Back in Business
Today is the last day to register for the Food & Eco Judaism Taste of Limmud that I recently blogged about. Visit their website with a NEW Skinnamarinkidinkidink video. Check out their outtakes “reel” below.
The weather in Toronto last weekend was beautiful, a great weekend for the 25th annual Vegetarian Food Fair at Harbourfront. I went on Saturday intending to catch Meghan’s demo and got there in plenty of time to get a seat but the lure of the sunshine pulled me out of the room in which she was presenting. Anyhow, I figured that my parents and I may as well leave seats to those who don’t already know Meghan’s ideology, right? Those who don’t already read her blog (or her column in National Post but I rather give her blog the traffic) or belong to her Facebook group or occasionally chat with her online. I’d been interested in the demo prior to hers (Marni Wasserman’s) but didn’t make it.
Lured out, we checked out the various vendors and marketplace. Attempting to avoid the vast array of fake soy products I had only a nibble of fake soy when my father got a plate from King’s Cafe (vegetable dumplings, soy “drumsticks”). Instead I noshed on kiwi, dipped into hummus and babaghanouj from Sunflower Kitchen (it’s my favourite line of hummus for its lack of preservatives and I know the owner), sampled and bought gluten free granola from In the Raw and savored gluten free daily free raw “cheesecake” from Living Sweets.
In the corner of the Brigantine Room I found Vita-Mix Corp.’s booth and inquired about price (show discount? tax free?), stating that I’ve wanted one for years. The lady beside me had just finished saying the same thing. The booth staffer stated that she’d wanted one for years and finally realized that “saving up for it” wasn’t going to happen (we agreed that people don’t put money away for purchases even when intentioned) sucked it up and put it on the credit card. Months later she went to work for the company. I’d suck it up if I hadn’t just bought this MacBook. Oh priorities.
I also sampled Mrs. Beans coffee (their website URL results in a 404 error but maybe that’s just right now). They serve fresh roasted, fair trade and organic coffee grown by small scale farmers in Guatemala, Ethopia, Rwanda, Mexico, Peru and Columbia, roasting small batches in an eco friendly hot air roasting system. I’ve heard that once roasted, coffee goes stale within a few days – less than a week. Mrs Bean’s weekly delivery service guarantees one fresh cup for coffee for 7 days with each serving individually vacuum packaged. Check their URL again to see if it’s up and get more information. (Here is where I’m glad that I take promotional material with me if I think I might read it.)
Was the coffee good? YES! And, I realized, for those who drink coffee regularly (I don’t) it costs less than or about the same as a Starbucks habit. A 14 day supply costs $1.50 per day. Of course, if you drink more than one cup a day or pour your coffee into a huge mug that’s a whole other issue entirely. The coffee was also good paired with New Moon Kitchen cookies (my dad bought three bags because the were 3 for $10 – or in other words, he let himself be manipulated 
).
Other offerings that I didn’t try included vegan truffles, ice cream and vegan cupcakes, tea and Jamaican patties.
At last year’s event I discovered some cool products and found the fair to have a more diverse group of vendors. I also liked the selection of presenters better last year. Planning an event of this magnitude isn’t easy, though, and when you’re trying to please everyone you take your chances.
Photo credit: saguarostrength from 2009 Vegetarian Food Fair Flickr Pool
Whereas I only got a photo of the human pea but saw the human banana BlogTO‘s Jen Brailsford got photo of the pea, the banana and… whatever the heck that is. A carrot?
After wandering around I sat by the water watching the people and boats and the airplanes flying into the island airport. Then it was a quick stop back to the Sunflower Kitchen booth to buy our dips before going home.
Numerous people have criticized the festival saying that there was too much fake meat. I can understand that but here’s my take on it: There’s something to be said for playing it safe for the masses and trying to please more people. Usually, and despite the fact that I try to, I’m of the opinion that you shouldn’t try to please everyone. However, at an event like this there can be something for everyone.
They could preach exclusively to the converted (the current vegetarians and vegans), potentially intimidating everyone else and giving off the vibe that the outdated notions of vegetarianism is true. Or, they can offer something challenging to those people AND also make it accessible to the rest.
If fake meat is what it takes to ease them in than it’s a start. That’s Vegetarianism 101. Vegetarianism 201, however, should be “Now that you’ve made the transition, let’s decrease the amount of soy and increase the amount of vegetables and grains”. I admit – shamefully when I speak to some people – that I sometimes like soy meatballs on my salad. However, I cook a lot with my favourite grain, quinoa.
(I’ve also been eating vegan dinners all week because of the bounty of local produce and the fact that after a summer of letting vegetables from the CSA and farmer’s market go to waste I’m trying to make an effort to use them.)
An idea: Borrow from the conference model of presentations being rated beginner, intermediates and advanced.
What other bloggers are saying about the Vegetarian Food Fair:
…Continued from here.
Course #4: Bring on the livestock. My least favourite course of all.
Alright, I can definitively say that I don’t like Malbec, until someone tells me that “this Malbec is different”. Regarding Legends Estates Malbec I wrote the words “smoke” and “tobacco” and, my favourite descriptor of the evening, “Like drinking a pipe”.
Malbec, meet “Clandestin” cheese, a sheep and cow milk cheese. The lady serving it called it her favourite but it was too pungent for me. You can find information about the cheese here and here. I noted that it tastes like an animal. When Sarah declared it to be “barnyardy”, I agreed. The flavour was musty. This cheese reminded me of the smell of rotting hay (some might say “herbal”), like waking through Riverdale Farm’s petting zoo. I might be the first person ever to say that the cheese tasted like a petting zoo. I didn’t like it. Sarah, however, proclaimed, “I like barnyardy cheeses” (one of my favourite quotes of the evening and immediately tweeted).
When at first I tasted the wine and cheese together they mellowed each other out, but then I found that I had two strong tastes in my mouth. I finished the wine, spit out the cheese.
So, a petting zoo-tasting cheese and a wine that tasted like pipe. The next and final course was like heaven in my mouth.
Final wine and cheese combination: Baco Noir and cheddar
I don’t know if it’s because I disliked the previous course so emphatically or if it was just that good but I was pleased when we concluded with Sandbanks Winery Baco Noir (2007) and Jensen 2 year old cheddar. Who doesn’t like cheddar? The baco noir, from Prince Edward County, was light. I tasted orange and strawberry. I recall that baco noir is characteristically peppery but I didn’t overtly detect that. The high salt content of the cheese might have been responsible for making the wine taste a little bit sweeter but not cloyingly so.
Gamay revisited
Those of us who paid for the full experience then had a chance to revisit some of the five wines. I had another few glasses and noted a change in the taste of the Chateau des Charmes gamay. Whereas earlier I’d only noticed the predominantly cherry taste, my second experience resulted in a honey aroma and the taste of brown sugar. Someone pointed out a petrol smell, which I also caught a whiff of after it was pointed out (I think that wine tasting is in many ways psychological). I tasted more sweetness than previously and wondered if it was my perception of the wine that changed or if the flavour itself had changed as a result of the bottle being open longer.
It wasn’t all wine
Other happenings:
by Brad Kessler and Wisdom of the Last Farmer
by David Mas Masumoto.Interestingly, yesterday’s National Post has an article titled “Eat some cheese: Canadians are much more than cheddar people”.
If you’re interested in future events like this and are on Twitter you can watch for the hashtag #foodiemeet. If you’re not, I’ll try to remember to post upcoming events here. Cafe Taste runs a number of events and are looking to fill a bus for a road trip to Prince Edward County on Labour Day weekend. Reserve your spot now and get information about other upcoming events at Cafe Taste at their website. If Jeremy’s on board you know it’ll be a good time and educational. He knows his stuff.
Update: Read Sarah’s review at Toronto Tasting Notes. We were hanging out at the event together so it’s interesting to see which opinions we share and where we differ.
Once again, Andrea Chiu (@TOfoodie) and Suresh Doss (@spotlightcity) organized a lovely evening where food and wine enthusiasts could come together to eat, drink and mingle.
Not one to reinvent the wheel, here’s the description of the event that Andrea posted to the Facebook event page, with minor changes to make it blog-friendly:
We had so much fun with our first #foodiemeet, we’re throwing another one!
This time, Parkdale’s own Cafe Taste will be hosting. Its resident wine geek and local wine expert, Jeremy Day, will lead us in a tutored wine tasting (with paired local cheeses) of some of what Niagara’s sub-appellations have to offer.
Author Kathryn Borel will also read from her upcoming wine memoir, Corked: A Memoir
, an uncensored account of her father-daughter tour through the wine regions of France.
To accommodate everyone, we’ve set up a tiered ticket system of $45, $25 and $5:
A $45 ticket is the best value! You’ll get the full tutored-tasting of 5-7 wines plus paired local cheeses. Jeremy describes this as the “hedonistic tasting” with free-pours.
A $25 ticket gets you 2 oz. pours of all the wines being reviewed.
A $5 ticket is ideal for folks who can’t stay for the full tasting or prefer to choose their own wines, cheeses, and snacks.
*All attendees will receive a raffle ticket for prizes and of course, are welcome to order from the wine and food menu at any time.
I went with the “hedonistic” full tasting and it was fantastic.
Tweets from #foodiemeet last night, in revere chronological order:
“I like barnyardy cheeses.” @sarahbhood #foodiemeet about 13 hours ago from txt
Liking the “Red Conception” wine from Fielding Esates.#foodiemeet about 13 hours ago from txt
Won the first door prize, books, at #foodiemeet about 14 hours ago from txt
At #foodiemeet. The education has begun. about 15 hours ago from txt
(@sarahbhood is Toronto Tasting Notes._
The evening began thankfully NOT at the called time of 7pm but closer to 8. My tendency to be late aside, the writer’s block that I’d been experiencing cleared shortly before the time I intended to leave for the tasting. I felt no anxiety about being late though, knowing that that more than a few writers would be present and understanding of deadlines and writer’s block. I arrived to a sunny covered patio, name tags on which we were to name the most recent Ontario wine that we’d enjoyed, and baskets of bread placed throughout accompanied by dishes of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that one of the breads, baked on site, was made with grape must, a by-product of the wine making process.
First up: Gewürztraminer + Riopelle
Calamus Estate Winery Gewürztraminer (I didn’t note the year) with Riopelle cheese were up first. The cheese, unpasteurized and made from cow’s milk, was buttery and soft, reminiscent of a brie. The wine, our only white of the evening, was easy drinking with slight complexity (who’s writing this?). I didn’t take notes about this wine but there’s a review of the 2007 Gewürztraminer at Ontario Wine Reviews.
Rather than take notes I was listened as Jeremy talked about environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, and organic certification in the wine industry. He mentioned Southbrook Vineyards, who earlier this year released the first biodynamic wine produced in Canada, a 2008 Cabernet Rosé. I recently became enamored with Malivoire chardonnay, which was recommended to me by an LCBO employee who explained some basics of organic wineries to me including the fact that some wineries – such as Malivoire – engage in organic principles without being certified. Jeremy touched on this in his talk as well. Then again, as Daniel Speck of Henry of Pelham told Margaret Webb when she interviewed him for her book Apples To Oysters
Second course: Gamay Noir Droit+Le douanier
Next up was Chateau des Charmes Gamay Noir and Le Douanier cheese. The wine tasted of berries, especially cherries. It was bright (if that’s a suitable wine word) and jammy, but not like Port is jammy. The cheese was nutty, soft and sweet. Jeremy explained that there are two lines of this cheese. One is made from milk collected in the morning, the other is made from milk collected in the evening. Morning milk contains more colostrum, the evening milk more minerality. Both the wine and cheese were yummy and the fat content of the cheese coated the tongue to add another level to the wine.
Third course: Fielding Estate Red Conception + Le baluchon cheese
The Fielding Estates Red Conception is many reds in one. It’s made with so many varietals that Sarah and I were comparing our notes and asking Jeremy to repeat the list. I gave up trying to list them all because that’s what the internet is for: Looking these things up. Here’s what the winery’s website says:
Varietal Composition:
| Pinot Noir | 29% | Syrah | 6% |
| Cabernet Franc | 25% | Aglianico | 4% |
| Cabernet Sauvignon | 22% | Sangiovese | 4% |
| Merlot | 8% | Chardonnay | 2% |
See wine full description here. I can’t even spell many of those. My friend Jennifer declared this her favourite. I noted the words “oak” and “plum”.
The Le Baluchon cheese was soft, mild and buttery. Some, including Sue Riedl of the Globe and Mail, describe it as “barny”. For me, the barny cheese was the next one. In the interest of space and time, I’ll save that for part 2 and leave you with this: While describing this wine Jeremy spoke one of the best lines of the evening in reference to government rules and regulations,
…LCBO. Or, as we refer to them, the KGBO.
Stay tuned for part 2…
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This past Wednesday I attended Harvest Wednesdays at the Gladstone Hotel, which this week was part of Taste T.O.’s “Dining With TasteTO” series. I’ve met TasteTO‘s super duo of Sheryl Kirby and Greg Clow once before and we’ve been familiar with each other online for awhile. Also at the table was Pantry’s Greg Bolton, whom I first mentioned in this blog after meeting him at the inaugural Foodie Tweetup in May. Food blogger Joel of Get the Foodie 411 was Greg’s “+1″ (I’ve never seen Greg and his wife Liz in the same place at the same time because business and family priorities rule). I sat next to writer/blogger Sarah B. Hood and across from Gina of The Cookbook Store (also a pastry student at George Brown College) and her significant other, whose name escapes me (Gina’s escaped me too, but one of the Gregs mentioned it in a tweet).
Being budget conscious I resisted temptation to order the “Fixed Flight of Ontario VQA Wines”, a flight of 3 oz pairings + 1 oz of Henry of Pelham Late Harvest Riesling for dessert. $19 was steep – although I’m sure it was worth it. I’m a fan of Henry of Pelham and their Riesling and a couple of friends who know the family that owns and operates the winery have gotten me into their wine and their story (I had the pleasure of meeting Daniel Speck at last year’s Picnic at the Brickworks when my friend Kerri introduced us).
I ordered a glass of the Flat Rock Chardonnay 2007. It tasted nice and clean with hints of vanilla and apple and went really well with the amuse bouche – although I sipped it slowly to savour through all courses. I’m also a fan of Flat Rock’s line of “Twisted” wines.
A bread basket of red fife whole wheat biscuits, petits pains, multi-grain rotis and butter rosettes.
Amuse Bouche: Ruby Beet, Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese Roulade with potato “hay” and pea tendrils.
Appetizer: Summer minestrone soup topped with arugula pesto.
Mains: Choice or “pork or pepper” [Imagine hearing the waitress ask that to each of 8 individuals sitting around the table. It reminded me of a game of "duck duck goose".] The pork: Roast Berkshire Port Loin– Caramelized shallot and apple cider jus. The pepper: Stuffed Red Peppers– Quinoa, pine nuts, apricots and chickpeas, baked with honey and balsamic vinegar, dusted with smoked almond Dukkah.
Sides: All mains were accompanied by crisp potato rosti and “Tian” of zucchini, tomato and herbs.
Dessert: Fresh Blueberry Tart with lemon cream and an edible flower garnish.
The potato “hay” on the amuse bouche were crispy potatoes, lightly salted. Reminded me almost of a potato latke flavour. As far as I’m concerned there’s never anything wrong with crispy potatoes. The beet was moist and juicy, sweet, slightly tart from what I think was treatment with vinegar. The swiss chard was wonderfully earthy.
The minestrone was a mixture of a tomato base with tomatoes, broccoli, onion, potato, cauliflower, carrots and green beans topped with arugula pesto and a shredded mild cheese that I couldn’t identify. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.
(In retrospect I should have gotten a photo of the pork. Maybe Sarah or Greg C. or Sheryl got one.)
I was lax on the notes here. I was the only one taking notes (how do the others do it when they blog about meals?) and was getting into the rhythm of conversation, a conversation that included the book and film Julie and Julia (Sheryl, as she’s posted many times, is not a fan of the book), cooking vs. watching cooking shows, the reality of cooking dishes from cookbooks written by current celebrity chefs, the place of the Food Network and Giada De Laurentiis’s rack (well, I’d have referred to it as a “rack” but Sheryl beat me to it with a similar comment while I was waiting my turn). Occasionally non-food topics arose. Foodie 411 at the end of the table was fairly quiet except for a couple of comments about farmer’s markets.
“Crunchy on top” was all I wrote in my notes and Sheryl and I discussed Dukkah. In the last couple of days I’d read reference to it in a post about almonds (I think on Serious Eats: Talk, someone questioning what to do with an abundance of almonds) but I didn’t know what Dukkah was (nor did I really know until right now when I grabbed the link). The dish was quite nice but I wasn’t in love with the potato rosti. There was a flavour that I couldn’t identify nor was pleased with. The vegetables were fresh and flavourful. I pushed aside the green stuff.
Sarah said that I got the best flower
I liked the light, crispy crust with a slight chewiness and just a hint of oil.
Look at those berries!
Look at those luscious berries! They were juicy and plump. I was reminded of Violet Beauregarde of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
I got a lovely surprise when I bit into a piece of lemon zest and found that it was candied. Crisp and sweet-tart!
The lemon cream was light and fluffy and the texture played well with the juicy berries and crispy crust but wasn’t the highlight and without it the dessert would have been just as good.
A good time was had. All the dishes were great, with most having some components that I liked better than others. The conversation was enjoyable. There were laughs and smiles and a toast. It was a really nice, comfortable evening.
I will go back for more. I’d been for their opening party where I got to speak with farmers and producers and had a lovely chat about food photography with one of the guys Seth from Forbes Wild Foods (I thought that I blogged it and put photos on Flickr, but can’t find either). It’s worth regular visits to see what the chef will do next, and possibly get some inspiration. I’d really like to check out more tastings. The challenge of course, is overcoming the mental barrier of spending the money. Heck, if I’m going to indulge in anything, it will be food. (My comic book graphic novel habit never took off due to financial priority.)
**
Harvest Wednesdays is a weekly event at the Gladstone Hotel. Some weeks offer a three course dinner (+ amuse bouche), some weeks is more of a cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres. Regardless, each week between July and October chef Marc Breton serves up fare made with the contents of that week’s fresh produce harvested and distributed by Chick-a-Biddy Acres CSA. As well, local meats, cheeses, wines and beers are used.Local ingredients are used in the meal as much as possible. To find out more, see the schedule and past menus and buy tickets go to the Gladstone Hotel’s website.
