Issue 46 - March/April 2013

march/april 2013

the kitchen party 7 Sins of Dining Out

Time for some etiquette lessons (p18)

refined How Chantecler kicks up a night out (p7)

Go east for great eats

Hidden gems of Toronto’s right bank (p16)

The secrets of warm sake

(p24)

Terroir is coming!

And they brought a big sandwich (p34)

The Gourmudgeon

On Momofuku’s Mojo (p31)

Now online at

citybites.ca

Plus! Oysters + Boreal bites + Cognac + Tasting Menus + Ontario reds

From THE the EDITOR editor FROM wasabout such ahalfway pleasure to talk to Veronica Laudes IItwas through beer expert Stephen about her new restaurant, (see p6), and Beaumont’s new book TheCarmen World Atlas of Beer, hear her talk with primarily the customer experico-authored U.K. about beer writer Tim Webb, ence asI she led me around construction zone. when realized how little the I know about beer.

Pointing to the my receding angleof onchoice the bar, Now, it wasn’t first drink as the a part where a patron’s legs would said, “See, young ne’er-do-well ripping offrest, myshe parents it’s angled sofirst, customers won’t hit as their feet.”

In (white wine then Beefeater I got older). every detail, Laudes explained, was thinking But I do recall my first sip of a she truly flavourful aboutItthe customer beer. was Bass Ale,experience. from a bottle, and it This seems a bitUp at odds these days, we enjoy opened my eyes. to that point, I’dasslugged a boom time for restaurants, some Light of which back innocuous suds like Molson and,make us a to feel, well,strike unworthy if we don’t want to of due a beer in Newfoundland, a lot partake on their (imported terms—which mightriots meanintwoOld Milwaukee to thwart the hour waits, or disinterested service, or streets).

Bassneglectful became my reward for hard work, foodstudying that is merely acceptable. like for high school exams or sweeping But,tasty you know of more brews,tastes whilechange, ruiningperceptions my taste for value and quality mass evolve.

I used toseem wait two hours the characterless beers that to have to eat the at the in New York with no ruled lastBlue fewRibbon decades. complaints. takesee care of you Salvation Granted, is nigh, asthey you’ll when youvery read well,Beer andReport, your wine glass never goes Your our beginning on p.

13.dry.

We’ve tablethis might notwhich be ready 3 a.m. on aenjoy.

Wednesday, out issue, wetill hope you’ll but you make Toronto’s beerdo. offerings just keep getting better Hey, there’s always room for a new concept. and better, and we thought it was time to put it How long itThere lasts—that’s game. on record. really isanyone’s no excuse for drinking tasteless beer anymore. Thank the gods.

Dick Snyder, Editor • dick@citybites.ca Dick Snyder, Editor • dick@citybites.ca @citybites @citybites city bites magazine city bites magazine citybitestoronto citybitestoronto

contents contents March/April 2013 March/April 2013

No. 46 No. 46

TOP GAME Chantecler brings it, in more ways than one ( p7).

The Toronto Beer Report 13 Six Great Draught Picks A discussion over a few nice pints.

Features

Deliciously e at onellin iciously D a tyb ates.c cilin e it on

citybites.ca

16 14

Ten great (and untrendy) eateries If you don’t define a The Hottest Taps in Town east-end How Bellwoods Brewery does it. good restaurant by the wait time, then check these places out.

16 Wide World of Beer Stephen Beaumont’s new beer atlas.

18 The seven deadly sins of dining out Tales from the dark side of

customer service 17 The Case for Realand Alerestaurant Bar Volo’sownership.

Cask Days celebration.

22 The svelte gourmand

while staying small.

Musings on the possibilities of eating large

Spring Guide 23 Cook it right Two chefs on their philosophies for “conscious” eating.

20 To Market, To Market A few farmers’ markets.

24 Hot sake How to embrace the variations of sake temperature.

You’re getting 21 Harvest Menuswarmer!

Toronto restaurants get cooking.

21

The Apple Report What to expect in the orchards.

23 Fall Harvest Events Foodie things to do.

Regular Bites 24 5

How to Savour Stratford The CityBites guide to a great fall fair.

Starters Lo Zingaro’s Roman 10 Chef Q&A The Smoke in holiday.

Collingwood.

6

Editor Dick Snyder/dick@citybites.ca Art Director Craig Sinclair/craig@citybites.ca Managing Editor Natalie Goldenberg-Fife/natalie@citybites.ca Wine Editor John Szabo Editorial Assistant Kait Fowlie Director of Vinous Affairs Zoltan Szabo Wine Editor John Szabo Interns Rowena Chow, Johanna Director of Vinous Affairs ZoltanSkelly, SzaboLuke Wilson Marco Bresba, Bedard, Contributors Stephen Beaumont, Kristen Bedard,Kirsten Davin de KerDan Donovan, Konrad Ejbich, Kait Fowlie, Green, gommeaux, Dan Donovan, Konrad Ejbich, Marc Maia Filar, Kait Fowlie, SarahGreen, B. Hood, Adam McDowell, Pataran, Szabo, Marc Kristin Kent, SanoberMichael Motiwala, John John Switzer, John Zoltan Szabo, Stephen Temkin Temkin Szabo, Zoltan Szabo, Stephen

Crumbs News for eaters.

Regular Bites 6 5

First Look Carmen brings Spanish Starters The hospitality to apple Queen West. of Wanda’s eye.

7 Out&About Chantecler’s kitchen 6 Crumbs Read before you eat. party.

7 9

Out&About Hopglossary.

Bar takes Grow A garden on King West.

9 Review Fortuna Mezcal.

8 Grow Consider garlic.

11 Head to Head Top Ontario reds.

9 Beer Events What’s brewing 12 this Dining fall.Out Tasting menus

on the rise.

10 Chef Q&A The Feasting Room’s 14 Noah DrinksGoldberg.

Jim Beam’s master

distiller Fred Noe.

11 HeadLast to Head 34 One Bite

34

Chardonnay.

Terroir packs a hero.

One Last Bite Food Dudes get truckin’.

Randy Cameron, Rick O’Brien, Photography and illustration Ashley Capp, Malcolm Brown, Ross Spencer, Dick Snyder Dick Snyder Steve Kean, Ross Spencer,

The Experts

Publisher Paul Alsop/paul@citybites.ca Sr. Account Manager Wendy Lyall Gardner/wendy@citybites.ca Account Manager Alexander McCarthy/alex@citybites.ca Email info@citybites.ca or visit www.citybites.ca Advertising Inquiries sales@citybites.ca

28 Szabo on Wine

31 The Gourmudgeon

29 Living Living on the Veg

32 The Ej

30 Fishmongering Fishmongering

33 Libations

City Bites Media Inc., 26 Dalhousie St. Suite 200, Toronto, ON, M5B 2A5,

Szabo on best-sellers.

John Szabo’s food epiphanies.

boreal. candy.

Kait Fowlie on gourmet oysters.

Dan Donovan on shrimp.

on Momo’s mojo.

Stephen Temkin talks brunch.

Ejbich’stoasts on Hudak.

Konrad Ejbich chardonnay.

Cognac.

Stephen Beaumont on local beer.

647-827-1705. City Bites is published six times a year by City Bites Media Inc.

Photo by Rick O’Brien

March/April 2013

3

Eight Essentials Carefully selected, premium wines and spirits from the old world and the new.

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Vintages #: 106450 Retail: $16.95

Santa Margherita Prosecco di Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. Brut

Anselmi San Vincenzo Vintages #: 948158 Retail: $15.95

Vintages #: 687582 Retail: $17.95

Frescobaldi CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino Vintages #: 650432 Retail: $49.95

Louis Jadot Bourgogne Chardonnay

Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages

Vintages #: 933077 Retail: $17.95

Vintages #: 365924 Retail: $16.95

Represented by

Mitolo Jester Shiraz

Luxardo Maraschino

Vintages #: 659607 Retail: $22.95

Vintages #: 57448 Retail: $25.95 471 Jarvis St. Toronto, ON, M4Y 2G8 Tel: 416-253-5508 Available at Vintages in select LCBO stores.

the starters All hail Roma!

The CityBites Team Marco Bresba Marco does a lot of stuff, most

photos: rick o’brien; (Sarah B. Hood) Yvonne Tremblay

There’s a new pizza joint in town, and (shocking!) it’s not Neopolitan By Marco Bresba Pizza as a casual dining option has become, dare I say it, pretty serious business in Toronto.

It’s an all-out, competitive quest for authenticity fueled by a slavish devotion to all things Neapolitan.

The most dedicated contestants import everything from Naples: from pricey, handcrafted ovens to specialty flour. At stake is certification by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association— the pizza equivalent of winning an Oscar.

You’d think no Italians living outside of Naples had any passion for the stuff.

That’s why I was curious about a new pizza spot on Queen West called Lo Zingaro. Instead of Naples-gazing, Lo Zingaro casts its vision about 200 kilometers north, to a little town you may have heard of called Roma.

Just one look at Lo Zingaro’s pie reveals a different regional influence at work. Toppings are carefully applied over a delicate thin crust.

Traditional Neapolitan traits are absent: No bulging pockets of burnt dough on the outer ring to contend with. No mushy crust in the centre. No soggy puddles of cheesy drippings escaping your fork as you attempt to clean your plate. Instead, Lo Zingaro’s Margherita is insanely light and crispy.

The big difference is in the dough. Utilizing a Roman recipe that requires more flour and a longer resting period, the Italian ex-pats that rule Lo Zingaro’s ovens produce a dough that’s 30 percent lighter in weight than Napoli’s denser and wetter counterpart.

Twenty varieties include daily specials and PIZZA PERFECT Roma style, yo! mainstays like the classic Quattro Stagioni and the spicy Diavolessa ($13 to $18). There are white pizzas (sans tomato) too, including a Carbonara that delivers all the richness of Rome’s classic spaghetti dish without the heaviness. Dairy-free pizza also gets some love with Boschetto (mushrooms, sausage and pancetta) being one of three savory non-lactose options.

Lo Zingaro A handful of satisfying pasta and risotto dishes round out the mains Ristorante Pizza ($14 to $18). Spaghetti served with mussels and clams, and risotto 571 Queen St. W. 416-361-6154 with lamb sausage and artichokes stay true to Roman traditions. lo-zingaro.com Starters include hearty arancini (fried rice balls) filled with cheese, @lozingaros mushroom and prosciutto ($10). The Salumi e Formaggi platter, loaded with a generous sampling of house cured meats and accompanied with freshly baked grissini (breadsticks), is perfect for sharing ($22).

of it related to storytelling. He builds corporate brands and produces television. He occasionally writes about eating things. At the age of 7, he had already decided that pizza was the perfect food, and hasn’t wavered since. He’s from Montreal, but moved to Toronto when the food started to get better. @marcobresba

Sarah B. Hood Sarah’s latest book, We Sure Can! How Jams and Pickles are Reviving the Lure and Lore of Local Foods, was shortlisted for Taste Canada, the Food Writing Awards. She writes regularly for Spacing and The National Post, among other publications, and blogs about food at eatlocallyblogglobally.com.

She also explores local food history as a volunteer historic cook at Fort York.

Rick O’Brien Rick’s a 20-year veteran of the restaurant industry, having learned from some of the best restaurateurs in Canada. Documenting musicians and bands is where Rick started as a photographer, and food photography was a natural evolution.

As an East Coaster, brought up in Vancouver, settling into Toronto’s diverse and thriving cultural scene has seemed a perfect fit. And for photography, he says, you couldn’t ask for a more captivating city.

Get in touch!

Send emails to info@citybites.ca or snail mail to CityBites, 24 Dalhousie St., Toronto, ON, M5B 2A5. Letters may be edited for space and accuracy.

March/April 2013

5

crumbs

By Natalie Goldenberg-Fife | @NatalieGF + @CityBites

... There is a shrimp pogo stick and oyster slider in town, among other ’tings, at new sustainable fish joint The Happy Hooker (887 Dundas W., 647-769-4243, happyhookerfish.ca, @happyhookerTO) ... Uptown’s Middle Eastern experts at Tabülè expand the east side with a second location coming soon to Leslieville (810 Queen St. E., tabule.ca, @TabuleToronto) ... Need a Hangover helper? Hit up Leslieville’s newish bacon-dedicated

($29) is called nbexpress. The focus is “seasonal and healthy” fare—though there are gluttonous chocolate chip cookies “to go” and “baked to order” (180 Queen St. W., 416-977-6400, notabenerestaurant.com, @notabenetoronto) ... The Harbord Room’s Corey Vitiello and Dave Mitton are taking over the nowclosed Messis (97 Harbord St.,) along with a few other partners.

What’s new in the world of eats sandwich shop Rashers for booze-soaking sammies served on Ace Bakery bread and rammed full of juicy Perth Pork Products (948 Queen St. E., 416-710-8220, rashers.ca, @RashersTO) ... Good news for Izakaya lovers!

Guu Toronto is now serving lunch at both locations. More Guud news: the midday lineup at the original location on Church Street should begin to dissipate (398 Church St., 419-977-0999; 559 Bloor St. W., 647-343-1101, guu-izakaya.com, @guutoronto) ... Attention burger worshippers! Burger’s Priest is coming west-side. Expect to see the third installment around Queen and Spadina in May ... After six years, Colborne Lane has closed its moleculary gastronomic doors. Chef Claudio Aprile will be focusing on refinement and expansion of his Origins brand ... Grant Van Gameren has changed the name of his stillnot-open restaurant from Crown Cooks to Bar Isabel. Chef Guy Rawlings, formerly of Brockton General and Bellwoods Brewery, will run front of house (797 College St., 416-532-2222, barisabel.com) ... From the makers of last year’s taco craze comes a bbq offspring called Electric Mud BBQ. It’s the Grand Electric take on the ol’ Stampede Bison Grill (5 Brock Ave., 416-516-8286, @Electricmudbbq), replete with an array of Southern-inspired treats and plenty of bourbon and rock ’n’ roll! ... Nota Bene’s new quick and easy three-course weekly lunch menu

FIRST LOOK

THR & Co. will downplay the cocktails and charcuterie and up-play the fine dining and wine. The Harbord Room’s chef de cuisine Curtis Martin heads up the new kitchen. Expect an early spring launch with a 60-seat patio ... Dundas West’s newest deli, The Hogtown Cure, specializes in straight-from-the-farm goods. Expect meat-and-cheeseheavy deli ’wiches like the Hogtown Reuben and Hogtown Grilled cheese (1484 Dundas St. W., 647-725-5550, thehogtowncure.com, @hogtowncure) ... Looking for some classy jazz ’n’ eats? Opening soon(ish) in the former Top O’ The Senator space is Jazz Bistro, a live jazz club featuring a wine bar and “modern bistro” food from ex-Six Steps and Lolita’s Lust chef Daniel Racine (251 Victoria St., 416-3635299, jazzbistro.ca, @jazzbistro_ca) ... Steven Selm, ex-general manager at e11even, is opening two new venues, The Chase and The Chase Fish and Oyster, with the help of executive chef Michael Steh, formerly of Reds and Splendido. The Chase Fish and Oyster occupies the ground floor of the newly restored Dineen Building at Yonge and Temperance, while a private elevator ride delivers guests to The Chase on the fifth floor, with its 270-degree view of downtown. Fancy! (thechasetoronto.com, @TheChaseTO).

Email tips, opening soons and discoveries to info@citybites.ca.

By Dick Snyder

A taste of Spain Torito owners opening Carmen on Queen West

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CityBites

juicing machine that will take pride of place by the bar. “Spanish people can not live without their fresh orange juice,” she says.

Presumably, Torontonians will feel the same.

As for the food, Chef Valenzeula has designed his kitchen especially for à-la-minute paella assembly. This is almost unheard of in most restaurants, as the labour-intensive dish is usually pre-made to about 70-percent completion. Four paella dishes will be featured, as well as small and large tapas creations executed by himself and sous Angel Martinez.

Carmen—“because every Spanish woman is named Carmen,” Laudes says with a glint— is modeled on a classic Spanish bar, and it will exude her elegant touch. Bold colours and dramatic art will keep the eye dancing— Laudes demands that every space in the restaurant be a visual feast, to work in harmony with Valenzuela’s modern-Spanish

DYNAMIC DUO Carmen’s owners Luis Valenzuela and Veronica Laudes.

fare. Carmen will be open Carmen 922 Queen St. W. seven days a week, from 416-532-0404 morning till the wee hours, @CarmenSayz just like in Spain. And guests will never be pressured. “If a couple comes in and all they want is a cup of tea, I will find them a seat,” says Laudes. “If that’s all they want, then that’s okay. Because then they might come back again, and stay for dinner.” Just like in Spain. CB

photo: Dick Snyder

Veronic Laudes is pretty excited about her tiles. Reclaimed from a tear-down in Valencia, Spain, the tiles will line the doorway of her new restaurant, Carmen, opening the week of March 25 in the old Caju space on Queen Street West. The coowner of Torito is also excited about the custom-made maple-wood and marble bar and maple and walnut tables—every piece made to spec by Jorge Vergara of Custom Mobilia. Even the beer taps, being installed this day by the guys from Flying Monkey, get her worked up. “We’ll only have two beers on tap, and three Spanish beers,” Laudes says.

And only the best, naturally—every detail is meticulously nurtured by Laudes and her business partner and chef Luis Valenzuela.

Quality is a personal obsession for Laudes, and guest enjoyment drives every decision. For instance, an intricate orange

OUT & ABOUT

By Natalie Goldenberg-Fife | @NatalieGF + @CityBites

Chantecler’s kitchen party refined Parkdale’s inventive bistro/bar invites guests into the kitchen The Story When Chantecler was still just a gleam in they eyes of its soonto-be proud owners, 26-year-old whiz kids Jonathan Poon and Jacob Wharton-Shukster dreamt of opening a tiny nine-seater in a funky foodie-infested neighbourhood.

Economic realities eventually set in and they’re now the proud parents of a 26seat unified bar/kitchen-style-restaurant named after Canada’s only heritage breed of chicken. Think: two highly creative menus with all the trimmings of fine dining sans the $500 bill at the end of the meal. Good enough and inventive enough to rank on Macleans’ list of 50 best restaurants in Canada 2012.

The Space

photos: Rick O’Brien

The duo transformed the 1883 building of exposed brick and beam into a cozy, classically designed black-and-white tiled bistro—and they built the whole thing. The pièce de résistance is the small kitchenette at the end of the bar where guests can watch Chef Poon’s intense concentration as he preps and puts the finishing touches on his dishes. Add on the wafting smells of sizzling rosemary, the sounds of cocktails shaking and indie music blaring, and what you get are the makings of a kick-ass kitchen party.

The Scene The city’s complete spectrum of restaurant-hopping clientele is covered: young hipsters, industry folk, families, Ossington artists, out-of-towners and foodies of all ages. There’s always lots of action in the small room. The wine list hones in on all-natural, organic, bio-dynamic and wild-fermented varietals with a mostly old-world focus (Austria, France) and a few notable Ontario wines. Bottle prices range from $38 to $105. The cocktail list spins modern classics into clever variations (Montenegroni replaces vermouth with Amaro Montenegro). Reverential homage is paid to the proud history of Canadian whiskey making.

DYNAMIC DUO Chantecler’s proud parents, Jonathan Poon and Jacob Wharton-Shukster.

GOODIES Lettuce-wrap accompaniments.

THE SHOWMAN Cocktail director Wharton-Shukster.

ART FORMS Decorations in wine and ink.

March/April 2013

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The Food Chantecler rang in the New Year by ditching its à la carte menu and making its popular lettuce-wrap tasting style menu a mainstay throughout the week (the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays). They also joined the city’s more refined tasting menu bandwagon (please see Dining Out, p13) and introduced a formalized tasting menu only available on Fridays and Saturdays (seatings at 6:30 and 9). “We made a decision to be more responsive to the neighborhood needs and wants,” says Wharton-Shukster. “Now its even more fun and dynamic, with the best of both worlds: a formal dining option and an informal one.”

Poon focuses on flavours that develop on the plate rather than with extensive cooking in stocks and reductions. This is Asian-Canadiana fare under the blanket of a national cultural mosaic. Poon hails from Hong Kong and has incorporated many Chinese ingredients into his dishes.

KITCHEN WINDOW Poon on display for all to see.

We made a decision to be more responsive to the neighborhood needs and wants.

8

CityBites

FINISHING TOUCH A shave of nutmeg.

THE MONTENEGRONI Classic with a twist.

For more photos, visit THE FILLING Slow-smoked pork shoulder destined for Korean-style lettuce wraps.

citybites.ca

photos: Rick O’Brien

The lettuce wrap is designed for sharing.

For $21 Poon transforms the classic Korean lettuce wrap, churning out slow-smoked pork shoulder and braised beef wraps alongside assorted condiments and pickles. (Last call for food on is 1 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, 11 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, and midnight Thursday and Friday.)

The new formal tasting menu is a fourcourse assortment of amuses and plates, priced at $40 to $60 depending on market prices. Add $45 for Wharton-Shukster’s rare and playful wine pairings. Expect to indulge on Poon’s fancier fare like shrimp in buttermilk with potato and seaweed or smoked duck with beet and polenta.

For his beef tartar, Poon uses the chewier tri-tip cut to get a melt-in-your-mouth sensation that might be mistaken for tuna.

Splattered onto the plate like a PolRestaurant Chantecler lack painting is a 1320 Queen St. W. horseradish 416-628-3586 oyster emulsion. restaurantchantecler.ca @ChanteclerTO Cucumbers and do-it-yourself seaweed wraps accompany.

Bookings for the tasting menu must be made four days in advance and should be done now if you want to eat before summer. CB

grow

By Marc Green

Dig these terms Some definitions to take to heart come garden planning time It’s garden planning time and with that comes a host of confusing words and phrases that can mystify even the most earnest grower who is trying to do the eco-right thing in his or her garden. To help you sort through it all, we’ve created a mini-glossary of commonly used terms that often cause confusion.

ORGANIC: Simply put, organic means something is made of, PRIZED POSSESSIONS Heirloom tomatoes on the porch. pertaining to, or derived from living matter. It’s alive; or, when dead, will decompose. In the food world, organic refers to foods grown according to strict standards that encourage the use of natural fertilizers and limit the use of synthetic herbicides and pesticides. These practices promote biological pest control and the use of ageold disease control methods like crop rotation. The goal is to maintain the genetic integrity of plants and animals by avoiding the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO). Before the development of synthetic pesticides and herbicides, all growing was done organically.

HEIRLOOM: A solid definition appears on marthastewart.com: “Heirloom vegetables are open-pollinated plants that have been cultivated for at least 50 years. They are often more flavourful, colourful and interesting than hybrids.” If variety is the spice of life, then heirloom seeds and plants are spicy.

OPEN-POLLINATED: This is a process whereby plants are pollinated through natural means such as by insects, birds or the wind. Many food crops are self-pollinating, which helps to keep the plant and its offspring consistent and predictable, generation after generation.

photo: Arlene Hazzan Green

Before synthetic pesticides and herbicides, all growing was done organically.

HYBRID: A hybrid plant is one that has been created through intentional human intervention where two plants with different characteristics are cross-pollinated (bred with each other) in order to combine certain desirable properties. Many hybrids are used in large-scale farming as the plant’s behaviour is easier to predict. Hybrids are fine for the backyard garden as well, as long as they are not of a GMO variety.

GMO (Genetically Modified Organism): There’s a clearly anti-GMO article at gmo-awareness.com that states: “Genetic modification is the process of forcing genes from one species into another entirely unrelated species. Unlike cross breeding, which involves two related species and has been done without ill effects for centuries, genetic engineering forcefully breaches the naturally occurring barriers between species, causing both known and unknown/unintended consequences.”

Genetically engineered plants were designed by mega-corporations to be pesticide and herbicide tolerant, allowing these companies (Monsanto leads the pack here) to promote the intensive use of synthetic chemicals on the plants, theoretically without negative consequence. Fact is, GMOs are a world of trouble and are leading to the destruction of our soil, poisoning our water, killing the family farm, limiting food crop biodiversity (a huge issue in itself), forcing insects to morph into new “superbugs” that are themselves pesticide resistant… and on and on and on…. GMOs are quickly destabilizing an already unstable food production process. CB Marc Green and Arlene Hazzan Green run The Backyard Urban Farm Company. Visit them at bufco.ca.

REVIEW

By Dick Snyder

Mezcal makes its mark The spirit of Mexico gets hipper It’s becoming tiresome to complain about the lack of interesting spirits available to Torontonians (cue the usual LCBO-bashing), so let’s not even go there. Let’s begin with the positive. Fortuna Mezcal is a new brand of mezcal that landed in Toronto last month (no thanks to the LCBO, which does not stock it yet) at enlightened bars around the city.

And it’s good. Real good. Bad news is, if you want it, you’ll have to buy a six-bottle case from the good people at On the Case, and you’ll have to pay $79.99 a bottle.

Perhaps, once the LCBO gets up to speed, the price will come down a bit, but don’t hold your breath.

Mezcal is the hipper, darker cousin of Tequila, favoured by connoisseurs in part because of its bad-ass reputation (artisan farmers, open-fired pits, massive stone crushers, etc.). Engine oil, as an aromatic descriptor, is not used much in the spirits category, but it kind of makes sense with mezcal. Fortuna has a bit of that quality on the nose, but it’s so smooth and elegant on the palate you’d hardly notice. (I, for one, love the engine oil quality of mezcal, so Fortuna gives me the best of both worlds.)

The nose also delivers softer notes, some banana and tropical fruits, bolder citrus, and that unmistakable whiff of cooked agave that makes you go “whoa!”. There’s a bit of smoke, some earthiness and just enough funk to keep things interesting. The palate comes through with similar colours, and a long, warm finish that is clean and deliciously exotic.

Fortuna is not only a refined sipper, but has the ass-kick to make a cocktail sit up and take notice. It’s pricey, MEZCAL MANIA Fortuna ($79.99) but worth it. What else makes a smooth are you going to spend entrance. your cash on, anyway?

On the Case, cpapple@onthecasedistribution.com, 647-725-2444.

March/April 2013

9

chef Q&A

By Dick Snyder

Smokin’ in Collingwood From poutine to banana ice cream, nothing escapes Cam Dyment’s smoker Cam Dyment had a dream. The amateur chef had pretty much perfected his homesmoking techniques, and decided it was time to open a BBQ joint, which he surely did this past December in Collingwood. This isn’t your usual “macho” BBQ joint—this is a sleek, comfortable, family-friendly place, that’s already packing them in from around Georgian Bay. They come for the pulled pork, smoked trout and beef brisket poutine, but they stay for the smoked banana ice cream.

Wouldn’t you?

How quickly did you go from dream to opening night? A year and a half. I was totally into smoking foods, had techniques and recipes down, and did a series on YouTube videos that was pretty popular.

[Chef Cam, The Georgian Chef.] People would ask, are you getting paid for those videos? I said no, but it could lead to something.

CAM’S PLACE Chef Dyment does BBQ different.

Did you have a specific concept in mind?

I knew I wanted it to be about smoked food, but didn’t want to be the typical BBQ joint— you know, ribs, beer, pulled pork, a few side dishes. I wanted to go beyond the usual. So I

The Smoke

do what I call “balls of meat” 498 First St. with asiago on a bun. I smoke Collingwood, Ont. 705-293-5522 a meatloaf. I’ve been making thesmoke.ca sausages for 25 years, so now I smoke them too. My smoked burger, I gave one to my daughter for the first time and she said it’s the best burger she’s every tasted.

To what do you attribute your (almost immediate) success? Food is my passion.

I’m having fun again. Everything is from scratch. People can taste it. We’re not opening packages of frozen stuff.

What kind of smoker do you use? I started looking around and the only ones I’d consider are made by Cookshack. I have four of them. I can do 50 racks of ribs in one smoker at one time. When we open our patio this summer, I’ll have one out there too.

How’d you come up with smoked banana ice cream? My friend had Mad River ice cream

BBQ STYLE The Smoke’s dining room is sleek, clean and comfy.

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CityBites

a few years ago, selling from his house to restaurants, but the health department said he needed a commercial kitchen. I did some experiments and made a smoked banana ice cream, so I called him up and asked if he’d like to make it here. It’s exclusively for us, and we sell it in pints ($9). CB

Head to head

By Zoltan Szabo | @zoltanszabo

Ontario’s outstanding 2010 reds Top picks from a stellar vintage (plus one from 2009) SUPPLE

CHARMING

Blueberry, plums and spice. Full weight and supple with a great length. Certified biodynamic.

A charming Merlot, very well balanced, with intriguing floral and exotic spice accents surfacing from underneath its plush, black-fruit-driven fruit core.

Tawse 2010 David’s Block Merlot Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara | $49.95

tawsewinery.ca

Rosewood 2010 Merlot Beamsville Bench, Niagara | $22

rosewoodwine.com

PROPER

Chateau des Charmes 2009 Estate Bottled Cabernet-Merlot Niagara-on-the-Lake | $12.95

Red and black currants, clove, dried tobacco leaf and forest floor nuances. Medium-bodied, better than many Medoc cru bourgeois—and certainly for much less! chateaudescharmes.com

SERIOUS

ELEGANT

OUTSTANDING

Broadly textured and seriously well-structured Bordeaux blend to please carnivores for a decade, or longer.

Elegant, bright and fresh with velvet-like tannins and juicy fruit core.

A remarkable Cabernet Franc here. Black fruits, cardamom, violet notes, gentle tannins and succulent acidity. Just like a great Bourgueil… even better.

Henry of Pelham 2010 Speck Family Reserve Cabernet-Merlot Short Hills Bench, Niagara | $50

Coyote’s Run 2010 Rare Vintage Meritage Four Mile Creek, Niagara | $39.95

coyotesrunwinery.com

henryofpelham.com

Norman Hardie 2011 County Unfiltered Cabernet Franc Prince Edward County | $25

normanhardie.com

TOP

5

REASONS TO CRUSH IT! 0.1 Organic and local ingredients = amazing food 0.2 King West location, easy walk to the Theatre District 0.3 Home of Top Chef Canada contestant Executive Chef Trista Sheen 0.4 Fabulous outdoor patio 0.5 600+ labels in stock, 60+ by the glass

455 KING STREET WEST

416.977. 1234

www.crushwinebar.com

March/April 2013

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DINING OUT

By Natalie Goldenberg-Fife | @NatalieGF + @CityBites

The return of the tasting Chefs and diners take adventurous dining to a whole new level

FREEZIE INTERMEZZO! The gin-infused freezie breaks up multiple courses.

risky overhaul, the ambitious chef Jeff Claudio committed a bit of a restaurant faux pas— that is, fixing something that wasn’t broken.

But the gamble has paid off. The restaurant is jammed, not just with nascent Ossington hipsters but a variety of older foodies looking for a little nudge our of their comfort zones.

For the “Yours Truly” menu ($45), guests choose four courses from three options with a variety of themes (during my visit there was

‘A tasting menu can yield a succession of delights that a shorter meal could never contain.’

—Pete Wells, New York Times (Even when a dish fails or doesn’t quite make it, there’s still something to be gained, learned or discussed.)

Restaurants of both newbie and established status have added a tasting option to their regular menu offerings, including Keriwa Café, Chantecler, Red Fish and Cava. Yours Truly, Toronto Life’s pick as best new restaurant 2012, has said adios entirely to its à la carte menu, replacing it with two tasting options. With this

12

CityBites

Asian, French, Spanish, Middle Eastern, and others) on a 16-ingredient grid. There is always a vegetarian dish—along with numerous amuses and small bite wonders that just appear out of nowhere—like the palate cleansing gin-infused freezie.

The ambitious “Carte Blance” (Market Price) is available to 12 guests per evening, and by reservation only. Starting at 7 p.m. diners fasten up for an 18-to-25 course three-hour

affair. There is an omnivore and a vegetarian option. The market price (MP) is generally between $85-$99 depending on ingredients.

Chef Jeff Claudio says the focus of his menus is “collaboration”—with fellow kitchen mates and the multiplicity of ethnicities across the city. Globe-trotting creations range from an Arzak egg infused with truffle, soft poached on layer of salsa verde and potato foam and a lamb-smoked shoulder with barbecue glaze, coleslaw blue cheese and potato salad.

For a Japanese traditional twist on the tasting menu, Etobicoke’s Sushi Kaji presents a detailed, seasonally focused omakase menu to 30-seats each night. Omakase is a Japanese phrase that essentially means “I’ll leave it to you”, and is perhaps best known as the recommended approach to a good sushi bar.

Chef Mitsuhiro Kaji has been making sushi since his was 13. At $100-$120, guests leave it all up to Kaji to provide a nine-to-ten course affair that includes some of Canada’s best sushi and sashimi. Kaji brings in most of his ingredients from Japan—his Tokyo Bay fish supplier flying fresh fish in every 24-hours.

The reigning game changer in Toronto’s tasting menu arena has to be NYC restaurateur

photos: Marc Polidoro

It’s certainly a killer time to have an appetite in this city.

We’ve seen food truck parties in parking lots (à la the Food Dudes), special evenings of chummy chef collaborations (The Group of Seven Chefs and Banana Mafia), and foodand-drink festivals galore (Soupstock, Slurpfest, Icewine Festival, Fortuna Mezcal Week). Not to mention the plethora of palate-altering joints devoted to ramen, doughnuts, tacos and izakaya that are causing line-ups across the city.

Which takes us to the latest dining out trend to sweep (or semi-sweep) the city: the tasting menu.

Though tasting menus tend to ebb and flow as a gourmet phenomenon, we’ve been spotting them with increasing frequency across the globe over the past 10 years or so.

Quite often they are the featured entertainment at highly decorated destination restaurants such as Chicago’s Alinea, New York City’s Eleven Madison Park, and Copenhagen’s Noma (which also holds the number one spot on the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list).

“In the hands of a chef who grasps the challenges and possibilities of the form,” writes New York Times food critic Pete Wells, “a tasting menu can yield a succession of delights that a shorter meal could never contain.” Done right, what we get in the tasting menu is three-to-four hours worth of all-encompassing, hard-core dining. As the dishes keep coming, we see chefs showing off, taking risks, improvising, and ultimately telling a pretty cool culinary adventure story.

menu

Lunch Brunch Dinner Take Out Uptown @ 1 Balmoral Ave. Unit 7 Call - 416.515.0551

Downtown @

johnandsonsoysterhouse.com

56 Temperance St. Call - 416.703.5111

KEEP EM’ COMIN’ BBQ-glazed lamb-smoked shoulder.

David Chang, whose Momofuku Shōtō is pretty much every foodie and Toronto critic’s wet dream (and a multiple one at that). Located on the third floor of the Shangri-La Hotel is the cozy and modern 24-seater that invites diners to indulge in a tasting menu of ten or more plates for $150 (add $80 for wine/drink pairing). The menu changes daily due to market availability but buzz-worthy dishes have included tandoori lobster tail and spaghetti, nori, sardine. Reservations are a must and only available online (with a credit card to secure your spot). A vegetarian menu is available.

Toronto chefs appear to be coming to life as they embrace the “total experience” of the tasting menu approach, seeing it as a creative outlet that allows a Yours Truly higher degree of 229 Ossington Ave. 416-533-2243 controlled improvisation. yours-truly.ca “A la carte menus can @yourstruly229 be forgotten,” says Sushi Kaji Claudio, “but a tasting 860 The Queensway menu done right gives 416-252-2166 the restaurant a chance sushikaji.com to create an unforgettable Momofuku Shōtō experience. The service, 190 University Ave. room, food—the whole momofuku.com @momofuku package.” CB March/April 2013

13

DRINKS

By Adam McDowell

The man behind Jim Beam Master distiller Fred Noe on the bourbon craze, tradition and seven generations If Fred Noe looks vaguely familiar, it could be that you’re drinking a little too much bourbon these days. (But then, so is everyone in Toronto.) As the great-grandson of Jim Beam himself and the seventh member of the extended Beam-Noe family to serve as the company’s master distiller, his face adorns the side of the Jim Beam bottle. Beam Inc. owns a surprisingly large swath of the wellknown bourbon brands out there. Fred’s father, the late, legendary Booker Noe, planted the seeds of today’s bourbon craze by pioneering Beam’s “small batch” family of brands: Basil Hayden’s, Knob Creek, Baker’s and Booker’s. We talked with Fred Noe about the buoyant bourbon market when he visited Toronto this week.

CityBites: How has the landscape changed for bourbon since you became the brand ambassador for Jim Beam 15 years ago?

How did bourbon get so big?

I think cocktail culture is making a big comeback and a lot of mixology folks like to make bourbon cocktails. People are making more drinks out of bourbon. I think years ago, bourbon was thought of as a shot [to go with] a beer. Nobody thought of it as a cocktail [ingredient]. That’s got people looking at bourbon again. Women are looking at bourbon, where before you didn’t see that too much.

NOE’S NOSE Master distiller Fred Noe.

How did you know when it was working?

What would your dad have thought of it?

When you started seeing younger people, the ones coming to legal drinking age, drinking bourbon instead of sweeter things. It’s not just your dad’s drink or your granddad’s drink. That’s coming from the openmindedness of the consumer. They’re up for trying different things. They’re not just stuck on one kind of beverage alcohol. Younger people are enjoying bourbon, which is good for the future.

He’d be scratching his head a bit on that, for sure. Now, the Devil’s Cut, he’d appreciate that one.

What do you say to purists who are wary of

14

Your company had a lot to do with bourbon

a product like Jim Beam Red Stag, which

becoming a luxury item.

takes a craft bourbon and adds cherry

When Dad introduced these small-batch bourbons, it kind of opened up the whole super-premium category for us at Beam as well as the bourbon industry. People were drinking maybe a little less, but they wanted to drink better—they started looking at extra aging, higher proofs, different taste profiles and so on. That was in the late ’80s, early ’90s. That’s kind of what got bourbon becoming cool again.

Well, it’s not for everybody. If you’re a purist and you drink your bourbon neat or on the rocks, it’s going to be too sweet. But it’s brought a lot of women to the bourbon category. It’s brought a lot of people who might never have drunk bourbon or didn’t like it the first time they did try it. [We’re] looking for new avenues for bringing more people to the bourbon category.

CityBites

What did you learn from the kerfuffle over Maker’s Mark’s alcohol percentage?

[Maker’s Mark is owned by Beam Inc. and run at arm’s length by the Samuels family. In February, it announced it was dropping the alcohol level from 45% to 42%. A social media outcry ensued, and the company reversed the decision.] Listen to the consumer. Without their support, it’s just another brand on the shelf.

flavour to it?

Will the master distiller of Jim Beam always be someone from the Beam-Noe clan?

It should be. My son started in January [at the distillery], shovelling grain. He’s the eighth generation. He’s 25, he’s finished college. If he has any children… he can come up with the ninth generation. It’s up to him now. CB

photo: Adam McDowell

Fred Noe: It was kind of flat. Now it’s really popular, and there’s more interest all over the world. Everywhere I go, people are wanting to learn about bourbon—talk about it, taste it.

Restaurants

By Sarah B. Hood

Ten great (and untrendy) east-end eateries Your best bets for delicious food, a few flavour surprises and change on a twenty dollar bill

1

Are we really so insecure of our dining judgment that we need the reassurance of a 30-person queue outside an establishment to make us feel it’s okay to eat there?

Be not afraid! Here’s a list of ten great but untrendy places to go in the east end if you can’t get into the latest burger joint, wood-oven pizza purveyor or noodle spot of the moment.

Pkwy

9 Broa dview

n Quee

4

Do

6

Since 1989, Coyote Willie at Queen and Broadview has been dishing up plain, simple food in a tuckedaway little spot with vinyl chairs and a cheerfully ticky-tacky approach to Mexican-themed decor.

The homey vegetarian chili ($5.25 to $9.50) is a dependable staple, as are the more filling burritos ($7.25; $9.50 as a meal) and the house-made pecan pie ($3.75).

Unlicensed.

689 Queen St. E., 416-778-457, coyotewillie.com

Ave

nt St

6 Keeffaa Coffee

all nV ey Pk wy

Keeffaa (named for the place coffee was first discovered) is one of those spots food journalists hate to write about.

It deserves to have lineups as long as nearby Sukho Thai, but wouldn’t that spoil the nurturing vibe of this tiny, comfy refuge? Proprietor Elsabet Wubie’s lovingly concocted and cunningly spiced Ethiopian dishes (about $8 to $15) are handmade with local and organic market produce. She serves serious coffees and teas, and her Mexican hot chocolate, laced with cayenne ($5), is to die for. Unlicensed.

368 Queen St. E., 647-349-0900, keeffaacoffee.weebly.com

y Valle

E

Just west of the densest concentration of Greek restaurants on the Danforth, is one of the most consistent and dependable—Asteria (not to be confused with Astoria)—which has occupied the same location under the same owners for 25 years. Order the chicken souvlaki in a pita slathered with tzatziki for $6.50 or as a dinner for $14.40.

For an extra dollar, you can upgrade from the standard “Greek salad” to the one they actually serve in Greece, the horiatiki: tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and feta. Licensed.

292 Danforth Ave., 416-466-5273

4 Coyote Willie Tex-Mex Diner

iame

rd St

7 Parl

a Gerr

Rose’s made-on-the-spot banh mi (meat or tofu sandwiches on a whitebread bun) are just $2.50, and you get crunchy veggies, hot sauce, coriander and a full and happy tummy. Her newest location, since summer 2011, is just east of Broadview. Unlicensed.

601 Gerrard St. E., 416-406-9906

Don

7 Peter’s Cajun Creole Pizza

e th Av

1 Asteria Souvlaki Place

9 Rose’s Vietnamese Sandwiches

Peter Nedeljkovic is neither Cajun nor Italian, but Serbian— and on Friday evenings his establishment becomes a Serbian community hotspot where the potent traditional drink known as rakia flows. The rest of the week, his handmade pizza is very popular, but the real steal is the Italian cold-cut sandwiches (cappicollo, mortadella, prosciutto), served with a mesclun salad—if you eat in at lunchtime—for $6 or $7. Formerly located above Queen, the shop’s new location is just north of Gerrard, amid dollar stores and quickie nail salons.

Licensed.

415 Parliament St., 416-368-8099, peterscajunpizza.ca

or Danf

St E

10 Taste of Tunisia

D

10

e th Av r o f n a

5 Danforth Dragon

5

Coxw

There aren’t a lot of places to go in downtown Toronto for Hakka cuisine, that fusion of Indian and Chinese traditions. While there may be superior exponents in the ’burbs, Danforth Dragon’s well worth a visit. Expect hot spices, and try the chilli chicken or beef and the pakoras. Prices are as modest as the decor. Licensed.

861 Danforth Ave., 416-461-9238, danforthdragon.com,

The former Djerba La Douce under new ownership, Toronto’s sole Tunisian restaurant is a modest room dominated by two attractive and colourful contemporary murals in a folk-art style depicting the life and landscape of Tunisia. The food is hearty, earthy, savoury and spicy. Mains include slow-cooked lamb, chicken, merguez sausages and couscous ($13 to $23), accompanied by a variety of vegetables, dips and salads ($5 to $7) with complimentary warm flatbreads, harissa (hot pepper paste) and olives. Unlicensed.

1475 Danforth Ave., 416-778-7870, tasteoftunisia.ca, @Tasteof2nisia

ve ell A 2 Chick-N-Joy

a Gerr

E

Jone s Ave

8

rd St

This faded corner take-out shop between Greenwood and Coxwell has many fans of its traditional deep-fried chicken (although the yellow gravy has its haters).

This is the original ChickN-Joy, incidentally, and no longer connected to the three-shop franchise that owns the website and the Twitter moniker.

Unlicensed.

1483 Queen St. E., 416461-5848,

8 Pizza Pide Nothing on the menu costs more than $9.99 at this exposed corner location that looks more like a down-at-heel sub shop than the home of appetizing oven-baked Turkish-style pizza: football-shaped dough slabs topped with ground beef or chunks of chicken, beef or lamb, or spinach and feta. None other than former Globe and Mail restaurant critic Joanne Kates has described herself to be “infatuated with” the Pizza Pide thin crust— although this year she bumped it from #90 to #94 on her list of 100 best Toronto restaurants. Unlicensed. 949 Gerrard St. E., 416-462-9666, pizzapide.ca

3 Q

St ueen

E

2

3 Chino Locos

Decked with Mexican wrestling paraphernalia, the minuscule alcove that is the original Chino Locos at Greenwood and Queen barely accommodates two or three cooks and a customer or two, but it turns out fiery, flavourful, honest burritos like the vegetarian Biggie Bean, packed with black beans and edamame beans, or “Da Finest!” white basa fish burrito.

There’s a vegan one too, the most expensive menu item at $7.99. Unlicensed.

4 Greenwood Ave., 416-551-7007 and 459 Church St., 2nd floor, 647-345-5626, chino locos.com, @chinolocos

Lake

e Blv Shor

dE

March/April 2013

17

The seven deadly sins of dining out

photo: xxxxxxxxx

By Adam McDowell

18

CityBites

Snapping fingers and stealing glassware are just some of the moves perpetrated by the true jerk customer The Harbord Room has but 22 seats—32 if you include barstools. So when 30-plus diners simply did not show up for their New Year’s Eve reservation, it was devastating to the bistro’s bottom line on a night that should have been a guaranteed win.

“It killed our night,” recalls Dave Mitton, The Harbord Room’s co-owner and head bartender.

Bailing on reservations may be the most common etiquette sin on the Toronto restaurant scene, but it is far from the only one. Through ignorance, lack of consideration and sheer malice, restaurant customers make life hell for restaurant owners and workers, who in turn have been holding their ground by tightening reservation policies and talking back.

“There’s a large group of people who have never been in this industry and they don’t understand,” says Alison Mackenna, co-owner of downtown bistro The Gabardine.

Sidecar and Toronto Temperance Society co-owner Casey Bee is happy to explain why no-showing is inconsiderate. “You’re booking a slot of time, and the restaurant assumes you’re going to spend between X and Y dollars. When someone doesn’t show up, it’s a really big problem if you’re not able to fill that table.

You only have a certain amount of seats and a certain amount of time to make your income,” he says.

“If you don’t show up for your flight, you still have to pay.

If you don’t show up for the dentist, you still have to pay. For some reason, diners see restaurants as different.”

But as easy as that is to understand, some diners will never grasp this concept (or care about it). This fact is forcing restaurants to change. Jen Agg, owner of The Black Hoof, Hoof Raw Bar and The Black Hoof Cocktail Bar, has never taken reservations at her three properties. She notes that this is in her diners’ best interest, as it allows her to turn tables over more quickly and to charge less. Many restaurants across the city, especially hip, west-end joints that opened in the last few years, have adopted Agg’s no-reservations rule.

Other restaurants are still taking reservations, but are changing their policies— and diners have only themselves to blame. Estiatorio Volos, the modern Greek seafood restaurant on Richmond, recently began to take a credit card number for reservations of parties of seven or more, or on special nights like Valentine’s Day. “If you [are a] no-show without calling, we’re going to charge $25 a person,” says Jascha Baraness, general manager at Volos.

“We don’t want to charge anybody. We just don’t want people to no-show.”

Meanwhile, Mitton is mulling over a self-protecting plan for next New Year’s Eve. “What a lot of people did last year, and we’re going to consider for next year is to pre-sell tickets.”

If bailing on a reservation is the number one etiquette sin for a restaurant customer, there are at least six other cardinal offences. Below, the rest of the seven deadly sins for diners, according to workers and owners in the industry.

Tip fail This probably doesn’t need repeating, but here it is anyway: Servers rely on tips for the bulk of their income. It flummoxes servers to think of all the people who still do not tip. Then there are the low-tippers or non-tippers who persuade themselves they’ve somehow taken the moral high ground, like the story of the U.S. preacher who left a 10 percent tip because it’s the amount she tithes to her church. Something similar happened to Wes Galloway, bartender at Black Beans Steakhouse and Lounge in Port Hope. A table of four left a paltry tip and a scribbled message to the effect that he should trust in God. “That misses the point of tipping,” Galloway says. “Is Jesus going to pay my rent?”

On the other hand, Sidecar’s Bee believes waiters just make the situation worse and bring down morale when they kvetch about cheapskate customers. “Over a year, the one percent of people who don’t tip are so minuscule that it doesn’t make a difference,” he says. “I really hate when waiters complain about customers. It’s a real no-no in my restaurant.”

Theft and other shenanigans Despite a recent Wall Street Journal story in which a writer admitted to stealing beer glasses on occasion, this practice is not common in Toronto—or at least that’s been the experience of Mitton, he of the fancy antique barware. (“Knock on wood,” he adds.)

However, Mitton had a recent near-miss when a customer, as some sort of joke, hid the credit card machine. “To her, it was no big deal.

I’m sure she is telling this story, saying, ‘This guy was all uptight… about this little plastic machine,’” he says. But had she not eventually surrendered it, The Harbord Room could have gone without it for at least a day, and been out hundreds of dollars.

Practical jokes aside, customers can also put restaurants at risk by engaging in serious illegal activity. That nose-candy break in the loo can lead to a costly licence suspension. Attempts to hide this activity are usually laughable: As Galloway, of Black Beans in Port Hope notes, the staff has a good idea what’s afoot when a mixed-gender group heads to the washroom en masse.

illustration: Randy Cameron

‘I think every person should have to serve just one day in their life, just to understand.’

Abusing employees “I feel like people go into a restaurant, find the weakest server, and project all of their problems of the week onto that person,” says a female server at a popular Junction restaurant who did not want to be named in this story. She has been yelled at, belittled and even patted on the head. “We’re like punching bags, and at a lot of restaurants, servers are not allowed to speak March/April 2013

19

To your credit up for themselves because it’s all about customer service. It’s kind of disgusting.”

Agg says mistreatment of employees by customers is grounds for expulsion at her restaurants. “I fight back. I don’t let customers treat me or my staff rudely,” she says. “You’re not paying to come here and abuse people. You’re paying to come here and enjoy the restaurant.”

Condescension is another form of abuse. “Snapping fingers still exists. It’s still going strong,” Baraness says.

Are you on the hook if you blow off your restaurant reservation?

So you’ve provided your credit card to secure a reservation at a Toronto restaurant, and then you (rudely!) don’t show up. When you first called, you were told you’d be charged $25 a head for no-shows. What happens next?

Among Toronto restaurants that take down credit card numbers for reservations, Momofuku declined to discuss its reservations policies with CityBites.

Estiatorio Volos said it hasn’t yet had to charge a no-shower since bring in a policy a few months ago.

Stephanie Jones, Ontario vice-president for the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said the issue is new to her, and she hasn’t yet heard of any disputes over no-show charges.

Know-it-all-ism Another variety of jerk customer does not want to belittle staff, he or she merely wants to flaunt their (often delusional) superior knowledge. This can lead to headaches for the kitchen.

“People have a habit of sending things back just to impress other people,” Galloway says. “That’s actually one of my biggest pet peeves, the snob who actually doesn’t know s---.”

Baraness says he doesn’t mind a know-it-all—provided the customer actually knows it all.

Representatives for Visa and MasterCard directed us to talk to the banks that issue credit cards in Canada. Spokespeople for the three largest banks— Royal Bank of Canada, TD Canada Trust and Scotiabank—told us to ask the credit card companies. American Express never got back to us.

The Canadian Bankers Association gave us the most comprehensive nonanswer answer to our query: “Presumably, if you give your credit card number when you make a restaurant reservation, you agree to incurring a charge if you do not show up for your reservation. In any situation, if you are disputing a credit card charge, you should first contact the merchant and see if the issue can be resolved. If not, then you can call the financial institution that issued the credit card using the phone number on the card. They will look into the situation and discuss the circumstances with you and the merchant and then decide whether or not to reverse the charge. — Adam McDowell

Other delusions of grandeur The entitled “friend of the owner” has probably been around as long as the hospitality industry. His expectations of special treatment are misplaced in contemporary, egalitarian Canada (though possibly perfectly acceptable in the Middle Ages).

Several people contacted for this story agreed that every customer should be treated equally, regardless of who they are, who they know or what kind of bill they’re racking up. As a Junction server said: “I’ve served celebrities. I don’t treat them differently. They’re all people.”

Food bloggers and other media “personalities” are a newer and growing species of entitled customer, wielding all sorts of wild demands in exchange for “free” publicity. Take the man who tried to blag a free meal out of The Gabardine. “The cost of us appearing in [a feature he was working on for a local paper] was going to be a free meal. And it was he and his partner’s anniversary, so he was hoping for a nice table and he wanted us to pull out all the stops for him,” Mackenna says.

Using a phone at a table can be obnoxious, however. “This guy was in [Cocktail Bar] sitting on the phone going through the wine list with someone who I can only assume was his personal sommelier. He wasn’t being rude, but he was being such a douche,” Agg says.

Baraness bemoans the proliferation of tablets, portable video games and other gizmos at the dinner table, especially when children are present. “I feel bad for kids nowadays [because] the parents can’t go out without these distractions for the kids.

We weren’t allowed out to restaurants unless we promised to behave. And if we did misbehave, we’d take the meal to go and we’d be taken go home.”

How to NOT be a jerk

People who work in restaurants say that being kind, patient and considerate is not just good for them, it also contributes to the Electronic overload diner’s own peaceful enjoyment of a meal.

Mackenna believes courtesy and manners includes leaving the “M point is that the art of dining is a lost art,” Baraness gadgets in one’s pocket. “I try to put my phone away when I says. And customers ought to show up mentally prepared to go to somebody else’s restaurant, or my camera. I’ve never taken be polite, because restaurants aren’t in the business of training a photo in somebody else’s restaurant,” them how to behave. “People don’t dine she says. “Try to sit and have a converout for a lesson in etiquette.” sation instead of just doing camera work.”

The Junction server would simply Restaurant food photos often look appreciate more understanding and awful, anyway. But Mackenna acknowsympathy. “I think every person should ledges that “in this day and age… of have to serve just one day in their life, Twitter and Facebook and everything— just to understand. The world would be it’s all free advertising.” a better place,” she says.

For her part, Agg is happy to see food Bee makes a simple suggestion regardbloggers do their thing, as long as they ing respectful communication. “Talk to don’t annoy other diners with camera your server about what you want and what — Casey Bee, Sidecar and flashes. “These are the people who are you expect,” he says, “and you’re going to most excited about your food,” she says.

Toronto Temperance Society have a much better time at a restaurant.” CB

‘I really hate when waiters complain about customers. It’s a real no-no in my restaurant.’

20

CityBites

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Effect

Travelersʼ Choice® 2011 Winner

#1 Best Canadian Food & Wine Destination

Is it our award-winning Signature Kitchens? Could it be our VQA wines and artisanal cuisine? Maybe it’s the high-quality local ingredients and professional chefs. Whatever it is, add flavour to your visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake and discover for yourself the delightful effect we’re going to have on you.

For full effect or to book reservations, call Tourism Niagara-on-the-Lake 905-468-1950 or visit signaturekitchensofniagaraonthelake.com

PERSPECTIVE

By Kirsten Bedard

The svelte gourmand An oxymoron, or a goal worth striving for?

Interest. It is pressuring the government to force restaurants to display calories on every menu. This may be pushing things a bit too far. Scott McTaggat, chef of Fusion Grill in New York, states that, “savvy restaurateurs have already identified the need for healthy menu options, and nobody had to force them to do that. Education is ultimately the key here, not legislation.”

Counting calories in every bite may be a bit extreme, but being aware of what you are eating is wise. You might want to know, for instance, that nestled into that healthy fish dish is 250 calories of butter.

Accompanied by two glasses of wine, three pieces of bread, and an appetizer, a single meal turns into a day’s worth of food. This might be exactly what you want, but likely not. Julia Child, herself a respected lover of food, preached that the

‘Small helpings, no seconds, no snacking, and a little bit of everything.’ — Julia Child Does being a lover food mean being tied to a lifetime of gluttony and greed?

More than 30 percent of Canadians are overweight and suffer from diet-related diseases. Rich food makes us fat, and we Torontonians eat out... a lot. It’s time we adopted a new attitude towards dining.

A recent report from the Canadian Council of Food and Nutrition revealed that while taste continues to be the number one factor people look for in their food, there is a growing interest in options that are low in sodium, fat, sugar and calories. Nutrition and health ranked third among the top ten Canadian menu trends for 2011.

But can we marry health and flavour?

Chefs, more than anyone, being food experts, can certainly make spectacular dishes with minimal ingredients. Small plates, less fat, fewer carbohydrates, and more vegetables are a few of the ways in which some are altering their menus.

But is it enough? Not according to the Canadian Centre for Science in the Public

22

CityBites

trick to staying trim is “small helpings, no seconds, no snacking, and a little bit of everything.”

And then there’s that despised word, discipline—which happens to work best when not left on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant door. “You must have discipline to have fun,” Child also said. Not heaps of

discipline, of course, but just enough. Enough to know that decadent dining paired with careless consumption doesn’t fare well with the body.

New York Times food critic Frank Bruni was 270 pounds when he made the decision to change how he ate. He didn’t stop eating out, nor did he abandon his love affair with food. He simply changed how he dined, finding new ways to delight in food, rather than merely devouring it. “The world of food,” Bruni says, “even the world of food within a given restaurant, is so wonderfully varied that you can edit out whole pages of it, and still be left with something fantastic.”

Amen. CB A nutritionist and personal trainer, Kirsten Bedard helps clients stay lean while indulging in Toronto’s food scene. For more, visit ladylean.com.

photo: xxxxxxxxx

Ten years ago, as a hungry student, a Friday night out with the girls at the local Italian restaurant in the Annex began with a heaping basket of fresh cut baguette and a litre of house red.

A full day’s calories before the meal even began. Well, we thought, why ruin gluttonous indulging with something a silly as moderation? Dinner was always the same dish: Penne à la vodka, a giant bowl of pasta drowned in 35% cream, fatty bacon and a dash of fresh tomato sauce for good measure, all buried beneath a mound of parmesan. We all needed a nap after.

As a student of the science of nutrition, I knew better. But like most people, dinner out meant blindly devouring rich food. A year later, ten pounds heavier and tired of chasing my tail at the gym, I came to my senses.

By Kirsten Bedard

Cook it right The tender pieces of clean white fish glisten in the ceramic bowl, dotted with small pink flecks of red onion and chopped green cilantro leaves. Ceviche is one of chef Luis Valenzuela’s specialties, a favourite among diners at Torito, one of Toronto’s top Spanish tapas restaurants.

My dining companion and I lean in, eyes closed, and inhale. The aroma is an intermingling of lime, sea salt, red onion, and faint hint of cured white fish. A single bite on a house-made taro chip fills the mouth with flavours of citrus, spicy, sweet and salty. Ceviche is not rich. Nor is it fatty or filling. But it is divine.

After eating a few more tapas, we still feel light and perky, pleasantly satisfied.

No post-dinner nap needed, but dancing is a definite possibility. Anyone who thinks that “good-for-the-palate” and “good-for-the-body” can’t be married has not tried a dish like this. To shun the idea that delicious and nutritious can co-exist is ridiculous—in fact, the possibilities are endless. Here is how two Toronto chefs are exploring this territory.

Two Toronto chefs on designing food for healthy living

for people, not to make it art.”

Valenzuela is passionate about precision, and every action being a conscious decision.

While it’s de rigueur in the restaurant world to use butter is just about every dish, he prefers parchment paper. “Not that [butter is] bad, but let’s be honest, it’s not the healthiest thing to be eating.”

The parchment paper leads us into a greater philosophical discussion about waste, gluttony and respect for life. “There are over 7000 restaurants in Toronto,” he notes. “Most kitchens will use over 100 litres of water in a night. That’s over 700,000 litres of water per day, in one city, on dish cleaning alone.” He continues, linking the lack of concern about water waste—the lack of creativity in changing how restaurants operate—with the corresponding lack of care about what is being cooked and consumed.

“We need to change our lifestyles here in Canada....” He stops to correct himself. “… in Toronto. The fact that we don’t care for the world, for life, for other creatures.

How much do we care for ourselves?” I nod and shake my head simultaneously.

The only way to change how we choose to eat is to uncover a greater consciousness.

If we care about life, we will eat—and waste—much, much less.

photo: (right) ann gagno

THE TECHNICIAN > Luis Valenzuela

The chef of Kensington Market’s Torito sits at the wooden bar, his notebook opened to sketches and recipe notes. Luis Valenzuela has a calm about him, but is moved by his passion for conscious dining.

“We need to cook and eat with purpose,” he says. “I argue with cooks often. We are not artists. We are technicians. To say, ‘I killed a fish to make a piece of art’ is not respectful to the animal. Our job with that fish is to use it in a purposeful way.

If we look at ourselves as artists, we are overlooking the fact that we are dealing with things that were alive. My job is to use that food to feed and provide energy

THE ALCHEMIST > Jacob Sharkey Pearce

Ursa is a new restaurant that is working wonders with food. Owners Jacob and Lucas Sharkey Pearce have heard the word “healthy” to describe their fare far too many times since they opened a year ago.

And while it is certainly true, they have no interest in fitting into any diet trend.

Theirs is a passion for local food, and for innovative ways of preparing, preserving it, and presenting it. Each dish is an

intricate design of colour and texture.

Ingredients are carefully fermented, infused, distilled, dehydrated and gently cooked to ensure that every nutrient is enhanced. While the presentation of each plate is a work of perfection, the food is not for art’s sake, but for energy’s sake.

In the same way that Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings enticed people to see the wonder of a flower, Ursa entices you to appreciate the wonder of food. There is no mindless mouthful here.

Before the birth of Ursa, a year ago, the duo’s company, Two Brothers Inc., catering to the high-function requirements of athletes, one being former Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh. They cooked with an aim to enhance performance, reduce muscle loss and increase energy levels. Due to an athlete’s time on the road, they had to make meals portable and non-perishable.

Hence, dehydration and fermentation became common forms of preparation.

“We never tried to sell a diet or nutrition... we wanted the benefits to be incidental,” Lucas explains. Were the athletes interested in the nutritional value of their food? “Chris Bosh was very interested in all of it. He had his best two seasons during that time and was very serious about what he was doing.”

Prior to their catering venture, Jacob worked as a pizza master at Terroni and at Centro, while Lucas worked on farms and in gardens, as well as front of house in restaurants like Thuet. Their combined experience and common interests in energizing food drove their approach at Ursa. “The techniques we use here preserve nutrient density and enzymes, and enhance the bioavailability of food, making it easier to digest,” Lucas explains.

Based on my knowledge of food science, I contend this statement to be true. These boys are onto something. So what do diners think? Are they interested in understanding the nutritional benefits of what they are eating? “Sometimes, but it often takes a few times,” says Lucas. “Then they might ask, ‘what’s with all these wafers made out of flax meal and almonds?’”

He laughs. “I think the shop for us is a demonstration place for sharing the idea... of eating this way.” CB

No post-dinner nap needed, but dancing is a definite possibility.

March/April 2013

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WARM SAKE

By Michael Pataran | @MichaelPataran

Barkeep, heat me up!

There’s more than one way to enjoy your sake

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CityBites

WINTER WARMER A water bath helps maintain a correct and constant temperature.

There are seven different levels of heated sake: jo-on – room temperature (15°C – 21°C) hinata-kan – “day hot warm” (30°C – 35°C) hito-hada – “human skin” or body temperature

(36 °C to 39°C)

naru-kan – lukewarm (40°C – 45°C) jo-kan – “good hot” (46°C – 49°C) atsu-kan – “hot enough” (50°C – 54°C) tobi-kiri-kan – “extreme hot” (55˚C and above)

Choosing which sake to enjoy warm or chilled is by no means a clear-cut formula.

It’s more about having insight into specific sake styles and brewing methods. Typically, Dai Ginjo (made with rice polished to 50% and below) should not be heated. It’s too delicate, and the subtle flavours will be lost.

Honjozo sake is lighter, less acidic, mellower and very smooth at warmer temperatures.

photo: Dick Snyder

There are two things everyone knows about sake. One, it should be served cold. Two, warm sake is plonk.

Well, everyone is wrong.

Over the last 40 years, sake technology has made huge strides in manufacturing, brewing technology and refinement of raw ingredients. So much so that sake is becoming popular enough to be included on the drinks lists of many Toronto’s coolest restaurants, including Bent, Ki and Momofuku.

It seems, however, that most sake lists focus on premium chilled sake, or as it’s honorifically known, reishu. Is this because heated (hot) sake, or kan-zake as it is properly known, is not as good? Not at all—and its time to debunk the myth.

Heating sake has been a practice since the early 10th century. In the 17th century Kaibara Ekiken, a prominent samurai, scientist, physician and philosopher, wrote that consuming warm sake improved the circulation of one’s inner energy or “Ki.” Since ancient times, consuming sake in moderation has been linked to health benefits such as improved longevity and skin tone. Dr. Yukio Takizawa, author of Sake, Health and Longevity, says moderate consumption of sake can maintain body temperature in the cold. During acute exposure to a frigid environment, drinking warm sake can actually be beneficial because it increases heat and blood circulation. This is good news for Canadians—and the smart ones are likely already on board. Warm sake doesn’t just taste good—it feels good too.

Experienced sake die-hards generally agree that truly good sake can be enjoyed warm as well as cold. As with any quality beverage, the key is to neither over-chill nor over-heat.

The most effective way to heat your sake is to fill a tokkuri porcelain flask and place it in a pot of freshly boiled water, removed from the heat, for 4 to 5 minutes. This should achieve the ideal temperature of jo-kan, between 46°C and 49°C. The ideal serving vessels are two-ounce porcelain cups called choko. Larger cups allow the sake to cool down too fast.

Yamahai- and Kimoto-style sake, made with a special yeast-starter, has gamey, lively, creamier flavors and higher sweetness and acidity levels. These characteristics make them great contenders for warming. Junmai class sake (milled down to 70%) is also delicious when moderately warmed, as are certain styles of Ginjo which, when gently (slightly) heated, release mellow, fruity aromas and a livelier palate overtones.

As always, the social art of oshaku should be observed. Pour for your drinking partner with two hands on the flask, and drinking heated saké will be that much more enjoyable. CB

As with any quality beverage, the key is to neither over-chill nor over-heat.

Try these sakes warm: Sho Chiku Bai Classic Junmai $8.90 750mL | 88 points

Rave Review from Wine Spectator:

90 Points

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Heat: 48°C (jo-kan)

This number-one selling U.S. sake is naturally brewed in the Fushimi style from pure rice with water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Pleasant rice aroma with soft honey, apple, floral notes. Best with simple grilled fish, stewed meat (miso) dishes, tempura and fullbodied sushi fish. LCBO 271122 Okunomatsu Tokubetsu Junmai $28.95 720mL | 90 points Heat: 46°C (jo-kan)

Water-like in clarity with zero haze. Soft nose of banana, apricot, sweet koji, Appenzeller cheese, light licorice and violet/white rose flower accents. Creamy palate with cucumber, melon, cantaloupe, pear and apple. Nice impact with smooth pleasant finish. Easy-drinking junmai without the bitter after bit. LCBO 228676 Izumi Warm Winter Blend Sake $12.95 300mL | 89 points Heat: 43°C (naru-kan)

Creamy apple on the palate with Asian pear, soft herbal notes, green mango and soft cedar

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notes. Long smooth, creamy finish with long after bite, on the sweet side but a perfect cold-weather killer. ontariosake.com March/April 2013

25

Canada’s leading hospitality symposium ArcAdiAn 401 Bay Street, Simpson Tower, 9th Floor Toronto, On M5H 2Y4

Tickets $175 www.terroirsymposium.com

Terroir PresenTers Host: Max Valiquette, Marketing and Culture Expert; Managing Director, Strategy, Bensimon Byrne

Mainstage Presenters René Redzepi, Chef & Coowner, Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark

Per-Anders & Lotta Jorgenson, Editors, FOOL Magazine, Malmo, Sweden Padraic Og Gallagher, Gallagher’s Boxty House, Dublin, Ireland Anne Mendelson, Author, The Surprising Story of Milk through the Ages

Nick Saul, CEO, Food Centers Canada

Gillian Files & Brent Preston, Farmers, The New Farm, Singhampton, Ontario, Canada

JP McMahon, Executive Chef, Aniar Restaurant, Galway, Ireland

Joshna Maharaj, Chef & Activist, Toronto, Canada

Andrea Most, Associate Professor of English, American Literature & Jewish Studies, The University of Toronto

Trevor Gulliver, Mrs. St. John’s, London, UK

Trine Hahnemann, Scandinavian Chef & Cookbook Author, Copenhagen, Denmark

Kobe Desramaults, In de Wulf, Dranouter, Belgium

Peter Tempelhoff, Executive Chef, The Collection by Liz McGrath, Cape Town, South Africa Adam Mason, Winemaker, Mulderbosch, South Africa

Edward Pond, Food Photographer, Toronto, Canada

Paul Rogalski, Executive Chef, Rouge, Calgary, Canada Ingrid Fetell, Designer, The Aesthetics of Joy Magnus Nilsson, Executive Chef, Faviken, Jarpen, Sweden

The Debate Mitchell Davis, Executive Vice President, The James Beard Foundation

Vote for your favorite hospitality professional!

Noah Bernamoff and Rae Bernamoff, Co-owners, Mile End Delicatessen, New York

Ge Monogram awards for excellence in hospitality

Lesley Chesterman, Fine-Dining Critic, The Montreal Gazette

Three awards will be given in the categories of:

Tobey Nemeth, Co-owner, Edulis, Toronto, Canada

· Chef

Joe Warwick, Food Critic, The Guardian, Founder of The World 50 Best Restaurants, Author, Where Chefs Eat

Ticket price includes: · GE Monogram Chef Demonstrations · Workshops · All Day Lounge

· Beverage professional (Sommelier, Mixologist) · front of house Winners will be announced at Terroir, the 7th Annual Hospitality Symposium taking place on April 8th, 2013 Enter at www.terroirsymposium.com contact: arlene stein arlene@eau-de-vie.ca Twitter: @ ArleneStein @TerroirTalk #Terroir7 illustration by Kristina Groeger

experts // Szabo on Wine

By John Szabo MS | @Johnszabo

Expand your wine horizons Ontario’s best selling wines, and superior alternatives The LCBO issued a press release recently listing the best selling VQA wines, regular listings and Vintages products. There were few surprises as most of these brands have been around for many years. Some are inherently good, but many owe their market share to promotional budget, limited time offers and mass marketing. Again, this isn’t surprising, considering the innate fear of the unknown that most wine shoppers experience—people tend to go with what they know. So if you are among those who walk into the LCBO, are overwhelmed by choice, and you find yourself buying the same brands time and again by safety default, read on. I offer you alternatives within each category. Trust me: if you like what’s popular than you’ll also enjoy my substitutes. Sometimes it’s even less expensive!

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EUROPEAN Italian wines have driven the European sales throughout the year. However, the top brand happens to be French. Champagne, in fact. The number two spot, L’Epayrie Blanc, is listed at the LCBO as “Made in: Region Not specified, France” from an “unnamed blend”. It’s safe to say this wine wins on price alone.

TOP SELLER

GREAT ALTERNATIVE

Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne NV

Piper Heidsieck Brut (Champagne, France) $49.95 | #462432

(France) $67.85 | #253740 L’Epayrie Blanc (France) $12.95 1500ml | #109017 Folonari Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie (Italy) $13.95 | #229542

Little Yering Chardonnay 2009 (Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia) $8.95 | #145318 Montalto Pinot Grigio 2011

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3

4

5

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VINTAGES The trend for selections in the $25 to $30 range is growing significantly. White wine sales in that price band are up over 40 per cent, while similarly priced reds have seen over 25 percent growth. “California is one of the biggest growth areas in Vintages and we certainly expect that trend to continue,” says David Cacciottolo, Vintages Category Manager, New World Wines and Spirits. “But we also see large potential in New Zealand.”

GREAT ALTERNATIVE

TOP SELLER 1 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio

$16.95 | #106450 3 J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon

$21.95 1500ml | #656561 5 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

2 Bollini Pinot Grigio 2011 (Doc Trentino, Italy) $16.95 | #951319 4 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (South Australia, Australia)

$24.95 | #84996 6 Mulderbosch Sauvignon

Blanc 2011 (Western Cape,

$18.95 | #35386

South Africa) $18.95 | #933424

(Sicily, Italy) $8.95 | #73148

ONTARIO VQA NEW WORLD Even though California reds are leading the growth in New World wines, and sales of New Zealand wines are up over 30 percent, the best sellers are all Aussies. These top three will likely be familiar old friends by now, but perhaps it’s time to branch out.

TOP SELLER

GREAT ALTERNATIVE

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon

Bodegas Castaño Hécula Monastrell 2009 (Yecla, Spain)

$16.95 | #251876

$11.89 | #300673

Yellow Tail Shiraz $11.95 | #624544 Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay $10.95 | #142117

Cono Sur Syrah Reserva 2010 (Colchagua Valley, Chile) $13.95 | #221820 Cono Sur Chardonnay Reserva 2011 (Casablanca Valley, Chile) $12.95 | #270066

Ontario folk are loving local more and more! VQA wine sales were up over 7.3 per cent over 2011. Here are the three topselling Ontario VQA wines this year, with alternatives.

TOP SELLER

GREAT ALTERNATIVE

Open Riesling-Gewurztraminer

Trius Riesling Dry 2010 VQA

$11.95 | #134965

(Niagara) $13.95 | #303792

Inniskillin Late Autumn Riesling

Vineland Estates Riesling Semi Dry VQA 2008

$13.95 | #219543

(Niagara) $13.95 | #232033

Pelee Island Pinot Grigio $13.95 | #326413

Chateau De Charmes Aligote 2010 VQA (St. David’s Bench) $13.95 | #296848

John Szabo MS prefers his wine straight up and natural, and tweets @johnszabo. Looking for the best wine buying club in Ontario? Check out sommelierservice.com

March/April 2013

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experts // Living on the Veg

By Kait Fowlie | @kaitfowlie

Reclaiming your roots Nature’s curative cornucopia also grows in the city Does being in the Big Smoke ever make you feel light-years away from nature? If so, Beverley Gray has your medicine. Her new book, The Boreal Herbal: Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North, is a guide for those who seek a breath of fresh air in life.

According to Gray, a Whitehorse-based boreal herbalist, no matter where you are in the country you can reap the fruits of the natural landscape. Do so and your health will thrive like a force of nature— even if you live in Toronto. “I have a lifelong philosophy that if we take one wild plant every day, we’ll continue to keep our wildness,” says Gray. “We’ve become so domesticated as a species, but we are wild as well. By going out and foraging, you connect to your ancestral roots.”

This weed, like the others in the book, adds an earthy injection of flavour and will help kick your detox regimen into high gear. Dandelion is a tonic herb, which means it works to restore balance to the body. It also flushes toxins from the liver. Gray describes her dandelion latte as “antifungal, astringent, anti-inflammatory, and very cleansing.”

Now that’s a coffee with superpowers.

Gray hopes to introduce readers to a free and easy approach to healing with the magic-like remedies in her book. Where she comes from, drug store medicine is no

We’ve become so domesticated as a species, but we are wild as well. match for the life forces found in nature.

The book shows readers how to identify and use 55 species of Canadian plants, all with indispensable medicinal, cosmetic and nutritional properties. Gray includes more than 200 recipes, from coltsfoot cough syrup to dandelion lattes. As mystical as these concoctions may sound, they can all be made in the kitchen of a city apartment. If you think that brewing up a cup of weed juice sounds like an insult to your urban style, then you’ve never started your day with a dose of dandelion.

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CityBites

“So many people think of [medicine] in the allopathic way—it being a pharmaceutical,” she says. “But in the North it’s just not that way; the First Nations always call the plants medicine.” By making traditions of Yukon’s indigenous people accessible to people all over the country, the same natural remedies can be made wherever wild herbs grow or are sold in health food stores.

If you like the idea of foraging but aren’t convinced Toronto’s plants are safe to munch on, rest assured that Gray personally approves of them. “I always go to the

URBAN HERBALIST Beverley Gray knows where to find medicine in Toronto’s hidden corners.

alleys in every city to see what’s there,” she says. “I think it’s important for people to pay attention to what’s growing in those little wild oases and start caring for them, cultivating them and utilizing them.” You don’t even have to wait for spring to set a good example—some of the best herbs for fighting cold and flu are at their peak now. “The needles of all firs are at their highest vitamin C content in mid winter.

They make a great nourishing tea.”

Consider each local plant you pick, grow, or eat a small step for your health, and a giant leap for Toronto’s wildness. Happy hunting! CB kait fowlie is a freelance writer who enjoys dive bars and park picnics. She also makes a mean vegan cornbread.

experts // Fishmongering

By Dan Donovan | @hookedinc

Shell out A primer for buying, enjoying and appreciating our oyster friends We have been eating oysters for as long as we have recorded history—both as food for the poor and for the wealthiest of royalty.

Access to oysters once depended largely on where you lived but advances in transportation and refrigeration have made fresh, healthy shellfish accessible to a wide market and now oysters are commonly included in a ton of occasions worldwide.

Most of the oysters that we eat are cultivated. Growers collect juveniles from the wild or spawn their own spat (offspring) and then rear the little mollusks in a safe spot with a clean flow of nutrient-rich water that gives the oyster a specific flavour—its “terroir.” Oysters feed on phytoplankton and each of them filters up to 50 gallons of water daily through their single gill. They are rich in vitamins

way to improve water quality, protect shorelines and mitigate flood damage.

Oysters can be eaten year round.

Though the quality of oysters varies as they cycle through life, and most people prefer to eat them when the oysters are fat and plump—just before spawning.

Spawning generally happens as water temperatures near 70⁰F, but most growers now move the oysters into colder water, to delay spawning and keep them in peak shape. The old rule which cautions us to eat oysters only in months with an “R” was likely initiated by oyster catchers who wanted to give their oysters a chance to spawn before selling them. Although technically any shellfish can produce a pearl, pearl oysters are actually a different species than edible oysters and are

photo: istockphoto.com

Projects of “oyster-tecture” improve water quality, protect shorelines and mitigate flood damage.

A and B12, iron, and calcium. Oysters cultivated specifically for that purpose. also have a high zinc content—which There are four main genus of oysters contributes to testosterone production in North America. The main oyster is and may have led to their reputation as Crassostrea virginica or the Atlantic aphrodisiacs. Shellfish are the darlings oyster and may be marketed either as a of seafood sustainability; easily grown, “generic” such as Malpeque or by a brand oysters, in particular, improve water name that recognizes both the grower quality by removing nitrogen compounds and specific location where the oyster and improving oxygen availability to was finished. other marine life. In the U.S., intense The vast majority of oysters are slurped projects of “oyster-tecture” are under down CityBites_November_2_CityBites 12-10-24 2:25 PM Page 1 raw with varying degrees of finesse.

OPEN WIDE Have no fear of months with an “R” in them.

Purists who prefer not to mask the natural flavours slurp neat while others enjoy a drop of hot sauce, a squeeze of lemon, grated horseradish, or mignonette. In warmer climates it is more common for oysters to be cooked; baked, deep fried, smoked or stewed. For some, oyster stuffing for the holiday turkey is even an established standard.

Regardless of how you choose to eat your oysters, look for moist, tightly-closed shells. The oyster should be full and have some heft. Check by gently tapping the shell and skip those with a hollow sound.

Ideally, they should have been harvested within 14 days—ask your fishmonger, who is required to keep that information on hand. Store oysters in the back of your refrigerator, cup side down, lightly covered with a damp cloth. CB Dan Donovan is a graduate of the Stratford Chef School and a veteran of the Toronto restaurant scene. He and his wife Kristin run HOOKED (hookedinc.ca), Toronto’s only seafood retailer 100% committed to sustainability.

Organic Leaders for 29 Years!

Natural Food Market • 348 Danforth Ave. 416.466.2129 • www.thebigcarrot.ca info@thebigcarrot.ca • the_bigcarrot thebigcarrotnaturalfoodmarket March/April 2013

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SNACK E S E E H DANO C A P A N A Y GR CRUNCH

A CRUNCHY CHEESE SNACK MADE WITH OVEN BAKED GRANA PADANO CHEESE.

Acclaimed by nutritionists and culinary critics for its exquisite taste and nutritional value, GROK速 is now available in the deli section of your favourite food chain as well as in specialty food stores.

- A healthy cheese snack rich in proteins and calcium.

- Ideal as a snack for kids and adults or as an ingredient in your salads and soups.

- Low in calories: 12g contains only 60 calories.

- Made exclusively with 100% Italian cheese.

AVAILABLE IN TWO DELICIOUS FLAVOURS : Classico + Deciso 12g & 60g PACKS.

Imported exclusively by: Gattuso Inc. www.gattuso.qc.ca

experts // the gourmudgeon

By Stephen Temkin

The mojo at Momo

photo: Gabriele Stabile/Momofuku

Musings on the state of fine dining The new joint in town has made quite a splash. I’m referring to Momofuku, NYC chef David Chang’s über-fusion answer to the question that lingers undigested in every gourmand’s gut: whatever happened to fine dining?

For those of you who may have been sealed in an artificial biosphere experiment for the past few months, Momofuku is the triple restaurant installation attached to the newly opened Shangri-La hotel. It consists of a high-end, open-kitchen, 10-course tasting counter called Shoto, a lower-end noodle bar, the laid-back Nikai lounge, and the in-between fusion bistro called Daisho.

Recently, I met with clients who were visiting Toronto from California. They were familiar with Momofuku, having eaten at the one in New York. I mentioned that I had just been to Daisho.

“And did you feel like strangling him afterwards?” asked one of them, no doubt referring to Mr. Chang.

Well, strangulation is a wee bit harsh— maybe just box his ears and give him a good talking-to.

I don’t know exactly what triggered my client’s homicidal fantasy. But my annoyance stems from the perception that despite Chang’s obvious talent, Momofuku seems more like a corporate equation than an enterprise of culinary artisanMomofuku ship. It’s just so overtly 190 University Ave. contrived with all its indicators 647-253-8000 of urban hipness and foodie momofuku.com @momufuku sophistication, combined

with turnover-inducing discomforts like loud thumping music (will this obnoxious compulsion never cease?), cavernous acoustics, and for many customers, hard benches and stools instead of comfortable seating. The servers are trained to the nines yet conspicuously informal. It is not so much special, as it is a place carefully calculated to merchandise specialness.

Eating there feels like a gastronomic oxymoron: a genuine façade.

Without question, the food is tasty. But it occurs to me that Momofuku is not really about the food. It’s not even about the idea of the food. It’s really about the tribal experience of the idea of the food. In other words, go to Momo, whip out your smartphone, take a picture of your plate and post it instantly online (“hangin @momofuku, grits are like totally sick”). There’s something weirdly McLuhanesque about the place, as in the medium is the meal, or the meal is the message, or something like that.

Oddly, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Momofuku. It is deliciously now, a beacon of the ascending culinary zeitgeist.

A fine meal used to be conceived like a symphony. It was composed from beginning to end. It had overtures and interludes, harmony and counterpoint, progression and structure, the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Now, increasingly, dining is seen as a medley of pop tunes, all straining to exude originality, volume always on high, a potpourri of small amusements. This is fine

HIP DISH Tandoori lobster with lemon and fava, part of a McLuhanesque experience at Shoto.

dining for the iPod generation. Enjoy the meal, but more importantly, dig the vibe.

One last peevish comment: I’ve eaten several tons of Asian noodles in this town, most of it in tacky dives run by families.

All of them give you a pot of tea when you sit down, a gesture of hospitality. At Momofuku, hot tea is not even available for purchase. Could it be that the serving of tea is just too inefficient and may cause that awful phenomenon feared by all restaurant bean counters, the lingering customer?

No tea at an Asian noodle bar: I guess that’s the upshot of awesomeness. CB When not eating, drinking, or writing about eating and drinking, STEPHEN TEMKIN makes fedoras. stemkin@rogers.com

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For ad queries, contact Paul Alsop, paul@citybites.ca, 647-827-1705. web: citybites.ca | twitter: @CityBites | facebook: City Bites Magazine March/April 2013

31

experts // the ej

By Konrad Ejbich | @WineZone

Tim Hudak vs. the LCBO Could the LCBO soon expire?

Here we go, again.

David Petersen introduced the idea in the ’80s, Mike Harris promised it in the ’90s. In 2002 both Tony Clement and Jim Flaherty campaigned for party leadership on it, and last year prominent economist Don Drummond strongly recommended it. And to this day a majority of urban consumers beg for it. Yet no Ontario government has ever dared to enact it.

“It” is ending the archaic monopoly of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.

Progressive Conservative party leader Tim Hudak has announced that, if elected, he would allow the sale of beer, wines and spirits by convenience stores, grocery shops and even private retailers.

The party’s white paper, entitled Paths to Prosperity, A New Deal for the Public Sector, states, “As a principle, we believe that government should stick to doing things that only government can do. It’s difficult to argue that selling wine bottles and lottery tickets falls under that heading.”

During my recent phone interview with Hudak, he slammed the LCBO for its behaviour on several fronts, and said the vast majority of adults in Ontario are well ahead of the politicians on this issue.

Consumers are demanding more choice.

“We’ve had this approach in government that says, if you buy a bottle of wine at Loblaws, we’ll have chaos in the streets,” he scoffed. “The vast majority of us have been outside of Ontario, whether it’s New York, Quebec, Manitoba, Michigan or Minnesota, where you can buy a bottle

of wine, a six-pack of beer or even spirits from the private sector.”

Hudak could not explain why previous Conservative governments in this province have not kept their commitment to privatize the government’s liquor monopoly, but was quick to point out that he has been pushing the issue of specialized VQA wine stores for years, first as a cabinet minister in the short-lived government of Ernie Eves, then as a member of the opposition.

Now he wants even greater changes.

“Coming from the Niagara region, it’s always been a great frustration that our local wineries have had to go on bended knee and pray to the LCBO for shelf space. Let’s give them the opportunity to retail their outstanding products in private stores as well.”

“Wineries have to be polite; they have to kiss the ring of the LCBO. Otherwise they’ll be blacklisted instead of having product listed.”

When asked how he plans to convince voters that ending the monopoly does not mean losing an important revenue stream, Hudak points to provinces like Alberta where revenue to government coffers has increased, the cost of distribution has dwindled, new private sector jobs have appeared, selection has grown and prices have remained stable.

“It doesn’t matter if the person that hands you the bottle is wearing an LCBO uniform or a Zehr’s uniform or no uniform at all, the government still collects tax revenues,” he said. “We all know that

• custom design & build • Premier Cru kit racks • wine coolers & accessories 32

CityBites RWC_CB_QP.indd 1

PC party Leader Tim Hudak.

alcohol is one of the most heavily-taxed products in the province, so the government gets the revenue stream through the taxes, but doesn’t incur the costs.”

“If you do it all through the LCBO,” he adds, “it means that tax dollars that could have gone to adding new cancer-fighting drugs or other programs will go to paying for some very impressive but expensive shelving, lighting and beautiful floors in a government-owned store.”

Hudak also pointed out the hypocrisy of the monopoly’s name. “For something called the Liquor Control Board, they’re the biggest promoter of alcohol in Canada.”

“We have to ask ourselves, ‘Is that what government needs to do?’”

We also have to ask ourselves whether he will keep his promise. CB Konrad Ejbich answers caller questions on CBC Radio’s Ontario Today the last Friday of every month.

He is a member of the Wine Writer’s Circle of Canada and a prolific tweeter.

your wine deserves the very best home 416.285.6604

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established 1995

13-03-04 5:53 PM

experts // libations

By Stephen Beaumont | @BeaumontDrinks

Cognac’s sweet spot Top quality brandy is more than just a cold-weather friend Here’s an interesting statistic: 83% of all the cognac consumed in Canada is purchased between December 1 and March 1.

That’s a lie. But you bought it, didn’t you?

The reason my fake stat is so plausible is because cognac—brandy in general, really, but especially cognac—is such a quintessential cold-weather drink.

The truth, however, is that cognac is quite a versatile spirit, suitable for sipping on a summer’s eve, mixing into cocktails, from the classic Sidecar to the new Cognac Summit (recipe at cognacsummit. com) or, yes, warming your cockles on a frosty winter day.

Before we get to the selection stage, however, a quick word about those letters you find on cognac bottles. By law, all

A bottle of VSOP should be a de rigueur addition to any liquor collection. cognacs—which it so say, brandies produced from grapes grown in a specific district in France—must mature in wood for a minimum of 24 months after distillation, although most age for considerably longer. These youngest of cognacs are known as VS (Very Special), whereas VSOPs (Very Special Old Pale) must be aged for a minimum of four years and the oldest, XO (Extra Old) or

sometimes Napoléon cognacs, will rest for at least six and usually many more years.

Since most cognacs are a blend of distillates of different ages, however, the label language for the famed spirit is, to say the least, rather unspecific.

What the letters do provide is a general indication of the maturity of the cognac, with VS brands being generally brighter and fruitier and XO cognacs expressing mature aromas and flavours of KINDRED SPIRITS The Rémy family. spice and dried fruits, while VSOPs fall somewhere in between. And since you would probably rather not shell out embossed bottle, produce a mediumthe hundreds of dollars it would cost to bodied and orange-fruity VSOP Superior have one of each in your liquor cabinet, that shows surprising maturity thanks that middle ground is probably where to the use of decade-old brandies in the you want to look for a spirit sufficiently blend. It retails for $66.95. complex to enjoy au naturel, yet still Baron Otard VSOP, on the other hand, light (and inexpensive) enough to mix has a decidedly less fruity disposition, in cocktails. with leathery spice in the aroma and a The Big Three of cognac all have VSOPs full and rich, almost nectar-esque palate, available at the LCBO, with Hennessy and with ample spice on the finish. It sells in Rémy Martin each selling for $89.95 and a gorgeous teardrop bottle for $72.95.

Courvoisier costing $84.95. Or you might Whatever your choice, a bottle of VSOP want to venture outside of the familiar should be a de rigueur addition to any and opt for the light and delicately fruity, liquor collection, and not just during those cocktail-friendly Hine Rare VSOP for $87.70. months in which the snow flies. CB Or you could go further off the beaten Stephen Beaumont has track and save yourself ten to twenty bucks been known to alternate in the process. sips of cognac and barley Founded by Russian brothers 150 years wine on frozen winter nights. ago, Meukow (“Mew-kov”), sometimes His latest book is The World known as the panther or jaguar cognac Atlas of Beer, co-written with Tim Webb. because of its distinctively feline-

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March/April 2013

33

One last bite

By Dick Snyder

It’s hero time Gearing up for Terroir 2013 means digging into an eight-foot beauty

Terroir Hospitality Symposium Mon., April 13, 2013 Arcadian Court, Toronto, $175 terroirsymposium.com

sandwich ranks as one of the best ways to get hungry journalists to an event. This massive hero—an eight-footer, with the bread baked fresh this February morning in O&B’s kitchen—kicks off the excitement around this year’s Terroir Hospitality Symposium.

The industry event brings together eaters, chefs, thinkers and journalists to ponder the global and local state of food consumption, with an eye to making our collective dining and tasting experiences better, healthier and more sustainable. Delivering the keynote this year is Chef René Redzepi from Copenhagan’s Noma, oft cited as the best restaurant in the world. This year’s theme explores the stories, memories and culture of food through presentations, demonstrations and discussions. The event sells out every year, so act now!

34

CityBites

photo: Ross Spencer

As publicity stunts go, creating a massive

CELEBRATING 21 YEARS!

April 5 to 7, 2013

The Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place New Dates! New Location!

Featuring the EXPERIENCE

FOOD NETWORK IS A TRADEMARK OF TELEVISION FOOD NETWORK G.P.; USED WITH PERMISSION.

Meet Culinary & Wine Experts!

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Grow your love of wine with educational seminars hosted by the award-winning journalist Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Get inspired with cooking demos by the host of Food Network ‘s Bake with Anna Olson Saturday 11 am and 2 pm

PHOTO CREDIT: PAPERNY ENTERTAINMENT

Eat St. Food Truck Feature See James Cunningham of Food Network’s Eat St. live on the Food Network Get Cooking Canada! Stage.

Sunday April 7 at 1pm Take a tasting tour of the cities best Food Trucks at the Festival all weekend!

Visit our website for details, announcements and tickets! *times subject to change

Exhibit space inquiries please email cwong@metroland.com

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