Taste Ontario, Taste the World with Alexa Clark & Chef Matt Kantor

I love Longo’s, especially the York street location. So much so that after my first visit there with my Mom last year, I sent out an email to friends, family and colleagues telling them about it!

So when the lovely Alexa Clark invited me to a  Taste Ontario, Taste the Worltd event that would be taking place at Longo’s Loft kitchen, I was thrilled. Add to that, Chef Matt Kantor would be cooking for us. He had just done an El Bulli tribute dinner that got rave reviews so I was excited for the opportunity to try his food.

My fellow writers and I were treated to a sumptuous 5-course dinner, pictured below. Matt created authentic dishes from around the world – Sweden, Thailand Morocco, Italy, Iran and Catalan, Spain – all using ingredients found in the store and featuring one Taste Ontario ingredient. What a great concept – just imaging trying to cook with stuff you could only get from one place! Each course was paired with a carefully selected beer or wine.

Taste Ontario, Taste the World Menu

Lightly Cured Trout with Pickled Beet and Apple Salad (Featured Taste Ontario Ingredient – Ontario Trout) Matt plates the trout over thin slices of beet and apple.

Thai Red Curry Squash (Featured Taste Ontario Ingredient – Ontario Squash)

Chicken Tajine with Couscous (Featured Taste Ontario Ingredient – Ontario Chicken)

Run-e Bareh (Spice Roasted Lamb) (Featured Taste Ontario Ingredient – Ontario Lamb)

Creme Catalana (Featured Taste Ontario Ingredient – Ontario Eggs & Milk)

The meal was fantastic with perfectly cooked fish (hard to do) and the best Red Thai Curry I’ve ever had.

I got to see familiar faces -  Alexa, Sarah, David, Vicky, Joallore, Jess and Shawn – and meet new folks – Emma, Joey, Matt - which always makes for a memorable night. But even more memorable was Joey pulling out his accordion and playing Britney Spears. Music and entertainment, oh what a night!

And now when I’m shopping the aisles of Longo’s (my go-tos here are duck, jicama, anything from the kitchen supply section… ) or getting an Ontario beer and wood-oven pizza at Cork’s in the corner, I’ll always think of that magical evening. And that @#%&*! curry.

p.s. And you thought the Milk Calendar was good – the Longo’s 2012 Calendar, found in with Holiday 2011 Issue of Experience Magazine includes recipes for Coca-Cola Float Cupcakes, Classic Chicken Pot Pie and many other great recipes!

December Restaurant & Event Catch Up

There have been so many food events and happenings around town in the last few months that I  have many, many photos to edit and stories to write  that continue to pile up (I really need an intern).

And despite having a few weeks where I did nothing but sit and eat and then go somewhere else to sit and eat (often twice in a day), I can’t wait to tell you about my  recent molecular meals and food gazing in Montreal and the Taste Ontario dinner hosted by Alexa Clark and prepared by the lovely Matt Kantor (pictured above, taken that evening).  Those are coming. In the meantime,  I want to catch you up on some food things I thought might be of interest:

- Davos on the Danforth opened. It’s crazy big (licensed for 245 people with 35-ft ceilings)Their Piri Piri Chicken is crazy spicy (just the way I like it) and their handmade sausages are great.

- Since molecular gastronomy has gained popularity in the last couple of years, you’ve probably heard of Chef Ferran Adrià’s restuarant El Bulli. The movie El Bulli: Cooking in Progress takes you through step-by-step how the food is created and gives you a glimpse into the life of this very unique and somewhat peculiar, yet fascinating restaurant. See what I mean by watching clips from the film.

- Brassaii recently launched a new menu. I love the space (what a great loft it would be!) and the handcrafted cocktails.

- People often ask me what restaurants I’ve been to lately. There are two ways to keep up-to-date with my restaurant life: 1. Pick up the Metro every Tuesday to read my lunch review or read it online. 2. For other  places, I keep a list here on this site. It’s on the sidebar on the right under “I Just Ate Here.” I really did and I’m happy to tell you about it any time.

- There is so much more – the new Loblaws has caused a frenzy in the city (how nice that people are excited about grocery shopping and how lucky for us to have so many options for ingredients), my list of new restaurants to cover in 2012 required me to get a new notebook to list them all and I’ll be introducing you to new chefs and food folks in the new few months. Stay tuned. In fact, subscribe to One More Bite on your left and make it easy to stay on top of it all.

Coming tomorrow -  my Taste Ontario adventure with Alexa Clark and Matt Kantor.

Nathan Myhrvold Talks Modernist Cuisine

Through my work as a food writer and restaurant reviewer, I end up trying a lot of molecular gastronomy fare (Recently, I was lucky enough to eat at Les 400 Coups in Montreal. Watch for my post of that memorable meal in a few days). I enjoy the experience of the flavours and textures playing with my palate, but I would never, ever try to create those dishes at home. How intimidating – and all that equipment!

But that was all before seeing Dr. Nathan Myhrvold in person at the Isabel Bader Theatre, talking about his extraordinary 6 volume collection, Modernist Cuisine.

The perception with molecular cooking has been that it’s this kind of exclusive, elitist group and that “regular” cooks like you and I don’t belong.  But Nathan, a “regular” guy is so down to earth that despite creating this highly luxe,  technical bible, he is surprisingly fun and funny. Of course he is insanely bright and knows so much about cooking, he could open his own school, so how refreshing to hear someone be “real” about this scientific style of cooking.

He took the audience through the book, showing fascinating sections and features, giving those of us who can’t quite afford the massive set a glimpse of what lies within.

And for the first time in my life, I not only want to tackle this modern, scientific cooking, I want to conquer it.

I just figured out what I want for Christmas.

p.s. Huge thanks to Alison Fryer at The Cookbook Store for this opportunity. It not only changed my life, it might just change my career path.

Stella at Joey Eaton Centre

Many people are of the belief  that as a restaurant critic, there must be few restaurants that I love.

Nothing could be further from the truth and there are many that have a permanent place in my heart. One of those Joey Restaurant at the Eaton Centre. The food, service and vibe has always been exceptional, including a couple of weeks ago.

Hosting the World Draughts Championship, they had Belgian treats such as the waffles pictured above, mussels,  a charcuterie platter (even the candied pecans and olives were amazing) and homemade pretzels. Drool. And don’t forget the drinks – they’re so scrumptious, you have to be careful not to order 4 or 5!

A very intense pouring contest started soon after, where participants from Joey’s out on the west coast and from the States participated in the ritual that involves nine steps. They even allowed “regular” folks like myself to go and give it a try (thanks to Assistant Chef Kevin Wall of W. Broadway Joey’s in Vancouver for taking the picture).

It’s much harder than it looks and gave me a new appreciation for the people behind the tap.

The music was so great that Colleen (yes, Colleen Brown!), Brian (an amazing trumpet player and all around great guy) and I danced for much of the night.

Joey always throws a spectacular party, whether it’s just dinner for 2 or a table of 20. Thanks so much to Chef Chris Mills and Britt Innes for letting me come out and join in the fun. I can’t wait get back for dinner.