Acadia Restaurant – Toronto

I want to make this review as short and sweet as possible by simply saying that this was the BEST meal I’ve had in Toronto to date (maybe even the best meal of the past few years). The food was  innovative and certainly delicious, the atmosphere was cozy and warm and the service impeccable.

Although the decor of the locale is simple, almost banal, the food is certainly not. Intricate dishes, explosive flavours and an exquisite imagination only begin to describe the amazing meal that we had. Chef Patrick Kriss is an artist and definitely a force to be reckoned with on the culinary scene! I recommend heading there for their tasting menu (along with the wine pairing), since it is the easiest way to unleash the capabilities of such a talented kitchen. Furthermore, one of the most memorable elements of the meal was the service. Careful, knowledgeable waiters decrumbed our table almost after every course, changing cutlery and sharing tasting notes for the exquisite wines we sampled. Never being intrusive and always comfortable to answer any question without running back and forth to the kitchen, the staff was outstanding. To make things even better, this kind of service didn’t require a full uniform (everyone was wearing jeans and t-shirts) but simply a clear understanding of what it means to serve a customer.

Just a small word of advice: don’t expect this dinner to be innexpensive but it is certainly worth every penny. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did and I cannot wait to hear your comments.

*Acadia is located at 50 Clinton St. (west of Bathurst on College st) and I strongly recommend reservations

Teddy bear cake

Not too much I can say in this post other than the fact that I made a Teddy bear cake. It is entirely edible (other than the support posts inserted in the “skeleton”) and composed of a lemon sponge anda vanilla, lemon buttercream. Altogether, it took around 20 hours to prduce but that was mostly due to its position and the constant need torefrigerate the buttercream for stabilit
Unfortunately, just like most cakes, it met its ultimate demise when the birthday song was over. Here are some before and after pictures.
Enjoy!

 

Soupstock aftermath

Slight delay in the posting of pictures but I’m very happy to say that the Notesonameal crew was part of the 40,000 that attended Soupstock this year. With over 200 chefs and around 85 soup stations, it was very hard to pick and choose where to eat! The event saw the talent of Susur Lee, Carl Heinrich (Top Chef Canada winner) and Michael Stadlander (if you don’t know him, do a little research) among countless other talented chefs from North America. It was great to rub elbows with the Who’s who of the culinary scene in Toronto but it was even greater to support the cause. If you want to know more information about stopping the mega quarry, check out http://www.stopthemegaquarry.ca/ and keep yourself up to date with their events!

Anywho, here are some of the Soupstock Toronto 2012 pictures:

Soupstock Toronto

In an effort to protest the limestone Mega-Quarry proposed for the agricultural land of Melancthon Township (100km northwest of Toronto), the Canadian Chef’s congress and the David Suzuki Foundation are organising Soupstock. This major effort will go down on October 21st, 2012 in Woodbine Park (Coxwell and Lakeshore) from 11am until 4pm. If this is in any way similar to the previously organised Foodstock, I recommend heading there as early as possible as the food goes quickly. The event has a free entrance but tickets will be 10$ for 3 servings of soup and you have to bring your own bowls and cutlery.

The who’s who of the Toronto culinary scene is scheduled to be there so if you consider yourself a foodie, do yourself a favour and come on down! Hope to see you all there, supporting this great cause.

For more info, go to http://www.soupstock.ca/

Gordon Ramsay’s Desserts

“Pastry chefs occupy a very special place in the pecking order of a high flying restaurant kitchen, so…I take my dessert skills as seriously as I do all my cooking” – Gordon Ramsay

Desserts by Gordon Ramsay is not a new book by any means, but definitely one that needs to be a part of any aspiring pastry guru’s library. It is packed full of recipes for the basics of French pastry shops with slight adaptations for the home kitchen. The layout is simple and very straightforward, lots of pictures and useful tips/tricks for each recipe. His flavour combinations are innovative and most of these desserts would be a great hit at any dinner party. Also, all of his recipes are in metric measurements allowing for consistence and a positive result every time.

My favourite recipe so far is the Pumpkin Cheesecake, a very light and airy dessert (as opposed to the heavy North American counterparts). The fluffy mascarpone and creme fresh topping is slightly baked with  a thin layer of genoise sponge (simple vanilla sponge) underneath, giving  this entire cake smooth and silky mouthfeel. There’s very little in the way of spices, other than a little vanilla bean and orange zest, so the sweetness of the pumpkin puree definitely shines through. This cake has become my new fall favourite and will definitely slowly replace the overbearing pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving dinners.

PS: For those who aren’t quite convinced, I will be returning my copy to the library so try it before you buy it!

 

 

 

 

La Carnita, Toronto

It can be said that La Carnita was the innovator of the food truck phenomenon in Toronto, using the sale of local artists’ work as a loophole to get by selling great food to the hungry masses (the city has/had very strict and often foolish laws preventing various forms of street food vendors). Their signature skull art was desired by every foodie in the city and their locations were tweeted and retweeted obsessively with people flocking to grab a La Carnita taco. It certainly made me feel like quite the badass to have one of my very own!

After about a year of being the main attraction at the Toronto Underground Market, La Carnita set up a permanent home on College St. (just west of Bathurst). The decor is exactly what you’d expect: raw, trendy and somewhat eclectic. There is a graffiti wall, low bench seating, communal tables, amazing light features and very very loud music. The vibe is great, the service quick, effective and knowledgeable.

Being hungry and curious, our table ordered almost everything on the menu that night. For appetizers we had the three dip tortilla chips, an avocado & mango salad and the rice & corn frituras. All of them packed a lot of flavour in very small portions, were beautifully plated and delicious. The chipotle pate dip was by far the most memorable, being very smooth, smokey and a perfect foe for a crunchy tortilla chip (who would have known?!). The tacos that followed certainly stayed true to the La Carnita style, packing a lot of flavour and very fresh ingredients into a very small package. Each taco had the perfect combination of textures, aromas and left your palate very clean. For someone who generally prefers spicy food, I did have some issues with the heat in the tacos and would have appreciated some sort of dairy (sour cream, cheese, etc) to soothe my burning mouth. Overall, I found the tacos to be severely overpriced ($5/2 bite taco) for their size but definitely imaginative and tasty.

Would I return to La Carnita again? Probably; if I was in the neighbourhood, hungry and everything else on the street was closed. I feel as though being able to taste the forbidden fruit on the regular made their tacos a little less exclusive and this time around I just saw them as being a little too expensive for my taste.

 

MMM (Ma Maison Macarons) continued

So here’s my monthly update on the macaron flavours available at Ma Maison (4243 Dundas St. West, Etobicoke). I’ve been drooling over the pictures for a few days, hope you guys do too!

– Apple Pie = Caramelized apples and Cinnamon ganache
– Apricot = White chocolate ganache, apricot puree with Peach Schnapps
– After 8 = Guayaquil dark chocolate with a peppermint twist
– Lavender Vanilla = A very floral and surprisingly refreshing combination (has anyone else noticed that lavender has a slight minty after-taste once combined with something sweet?)
– Pina Colada = A hint of Malibu rum to take away all your depressing thoughts of fall or being back in school
– Lychee = White chocolate ganache, lychee puree and a little Soho to sweeten the deal

The County General, Toronto

Located at the corner of Shaw and Queen West, this little venue is something to be reckoned with. Opened by Victor Barry and Carlo Catallo, the owners of Splendido, the County General offers a variety of greasy spoon classics with a new age twist. The food is delicious and is pretty much always available, even for take-out, since the kitchen runs until late. And to make things even better, they have a great cocktail list!

The restaurant is very small, less than 30 seats, so don’t be surprised if you have a little bit of waiting time before your meal. Grab a drink, walk the Queen West strip, do whatever you need to do in order to wait for a table and a taste of the County General’s outstanding grub. As you would expect with any restaurant of the area, the decor is certainly eclectic. The back wall is lined with a 2×1 lumber feature which extends into a drop down ceiling over the bar and a phenomenal backsplash. There are various pig skulls, wooden roosters and a giant picture of a farm decorating the very little wall space available. It’s cute, cozy and perfect for any meal of the day (they are open from 11 to 11 everyday).

So let’s talk food…  The Notes on a Meal duo has had dinner there half a dozen times and have never walked away disappointed. The menu is ever changing, definitely following the seasonality of local products, so we’ll discuss some staples. The trio of steamed pork buns ($12) is a win every time. Three slider steamed buns of lightly smoked pork belly are presented with a variety of garnishes in order to showcase the versatility of this heavenly piece of meat. The first is an avocado chutney (big on the cilantro), followed by a spicy kim chi and a phenomental apple slaw; all accompanied by their homemade scotch bonnet hot sauce. The County General burger is a fierce competitor for the best in the city in my eyes. Served on a homemade milk bun, it is perfectly seasoned and certainly one of the juiciest I’ve had. The house made ketchup and fries that accompany it are also in dire need of an honourable mention. I believe the ketchup is lightly smoked which is a plus for any barbeque lover out there!

If you find yourself in the neighbourhood around brunch time, do stop in. The eggs bennedict ($15) are definitely worth a try. This item features smoked peameal bacon served on toasted sourdough bread with a perfect egg (a poached egg cooked sous vide) and delicious Hollandaise sauce. It’s a dream for a Sunday morning hangover!

I seriously couldn’t end this review without mentioning the service. Always knowledgeable, courteous and very attentive, the staff at the County General are definitely swimming in the same waters as those of the fine dining scene of Toronto. Maybe it’s the perk of having owners that are involved with one of the city’s best restaurants or it’s just a firm understanding of the importance of great service for a diner. Either way, it’s a reason we keep coming back.

What went down this week.

Harvest Table Fundraiser.

The FarmStart initiative was started in 2005 to adress the issues facing a new generation of farmers. They are facing a set of challenges that make being a farmer today difficult.  While many of us forget where our food comes from, the simple truth is that farmers feed us.  It is crucial that new farmers have access to resources and knowledge in order to put food on the table.  There is a marked  shift in the way consumers think about food.  Sustainable, local, ecologically sound and healthy has become part of the food lexicon.  As consumers educated themselves about the food they eat, what local farmers produce becomes not only important but much more economically viable.  FarmStart aims to adress these issues and provide resources for this new generation of farmers.

FarmStart is a charitable organization that supports a new generation of entrepreneurial, ecological and locally oriented farmers.  FarmStart provides practical support, provincial leadership, and a voice for a new generation of farmers. We provide new farmers with the resources, tools and support necessary, to not only get their businesses off the ground, but to thrive.

-FarmStart.ca

The Third Annual Harvest Table will be held Sunday August 19th, 2012 0n the McVean Start-Up Farm in Brampton. Chef Yasser Qahawish will bring together a group of passionate and talented chefs to cook up a unique four-course family-style meal.

Dinner for 200 will take place at our handcrafted harvest tables, beside McVean’s historic double wheat barn, surrounded by the abundant and diverse patchwork-quilt of small farms. The meal will feature the amazing diversity of fresh vegetables, mushrooms and honey from the farm, with meat and cheese being sourced from local farms and artisans.  Ingredients will be freshly picked from the McVean farm and cooked on site over a charcoal fire. We will also offer local biodynamic wines and organic brews to compliment the meal

All of the proceeds from the Harvest Table will go directly to supporting the McVean Start-Up Farm and new farmers through FarmStart’s programs and services.  We hope you will join us and help us to grow a new generation of farmers. For more information, please check out the Harvest Table and FarmStart sites.