had. The fishermen pressure cook it immediately after catching it, so you only have to steam it to warm it up again. The flesh came out of the shell in one, luscious piece. Thanks so much, Paula. I am so lucky.

I can't believe I'm in Gander

2008-06-13T09:21:00.002-04:00

Yup, we're in Gander and are minutes away from departing for the long-anticipated Fogo Island, which the linked web site will tell you is considered on of the four corners of the earth by the Flat Earth Society. We're visiting my oldest friend, Paula who moved here in March and I can't wait to see her and her new home as well as this remote and exotic island off Newfoundland.

Right now, we're in Gander, which we haven't seen much of since it's been raining nonstop, but I did get a chance to have a Blue Star beer (local brew) and eat some cod tongues at the Albatross Hotel restaurant. Cod tongues -- not really my thing it turns out, but I tried them!

There isn't any high speed Internet access in Fogo, so I'll have to blog when I get back to TO. Hope I get to see an iceberg!

Pitbulls on Chowhound

2008-06-05T12:17:00.003-04:00

Now, I know the purpose of the Chowhound message board is to provide a forum where anyone can quickly (and anonymously) post small restaurant reviews that can help us all find great, hidden places and be forewarned of ones to stay away from. We all want to have good food experiences. What I am amazed by is how some Chowhound users seem genuinely offended by new restaurants that they feel aren't worthy of being in their neighbourhoods. They take it as a personal attack and do everything they can to cheer on their closure. I don't know where the idea comes from that the owners of restaurants are out to get them. Is it an insecurity that they aren't cool enough to live there either? Whatever it is, the story completely changes when you know the people who work double-shifts to make the best food they can while the pitbulls circle outside and rack their brains for the acidic anecdotes that they'll post later, some without even eating there.

I know that I go out to eat a lot and sit in judgement of every aspect of the experience and write exactly what I think here, so this is a bit of the pot calling the kettle black. Everyone appreciates honest opinions, but can we relax a little bit and not pretend this all actually matters?

The Kitchen: Sweet spot in Parkdale

2008-06-01T21:04:00.009-04:00

Back in 2005, I took a Food Writing course at George Brown College and met bright, young chef, Olivia Bolano. She was, and still is, bursting with positive energy and I was thrilled to find out that she is the executive chef at newly opened (January 2008) hotspot, The Kitchen in Parkdale, a stone’s throw away from both the Gladstone and the Drake.

It’s so much fun knowing the chef at a restaurant and seeing how her personality comes through in the food (only Olivia could make Red Bull sorbet!). It’s the ultimate fusion menu with influences from Italian, Japanese, French, Spanish, and probably several other cuisines. Over the past two months I’ve been to the restaurant twice had the pleasure of sampling about half of the dishes. On one of the trips, I brought my friend and very talented photographer, Ayngelina Brogan, who skilfully took all the nice pictures you see here. The ones that aren’t so nice are mine.

It’s an all tapas menu, so they suggest you order 2 dishes per person and share. Between both visits, I tasted about 16 items in all and my favourites were the following:

Garden Maki
Asparagus and bell pepper roll in a panko crust served with wasabi yogurt. As far as the savoury items go, this was my absolute favourite. The panko crust was crispy, but not greasy, and the rice had just the right bite. So good.

Charcuterie Plate
Duck prosciutto, Serrano ham, chorizo and garnishes. This is the only place where I’ve ever seen duck prosciutto. Try it; you’ll love it. Along with the lovely, paper-thin Serrano ham and hearty chorizo.

Grilled Calamari
With double smoked bacon. When we were sharing this dish, I snagged a choice slice of the body meat and it was incredibly soft, tender and perfect. It couldn’t have been cooked better. Melts in your mouth.

Fried Calamari
This is honestly my favourite fried calamari in the entire city. If I’m not mistaken it’s breaded instead of battered making a peppery, crunchy crust around the yummy squid.

Beef Ribs
Slow cooked with an ancho b.b.q. sauce. This girl knows how to cook meat. These big, beef ribs fall off the bone and have just the right amount of sauce.

Banana and Jack
I’m not sure if this is the correct name of the dish because I forgot to write it down, but its well-deserved nickname is Banana Crack. This dish is based on a Filipino snack that consists of banana and jackfruit wrapped in a springroll wrapper and deep-fried. Olivia’s version is minus the jackfruit and plus some Jack Daniels and honey whipped cream. It. Is. To. Die. For. Order one per person because you will NOT want to share.

They had a crazy drink special on when I was there at the end of March where all drinks were $4 taxes in on Wednesdays. With the place gaining in popularity, they may not still offer it, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. In addition to dinner, they are open for both lunch and weekend brunch. I can’t wait to go.

I wish Olivia and The Kitchen great success and I hope you will try it. Know that the woman cooking for you at The Kitchen is one of the sweetest people around whose love of food shines through in everything on the menu.

The Kitchen
1186 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
416-536-7700
Web site: http://www.thekitchenonqueenwest.com/index.html
Menus: http://thekitchenonqueenwest.com/index.php?view=article&id=48:menu

In for Brunch with Mildred Pierce

2008-04-13T21:46:00.007-04:00

To make the wait for Donna Dooher's new restaurant more bearable, my friends and I got together and had a Mildred Pierce potluck brunch where we made recipes from the Mildred Pierce Out to Brunch cookbook and watched the Mildred Pierce movie from 1945 that inspired the name of the restaurant as well as many of the dishes on the menu. It was a decadent feast that included:

Champagne and orange juice

Mrs. Biederhof's Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Sunday Best Mac and Cheese

Asian Pear and Fennel Toss Up

Orange, Grapefruit, and Mango salad with Grand Marnier

Side Bacon

Back Bacon

Assorted sausages

New York Pecan Squares

My contribution was the Sunday Best Mac and Cheese, which (if I do say so myself) was delicious, but very labour intensive. Make sure you have a few hours set aside or make it over two days. And if you're looking for a smoked chicken, the Cheese Boutique has fabulous ones.

I think everything in the book was pretty time-consuming to make, which makes me appreciate the restaurant that much more. These recipes definitely require a lot of love and care. After peeling and shredding the meat from one smoked chicken for the Mac and Cheese, I gained an enormous amount of sympathy for prep cooks who might feasbily have to do this for a dozen chickens. Yikes.

Our brunch today made our last brunch at Mildred Pierce look like a light meal. I'm still full. And the movie was fantastic.

Pho Bac: My favourite pho

2008-03-05T20:59:00.008-05:00

Yesterday for lunch, we went to our favourite pho place Pho Bac, which I've written about before, but couldn't resist photographing and gushing over again. It's so so close to my sister's place and it's open from 10AM-10PM every day. If I lived here, I'd go all the time and maybe I'd actually try something different on the menu. As it is, I can't help but order my favourites: shrimp cold spring rolls (Goi Cuon), pho with rare beef and tripe (Pho Tai Sach), and a lemon soda. Look at how rare the beef is. It was so perfect.

Just like dim sum, pho is really fast food. The minute you sit down you have tea and within 5 minutes of ordering, all your food is ready. Condiments, napkins, spoons, and chopsticks are all on the table, so you have everything you need. And for the two of us, our bill came to $17. There's nothing better. I took pictures of the menu since they don't have a web site. Click on them to enlarge.

Pho Bac
1016 boul. St Laurent
Montreal, QC
514-393-8116
Web site: None
Menus: see below
Hours: 10AM-10PM daily

Homemade Goodness

2008-03-03T22:34:00.005-05:00

We felt a little polluted after having dim sum two days in a row as well as poutine, so we stayed in today and made some great food. My sister loves buying high quality ingredients (expensive olive oils, vinegars, organic fruits, vegetables, and staples), but rarely has time to cook and a lot of stuff ends up going bad or getting old. So I saved some doomed groceries and made buttercup squash soup, chickpea/tomato/bocconcini salad, and ham/provolone/basil paninis. They all turned out awesome.

Buttercup Squash Soup
This soup came out creamy and delicious and it was super easy to make. This is what I did:

Ingredients:
glug of olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
1 box (900mL) of chicken stock
1 buttercup squash, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
salt
pepper
nutmeg

Steps:
1. Saute onions, garlic, ginger, and carrots in olive oil until softened.
2. Add chicken stock and buttercup squash.
3. Bring to a boil and cook until squash is tender.
4. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
5. Transfer to a blender or blitz using wand blender.

Ham, Provolone, and Basil Panini
My sister has this great Krups brand panini press. We bought one of our own a few years ago and ran it into the ground because we used it so much. It's the best appliance and makes everything delicious. It was so good to have a homemade panini again.

I bought a fresh baguette, cut it in 6-inch pieces, then halved them and turned them inside out so the soft part was on the outside. I filled them with smoked ham, provolone slices, and a few leaves of fresh basil. After buttering the outside, I put them in the press and in less than 2 minutes they were golden, brown, and delicious. There's no need to run to Lettieri for your paninis -- you can make fantastic ones at home.

Chickpea, Tomato, and Bocconcini Salad
I got this recipe from one of the Looneyspoons books, which are really cheesy cookbooks, but the recipes are unfailingly reliable. I'm not sure if I have the recipe exactly as they wrote it, but it goes something like this:

Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
500 mL of bocconcini (get the pearl bocconcini so you don't have to bother slicing it)
1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp chopped red onion
handful of chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Steps:
1. Combine the chickpeas, bocconcini, grape tomatoes, red onion, and basil in a bowl.
2. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small jar and shake it up.
3. Pour dressing over salad and toss.

So easy and so delicious! Somehow, it makes the chickpeas taste rich and creamy.

It was a great lunch and we feel so virtuous and healthy...for the moment.

Dim Sum at Restaurant Lotte Furama, again

2008-03-03T00:12:00.003-05:00

We had such a good experience yesterday that we went again this morning, but we took the opportunity to try different things. If you're planning on going, note that Sunday is much busier than Saturday so you should plan to arrive before 11AM. We got there early enough to not have to wait, but they stuck us in the corner away from the cart traffic. If this happens to you, insist on a better table.

So, here are some of the things we tried today:

Rice Rolls with Beef
We usually get the shrimp rice rolls, so today we tried the beef ones for the first time. The filling is similar to that in siu mai -- minced beef mixed with ginger. It was delicious. I'll have a hard time from now on picking between these and the shrimp ones.

Siu Mai
Siu Mai (pork dumplings) are not new to us, but we didn't have room for them yesterday. They were a generous size with a small amount of minced shrimp and a tiny carrot dice on top. They were fantastic.

Tripe in Ginger-Chili Sauce
I usually get the thinly sliced, delicate tripe with julienned carrots and ginger, which I love. This tripe was thicker and cut into large pieces with a slightly spicy chili and ginger sauce. Tripe can be terrible if it's cooked badly, but this was tender and delicious. A few years ago, I tried to introduce some friends to dim sum tripe and sadly that time it was really awful. They still talk about it and they'll never try it again. But, trust me, it's good.

They serve dim sum every day at Restaurant Lotte Furama, so I bet we'll go at least once more before we leave. Yum.

Restaurant Lotte Furama
1115 rue Clark
Montreal, QC
514-393-3838
Web site: None
Menus: None

Save Frites Dorées!

2008-03-01T18:54:00.007-05:00

Tonight we picked up 'hotdog toastés all dress' and poutines from Frites Dorées, which is just around the corner at St. Laurent and René Lévesque. Before we left, I was Googling and discovered that all the businesses on this strip of St. Laurent are closing to make room for a complex containing office space, fair trade/organic shops, cafes, and bars. Booooooo. This type of gentrification is going on everywhere in Toronto as well (Liberty Village, Parkdale) and while it will attract more foot traffic and money to the area, it's sad to see saucy spots like Cafe Cleopatra (where I saw my first live drag show) and Frites Dorées with it's long orange counter and sepia-coloured photos of burgers and poutine replaced by something depressing like a software company.

Hotdog Toasté All Dress
Since we were just steps away, we got takeout that was expertly packaged in a shoebox-sized box and brought it back to my sister's place. The hotdogs were awesome. I'd never had a 'toasté' before, but it tastes like a cross between a hotdog and a grilled cheese sandwich. All of the condiments were packed inside and the whole thing was put in a panini-like press until the bun was crispy and golden. After all the years I spent living in Montreal, I'd never had a hotdog with the 'chou', which is a finely shredded and lightly pickled cabbage. Delicious.

Poutine
The poutine was made with fresh cut fries, chunky cheese curds, and tangy gravy. I don't know what it is about poutine gravy that makes it burn your throat, but it hurts so good. I definitely got my poutine fix and more. Word on the street is that Frites Dorées will vacate by the end of the month, so go now.

Frites Dorées
1212 boul St. Laurent @ René Lévesque
Montreal, QC
514-866-0790
Web site: None
Menu: None