New Year's Eve dinner at The Ace

Here are photos of our eclectic New Year's Eve prix fixe dinner at The Ace:


The Ace
231 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON M6R 1M3
Phone: (416) 792-7729

Toronto chef of Canoe, Centro and Auberge du Pommier fame opens his own venture: The Guild

Chef Mani Binelli, who has cooked at big-name Toronto restaurants like Canoe, Centro, and Auberge du Pommier, has a new restaurant on Dundas West near Dufferin. The Guild says if it’s on the menu, it was made in house. Fresh-made pastas, cured meats, sausages, spices, sauces, preserves and pastries - Binelli also has a hot box smoker that he uses to smoke meat.


The space in particular was fascinating - it was converted from a 20-year-old flower shop into a 90-seat restaurant by Binelli himself. The dining tables are made of 100-year-old Ontario barn wood, refinished and built by Binelli. The birch bark bar and hostess stand are made of fallen Haliburton forest trees. Dining chairs are covered with coffee sacs from The Guild’s coffee supplier. The tin ceiling was hand pressed by a Guelph, Ontario artisan. There is a massive open kitchen and full view chef’s table as well. The bathroom walls fascinated me, as they subbed out wallpaper for some shellac and pages from a classic food encyclopedia.




The cocktail menu read very "manly" to me from start to finish - the two cocktails we sampled ("Mother's Tough Love" with Gosling's Black Seal rum & house-made ginger beer and "Dun West Trading Co." with El Jimador Reposado tequila, Leyenda mezcal, benedictine, spice pineapple shrub, lemon, West Indian orange bitters) may have put some hair on my chest! They were strong and bold but nothing is worse than a weak cocktail - you feel completely ripped off. So I'd rather a nice strong one than a weakling! Good drinks for winter as they definitely warmed me up.



My favourite dish was the Seared Omega Pork Belly with tequila peach compote and kimchi. The kimchi wasn't overpowering as I thought it may be, and the tequila peach compote is something they need to keep doing, because it was HEAVEN alongside the pork belly. I'm weird about pork belly, I'm very particular about the way the fat is rendered, and I can't stand when it ends up being chewy. They got it right here - this was my favourite pork belly I've had ANYWHERE as the fat was rendered perfectly and it was extremely flavourful. It may not look like much below, but looks can be deceiving.

Some other highlights: Their house-smoked chicken had a rich smokey flavour that fake liquid smoke can't compete with, so I'd recommend that you grab something house-smoked off their menu. It's a real treat. Also, whatever Quebec goat cheese ended up in their aged balsamic marinated tomato salad was killer good (I forgot to ask, as one tends to do after a long day at work and a few cocktails!) - shredding the arugula in the salad was a little different, I think I may have preferred whole pieces, but the flavours were excellent. Enjoy the food porn pics!

Yours in food,
-Stacey







Click here to view more photos on Flickr

CUTCO Knife Skills

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend a knife skills class held by CUTCO.

Chef Neil Noseworthy of Taste Worthy Cuisine and the CUTCO team instructed us on the use of various knives to prepare a number of dishes from salads to mains. We were really impressed with the sharpness and solid hand-feel of the CUTCO knives. They felt precise and cut through especially difficult to cut areas, like in-between orange wedges, with ease. The knives are made of surgical grade high carbon stainless steel and have thermoresin handles to keep them performing well for a long time.


The trimmer we used had CUTCO's "Double-D" edge which I never really noticed on a knife before. It made it feel safer to handle... yes we did try touching the edge; but kept it really efficient at slicing through even tough food items.


We also enjoyed some fine Pinot Noir and Riesling courtesy of Earth and Sky Wine.



Click here to see more pics on Flickr



Thanks to Alexa Clark of www.unsweetened.ca for hosting this event at Liaison College Culinary Arts



Posted by: Mark Rodas

Yamato

Yamato is a popular Japanese restaurant in Yorkville for Teppanyaki, where a chef cooks the food on a griddle in front of the customers with as much flair as he can muster, and sometimes a little song and dance. The highlight of the performance is the onion volcano, which you can see in the video below.

Yamato is a relatively inexpensive lunch option for the entertainment value you get, all while enjoying a steak or seafood with rice and vegetables. I highly recommend the fried rice option. There are other typical Japanese items on the menu as well, but that's not why people go to Yamato, so why bother?

Click here to view on YouTube







Yamato is at 24 Bellair St., Toronto


 Posted by: Mark Rodas

Flo's Diner

There are some places one goes to just to kick back and enjoy a simple meal. Diners as a whole fit that bill most of the time as who can argue with the calming effects of eggs, greasy potatoes and a good stiff coffee?

I'm sure everyone has their opinion on the best or trendiest greasy spoon in Toronto, and honestly... I'm pretty reluctant to write about Flo's. Not that the food is bad, it's pretty good. I don't want to tell everyone where it is, because it's my diner!... and I better not see you there. I've been going there since I came to Canada in high school,  one score and some odd years ago.

It used to be in this really cool Art Deco building on 10 Bellair across from Harry Rosen, a stone's throw away from a derelict ruin of a theatre marquis / parking lot which is now the entrance to Pottery Barn.

Oh I so loved that place, what comfort and nostalgia.


"Built mid 1980s, Retro brushed steel Art Deco dining car restaurant....Originally called 4D's Diner when first opened, later location of Flo's, demolished in 1998 for condominium 10 Bellair (photo off the internet)" - Greg Stacey on Flickr

Thanks to Mona Bhalla for the 4 photos below. I swear I'll get an iPhone one of these days.



They have a pretty decent menu of diner classics including various melts and sandwiches, but we really end up there for the all day breakfast, usually their excellent eggs benny or some variation thereof.

I usually get steak & eggs sunny side up with some egg bread and home fries.

Diners are so deeply embedded in the fabric of North American culture. Here's a clip from the upcoming Tom's Restaurant movie a.k.a. the "Restaurant" in Seinfeld.



Which also happens to be the diner in this 90s hit... yeah I'm really dating myself!



C'est moi





Flo's Diner is at 70 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto


Posted by: Mark Rodas

Roncesvalles Polish Festival

Last weekend was the annual Roncesvalles Polish Festival. This celebration of Polish food and culture drew in quite a large crowd with many live performances and samples of Polish cuisine from pierogies to blood sausage and kielbasa to borscht. As with most Toronto street festivals the other local merchants also had their wares out, so there was also a taste of other foods, from Australian meat pies to churros.




Pierogies 


Blood Sausage with Cabbage Stew






Click here to view the Flickr photo set on your mobile device


Created with flickr slideshow.

Morton's The Steakhouse

Located at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Yorkville, Morton's is a little taste of the windy city in Toronto. Chicago is well known as a steak loving city, and it's great that Toronto has one of the few international outposts of the renowned Morton's of Chicago steakhouse chain.




Jumbo Shrimp Alexander 


The jumbo lump crab cake is some of the best crab cake around, with large chunks of tasty crab meat and not much filler.


Jumbo Lump Crab Cake


Cold Water Lobster Tail


Morton's uses USDA Prime beef, aged from 23 - 28 days, for some juicy, flavour filled and perfectly cooked steaks.


Chicago Style Prime Bone-In Ribeye 


Morton's has an excellent selection of desserts. Some of their signature desserts like their decadent Hot Chocolate Cake and their Upside-Down Apple Pie require some time to prepare so it's best to order those with your mains.



If you're in the mood for a classic, white linen, fine dining experience with succulent steaks, fresh seafood, and good wine, then Morton's should definitely be on your list.


Created with flickr slideshow.
Morton's The Steakhouse

4 Avenue Road at Prince Arthur Toronto, Canada M5R 2E8
Phone: 416-925-0648 

Hours of Operation

Bar
Monday - Saturday 5pm - 11pm
Sunday 5pm - 10pm

Dining Room
Monday - Friday 5:30pm - 11pm
Saturday 5pm - 11pm
Sunday 5pm - 10pm

Toronto to get its own South African "National Braai Day!"

People always hear that Toronto is a multicultural CITY, and that's definitely true, but I also think of TORONTONIANS THEMSELVES as being multicultural by nature. People who live in Toronto like to learn more about other cultures and have a natural curiosity to seek out more info. And we're fortunate to live in the perfect playground where we have so many different cultural influences to explore right in our own backyard. Diversity our strength!

I've had a couple South African co-workers in the past but we didn't ever get to talking about food or celebrations in South Africa. So I was intrigued when I heard about National Braai Day, which is like South Africa’s annual day of celebration that happens Sept. 24; South Africans gather around fires, prepare a feast, and come together to take time out and celebrate. From reading the official website, it sounds sort of like Thanksgiving meets St. Patrick's Day. Heck, it even has its own patron saint: Nobel Peace Prize winner, Emeritus Archbishop Doctor Desmond Tutu! ("Braai" basically means "barbecue" in Afrikaans, by the way.)

Two Oceans, Nederburg and Flat Roof Manor reached out to let us know they are bringing the Braai party to Canada on Sept. 21 at Distillery District and they sent us some South African wines to try. We've cracked open the Flat Roof Manor Pinot Grigio and plan to get to the others later this month. It's a super easy-drinking wine. I like sipping away and using my imagination to place myself in South Africa in the middle of a Braai, smelling mouth-watering barbecue - but I won't have to imagine much longer because Torontonians get to have our own inaugural Braai day soon!

Yours in food,
-Stacey

El Catrin

El Catrin is a Mexican restaurant with a nice big patio and a roaring outdoor gas fire. It replaced the Boiler House in the Distillery District.












Created with flickr slideshow.

Guu Izakaya

Here are some photos from Guu Izakaya, on Church St., just north of Gerrard. The best way to describe it would be Japanese tapas. It's essentially a bar with a lot of small tasty food items to go along with the drinks. A couple of interesting items we liked were the deep fried pumpkin croquette with a boiled egg inside, and of course my fav Japanese street food, Takoyaki a.k.a. deep fried octopus balls.


Created with flickr slideshow.

Hanoi 3 Seasons

We checked out Hanoi 3 Seasons for an inexpensive night out. North Vietnamese cuisine offers a kick in the tastebuds, whilst feeling light yet satisfying, slightly different from most of the other predominantly South Vietnamese restaurants around town.

The Vietnamese Coffee, available either hot or cold is definitely a standout. It's really strong yet very easy to drink, with notes of rich mocha and a sweet creaminess to it.



Goi Cuon - Fresh Shrimp Rolls (Vegetarian version contains Tofu)  $3



Hen - Sautéed Spicy Baby Clams served with Crispy Rice Crackers $7



Cha Ca – Hanoi 3 Seasons - Hanoi-style Grouper with Dill & Shrimp Paste $11 Served with Vermicelli & Salad or as Soup



Pho Do Bien - Spicy Shrimp, Calamari & Mussels with Tamarind Soup $7.50



Café - Vietnamese Coffee (hot/cold) $3


Hanoi 3 Seasons is located at 588 Gerrard Street East at Broadview.
There is also a Leslieville location at 1135 Queen Street East.

Pop-in Magnum's pop-up Pleasure Store

If you haven't yet dropped by the Magnum Pleasure Store at Yonge and Bloor, then you probably should before it closes its doors on August 30th. The store at 11 Bloor Street West is Magnum's first North American pop-up custom ice cream parlour. It was supposed to close last month, but due to overwhelming consumer demand, has stayed open a little longer. Line-ups on the street take almost an hour prompting many passers-by to scratch their heads wondering why people would queue-up for a $6 ice cream bar. Upon ordering your Magnum, you get a choice of Vanilla or Chocolate ice cream to be dipped in a white, classic, or dark chocolate shell. Next comes a selection of 21 toppings, from your luxurious maple fudge to more exotic rose petals, to wacky popping candy, and even bacon! To finish things off, you get a choice or white, classic, or dark chocolate drizzle. Feeling adventurous, I asked for a chocolate ice cream bar, dipped in white chocolate, topped with popping candy (Pop Rocks), Nerds, rose petals, and honeycomb. Though they appear to have run out of honeycombs, so it was just drizzled with honey. I must say Pop Rocks on an ice cream bar is quite and interesting sensation! As you can see from above, it looks like the 60's threw up on my ice cream. It was quite tasty, though a little heavy on the Nerds, which kind'a overwhelmed the other flavours. All in all the Magnum Pleasure Store is a fun and novel experience to try at least once. But personally, all this bespoke treatment can't hold a candle to Magnum's grocery bought Double Caramel.