The Chocolate Messenger

Yes, that's right - "same day delivery in GTA (if ordered before noon)."

And we're talking chocolate that rivals the quality at SOMA, which for many involves a schlep to the Distillery District. The truffle flavours are delicious (not too sweet) and the colours whimsical. My personal favourites are pistachio and strawberry:

Chocoholics rejoice!

1645 Bayview Avenue (south of Eglinton at Fleming)
Tel:(416) 488 1414
http://www.chocolatemessenger.com/

Mad Search for Berbere

It seemed easy enough to find berbere, the essential spice for our Ethiopian dinner. I'd checked out the Ethiopian Spice Market in Kensington Market in preparation for just such an occasion, delighted to find not only berbere but many of the other ingredients we'd need (turmeric, cardamom, freshly made injera). But alas, on the day I actually needed it, they were sold out. The reason, I was told? An unexpected boost in sales since the last shipment arrived. Apparently they hadn't calculated that with the popularity of Ethiopian food, non-Africans like nodrog would try to make it at home.

What to do?

I quickly moved into "problem solving" mode and started dialing Ethiopian restaurants. "Do you have any berbere?" I asked. Would you sell some to me?" Success on the first try - the woman who answered the phone at Dukem told me she'd set some aside and I could pick it up that evening.

When I walked into the restaurant, I discovered a candle-lit oasis from the hustle and bustle of the Danforth. The woman was nowhere to be found, but her husband seemed familiar with my request and told me he'd sell me some. It felt like a clandestine drug deal, as he handed over a plastic baggy with the bright red powder and I handed over my $10. Within seconds, I was out the door, the goods stashed in my handbag, and boarding the TTC at Donlands.

It all seemed to have gone off without hitch - until nodrog tested a dish with the stuff. "It's been cut with too much salt," he exclaimed, as he sampled a sauce that looked and smelled just right but was way too salty to eat. Back to square one - what to do now?

Well, it turns out that the Ethiopian Spice Market isn't the only place to buy berbere in Kensington Market. Just around the corner, I found dozens of packets of the stuff at the House of Spice...

Crisis averted!

"Can't Get a Meal Like this in a Restaurant"...

...Dad would say looking at the home-cooked meal set across our dining room table. He was probably right, considering it was pretty much a suburban wasteland for eating out where we grew up!

Fast forward to my life now in Toronto, as food-obsessed a city as I've ever eaten in (a list that includes NYC, San Francisco, Sydney, Barcelona, Paris, Lyon, Bologna...) and his remark seems rather naive. Well, that is until Rob and nodrog go at it in the kitchen...

The purported premise of the evening was "a celebration of our wives" which I'm not sure I deserved but I happily played along as if I did! Weeks in the planning and days in the making, it was truly a labour of love that paid off beautifully in an homage to Jean-George and Thomas Keller. When you tally up the number of bottles of wine we went through, you'll see there's no way I could have recounted each dish here were it not for the printed menu we were given to take home as a souvenir! Following in the tradition started by Craig Claiborne, we signed each other's menus with reflections on the dinner. Marg summed it up best when she wrote, "I'm thinking that the chefs need to give up their day jobs."

Smoked wild salmon with creme frache and caviar (a tiny wedge of lemon burst onto the scene as a surprise ingredient - the first hint of the whimsical delights to come) & Louis Rodere Brut 2000.

Foie gras on brioche with roasted strawberry and balsamic fig glaze(blow-torching the glaze on top into a brulee was a genius maneuver!) & Chateau d'Yquem, 1983 (yeah, you read that right...all I can say is that urologists have way more grateful and gift-giving patients than critical care docs do)
Pan-seared wild Alaskan black cod in Asian-style consomme (the smooth & succulent fish swimming in crystal clear broth made in a most unconvential manner: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/05/dining/05curi.html?emc=eta1) & Zind-Humbrecht, Pinot Gris, 2005 (a pleasant budget surprise from the LCBO)
Braised lamb shank served with baby spinach and cannellini bean puree with roasted garlic and black truffle (savouring every bite, my mind wanders...how can lamb possibly be this tender? how can I rent a villa in Italy during truffle season and write it off as a business expense?) & Chateau Margaux, 1983 (ditto my comment above about urologists...tonight's wine pairing is just over the top!)

Goat cheese panna cotta with roasted beet marmalade and pistachios (served in a glass in horizontal layers, one spoonful down and up reveals a heavenly mix of flavours and textures - how does nodrog do it without a recipe, relying only on a "taste memory"?).

Coffee and assorted SOMA chocolates (because it's not dessert without chocolate).

And yes, even the new puppy is pampered tonight. For Miles, a course of Purina Pro-Plan Kibble paired with the finest tap water in the GTA, vintage 2008!

More Than You'd Expect

Milwaukee is more than you'd expect for a Midwestern U.S. city not commonly considered a tourist destination. With a few hours to spare while visiting on a business trip last week, I made some pleasant discoveries:

I stayed downtown at the boutique Hotel Metro, with its art deco-inspired design and all-suite rooms with two flat-screen TVs, huge sunken tub and Aveda amenities. Be forewarned, though: a number of the rooms face a parking lot that has annoying bright lights shining and a series of loud noises (cars honking, trash pick-up) all night long...

http://hotelmetro.com/

The city's revitalized historic turn-of-the-century warehouse and manufacturing district known as the Third Ward is buzzing with coffee shops, galleries and restaurants. http://www.historicthirdward.org/

Thankfully, the coffee craze has hit Milwaukee and it's more than Starbucks! Alterra Coffee Company is a specialty coffee roaster known for its commitment to social and environmental responsibility and its practice of sourcing specialty coffees via direct relationships with growers. Their Third Ward location at 1st and Pittsburgh is a cozy spot to hang out. My machiatto lived up to their espresso roast's description as "thick, lasting, reddish-brown crema; full, caramel-toned, mouth-coating body; soft, berry-sweet acidity; and flavors like chocolate, roasted nuts..."

http://www.alterracoffee.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alterra_Coffee_Roasters

Barclay Gallery, around the corner from Alterra, is a combination fine craft gallery and restaurant. The cafe's airy, light-filled room was packed when I stopped by at 1 pm. Although I resisted the tempation to grab a bite, I found myself drawn to the handmade watches by Uruguayan artist Milieris. Unable to pick between two options, what would you have done?

http://barclaygalleryonline.com/ and http://www.watchcraft.com/Bio.htm

The Milwaukee Art Museum is a must-see for its architecture alone. The first Santiago Calatrava-designed building in the United States, the museum features a 90-foot high glass-walled reception hall enclosed by the Burke Brise Soleil, a sunscreen that can be raised or lowered creating a unique moving sculpture. I have to admit, I didn't actually check out the collection... http://www.mam.org/

I had a delicious meal at Bacchus, located in an historic apartment building about a 15 minute walk from the hotel: a creamy lobster bisque skillfully poured over lobster chunks centered at the bottom of the bowl, followed by red wine braised beef shortibs with sweet potato puree and wilted brussel sprout leaves. But it's the wine list that impressed me most - the first I've seen with a table of contents! http://www.bacchusmke.com/

The Vintage Wine Shop at 632 E. Ogden Ave happily fulfilled my search for a couple of bottles of interesting Oregon pinot noirs and German rieslings not readily available in Toronto. (414) 220-4217.

Last but not least, our pleasant cab driver Omar was at the ready whenever we needed a ride from place to place. His cellphone number is 502-533-6700.

Pub Grub That Comforts Stomach & Soul

We ventured out in the snow last night to a surprise birthday party on Queen West. Waiting in the cold for the streetcar, it was an evening made for cuddling under blankets at home in front of a fire. Dinner at Mitzi's Sister turned out to be a satisfying substitute - comfort food, high-end pub grub, cozy bar and neighborhood hang-out all rolled into one.

We started out with a bowl of the soup of the day, cauliflower with asiago ($4.95). Creamy and cheesy with bits of bacon strewn about, our host summed it up best with "by the time you reached the bottom of the bowl, the bacon had infused the soup with a delightful smoky flavour." Oven roasted chicken wings were substantial and meaty, a welcome change from the typical anemic version drowned in batter and fried (1 pound for $9.95). My mouth was on fire from the hot sauce on the side, but nothing a cold hard cider on tap couldn't cure ($3). Sweet potatoes made a surprise appearance in the basket of twisted sister fries served with zesty jalapeno mayo ($5.25). Onion rings were positively addictive! The requisite blowing out of candles took place atop luscious chocolate and vanilla cakes from the Sweet Tooth Pastry Shop on the Danforth.
(http://www.torontolife.com/guide/food/bakers/sweet-tooth-pastry-shop/)

The friendly atmosphere turned a gathering for a friend's birthday into a real party. Two tables set off from the rest of the crowd let us freely mingle, toot horns and break out in song, seemingly without bothering anyone! We barely noticed the gust of wind and snow on our way out onto the street, our needs for nourishment from good food and friendship completely met.

1554 Queen Street West (between Landsowne and Sorauren)
http://www.mitzissister.com/

The Height of High-End Comfort Food

Thanks to Honey, the consummate host and tour guide, our visits to LA are always a foodie whirlwind! The stand-out meal on this trip was dinner at Craft, an outpost of Tom Colicchio's New York City-based "vision of food heaven." (According to the NY Times review when it opened in 2001 - and an apt description of our experience as well!). http://www.craftrestaurant.com/craft_losangeles_style.html

As we obsessed over every dish on the menu, we quickly agreed that sharing was the only way to go and ordered these:

Pork Belly & Madras Curry
Duck Egg, Duck Ham & Spiced Waffle
Braised Beef Cheeks
Wild Striped Bass, Cardoon & Olive
Brussels Sprouts & Smoked Bacon
Assorted mushrooms (Hen of the Woods, Chanterelles, Baby Shiitakes and Trompette Royales)
Chard gratin

Nodrog picked the perfect California wine: A 2005 Kunin Pape Star blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. "Cherries and cassis on the nose, with some smoke/spice notes. High-toned red fruits and spices on palate, with an underlying earthy note. Bright acidity and light tannins. Finishes cleanly and with finesse." http://www.kuninwines.com/

The verdict: the height of high-end comfort food, beautifully prepared and presented.

This Brunch Spot is A-OK

We entered Okay Okay Diner in search of the consummate brunch spot in Leslieville. At first glance, it certainly seemed to have a number of the requisite ingredients: red leather booths, counter and stools, slightly greasy, slightly smoky smell emanating from the kitchen. We plunked ourselves down at a booth, ordered double lattes and scanned the menu. What to choose: granola and yogurt? buttermilk pancakes? thick slice french toast? the "scramble of the day" with smoked salmon and creme fraiche? We both honed in on the egg burrito, a tortilla filled with fluffy scrambled eggs, grilled peppers, onions and avocado, topped with salsa and sour cream. De-lish! I think our search is over.

Okay Okay

1128 Queen St. East
416-461-2988