Finding My Place (A Canadian Pub)

They say that everything happens for a reason.

Every third Wednesday I see my chiropractor Bloor St. near Jane St. This past Wednesday I missed my regularly scheduled appointment. The office called me on Thursday morning to reschedule. After asking, dumbfounded, “Are you sure it’s been three weeks?!” I agreed to visit that afternoon.

Had I gone to my regularly scheduled appointment on Wednesday I would not have met Frazer and might have met Stan, or Nancy, or Romy, or the suited up guy who was drinking Prince Edward County Ice Cider and offered me a sniff. “Doesn’t it smell like baked apples?” he asked. I agreed and made a mental note to try it next time.

My Place – A Canadian Pub has been on my radar for a while. I read many food blogs. I know who chef Brad Long is, that a lifelong acquaintance works with him at Veritas (after working with him at the Air Canada Club, I think). I knew the location.

Thursday after my appointment, still giddy – kind of high – from my Sam James macchiato, I walked into My Place and told the hostesses “If you have free WiFi, I’ll stay for a beer.”

After I take a seat at the bar a nice man behind the bar (name escapes me) Romy shows me the taps. Great Lakes Brewery has made them a house lager and I am handed a sample. I ask for a half pint of Waterloo Dark, and am easily up-sold to a pint before my bartender moves downstairs to the sports bar which was opening for the first time that evening (tables and chairs were being moved in as I sat upstairs). Frazer becomes my bartender. My guy. He usually only works there for two days early in the week so had I been there on Wednesday I wouldn’t have met him, had some good conversation, learned that we know someone in common, and got a tip from him about a company that’s looking to hire someone with my expertise.

I end up staying for 4 hours or so. I don’t know where the time went, but I chat with patrons and staff.

Regular patron Nancy, sitting next to me at the bar, tells me that My Place focuses on local food.  I dig that. She tells me that chef Long has a relationship with all the suppliers – the farmers, for example. It’s a fact that I later overhear echoed by bartender Stan.

Nancy seems to be their biggest advocate. She tells me that the place is 100% sustainable: Cloth napkins, no straws unless you ask, biodegradable soap in the washrooms.  She repeatedly insists that I try the fries, hand cut as they should be.

Fleur de sel fills the salt shakers so when you tip the shaker a small amount of little flakes come out rather than the large amount of grains that usually pour out of salt shakers. Bartender Frazer  shows me a horseradish root that’s kept in a fridge behind the bar and tells me with enthusiasm that it is grated fresh. No bottled stuff. A ribbon of aioli is squeezed onto a swizzle stick for me to taste.

Enthusiasm is a common vibe there. Passion oozes from the patrons and the employees. I can tell that the guys behind the bar are advocates for what Long is doing. Some have worked with him at his other restaurants. I always say that sales is easier when you believe in what you’re selling and these guys are sellin’ it.

I pay for my pint of beer with the intention of leaving and then decide to stay for food. “It’s for the blog.” Really, I’m enjoying myself. I like to eat. There’s that natural time when you know it’s time to go, and that didn’t feel like it.

In the interest of space (the first draft of this post was almost 1200 words) I’m going to save the food review for another time. I will say this: You know it’s a locally focused menu when Kozlik’s mustard makes an appearance (regular, grainy, and horseradish).

The wine and beer is also mostly local. While they serve a few imported beers they favour Ontario breweries while venturing outside the province for only a few beers. See the menu on their website for a list.

My second beer pint is the result of loose arm twisting when my meal arrives. “You know what goes well with perch? A pint of Creemore.” Great up-sell. The bar staff goes 2 for 2 on that. I’m usually only that easily suggestible when already under the influence Blame the coffee?

Most of their wines come from the Niagara region. At the bar and on the menu I spot Malivoire Gamay, Henry of Pelham Cabernet Franc, Wildass Red and wines from Fielding Estate Winery, Flat Rock and Tawse.  Their sparkling wine list includes one from Fielding in Niagara. Less local, I spot a row of Ports that include 10 and 20 year old versions of Graham’s. I’m more of a Taylor Fladgate girl, but I wouldn’t go to MPP for the Port.

My Place staff make it a point to learn your name. Stan was calling me by my name before I knew his and I couldn’t remember if I’d offered it or if he knew it because he’d been paying attention when Frazer addressed me. I hear them both address other customers by their names, even the new customers. This, to me, is what a bar should be. I hate to compare it to Cheers, but it kind of is. It’s a community. Jane Jacobs would approve. I wonder where she drank.

Update: Three weeks later I returned and not only did Nancy and Romy remember me, Romy remembered what pants I’d been wearing on my first visit. Want memorable pants too? Check out my sister’s company.

Related posts:

• Toronto Life previewed the restaurant in August.

• The evening I was there, so was a writer from Toronto Life. I had no idea. Their piece ran on Friday.

Vegetarian Food Fair: Loving the sunshine, avoiding the soy

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.

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:

• BlogTO: Vegetarian Food Fair Makes Me Rethink My 3am Greasy Cheesburger Hangover Habit
• Meghan/Making Love in the Kitchen: I knew she’d be criticizing the soy but I found samples of grains, dips and other non-soy products
• Ash/Dancing Through Life: Disappointed by the Lack of Vegetables at the Vegetarian Food Fair
• Evolving Wellness: Vegetarian and Vegan and Raw! Oh My!

Thursday's links

• E. Coli Found In President’s Choice Beef, CFIA Warns [City News, Toronto Star]

• In her new blog, Beer and Buttertarts, Sheryl goes into more detail about the recall as it applies to Canadians.

• Due to the city workers’ strike in Toronto many of the farmer’s markets were closed. Well, not anymore! [Source: Toronto Star. Thanks to @TOFoodie for the tip.]

• Good news for vegetarians: You’re less likely to develop blood, bladder and stomach cancer. According to the study, vegetarians had slightly higher, but not significantly so, rates of colon and rectum cancer. The study looked at vegetarians over 12 years. [Decision News Media]

• “EU scraps ban on misshaped fruit and veg”. Odd that there was a ban to begin with. [Decision News Media]

• Sometimes I read articles like this one from Europe and think that it’s unlikely this would ever happen in North America because of the influence that the food industry has over government: “Calls to curb meat consumption through labelling” [Decision News Media/Food Navigator]

• mmmm…watermelon. Amazing that I’ve never thought of watermelon varieties. Instead, I think “seedless”, “with seeds”, “regular sized” and “small enough that I can carry it home”. I usually buy the last one. [Saveur]

Tuesdays links on Thursday

(Yes, I forgot to post them again.)

• “From January to June 2009, at least 69 people from 29 states have gotten sick with E. coli O157:H7.  Many of them confessed to eating Nestlé’s raw cookie dough.” [Marion Nestle]

• Fooducate’s 11 Quick Facts about Phosphoric Acid (Yes, that Chemical in Coca Cola) reminds me of Meghan’s recent post about Coca Cola titled “Coke Makes People Fat”. I read the update today, in which she printed an email response that she received from the Public Affairs Manager from Coca-Cola Canada defending the drink. I guess their PR people monitor mentions of their company online. It’s the right PR strategy. It’s what we do in government. (Media monitoring and now new media monitoring – blogs, Twitter, Facebook etc. -  thanks to me.)

• I still don’t believe that you can make processed cheese healthy. [Decision News Media]

• No thanks to bland, mutant strawberries: Letters in Saturday’s Toronto Star respond to their strawberry story from the previous Saturday. Reading the first letter, I felt like telling her to go see Food Inc., or to stay away from it. It would break her heart. See video of original story here:

• New national (Canadian) standards for organic food take effect today (June 30). [CBC]

• For my local readers: Taste T.O.’ Summerlicious Survival Guide.

Wednesday's links: Something for everyone

• Staying sober a challenge in the alchol-heavy hospitality industry. [New York Times] I found the personal stories in this article very interesting.

• Treehugger proposes a weekday vegetarian diet [Treehugger]

• Ever wonder why lemon makes milk curdle? It involves protein, negative charge and bondage (er, bonding). [The Kitchn]

• Also from The Kitchn: Tip: Use Cinnamon Sticks As Skewers when grilling fruit. Now I want a barbecue just for that purpose.

• Creating satisfying food is central to home cooks and chefs — as well as to companies that have produced foods that have helped lead to the obesity epidemic. Mark Bittman on Making Food Satisfying. [New York Times]

• In his article Bittman links the article “How the Food Makers Captured Our Brains“. It’s fascinating. Quote: “[Kessler] offers descriptions of how restaurants and food makers manipulate ingredients to reach the aptly named ‘bliss point.’”

• New Web Search Tool Shows What Pesticides are on Your Food

• According to this newsletter, the average child gets 5+ servings of pesticides in their food and water each day and the pesticide Atrazine is so toxic it is banned in Europe, but it is used so widely in the U.S., that it is found in 71% of the U.S. drinking water. (Thanks to my mother for forwarding me the newsletter. I went to the online archive so that I could share it with you.)

• One woman’s changing relationship with food and what she’s learned in the process of doing so while getting healthier. [In The Raw] There’s some great tips in there. The theme of conscious eating comes up (in my life) again and again I forget to exercise it, in part because I eat while doing other things. She touches on multitasking while eating.

• “Flapjack Fiasco” [This is Why You're Fat]

• Food porn: Grilled Cheese with Fresh Cherries [The Kitchn & Rachel Ray]

• Torontist on Toronto’s a la Carte food cart program. Not all good news.

• Meghan weighs in on milk and advises you not to drink conventional milk. [Making Love in the Kitchen] Milk bad. I know this and yet I can’t seem to give up cheese even though avoiding cheese would fit the reason I rarely eat meat.

• Food industry propaganda: New Organic Logo Will Provide More Opportunities For Organic Producers. [Canadian Food Inspection Agency] “Canada’s Organic Products Regulations (OPR)…set out rigourous standards for the certification of products as organic by accredited certification bodies. Products that meet the production requirements and contain at least 95 per cent organic content may be labelled as “organic” and feature the new Biologique Canada Organic Logo.

No links for tomorrow likely because I’ll be away from a computer all day. However, I do need to write a post about Food Share’s open house from last weekend. I’d forgotten.