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CityBites issue 39 Fall 2011
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Plus! Michael SMith + labelS on Meat + GerMan beer + Food bloGGinG
| FREE |FALL 2011
3 comfort reciPes from: Jesse Vallins + TREvoR KiTchEn And BARHoward dubroVsky + L.A.B.tara sacHs + PARTs And LABouR
JoHn szabo on onTARio’ssTELLAR 2009 PinoT noiRs
A TAsTE oF ToRonTo AT
Victor in hoTEL LE GERmAin
A toast to fallwiTh BARchEF’s frankie solarik And A whoLE LoT oF BoozE (P26)
3Fall 2011
Cover photo by John Gundy. Cover subject: Frankie Solarik of BarChef.ph
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contents
Regular Bites5 Starters toronto vs. Montreal: Anthony Walsh and normand Laprise.
6 Crumbs Restaurant news and rumours.
7 Out & About Victor re-born in the hotel Le germain.
8 NewsBites Stephen Beaumont on Crystal head vodka; Ingredients from Chinatown; edible tidbits from around town.
9 The Gourmudgeon If hat culture is enjoying a wave, let’s set some ground rules.
10 Head to Head Zoltan Szabo on the wonders of pinot noir.
11 Flavours Autum melancholy, with deacon dr. Fresh.
12 Urban Farmer Extend your growing season into winter.
13 Purveyors the Matchbox garden & Seed Co. is growing.
14 Books Read ’em and eat!
15 Blogging Clotilde dusoulier on food writing in the digital age.
16 Chef 10 good things about Michael Smith.
22 Szabo on Wine Why is John Szabo excited about 2009 ontario pinot noirs?
24 The Ej Konrad Ejbich on provincial politics, the LCBo and you.
25 Libations to Stephen Beaumont, german beer is anything but boring.
26 One Last Bite BarChef’s Frankie Solarik invokes autumn in a glass.
Features 17 Chef’s Dinner: 3 Autumn Recipes Comforting dinner dishes to make fall more palatable, by top local chefs jesse Vallins (trevor Kitchen and Bar), howard dubrovsky (L.A.B.) and tara Sachs (parts and Labour).
20 Truth and Consequences Ill-defined terms on meat labels like “naturally raised” and “free range” cause consumer confusion at best and all-out deception at worst By Kelly Ward
Fall 2011 Volume 7, Issue 6
At CityBites, we love music as much as food.
That’s why we’ve written a lot about music
in restaurants. I’ve walked out of restaurants
because of bad music and I’ve walked into
restaurants for good music. A lot of chefs and
hospitality people are musicians, testament to
the creativity and joy inherent in both artforms.
Canoe’s Anthony Walsh cites his guitar (p.5)
as a relaxation object of choice. Our wine
editor John Szabo is a renowned skiffler.
Even your humble editor gets down weekly
for a bout of noisemaking.
We’re lucky to have a vital music scene in
Toronto. And like the food scene, it relies on the
passion of the people. So I’d like to give a nod
to guitarist and producer Luke Doucet, who’s
organized the first annual Sleepwalk Guitar
Festival, happening at the Great Hall on Queen
West Nov. 4-6, with jams, performances and
workshops (J Mascis, Amos Garrett, Ian Blurton,
Richard Lloyd, among others). I asked Doucet
where he’ll be hanging out for a bite and drink
during the fest. His picks: The Dakota Tavern,
The Gem, Mitzi’s Café and 3 Speed. Check out
our Facebook page for more; and don’t forget
to hit the festival! Visit sleepwalkguitar.com.
Dick Snyder, Editor • [email protected]
Editor dick Snyder/[email protected]
Art Director Craig Sinclair/[email protected]
Wine Editor john Szabo
Director of Vinous Affairs Zoltan Szabo
Contributors Stephen Beaumont, Andrew Brudz,
pamela Cuthbert, howard dubrovsky, deacon dr. Fresh,
Sean deasy, Konrad Ejbich, Maia Filar, Kait Fowlie, Arlene hazzan
green, Sarah B. hood, tara Sachs, tamara Stieber, Zoltan Szabo,
Stephen temkin, jesse Vallins, Kelly Ward
Photography and illustration Ann gagno, john gundy,
pierre Lamielle, dick Snyder
Publisher paul Alsop/[email protected]
Sr. Account Manager Wendy Lyall gardner/[email protected]
Account Manager Alexander McCarthy/[email protected]
Account Manager john Walker/[email protected]
Email [email protected] or visit www.citybites.ca
Advertising Inquiries [email protected]
City Bites Media Inc., 24 dalhousie St. Suite 200, toronto, on, M5B 2A5, 647-827-1705. City Bites is published six times a year by City Bites Media Inc.
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FROM THE EDITOR
5 Starters CityBites loses a dear friend, Liz Bolton of Pantry.
6 Crumbs Spots that are hot.
7 Bits & Bites A little bit of news.
8 Stuff Toys and gear for your wine.
9 The Gourmudgeon Stung by rudeness at a new restaurant
10 Smells like victory Wine Tasting Challenge winner Evan Saviolidis.
11 Foreign Correspondents Pancakes make the world go fl at.
12 Urban Farmer A container is all you need to get growing.
13 Viticulture Biodynamic winemaking in Niagara.
14 Fresh Spot prawns—delicious cold-water darlings
15 Wine Dine The Intercontinental Hotel’s BYOB surprise
16 Books Read and eat these tasty titles
32 The Ej Konrad Ejbich reveals an Amarone imposter.
33 Libations Whisky and wine, say Stephen Beaumont, are divine.
34 One Last Bite Meet Featherstone Winery’s grape protector.
21 Greek Wines Hard to say, easy to drink. Get Greek lessons at Maléna.
22 Tiny Bubblies Get bang for buck at these small Champagne houses.
23 Same wine, diff erent day Think outside the “house.”
24 Chianti Kudos Once a joke, now a serious force.
30 Cool Climate Chardonnay Canadian chardonnay is making international waves.
31 Somewhereness A funny word for a stellar local wine event.
Cover illustration by Pierre Lamielle.
It’s fall season! Time to eat, drink and all that
good stuff. CityBites is once again presenting the
Salut Wine + Food Festival in May—you can
peruse the full schedule in the centre section
of the magazine—with a selection of intriguing
seminars, tastings and special dinners. We’re
excited and hungry to get out there and eat!
It’s fitting, then, that this is our annual wine
issue. We like to take the time every year to cel-
ebrate exemplary wine and winemakers, som-
meliers and, of course, the brilliant chefs and
restaurants that recognize the joys of wine and
work so hard to elevate the wine-food experience.
As always, we have the wine “newbie” in mind.
Wine should never be intimidating and overly
competitive, and so we strive to educate and
inspire with all of our wine coverage. In this
issue, we’re proud to support several initiatives—
Salut, Somewhereness, i4C (the chardonnay
summit)—that are pushing the boundaries of
great wine, and making it accessible to all.
So please raise a glass of your favourite grape
juice and toast to wonderful times, wonderful
wines—and many more to come.
Editor Dick Snyder/[email protected]
Art Director Craig Sinclair/[email protected]
Wine Editor John Szabo
Director of Vinous Aff airs Zoltan Szabo
Contributors Jen Agg, Stephen Beaumont, Andrew Brudz,
Pamela Cuthbert, Deacon Dr. Fresh, Sean Deasy, Konrad Ejbich,
Maia Filar, Kait Fowlie, Marc Green, Sarah B. Hood, Ivy Knight,
Rebecca LeHeup, Kate More, Zoltan Szabo, Stephen Tempkin
Photography Laura Berman, Ann Gagno, Mike McColl,
Dick Snyder
Publisher Paul Alsop/[email protected]
Sr. Account Manager Wendy Lyall Gardner/[email protected]
Account Manager Alexander McCarthy/[email protected]
Email [email protected] or visit www.citybites.ca
Advertising Inquiries [email protected]
City Bites Media Inc., 24 Dalhousie St. Suite 200,
Toronto, ON, M5B 2A5, 647-827-1705. City Bites is published
six times a year by City Bites Media Inc., a division of IDMG Inc.
IDMG Management Paul Alsop, Donald G. House
IDMG Partner Dick Snyder
@citybites
5Fall 2011
the starters
Get in touch!Send emails to [email protected] or snail mail to CityBites, 24 Dalhousie St., Toronto, ON, M5B 2A5. Letters may be edited for space and accuracy.p
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The CiTyBiTes Team
Pierre a. LamieLLe
Pierre A. Lamielle is the author
and illustrator of Kitchen Scraps:
A Humourous Illustrated
Cookbook, which won the
prestigious World Gourmand
Best Illustrated Cookbook award in 2009.
He trained at the French Culinary Institute
in New York and can be found in Calgary
teaching cooking classes, drawing pictures
and having seconds. Follow his blog at the
kitchenscraps.ca. He is currently working on
an Alice in Wonderland Cookbook with co-
author Julie van Rosendaal. His illustrations
have graced many issues of CityBites, including
The Gourmudgeon column this issue (p. 9).
PameLa CuThBerT
Pamela Cuthbert, a food writer
and editor based in Toronto,
is published in Macleans, The
Toronto Star and elsewhere,
including Saveur and Common
Dreams. She’s the author of Frommers Toronto.
As a volunteer, she founded Slow Food Toronto
alongside a group of like-minded individuals.
She joins the CityBites team with the regular
Purveyors column (pg.13) — a task that sends her
on the hunt for good food sources in our fair city.
andrew Brudz
Andrew Brudz got to indulge
both his love of food and his
love of Toronto with Victor’s
restaurant’s recently revamped,
neighbourhood-based tasting
menu (p. 7). He calls branded-content agency
Totem home, and also contributes regularly to
Toronto Life. When not behind his keyboard,
he can be found in junk shops or getting into
trouble in Detroit.
Side by sideMontreal’s NoRmAND LAPRISe and toronto’s ANTHoNY WALSH coMe together for a one-night culinary spectacle
By Dick Snyder
anthony Walsh and Normand Laprise at CanoeThe two chefs will create a multi-course meal with wine pairings and champagne reception. Tickets available to Visa Infinite cardholders.
$175/person. Call 1-888-711-9399 or visit visainfinite.ca.
Favourite… normand LaPrise anThony waLsh
ingredienT at the moment it is buckthorn. favourites change with the seasons.
great olive oil or sriracha chili sauce.
Food/wine Pairing
Bâtard-Montrachet with potatoes and smoked eel. always, oysters and champagne.
slow wood grilled three-inch thick short rib, medium (no less), salsa verde, macerated chillies on the side. inky malbec from argentina.
dish From your menu
Blt toqué! — in season. duck tourtiere, simmered foie gras with Beluga lentils.
KiTChen uTensiL Japanese knives. My chitarra.
CounTry For Food
at the moment, scandinavia, in tune with our nordic climate and challenges.
argentina, Vietnam, canada.
CuLinary CiTy Barcelona. singapore.
wine region Burgundy. Mendoza, okanagan.
resTauranT in anoTher CiTy
too many to choose from. Blue smoke; Brasserie t!
Leisure aCTiviTy golf but unfortunately never enough time…
golf and guitar; the only time its just me and him….
CusTomers Kids, always, for their honesty. anyone who is open-minded about food, and willing to pay for it.
Normand Laprise of Montreal’s Toqué and Anthnoy Walsh of Toronto’s Canoe have maintained a level of quality and dedication that has remained unwavering over a period of notable longevity. At Toqué in Montreal, founded in 1993, Laprise forged a culinary identity around local, fresh ingredients crafted into inventive dishes that paid homage to classic French techniques, yet revealed an almost laissez faire attitude designed to let the ingredients sing. At Canoe in Toronto, Walsh joined a burgeoning culinary force as saucier in 1995, and soon took command of the kitchen and its mission to use the purest local and regional ingredients to demarcate the notion of Canadian cuisine. Success, awards and accolades have rewarded both chefs’ efforts, and as they prepare for a spectacular collaboration at Canoe later this month, we invited them to muse on their muses.
anthony walshnormand Laprise
6 CityBites
Tomatoes • lemon juice or citric acid • Salt, optional
Whole or Halved Tomatoes
• Place the required number of clean 500 ml or 1 L mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; coverjars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Heat SNAP LID® sealingdiscs in hot water, not boiling (180°F/82°C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.
• Wash and blanch tomatoes. Slip off skins; remove cores and any bruised or discoloured portions. Leavewhole or halve.
• Place tomatoes in a large stainless steel saucepan. Add just enough water to cover; bring to a boil; boilgently for 5 minutes.
• Add quantity of lemon juice or citric acid specified below to each hot mason jar before packing toma-toes. If using, add salt to jar prior to filling.
• Pack tomatoes into a hot jar to within 3/4 inch (2 cm) of top rim. Add hot cooking liquid to cover toma-toes to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top rim (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles andadjust headspace, if required, by adding more tomatoes and hot liquid. Wipe jar rim removing anyfood residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then in-crease to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining tomatoes and hot liquid.
• When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover can-ner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count process-ing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process–boil filled jars-
• When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes,then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protectedwork surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOTRETIGHTEN screw bands.
• After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Removescrew bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, asdesired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within oneyear.
Jar size Lemon juice or Citric acid Salt, optional
500 ml 1 tbsp (15 ml) or 1/4 tsp (1 ml) 1/2 tsp (2 ml)1 L 2 tbsp (30 ml) or 1/2 tsp (2 ml) 1 tsp (5 ml)
Jar size Processing time*
500 ml 40 minutes
1 L 45 minutes
For more great recipes and ideas on home canning, visit our website at www.bernardin.ca or call 1-888-430-4231
bernardin ad city bites_Layout 1 11-09-28 3:23 PM Page 1
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crumbs By Kait Fowlie
... chef Susur Lee is planning to turn the former Le Corner (777 Dundas St. W.) into a family-operated dinner spot. his sons Levi
and kai will run the front of the house ... Christopher Scott, former chef
de cuisine at The Bohemian Gastropub (571 Queen St. W., 416-361-6154,
thebohemiangastropub.com) leaves for a gig in the caribbean, and
executive chef Paul Boehmer revamps the menu with a few winter comfort
dishes ... Tina Leckie, previously of Celestin, and her partner Alex Chong,
formerly of Didier, started up Cafe Fiorentina (236 Danforth Ave.,
416-855-4240) earlier this summer. occupying Dash Kitchen’s old space, it
features house-made sourdough pizzas, paninis, baked goods and preserves
... New upscale italian restaurant Modus Ristorante (145 King St. W.,
416-861-9977, modusristorante.com) sets up shop in the Financial District,
owned by Sam Genkov, formerly of Bravi Ristorante, and chef Bruce Woods, formerly of Brassaii. Responsible for the 300-bottle wine line-up
is sommelier Ruben Elmer, who has honed his skills at Canoe and Auberge du Pommier ... coxwell and gerrard is about to liven up with the opening
of Lazy Daisy’s Cafe (1515 Gerrard St. E., 647-278-3966, lazydaisycafe.ca)
it will feature local and handmade farm-fresh food, micro-roasted Te Aro
coffee, St. Urbain bagels and house-made jams ... Summerhill Market (1054 Mt. Pleasant Rd., 416-485-4471, summerhillmarket.com) opened a
second location this summer in the old Sherwood Market. Smaller than
their original location on Summerhill ave., the little sister store still offers
over 800 items made daily in-house, from prepared entrees to pantry items
... Splendido owners Carlo Catallo
and chef Victor Barry take over
the old Oddfellows space with The County General (936 Queen St. W.,
416-531-4447, thecountygeneral.ca).
the menu offers sandwiches by
day and down-home-style sharing
plates in the evening ... cabbage-
town favourite Provence Delices Restaurant closes after 32 years and
makes room for F’Amelia (12 Amelia St.,
416-323-0666, familia.com), a family-oriented italian restaurant
offering pizza and pasta prepared with local produce ... The Food Cabbie (Queen and Jarvis, 647-227-2628), a comfort-food-dealing
food truck, has been supplying george Brown students with
poutine, burritos and grilled cheese sandwiches. owner Spiros Drossos is the former owner of Vaughan’s Chicago Pizza Kitchen
... Rodney Bowers of The Citizen and The Rosebud sets up a more
casual food stop, Hey Meatball! (719 College St., 416-546-1483,
heymeatball.ca). toronto’s first quick-service meatball restaurant
serves custom meatballs and sides all made from 100-mile-sourced
ingredients ... chef Eric Madden is back at the Beild House Country Inn (64 Third St., Collingwood, 705-444-1522, beildhouse.com), after a stint teaching at the pretty River academy, also in
collingwood. Madden whips up multi-course dinners from locally
sourced ingredients, as well as a killer breakfast ... The Counter at the Thompson Hotel gets rebranded as the Thompson Diner (51 Bathurst St., 416-601-3533)
KAIT FOWLIE is a food writer living in Toronto.
Some news bitesThe County General
7Fall 2011
...EVENTS...OCTOBER 20-23Delicious Food Show A brand new culinary show for demos, workshops, tastings and talks that promise the latest on kitchen design, food trends, tips for home cooks and new cocktails. The opening night party benefits The Stop Food Community Centre. $10-$45; children under 12 free. Better Living Centre, 416-960-9161, deliciousfoodshow.com
NOVEMBER 2What’s On The Table Join the party for The Stop’s annual fundraiser with chefs from JK Kitchens, Scaramouche, Parts and Labour, Luma, Beast and more; and local wineries and breweries! Proceeds support programs that help feed Toronto-nians in need. $225. Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St., 416-652-7867, wott.thestop.org
NOVEMBER 4-13The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair The grande dame of Toronto’s food shows. Marvel at giant pumpkins, tiny piglets, butter sculptures, tottering cakes and more. The horse shows are a major draw. And what fun: everything’s a competition. $16 and up; kids under 4 free. Exhibition Place, 416-263-3400, royalfair.org
NOVEMBER 14-16Little Kitchen at Olliffe Join one of Matt Kantor’s communal dinners — limited to just a dozen diners — for generous feasts of five courses or more with beer pairings. Details TBD. Tickets: on sale soon. 1097 Yonge St., 416-928-0296, littlekitchen.ca
NOVEMBER 17-20Gourmet Food and Wine Expo Sample from 1,500 fine wines, spirits and beers from around the globe at this massive food and beverage show. And don’t forget to eat. Tutored tastings are led by top sommeliers, winemakers and writers. $18 and up. Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building, 1-866-414-0454, [email protected]
ouT&ABouT By Andrew Brudz
Victor VictoriousDEFINING HoTEL DINING WITH A TORONTO-INSPIRED MENU
The Story Since taking over Victor as co-owners in 2009, general manager Michael Sullivan and chef David Chrystian have transformed both the space and the menu. Housed in Hôtel Le Germain, one of Toronto’s most elegant boutiques, the restaurant shut down for a complete overhaul on this past Christmas Eve. Rethinking and re-configuring the space in ways that were simultaneously stylish, smart and comfortable, the new Victor remerged better than ever after its four-month metamorphosis.
The Space Inspired by grandiose European spaces like train stations, lobbies and even airport lounges, Sullivan collaborated with interior designer and architect Jenny Francis. Her passion for architecture is revealed in structured, brass-embellished sofas, limestone tabletops, geometric carpeting, and her decision to keep the over-size, smokestack-like light fixtures, highlighting the dining room’s 22-foot-tall ceilings.
The Scene After 5 p.m., the bar is lined with after-work tipplers sipping Bourbon Cosmos ($12), Clase Azule Manhattans ($18) and other cocktails from head bartender Nick Leverty’s signature menu, while hotel guests and locals alike enjoy dinner before a night on the town.
The Food Chrystian, Victor’s chef since 2006 when it was known as Chez Victor, rethought the entire menu. His inspiration: Toronto itself. In addition to à la carte choices, Chrystian presents a Toronto Tasting Menu of seven unique creations inspired by some of Toronto’s 140 lively neighbourhoods. From Chinatown’s plum and chili braised tofu to Roncesvalles’ Polish comfort food, it’s the perfect way for hotel guests to experience the city and for locals to discover something new about a place we often take for granted. (Each dish is $14, or create your own combination, up to all seven dishes for $79.) Even the dessert menu celebrates events around town, like the Farmers Market peach crumble ($10) and the Caribana crème brulée ($10) with coconuts, tropical fruit compote and plantain chips. Want to take a little Victor home with you? You can buy a jar of Chrystian’s creation, The Original Toronto Spice, a combination meant to replicate the city’s eclectic makeup ($9/100g; $16/200g).P
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N E W C O O K I N G C L A S S E S • F R E E N U T R I T I O N A L S T O R E T O U R S • F R E E E V E N I N G L E C T U R E S
Natural Food [email protected]
Wholistic [email protected]
Organic Juice Bar
348 Danforth Avenue1 block west of Chester subway
Mon-Fri 9-9 • Sat 9-8 • Sun 11-6
CELEBRATING OUR 28TH
ANNIVERSARY!Ontario’s 1st Certified Organic Retailer!
Specializing in organically grown, Non-GMO and environmentally safe products.
CityBites_Fall2011_1:CityBites 10/3/11 3:14 PM Page 1
Victor RestaurantAt Hôtel Le Germain30 Mercer St.416-883-3431victorrestaurant.com
Co-owners David Chrystian and Michael Sullivan in the revamped Victor.
8 CityBites
NewsBites iNgredieNts By Maia Filar
416.504.5787638 Queen St. [email protected] Est.1968www.ThePrague .ca
B!tro
Now open for Dinner!Thursday
FridaySaturday
If you’ve never tried to cook with a bitter melon, don’t start now. This was one of the many ingredients I decided to explore at Oriental Harvest on Spadina. It looks like a cross between a cucumber, gourd and cactus, but it’s actually a vine fruit widely grown in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Its consistency is similar to green pepper and it can be found in just about every produce section in Chinatown ($1.49). Its bitterness is used to foil sweet sauces and complement salty ones. But when we prepared it raw in a salsa it was completely inedible. Cooked, it kept its crunch in a curry but was still acidic and sour.
Toronto’s China Town has been burgeon- ing since the 1870’s, first near Union Station, where Chinese immigrants were stationed to help build the railroad. The community was relocated to Spadina/Kensington when Toronto decided to develop City Hall.
Produce is sourced from the Ontario Food Terminal, with specialty items shipped daily from Asia. Like the preserved duck egg and sea cucumber. The woman at the cash said to crack the egg open and eat it, and I thought I would give it a go (39 cents). It takes on a blue-grey colour after sitting in clay, ash, salt, lime and rice hulls for weeks. The flavor is subtle. I could see using it repeatedly, in a big noodle soup or grated onto a summer salad.
The sea cucumber ($9.99) is said to lower blood pressure and ease joint pain. The creature has very little flavor and absorbs whatever you are cooking with it. I couldn’t stomach it. Maybe I would have had better luck with cloud ear fungus or douchi. Next time. Oriental Harvest, 310 Spadina Ave., 416-581-8666
Once banned by the LCBO, the vodka famously owned by paranormal junkie Dan Aykroyd is finally available in Ontario, and just in time for Hallo-ween. But at $59.95 a bottle, the question is whether Crystal Head is worth the cost.
I blind tasted it alongside a utilitarian Polish brand and an organic, craft distilled vodka, and it fared quite well. Smoother than the Polish but less unctuous than the organic, it emerged my favourite, with a gentle spiciness and just enough sweetness to make it smooth on the palate. I’d love to know less about the filtration and more about the grains — something that drives me nuts about the marketing of “luxury vodkas” — but for straight-up sipping, Crystal Head is an admirable choice.
That said, I suspect most of this vodka will be bought as a gift or because it comes in a cool bottle, and then obscured by all sorts of mixers. Which is a pity, because the stuff in the glass skull is actually pretty good. — Stephen Beaumont
Bitter not BetterThe Skull has Arrived!But is it worth the price?
Spooky spirit: Crystal Head vodka ($59.95).
... The Academy of Culinary Arts (1703 Bayview Ave., 416-486-1859) celebrates 40 years of
supplying food enthusiasts and chefs with the tools and books of the trade ... Owner-sommelier
Alise Matos’ recently opened Velouté Bistro & Catering (2343 Queen St. E., 416-696-7392) offers
cooking classes with chef Fawzi Kotb (ex-Centro, Peppino’s on the Beach, private chef to the
royal family of Arabia) every Monday. Fall menu coming soon: veloutebistro.com ... thirty-one
chefs (Daniel Boulud, Lorenzo Loseto, Victor Barry, etc.) and 70 wine estates (Chateau Margaux,
Bourgognes Faiveley, etc.) meet at the 7th annual Grand Cru Wine Festival hosted by Todd
Halpern to raise funds for the toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation. A live auction
and 27 private dinners take place Oct. 27 to 29. Details: grandcru.ca ... the 2nd annual Group
of 7 Chef’s Vegetarian Dinner at Beast takes place Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m., featuring Scott Vivian
(Beast), Bertrand Alépée (The Tempered Chef), Chris Brown (The Stop) and more. $60,
4 courses; optional wine pairings. Reservations: 647-352-6000 ... the 3rd annual Lamb
“Head to Toe” Dinner is at Treadwell Farm to Table Cuisine in Port Dalhousie Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.
$120, 6 courses with wine; 905-934-9797, treadwellcuisine.com
Tidbits >>
9Fall 2011
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ethe gourmudgeon By Stephen Temkin
Allow me to get straight to the matter and issue this directive: Gentlemen, when dining, please remove your hats.
There was a time when all men understood this basic gesture of courtesy, but not anymore. For the first time in centuries, the Western world has traversed almost two generations of mostly hatless men. Consequently, certain manners have been nearly forgotten.
But hats — I’m referring to real hats such as fedoras and panamas, not tuques and baseball caps — are creeping back. Many of us are rediscovering the sensible functionality of a good hat, not to mention its effectiveness as an element of style.
I’m hardly a model of punctiliousness, but I do think that a certain amount of etiquette, social ritual and courtesy are welcome in this increasingly rude and slovenly world.
I started wearing hats about 20 years ago. No one had to teach me that when eating in a restaurant you take off your hat. I knew it instinctively: keeping one’s hat on is somehow offensive. When I see a man at a table wearing a hat, I feel squirmy, like I need to go over there, rip the offending lid from his greasy head and give him a good tongue-lashing about how to behave in public.
Some will, of course, consider this an arbi-
trary edict dictated by the ruling snobs (oh dear, excuse me while I yawn). But unlike women’s hats, men’s hats are outerwear. They are not ornamentation, or at least shouldn’t be. So think of it this way: any place where you might irk others if you kept on your over- coat, is a place where you should also remove your hat.
Here’s another problem: too many restau-rants are behind the curve.
This magazine’s editor tells the story of checking his coat and fedora at a restaurant, only to find the hat missing upon leaving. When he put on his coat, he discovered his hat crudely shoved into the sleeve.
That’s not good. For restaurateurs who may be clueless, here are a few tips concerning hats:
First and foremost, have a place to put them where they won’t be soiled or molested. A shelf above your coat rack is fine. If you don’t have a coat rack, please get one, or at least get some hooks. A customer should not have to take his hat to the table only to find nowhere to set it down but the floor beneath the chair. Restaurant floors should never be touched by anything except shoes and cockroaches.
If you have a coat check, advise your staff how to handle a hat. It should never be held by the crown, only by the brim. Sure, the crown of a good quality felt hat can withstand a lot of abuse. I bash mine around mercilessly — it gives it personality. However, such bashing is the sole prerogative of the owner. As for straw hats, they can be fragile and must be handled gingerly.
If you do check hats, it never hurts to have
a small horsehair hat-brush at the ready. If a felt hat does pick up some loose dirt, dust or fibers from other garments, you can give it a quick brushing before handing it back.
Women are not required to remove their hats. But when a man arrives wearing a hat, always offer to check it. If he says he wants to wear it while dining, provide him with directions to the nearest chip wagon. CB
etiquette for wearers and restaurateurs
Hats off
The Better Baker Bowl Makeravailable at THE COOK’S PLACE
501 Danforth Ave. Toronto ~ (416) 461-5211www.thecooksplace.com ~ @thecooksplace on TwitterSign up for our newsletter. Email: [email protected]
T H ECOOK’SPLACE
When not eating, drinking, or writing about eating and drinking, Stephen temkin makes fedoras. [email protected]
When I see a man at a table wearing a hat, I feel squirmy.
10 CityBites
Head to Head By Zoltan Szabo
It’s purple Haze time wIth the world’s most beguIlIng grape
SUPPLEStoney Ridge 2009 Pinot Noir ‘Excellence’Niagara Peninsula | $35 Weightier style with more black fruit and sweet oak toast nuances, supple tannins and a very pleasant spicy finish. Ideal with roasted game birds or peppercorn crusted tuna. Winery
COMPOSEDLe Cadeau 2008 Pinot Noir ‘Diversite’Willamette Valley, Oregon | $59 Oregon’s rockiest vineyard: elevation 700 feet. Ripe and meaty with sweet smoke. Flint/ mineral and barnyard accents mingling with black-fleshed berry fruit. Great composition and depth. lesommelier.com
ELEGANTJackson Triggs 2008 ‘Puncheon Pinot’ Delaine VineyardNiagara Peninsula | $44.95 Complex yet elegant, with great density of savoury black fruit and floral nuances. Fermented and aged in 500L barrels. 250 cases only. Winery
INTRIGUINGBouchard Pere & Fils 2009 Beaune Greves Vigne de L’enfant Jesus 1er CruBurgundy | $109 Legend has it the nuns who made this wine considered the texture to be “silky as the robe on the back of baby Jesus.” This is lovely, ripe yet bracing, floral and smooth. Absolutely pleasing. woodmanwinesandspirits.com
BRIGHTCattail Creek 2009 Pinot NoirFour Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula | $19.95 Light and bright with very good purity and juicy acidity. Sour red berry notes dominate the palate, this is a delicious and extremely food-versatile pinot. Winery
ROUNDRosewood Estates 2009 Pinot Noir Reserve ‘Natural Fermentation’Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula | $40 Blueberry and raspberry notes with oak toast and earth/barnyard underneath the fruit core. Fuller style with remarkable freshness and round, soft tannins. Winery
The Pinot Noir experience
Crush Wine Bar is your wine destination with more than 60 wines by the glass paired brilliantly with Executive Chef Michael Wilson’s cuisine.
Experience an eclectic menu for lunch or dinner in the main dining roomor gather for drinks in our adjacent bar.
Ask about our private dining options for your next event.
Your night starts here...
455 King Street West 416.977.1234 crushwinebar.comC R U S HWINE BAR • TORONTO
11Fall 2011
flavours By Deacon Dr. Fresh
One of the many advantages of living in this great city is the obvious change of seasons. Yes, summer warmth is wonderful, but I couldn’t have a steady diet of heat and ultra-violet, anymore than I would enjoy endless spring flowers or eternal blizzards, black ice and moronic drivers. That being said, it’s fall that has the distinction of being enjoyably melancholic. The ancients saw autumn as the impending death of the year, and the bitter-
sweet sadness it engendered was viewed as a poisonous vapour that needed to be driven out with emetics, purgatives and cautious bloodletting. Fortunately, we’ve progressed somewhat and have better solutions for the
melancholic fumes. I have favourite haunts that I love to explore
on foot, especially when the turbulent depth of fall emotion begins surface, and I find it therapeutic to grab my iPod and wander aim-lessly through Queens Park, the University of Toronto campus and then on to the ROM, and eventually Harbord Street and Bloor. And as the miasma of sadness and loss takes hold, I find no more efficacious medicine
than good food and wine. A couple of hours of mindless strolling during a brisk autumn day will stoke the appetite, rendering the most jejune foods and simple flavours, deeply satisfying. As I walk, delicious fragrance wafts
from Yorkville bistros and restaurants, but the simplest foods are what beckon me as the year winds up. Fall is much more than pumpkin pie and turkey. It’s a time for rich red wines, and nourishing cream ales. Butter-nut squash soup with artisanal bread, and roasted root vegetables. It’s the season when the brisk chill in the air can cause the street vendors’ sausages to smell as delectable as the finest foie gras.
So, a little advice. Limber up for the even-ing’s delights with a walk through this city of neighbourhoods, or one of our many vast parks and ravines. Warm by the fire with a pint of the black stuff and then move on to meat pie and chips with a hearty bottle of Italian or Spanish red. Then you’ll be suf-ficiently fortified to wind down with Irish whiskey and a Sylvia Plath book as you listen to Mary Coughlan, or perhaps Tom Waits.
Life doesn’t get any better than this. CB
The musings of Deacon Dr. Fresh live at deaconwinelist.blogspot.com.
Melancholy MedicineA boy’s tAstes turn to autumn
Warm by the fire with a pint of the black stuff and then move on to meat pie and chips with a hearty bottle of Italian or spanish red.
12 CityBites
the urban farmer By Arlene Hazzan Green
If you’re suffering from the end-of-summer gardening blues, you need to know that you can extend your growing season beyond summer. Many hardy vegetables love cooler temperatures and grow relatively quickly. Even when the frost comes they can stay warm and cozy inside a cold frame or a tunnel “cloche.” These old fashioned systems really work, and allow you to harvest fresh food well in to December and beyond.
What the heck is a cloche? “Cloche” is a French word for bell. It doesn’t have to be fancy. I’ve seen people saw off the bottom of a large pop bottle and place it over the plant. A tunnel cloche works in much the same way but covers a larger space. Think of a mini greenhouse right on your garden bed. We place homemade bamboo arches along the length of the bed and cover them with a thin layer of clear plastic. We like to use raised
beds, which make the installation of tunnel cloches a snap and often more successful. Keeping an in-ground garden warm when it’s surrounded by frozen earth can be a challenge.
Another option is a cold frame — basically a box with a transparent lid on a hinge that covers an area of the garden. You can build your own out of old windowpanes and a few pieces of scrap wood.
What to Plant Hardy vegetables include most Asian greens like bok choy and tatsoi, a huge variety of lettuces, Swiss chard, kale, radishes, peas, spinach, arugula, beets and more. In Toronto, which is hardiness zone 6, the first frost comes around Oct. 10. Late July to mid-August is the ideal time to sow your seeds for a winter harvest, but many of us still have other plants bearing fruit and we’re not ready to give them up. Try direct sowing seeds now anyway. We had good success last year and I didn’t plant until mid-October. Or look for seedlings that were started in a greenhouse. Try Fiesta Farms, Evergreen Brick Works or your local farmers’ market.
When the nighttime temperatures start to dip below about 5 degrees, cover with plastic sheeting or your cold frame. Surround the cloche with straw mulch, which is an excellent insulator. Choose a location in the garden that gets maximum sun and is a good distance away from a fence or other shadow-casing structure. Remember that the sun path travels much lower in the sky in the fall and winter. Planting against a south facing wall can be ideal as the wall absorbs quite a bit of heat.
WateringWater as usual until it’s time to cover up. Once the cover is on for most of the day and night, reduce your watering. Keep the soil most but not sopping wet so it doesn’t freeze. CB
Arlene Hazzan Green co-owns The Backyard Urban Farm Company (bufco.ca).
Some ideaS for extending the growing season
Cover up!
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BRUNCH-LUNCH�urs. Fri. Sat. Nights $25 Pre�x
91/2 Church St Toronto416.504.2657 hanks9church.com
Solution To Menu Boardom
9 Church St Toronto416.504.9463 9church.com
13Fall 2011
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sPurveyors By Pamela Cuthbert
1703 Bayview Avenue1 1/2 blocks south of Eglinton
Tel. 416.486.1859Mon. - Sat. 10am - 6pm
Sun. 11am - 5pm
FONDUE LIKE THE SWISS !
I remember the first time I met Hannah Jacobs. It was midday in sweltering August and Queen Street West was rank, thanks in part to the busy neighborhood slaughter-house. A sandwich board advertising an herb garden promised an escape. Following the sign’s directions, I turned on to Niagara Street and then down an alleyway. Tucked in behind a clothing store was Matchbox Garden & Seed Co., a bricked back garden that had been transformed into an oasis of floral fragrance. Hannah, snippets in-hand, stood amid pots and tiny plots of lush herbs that she had grown from seed and tended with evident care. The idea was simple yet brilliant: choose your herbs and the urban farmer cuts individual bunches to take home.
Since that early start in 2006, Jacobs has become a “real” farmer, graduating with Matchbox partner Eric Rosenkrantz to a three- acre organic garden plot at McVean Farm in Brampton through the FarmStart incubator initiative that helps new farmers get a start by assisting them with access to land and equipment.
“It’s expensive to try and get a farm,” said Jacobs, who grew up on a horse farm. Last month, at the Tuesday Trinity Bellwoods market,
one of a handful of seasonal markets she attends, Jacobs casually said, “The end goal has always been to have a farm.”
At McVean, Matchbox experimented with a small CSA program of just 20 members because, as Jacobs explains, “It’s a big commitment to say you can feed people for a summer. We had to be sure we could do it.”
The success of the CSA led to new contacts that in turn landed them where they are now. The Matchbox Farm has blossomed into a 10-acre property, with a two-acre apple orchard and, at its core, a four-acre garden plot. Seed-lings are grown at the Downsview Green-houses, in Downsview Park. It’s all part of a partnership with the Toronto and Region Conservation at the Living City Campus at
Kortright, in Vaughan. “We are one of their four pilot projects for sustainable farming on TRC land,” says Jacobs. There, the two farmers with the help of interns use organic, bio- dynamic practices to grow more than 100 varieties of heirloom and open-pollinated fruits and vegetables. The aim is to develop cost-effective business models for small, innovative farms.
The CSA, which grew to 86 members and will be trimmed back next growing season,
will continue alongside market sales and a CSG (Custom Growing Services) program that offers wholesale prices for commercial clients such as Niagara Street Café, Toca by Tom Brodi in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Beast restaurant and Jason Inniss Catering. Through- out the winter, Matchbox’s beautiful root vegetables will also be sold at the Evergreen Brick Works winter market.
The focus continues to be on traditional varieties of greens, beans, tomatoes, peppers, squashes, potatoes and other root vegetables. “Pretty much everything grown in a tradi-tional French or English garden,” says Jacobs. And, naturally, there are the herbs. 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.
Out of the Boxslow and steady, Matchbox Garden and seed co. Is blossomIng
Hannah Jacobs sells her herbs and produce at Trinity Bellwoods on Tuesdays.
It’s a big commitment to say you can feed people for a summer. We had to be sure we could do it.
14 CityBites
Books By Dick Snyder
Read ’em and eat
E N T E R T O W I N A TWWW.WEEKENDINBUFFALO.COM
WINBUFFALOA FOODIE WEEKEND IN
WHAT YOU’LL WIN
OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS AT THE MANSION ON DELAWARE AVENUE
DINNER AT SAMPLE
BREAKFAST AT BETTY’S
LUNCH AT BLUE MONK
DINNER AT RUE FRANKLIN
BRUNCH AT TRATTORIA AROMA
TICKETS TO NICKEL CITY CHEF COMPETITION
CHOCOLATES FROM CHOW CHOCOLAT
WINE FROM CITY WINE MERCHANT & PREMIER WINES
Winning package must be redeemed February 17-19, 2012.
Get ready for classic French cuisine & creative small bites, fine wines &
small-batch craft beers, a relaxed brunch and a fast-paced chef competition.
Throw in some artisan chocolates and luxury accommodations and you have
the ultimate Foodie weekend in Buffalo!
Mark McEwan’s FabbricaBy Mark McEwan
The Top Chef judge offers a book replete with lovely photography to make you hungry and comple-mentary recipes delivered with concise instruction and a master chef’s valuable insight. The recipes sound easier than they will likely prove to be for most cooks. The techniques are sublime, and the recipes demand only the finest ingredients. Therein lies the challenge. (Viking Canada, $39)
ThE OnTariO TablEBy Lynn Ogryzlo
As much a resource and guide to farmers, producers and Ontario’s food regions as it is cookbook, Ogryzlo’s tome is indispensable for any serious locavore. Filled with photos and mouth-watering recipes, all concentrated around the ingredients and people who make local eating possible. At bookstores and ontariotable.com.($29.95, Epulum Books)
sOup: a kOshEr cOllEcTiOnBy Pam Reiss
Updated with 20 new recipes, this paperback edition of Reiss’s 2004 national bestseller is packed with the kind of hearty and warming recipes you’d expect from its subtitle. It’s attractively laid-out, easy to follow, and has a section on technique, which makes all the recipes easy for the beginner. Nutrition and calorie info for each recipe is a nice touch.(Whitecap, $24.95)
cOOk: FrEsh, FlavOrFul FaMily MEalsBy Deborah Anzinger
This intimate and approachable collection of healthful meal recipes is a welcome and reassuring book for anyone who struggles to feed his or her family fresh, nutritional and tasty meals from scratch. A professional home economist from small-town Ontario, Anzinger makes it easy with tips on technique, pantry advice, and hints on getting the whole family involved. A fun read!(Whitecap, $24.95)
15Fall 2011
Blogging By Tamara Stieber
Date: Oct 11, 2011Job#, Filename & Version:#
AGO10852_CityBites_HP_fnlAd Size: 7.27” x 4.4625” # Colours: 4/0
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Client: AGO Artist: JC/SB/JC Safety/Live:
Campaign: Chagall Acct. Mgr: KH File Built at: 100%
Ad#: Insertion Date: Line Screen: 100 lpi PMS PMS
Pub: City Bites Ship Date: Oct. 11, 2011
Approvals: Date: Signature: Approvals: Date: Signature:
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Acct Mngr: Art Dir:
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Enjoy a magical night out at the AGO with the Chagall exhibition and complimentary audio guide topped with a 3-course Chagall-inspired dinner at Frank restaurant. All for only $65.
Now a celebrated cookbook author, Clotilde Dusoulier ditched a career in software engineer- ing to submerge herself in the pleasures of cooking. In 2003, her Chocolat & Zucchini blog made her a one-of-a-kind online presence. Now, with two cookbooks under her belt, Dusoulier has been selected the 2011 Joseph Hoare Gastronomic Writer in Residence at Stratford Chefs School. She will spend two weeks there from Oct. 31 and she will also make two appearances in Toronto. (Visit stratfordchef.com for information.) CityBites chatted with her from her home in Paris.
Q: Why did you start your blog? A: I found myself wanting to talk about food long after the meal had been eaten and this was a way to prolong the conversation and the pleasure that food and the idea of creating something can bring. It was also a way of sharing that conversation outside of my circle of friends where I could document my daily cooking process.
Q: What advice would you give to an aspiring blogger?A: The key is in developing a strong voice that has a unique point of view. As well, create a writing style that is unique to who you are and always be honest. Honesty is really the key. No one expects perfection and people will want to read what you have to say when it comes from an honest place.
Q: What would people be most surprised to know about you?A: I was a late bloomer when it comes to cooking and eating. I was a picky eater and was not an adventurous eater at all. I didn’t like cheese and didn’t like bread that wasn’t square and white. It wasn’t until I was 21 that I really began to explore my own appetite.
Q: Favourite ingredient?A: Lemons. There are an endless amount of ways to use lemon juice and zest in cooking and baking.
Q: The utensil you can’t live without?A: A Japanese mandolin. I use it all the time. Cutting vegetables differently completely changes their flavours.
Q: If you could invite anyone for dinner who would it be and what would you serve?A: David Eggers, American writer, editor and publisher. I would serve chicken and bread crust and a pear or apple tart. CB
The Wired CookParis food Blogger comes to stratford
Dusoulier’s Favourite blogs101cookbooks.com thewednesdaychef.comtipsybaker.com long.blog.lemonde.fr
Food and social media writer Clotilde Dusoulier.
16 CityBites
Chef By Andrew Brudz
Buying consignment wines from an agent is easy. Go online and get their list. Phone or email your order. Wait for delivery. Repeat.
How to Buy Wine from an Agent
B&W Wines416-531-5553 www.bwwines.com
B&W Wines offers a portfolio of iconic and boutique wineries: Penley Estate, Lillypilly, Two Hands and Jansz from OZ; Darioush and La Crema in California; Argentinean Bodegas Weinert; Barolos from Brovia, Rhone-Ranger Jean-Luc Colombo and Douro producer Quinta de Ventolezo.
Lifford Wine Agency416-440-4101 or toll-free 1-877-272-1720 www.LiffordWine.com
2010 Winner - VINTAGES Portfolio Award of Excellence Serving the hospitality sector and private consumers in Ontario since 1985 with a focus on family owned and operated wineries that are equally as passionate about great wine as we are. Cakebread Cellars, Maison Louis Jadot, Felton Road, Felsina and Hollick, to name just a few.
Profile Wine Group 416-598-0033 www.profilewinegroup.com
Like you, we are Passionate about quality wine. Our Passion. At your service. Please check out our web site for our entire list… it is full of high quality wines at every price point.
HE CREATES USER-FRIENDLY RECIPESSpeaking about his latest cookbook, Smith says, “The underlying theme is simplicity. All you need is big, bold flavours!” Starting with over 150 recipes, he workshopped them with friends and neighbours to make sure each one worked. He eventually narrowed them down to 100 personal favourites that he loves to make at home over and over again.
HE LOVES LOCALSmith believes that using locally sourced food creates a greater responsibility for those eating it. He says, “If someone in your community worked hard to make it, you will respect it more than buying a frozen package of broccoli at the supermarket. There’s a story attached to it.”
HE’S AN AMBASSADOR FOR CANADIAN CUISINE“Canadians have a great reputation around the world, but not many people know about our cuisine,” Smith says. He notes one of Canada’s greatest advantages: as one giant land mass with so many types of cuisine, we’re in a unique position to draw on new flavours, styles of cooking, and fresh ideas in the kitchen.
HE CAN ADMIT HIS MISTAKE Two words: Pizza Pudding. (Look for a tongue- in-cheek reference in the liner notes of his new book.)
HE’S A FAMILY MANHe loves cooking for the family, including his 9-year-old son Gabriel, who likes watching Dad at work in the kitchen, partner Chastity, and her 3-year-old daughter Ariela.
HIS TRAVELOGUE WRITING STYLEMore than just a list of ingredients and some instruction, every Michael Smith recipe is a story, featuring its origins, its evolution, or a personal anecdote. He says, “We all have the desire to gather and prepare and share food. It’s what unites us all as people. It’s how society developed in the first place.”
HE LOVES TORONTO He cites friend Patrick McMurray’s seafood mainstay, Starfish, and the rustic Italian cooking at Grazie as his two favourite places to eat whenever he’s in town.
HE STILL COOKS ON HIS SHOWSWhile some of his contemporaries have fore-gone instructional-style cooking shows for the reality TV route, Smith has stuck to his style, with shows like The Inn Chef, Chef at Home, Chef At Large, and Chef Abroad. Next up is a web series, debuting this fall, called Chef Michael’s Kitchen, where he teaches viewers what works, why it works, and how to take it to the next level.
HE LIKES TO GIVE BACKSmith recently hosted a chef festival and steak dinner in PEI that raised funds for both a local food bank and a cookhouse in Kenya that will feed 1,000 children.
THIS RECIPE: Leftover Roast Chicken Broth With a Few Extra Things Thrown In. (Yup, it’s in there. Check it out on page 80.) If there’s one recipe that encapsulates Smith’s kitchen philosophy, this is it. It’s not about measurements and precision—it’s about getting dinner and having fun! CB
10 Favourite Things about Chef Michael SmithA few of our favourite things, in honour of the PEI-based chef and The Food Network star’s latest bestselling cookbook, Chef Michael Smith’s Kitchen: 100 of My Favourite Easy Recipes.
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Chef’s Dinner: 3 Autumn Recipes
This is a great warming recipe for fall, and the ultimate do-ahead dish, as everything is best made the day before and warmed just before serving. Serves six.
For the venison shoulder2 lb venison shoulder1 bottle red wine75mL cognac (about 1/3 cup)500mL chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth (2 cups)zest and juice of one orange1 cinnamon stick1 star anise pod5 juniper berries8 black peppercorns2 cloves2 allspice berries1 carrot, chopped1 small onion, chopped1 celery stalk, chopped1 head of garlic, cut in half1 bay leaf2 sprigs fresh thyme1 sprig fresh sagekosher salt and black peppercanola oil for cookingunsalted butter
Heat the oven to 325°F.Pour the wine, cognac, orange
and spices into a pot and warm gently (do not boil) for an hour to infuse the flavours. Strain and reserve.
Season the venison thoroughly and, in a Dutch oven or oven-proof pot, sear in the canola oil until brown and crusty on all sides.
Remove from pot and set aside.Add the carrot, celery, onion
and garlic to the pot and cook over medium-high heat until browned, add the venison back in, along with the mulled wine, chicken stock, bay leaf and herbs. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in the oven for 3 hours or until the venison is tender. Allow to cool in the liquid.
Cut the shoulder into six equal pieces. Strain out the vegetables and reserve the liquid, set 500mL of the liquid aside and pour the remaining over the shoulder. Cool overnight in the fridge.
For the red cabbage 1 small head red cabbage, finely shredded1 shallot, finely diced1 apple, finely grated500mL apple cider (2 cups)150mL brown sugar (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp)375mL sherry or red wine vinegar (1.5 cups)kosher salt
Warm the butter, sugar and vin-egar in a pot until the sugar has melted.
Add all the remaining ingredi-ents, season with salt and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the cabbage is soft and slightly sticky and all the liquid has been absorbed. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
For the turnip Fondants2 large turnips250mL chicken stock (1 cup)100g butter (about 1/4lb or 1 stick)kosher saltcanola oil for cooking
Peel and slice the turnips into 1-in. thick rounds. Season with salt.
Heat a wide frying pan, add a little oil and sauté the turnips until brown on both sides. Add the chicken stock and the butter and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook slowly until all the liquid has absorbed and the turnips are soft. Allow to cool and store in the fridge overnight.
For the peppercorn sauce Reserved braising jus1 Tbsp ground green peppercorns25mL cognac (about 2 Tbsp)100mL 35% cream
Before serving, put the reserved braising jus, cognac and cream into a pot and reduce until sauce consistency. Add the green pepper- corns and keep warm.
to Finish the dish Re-warm the cabbage and the fondants and set aside. Place the venison shoulder and the braising jus in a pan. Over medium heat, reduce the liquid until almost dry and the meat is nicely coated. Taste for seasoning and add a knob of butter.
Place a spoonful of peppercorn sauce in the centre of six warm plates. Place a mound of red cabbage, a turnip fondant and a piece of venison on top. Serve with with a good pinot noir or a spiced porter like Black Oak Nutcracker.
Jesse Vallins is the chef at Trevor Kitchen and Bar.
Mulled-Wine braised venison shoulder with red
cabbage, turnip Fondant and peppercorn sauce
By Jesse Vallins Trevor Kitchen and Bar
18 CityBites
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rapini risotto with crème Fraiche sphereBy Howard Dubrovsky L.A.B.
ginger Molasses cookiesBy Tara Sachs Parts and Labour
This dish is an example of how we like to blend classic techniques with a little modern flare. In this case we’re playing up the approachable bitterness of rapini. Our dish features a very simple trick using a sea-weed extract called alginate (or sodium alginate) to execute the technique of spherification. The goal is to take a loose, almost liquid solution — in this case crème fraiche — and give it the texture and body of a raw egg yolk. The bath is a blend of sodium alginate and water in a ratio of 1 tbsp alginate to 1 cup water. All you need to do is spoon in some loose crème fraiche and a minute later you’ll have a sphere of cream surrounded by essentially a clear aspic. It sounds complicated, but it’s easy for anyone to do. Like all “molecular” techniques,
the best thing is just to play around. Note: Alginate or so-dium alginate can be found at online gourmet shops. We get ours from l’Epicerie in New York.
ingredients2 cups Arborio rice2 Tbsp olive oil6-8 cups vegetable broth1/2 cup shredded parmesan1/2 to 1 cup rapini purée (or to taste)salt and pepper to taste
For the rapini purée Blanch one bunch rapini in salted water, then shock in an ice bath. Keep a few florets for garnish.
Purée the rapini until smooth.
For the crèMe Fraiche garnishDrop spoonfuls of crème fraiche
These are my favourite cookies of all time. Every year when the leaves start to change I crave these cookies and a hot cup of tea. Soft, chewy and rich, I have never met someone who didn’t love them.
ingredients3/4 cup butter, room temp1 cup lightly packed brown sugar1/2 tsp salt1 large egg, room temp1/4 cup unsulfured molasses1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour1 tsp cinnamon1/2 tsp cloves2 tsp baking soda1 1/2 tsp ground ginger1/2 cup crystalized ginger (chopped into small chunks)1/2 cup granulated sugar for dipping
Method In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment,
cream butter, sugar and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
Add egg and molasses and beat until incorporated. Scraping sides of bowl as needed.
In a separate bowl sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and ground ginger. Break up candied ginger in flour mix-ture to ensure cubes do not clump together in batter. Add to butter mixture in thirds until smooth, careful not to over mix. The cookie dough will be thick.
Using a 1-inch scoop, portion dough on a baking tray. Refrig-erate at least an hour to set.
Remove tray from fridge and roll scooped dough in hands to make smooth balls. Coat each ball in granulated sugar and place on baking tray 3 inches apart.
Bake in a 350oF oven 10-12 minutes until tops begin to crack.
Cool slightly, but they are best warm. And enjoy!.
19Fall 2011
into a bath of alginate water (1 tbsp: 1 cup). Let sit 1 minute, then place in water to store.
Method Sauté the rice in the olive oil for 1 minute.
Add the stock, one cup at a time, letting the stock absorb before adding the next cup.
The risotto is ready when the rice is al dente and there’s a creamy sauce in the pot. Add the puree. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
To garnish, top with a few rapini florets, parmesan slices and the crème fraiche sphere.
Howard Dubrovsky is a published writer, photographer, kick boxer, food stylist and world traveler. He owns and cooks at Live and Breathe (L.A.B.) restaurant in Toronto.
Tara Sachs is the Pastry Chef at Parts and Labour. If Tara Sachs could have dinner with five people, dead or alive, she would pick Martha Stewart, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Douglas Coupland, Isabella Blow and Paul Newman.
20 CityBites
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By Kelly Ward
Something new has popped up at butchers’ counters across the city. A chicken is no longer just a chicken. A steak is no longer just a piece of beef. Friendly, familiar descriptors like “breast,” “thigh,” “roast,” and “flank” are being qualified by vague terms like “free range,” “antibiotic-free,” “traditionally raised” and “organic.” Problem is, endless permu-tations of these terms have opened up a new frontier that might be good for marketers, but is decidedly confusing for the average omnivore.
This new gastronomic space is all about the way an animal is raised and what it eats. But just what does it really mean for a chicken to be “antibiotic-free”? What is the difference between “corn-fed” beef and “grass-fed”? Do “organic” and “traditionally raised” basically mean the same thing? How in the world would you — the innocent and hungry consumer — be expected to know?
Decoding the facts behind the labels can be daunting. In Canada, any food item bearing the label “certified organic” must conform to certification requirements out-lined by the Canadian General Standards Board. This means that any questions regarding the production and treatment of organic meat can be answered by a 51-page document called Organic Production Systems General Principles and Management Standards.
Certified organic meat producers are forbidden to feed their animals anything but certified organic feed. That means it’s free of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers, and contains no antibiotics or genetically modified organisms. Animals must have access to a regulated minimum amount of open space, both indoors and out. The use of growth hormones is forbidden.
“Certified organic” is the only label with this level of rigorous, government-sanctioned oversight behind it.
Producers that use other terms to define their means of production need to prove their validity to a regulating body, either the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or the provincial government. Claims like “anti- biotic-free,” “raised without growth hormones,” and “grain fed,” must be reasonably backed by the protocols and processes of the
establishment. But, unlike the definitive requirements of organic certification, these protocols are regulated on a per-facility basis. There is no detailed definition of these terms made available to the consumer. Interested consumers must do some signifi- cant digging to find out what protocols establishments have put in place to warrant the approval of their claim.
These types of claims often apply only to one aspect of the farming process, but some labels can inform the consumer about the producer generally. For example, anti-
biotics are fed to animals on large-scale industrial farms for many reasons, not the least of which is to counteract the effects on the animals of being kept, generally, in unhealthy environments.
“Animals are often standing in mud or manure. They can’t move around. It’s not a healthy environment, so they’re fed anti- biotics prophylactically to keep them healthy,” says Sarah Bakker of Field Sparrow Farms, a “natural” farming operation in
the Kawarthas that specializes in grass-fed beef production. Farmers who raise their animals without the use of antibiotics must pay careful attention to the health of the environment — which, in the end, can benefit the health of everyone from farmer to animal to consumer. So, “antibiotic-free” carries some weight as testament to a farmer’s commitment to a purer path.
The terms “traditionally raised,” “naturally raised,” and “free range” are more compli-cated. “Everyone has their own terminology,” Bakker says. And the differences in definition from farm to farm can be vast.
For Bakker, “naturally raised” means tending her livestock without the use of antibiotics, growth hormones, or genetically modified organisms. It also means no corn. Corn gives beef that rich marbling that chefs and consumers enjoy faster than any other form of feed. Corn “finishing” — where corn is fed to cattle in the final stages before slaughter — is used in conventional farming to increase the saturated fat content of the meat. But it can also contribute to the incubation of E. Coli bacteria that need to be carefully controlled to ensure they don’t pass to humans.
Bakker sources calves, lambs, and chickens only from local farms whose production
Truth and ConsequencesDecoDiNg the facts behiND the meat label
Henry and Sarah Bakker raise pastured beef in the Kawarthas.
‘certified organic’ is the only label with rigorous, government-sanctioned oversight.
21Fall 2011
practices she’s familiar with and agrees with. Field Sparrow Farms is not certified organic, mainly because the farm doesn’t have enough land to grow all its own hay. If the farm were to be certified organic, any purchased hay would have to come from other organic farms, which would mean bringing materials from farther away, increasing the farm’s carbon footprint. The same would go for the purchase of calves and lambs.
Bakker chooses to call her method of farming “naturally raised” because “tradi-tional” is a problematic term that, she points out, can mean almost anything. “It depends how far back you’re talking about,” she says. “Corn-fed beef could be considered traditional because it’s been around since the 1950s.”
Each self-described “traditional” farm has its own definition. In these cases, per-sonal research into the source farm is the only way to fully understand what the term means to each farmer. Farmers markets provide an opportunity to speak directly to “traditional” farmers. And Metro currently carries “Fresh Obsessions Traditionally Raised Beef” that has a corresponding web-site that lists the names and locations of the supplying farmers.
“Free range” is similarly difficult to define. A consumer hears the term and imagines an animal raised in an unrestricted outdoor setting. But, Bakker points out, “You can’t really have free-range chickens in the winter because they’d be frozen prior to ever getting to the butcher… so if some-
thing says ‘free-range’ in January, I’d start asking questions.”
Some would argue that, given these complexities, consumers should look only to certified-organic producers. But Tony McQuail of Meeting Place Organic Farm, who has been farming organically for more than 25 years and was among the farmers who helped set up the original organic certification process in Ontario in the mid-1980s, disagrees.
Before the mid-eighties, he says, “all you had to do to make something organic is rewrite the label.” But, even as a pioneer of the organic movement, McQuail maintains that it’s open discourse — rather than label and logo recognition — that makes for in-formed meat purchasing. “Certification is a verification system that has a third-party inspection and documentation to make sure the farms are meeting the organic standard,” he says. “However, the consum-er should talk to the producers of antibiot-ic-free, free-range, or naturally raised meats to find out the details of their production practices. They may be raising their live-stock in an acceptable way…. It just takes personal communication.”
It may seem like a daunting task to investi- gate every cut of meat before you buy, but it’s actually not difficult. Supermarkets like Metro are finally getting on board, and their efforts are, at the very least, a sincere start.
Loblaw’s “Free From” line of antibiotic-free chicken lists the names of supplier farms on the packaging, and includes photos of the farmers. And farmer’s markets across the
GTA provide the opportunity for urbanites to chat with producers and ask what their process is all about.
By closing the gap between farm and table, savvy consumers can unlock a world of better-tasting, healthier meat options. The future of what we see at the butcher’s counter is really up to us. The more consumers educate themselves and push for better, more transparent access to alternative meat products, the more we will see the quality and health of our meat options improve. CB
Truth and Consequences
The “Corn-Fed” TruthCorn-fed ruminantS are SiCK animalS. Cattle and sheep have a stomach, the rumen, specifically designed to digest grass. an all-grain diet halts the natural processes of the rumen, and these animals then need veterinary drugs daily to keep the rumen from bloating and potentially suffocating them.
Corn-fed ruminantS Can inCuBate BaCteria. Corn changes the ph of a ruminant’s digestive tract, which allows bacteria, such as e. coli 0157, to incubate where they naturally would not. these can pass to humans through farm run-off.
Corn-fed Beef iS HigHer iS Saturated fat. Sarah bakker compares a steer eating only corn to a human eating only chocolate. It makes for an animal that’s not only unhealthy internally, but also higher in “bad” fats.
22 CityBites
Szabo on Wine By John Szabo MS
The Year of Ontario Pinot Noir
Top 2009 Ontario Pinot Noirs
2009 Le CLos Jordanne Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard 92 pts | $45
Delicate on the nose but powerful on the palate, combining weight and flesh with silky texture. Wood is more of a feature for the present, adding a smoky dimension, with brown spice, dried flowers and dark, woodsy, Côte-de-Nuits-type flavours. The best yet from LCJ. Best 2012-2019.
Winery; Vintages October 15
2009 Hardie Wines County Pinot noir unfiLteredPrince Edward County 92 pts | $35
The best yet from Norm Hardie. The texture is pure silk and elegance, with lovely fresh and delicate tart red fruit, vibrant and pure, with energetic acidity, very fine-grained tannins and a wonderfully refreshing 11.5% alcohol. This invites constant sips. Best 2011-2015. Winery
2009 CLosson CHase CCV Pinot noirPrince Edward County 92 pts | $39.95
Closson’s 2009 pinot is a light, herbal, mineral and vibrantly zesty example with terrific persistence and delicate fruit flavours. Pure PEC terroir. Best 2011-2015. Winery, Vintages Dec. 10
We’ve waited, we’ve tasted, and we’ve waited again for that bloody grape to perform the way we all believed it could. Like a bunch of anti-Diogenes optimists we’d wander through bottles, and every blue moon our lanterns would shine on an honest-to-goodness local pinot noir, and we’d exclaim: “Ha! You see, it is possible.”
For the rest, unflappable positivism would result in a backhanded slap in the face: “This shows potential….” Now with the 2009 Ontario vintages hitting the shelves, there’s honest rejoicing at long last. The perfect storm of maturing vines, more experienced winemaking, suitable weather and a critical mass of serious producers have converted pinot potential into pretty pinot.
“We are really proud of this vintage,” says Sebastien Jacquey, winemaker at Le Clos Jordanne, during a release tasting of his 2009 pinots. “The terroir is there.” That’s the sort of pinot talk that devoted acolytes of the grape get all frothy about. The 2006s are still useful for cleaning windshields; the 2007s, so promising at first, have never outgrown their burly tomboy phase; the 2008s were mostly rotten, literally. But the 2009s? “Quiet, tight, firm and fruity,” says Jaquey, the way pinot should be.
It was the coolest season in a half-dozen years, but counter-intuitively, low temperatures kept vine diseases dormant, and a magnificently dry, cool, sunny September delivered fully ripe grapes with thick skins, brown seeds, ripe stems and, crucially, vibrant acids. “The numbers (sugar, pH, acidity) were perfect — what my textbooks from Burgundy say,” said Jaquey, who’s from Burgundy. “We applied classic winemaking principles. There was not much else to do.”
Try these for a taste of what local pinot is all about. Some are ready, some need patience.
The 2009S are here… and They are specTacular
the church at Closson Chase
23Fall 2011
Wine Cellars, Racking, Cabinets, Stemware and Accessoriesshowroom 339 Olivewood Rd 416.285.6604 rosehillwinecellars.com
2009 Coyote’s run estate Winery BLaCk PaW Vineyard Pinot noirNiagara-on-the-Lake 90 pts | $35.95
Closed and tightly wound, with considerable structure and grippy tannins. Fruit spans the red and black berry spectrum, and flavour intensity and depth are impressive. Best 2012-2018. Winery
2009 Le CLos Jordanne La Petite Colline Vineyard 90 pts | $45
High-toned, with sweet red fruit, wild red cherry, light cinnamon baking spice plus minerality. The palate is beautifully elegant and delicate, like silk, with very fine-grained, filigree tannins. Very feminine. Best 2012-2016. Winery
2009 Hidden BenCH estate Pinot noirBeamsville Bench90 pts | $38
Very open, perfumed, fresh and fragrant, with wood noted alongside highly concentrated, vibrant red and even black berry fruit. Tannins and wood are indeed still marked, and this needs time to integrate, another 1-3 years. Best 2012-2017. Winery
2009 Coyote’s run estate Winery Pinot noirNiagara-on-the-Lake90 pts | $49.95This is evidently a serious and ambitious example of pinot noir, with generous oak influence, abundant baking spice, chocolate and fresh coffee grounds. The palate is juicy and savoury, with substantial intensity and long, warm finish. A meaty and savoury wine all in all, one of the finest estate pinots yet from Coyote’s Run. Drink 2011-2015. Winery
2009 roseWood estates Winery Pinot noirTwenty Mile Bench89 pts | $20
Bright, high-toned and juicy red fruit-flavoured pinot crafted in an elegant and refined style. The palate is suave and silky, with light tannins and bright acid; very pretty. Best 2011-2014. Vintages #112177
2009 Coyote’s run estate Winery red PaW Vineyard Pinot noirNiagara-on-the-Lake89 pts | $24.95
Firmly in the lighter red berry fruit spectrum of flavours, with notable high-toned cherry and a touch of earthy-funk that’s well within normally acceptable bounds. Tannins are firm and grippy, bolstered by crisp acids, though the wine is well balanced all around. Best 2011-2014. Winery
2009 taWse Winery GroWer’s BLend Pinot noirNiagara Escarpment & Twenty Valley89 pts | $30
Closed for now, but reveals a good deal of depth and flavour intensity on the palate. Generous density and weight, while acidity is balanced and crisp, and tannins are grippy and dusty. Will improve over the next 2-3 years in the cellar. Best 2012-2016. Winery
2009 tWenty-tWenty seVen CeLLars Queenston road Vineyard Pinot noirSt. David’s Bench90 pts | $30
All delicate red berry, compost, wet earth and sweet baking spice. The palate is deceptively powerful, with ripe tannins, balanced acidity, quite serious depth and a forceful, lingering finish. Best 2012-2015. Winery
2009 CLosson CHase CHurCH side Pinot noir Prince Edward County89 pts | $49.95
The Churchside pinot is the burliest and most evidently woody of Closson’s ’09 Pinots (if such a thing can be said). Flavours are in the darker fruit spectrum, and chocolate-coffee flavours linger on the finish. Best 2012-2015. Winery
2009 roseHaLL run Vineyards estate Pinot noirPrince Edward County89 pts | $39
Really lovely and pure red fruit/berry character, red currant, red cherry, with a fine measure of florality. The palate is light and lean in a good way, with brisk but not excessive acidity, moderate alcohol and fine-grained tannins. Solid length. Best 2011-2014. Winery
2009 fLat roCk CeLLars tHe roGue Pinot noirTwenty Mile Bench89+ | $35
The Rogue, made in honour of owner Ed Madronich’s father, is a pinot noir made white, or at least a little “gris.” High quality barrel notes and lees make this smell like fine chardonnay. The palate is ripe, creamy, with crisp-balancing acidity,
and long finish. Best 2011-2013. Winery
2009 Casa dea estates Winery Pinot noirPrince Edward County88 pts | $19.95
Light, tight, juicy and mineral example of County pinot, in the soon-to-be-classic style. Best 2011-2013. Winery
24 CityBites
the ej By Konrad Ejbich
Now that the provincial election is over, I expect all promises to be kept exactly as made. Sadly, no promises were made to the Ontario wine industry, so don’t expect much to change over the next four years.
Ontario wineries are making the best wines they ever have and we’re thirstier than ever for what they produce. That includes wine aficionados, novice drinkers and everyone in between. The only thing standing between the willing seller and the willing buyer is the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO, a.k.a. KGBO).
The monopoly has been running its annual GoLocal program, and whoop-dee-do, I say. Of the nearly 2,000 estate wines produced in Ontario last year, a mere 20 or so are featured (for a price) for a whole month. For the other 11 months local winemakers can go suck a cork.
Why aren’t they screaming from the rafters? Only the Grape Growers of Ontario made a public peep during the campaign — 48 hours before election day — a statement to say the outcome of the vote would affect them. From the rest of the industry, nary a peep.
Not from the wineries shut out of government-owned stores — even those with mouthy owners; not from their lobby group, Ontario Wine Country (formerly the Wine Council of Ontario); and not from the Winery & Grower Alliance, which represents Ontario-based wineries selling or supporting the bulk foreign product that masquerades as local wine.
The California Wine Institute did have something to say. In the early days of the election campaign, it threatened to act if any politician tried to give local wineries “special access” to the Ontario market. If you find that astonishing, get in line, folks. There was not a word of protest from any Ontario wine organization. Nor did any politician stand up to the bullying to support local winemakers.
I’m not advocating the kind of trade barriers France or the Americans put up to keep Ontario wines out of their precious markets. The Ontario government is failing to support its own industry, and through the KGBO, it is continuing to restrict the sale of locally made wines. For the next four years, expect more barriers that prevent Ontario wineries from flourishing and contributing to the financial recovery of the province.
In the meantime, we’ll be able to buy plenty of for-eign plonk from posh-looking government-run stores built, staffed and operated at taxpayers’ expense; stores that control what we can drink and where we can buy it.
During this election campaign, I asked every politician I tripped across to justify this sorry state of affairs, and no one had a sensible answer.
Riddle me this: Why does nobody give a damn? Four more years? You get what you vote for. CB
Ontario: Yours to recoverOur liquor monopoly must get its priOrities straight
The Ontario government is failing to support its own industry, and… is continuing to restrict the sale of locally made wines.
Konrad ejbich is a member of the Wine Writer’s Circle of Canada. he writes for Style at Home magazine and answers caller questions on CBC radio’s ontario today. he’s currently updating his pocket Guide to Ontario Wines, Wineries, Vineyards & Vines. Follow twitter.com/WineZone
On a lighter note...rush singer and bass player Geddy lee doesn’t just spend his days traipsing all over the world playing rock star. When he’s off-tour and hanging around his toronto home, Lee works behind the scenes on the board of directors of a wine industry charity, grapes for humanity. recently, he and bandmate alex Lifeson joined charity supporters on a tour of prince edward County wineries. When the celebrity rocker landed at hinterland Winery, Lee was so enamored of their 2008 les Étoiles sparking wine, he bought 75 bottles, a thank you for each of the generous donors.
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email [email protected].
25Fall 2011
Libations By Stephen Beaumont
In the hierarchy of brewing nations, four stand out as the greatest of the great: Belgium, the Czech Republic, England and Germany. Of these, it’s the last, Germany, that comes readily to mind for most people when the subject of beer is raised.
More recently, however, the knock against this Teutonic beer titan is that its stylistic range is limited. Partly due to the nation’s long-standing adherence to its famed beer purity law, which limits ingredients to malted grain, hops, water and yeast, critics charge that Germany has not nurtured the kind of brewing creativity that has, say, Belgium.
And certainly, when compared to its neighbour, Germany’s “light lager- dark lager-wheat beer” trifecta would appear to be, well, a little on the boring side. But that view ignores the fact that there is more to German beer than helles, dunkel and weisse. A whole lot more.
In Bavaria alone, alternative beer styles abound, beginning with the strong lager known as bock. Purportedly created in the northern brewing town of Einbeck, the name of which, when spoken in the
dialect of Munich, is supposedly the root of the style’s name, bocks are essentially strong and malty, usually dark, lagers. At their best, however, they deliver rich caramel and toffee flavours, with nutty or spicy hop-piness, or perhaps a light roastiness, to keep the sweetness in check.
With the cold weather approaching, it’s bock’s bigger brother, dop-pelbock, that should garner your attention. Literally “double bock,” doppelbock was created by monks to sustain them during fasting periods, their perfectly valid theory being that the use of more malt in the brew would translate into a greater food value.
Courtesy of the LCBO, we have in Toronto this fall one of Bavaria’s classic doppelbocks, Ayinger Celebrator, easily identified by the plastic goat hanging from the neck of each bottle. Beautifully balanced, with a rustic, mocha-ish character and warming but not overwhelming finish, it is tailor-made for late autumn nights.
Also from Bavaria, and also “doppel,” we have another classic, Schneider Aventinus Weizendoppelbock. A fusion of two styles, doppelbock and the bottle-fermented wheat beer known as weizen or weissbier, Aventinus adds a fruity, spicy element to the strength and richness of an ordinary doppelbock, making a late night beer perfectly at ease beside a wedge of spice cake or a fine cigar.
In the north, the city of Köln, boasts its very own style of often mis- understood beer, kölsch. Blond in colour, fermented warm like an ale but aged long and cool like a lager, kölsches are best understood in situ, which is to say in the kölsch houses scattered at the foot of the massive and foreboding Köln cathedral. If you can’t make it to northern Germany, though, you may satisfy your curiosity and thirst with a more-then-credible local interpretation, Beau’s Lug Tread Lagered Ale, with its restrained fruitiness, faint sulphur note and off-dry finish.
And now that we’re on the subject of local versions of Germanic styles, how about Creemore Kellerbier? Sure, it’s Molson-owned and presently engaged in a rather controversial attempt to expand the brewery, but for a classically yeasty and flavourful lager, in a can, no less, you could do a whole helluva lot worse. And returning to the Ottawa Valley, Beau’s offers us seasonal versions of both the moderately strong Bavarian lager style known as märzen (“mare-tzen”), usually associated with Okto-berfest, and the Düsseldorf altbier in, respectively, their Night Märzen and Festivale, the former falling closer to the mark than the latter.
Add to this group the plethora of styles not currently available here, from Berliner weisse to gose, plus the always refreshing crispness of northern pilsners like Bitburger and the growing number of variations on the weissbier style, and German beer starts to look anything but boring. CB
Anything but BoringGerman beer should be noted for its wide range of tastes
doppelbock, that should garner your attention.
Stephen Beaumont well understands the complexities of German beer, having had to encapsulate the entire nation in 6,500 or so words for his new book, The World Atlas of Beer, co-authored with tim Webb and available in the spring of 2012.
26 CityBites
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One last bite By Dick Snyder
Fall for CocktailsbarChef’s autumn drinks menu will keep you warm but not necessarily dry
BarChef472 Queen st. W.416-868-4800barcheftoronto.com
Frankie Solarik unleashes an autumn menu of cocktails at Queen West’s BarChef with signature flamboyance, starting with the Eucalyptus pictured here. An olfactory sensation as much as a wake-up call for the taste buds, the drink melds coriander, vanilla, mezcal, eucalyptus, cherry, cucumber solid, smoked cacao and coconut. Now in its fourth year, the internationally acclaimed BarChef, which Solarik co-owns with Brent Vanderveen, is oft-praised for push-ing cocktail culture in the city to higher levels. The Queen West haunt recently brought chef Joseph Glassbourg on board to fire up its menu, offering hot and cold dinner and snack options late into the night. Solarik’s autumn cocktail menu includes some past favourites, as well as two other new items showcasing his molecular mixology techniques. The Autumn Rose includes muddled cucumber and coriander, vanilla syrup, chartreuse, gin, rose water spritz and dry vermouth. The Newly Fashioned combines rosemary-infused bourbon, muddled red grapefruit rind, raisin bitter and sugar cube. Is your mouth watering yet?
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7 Year Aged Cheddar has a very pleasant stronger aroma and more slightly acidic note than a younger 5 year aged cheddar. This cheese has a drier more crumbly texture, given its low moisture content. When eating, you will get slightly acidic note that will develop into wonderful fruity milk note characteristics as it warms in your mouth. It will be slightly buttery and exhibit crystallized granules.
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Black Hoof, Toronto 416 551 8854Cava, Toronto 416 979 9918 www.cavarestaurant.caBymark, Toronto 416 777 1144 www.bymark.caDrake, Toronto 416 531 5042 www.thedrakehotel.ca
Inn on the Twenty, Lincoln 905 562 7313 www.innonthetwenty.comVineland Estates, Vineland 905 562 7088 www.vineland.comCowbell, Toronto 416 849 1095 www.cowbellrestaurant.caHarbord Room, Toronto 416 962 8989 www.theharbordroom.com
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