Marben Restaurant

Having just reinvented itself and reopened its doors, this Wellington West restaurant is going to leave it’s mark on the Toronto food scene. Although I know a few people “on the inside”, I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible when composing this review.

Dim lights, comfortable seating, light music and the pleasant aroma coming from the open kitchen make this restaurant very inviting and cozy. Kitchen accessories used as the decor throughout the locale could be considered a little too tacky but in this case really give the place some character. The fact that the kitchen’s food pass also doubles as a bar for foodies to enjoy the show really demonstrates the importance that this restaurant places on its eating experience. Another great place to sit is the patio, where the warmth of the indoor space is continued and you can even enjoy fresh herbs from their green wall.

Anyways, the important issue at hand is the food! To be perfectly honest, other than what could be technical difficulties (insufficient seasoning) everything we tried that night was amazing. Simple and fresh food where the flavours were accentuated only by their cooking method without any pretenses of excessive spices. Perfectly cooked fish and meat melted in your mouth while seasonal vegetables complemented their taste and contrasted their textures. Our meal was started with a sharing plate of homemade bread and a organic soy bean oil for dipping which set the tone for the bliss that our tastes buds needed to endure during the rest of the evening. The appetizers came in small portions but enough for everyone at the table to at least grab a bite. Arctic char, ravioli, oysters and an amazing terrine left us salivating and wanting more. The mains were definitely in tone with everything else we devoured that meal. I do recommend the burger which is almost like a Kinder Surprise with it’s braised beef center and definitely the duck breast which is succulent and perfectly cooked. Prices are all under $20 for “normal” portions, but keep in mind that they’re tasting plates so 2 or 3 per person are recommended.

The only constructive criticism I have is based on the staff. First of all, there seemed to be waaay too many people working there for the amount of customers. I do believe our table had 3 waitresses, 1 bus buy, 2 food runners, one random man who brought out only one plate and the floor manager. It was a little confusing to keep track of who to order from and realistically, who we were tipping. Regardless, the experience at Marben was remarkable and I’ll definitely return in the near future.

Loyalty in the Culinary World…

I have recently come across a moral and culinary dilemma, one that has me going through the pros and cons of a heavy decision. Thanks to this blog and by extension Rob (the admin), I can get this of my chest and maybe hear from people if they have experienced their own loyalty issues in this business.

Where does one draw the line? How far and how long does loyalty go? When does it run out? In this business, does one only worry about themselves and others after? Because its in the nature of the work to move on to the next place, does that make it ok to always follow that traditional path? How can you avoid burning bridges? Is having a moral mentality an Achilles heel, or something to be held sacred in this industry?

A lot of questions have been going through my mind about what my next move is and whether it’ll be the right one for me. A few people have weighed in with their thoughts and opinions, all good points of view and have said some really good things, but in the end the only point of view, or opinion that truly counts is your own.

Will that final decision put your morals to rest?

Nutritional Gatekeepers

Nutritional Gatekeepers GET REAL!

Like many of you, I am passionate about food and have been working in professional kitchens more than half of my life. After a quick tour visiting families and putting a ton of miles on the car, I wanted to share just a few oddball observations of my road trip through southern Ontario to the southern states.

foodWhen we first stopped for gas there were absolutely NO choices for “real” food only noisy, mega fast-food chains. No independently owned mom and pop places. “Real” is the operative description for something that has not been processed in any way shape or form. Driving through the mountains I conjured up images of some fresh fruit , but my dreams were dashed seeing perfectly uniform apples shrink-wrapped with the heaviest plastic, gasping for air. The gas station/food store/restaurant/lottery stop was full of brightly colored food pix everywhere. It almost gave me the sensation that there might be some real food around! Since becoming vegetarian I’m wide-eyed and looking for more than soggy pasta with fake alfredo sauce.

There were so many food choices but it wasn’t real food at all! It was all some sort of mechanically produced, engineered, edible product. I opted for the grilled cheese on pseudo panini. I asked for an addition of jalapenos but was told by my hostess they didn’t have any real food there….this was in full sight of my pre-prepared cheese sandwich emerging from a vacu-wrapped plastic bag. It was then flattened on a plastic grill with an ear deafening timer. I asked about the egg and cheese sandwich on the menu and she told me that wasn’t real food either that they just nuke a perfectly shaped egg-type cylinder and pop it on the bun. She said it as plain and calm as could be. She suggested i ask the restaurant at the next counter.So I asked “are their eggs real?” and she replied “absolutely darlin’ they actually use real egg whites out of a can and just add some yellow for color”.

Ugh… if that isn’t enough to make me stop eating. After inspecting my purchase (cheap education included) I decided to fill my environmentally friendly refillable water bottle while in the loo but the tap water only ran warm at 15 second intervals. Barely even enough time to wash the chemical cheese from my hands….

On the road again, we spent the night at a hotel somewhere near the Virginia border.  Big chain, highly recommended by friends and family, rates were barely competitive and we were tired of trying to find a room for the night.

Checking in we were offered 2 coupons for 2 carbonated beverages in a cardboard glass filled with ice. Yuck.  Our lovely clerk with a southern drawl told us we could come down anytime, day or night, and their “kitchen cupboard” was stocked with everything we’d find at home.  Wow – it seemed amazing to me since my kitchen cupboard has a quirky selection of odd packages and way too many spices in triplicate. Besides the fact that I wasn’t hungry, I had the option of raiding their “kitchen cupboard” in the middle of the night.

I awoke anticipating a great breakfast before driving for another day thru the Appalachian mountains (really beautiful drive). Remembering the super invitation the night before I wondered if they might have good coffee. To the kitchen cupboard I went, thinking about all of my breakfast possibilities.  And there was the coffee… not surprising it was from a package that included the obligatory disposable cup. Not even the option of using a real cup…

Breakfast and snack  choices were all displayed in the “kitchen cupboard”, but no real ones. Everything sealed in perfect plastic bowls with bright colored pictures (for those that can’t read I suppose) and catchy names. It was a food fest of plastic!  All required a microwave and that even included a long disclaimer with warnings on operating it. Reading those food ingredients would take hours or days to decipher plus a background in chemistry. What is that s-t-u-f-f?  Little did I know that my holiday would include a difficult search for real food on the road. I didn’t want to eat a bowl full of chemicals – I wanted something recognizable. My holiday now had to include grocery stores with an organic section. Who would think eating well would be so difficult?

So, I am what I eat. I strive to be real. I can make a choice every time I go to the check out. You can too. Make good choices and then tell your friends too. There is nothing good in prepared food except the enormous profits that mega industrialized food companies make. If it has more than one ingredient it is processed in some form or another.

If you can, just for ONE day, ask where your food comes from. Is it farm-raised outside eating grass, or has it ever seen the light of day?  Did that chicken enjoy the sunshine or was it fed a diet of industrialized corn in a stinky coop with no windows? Corn makes chicken grow fast, so fast in fact that it cannot stand up after one month because it’s been engineered with military precision to be that uniform plastic package in the meat counter. Think about that the next time you chow down on a plate of engineered chicken wings. Or consider the farmed raised salmon that’s raised in a chemical bathtub and fed color to look “real”.

If you wonder what food industrialization looks like then watch Michael Pollan’s “Food Inc” and you’ll have a front row view of where mainstream food comes from. Two other suggestions are “Our Daily Bread” (no talking, just the sounds of the machines).  Another one is called “The Rave” (independently produced).  It stopped me cold in my feet. It had a profound affect on how I can change my global imprint by making sustainable choices in the food I eat. It just takes one person at a time.

Educate yourself. You are your own nutritional gate keeper, and even more so if you have a family.

Strawberry Shortcake Continued…

It seems as though I may have a fixation with this little dessert but it’s one of the simplest I know to make and it’s really good for clearing your pantry and your fridge. So this time I made it a little different due to the lack of whipping cream in my house. So this is what I used:

8 eggs (separated)
8 tbsp of flour
16 tbsp of sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of berries (mostly strawberries)
2 containers of Mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup yoghurt (vanilla in this case)
1/4 cup strawberry jam
the zest of a lemon
4 sprigs of tarragon

1. Beat the whites to stiff peaks adding the sugar gradually. Add the yolks with the vanilla and then fold in the flower without over-mixing. Pour in a lined cake pan and bake in a 300F oven for 30-40 min.
2. Mix mascarpone with the strawberry jam, yoghurt, finely chopped tarragon lemon zest until smooth in texture. I even went as far as mixing with a hand blender to make sure there aren’t big chunks of anything left over. Add most of the chopped berries and fold.
3. Cut the sponge cake in 3 layers, brush each layer with simple syrup and build the cake while alternating the sponge with the cheese filling. Decorate, chill and eat.

When will the reality shows end?

Feeling slightly sluggish on a rainy day, I decided to watch a Food Network marathon expecting to gain some new culinary knowledge. Unfortunately, what I was presented with, instead, was a series of really bad reality shows that have very little to do with food.

I’m sure Hell’s Kitchen, the “Next Food Network Star” and all the Food Network Challenges make for really good television, but they’re not really showing the world what’s happening on the culinary scene. It’s all become a very trashy array of shows where wannabe cooks are being embarrassed in front of their peers. An hour long show now revolves around the screaming matches between the chefs and not around the wonderful dishes they’re trying to put together. I don’t care if there’s drama between the competitors in a competition, I want to see their imagination at work and their ideas (and of course steal all the good ones).

I miss seeing Julia Child (I’m aware that can’t quite happen), Mario Batali, Jamie Oliver, Alton Brown and the likes of these great television chefs that have taught us something about what we can do with food. I don’t want to watch Guy Fieri devour approximately 5000 calories in one bite while showcasing what seems to be the greasiest food found in the States. Or the “lovely” Paula Deen putting Miracle Whip on deep fried processed cheese skewers. I’m tired of having to visually ingest crap! One really good this is that Rachel Ray quit showing the world her “culinary” skills in mixing a series of canned products in order to create boring dishes within 30 minutes.

Anyways, I’m sorry for my rant, but I felt I really needed to get my opinion across and see if I’m alone. I’m even considering boycotting the Food Network and resorting to what has been my inspiration for years: good ol’ fashion cookbooks!

Restaurant Review: Black Hoof Part 2

It was late. 12:00 a.m late. We were hungry.  There is not much open at 12 a.m. in Toronto when it comes to good quality food. Thank goodness for the Black Hoof.  We rolled in and were met with smiles and even though the kitchen was 45 min away from closing, they fed us without complaint.

We split three dishes. A large charcuterie plate, sweet breads with fresh peas and chanterelles, and tongue on brioche.

As we found last time, the  charcuterie plate, while offering up a large variety of meats, really failed to nail anyone of them.  Don’t get me wrong, none of the offerings were poor quality or tasted horrible, just by comparison of the other dishes, the charcuterie plate was simply not as strong.

The sweetbreads were incredible and paired with the fresh peas and chanterelles, made a wonderful, fresh summer dish.  The presentation was beautiful and the flavors blended well together. The tongue on brioche was a dynamite take on a deli classic.  Every component was outstanding and the tongue was melt in your mouth goodness (pardon the pun).

After our second round at the Black Hoof, the lesson is simple, the prepared fresh courses are astoundingly creative and tasty, the charcuterie is a little lack luster but worth trying nonetheless.

Mega Food-Mart

The first pic I snapped is just inside the door of a jumbo sized food outlet that will remain namless. It was massive beyond anything I have ever seen. The epic proportions some how made the food inside feel cheap and utterly disposable. It took me 6 shots to create this panorama.

The second pic is taken from another food outlet. I came across a bargain bin of beef roasts. They were beautiful cuts of meat on sale to the masses. They had been picked over, tossed around and piled in a haphazard manner in the fridge. There was no care. The message was clear: Cheap food fails to conjure in us the respect it deserves.

Click to see full size

Review: Hoof Cafe

The Hoof Cafe, located along Dundas St. W. right across from the Black Hoof, the flagship, has in my opinion become in its own right a very good lunch destination.

Originally designed as a rest area for customers waiting to get a table over at the sister restaurant, Black Hoof, the Hoof Cafe offered drinks and amuse-bouche style menu. Now a days, it offers a very good lunch/brunch menu, the menu I have tried.

The place itself is a tiny 8 table plus bar establishment on the back of a house. The decor has a feel of caring about not caring, if that makes any sense. The bar, cabinets, and floor are roughly sanded showing “character”, either from no one giving them some love, or designed in such a way. Either way I like that kind of feel to a restaurant, one that Cowbell does very nicely too. Plus it fits in with the local neighbourhood. The ceiling at the Hoof Cafe is right along the same lines, I assume it was left there from the previous owners and just given a buff, or shine to give it new life. In all, everything works, and is done right.

Service is surprisingly good. My uncle and I picked our own table by the window, the server was there to fill our glasses with water and take an order of a couple coffee’s within a couple minutes. Giving us enough time to look over the blackboard menu of about 10 to 12 items. Items like the beef tongue grilled cheese, Bacon & Egger (pork belly pastrami, eggs done how you like them, all on brioche bread), foie gras french toast (brioche again), and suckling pig benedict.

On both occasions I have had the suckling pig benedict, I know I should have tried something different on the second occasion, but damn it, when it tastes that good, and you know it does then why not stick with it. the suckling pig is pulled like a pulled pork shoulder, the pig is fantastic and tender, which is placed atop of a delicious scone (I assume it is also made in-house), with a perfected cooked soft poached (the way I like my poached) egg. All of that is then covered in a smooth, lemon, seasoned hollandaise sauce. Everything is working beautifully together. accompanied by a arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette. It’s light yet filling, if you know what I mean. I had to get the side of pork belly pastrami, two slices of slowly cooked, with some maple syrup, mouth melting pork fat. Carnivores never had it so good, it could bring a vegan to the dark side. You may have to hit the gym after but so what, its worth it.

My uncle (first time at the cafe) had the risotto which sadly I must say I have forgotten what exactly it was. I think it had some fried shallots, asparagus, spinach, and a meat that escapes me. Needless to say he really enjoyed it and finished the dish. Claire (on my second time at the cafe) had the Bacon & Egger. She said it was a good meal; pork belly pastrami, egg, arugula salad all on brioche. How could it not, really?

I would have to say that the Black Hoof (have yet to try their menu) and the Hoof Cafe have gotten a lot of press and hype, some of it deserved, some of it not (that happens when a place becomes trendy). From my experience though I have to say that I have been impressed and am waiting to see what they come up with next.

Restaurant Review: Union

Looking for a meal on a Friday night we decided to head down to Union.  Its a cute spot just north of Queen on Ossington.

The place is packed full of pretty people.  We squeeze in through the door.  The atmosphere is warm and comfortable, the sounds of eating float through the air.  In the back, the open kitchen affords a view of the Chef banging out plates.

There are four of us and we stand awkwardly by the door waiting for a greeting that never comes.  It becomes quite clear that we are not a priority.

The host(?) slides along the wall and addresses one of our party in hushed tones.  For the rest of us left out of the conversation, there is more awkward standing around.  It turns out that they are fully booked for the evening but, there is a chance, a small chance, that one of the tables will be a no show.  If, we could find room at the bar, we would be welcome to try our luck and wait it out.

We step over to the bar, which is literally right next to the door.  The bartender, only feet from us, a  whirlwind of activity continues to ignore us as she had been doing since we arived.  We are still clearly not a priority.

When drinks arrive they do the trick and mellow the mood a bit.  Our thoughts turn to food.  We could stay at the bar, but it is small and tough to sit at, so a table is our only real choice.  Maybe apps at the bar then head else where?  I ask the bartender about other decent places along Ossington.  Any favorites?  Any places worth eating at?

Her answer: ‘Not really.’

One of us gets evicted from their bar stool because a reso needs the seat.

We decide its time to leave, mostly because its not fun anymore.

After paying the bill, the bartender copped a whole bunch of attitude over the amount of the tip (23%), rolled her eyes at us and turned her back on us without a thank you or goodbye.

There are several things wrong with this picture.  It can happen in any restaurant, but it happened to us at Union. (Forgive me for getting a little preachy here.)

First off, we are customers, we want to pay to take in the experience at Union.  While I understand that being busy makes life a little more complicated and stressful in a restaurant environment, its far better then being slow.  We were seen and treated as an annoyance from the moment we walked in the door.  No one greeted us, no one acknowledge we were there, and we were left waiting for a good 10 min before anything happened.   I can’t think of a more damning environment in a restaurant then one that starts the dining experience off by alienating their clients- welcoming and warm wins every time.

I get it, the place is busy, its trendy and its hot right now.  But it may not always be that way.   It seems to make sense that, as a restaurant owner, if I can’t serve a client that day, I should do what I can to make sure that they come back so I can serve them again another time.  To do this is pretty much free:

“Hey guys, we’re really busy, and by the looks of it, there probably won’t be a table.  We would love to have you back, but in the mean time, why not check out place x, y, z. They have great food and you can tell them we sent you…”

No biggie, a few sentences and away we go, still  hungry, but dazzled over the service, the opposite of pissed off,  and craving the opportunity to try the food…

Instead, we head out into the night hungry and pissed off.

Food Pilgrimage

This is a post a long time coming, I had the pleasure of being on Dundas West a while ago having lunch at Hoof Cafe (a post for another time) with my uncle. After our meal Paul mentioned that there was this sausage store just down the street that has a great reputation in the neighbourhood. It’s about a 2 minute walk west from Hoof Cafe, the sausage store is called Superior Sausage specializing in Polish sausages. Has a very good variety of sausages from pepperoni, kielbasa, and bologna to mortadella, knublewurst, summer sausage. Also plenty in between. All those have variations available to taste.

I’m getting ahead of myself, when you first walk-in to this unassuming store your met with a wonderful smell of freshly made sausages, smoked, cooked, cured. Secondly a little old polish lady says to me from behind the glass counter and I’m in love. I take a look around and there are no boards to read the selection of sausages available. Everything is done with the very knowledgeable staff, Paul and I went in not knowing where to start, and we were taken care of by a incredibly patient and caring woman. She was giving us tastings of what I think was 10 different sausages that were made at the most a couple days ago. Everyone had a completely different flavour ranging from delicate to bold, savoury to spicy, sweet to salty (good salty). Paul and ended up getting 3 of everything we tasted by the end of the experience at Superior Sausage. After which i had to go to work, finishing off a couple on the way to work. Immediately i cut up and snacked on the sausage during service, everyone who was able to get a taste was thoroughly impressed.

Now to what this posting is all about, food pilgrimage, Paul and myself weren’t the only customers in the store, during our tutorial of sausages I got to talking with another customer who must have been in her 50’s, she was telling me that she has been coming to this very establishment since she could remember. Her father had been coming since he was in his early twenties, obviously introducing her to the food. Having such a dedicated connection with this store didn’t change when she moved with her husband and children to northern Ontario, about 6 hours north of Toronto. She now makes a pilgrimage to this store twice a year, travelling 6 hours in both directions. On this occasion her and her cousin were picking up food for two large families at a family reunion the next day. The amount of food they were picking up was shocking, for a total of 80 pounds of sausage and extras!!! Hearing that weight I was speechless, took a second to think about that. Couldn’t help but ask if there wasn’t a place closer to her that she could have gone to instead of coming in Toronto and deal with the traffic and stress. She just simply said there was no choice, when she wanted the best she came here, no matter the distance, or time it took.

Simply just impressed at how food, of any cuisine, can leave such a powerful mark as to invoke dedication, determination, and homage. I can only hope to find that store that impacts my life how Superior Sausage did for her.