Cafe Plenty

Cafe Plenty make a coy debut a few months ago. It's winning over a steady clientele with novel and fresh food, a gorgeous interior, and very friendly ownership (greeting many people by name when they entered!).

Carargue Red Rice, Wild Rice and Quinoa with Cranberry, Orange and Pistachio
My personal favourite. I'm actually crazy about red rice. This wasn't very sweet, just enough of a blend.

Heirloom Beet, Watercress, Aged Cheddar and Pear
A fresher version of the classic 'goat cheese and beet' salad, the cheddar adding way more kick. Loved the pickled pears! Everything is made in house, yummy.

Mushroom and Herb Soup
Salty and fresh, the herbs (mostly thyme? And others?) make this less cloying than a lot of mushroom soups I've tasted in the past, with a little onion for balance.

A special salad they had that day, with Israeli Couscous. Big, fat grains!

Ham, Egg and Sweet Pepper Galette and daily special with Sweet Potato, Herbs and Cheese
I didn't get around to trying these, but am meaning to go back! They were the most beautiful things on display. The ham looked like a silk ribbon.

House-made Chocolate chip Cookie
Alas, my sweet tooth. Crunchy cookies with lots of butter. I like the added texture of oat flakes. 

Reel Eats

I have been yearning to go to one of the monthly food and film events since they began this January. hosted and organized by Mary Luz and Sang Kim (and many others!)

This week has a chocolate theme, and the chef was Bruno Elsier, an unsung hero of the Toronto food scene. So many chefs get their glowing reputations at the helm of this or that hot spot. His history is long and reputable, but not very public -at least not in Toronto. He was referred to more than once as a 'triple threat' for being a master chocolatier as well as heavy hitting savoury chef. The food was excellent! And he did a great job capturing nuances of the story of that evenings film, "Chocolat", staring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.

Read more about Chef Elsier (pdf)!

Things start to get warmed up. Wines are poured and introductions are made. I get a bit nervous in an unfamiliar crowd, but our server, the lovely Anubha, was very hospitable! Mary Luz also made the rounds, saying hello to everyone, and was extremely kind to seat me at the table with the storytellers - one of the draws of Reel Eats (for me especially) is that the film is played silently on the wall, and curated storytellers get up and share an experience with the diners. So unique!

Remember, everything is inspired by the film 'Chocolat'
'Crazy' Salad with Bacon Bits and Pine Nuts Sauteed in Cacao Butter with Balsamic Honey Vinaigrette and Cacao Nibs.

For each speaker, Sang made a little introduction. He was also offering wines by the glass (and bottle?), though we are allowed to bring out own! As I did.

'Serious Mayors' French Shallot and Lentil Cream Soup with Cacao Butter
I am such a practical person, I loved this soup. A note on all the dishes: very low salt. A shocking and still tasty change! These crusty, airy baguettes were revolutionary.

Mardi of http://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/ shared my table , as well as our two other storytellers, Dwayne Morgan and Patricia Bradbury (I didn't like the likenesses I got of either of them, so there's no drawings, sadly). She was nervous about her segment, but there was no need to worry- she told a lovely story about becoming Parisian. There was also a super-cute photographer girl who I had so much fun drawing! I loved sitting at a table with such characters and strong personalities. So much to listen to, so much laughter!

Roux's 'Handsome' Bean Cassoulet and Toulouse Sausage with a soupcon of Milk Chocolate.

I was next to Chef Scott of http://www.culinaryadventureco.com/ and his partner Tania. So wonderful to be at the same table as her! She was truly graceful about keeping conversation flowing (as I buried my nose deeper in my sketchbook). We shared a moment over having our first real cassoulet. I always imagined them to be thick, but it's actually very light!

Palate cleanser. Incredible.
Armand's Yellow Wine and Goat's Cheese Sorbet with Flaming Armanac.

What a long table! I wasn't in a great place to watch the film, but I was in a good position to watch PEOPLE. And the table....which came in handy when someones menu slipped into a candle, and was halfway up in flames before I got it! I didn't really know how to put the damn thing out, but all was well in the end.
You CAN see Dwayne and Patricia here! Third and Fourth on the left.

Boeuf Bourguinon prepared with Dark Chocolate...

...and Frites with Spicy Chili Chocolate Mayo.

It happened to be Mary Luz's birthday around the event, so we all celebrated with a toast.
Chef Elsier (also hard to draw!) made a crazy, exotic and stunning dessert, but I have not been able to capture it's magnificence by ink.
Vianne's Shades and Heat of Chocolate:
White Chocolate Mousse with Lime
Creme Brulee of Milk Chocolate and Dark
Hot and Spiced Chocolate Drink (more pudding like in texture, though!)

Super Classy

Intermittently I've been hosting a bunch of draw nights with a motley crew of friends, friends of friends and acquaintances. It has been a LOT of fun, and I've been enjoying the comic/illustration/animation conversations, the inside scoop on what nerdy shows are happening, and the odd tip for anthology calls for entry. All good things!

The downside is that the location has been a late night cafe with a less that delicious menu, and no booze. It's central, spacious, convenient! Just lacking a few elements. In an attempt to mix up my approach to Drawn and Devoured, I hosted a draw night dinner party last Friday, and it was a blast! I love cooking for a crowd, even if my cooking is fairly humble.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what I cook.

 

Trying to copy the look of the amazing devilled eggs I had at Origin. Those used a bacon spear, which is really not easy to replicate with a cucumber strip. I also bought the wrong sriracha. I never knew cock sauce was so distinct in itself! Duly noted. Now I gotta eat all this off brand spiciness... (turns out it's good in soup).

This is a recipe I stole from Cafe Colette! I have been dreaming of it since leaving New York. I was expecting a couple vegan guests, so I tried to provide a few not-super-standard dishes they might like (although there WAS the token veggie platter, testament to my occasional lack of imagination). It was a really surprising hit! I never expect 'health food' to go over well, but it was ett up heartily. Bread from my local bakery, Absolute Bakery.

Tabitha, who runs the most excellent blog Tabitha Draws came by and hung out for snacks and a few rounds of drawing! You can see some of here sketches from the night here (my ego is happy to see me in one! But I think she drew my friend Erin better than anyone ever).

http://tabithadraws.blogspot.ca/2012/03/omg-its-sunny-outside.html

One of the things I tried my hand at for the first time was pakora. I don't have a deep fryer and tried to make them in a skillet. Not as crisp as I would like, but still good and oniony. I would love to know a way to make these that's just as tasty but not so oily!

Can you believe the store was out of tamarind sauce? Sheesh.

Herbed popcorn has been a staple in my house ever since I worked for The Drake a couple years ago. They hosted a series of movie nights and always provided sloppy joes and thyme-butter infused popcorn. Thyme and rosemary are the best herbs for this. While I like my popcorn buttery, you can steep the herbs in olive oils for a few days and use that, making uniquely flavoured, scrumptious vegan popcorn easily. Gillian really liked this!

Could only have been better if I had some fancy cracked salt! Maybe I'll pick up some black rock salt...

And there were some things I cheated on, and just plated. Fake it 'til you make it! That's how a real hostess does it, baby.

Porchetta & Co

Since Porchetta & Co offers one perfect main dish, I'm serving up a different twist on my usual illustration approach. Everything that goes into preparing the meat for a porchetta sandwich is broken down into a few simple steps, which I'll draw up for you. It's care and an ideal method that have made this little hole in the wall at 825 Dundas West a destination for food lovers, earning Porchetta & Co a spot on the Globe and Mail top 10 restaurants of 2011 (even though it only has four stools and a skinny bar to eat at!).

The sandwich runs a fair $6.45, with plenty of side options. Gillian and I get variations, both steering clear of the overwhelming porchetta plate option (way too much food!). She gets her sandwich with fried mushrooms (+0.75), and I get mine with truffle sauce (+0.75). We both dive for Kozlik's mustard. I have so many jars in my fridge! I love this stuff. Gillian and I share a few sides; rapinis ($3.95), roast fingerling potatoes ($2.95) and a small soup which is still big enough ($4.95). Soup du jour is cream of mushroom & truffle.

The sandwiches come on big, fluffy sourdough buns from the the Caldense bakery across the street. The sandwich can only be described as luxurious pig fat madness. It is hewn off the communal porchetta roast in thick slabs, cooked pork belly clinging to the outside, with the middle layer of prosciutto creating a crisp and fatty rind full of flavor. It is terrifically abundant. I'm glad for the size of the bun whose chewy, floury walls are working hard to keep everything contained. These aren't skimpy portions, and the meat is firm and filling. The truffle sauce has a hard time competing with such prominent meat flavours, which are working in great harmony and don't need any help

The crust formed by the first heat of cooking the porchetta roast is amazing, and my favourite part of this sandwich. It becomes a hard layer of cracklins. They're such a texture shift from the soft bun and the firm but tender meat!

It's the same truffle sauce, an extra creamy mayo infused with the prized fungus, which is drizzled over the hearty mushroom soup as it's only source of truffle. The soup was blended into a heavy coagulation of peppery and earthy flavours, dominated by soy, and a browning like gravy.

Our sides were simple and unassuming. The roast fingerling potatoes were golden through and through, the skin tended and fine. A light coat of oil with just enough salt made them go down smoothly, very like a coating of butter. They're moist and fluffy, not floury.

The rapini are also very simple, served roasted (I think) with a light toss of butter and chilis. The chilis get pretty hot after a few mouthfuls. I always enjoy rapini as a side to pork dishes, the bitter kick of these broco-relatives makes a good balance for the naturally sweet brawn of the pig. 

The Ace

 The moral of my experience at The Ace is probably: learn to make a damn reservation. It is this frequent oversight which has led me (and my unfortunate accomplices) to many a long wait. Though I showed up to the shiny new restaurant/diner at 231A Roncesvalles at 7:15pm, for an 8:00 get together, we didn't wind up with a table until close to 9pm. Oh boy. In the future, when visiting a such a new place I will be sure to call first. A lesson long overdue in being learned, which is not the fault of The Ace at all. These long waits simply offer a chance to wander an unfamiliar neighborhood and explore what fine bars abound, and to reconnect with dear friends who I don't see often enough.

The place itself is long, dark and narrow, like a corridor out of a Twin Peaks lodge, but without the unsettling metaphysical implications. The ceiling is black, the wallpaper old fashioned and intricate, faded. Candlelight almost exclusively serves as our lighting. Even with the kitchen cooking at full speed, there's something woodchippy and natural in the air. Compared to the outdoors on this cold night, The Ace is as cozy as blankets, its big and inviting window dripping with steam condensation.

Celery Root Soup ($4)-
A lightly creamy concoction simply from the luxuriant texture of the roots. this was delightfully fresh and comforting, a titch of cumin accenting the mellow celery root taste. The root is quite mellow compared to the stalk, and I think this is an idea soup to start a meal with.

Ontario Pork Chop w/ Russet Mash & Gravy ($21)-

Ryan has this, and the chop was big and juicy, the bone taking up a big chunk of the bulk. It had an appealing strip of fatty marbling and pips of herb. I didn't try this one, but from sight, the beans looked firm, the potatoes creamy. It disappeared with a speed that implies deliciousness!

Lake Erie Perch w/ Cauliflower Puree, Buttered Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Compote ($22)-

Like the chop, the fillets of perch formed a little towed over their mash, a big red bullseye of pickled roast red pepper begging for a fork to land. The fish was evenly cooking, the skin indistinguishable from the body. Slightly smoky, very mild. The red pepper juice really permeated the flesh, oozing into each crevasse. Love the cauliflowed mash, almost as robust as a potato mash but with a much more playful taste, rooty and teasing.

Spaghetti w/ Smoked Trout, Spinach & Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce ($14)-

These round and robust noodles were soft, edging to overcooked (which I like but doesn't sit with many), and were evry plain. The garlic butter was a gentle touch, the lemon drizzle only perking it up a spot. The trout was very strong and good, mixing the smoke and water that makes me love this fish most. The spinach stood out more than the rest, making a coup on the spaghetti fortress. The trout and that mild garlic didn't know what hit them. If there was a hint of romano? It was trampled.

Zucchini Cake w/ Oatmeal Ice Cream ($6)-

The dinner portions are just right, leaving well enough room for a touch of dessert. There were some decadent and strange things chalked up on the board, like nutella stuffed pierogies, but a traditionalist mood had overtaken our table. Zucchini cake was ordered, arrived cool, moist, more like a true cake than any zucchini loaf I've taste before. Truly spongy. The squash was only a hint, as were the spices. The oatmeal ice cream was a show stopper, hints of a gummy oat texture that put cookie dough ice cream to shame, very clean and rich, hints of nutmeg, cinnamon,

Rosemary Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream ($4)-

My penchant for amusing combinations paid off in spades. What an excellent and uplifting mix. The flavour was like a trickle that swelled into a river, the rosemary smooth and hard to place even when expecting it, which then billowed and surged into a full mouth chocolate deluge, the ice cream fudge and mind blowing. bittersweet and constantly cut by the herb. What a combination!

first taste: hot cocoa in the murry kitchen

Getting a chance to work with Yasmin Seneviratne is always a pleasure. I've been enjoying her 'first taste' series, recreating food she learned of and loved from illustrated childhood books. The most recent book she wanted to write about was never illustrated, and that's where I come in! Here's an excerpt from her post, but you should go read all of it on Yasmin's blog Le Sauce, which includes another illustraton, and her delicious recipe for hot cocoa!

Childhood picture books, stories and TV shows that depicted food and dining made a real impression on me. Illustrations of steaming bowls of pasta or a piece of toast smothered in purple jam gave me my first taste of foods I'd yet to try, and are sometimes still the archetypes I hold food up to today. Instead of simply reminisce, I'm going to bring those dishes to life the way I imagined they'd be.

 

On a dark, stormy night, on her journey to the kitchen from her cold attic room, Meg had time to get down on herself about everything from her mousy appearance, to her IQ level to her recent scrap with bullies at school. This girl needed a drink! She knew it, and decided on hot cocoa. That this was a romantic choice, for a young girl, chilled, a little scared and a lot bummed out, was only part of the appeal to me as I read those opening pages in A Wrinkle in Time. There was also the accepted adult-ness of the whole situation, because who should be heating up milk in anticipation of both Meg and her mother showing up in the kitchen in need of some, but the "baby brother" of the family, Charles Wallace, wise and weirdly intuitive beyond any human's years.....(continued).

The Lakeview Restaurant

I can't say that I'm a Lakeview virgin. The 24 hour long lit lights have called to me more than a few days and nights. The sign hanging outside the haunt at 1132 Dundas has always been a warming greeting. The handshake says, come in, I'm the Lakeview, I'm here for you. It's the handshake of a friend. I can't go in without a premature sense of nostalgia. I haven't been in Toronto long enough to feel nostalgia. I probably haven't been alive long enough to feel a sense of nostalgia. But I get this funny feeling at the Lakeview, like I know that in 20 years when I'm living in a fancy condo on Manhattan island, sipping a microfoam cocktail while my attractive manservant arranges my comic books via a complex system based on art style and era of prominence and my holographic cat purrs at my feet, I will think of the Lakeview with a sigh. Why? Why.

With neighbors like Porchetta, the Black Hoof, and with the entire gastronomical fulmination of the Ossington strip to the South, it does seem easily dwarfed, easily derided. My eating roots are very simple, and I have great appreciation for what the Lakeview is doing by tidying up the concept of the diner. I like their polished and affordable classics, and their pop culture hinted menu.

Personally, I always try to sit in 'the magical murder booth'.

Thus for review #50, a year after starting this blog, here's some new thoughts on an old favourite.

Even though the Lakeview is a diner, it's no greasy spoon. They've always had a lot of fun spins on healthy classics. Their eggs are great. Still, tonight leaned quickly towards the indulgent. I dreadfully declare that our appetizer of deep fried mac'n cheese balls (6.00) set the tone for the night. I don't really know what I was expecting from this! They were decent, they hit the grease/pasta craving bullseye. They struck left of the cheese spot, though. What cheese sauce was gluing this super soft mac together had been absorbed, its flavour reduced by an unholy heat. I made myself food like this in first year uni. Still, when eaten with hands, lumps torn off, crust crisp and oily, dunked in a bbq more spiced and less sweet than ketchup, I was pleased. They are exactly what you can expect (and the ketchupBBQcatsup is a winner).

I am a little ashamed to admit how much I ate. We ate? I guess! One other trait of the Lakeview which is probably not oft lauded due to few Toronto artists writing about food (that I know!), is that they have big tables and a turnaround that means you won't get scowled at for whipping your 11"x14" sketch pad out and bustin' out drawings for a couple lazy hours. Lindsay and I were doodling as we ate, and we took our sweet time. The meal stretched out over a few hours, and at some point during this span of time immemorial, entrees arrived, and they were lovely.

I had some serious skepticism about the fishwich (10.00) because it is a self described as 'crispy filet'. Filet of what? Upon asking I am told it is basa, which I like. Basa holds up nicely to the fryer, it's got body. Not the most flavourful fish, but still enjoyably. It's sizeable! Two fried sticks top one another between a bun which is distinctly not steamed (as advertised). The bun is extremely airy, with a light crust that is as thin as skin. I don't really like steamed bus, and this is fine with me. The tartar is a killer, and I'm in love with its heavy herb and lemon. Dill, I think. The batter is light, layered and very fresh, the beer surprisingly noticeable. With it came a side of salad, which was a bland mixture of greens, refreshingly sweet but nothing to go on about.

While I did not try this terrifying, appealing thing Lindsay ordered, I have to say it was a mountain. Le plateau burger (14.50 or 17.50 for a double) is a thing which incorporates havarti, fried egg, bacon and comes with a size of poutine. It heaps high. I love egg on a burger, but even more so if it's over easy and runs into everything, gooing up the mixture into some mess of glory. I did have some of that poutine. It was not hot enough, and the fries should have been crisper, even under the curds and gravy. The gravy has a hint of bisto to it, hovering a step away from being gelatinous, but full of flavour. The curds were perfect- ripe, firm, fresh, flavourful.

Close to 11pm, after our filling dinners had settled and made room for one more thing to choose from the packed Lakeview menu, we got a dessert. There are things in this world that sound too good because they ARE too good- like the chocolate caramel walnut cheesecake (5.50) which was too rich and too sweet and too weighty.Don't get me wrong, it was good. It was just predictably tooth-aching. The cake was peppered with flecks of vanilla, and the cheese was not too cheesy of cloying- just right. At some points it was just like eating a toffee, there was so much caramel. If only there had been a nudge of contrast! And that, I suppose, is why cheesecake is traditionally had with fruit.

Gentrification comes and goes, neighborhoods change. They ebb. Will Ossington stay this hot and wild? If so, for how long? I think the Lakeview will have a firm foothold in the food loving latenight crowd no matter what. There's ALWAYS the 4$ Ceasar!