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Food Events - 2013 - (Toronto and rest of Ontario)

Oh darn, had I known, I would have introduced myself! I was with the very first group in line 1.

Great event -- food was really excellent almost across the board. And I loved the thought and creativity that went into the construction of the booths.

about 18 hours ago
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Mexican Chorizo in Toronto, who has the best?

Doh, I was thinking of Segovia, not Sanagan's!

Jun 17, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Mexican Chorizo in Toronto, who has the best?

Sanagan's had some good Mexican chorizo.

Jun 17, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

BBQ tools for Father's Day

Maybe the Calphalon store downtown?

Jun 14, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Tabule on Queen E.

Just to confirm -- you mean Tabule, right? Or is there another spot that uses the Tabouli spelling?

Jun 14, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Sponge cake, chiffon cake

Rose Levy Berenbaum's White Velvet Cake is a fantastic cake with strawberries and cream.

http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/rec...

Jun 13, 2013
TorontoJo in Home Cooking

Haisai

http://richmondstation.ca/

It's dropped off of google for some reason. I had to go to their facebook page to find the link.

Jun 13, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Burger grind question: chuck/brisket combination ok?

OK, great to know, thank you!

Jun 13, 2013
TorontoJo in Home Cooking

Best restaurant open on a Monday?

I'm pretty sure the regular menu at Chantecler is lettuce wraps and a few sides only.

The tasting menu is booked solid through end of August.

Jun 13, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Burger grind question: chuck/brisket combination ok?

Went to my local farmer to pick up a blade roast (which, as far as I can tell, is the common term for chuck roasts up here in the great white north - but please correct me if I'm wrong!) to grind for burgers. Noticed she had some brisket, so I thought I'd try throwing that into my burger, too.

I have about 2.9 lbs. of blade/chuck (?) roast and 3.8 lbs of brisket. Would that balance be ok, or should I cut back on the brisket and save some for other uses? I've always just used chuck or a combo of chuck and sirloin in the past, so I don't know what impact brisket has on flavor and texture.

If it makes a difference, the beef is from 100% grass-fed cows (Galloways).

Jun 13, 2013
TorontoJo in Home Cooking

NOTL: What's happening? Recommendations for summer 2013?

Yes, it does. Very pretty. Peller has a more formal "white table clothes" feel than Trius.

Jun 12, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Chocolate cake with cream filling recipe help please!!!

Here's an option with a stabilized whipped cream filling.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

Jun 11, 2013
TorontoJo in Home Cooking

NOTL: What's happening? Recommendations for summer 2013?

For location purposes, Garrison House, the Saturday morning farmers market and the Wednesday evening suppermarket are in the plaza with the Shopper's Drug Mart directly across from Jackson Trigg's winery.

If you like bigger, richer red wines than you can usually find in Niagara, do visit Colaneri and Foreign Affair. Both are owned by Italian families and both make appassimento and ripasso style wines. And if you are planning on visiting Dillon's distillery, Foreign Affair is right at the Victoria Street exit at the QEW.

If you venture into the Beamsville Bench area, there is a new walking trail that connects 7 of the wineries on the Bench:

http://www.grazethebench.com/2013/05/...

Jun 11, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Kathi Roll Express

This photo on twitter really makes me want one!

https://twitter.com/spotlightcity/sta...

Sounds like it was pretty quiet in there today.

Jun 11, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

NOTL: What's happening? Recommendations for summer 2013?

And Pillitteri Winery usually has a good food truck stationed at the winery on the weekends.

Jun 11, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

NOTL: What's happening? Recommendations for summer 2013?

Oh, and a shout out to Dillon's Small Batch Distillers. If you are a fan of spirits, they are a must visit on your way in or out of NOTL. From NOTL, take QEW to Victoria St. exit and take the service road a couple of kms to Tufford Road.

Jun 11, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

NOTL: What's happening? Recommendations for summer 2013?

When are you going to be in NOTL and for how long?

You can never go wrong with Stone Road Grille. New chef de cuisine, still going strong.

Treadwell's is supposed to open on Queen St. on June 28. I believe their last service in Port Dalhousie is June 16, though I'm not positive on this date.

If you go to Ravine (one of my fave spots in the area) and you're not in the mood for a bistro meal, sit at the hearth bar outside and get one of their excellent pizzas. They make the pizzas on the spot and bake them in the wood-fired oven right there. Pizza and wine or beer overlooking the vineyards is not a bad way to spend your lunch.

Garrison House is a great wine country gastropub with the best burger and fries in the area. In a small plaza on Niagara Stone Road, where Tony DeLuca's last restaurant was. Other menu items are very good, too. A great option for a more moderately priced meal in the area.

The Pie Plate is a perennial favourite of mine, for their kickass pies, but also for a nice, inexpensive bite for lunch (pizzas, salads, quiches, sandwiches, awesome meat pies). They also happen to be across the street from Silversmith Brewery, one of the two new craft breweries to open in the last year. The other is Oast House, just down Niagara Stone Road. Both are worth a visit. Good stuff.

If you're here on a Saturday morning, go to the small, but vibrant farmers market at the Village (the same plaza where Garrison House is) and get breakfast from The Yellow Pear, a new and seriously excellent food truck that uses almost exclusively produce and products from local farms and artisans.

If you're here on a Wednesday night, get dinner at the SupperMarket, also at the Village. A great line up of food trucks and local food vendors. El Gastro, The Yellow Pear, Tide and Vine, Manual Labour Coffee, Hometown Ice Cream, Avella's wood fired pizza, Ravine (they serve up their AWESOME ribs and beans), Garrison House (serving up their burger and fries), Shriner's Creek Popcorn, and many more. It's a huge draw for locals and one of the highlights of my week.

If you're here on the first Monday of the month, go to the Earth & Sky music market at Chateau des Charmes. Food and music in the vineyard.

If you're here on August 11, go the SummerMarket at Stratus. Food trucks, crafty artisans and live music. Fantastic event in a gorgeous setting.

Do NOT patronize any of the charming-looking, but overpriced and poor quality restaurants on the main drag in old town (except for Treadwell's, of course). In addition to being not very good, several of them are de-listing wines from wineries that support food trucks (seriously). Totally uncool.

The restaurants at Peller Estates and Trius are still good for a splurgy meal. I prefer Trius, personally.

Terroir La Cachette at Strewn is supposed to be good, but I haven't been yet.

There are some very cool dinners planned during the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration July 19 - 21, including a BBQ dinner at Trius and Victor Barry (from Splendido) at Hidden Bench in Beamsville:

http://www.coolchardonnay.org/page-sc...

I haven't been to Benchmark, though it's on my to do list. I've gotten mixed reviews.

Jun 11, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)
1

cupcake bakery style frosting

Perfect, thank you. Can't wait to try this!

Jun 11, 2013
TorontoJo in Home Cooking

Yuba, beancurd or tofu skin... where can you get it in Toronto?

I think you missed Charles' point -- he said all Chinese grocery stores. Not the heath stores you went to.

Jun 11, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

cupcake bakery style frosting

Ooh, yum! I may try a batch with coconut sugar.

Jun 10, 2013
TorontoJo in Home Cooking

Help with Dinner Party planning (vegetarian, paleo, and meat-eaters in the mix)!

Too late for this dinner, but here's a menu that I made a few months ago for a crazy combination of dietary restrictions (various combinations of no meat, no gluten, no carbs, no refined sugars, no alcohol, no cow dairy).

Apps:
- grapes rolled in goat cheese and chopped almonds (goat cheese was ok for the lactose-free guest)
- roasted cauliflower and garlic dip served with crudites
- a platter of prosciutto, parm and figs drizzled with aged balsamic (had to have something for the carnivores and cheese eaters!)

1st course:
- garlic and white wine sauteed shrimp served on a grapefruit, avocado and jicama salad.

2nd course:
- roasted tomato soup with a parmesan frico (no frico for the lactose-free guest)

Intermezzo:
- pear, lime and ginger sorbet sweetened with honey

Main course:
- seared salmon with a Korean marinade and glaze over sauteed spinach
- stir-fried baby bok choy and shiitake mushrooms
- basmati rice (left this out for the no-carb couple)

Dessert:
- Brown butter, pecan cornmeal cake topped with berries and bourbon whipped cream (no cake, just fruit and cream for the no carb couple)

For your vegetarian friends, I'd leave the shrimp off the first course and sub marinated tofu for fish in the main course.

Jun 10, 2013
TorontoJo in Home Cooking
1

cupcake bakery style frosting

chowser, how much ganache do you add? I've tried to make this chocolate once, using a combination of cocoa powder and a couple of squares of chocolate. Not chocolatey enough for me, but ganache sounds like it would be great.

Jun 10, 2013
TorontoJo in Home Cooking

cupcake bakery style frosting

It's so good and so easy that I still wonder that it's not a better known style. I love that it has so much less sugar and butter than most current frostings.

Good stuff!

Jun 10, 2013
TorontoJo in Home Cooking
2

Mid-range dinner in Yorkville; No steak, no sushi

Yep, got you the first time. ;o)

Jun 10, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Cut Resistant Gloves

Oh, good point, I wear mine when I'm using my microplaner, too. I started that after I microplaned my wrist...eww.

Jun 10, 2013
TorontoJo in Cookware

Cut Resistant Gloves

I love, love, love my kevlar gloves. Now I don't think twice when using my mandoline.

Jun 10, 2013
TorontoJo in Cookware
1

Mid-range dinner in Yorkville; No steak, no sushi

Oy, sorry, I guess I've misremembered the price point at Mideastro. Thanks for the correction!

Jun 10, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Expensive and Ugly looking French Pastries at 'Patisserie La Cigogne!

Not specifically Nova Estoril, but I certainly had my fair share of Portuguese bakery sampling over the years. In the 90s, my Portuguese in-laws' "go to" bakery was Nova Era. But I prefer Doce Minho over Nova Era in general.

If you haven't tried Seara Bakery on Keele, you should check it out. Mostly because it's also right next door to Churrasqueira Estrela, which has some of the best Portuguese churrasco chicken in town.

Jun 09, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Expensive and Ugly looking French Pastries at 'Patisserie La Cigogne!

Yep, there is an entire parking lot directly across from the entrance.

Jun 09, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)

Expensive and Ugly looking French Pastries at 'Patisserie La Cigogne!

Sorry, I don't drink coffee, so haven't tried it.

I also like the sugared yeast doughnuts there and the various Portuguese breads.

Jun 09, 2013
TorontoJo in Ontario (inc. Toronto)