Category: Food / drink

Kingston

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We spent last weekend in Kingston, building a trip around a visit to a friend’s art exhibition…which was closed, unexpectedly for the day. And the gallery wasn’t open the next two days. So we missed the main reason for being there…but the food, to our great surprise, made up for it.

First, we stayed at the Frontenac Club, a new conversion of an old building, and our room was lovely: exposed brick, big windows, stained glass, huge bathroom, etc.

Next up was to get some warm coffee on a cold day, so we walked down the street to SENS cafe for some capps, which we took with us down to the waterfront to enjoy the view and the sunshine. On the walk back to the hotel we stopped at Bobbi Pecorino’s to rescue something from their bottle shop.

We had dinner booked that night at The Everly, which started a little funny but ended up very solid indeed:

  • Cocktails
  • Appetizers
    • East Coast Oysters w/ fresh horseradish & lemon
    • Kale Salad (Salt of the Earth Farms kale, cashew ‘cheese’, breadcrumbs, roasted cashews, lemon & olive oil dressing, Parmesan)
    • We wanted the salt cod fritters but they were out. The kitchen staff felt bad so as a consolation they brought us a 1/4 order of the polenta fries (Crispy polenta, pomodoro, basil, garlic, Parmesan) and an order of the roast pumpkin (Salt of the Earth Farm roast pumpkin, butter fried sage, lemon & parsley sauce, pumpkin seeds)
    • Glasses of Soave (Tessari Grisela DOC Classico, IT, ’22) and Chenin Blanc (Pearce Predhomme Stellenbosch Old Vine, SA, ’22)
  • Mains
    • Lindsay had the Butternut Squash Agnolotti (ricotta & squash stuffed pasta, brown butter, Ontario hazelnuts, sage, Parmesan)
    • I wanted the braised pork belly but they were out, so I ended up getting the Pork Sausage pasta (rigatoni, fennel and chili pork sausage, garlic, broccolini, fried breadcrumbs, Pecorino)
    • Bottle of Cabernet Franc (Stanners Vineyard, PEC, ’21)

The next morning we slept in and missed the hotel’s breakfast. Instead we walked slowly over to Kingston institution Chez Piggy for some comfort brunch: Chilaquiles con Carne (tortilla chips, salsa verde, black bean, bell pepper, avocado, grilled steak, sunny eggs, feta, jalapeño, coriander, scallion) for me, and Çilbir (garlic yogurt, poached eggs chili, garlic butter, mint, dill, cilantro, parsley, pan chancho za’atar pita) for Lindsay. Both were extremely delicious. The place looks like it hasn’t changed inside in fifty years, but who cares?

Back in the room we relaxed. Lindsay boiled herself in the tub while I finished the book I was reading (But What If We’re Wrong? by Chuck Klosterman) and then we want back out for dinner. We picked Wooden Heads because we felt like a chill pizza experience, but it ended up being extremely good as well, splitting an excellent pizza and Sicilia pizza. My glass of Tempranillo was good; Lindsay’s Sangiovese was not. But we muddled through.

We woke up early Monday as it was a work day for us both. After eating a very nice breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant The Bank Gastropub, Lindsay walked to a medical archive for some research while I posted up in the restaurant (they were empty but for us) and got a ton of work done. Once we wrapped up we grabbed a late lunch — fish and chips, both — at Dianne’s and bolted for home before the Toronto traffic got too bad. We had a pretty seamless drive, frankly, and were grateful to be home.

So yeah, after the bitter disappointment immediately after arriving, Kingston redeemed itself on the strength of its food.

Lucie

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I didn’t have time to write it up before going to Moncton, but we did a pretty special meal out for Lindsay’s birthday: Yannick Bigourdan’s new place on Yonge Street, Lucie. It’s brand new, but was recognized in the latest Michelin list for Toronto. Hard to get a handle on the vibe — it seemed like a mix of foodies but also rich tourists who just wandered down from the Eaton Centre with their piles of shopping bags — but the staff was very lovely and the service was good. We got the tasting menu with the “Collection” wine pairing option, which actually cost more than the food. But there were some stunners in there.

Here’s what we ate:

Le Mahi Mahi
Cevice, Finger Lime, Bell Pepper Squid & Prawn Creamy Sauce
Didier Dagueneau, “Blanc etc…”, Vin de France, 2020

Le Caviar Oscietre
Agatha Potato, Smoked Eel, Ossetra Caviar & Poultry Jus
Dom Pérignon, Brut Rosé, Epernay, Champagne, 2006

La Gamberoni
Slightly Seared Gamberoni / Eggplant, Sardine & Mint Sauce
Mongeard-Mugneret, Fixin, 2020

Le Bison
Dry Aged Ontario Bison, Cocoa, Coffee & Ginger Butter / Butternut Squash & Dark Chocolate Jus
Château Gloria, Saint-Julien, 2010

Le Pamplemousse
Grapefruit Sorbet, White Tea Emulsion Lychee Jelly

La Banane
Green Banana, Valrhona White Chocolate Ganache Vanilla & Ossetra Caviar
Château d’Yquem, 1er Cru Supérieur, Sauternes, 2017
Domaine Huet, “Clos du Bourg”, Vouvray Moelleux, 2005

Highlights: the Mahi Mahi and bison were both superb. The Fixin was the wine of night, right up until I splurged on a glass of Château d’Yquem.

Notre Dame de smoked meat

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Just got back from a work week in Moncton. While there I hit some repeat spots (including dinner with my parents, which is always great) but also tried a few new ones:

  • Laundromat Espresso Bar, which was fine. Kind of liked the idea of it as a bar (they also have live music sometimes) but I was there in the middle of the day, so…beer next time.
  • Notre Dame de Parkton, a lunch-only sandwich place famous for its high-quality bacon. I didn’t get bacon this time, but did get a smoked meat sandwich which, while small, was one of the best I’ve ever eaten. The meat melted in my mouth. The bread was soft as a cloud. Classic yellow mustard. Pickle, cole slaw, and plain chips on the side. Perfectly executed lunch. Will repeat.
  • Banh Mi Bready, a (you guessed it) banh mi place near my office which an employee recommended. I got the grilled pork at their suggestion, and it was solid. Good option for next time. Glad to see it was hopping too — good for them.
  • The new Main Street location of Red Satay. I’ve been to the St. George location a bunch.

Picked up a couple of excellent wines at that primo ANBL too:

Lillybelle

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Some nice friend check-ins this week: first we met Laura for dinner at White Lily Diner, her first time in a while and our first time in…not that long. Pastrami sandwich as per usual, but also a bottle of Closson Chase. We went back to Chez Nous afterward and had a delicious bottle of Domaine Queylus Cab Franc.

The next night I met an old friend (Shannon) at a new place (Belle Isle) where the cocktails are made by another, newer friend (James). We had a couple bites (weird) and three cocktails each. All five we tried were outstanding.

I had:

  • divorced dad dinner: cinnamon toast crunch bourbon, averna, cacao, vermouth, amarena
  • these gays are trying to kill me: guava candy tito’s, st germain, apple soju, absinthe, lemon
  • going home with the drummer: planteray stiggins rum, citadelle gin, tio pepe, ginger, drambuie, chili

Shannon had:

  • i’m not much into health food: el dorado 12, plantaray 3, amaro, pina, coco, egg white, orange blossom
  • young, dumb, in love, and dumb: lot 40, cynar, candied ginger, maple, akvavit, lagavulin, hickory, apple cider (ed: I kinda can’t believe I didn’t try this one)
  • a divorced dad dinner

It was nice to see James and sample his excellent wares, but I was a good 20 years too old to be in that place.

Mahunt

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Two new, but very different, dining experiences this week.

First, earlier this week I had dinner at Toronto Hunt Club. I know someone who’s a member and he’s been trying to get me there forever. Stunning view at that place for sure, good food (we had lamb and oxtail) and a decent wine list (we had a bottle of Australian Cab/Shiraz) but…manoman, am I ever not a private club guy. Pick any of your standard reasons why. But also, I saw an older couple there who sat side by side through dinner and as far as I could tell didn’t utter a single consonant to either other for two-ish hours and MY GOD is that ever my nightmare. Anyway. Seems like a gorgeous spot, and the food wasn’t bad, but…yeah.

Then today, whilst out for a walk, I found myself walking by Maha’s Egyptian Brunch and there was no line (!) so I just ducked in and ate some breakfast: a delicious Egyptian omelette and glass of beet juice. It got me one step closer to a personal 2024 objective: to try all the Michelin-recognized (at least, according to last year’s list) restaurants east of Yonge before the end of the year. More on those objectives in my year-end roundup…which, I guess, I’ll be writing about eleven weeks from now.

Wine-related news (as if I have any other kind)

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Earlier this week I tried The Rosebud for the first time. The food was quite good (deli plate; beets w/ grapes, hazelnuts, and marjoram vinaigrette; confit duck leg + seared duck breast w/ sour cherry, olive, and pistachio pistou) but the real standout was the wine selection. Lots of stuff by the glass I’m just not accustomed to seeing, like Picpoul, Pinot Nero (done as a white wine; so little skin contact it practically looked like water), and Semillon. I finished with a bit of Chinon for the duck.

At the very end of the week, I received some welcome news. As I’ve written about here before, I spent much of the spring and summer studying for the WSET level 3 award in wines. I wrote the exam on July 4th, and learned later that it takes ten weeks to get your results. At ten weeks + one day, I received an email telling me I’d passed the theory portion with distinction, and the tasting portion with merit (so, a little less strong than the theory). I was frankly much more worried about the theory bit, partly because that’s what most people fail, and partly because in my practice exams leading up to the final exam I’d not done very well. But some excellent coaching by the course instructor got me across the goal line.

I took a special bottle out of the cellar to celebrate. We had it last night with Lindsay’s little brother, after dinner at Avling and some Ed’s ice cream on the way home. Felt fitting for us three to celebrate with an award-winning Nova Scotian sparkling.

Little friend, big pancakes

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Not all weekends feel rejuvenating — especially as summer is now most definitely turning into autumn — but this one did.

On Friday Laura came over after work. No occasion other than a catchup, and an excuse to pull some fun bottles out of the cellar. We started with a 2015 Bethel Heights Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley, which was underwhelming. I’ll say it before and I’ll say it again: I’ve been spoiled by Ontario chard. Anyway, then we ordered some pizza and did a side-by-side of two 2014 Syrahs: the 2014 Le Vieux Pin Équinoxe from the Okanagan, and the 2014 Esk Valley Winemaker’s Reserve from the Gimblett Gravels in Hawke’s Bay. It was the eldest vintage of my remaining Equinoxe Syrahs vs. a formative wine for Laura. I preferred the Le Vieux Pin; she preferred the Esk Valley. Lindsay kept shtum. Now that the WSET trauma has worn off (I still don’t know the exam result, by the way) it feels good to explore wine for enjoyment more than education.

Yesterday, feeling slightly worse for wear, I met up with my old friend Jenna at Ladybug. Apart from a brief hello at a random Fran’s diner, I hadn’t seen her in eight years — she was just always closer to Nellie than to me, and divorces have a way of cleaving friend groups. In any case, an Instagram comment led to us making a brunch plan, and it was lovely. I mean, the food was good and everything (my pancakes were covered in so much whipped cream I scaled the dish as much as ate it) but the real treat was just reconnecting with her. Hearing about her and the changes in her life, and seeing how well she’s doing. She was always one of the warmest and most genuinely charming people I’d ever met, and that hadn’t changed. We said our goodbyes for now, with hopes for another meetup soon. I got kind of emotional on my walk home — a little sad, but mostly grateful.

Some great spots. (See what I did there?)

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If I’m heading downtown for work, I try to pack in multiple work/colleague visits to make it worthwhile. Such was the case this past Thursday when I was able to reconnect with a former financial challenger compatriot at the Spadina outpost of Neo, stop by the newest location of Fahrenheit (so yes, I was well-caffeinated), work for a bit on the patio at Gusto 501, and finally try out Ladybug with Dan B once the work laptop was shut for the day. I even squeezed in a quick stop at Chez Nous on the way home. (So yes, I was well-wined too.)

I liked Ladybug a lot. Nice patio (the weather is finally good for that), fun & interesting wine selection, tasty food (Dan and I split olives, shrimp, meatballs, and the short rib), and lovely staff. I’m keen to sit inside next time; I remember liking the decor from back when it was Odin.

Pastrami-adjacent

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We spent last weekend in Stratford. We packed a lot into 48 hours.

Friday

After a long drive out of Toronto (is there any other kind?) and a brutal rainstorm, we arrived in Stratford and checked into the Bradshaw Lofts before checking out the wine bar downstairs, Brch & Wyn. We had:

  • stone fruit w/ fresh mozzarella, walnuts, basil, peach romesco
  • chicken nuggies w/ brch dry rub, spicy mayo, lime
  • massaman flatbread w/ beer coconut curry, cashew, chili crisp, pickled chili
    • some very tasty & well-curated wines: I remember there being a local orange wine, a Gewurz, a Sonoma Chard, and two local Cab Francs

We threw it all down our necks quickly; we had a play to get to — Cymbeline (link). My haiku review:

A twist on Shakespeare
Casts Cymbeline as queen; pretty
good but kinda long

By long I mean: 90 minutes into the play the lights went dark, which we figured was a shockingly abrupt end, but it turns out ’twas only the intermission and there was another 90 minutes to go. We made it, though. We all made it.

Saturday

Luckily Brch & Wyn is also an excellent coffee shop, so I grabbed us caffeine and breakfast downstairs. We watched some Netflix in the room (I’ve been forced to watch Love Island once again, so that betting may ensue), we made an unscheduled run to Wal-Mart (don’t ask), and then went out in search of lunch. After bumping into a few non-starters — NB: Stratford runs on a schedule, and the 2pm plays drive a lot of people into a noon lunch — we braved the lineup at Features, a Stratford institution. We banked on their ability to turn tables quickly, and it paid off: we had a table right away, with plenty of time to make it to our next play. I even had time to stop at The Ashborne Café for an espresso.

Our second play was the Ibsen classic Hedda Gabler (link). My haiku review:

Stellar work all ’round
“People don’t do such things!” No,
But our Hedda does

After a quick walk home and more bingeing, we were off to dinner at Lovage. It really feels like a home away from home now (to wit: earlier in the day, while walking around town, we were recognized by our favourite host Abra!) and on this occasion it didn’t disappoint. Here’s what we had:

  • Lobster salad
  • Marinated peppers
    • glasses of Ontario orange and Portuguese white
  • Fried squid w/ shishito peppers
    • glasses of Chablis and Sicilian white
  • Short rib special (described to us as “pastrami-adjacent”) w/ white kimchi
    • a half-bottle of Tondonia Rioja
  • Crème-frâiche ice cream + blueberry sorbet
    • glasses of Port and Madeira

Sunday

Once again: caffeine and breakfast from Brch + Wyn woke us up. We had to check out by 11, but our brunch reso wasn’t until 12, so we killed time sitting in a park on a summer day. Just as we were leaving I saw a hawk fly full-speed into the top of a tree, followed by the screaming chatter of a squirrel(?), then the hawk falling out of the bottom of the tree and flying away. Couldn’t tell if it was a successful hunting expedition or not.

As noon approached we walked to Revival House for brunch. Just as we were about to be seated Lindsay realized I didn’t have my umbrella. It’s the best umbrella I’ve ever owned so I didn’t want to lose it. We walked back to the park, relieved to find it there, and returned to Revival. It’s a converted church (with some stunning gardens out front) that feels quite cozy inside. We had cocktails, a fried chicken sandwich (me) and eggs bennie (Lindsay), followed by an almond coffee cake and some coffees, and then were off to the Studio theatre, just kitty-corner from the restaurant, for our final play.

The Edward Albee play The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia? (link) has been much celebrated since it was first performed in 2002. All four members of the cast had been in Cymbeline Friday night, and one —  Rick Roberts — was someone I watched many years ago on Traders. My haiku review:

Dark, hard, weird viewing
This animal collective
Comes wholly undone

It was a good thing we’d gone back to get that umbrella, because our walk home was through pouring rain. As was our drive home, pretty much the whole way. And that wasn’t the half of it: we knew there’s been weather warnings all over southern Ontario the past few days (including a tornado that touched down in nearby Ayr) but driving home and seeing cars submerged on flooded highways really brought it home. (Also, different kind of danger, but we also saw Batman.)

So, a successful 48 hours overall. Not sure we’ll return to Stratford next year for plays (we might go just to eat at Lovage, and maybe try cocktails at Elizabeth which we missed this time) but I feel like we did it right this time.

Front-loading

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Why do the weeks leading up to vacation always seem the busiest? I suppose the pressure to pre-emptively “make up” for the weeks away (work, errands, friend check-ins, etc.) plus the actual logistics of travelling make that fairly real…though I’m sure there’s some confirmation bias at play as well.

Real or imagined, it’s certainly felt like a busy week.

I realized my passport was going to expire sooner than I thought, so I spent a couple hours at the passport office on Monday.

I wrote my WSET 3 exam Thursday, thereby crippling my own hand by having to write for 2.5 hours. With an actual pencil, readers! Like I’m in the olden times or something. Anyway, it’ll take two months to find out how that went, but I’m very glad to be done studying.

I finished season 3 of The Bear, which wasn’t nearly as good as the first two seasons, but I still thought it was okay. I also watched a lot of Euro matches, and luckily tuned into final few moments of the Canada-Venezuela Copa America match — just in time to see Davies score, Crépeau save, and Koné send Canada through.

I met Matt for lunch at Ardo. Lindsay and I had drinks at Mercantino e Vini (you can buy glasses or bottles from the shop out front, and sit in the cozy seats at the back) with Kirsten, and then we all ate a late dinner down the street at Ascari.

It won’t be a quiet weekend. At this point I’m just hoping for manageable.