Issue 38 - Harvest 2011 by City Bites Media Inc.

| FREE | Harvest 2011

Market Mania

Celebrate harvest at a farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; market near you!

In the Raw Eating live food

Planting garlic

Wines, spirits and potions! The Cocktail Files with Jen Agg

Plus! Books Absinthe Trout Naco CafĂŠ

FROM From THE the EDITOR editor It’s season! Time eat, drink andsummer all that Wefestival had a steak tasting at to CityBites for the good CityBites is early once years, again presenting the issue stuff. way back in our I think 2006. Salut Wine + Butcher Food Festival in May—you The Healthy had opened the yearcan before, peruse full schedule the centrehabits section and itsthe influence on thein beef-eating of of the magazine—with a selection of tasters intriguing Torontonians was yet to be felt. Our seminars, tastings and special enjoyed the 100-percent grassdinners. fed steakWe’re The excited hungry get out and rank eat! Healthyand Butcher puttoforth, butthere it didn’t then, our annual wine atIt’s thefitting, top. Were wethat justthis notisready for grass-fed, issue. We like to take the timecorn-fed every year to celas tasters accustomed to the fattiness ebrate exemplarybeef? wine and winemakers, somof conventional meliers of course, the brilliant chefs and Marioand, Fiorruci, co-owner of The Healthy restaurants recognize joyson of grass-fed wine and Butcher andthat author of thethe article work so hard to elevate beef that appears on p.the 20,wine-food explained experience. to me that As always, webeef have wine “newbie” in mind. pasture-raised is the seasonal. And because our Wine should neverin belate intimidating overly tasting took place spring, theand pasture competitive, and full so we strive toThus, educate had yet to reach lush-ness. theand beef inspire all of our coverage. In this hadn’t with developed full wine flavour. issue, we’re proud to support several What initiatives— Of course beef should be seasonal! havoc Salut, Somewhereness, i4C (the chardonnay have the processes of conventional mass indussummit)—that are pushing the boundaries of trial beef production wrought? Read, and learn.

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contents

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great and making accessible to all. in Wewine, also delve into theitgrowing interest So please a glass ofeschew your favourite grape healthy foodraise choices that animal protein.

Greek Wines Hard to say, easy to drink. Get Greek lessons at Maléna.

juice and toast to wonderful times, Kait Fowlie, a young food writer and wonderful vegan, exwines—and many plores raw food on more p. 18. to come.

Tiny Bubblies Get bang for buck at these small Champagne houses.

Enjoy the harvest! Stay tuned for our Late Fall $ICK 3NYDER %DITOR s dick@citybites.ca issue in mid-October. Dick Snyder, Editor • dick@citybites.ca

Same wine, different day Think outside the “house.” Features

24 Kudos Once a joke, nowand a serious force.healthy — raw food 18 Chianti In the Raw Alive, unprocessed undeniably is taking off. By Kait Fowlie. 25 Postcards from India Examining a burgeoning wine industry. 20 Ms. Grass-fed Beef Primer Local pasture-raised beef is in season, delicious 26 Spritzer Some spritzer makeover tips from The Drake Hotel.

and packed full of goodness. By Mario Fiorucci.

27 MS-kateers A conversation with Canada’s three top sommeliers. 25 Three Market Mania It’s open season every day of the week at farmers’ markets all over the city. By Kate 28 Cooking with Wine IdeasMore. for your leftover ﬁne wines.

Editor Dick Snyder/dick@citybites.ca

Canada vs. World Zoltan Szabo dares to compare!

Art Director Craig Sinclair/craigdesign@hurontel.on.ca Associate Editor Signe Langford Editor Dick Snyder/dick@citybites.ca Wine Editor John Szabo Art Director Craig Sinclair/craigdesign@hurontel.on.ca Director of Vinous airs Zoltan Szabo Wine Editor John Aff Szabo Director of Vinous Affairs Zoltan Szabo Contributors Stephen Beaumont, Greg Clow, Sean Deasy,

Cool Climate Chardonnay Regular Bites

31 5

Somewhereness A funny word for a stellar local wine event. 14 Books Read ’em and eat! Starters The Bohemian Gastropub.

Crumbs Restaurant news and hearsay.

7 5 8

Out&About Naco Gallery Café. Starters CityBites loses a dear Stuff Implements edibles. friend, Liz Bolton ofand Pantry.

16 The Urban Farmer Time to plant your garlic. Biodynamic 13 Viticulture

Deacon Dr. Fresh, Konrad Ejbich, Arlene Hazzan Green, Contributors Jen Agg, Stephen Beaumont, Andrew Brudz, Lindsay Groves, Heather Li, Alan McGinty, Kate More, Pamela Cuthbert, Deacon Dr. Fresh, Sean Deasy, Konrad Ejbich, Michael Pinkus, Zinta Steprans, Zoltan Szabo, Stephen Tempkin, Maia Filar, Kait Fowlie, Marc Green, Sarah B. Hood, Ivy Knight, Julie C. Trubkin Rebecca LeHeup, Kate More, Zoltan Szabo, Stephen Tempkin Photography Pat Anderson, Dan Donovan,

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Alan McGinty, My YenBerman, Trung Ann Gagno, Mike McColl, Photography Laura

Dick Snyder Publisher Paul Alsop/paulalsop@idmg.ca Sr. AccountPaul Manager Wendy Lyall Gardner/wendy@citybites.ca Publisher Alsop/paulalsop@idmg.ca Account Manager Alexander Sr. Account Manager Wendy McCarthy/alecmccarthy@live.ca Lyall Gardner/wendy@citybites.ca Account Manager Alexander McCarthy/alecmccarthy@live.ca

Subscriptions are $25 per year.

Email Email info@citybites.ca info@citybites.ca or or visit visit www.citybites.ca www.citybites.ca Advertising Advertising Inquiries Inquiries sales@citybites.ca sales@citybites.ca City City Bites Bites Media Media Inc., Inc., 24 24 Dalhousie Dalhousie St. St. Suite Suite 200, 200, Toronto, Toronto, ON, ON, M5B M5B 2A5, 2A5, 647-827-1705. 647-827-1705. City City Bites Bites is is published published six six times times aa year year by by City City Bites Bites Media Media Inc., Inc., aa division division of of IDMG IDMG Inc. Inc. IDMG IDMG Management Management Paul Paul Alsop, Alsop, Donald Donald G. G. House House IDMG IDMG Partner Partner Dick Dick Snyder Snyder

Canadian chardonnay is making international waves.

The Gourmudgeon Local Crumbs Spots that are hot.is good, but not always better. 7 Bits & Bites A little bit of news. 10 Head to Head Zoltan Szabo on chardonnay. 8 Stuff Toys and gear for your wine.

911

Purveyors Trout that’s tasty, The Gourmudgeon Stung by sustainable and free of antibiotics. rudeness at a new restaurant

Travel Manoir Hovey in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.

winemaking in Niagara.

17 Touring Savouring Elgin County. 14 Fresh Spot prawns—delicious 30 The Cocktail Files Jen Agg opens cold-water darlings

Cocktail Bar.

goes natural.

Shore, muses Konrad Ejbich.

with Stephen Beaumont.

cometh.

15 Wine Dine The Intercontinental 31 Hotel’s Szabo on Wine John Szabo BYOB surprise 16 Books Read and eat these 32 tasty The Ej Whiter Lake Erie North titles

12 Smells Flavours Fresh takes 10 likeDeacon victoryDr. Wine Tasting

32 The Ej Konrad Ejbich reveals 33 an Libations Back to school booze Amarone imposter.

12 Foreign Ingredients Shopping in 11 Correspondents

Chinatown. Pancakes make the world go ﬂat.

33 Libations Whisky and wine, say 34 One LastBeaumont, Bite The food trucks Stephen are divine.

Urban Farmer A container is all you need to get growing.

34 One Last Bite

you to school. Challenge winner Evan Saviolidis.

Meet Featherstone Winery’s grape protector.

Cover: Laura Berman/greenfusephotos.com. Cover subject: Joel MacCharles Cover illustrationofbywellpreserved.ca. Pierre Lamielle. ?Xim\jk )'(( Harvest 2011

Fifth Annual Evergreen and Slow Food Toronto Fundraiser Presented by GE Café Appliances

Celebrate the local food harvest Sunday, October 2 noon–4pm Join us at Evergreen Brick Works and taste your way through the culinary destinations of Southern Ontario. Meet local farmers and Toronto’s top chefs, as they ﬁll your plate with the season’s fresh bounty. All proceeds help support our children’s food gardens and cooking workshops. Tickets sell out fast! Reserve you spot today.

evergreen.ca/picnic Evergreen Brick Works | 550 Bayview Avenue | Bus. Bike. Walk. &ƌĞĞ ƐŚƵƩůĞ ďƵƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƌŽĂĚǀŝĞǁ ^ƚĂƟŽŶ

PRESENTING SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR

PROGRAM SUPPORTER TM/MC

MEDIA SPONSORS

the starters The CityBites Team Mario Fiorucci Mario Fiorucci is co-founder of The Healthy Butcher. Along with a strong passion for the organic farming of meat, he is an avid fisherman. As you read his article on grass-fed beef (p. 20), there’s a good chance he’s fishing for steelhead or muskie. He always releases his catch with the hopes he’ll encounter the same fish one year later,

Christopher Scott and Paul Boehmer of The Bohemian Gastropub.

By Dick Snyder

Bohemian Rhapsody

photo: Ann Gagno

Half gastro and half pub, Paul Boehmer’s new joint shall sing While the jaded would say this is a trend gone awry, the smart money knows that a trend can be transcended if it’s properly executed. And the trend in question concerns the term “gastropub.” A year or two ago, Toronto had none. At least, none that officially made use of the term. Now, it’s the suffix of choice for all too many new openings (and old openings alike, jumping on the bandwagon). Let’s hope Bohemian Gastropub puts its money where it’s gastro is, so to speak. There’s good vibe here. Paul Boehmer, a veteran Toronto chef recently noted for putting fine dining on the hip Ossington strip, scales down the dramatic ambiance just a tad when venturing slightly east along Queen, to the former Oy Boy burger spot between Bathurst and Spadina. The front room is casual and spacious, with a communal central table and a cozy tap-riddled bar. The back room has the open kitchen and smaller, intimate tables. But there’ s no linen, just wood. And it feels good. Queen West has long suffered a dearth of lunch spots offering anything other than fried goop, pedestrian Asian and cut-rate sushi. At night, the good spots close up early and the bad ones switch on the televisions. Bohemian promises late-night eats, at least till 11 or so. Powering the stoves is Christopher Scott, formerly half the cooking wattage at L.A.B. on College. “Paul wanted to go to his Germanic roots,” Scott says. “I said, let’s do a version of an Alsatian gastropub, with influences of Italian, French, etc. So I’ve tried to take AustroGerman cuisine and bring some colour and pop to it.” The Bohemian Colour comes via Celeriac Salad ($8), with endive, granny smith Gastropub and pumpkin seed dressing, and a variety of pickles ($7). The requisite 571 Queen St. W. 416-361-6154 poutine (this is Queen Street, after all) is faux — in fact, it’s made of spaetzle, with bratwurst gravy and cheese ($10). Mains of mammals are plenty, from beef and bunny to lamb and pig, via Veal Schnitzel with potato-cucumber salad and cloudberry chutney ($18) and Maultaschen, which is an Italian-esque lamb shoulder ravioli with spinach in a bacon broth ($18). There’s also trout from Giggie ($18), market fish of the day (Ocean Wise approved) and a half bird ($18), which is a choice breed called a Chanteclair Rouge raised by Mennonites. By all accounts, they’ve got the “gastro” ably covered. On Queen West, that’s quite a bit more than half the battle.

five pounds heavier. Kait Fowlie Kait is a freelance writer, vegetarian and craft beer enthusiast. She writes about urban sustainability, and is always on the lookout for cool eco-happenings in Toronto. She enjoys diners, dive bars, and picnics in Trinity Bellwoods. She also writes for shedoesthecity.com. Ann Gagno After years of working in a pharmaceutical company as a lab geek, Ann decided to do a full 360 and put all of her attention to food photography. With camera at the ready, Ann’s discerning eye is always on the lookout for anything that whets the appetite. Food is a good motivator to get her out the door and get her trigger-happy finger snapping. Follow her Food Trippin’ blog at anngagno.wordpress.com.

Stay in touch! Send emails to info@citybites.ca or snail mail (and gifts, bribes, small animals, etc.) to CityBites, 24 Dalhousie St., Toronto, ON, M5B 2A5. Letters may be printed, and edited for accuracy and space. Harvest 2011

crumbs

By Dick Snyder

By Kait Fowlie

... L’Ouvrier (791 Dundas St. W., 416-901-9581, louvrier.ca) will take over the site of an abandoned after-hours club soonish, the culinary brainchild of Justine Fowler and Angus Bennett of Ottawa pub

... Veronique Perez of Crepes à GoGo (18 Yorkville Ave., 416-922-6765, crepesagogo.ca) launches a sister cafe dedicated to crepes next door to Greg’s

The Max and Angus Bennett Catering. They strive to

Ice Cream in the Annex. Perez opened the first Go

bring fine dining to the working man in the form of

Go nearly a decade ago at Bloor and Bedford and

Asian, French and comfort-food-inspired dishes.

Eat the city ... Top Chef’s Rob Rossi is moving into the hipness of Dundas West near Dovercourt, right next to The

is warmly welcomed back.

... Queen Street Market, (238 Queen St. W.), previously home to numerous take-out falafel counters and a Ben and Jerry’s, will be reborn as The Grove, an organic food emporium, before the new year. Toronto food blogger Joel Solish teams up with current space owner George Friedman to make it happen.

Black Skirt, where he’ll open the 100-seat Bestellen

... Williams Landing Bar, Grill and Hub (120 Lynn

with partner Ryan Sarfeld in mid-to-late fall.

Williams St., 647-340-8008) brings a stately patio

... Appletree Markets (Pedestrian Square, Orchard Blvd and Yonge St. appletreemarkets.ca) partners with Local Food Plus to bring local, sustainable food to the downtown core every Thursday at 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

... Dinah Koo of Koo & Co catering will appease

hungry club-goers with her plan to open (any day now!) Fusia Dog (65 Duncan St.), a multi-cultural hot dog counter serving up creative protein tubes.

... Former accountant Cindy Lam has opened

Cafe Booboo (533 Richmond St. W., 416-551-5599, cafebooboo.com), a gluten-free lunch spot serving soups, salads, and vegan, gluten-free cakes and cookies.

... Brothers Sheikh and Yazdjerdi Reza took over former Quaff Cafe to set up R Squared Cafe (668 Queen St. W., 647-344-8558). Re-born in early August, the cafe took no time garnering rave reviews from Queen Westers who dig the modish ambience.

... New wood fired

pizza joint Pizzeria Defina (321 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-571-3939) joins Barque as another contemporary dinner option in the Polish ’hood, serving pies, pastas

and Italian fare. ... Cheesewerks (56 Bathurst St.,

416-243-3327, cheesewerks.com), an artisan cheese sandwich and soup restaurant, opens soonish,

and local, organic eats to Liberty Village from the owners of the Financial District’s South of Temperance and Leslieville’s Joy Bistro.

... Toronto Farmers Markets (tfmn.ca) may be subject to greater fees this fall, ruffling the feathers of many organic foodies. Anne Freeman of the Dufferin Grove Market and Carolyn Wong of the Trinity Bellwoods Market are circulating an online petition in an attempt to head off the hike.

... New “chef’s pantry” food shop Ruby Eats (742 Queen St. E., 416-901-3355, rubyeats.com) opens to complement chef Lynn Crawford’s and designer Cherie Stinson’s restaurant, Ruby Watcho. On deck: oils, vinegars, sauces, food books and a special Ruby Eats line of homemade jams and marmalades.

... The Urban Eatery in the Eaton Centre (220 Yonge St., 416-598-8560) launched last week as part of the $120 million revitalization of the Eaton Centre. Twenty-four self-service restaurants are to come.

... Chef Michael Potters joins the Hockley Valley Resort

(793522 Mono 3rd Line, Orangeville., 519-942-0754, hockley.com), as part of a major transformation of the resort, including a brand new leisure restaurant.

proffering all-Canadian ingredients to craft cheeseoriented sandwiches inspired by global cities.

Get inspired St. Lawrence Market

Kait fowlie is a food writer in Toronto.

A Table-to-Farm Experience For us urban types, the opportunities to experience farm life are rare. I don’t mean to work a farm, but rather to get up close, in the field, to see the sights and smell the smells, and talk to the people who make our food happen. This is the beauty of Outstanding in the Field, a U.S.-based enterprise that, for 11 years, has been working with farmers in the United States to re-connect the eating public with the land… or rather, the people who work the land. OITF has now expanded into Canada and Australia. Doug Whitty, a third generation farmer, hosted a dinner last year, and was so impressed he did it again this summer. He likes the fact that diners are inspired by and curious about what they experience on the farm. “It gives us a chance to showcase what we have here in Niagara.” The highlight of every dinner is the massive dining table plunked right down in the middle of a field. This year’s menu at Whitty Farms, as with last year’s, was executed by Stephen Treadwell of Treadwell restaurant in Port Dalhousie. A proponent of farm-to-table before it was trendy, Treadwell turned out a menu of exemplary flavours and freshness. Highlights included a cold trout salad with grainy mustard dressing and a roasted pork from Willowgrove Hill, which farms incredibly succulent antibiotic-free pigs. Whitty owns a stake in 13th Street Winery, and every dish was accompanied — generously — with their wines, including their muchlauded gamay noir and riesling from June’s Vineyard. With wines, produce and protein all coming from friends and family, it truly was an uplifting and delicious affair. Visit outstandinginthefield.com and whittyfarms.ca.

We have a great line-up of cooking programs throughout summer and fall. We’re covering everything from healthy eating to cupcakes! Visit stlawrencemarket.com to see the full schedule of classes. Reference CityBites and *receive 20% off a cooking program. Register at kitchen@stlawrencemarket.com or 416.860.0727 facebook.com/stlawrencemarket *Offer expires Dec 31, 2011 and does not include the executive chef series.

CityBites

Out&About

By Andrew Brudz

Naco Supreme A Mexican café AT the heart of Dundas West hits its stride The Story The Dundas West cafe was opened by 31-yearold Mexican-born and Torontobased artist Julian Calleros in April 2009. Born in Guadalajara, he moved here in 2001, lured by Partners David Morton and Julian Calleros diversity, openness and a thriving flank chef Nathan Gawalko art scene. Like many artists who need to pay the rent, he perfected his espresso pull at cafes around town. In 2008, he opened his own space, inspired by the bohemian San Miguel de Allende Naco (Mexico’s equivalent to “white trash”). It’s his biggest canvas to date an ever-evolving masterpiece, a haven for artists, musicians, queers and outcasts, and a tangible example of the diversity that lured Calleros here in the first place. The latest incarnation finds him partnering with rock-enthusiast David Morton and amping up the kitchen offerings. The Space

The once-forgotten building at Dundas West and Margueretta near Lansdowne, has been given a bright and airy revamp with a mishmash of furniture, art and Mexican bric-a-brac. The small stage in the front window provides an elevated showcase for DJs, mariachi bands, and even toddlers just getting started. The feature wall becomes a gallery space for local painters, photographers and sculptors — and sometimes the wall’s the art, with impromptu murals by Calleros and others.

photo: Mike McColl

The Scene By day, locals stop by for a coffee on the run, freelancers work, and friends pile in for weekend brunch and a little hair of the dog. By night, Naco hosts an eclectic collection of events from reading series to experimental music to sweaty queer and Latin dance parties. The Food

Since joining Naco in March, Nathan Gawalko sought to expand the menu beyond beloved staples like tamales and black bean soup. The self-taught chef honed his skills at La Palette and nearby Atlantic. Collaborating with Calleros, he fuses Mexican ingredients with his own Ukrainian and French influence. The weekend brunch menu Naco Gallery often includes tripe tacos, beef cheek hash and towering pork belly torta, and Café which must be seen to believe: a fried egg, coleslaw, fresh avocado, pork 1665 Dundas St. W. nacogallery.com belly and crunchy pork rinds piled impossibly high on a Portuguese roll.

...EVENTS... Sun., Sept. 11

Feast of Fields

Cold Creek Conservation Area hosts the 22nd edition of this all-day event promoting organic foods and drinks. Chef Michael Smith and more than 40 top GTA chefs will cook up a storm alongside local farmers, vintners and microbrewers. $100 ($90 for CityBites readers, hit “tickets” and click on “CityBites” at feastoffields.org), Cold Creek Conservation Area, 905-8593609, tickets@feastoffields.org Sat., Sept. 17

Oktoberfest

Steam Whistle Brewery at the Roundhouse will be hopping with live music, folk dancing, pilsner tastings, noshing on giant pretzels and more. $20. 255 Bremner Blvd., 416-362-BEER, steamwhistle.ca Sat., Sept. 24 & Sun., Sept. 25

Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival

Visit the heritage garden and Market Square district of Stratford for an artisan market, kids’ cooking programs, food, wine and beer tastings and more. $10 and up. 1-800-561-7926, welcometostratford.com Sun., Oct. 2

Picnic at the Brickworks

Slow Food Toronto and Evergreen sees Dozens of top Toronto chefs partner with local farmers, producers, vintners and brewers to offer convivial treats. Funds support education programs and learning gardens. $120. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave., picnic@evergreen.ca, ebw.evergreen. ca/picnic Sun., Oct. 16

Foodstock

Michael Stadtlander and 70 of Canada’s top chefs welcome thousands to the quiet town of Honeywood and nearby farms “that didn’t sell out” to support the Stop the Mega Quarry movement. Pay-what-you-can; suggested donations of $10. Honeywood, Ont. Hwy 124, canadianchefscongressfoodstock.eventbrite.com

Harvest 2011

stuff

Victorinox Cleaver

The Victorinox line of kitchen knives offers tremendous value, and this new cleaver is no exception. With lovely heft and feel, and a nonslip Fibrox handle, this is a versatile addition to any chef’s arsenal. If you’ve never worked with a cleaver — great for everything from dismantling a chicken to mincing parsley — this is a relatively inexpensive way to try out a quality implement. $65, 800-665-4095

Courvoisier 12-Year-Old

Along with its 21-year-old companion ($349.95), this cognac is the first from any of the major cognac houses to display a declared age on its label. The legendary house is releasing this pair as part of its Connoisseur Collection, aimed at reducing the intimidation factor of Cognac. Bottoms up, then! $89.95/750mL, lcbo.com

Three Farmers Camelina Oil

An ancient oilseed laden with Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin E, camelina originates in Northern Europe and Central Asia. True to its name, three farmers from Saskatchewan grow and process camelina at their farm near Midale. Earthy fragrance and slightly nutty, great in marinades and dressings. $29.95/500mL at All the Best Fine Foods, 1101 Yonge St., 416-928-3330, allthebestfinefoods.com

Italian Volcano

Who knew lemonade could be so good? Made from organic Italian lemons, bottled at Sicily’s Mt. Etna volcano. Refreshing and lower in sugar than most lemonades, it’s made with organic glucose-fructose syrup. But really, in the end, it’s all about the lemons. Makes a good mix, too. $5.99/750mL, dreamfoods.com and various grocers

Lucid Absinthe Superieure Grok

Giving new meaning to the phrase “cheesy goodness,” these little Italian morsels are full-on dangerous. Crispy, salty, fatty, cheesy… all the good things, packed in little bags. If you love Parmesan, and you love snacking, just surrender now. $2/12g and about $5/60g, gattuso.qc.ca

Get your wormwood on with this, the first genuine absinthe legally available in the Americas since 1912. The ban was a sham: absinthe is no more toxic than any other alcohol, in moderation of course. Sleek and attractive packaging too. You’ll want this on your booze trolley. $64.95/750mL, lcbo.com.

CityBites

the gourmudgeon

By Stephen Temkin

Doing the Local Emotion Sentimentality and taste may not be the perfect pair I’ve taken a bit of media break this past summer. It began with my trip to Europe where I barely glanced at a newspaper and watched the news on TV perhaps once or twice (just to make sure I wasn’t missing the end of the world). I find it refreshing to ignore the media for an extended period of time. It reduces my general state of aggravation considerably. When I returned home I kept it going, only gradually bringing the onslaught of media back into my daily routine. I didn’t read the Saturday Globe and Mail for weeks, but when I did, it only took a few moments for aggravation to return and my gourmudgeonly hackles to rise. At the top of the front page of the Style section was a quote from a column inside: “Wherever you are, a nearby farmer is producing fruit and it always tastes best when it’s local.”

is emotive sentimentalism, and this leads to ridiculous comments like the one quoted above. Sorry, but food doesn’t always taste best when it’s local. Local farmers are like farmers everywhere: some produce exceptionally good product, others lousy product, and most fall somewhere in the middle. The best pears I’ve ever had were flown in from Oregon. Cherries from British Columbia and Washington State trump the local Ontario product almost every year. Niagara’s peaches can be as good as they get, but not from every farm, and certainly not every year. There are many good reasons, both economic and environmental, to purchase local food. But if we delude ourselves into believing that the food is better just because it’s local, then the incentive for local farmers to pursue quality diminishes. It’s a self-defeating dogma. Like any other business, farmers will often take the path of least resistance. A gullible consumer who ignores flavour and is concerned only with dubious notions of dietary correctness is just a pigeon waiting to be plucked. And we are so easily plucked. Take “wild” blueberries for example. How many people are under the impression that so-called wild blueberries are actually foraged in the wild? I’ll bet most would be surprised to learn that they are farmed, possibly sprayed, and even Aaargh! If, like me, you want your food to mechanically harvested. I buy seasonal lowbe the best it can be, you have to dispense with bush blueberries by the bucket load, but I try these patently false, overly romanticized ideas not to be deluded about what they really are. about food. What’s worse, the quote came from The way for our food to be the best is not a terrific chef, Michael Smith. Unfortunately, to indulge quixotic, nostalgic fantasies like as with so many other food-media celebrities, the 100 Mile Diet, but for consumers to be Michael’s real product is no longer food, or discerning and demanding. In my previous even information about food. The real product 4/15/11 column I2:42 gave the CityBites_Spring2011_1:CityBites PM impression Page 1 that the food

Illustration: Pierre Lamielle

How many people are under the impression that so-called wild blueberries are actually foraged in the wild?

CELEBRATING OUR

is generally better in places like France, Switzerland and Germany. And it is, but this is partially the result of higher consumer expectations. More than once I’ve seen European shoppers chastise vendors for trying to sell inferior food. That sounds mean and one should always be polite, but there lies the key. The great advantage of patronizing local suppliers is the opportunity it affords to deliver feedback that may actually be heard. Praise the good, complain about the bad, know what you’re talking about, and be a loyal customer to those whose efforts to produce truly great food are sincere. CB When not eating, drinking, or writing about eating and drinking, Stephen TEMKIN makes fedoras. stemkin@rogers.com

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head to head

By Zoltan Szabo

It’s all chardonnay, you know The regal grape shows off its versatility COMPREHENSIVE

Fleury 2004 “Cepages Blanc” Blanc de Blancs France | $66.95

A really fine champagne, comprehensive, biodynamic. Vintages #234070

DELICATE

Argyle 2007 Blanc de Blancs Knudsen Vineyard “Julia Lee’s Block” Dundee Hills, Oregon | $61.95

An excellent, pretty and delicate 100-percent chardonnay.

TEXTURAL

Pyramid Valley 2008 Lion’s Tooth North Canterbury, New Zealand | $79

Chardonnay with an extraordinary texture and balance, clearly one of my favourites at recent I4C chardonnay celebrations. Organic. thelivingvine.ca

edwine.com

HARMONIOUS

MINERAL

BUTTERY

This is, in my view, this winery’s best chardonnay to date. Wonderful harmony here, a complete wine that will also age very well. Winery

Intense and minerally with striking persistence. Vintages #49775

A fuller style, creamy/buttery. Yet a great seam of acidity balancing its weight and giving a lift to its fruit core. 850 bottles made. Winery

Tawse 2009 Robyn’s Block Chardonnay Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula | $43.95

CityBites

Coyote’s Run 2009 Black Paw Vineyard Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula | $21.95

Pearl Morissette 2008 Cuvee Dix-Neuvième Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula | $45

Purveyors

By Pamela Cuthbert

Catch of the day Sean Lovell raises super-clean hormonefree trout that’ll blow your mind “Rigger mortis will set in soon.” Ever a straight-shooter, fish farmer Sean Lovell of Lovell Springs Trout Farms is packing up a whole, gutted fish at the weekly Trinity Bellwoods farmers market. He scoops out the glistening two-pounder, right from the ice-packed cooler and slides it into a Ziploc. Based in Vittoria, near Port Dover, the first-generation farmer runs a one-man operation known among some chefs and high-end retailers, like Hooked and McEwan Foods, for the single thing he trades in: springfed rainbow trout. The product, caught and processed by hand, is sold fresh by Lovell. No distributors, no employees.

photo: Mike McColl

I grow fish because people gotta eat Some small-scale suppliers come with personalities, philosophies or even back-stories that invite romanticizing the local-foods movement — hard work and lousy pay be damned. But Lovell isn’t one of them. He majored in finance and worked in an investment office until stress took its toll. “I realized: this is not the life for me. I want to be my own boss. So I started looking for properties, for fish farms.” Why aquaculture? “It’s a good business. I grow fish because people gotta eat.” Never mind that he can’t eat the product. An allergy, discovered in his teens on a camping trip, prevents Lovell from consuming fresh-water

scaled fish. All the more reason, he explains, to be sure the operation is unpolluted. “If someone comes to me and says ‘This fish tastes like garbage,’ I can’t say, ‘Well, I had it last night and it was good.’ So I have to rely on other things.” Alex Johnston sells Lovell trout at his neighbourhood fine-food retailer Provenance Regional Cuisine, where the goods are local and sustainable. “It’s just so fresh,” he says. “And clean-tasting. It’s remarkably clean.” Lovell recalls visiting a number of fish farms and being disgusted at fish pumped up on growth hormones. “The flesh was the texture of jello.” With the help of his dad, a chemical engineer, and after what he estimates was five years of research and development, he designed the facility “from scratch.” On Labour Day weekend in 2008, he put in the first batch of fish. The operation is run on a former sandpit site fed by six springs. Lovell says he only needs one spring to supply the farm, where two self-contained raceways each contain 10,000 trout. It takes a couple of years to grow the fish from fingerlings to full-size, at a maximum of 2.5 pounds whole. The fish are fed weekly, which means slow growth but less risk of fish waste and water contamination. There’s also a diet of aquatic and terrestrial insects, in part thanks to Lovell’s efforts to develop the natural habitat and encourage more bug-life. “There’s no growth hormones, no antibiotics,” he says. “It’s as natural as possible.”

Sean Lovell at the Trinity Bellwoods farmers market.

He has an application underway for certification from Ocean Wise, the sustainable seafood advocates. “It just makes sense: what I do, what they do. I’m counting on it.” CB Pamela Cuthbert, a food writer and editor, is published in Macleans, Saveur, The Edible City, Slow Food Almanac and elsewhere. She’s on a hunt for good food suppliers.

Harvest 2011

FLAVOURS

By Deacon Dr. Fresh

A little wine schooling AC/DC inspires a lesson in elocution It’s that time of year again. 2011 is rapidly drawing to a close. Once Labour Day hits, it’s Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas in rapid succession. Then New Year’s Eve and it’s 2012, and we find out if the Mayans were right... Even now, the leaves are starting to turn, the vineyards are visions of ripe grapes and terrifying scarecrows, and the kids are heading back to school. And speaking of school… the Psychotic Schoolboy himself, Angus Young, can be seen gracing the labels of a new line of AC/DC wines from Australia’s Warburn Estate.

Unfortunately, these powerful Thunder From Down Under offerings, including Back in Black Shiraz, are not likely to appear in the Lick-Bo (that’s LCBO to you – editor) anytime soon, although I’m sure we’ll see them eventually. Which leads illogically to my next point. Why am I the only one who gets irritated by flagrant mispronunciations and poor grammar? Being a Brit, I suppose I get it from my late father, who was astounded that Canadians pronounce “Mary,” “merry” and “marry” exactly the same, when to the English ear, they sound entirely

If you know nothing about wine and don’t care, at least get the name of the grape right.

different. I’m sure the linguistic violation hastened his early demise. So since the kids are heading back to continue their edukashun, today is a lesson in pronunciation. If you know nothing about wine, and don’t care, that’s ok, but at least get the name of the grape right. Let’s begin with riesling, children! Riesling is a German word, and in German, when an E and I are together, you only pronounce the second vowel. Although I’ve heard it pronounced rez-ling, it’s actually reece-ling; not rize-ling or Third Reich-ling. Get it right. Another one that drives me nuts is cabernet sauvignon, which should be pronounced cabernay saw-vin-yaw(n), with the final N just implied. Please don’t say cabernet SAVingon, which will mark you as a dilettante. A related heinous linguistic error is to pronounce sauvignon blanc incorrectly. Again, the final letter is only implied. Don’t say SAVignon blank, which is a double heresy. Another grotesquely garbled grape is merlot, which rhymes with hair-blow, not furlough; and never say marlow. And now for our final lesson, the word is sommelier, which when mispronounced, is the most jarring of all. The emphasis is on the first of three distinct syllables. Say SOMMel-yay. Not smell-yay, and certainly not the frequently encountered soMALyay. Enjoy calling your friends to task on their mispronunciations. You are now a member of the Wine Language Police. You heard me. CB The musings of Deacon Dr. Fresh live at deaconwinelist.blogspot.com.

For those about to drink…

  

CityBites

Books

Read ’em and eat

We Sure Can! Sarah B. Hood

With a subtle pun in her title, journalist and author Sarah Hood documents and inspires the trend of rediscovery among local-food advocates and “preservationists” who are embracing the almost-lost art of canning, jarring and pickling. (Arsenal Pulp, $24.95)

The Art of Herbs Cookbook By Cynthia Peters

Accompanied by the gorgeous encaustic work of Susan Wallis, this book builds on the herbcentric passions of Peters as demonstrated by the classes she conducts at her Prince Edward County cooking school, From the Farm. (Fromthefarm.ca, $21.95)

Chef Michael Smith’s Kitchen By Michael Smith

One hundred “easy” recipes by one of the tallest, friendliest and food-quality-conscious chefs on the circuit. Full-page photos of each recipe are helpful and inspiring. Look for a sequel book in 2012. (Penguin, $32)

Menu Design in America

Everyday Flexitarian

By Jim Heinman, Steven

By Nettie Cronish

Heller and John Mariani

and Pat Crocker

For avid diners and history buffs, this is food porn of an exalted kind. In typical Taschen style, the presentation of historical menus is lavish and meticulously documented. Great fun to read, too, and invaluable for any chef probing the roots of his or her craft. (Taschen, $64.99)

Two cookbook authors and healthy living proponents team up with this beautifully presented book of recipes that are right on the money: easy and clear instructions (with options) on how to work healthier choices into meals for yourself and your family. (Whitecap, $29.95)

100 TAPS WITHIN 1 KM That’s what you’ll ﬁnd along Buffalo’s

Elmwood Avenue. Throw in small batch brews at the Pearl Street Grill & Brewery and a handful of incredible craft beer stores, and you have a beer lover’s paradise. For Real.

1.800.BUFFALO CHECK OUT A VIDEO ON BUFFALO’S BEER SCENE AT

WWW.VISITBUFFALONIAGARA.COM/BEER 14

CityBites

Travel

By Dick Snyder

Gourmet luxe in the Eastern Townships Manoir Hovey offers the perfect day My day began in the garden with a glass of champagne and wound down in the Tap Room with a glass of scotch. In between, there was much eating, a garden tour (actually two), a visit to a local award-winning cheesemaker, a dip in Lake Massawippi and a dip in the pool, and a leisurely dinner both perfectly timed and wonderfully appointed… A better day I hadn’t had in recent memory, I thought to myself and repeated to the barkeep. “Let’s have one more scotch, then off to bed.” There’s charm, and there’s charm. Manoir Hovey, a turn-of-the-century estate, has the latter. There are places that aspire desperately to exude this level of personality. Then there are places like Hovey, which makes it so effortless. Following a February fire that damaged some rooms and closed the dining room, the Stafford family that has owned this Relais & Chateaux property since 1979 took the opportunity to remodel some rooms. As well, Chefs Roland Ménard and Francis Wolf had time to contemplate some new approaches to their resolutely local- and fresh-focused menu. The new rooms are a perfect meld of rustic country and modern, though you can sway one way of the other in your choices. Thank goodness the Tap Room — housed in a former carriage house — remains thoroughly as it did 100-plus years ago. Though the scotch has obviously been topped up…. The result… my perfect day. I look forward to more.

The Tree Tops suite.

Rates and more

Manoir Hovey offers surprising value for a Relais & Chateaux. Rates per person, double occupancy, include dinner (and tax/tip) and breakfast. From $165 to $485. Packages and specials are available, from tasting menus to spa indulgences to fall leaf peeping. Visit manoirhovey.com.

Chefs Ménard and Wolf. The Manoir’s 1800 feet of lakefront in autumn.

The Tap Room.

Top

Dirty But Aren’t 5 Things That1.Sound Uranus

Light, fruity and well-balanced, with a fresh, clean finish. An everyday wine for wine lovers and casual fans alike

2. Pianist 3. Joystick 4. Masticate 5. Kumquat Check out the Daily 5 at funfwines.com

Fünf Riesling $9.95 LCBO #175026 Harvest 2011

the urban farmer

By Arlene Hazzan Green

Scapes and bulbs Put your garlic in now for harvest next summer cloves and fewer wrappers. Hard-neck varieties distinguish themselves by sending up a deliciously edible central stalk or “scape” that curls and later develops into a flower, or more accurately a “bulbils.” Removing and eating the scape has the added benefit of allowing the bulb to more fully develop, as it no longer concentrates its efforts on flowering. By midsummer the scapes have long been devoured and it’s probably time to start harvesting the bulbs. But take note: a few weeks before you harvest you need to stop watering. Garlic needs to “cure” or be dried after it’s been harvested and if it’s been over-watered mould may set in. Determining the ideal harvest time can be difficult. If you’re growing hard-neck varieties, one way is to leave a few scapes to develop into bulbils. When the scapes start to stand up straight and begin to “flower,” you know it’s time to stop watering. The leaves will start to brown and sometimes fall over. Another test: harvest a single bulb to see if it’s fully

Garlic is easy to grow at home.

grown. It’s tempting to pull it up by the leaves but it’s better to use a flat shovel or spade and gently wedge it in between the rows, unearthing the juicy bulb. Garlic bulbs need to be handled carefully as they can easily bruise. Simply brush the soil off the bulb. Make sure to leave the roots attached and hang the bulbs in bunches in a cool, dark place out of the sun. Try to find a spot where there is good air circulation. If not, you can always use a fan. When the bulbs are dry, about 2 or 3 weeks, remove the roots and the dirty outer wrapper. There is no need to wash them in water. If you store the cured bulbs in a cool place in a mesh bag they should last at least six to seven months. CB Arlene Hazzan Green co-owns The Backyard Urban Farm Company (bufco.ca)

TASTE THE EXPERIENCE

“MAKING WINE IS NOT WHAT WE DO. IT’S WHO WE ARE.”

the Bosc Family SCAN THIS CODE TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN VISIT US FOR FREE. To download a free QR reader go to optiscan.com VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE CHATEAUDESCHARMES.COM

CityBites

@MBOSC

photo: Marc Green

Garlic’s medicinal benefits have been recognized for thousands of years. In addition to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, garlic can prevent heart disease, reduce cancer risk and is even said to ward off vampires. It’s also a staple in the kitchen. There’s no reason to buy garlic that has been shipped from the other side of the world because local organic is readily available — and it’s often organic. But the very best way to get your garlic is to grow your own. It’s easily sown in the fall a few weeks before the first frost. This give the cloves a chance to set roots before the winter hits. Garlic is harvested in mid- to late summer, depending on the variety. There are two main types of garlic: hard neck and soft neck. Soft neck is generally easier to grow as it has more papery outer layers called “wrappers” that protect many small Garlic Seed cloves. Hard-neck Some good seed sources varieties generally are thecuttingveg.com and garlicfarm.ca have fewer, larger

TOURING

By Rebecca LeHeup

Savouring Elgin County There’s much to taste a couple hours away There’s something special about Elgin County. At first, driving through the rolling farmlands 200 kilometers southwest of Toronto, it wasn’t instantly obvious what exactly that was. But after spending two days exploring the picturesque coastal Village of Port Stanley, the City of St. Thomas and the surrounding countryside I figured it out. Ontario’s South Coast is home to a treasure trove of great food and drink — it’s quite brilliant! Here are few tips to help get your journey started.

Get more

Visit savourelgin.ca or call 1-877-463-5446 ext 168 for information

Buy a growler of beer from the Railway City Brewing Company in St. Thomas. Their craft

Take the “Complete Winery Tour” at Rush Creek Wines, a fruit winery that specializes

in blends made from blackcurrants, raspberries, elderberries and more. Enjoy a light lunch in their bruschetta bar or bring your own picnic fare to grill on their BBQ.

brews are made with locally grown varieties of hops and include Ironspike Blonde, Amber Ale and Dead Elephant Ale. 519-631-1881, railwaycitybrewing.com

519-773-5432, rushcreekwines.com

Rest your head and fill your tummy at the Kettle Creek Inn. This charming inn has 10 rooms, five suites and a full-service restaurant. In the heart of Port Stanley, it’s the perfect place to spend your weekend while savouring Elgin. 519-782-3388, kettlecreekinn.com

Visit Heritage Line Herbs for High Tea, a delightful homemade meal that highlights their herbs. Make sure to walk their herb gardens and pick up some of their “Better than Salt” herb blend. Reservations required.

Calm your spirit at Lavender Sense. This premier grower and purveyor of lavender and lavender products offered a serene escape. You can pick your own lavender and peruse the boutique.

519-866-5577, heritagelineherbs.com

519-762-0188, lavenersense.com

Educate your palate at the Arts & Cookery Bank, Elgin’s cultural destination with a cu-

linary spin. Learn about the region’s rich history, and get hands-on in a cooking class featuring seasonal ingredients. Book ahead. 519-768-9986, theartsandcookerybank.com

Relax at dinner on the veranda of the Windjammer Inn in Port Stanley. This quaint village

on Lake Erie has a touch of east-coast charm. The hospitality of host and chef Kim Saunders is unrivalled. Her commitment to fresh, local and seasonal is reflected on the menus. The inn has five rooms and just is a hop and a skip from Big Beach. 519-782-4173, thewindjammerinn.com

Rebecca LeHeup is the executive director of the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (ontarioculinary.com).

Harvest 2011

By Kait Fowlie

In the raw Alive, unprocessed and undeniably healthy, raw food is taking off

The Big Carrot (348 Danforth Ave., 416-466-2129, thebigcarrot.ca)

and Panacea (588 Bloor St. W., 647-350-3269, panaceaecoshop. com) all stock raw food products.

The most popular raw line comes from Live (264 Dupont St., 416-515-2002, livefoodbar.com), Toronto’s first raw food restaurant, which opened in 2002. Owned by chef Jennifer Italiano and her brother Chris Italiano, Live Food Bar distributes to 55 retailers throughout the city. Scarfing a raw burger from a health food store a couple times a week may not serve as an indicator that we are all on the raw train headed to health, but many are interested in exploring the movement by bringing it into their kitchen. According to Alison Fryer from The Cookbook Store Raw chef Francesco Comito.

CityBites

(850 Yonge St., 416-920-2665,

Raw lasagna made with zucchini, cashew “cheese” and tomato sauce.

cook-book.com), there has been “a definite increase in interest in raw foods books. I think it stems from people’s concern about where their ingredients are coming from, how they’re cooked and that they’d like to eat them in their raw state. [It’s] not always a philosophical reason, but more a health reason.” A desire to eliminate the middle man between fresh food and our plate is becoming a more common health priority, one that Francesco believes should be accessible to everyone. Hence, Make it Raw is hatching bigger ideas than single-serving brownies. Francesco is currently shooting in Italy for his own TV show that is set to air in the fall. “I will have the opportunity to travel to various places around the world and I will be able to show people that it is possible to eat raw vegan food in all places around the world. It will be fun, entertaining and educational.” As simple as Francesco makes it appear, there’s a great deal of a science behind the raw food way of life. Adherents argue that food in its raw state contains live enzymes that maximize the efficiency of digestion; raw food literally digests itself inside the stomach. The cooking process kills these enzymes, and when we eat cooked food, we put our body’s enzymes to work. As a result, our immune systems can get worn out and we can get sick. The raw food diet doesn’t accept that illness is an inevitable part of life. By tapping into the power of our body’s pH balance, the diet reveals that we have greater control over our health than we may be aware. Affected by stress and diet, our pH level is a measure of how acidic or alkaline our bodies are. Every person has different dietary needs, but we all have one thing in common: we need a pH level that is slightly

photos: (left) A.J. Leitch/Modrew Photography & Design;

Francesco Comito has been changing lives all over the city with his Mediterranean-inspired salads, pizzas and appetizers. He’s earned a reputation for flavour with his velvety tiramisu and rich cheesecake, too. Strange, though, that this chef’s oven is collecting dust. In fact, he hasn’t turned it on for six years. To work his culinary magic, Francesco takes raw ingredients like flax seeds, cashews, sprouts and fruit and vegtables and turns them into spectacular eats. His methods are soaking, sprouting and fermenting. As the founder of Make it Raw, a line of grab-and-go raw foods, Francesco has acquired a bit of a cult following in Toronto. “Raw food is very simple. You toss a few ingredients in a bowl and it can be easy as that,” he says. Launched almost three years ago, Make it Raw is now sold in six Toronto health-food stores and has attracted the attention of The Toronto Star, The Sun and Chatelaine. Make it Raw is different from many vegan convenience products because every single ingredient is alive. So-called “healthy” processed foods that are marketed as animal-free often contain refined sugar, bleached flour and fatty oils. With raw food, every single ingredient is entirely unprocessed, and alive with enzymes. Even Francesco’s rich pecan butter pie — which is delicious enough to rival any traditional mom-made slice — contains a few simple, living ingredients. It’s not only health nuts and animal rights activists that are becoming hooked on raw food. Mainstream menus and store shelves are gradually seeing more raw additions. Popular health food stores The Sweet Potato (2995 Dundas St. W., 416-762-4848, thesweetpotato.ca),

photo: (right) Jo-Anne McArthur; (food) Silvana Frammartino/Impulse Photography

more alkaline in order to adequately repair damaged cells, absorb nutrients and cleanse toxins. A body that is more acidic than alkaline becomes an environment in which viruses and bacteria flourish. At the other end of the spectrum, an entirely alkaline environment will not sustain cancer cell growth. Alas, most of the foods we consume in the western world tend to be acidic (sugars, white flours, fatty foods and red meat). The raw food diet’s emphasis on alkaline foods (green, low starch veggies, whole grain flours and sprouts) builds a body that is extraordinarily resistant to disease. The evidence is often striking when people make the switch to raw. Francesco pretty much radiates as he sits in front of me during our chat, but there was a time when he could barely walk to work. “I experienced low energy and had problems with my colon and my liver. I had a severe cough. I was suffering from five or six chronic illnesses, and was taking lots of medication. When I got to that level I was 28. It wasn’t good.” A friend introduced him to the raw diet and in six weeks, he went from eating cooked food and smoking and drinking to an entirely natural lifestyle. Francesco’s extreme personality may have saved years of his life. His body changed drastically, he says. His skin looked better, his eyes were clearer, and his senses more acute. He lost about 20 pounds. He’s now been off medication for six years. Visiting the right health food store or even yoga studio can be an eye-opening experience for the raw food beginner. Some of Toronto’s health food stores are more like community centers, offering workshops, classes, and a general platform where people can exchange tips and recipes. The Big Carrot, a hub for organic foodies, is a great place to start. Aside from offering many raw food product lines like Make it Raw and Live, they also offer a raw cooking class on Tuesday nights (taught by Francesco himself), as well as consultations with a holistic nutritionist on staff every afternoon and evening.

For an introduction to the raw dining experience, a smart stop is Rawlicious (20 Cumberland St. or 3092 Dundas St. W., rawlicious.ca).

The atmosphere is inviting and the menu accessible, with items like salads, wraps and smoothies, as well as a few funky options such as raw pasta bolognese and pad thai. Expect friendly service and an open dialogue with absolutely no judgment of the newbie. Rawlicious coowner Chelsea Clark says: “Our clientele is simply anyone looking for truly healthy food that excites them. We get real ‘foodies,’ people who love the taste and quality of their food. People have various reactions to the word raw, from trepidation to enthusiasm. It all depends on their knowledge about this type of food... After trying raw food however people are surprised, impressed and inspired!” Be warned though: Really good raw food has a bar-raising tendency that may leave you perpetually unsatisfied with your weekly fix from Dominos pizza. Of course, you don’t have to be 100-percent raw or even eat raw everyday to notice a huge difference in the way you feel. Products like Francesco’s just make it easy. “I want people to not be afraid of the word raw. I hope to show the younger generation that you can still eat healthy and be a part of society and a presence in the world we live in.” CB

A vegan menu at Didier Feast kicks off vegetarian food week

A nut-based raw cheesecake.

On Thursday, Sept. 8, Didier Restaurant (1496 Yonge St.) will shift its focus from classic French cuisine to organic, vegan, raw fare. Guest chef Doug McNish presents a five-course vegan dinner paired with organic wines as a kickoff event for the Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival. McNish started off his career as a classically trained French chef. At 21, he found himself miserable, overweight and burnt out. He decided to make a change toward an organic plantbased diet. He lost 100 pounds, and gained a new appreciation for life and food. He began to infuse his love of cooking with a newfound compassion for animals. When McNish was invited to Didier restaurant last June to take part in a fundraiser for the Toronto Wildlife Center, he hit it off with chefs Didier Leroy and his partner Tory Edwards. They invited him back to put on his own evening of vegan food. An Evening to Your Health will start with canapés and sparkling wine, followed by a five-course vegan dinner paired with a choice of organic wines or a superfood elixir. “Guests are going to experience haute cuisine, the service, atmosphere and the attention to detail you get from one of the best French restaurants in the city,” says McNish, “except it will be an entirely organic, plant based menu.” If all goes well, Didier will add some of the vegan fare to the regular menu. McNish is working on a 400-recipe cook book that will feature accessible raw recipes for everyday use. “Bob and Betty can purchase all the ingredients from Loblaws. The average person can do all these recipes, and they are simple, flavourful, all gluten free, all raw.” The book is due for release next spring. Vegan chef Doug McNish.

Tickets are $125. Reservations at 416-925-8588. Details at dougmcnish.posterous.com.

Harvest 2011

By Mario Fiorucci

’Tis The Season After a summer of dining on lush grass, Ontario pastureraised beef is at its tastiest Autumn is the optimal time to eat Ontario-raised 100percent grass-fed beef. Sure, you can buy grass-fed beef in February, but because this fair province doesn’t offer lush fields of green in the winter, you may be disappointed. If seasonal eating is your thing, then the time for grass-fed beef is now. Here’s a primer to help answer your questions. We’ll start with some fundamentals on how beef cattle are raised, and what it means to be “grass-fed” — a term that is often thrown around without any definitive meaning.

What is conventional beef? Conventional beef production has three stages. The first is called “cow-calf.” Producers maintain herds of mature cows, mate them every 12 months and raise the calves to weaning age (about 6 months). Stage two is called “stocker” or “backgrounding.” The weaned calves are raised mainly on pasture, along with wheat or oats, for another 6 to 12 months. The animals can gain three pounds a day, reaching 750 pounds before the third stage. This is the “feedlot” stage, where the cattle are generally kept in confinement and fed mainly corn and grain until they reach the market weight of about 1,400 pounds. It is an unfortunate reality that in addition to corn and grain (which on their own are not good feed for the cattle, as we will discuss), industry byproducts are mixed into the feed to reduce the cost of production. For example: chicken feathers, chicken manure, stale bread, candy, salvaged pet food and other ungodly ingredients. A 1996 study published in the Journal of Animal Science concluded that stale chewing gum, still in its aluminum wrappers, “can safely replace at least 30 percent of growing or finishing diets without impairing feedlot performance or carcass quality.” It is also an unfortunate reality that the animals are moved from one location to another between each stage, sometimes far distances. And one final unfortunate reality of our conventional agricultural system is that about 2 percent of feedlots in North America account for over 80 percent of total beef production; just Google “CAFO” for some shocking information and photos about the realities of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.

What is grass-fed beef? There is no universally accepted definition for the term “grassfed beef.” Technically, you can walk into any butcher shop, ask for grass-fed beef, and be told, truthfully, that “all of our beef is grass-fed.” This is because grass is without a doubt a component of the feed during the animal’s lifetime. Is not telling the whole truth the same as lying? I don’t know, but that’s why I like to make the distinction by using the term “100% grass-fed beef” to signal that the cattle have only consumed grasses, never a high-energy diet of corn and grains. I am a huge proponent of the Certified Organic beef designation, but let’s lay the cards on the table: organic beef is not necessarily 100-percent grass-fed, nor should we assume it is. In order to achieve organic certification, farms must jump a lot of hurdles in terms of husbandry and humane treatment — and all feed must be organic. That means that any grains or corn fed to the cattle have been produced with no pesticides or herbicides or GMO seeds. And, of course, industry byproducts and antibiotics are forbidden. However, organic beef is generally also “finished” with a diet predominantly made up of corn or grains because this feed will bring the beef to market sooner and with more desirable “marbling” (we’ll get into that later).

A typical grass-fed farm in Ontario looks like what most of us picture a farm to be: cattle grazing on expansive pastures. 20

CityBites

To Eat Beef

photo: Mario Fiorucci

A grass-fed farm A typical grass-fed farm in Ontario looks like what most of us picture a farm to be: cattle grazing on expansive pastures. But because our sunny season is relatively short, there is a lot of science behind successful pasture-farming in Ontario. Selecting the appropriate breeds and managing pastures are keys to success. Many of the breeds common in today’s beef industry, like Limousine, Hereford and Angus, have evolved — after generations and generations of selective breeding — to require high-energy diets of grain and corn. If those cattle suddenly go on a pasture-only diet, they will not gain weight fast enough to deem them “market worthy” (though certainly they will be healthier). So, farmers choose smaller breeds.

Dennis Starkey at Grass Roots Beef in Grey County went with Canadian Galloway after much research. “The Galloway is from the Scottish Highlands,” he explains, “and is genetically predisposed to eating grass.” Starkey’s pasture is made up of various grasses (such as Timothy and Reed canarygrass) as well as legumes (including White Clover, Red Clover, Alfalfa and Trefoil). Dennis produces hay from the first cut when the pastures are mainly composed of grasses, and produces haylage from the second cut later in the season when the legumes have taken over. During the winter, Dennis feeds his animals a combination of hay with more fibrous grass and haylage with higher protein content from the legumes. Harvest 2011

Who cares about grass, anyway?

Corn v. Grass

Cattle, along with bison, sheep, goat, deer and other grazing animals are ruminant animals. Their digestive system is very different from our own. Instead of having one stomach, they have four. A ruminant animal can break down grass and other course vegetation that animals with one stomach cannot digest. Many of the plants that grow on earth cannot be used directly by humans as food. But ruminants have the ability to convert these plants and residues into high-quality protein, in the form of meat and milk. It is not just that ruminants can digest grasses, it’s more like they need to be digesting grasses to stay healthy. When cattle are fed a starchy diet made up of low-fibre grain and corn, a number of problems arise. One of the most common problems is called acidosis, which stems from lower pH in the digestive system. Other common problems associated with feedlots are

Beef finished on corn or grain

Beef fed only grass (right)

+ Taste is largely a result of higher fat content, with less complex flavour profile. (Flavour of fat overwhelms other flavours.) + Tasting descriptors of good-quality grain finished beef: juicy, tender. + Produces heavier carcass weight with more fat. + Higher in saturated fats + Less tasty, but more juicy due to higher marbling. + Consistent taste because the formula of feed and breed are set from the outset.

+ Less fat requires careful cooking to ensure steaks do not dry out. + Variable taste from year-to-year and farmer to-farmer, because of the differences in breeds, types of grasses and weather. + Common tasting notes: pure, beefy, earthy, rich. + Higher omega-3s; excellent ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. Higher antioxidant content. + Higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, B-vitamins, thiamin and riboflavin, as well as minerals, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

WINE BAR • TORONTO

CRUSH_citybites_springfl.indd 1 CityBites

15/02/2011 11:48:29 AM

photo: Cynthia Kennedy

John Rogers at Rodavon Farms in Goderich believes in the Red Devon, an English breed with a long, documented history. His farm is a full cow-calf operation, meaning the calves are born and raised on his pastures. He mates Red Devon bulls with Murray Grey cows (an Australian breed). “Devon are the besttasting beef around,” Rogers says. I’d have to agree, of all the grass-fed beef we’ve sold, his is among the best. Rogers finishes his animals on a pasture planted solely with sorghum-sudan grass, which blooms a little later in the season and is higher in sugar. All 100% grass-fed beef will be ready for market later in life compared to their grain-fed counterparts. Whereas the typical age at slaughter in the conventional industry is about 18 months, grass-fed animals are usually in the 24-30 month old range. They grow at nature’s pace.

liver abscesses, bloat, feedlot polio and dust pneumonia. The stress put on the cattle from its diet can lead to a wide range of problems from kicking at their own bellies, to eating dirt, to death. The conventional solution is to give cattle chemical additives along with a constant, low-level dose of antibiotics to prevent reactions from becoming fatal. The addition of antibiotics sub-therapeutically leads to other problems, such as antibiotic resistance in humans. Further down the line, the nutritional value of beef finished on corn and grains is reduced substantially. From a health perspective, grass-fed beef offers fewer calories than grain-fed beef and is rich in antioxidants, vitamin E, beta-carotene and vitamin C. It also offers as much omega-3 fatty acid and conjugated linoleic acid (the stuff attributed to healthy hearts and brains, and reduced risks of cancer) as fish. And furthermore, grass-fed beef farmers don’t treat their animals with hormones, antibiotics or other drugs because the cattle stay naturally healthy — they don’t need a drug fix!

What do grass-fed beef eat in winter? Grass can be preserved in two ways: dry hay and haylage. Hay is the general name for a number of dried grasses, legumes and flowers. A farmer will cut a field of grass at a specific maturity, generally just before the flowering stage, and leave the grass to dry for several days. Then it is gathered up by a baler and shaped into rectangular or cylindrical bales held together by wire. The nutritional content of hay is far less than of fresh grass.

The second method of preserving grass uses fermentation. Essentially, grass is cut, collected, than wrapped in large bales with a plastic film. The grass undergoes anaerobic fermentation which converts sugars to acids and exhausts any oxygen present in the crop material. The resulting product is haylage. If the grass is chopped and placed in a silo instead, the result is called silage. Haylage or silage retain a larger proportion of nutrients than merely dried hay. Since hay and haylage are not as nutrient-rich as fresh grass, grass-fed cattle typically maintain or lose weight in winter. This is why grass-fed beef is a seasonal product, available mainly late-summer to early winter.

The Taste Test The flavour, smell, and texture of grass-fed beef differs vastly from grain-fed beef. By far the biggest difference is as a result of the intramuscular fat, or “marbling.” In the 1920s, the beef industry created a voluntary grading system. The grading of beef in Canada to be either Canada A, Canada AA, Canada AAA, or Canada Prime is perhaps one of the biggest scams in the industry; all as a result of feedlots stuffing their cattle with cheap corn to gain ginormous amounts of saturated fat. To clarify, I’m not in any way saying that more fat in a steak doesn’t increase the level of juiciness or enjoyment. But there is a difference between “quality” and “juiciness.” For that matter, by far, bar none, the best steak I have ever tasted was from an Ontario-raised, 100-percent grass-fed beef that graded

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Grass-fed fat is yellow, indicating high beta carotene.

a mere AA. I believe that flavour comes more from the food the cattle ate, not the amount of fat. I would even go as far as to say fat hides the true flavour by masking it in juiciness. I love fat. I practically drink olive oil, I eat full-fat yogurt, the creamier the cheese the better — and, of course, good marbling in a cut of meat is essential to ultimate enjoyment. However, we must keep in mind that moderation is the key to health. To demand AAA and Prime marbling year-round is a direct route to a bad heart and a meal of cholesterol pills. The flavour profile of Ontario 100-percent grass-fed beef when it’s in season, from a farmer who carefully selects breeds and grasses, is far more complex than grain-finished beef and should be enjoyed just like any other seasonal food.

I have had to wipe down my keyboard three times as I wrote this article (August 15, 2011). That’s because I have enjoyed eating four juicy, perfectly ripe, sweet Ontario peaches. Sure, our generation has become used to the availability of virtually any type of fruit, vegetable, meat or fish, year-round. But without a doubt, this bowl of Ontario peaches in front of me is superior to any peaches shipped from California in the middle of winter. The same goes for Ontario 100-percent grassfed cattle, or for that matter, any 100-percent pasture-raised animal in Ontario, be it elk, deer, bison or lamb. Pasture-raised animals produce meat with benefits. The animals, Mother Nature and consumers are happier and healthier. Enjoy the season while it lasts. CB Mario Fiorucci, along with his wife Tara Longo co-founded The Healthy Butcher in 2005 to provide a source for Ontario’s best meat. They support more than 75 local farmers and are the largest buyer of 100-percent grass-fed Ontario beef.

CityBites

photo: Cynthia Kennedy

Pasture-raised animals produce meat with benefits.

Farmers’ markets

By Kate More

Playing the Field at the Farmers’ Markets It’s open season every day of the week at markets all over the city Playing the field has never been easier. With a variety of farmers markets open every day of the week in Toronto, the best local goods are always ripe for the picking. No more waiting to score on Saturdays! Hit up Toronto’s outdoor farmers markets during the week for fresh produce and a bounty of local meats, cheeses and other yummy treats. The mix of sunshine, fresh air and neighbourhood-quirky atmospheres makes each visit an outside-the-lunchbox experience. Love the thrill of the chase? Then check out a different spot every night this week. But always arrive early, ’cause early birds get the…goods. Here’s our dish on the best of Toronto’s weekly markets.

Sorauren park

Monday Sorauren Park Farmer’s Market 3 – 7 p.m. 50 Wabash Ave. Open year-round

This quaint market may hold back on the bells and whistles, but not on the quality. Located near a baseball diamond and small dog park, the scene may include some woofs and muddy 12-year olds, but it’s a lovely spot to grab top-notch produce and goods. Don’t Miss: The Better Than Salt herb blend from Heritage Line Herbs — it really does make everything taste better, especially buttered popcorn. Also, say hi to Carole Ferrari, owner of the Local Café and driver of The Bus Kitchen, a mobile yum-factory that churns out treats like fiddlehead bruschetta and rhubarb mint cobbler. tuesday Riverdale Farm Farmers’ Market 3 – 7 p.m. 201 Winchester St. Open May 17 to Oct. 25

photo: laura berman/greenfusephotos.com

A must for all local-food fans who have kids, or at least appreciate the same things kids like: visiting farm animals and splashing about in wading pools. But kin or no kin, if you love ersatz small-town charm, then Riverdale Farm is the best thing about Cabbagetown — and the farmers’ market is a close second. The rustic atmosphere makes the spot and the fact that you can pick up everything you need for a week… well, that seals the deal. Don’t Miss: The maple chip-smoked whitefish and lake trout from Akiwenzie’s Fish & More. It’s a small First Nations family business and they catch their own fish just north of Wiarton on the Bruce Peninsula. Also pay a visit to Hratch at the Toorshi Foods stall and try a sample of Savoury Garlic pickles or Tangy Turnips. No one can touch the pickling or toorshi-making skills of the Vartanian family. They’ve been doing it for 50 years! Last but not least, cool off your trip with a lemongrass iced tea at Chandra’s. wednesday Nathan Phillips Square Farmers’ Market 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. 100 Queen St. W. Open June 1 to Oct. 19

It’s urban meets rural when this open public space is taken over by country folk selling their wares and city dwellers looking for some downhome eats without leaving downtown. Besides the free noon-hour concert series in summer, people-watching gets top billing here. Do it while nibbling on some treats by the fountain. Don’t Miss: The Cheese of Canada booth for the crème de la crème selection of triple cream, soft and fresh, hard and aged Canadian cheeses. Grab a country lunchbox from the Kurtz Orchards stall and enjoy a farm-fresh meal amidst the downtown chaos. Harvest 2011

Farmers’ Markets

By xxxxxxxx

CityBites

thursday

friday

Dufferin Grove Farmers’ Market

Market by the Bluffs

3 p.m. – 7 p.m. 875 Dufferin St. Open year-round

3 p.m. – 7 p.m. BirchCliff Village, 1512 Kingston Rd.

A popular spot for outdoor events, Dufferin Grove is famous for its year-round and always-bustling farmers market. But the coolest thing about this classic organic market? Every Thursday from 8 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon bakers use the two huge wood-burning ovens located in the park to bake bread to sell later in the day. Then, after 3 o’clock, the wood ovens are available for public use! You’ve never tasted fresh bread until you’ve tasted bread like this. Don’t Miss: The hot drinkable chocolate from Chocosol. The Grove is also chock-full of savoury snack stalls like Bestbaa, which is the spot for lamb chops, sheep’s milk yogurt and cheeses. Also, see Alli of Alli’s Bakery for her cheesy Jalapeño Screamers before popping over to Sosnicki Farms for some sauerkraut, perogies and cabbage rolls.

Scarborough. Open June 10 to October 7

This picturesque outdoor market is quite the community affair. With live music and face-painting for kids, there’s something to tickle everyone’s fancy. It may seem a little far for urbanites, but a short drive for delicious food and the view of Lake Ontario from the Bluffs makes this spot well worth the trip. Don’t miss: Picking up the ‘Stupid Hot’ hot sauce and Rose Petal Vinaigrette from Full Feeling Fine Foods. The Cake Town stall also demands a visit, especially to sample the Persian Lime Crunch Cake or Coconut Macaroon Cake. The folks at Cake Town, like most vendors, use no preservatives, additives, artificial colours or flavours. Their products are made with unbleached flour, cane sugar and organic or natural ingredients.

photo: laura berman/greenfusephotos.com

Dufferin grove

Evergreen Brick Works Saturday Evergreen Brick Works Farmers’ Market 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. 550 Bayview Ave. Open year-round

This gastronomical giant is a favourite of Toronto chefs. The Brick Works Pavillion, a 27,000 square-foot covered outdoor area, becomes an empire of vendor stalls each Saturday morning. In winter, everybody moves inside to an equally vast space,the Young Welcome Centre. The market is home to events that run the gamut from do-it-yourself workshops and demonstrations to programs promoting organic produce, artisan jewellery and woodworking. Don’t miss: Getting a naturally raised, grass-fed and grass-finished Dexter beef steak for your weekend BBQ and some Dijon from the Koslick’s Mustard stall for a fine glaze. Don’t leave without visiting Vicki and Tom at Vicki’s Veggies for their heirloom tomatoes and sweet corn. sunday Liberty Village Farmers’ Market 9 a.m. – 2 p.m 34 Hanna Ave. Open June 5 to Oct. 30

This market may have some growing to do, but there’s still considerable loyalty from the neighborhood. Every Sunday, fresh-seekers emerge from their condos and brunch patios to peruse the market’s lovely selection of quality produce and goods. Don’t miss: Sweetening your morning tea with honey or your beauty regime with face cream from Bees Universe. After this, man up and try Tim and Mary’s spicy buffalo jerky and sausages from Peterborough Buffalo Farm. Round off the day at Kind Organics for their salad blends, wheat grass and edible flowers.

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food with passion

tempo    

Harvest 2011

By Ivy Knight

Market correction A new kind of community hub makes the scene Imagine an indoor market just steps from Queen West that’s dogfriendly and licensed for liquor. A year-round playground where urban foodsters and lululemon moms with screaming kids can get heirloom tomatoes while the snow swirls outside. It’s not a dream. It’s here. Housed in the 99 Sudbury complex where Two Brothers Catering.

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Oasis and Mildred Pierce used to be, the 99 MRKT is forging a new market scene. Expect to see kids selling custom skateboards in the booth next to the requisite artisanal baker. The annoying earnestness of the typical farmer’s market is going to get a kick in the pants from 99. Did I mention it’s licensed? Inside, one large room houses

the vendors, the other a dining area where customers can enjoy a spicy Caesar from the bar and a plate of spit-roasted pork from Two Brothers Catering [watch for their opening in the old Bar One spot on Queen West]. There’s fresh roasted coffee from Full of Beans, honey from the Bee Shop, herb fougasse and sourdough baguette from Nice Buns Bakery, even bacon-infused maple syrup from L’Eat Express. Sounds like a typical farmer’s market so far, but wait! There are makeup tutorials at Christine Cho’s booth, Jool scarves, Katherine Song Jewelry and handbags and shoes on display at Jacqueline Buscombe’s Netty Vintage booth. “Our goal here has always been to provide the community with a fun and relaxing space to show-

case what’s available in this neck of the woods. Not just food, but fashion and art as well,” says 99 Sudbury’s Dejan Lasic. “We want to be a community hub.” Outside, there are two large patios — and more vendors when the weather’s nice. There’s always some BBQ happening — you might find Jacob and Lucas SharkeyPearce of Two Brothers obsessing over a pristine pig, or Massive Catering’s Brian Butler mopping his Granny’s secret jerk sauce over grilled chicken and pork. The Food Dudes like to mix it up at their booth, one Sunday serving prosciutto and smoked mozzarella grilled cheese, the next pulled brisket on homemade brioche. “We’ve seen it get busier every week,” says Food Dudes’ Devan Rajkumar. “People are excited to find things here that they can’t find anywhere else.” Every Sunday, 11 a.m – 5 p.m., rain or shine, sleet or snow. 99sudbury.ca

photo: ann gagno

Farmers’ Markets

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The Cocktail Files

By Jen Agg

Opening Night Jitters Creating the bar of my dreams meant dealing with a few nightmares Opening a restaurant is hard. Really hard. You put your hands on it, you beg, borrow and steal, and you start doubting yourself, despite a â&#x20AC;&#x201D; letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say â&#x20AC;&#x201D; well-rounded ego. But as hard as it was to open The Black Hoof, it was Cocktail Bar that really punched me in the stomach. The stress of running the Hoof combined with a pretty big makeover of the former Hoof CafĂŠ space was almost too much. I have been dreaming about and planning my most perfect cocktail bar for more than 15 years. Ever since I started in this business, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve enjoyed creating the spaces in which the business happens. So it was with great pleasure that I started to put the plans for The Hoofâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cocktail bar into action. First order of business was to de-CafĂŠ. I loved the menu Geoff Hopgood created and still dream about his bacon and waffles, but as cute as the Hoof CafĂŠ was, it needed refreshing. Something a little more sophisticated, a little more adult. First step was to track down a Malm fireplace. Design Within Reach â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which is actually totally out of reach and therefore incorrectly named â&#x20AC;&#x201D; sourced it for us. Then it only took three times as long as promised to arrive. Installing the thing was another matter. Nevermind that our landlord thinks not having a furnace is perfectly acceptable given our mild climate. The fireplace was our seemingly affordable solution, but there was nowhere for the pipe to go except through the apartment upstairs. Luckily, Brandon, head chef at the Hoof, took a break on rent in trade for having a pipe go through his hallway. (Thanks, man!) Next our amazing carpenters built a beautiful oak bench that runs the length of the small room, and I spent many hours staining it with white â&#x20AC;&#x153;picklingâ&#x20AC;? stain. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done a lot of staining, but this product was hell to work with. Beautiful result though. Then I had to take down the acorn wallpaper chosen because acorns are the main diet of Black Hoof pigs. That was hard; the wallpaper really made the CafĂŠ. Before I settled on the matte slate-grey paint that is there now, I tried a super-bright aqua. I loved it, or so I had convinced myself. But it was universally loathed, so I changed it. The finishing detail is an excerpt from my piece â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vodka is Stupid.â&#x20AC;? Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a banner that looks like weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all pro vodka until you read whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s underneath.

Speaking of vodka, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve decided we wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sell any. There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even a bottle hiding under the bar for friends or desperados. It was a decision that came easily. You have to believe in the products you sell. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe in vodka. So far (weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in week five now) it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been a problem. Yes people have asked for vodka, but I just make them a Corpse Reviver No. 2, which is gin-based with Lillet, Cointreau, simple syrup, lemon and a wee bit of absinthe. I tell them: If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t love it, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay. Havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lost one yet.

Yes, people have asked for vodka, but I just make them a Corpse Reviver No. 2. I tell them: If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t love it, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay. Havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lost one yet. I made the menu very quickly. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m embarrassed to admit that a couple of drinks made it to the printed version (designed by the talented Christian Buer) before they got tested. Fortunately, they worked out or there would have been a situation. Last, and most importantly, I needed staff. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a bit of a gut decision, and in this case I was way off. After many interviews I chose two guys, and neither lasted through opening day. All I could do was start stirring. I worked five full bar services, which would be fine if I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t 35 and running the Hoof full-time. But the indefatigable Tommy Cheng and I banged it out for a couple of weeks before finding the lovely Ainaz. She has a degree in bio-chem, which could explain why she makes such fabulous cocktails. And now, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all humming along. With the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;40â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soundJEN AGG is co-owner of The Black Hoof restaurant. track and the energy of the As enthusiastic as she is crowd, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really happy with about libations in general how it feels. After 15 years of (and Manhattans in thinking about the details, I particular), she understands finally have the cocktail bar where cocktails lie on the scale of â&#x20AC;&#x153;important things.â&#x20AC;? of my dreams. CB

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Szabo on Wine

By John Szabo MS

Wine, naturally

Illustration: Pierre Lamielle

A new movement in wine is both confusing and delicious There are wines described as sustainable, organic, biodynamic… and now, natural. I was in Montreal recently where wine culture is, admittedly, more developed than in Toronto. If this summer’s scene in the wine bars of St. Laurent and Avenue du Parc portend our future, than get ready to hear a lot more about “natural wines.” Though the term “vin naturel” has been used in France since the 1970s, only in the last couple of years has the loosely defined natural wine movement begun to spread. A little research reveals that despite representing only a small fraction of wines available in this country, the group influence, especially among opinion makers is disproportionately high. So I was, er, naturally curious to learn more. We know that in the food world the term is all but meaningless. So is it mere wine marketing bafflegab? This is not entirely clear. Organic and biodynamic wines have more or less standardized and internationally recognized certification bodies. Not so for natural wines. It’s an uncontrolled term without any codification. For the moment it’s like a secret handshake or a wink among people in the know: harmless to outsiders, but charged with all sorts of meaning to insiders. In a world full of polarizing arguments, “natural wine” is one of the most polemic topics out there, inciting lots of chat room brawls and face-to-face fisticuffs. “Even defining the term [natural] incites the sort of Talmudic bickering usually reserved for philosophers and sports talk-radio hosts,” writes Eric Asimov of the New York Times. To start, most can agree on the broad strokes: natural wines are grown without synthetic pesticides or herbicides (like organic or biodynamic wines), but then treated with minimal intervention in the winery. It’s on the last point where the various definitions diverge. Even the charter on the website of the Associations des Vins Naturels is ambiguous, stating that “a natural wine is made only from ripe, healthy grapes using a minimum of manipulation.” Since grapes don’t crush them-selves, humans have to intervene at some point. But where to draw the line on intervention and still be natural? We can easily eliminate the obvious unnatural no-nos: artificial flavours like chocolate essence (yes, that’s legal and widely

used), powdered tannins, tartaric acid from a bag, aroma-enhancing super-yeasts, colour- and flavourextracting enzymes, body-boosting gum Arabica, and similar manipulations from the modern winemaker’s bag of tricks. But what of chaptalization, the practice of adding sugar to raise alcohol that is widely practiced in natural-wine bastions like the Loire Valley and Beaujolais? Or plain water to lower alcohol — water is natural, isn’t it? Can the wine be filtered, flavoured with new wood? And how about contentious sulphur dioxide, used in bottle to keep oxygen at bay? And so on. There is plenty to consider. Back in Montréal, as curious as ever, I talk and taste my way across the city. I sit, on several occasions, blankly staring at a wine list containing names, places and producers never seen before. It’s an old, almost forgotten feeling, disorienting and baffling — like what the rest of the world must feel when faced with a wine list frustratingly devoid of any recognizable brands. It’s thrilling and exhilarating. I taste some esoteric and downright weird wines to be sure, but mostly fine and even transcendental wines. And in retrospect, I realize that some of the most remarkable drinking experiences I’ve had have been with natural wines. These are the vinous equivalents of raw milk cheese or 45-day dry aged beef. That is, not for everyone. But I’m looking forward John Szabo MS prefers to the emergence of the his wine straight up and natural-wine scene in natural, and tweets Toronto, and especially @johnszabo. Looking for the tough work of sorting the best wine buying club out the truly natural from in Ontario? Check out sommelierservice.com the merely natural. CB

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Harvest 2011

the ej

By Konrad Ejbich

Ontario’s unsung wine region Great strides and new obstacles in Lake Erie North Shore

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Canada’s most under-appreciated wine region, Lake Erie North Shore (LENS), has much to celebrate. It has the warmest climate in the province and easily ripens those big cabernets, merlots and bacos virtually every vintage. Land prices in Essex and Kent counties have not kept pace with Niagara Peninsula or Prince Edward County, where they’ve gone through the roof. Even the provincial government is behind you all the way and really wants you to succeed, so it can take almost all of what you earn. A reality check for potential investors must include the not-so-positive factors. Auto-town Windsor and its environs is the most economically depressed region in the country, and even if it wasn’t, it’s primarily a beer and booze town. Wine is rarely a first choice for thirsty farmers, line workers or machinists. American tourism has dropped significantly in the past decade — to be precise, since September 11, 2001. Lake Erie North Shore is far from Toronto, where the greatest volume of drinking occurs. From my home, I can drive to the Niagara Peninsula in an hour and to Prince Edward County in two and a bit. LENS is four to five hours at least, depending on how good you are at avoiding pee-breaks and radar. AM With the Internet, however, all these obstacles can be overcome, except one. If people don’t know about you, you don’t exist. Recently, I attended LENS’s 17th annual Vintage Tasting, staged this year on the grounds of Nancy and Bernie Gorski’s Colchester Ridge Estate Winery in Harrow. The tent-event drew 500 attendees, mostly from Windsor, Chatham, Sarnia and London, but also from Illinois, Michigan, New York State, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. I met one person from Toronto. In my seminar on Big Reds, folks got to taste tremendous ripeness, richness, power and depth in young and old wines going back to 1997 from solid local performers like Colchester Ridge, Muscedere, Smith & Wilson, Sprucewood Shores and Pelee Island Winery. There’s another big one coming up Konrad ejbich is a member of the Wine Writer’s Circle of Canada. He this weekend: the Shores of Erie Festival, writes for Style at Home magazine Sept. 9 – 11, in the picturesque village of and answers caller questions on CBC Amherstburg, this region’s equivalent to Radio’s Ontario Today. He’s currently Niagara-on-the-Lake. updating his Pocket Guide to Ontario I’ll be there. Perhaps I’ll run into that Wines, Wineries, Vineyards & Vines. Follow twitter.com/WineZone fellow from Toronto, again. CB

LENS losing focus?

CMY

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Meanwhile, there’s grumbling and hushed talk in the region of abandoning the LENS appellation for some other moniker. Some players, it appears, think LENS is too vague and misrepresents the positive qualities of the area. They argue that “Lake Erie” has no cachet and “North Shore” suggests northness and cold, whereas the region is the southernmost and warmest part of Canada. They say they want a new name and are willing to spend a lot of money promoting it. Others argue the old name is just fine and let’s spend the same cash promoting it. I like the existing name but, hey, I’m all for helping out when there’s a serious dilemma like this. How about calling it: The Region Formerly Known as Lake Erie North Shore? That has cachet, doesn’t it?

Whither Pelee?

While wineries in LENS squabble over piddly things, somebody has it out real bad for the Pelee Island Winery. VQA-Ontario, the regulatory body of all things wine in this province, is considering the elimination of the Pelee Island appellation altogether. It wants to re-designate the winery as part of Lake Erie North Shore. Does a powerful competitor working behind the scenes have it in for the winery? Or is this just the work of idle minds? Just wondering...

Shall Remain Nameless

In unrelated news, Coffin Ridge Estate Winery, located on beautiful Georgian Bay, tells me in an email they have hired “a very talented, established winemaker from Niagara,” but they won’t say who he or she is. Not just yet.

libations

By Stephen Beaumon

Back to School Booze

Highland Park 12-Year-Old Single Malt, $59.95

When I’m asked how I trained to be a professional drinker, my response is always the same: “Practice, practice, practice.” Sure, you can, and should, learn about various kinds of beers, wines and spirits by reading books written by any number of authorities — my own bookshelves are filled to overflowing with such volumes — but until you actually put the liquid in a glass and the glass to your lips, it’s all just so much thirst-inducing theory. That said, I have through the years centred on a handful of spirits that go further than most towards explaining their type in a sip or three. These are not what I would call definitive tipples, but rather ones that help flatten the learning curve, making complex concepts that much easier to grasp. Such as the following: Plymouth Gin: A lot of people don’t like gin because of the juniper content. I understand that — it’s a tricky flavour to get your head around — and I also get why some of those same folk turn to aromatic, non-juniper-heavy gins like Bombay Sapphire and Hendrick’s. But you’ll never truly understand gin by drinking those brands, any more than you’ll appreciate the beauty of a hamburger through eating a really good veggie burger. Which is where Plymouth fits in. It’s juniper-led, no doubt — just take a whiff — but on the palate it’s gentler than a London Dry like Beefeater or Tanqueray, ballsier than the newly arrived G’Vine. And it mixes well with dry vermouth in a martini or equal parts Campari and sweet vermouth in a negroni. Understand Plymouth Gin and you will understand gin. Period. appleton v/x rum: Rum is a curious spirit. It is largely unregulated in some districts, strictly controlled in others, and subject to all sorts of indignities in between. It can also be clear as water, dark as night or pretty much anything in between. In Jamaica, however, they have tight controls over what is and is not rum, and most of what comes out of their largest distillery, Wray & Nephew, is damn fine rum. Appleton V/X is their basic brand, oak-aged, but not declared as such because the distillery blends barrels of various distillations to achieve their ideal constant, much like Scottish whisky blenders. Like most rums, it is distilled from molasses, a fact confirmed by a single sniff. Beyond that, however, there is a remarkable amount of character and complexity in this spirit, from fruity notes to distinct flavours of spice, even a slight breadiness. Other, more expensive rums will deliver greater impact, but for a solid intro to what rum can and, indeed, should be, you could do a lot worse than this moderately priced gem. highland park 12 year old: The single spirit most likely to confound people is single malt Scotch whisky, as intimidating as high-end wine, but with the bonus of a potent, often smoky bite. Everyone wants to love it, but it’s difficult to know where to begin. This is where. Scotland’s northernmost distillery, Highland Park makes the dram the late drinks writer Michael Jackson once characterized as “the greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whisky.” It is an island whisky and often claimed to have a slightly briny “island character” — although I’m more than a bit sceptical that such a thing actually exists — along with a peaty, moderately smoky, sweetly malty body which, if you were not to know its pedigree, might lead you to believe it hailed from almost any of Scotland’s whisky regions. Which is precisely the point. As whisky boundaries and their simplified characterizations gradually melt away, whiskies are best typified as expressions of their distilleries, rather than of their broader districts. In which regard Highland Park is both singular Stephen Beaumont has just put the finishing touches and remarkable, speaking equally to its on his next book, The World Orkney heritage and the broader nature Atlas of Beer, co-written with of Scotch whisky as a whole. And, as the British scribe Tim Webb and old school song says, a very good place scheduled for release next to start. CB spring. Keep up with Stephen at worldofbeer.com.

at the LCBO The Lucky Country Wines deliver great taste and value. You can now share and enjoy the experience of what makes Australia the “Lucky Country.”

2009 Shiraz Price: $15.85 | #145276 Dark, zesty, fun with a licorice burst. Intense texture; silky, dense, flavourful and easy to drink. All around great Aussie Shiraz.

2010 Rose Price: $12.95 | #234427 Fun,

refreshing

and

light

bodied! This Aussie Rose is perfect for a summer lunch or on its own anytime.

Appleton Estate V/X Rum, $25.95

Plymouth Gin, $25.15

Three lessons that demand intense study

Visit our website for information about our wines, tasting notes, store locations, events, and more!

www.bwwines.com

Since 1985

Celebrating Ontario’s Bounty! In house sausage with local and seasonal ingredients.

New from the deli applewood smoked Birkshire ham, Hormone, Antibiotic and Nitrate free Roast Beef H & A free Montreal style smoked brisket. purveyors of local, hormone and antibiotic-free beef, pork and chicken

1968 DANFORTH AVE. 416-421-1029 WWW.ROYALBEEF.CA Harvest 2011

One last bite

Drive a truck through it Toronto needs more good food on wheels and this event proves it

Who doesn’t love big trucks and good food?

Truck Stop

The next food truck event happens Oct. 1 at the Distillery. See foodtruckeats.ca or ontariofoodtrucks on Facebook.

CityBites

photos: Ann Gagno

Ask any kid. Or, if recent events have proven, ask any epicurious Torontonian. The second in a trilogy of food-truck jams went off last month in the Distillery, with the promise of gourmet food, served hot and fresh — for $5 or less. This is gourmet food on wheels, not to be confused with “food-served-fast”. The waits can be long, but still more than 10,000 people showed up, almost three times the attendance at the first demonstration earlier this summer. Organizer and passionate promoter of good edible Suresh Doss (spotlighttoronto.com) anticipated the throng, bringing in 13 food trucks — including famous out-of-towners El Gastrónomo Vagabundo, as well as newcomers Caplansky’s — to show off for a salivating crowd. Clearly Doss has galvanized the culinary block — perhaps City Hall will take note. It’s time our street food scene got a little hipper.

STRATFORD

your culinary escape

Stroll the shops on an Edible Stratford tour. Or how about exploring our Chocolate Trail? Enjoy Saturday Tastings, through the winter and spring, savouring unique pairings of foods. Bring friends along to share our culinary passion guided by local food artisans and innovative chefs – a culinary escape at chic inns and heritage B & Bs. Join us at the one-of-a-kind Stratford Garlic Festival, September 10-11, or the Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival, September 24-25, voted “Best Culinary Tourism Experience in Ontario”.

www.visitstratford.ca

November 26 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 27, 2011 Metro Toronto Convention Centre

Featuring Food Network Celebrity Chefs

Massimo Capra

Lynn Crawford

Nadia G

Chuck Hughes

Mark McEwan

David Rocco

Support breast and ovarian cancer research at Mount Sinai Hospital. DONATE to your favourite chef or REGISTER for your chance to participate on stage in the ultimate culinary battle.

Visit www.chefschallengeforacure.com today! For exciting updates follow us on

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