I received an invitation to an event called “Taste of Iceland” that was going to be held at the Drake Hotel, from March 21-24, 2013. I have to admit, that it was the cocktail listed on the invitation that really caught my attention. Specifically, I am talking about the “Sons and Daughters” cocktail that was going to be served that night!

What’s in the drink? Let’s see …some pretty interesting ingredients! Reyka vodka, aquavit, lemon juice and caraway seeds, muddled thyme, and sea butckthorn syrup.

Not your average cocktail. I RSVP’ed very quickly – “Please add my name to your guest list”.

Not only did I enjoy my cocktail (or two), but I enjoyed multiple servings of EVERYTHING.

The evening started off with:

-Hardifskur  w/Icelandic butter (I would travel to Iceland just for this butter!!)

-Grilled Icelandic Langoustine, with garlic, butter and herbs

-Atlantic Shrimp and Lumpfish Caviar, with pickled vegetables and citrus vinaigrette

-Deep Fried Crispy Balls of Cod Potatoes with “Sol” mayonaisse

-Pickled Herring on sweet rye bread, curry dressing, green apples and spring onions (I had 3 of these).

The main courses included:

-Naturally Raised Icelandic Salmon – cold smoked salmon with grainy mustard dressing, sour cream dill oil, and Icelandic rye bread

-Free Range Iclelandic Lamb – seared Icelandic lamb filet with glazed root vegetables, juniper berry infused lamb jus and wild Icelandic blueberry herb dust.

I inhaled EVERYTHING. My table mate, Adam Mazerall from View the Vibe actually said ” he never saw someone devour something so quickly.

Needless to say, I barely had breakfast or lunch the following day!!

For those who can’t hop on a plane tomorrow and head to Iceland – please head to the Drake Hotel from March 21-24 to experience the food and the culture of Iceland. In the meantime, I think I’m going to add Iceland to my bucket list of places I want to visit!!

Drake Hotel 1150 Queen St. West Toronto 416 531 5042

Taste of Iceland: on Twitter: @IcelandNaturally

My weekend was indeed full of amazing adventures. That’s what’s life is all about, non?

It started off on Saturday morning, with a trip to Bruce’s Mill Conservation area for some amazing pancakes with maple syrup and a short hike. I’ve been participating in maple syrup festival since I was a child and it’s one of my favorite Spring time activities. The Maple Syrup Festival continues till April 7th. Advice: wear snowboots or rain boots

On Sunday morning, I went to check out The Big Cannoli for their famous fresh filled cannoli. I found out about this place from @ali_bidabadi who tweets about this place, practivally every Saturday morning (along with photos of the cannoli). After reading these tweets, I knew that I wanted to drive to Woodbridge one Sunday morning to check it out! Ali knows his cannoli – this place is da best.

On Sunday afternoon, I went to the Firkin to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I was looking for a mid town bar that served Molson 67 and the Firkin is the answer! Believe it or not this was my first time having a green beer. Sadly I didn’t discover that they served Deep Fried Pickles till I was on my way out. (how did I miss that on the menu?) Looks like I will need to return!

For more information:

Bruce’s Mill Conservation area 3291 Stouffville Road,  Stouffville ON (905) 887-5531

The Big Cannoli, 28 Roytec Road Unit 11 (905) 850 6699

Quail & Firkin, 1055 Yonge St. (416) 962 0782

 

I went out on Wednesday  night with a fellow food blogger (@th3hungrycat)  to a new restaurant called Aft Kitchen & Bar. (which of course I will be blogging about). She recognized another foodie  that was sitting at the bar, so we went went over to say hi. We chatted about food, exchanged business cards, twitter handles etc.

On Thursday, I exchanged a few emails with @MoezKassam regarding food events and foodies he might want to follow on twitter. One of the events that I forwarded to him was a Local Food Movement event at  Jamie Kennedys’ Gilead Cafe featuring Dillon’s Distillers.

Next thing you know I am hanging out with this fun group of foodies at the event!

Of course, I am also drinking some featured $5 drinks!! (thanks again@moezkassam)

What’s unique about Dillon’s Distillers is that they are LOCAL and located in Beamsville Ontario. Not to mention they are using local ingredients for their products. (rye, gin, bitters and vodka too)  Trust me, as soon as the weather warms up I will be driving out there to visit the distillery and get a tour. In the meantime, please visit their website. (which I love by the way).

It was a fantastic partnership to hold the event at Jamie Kennedy’s kitchen as he is a huge supporter of the local food movement. I was thrilled that I had the opportunity to attend this great event and hang out with some amazing foodies.

For more info:

Dillon’s Distillers, 4833 Tufford Road, Beamsville ON (905) 563 3030

Gilead Cafe, 4 Gilead Toronto (647) 288 0680

Aft Kitchen & Bar 686 Queen St East, Toronto (647) 346 1541

 

I have slowly crawled thru many ramen restaurants over the last year.

To be honest I have been going to Ajisen Ramen (Yonge/Sheppard) for many many years.

Last summer/Fall? I went to Kinton Ramen and then this winter I hit  Sansotei, Sansouka, Ryoji and A-OK ! Full disclosure, I am not a “ramen” expert so I’m not even going to talk about the broth, the texture of the ramen, or the garnishes. I’m just going to say that I would return to all of the above restaurants in a nano second. Please note, that these restaurants are hugely popular with line ups at 8 pm in -15 weather!! My recommendation: go early!!

Here’s a few photos to give you an idea of my ramen crawl.

PS Thank you to my friends who went with me to these Ramen Restaurants. You are all troopers!! (and good friends)

For Further Information:

Sansotei 179 Dundas St. West, Toronto (647) 748 3833

Santouka 91 Dundas East, Toronto (647) 748 1717

Ajisen Ramen 5229 Yonge St, 322 Spadina, 7010 Warden Ave.

A-OK Foods (Ramen and Snack Bar) 930 Queen St. West (647) 352-2243

Kinton Ramen 51 Baldwin St, Toronto (647) 748-8900

Ryoji Ramen & Isakaya 692  College St. Toronto, (416) 533-8083

 

I’ve been a fan of Macarons ever since I tried one a few years ago. For those of you who haven’t tried one, here’s what you need to know. They are small round discs that are made of egg whites, almond flour and sugar and filled with a ganache that can be ANY flavour. I was told from La Bamboche that their top selling macaron is caramel sea salt. Other flavours you might find include: chocolate, matcha, strawberry, lavender and more. I’m ALL about flavour so these delicate treats have my name all over it!!

Now let’s talk about Macaron Day TO. Firstly this is a world wide event that takes place on March 20th. Toronto is now participating for their second year in a row.  The event is spearheaded by  Michel Firanski, from La Bamboche, however 18 different patisseries are involved!! 25% of sales that day will be donated to the Red Door Family Shelter. All you have to do is visit one of the patisseries on March 20th for your FREE macaron. (which will be limited at each location). Truly – this is an amazing event. Last year close to  $6500 was raised and I’m sure this year, that number will increase.

Today  I went to CHIN TV to hear Lisa from Le Dolci, who spoke about Macaron Day TO on the Festival Italiano di Johnny Lombardi show. Many thanks to @Ali_Bidabadi for making this happen!! Here’s a lovely photo of Andrea (on the left) who is the host of the show, interviewing Lisa (on the right).

 

Hope everyone gets a chance to participate in Macaron Day TO on March 20th. I will be hanging out at La Bamboche that day – eating a Macaron or two or three or four…LOL

For Further info:

Twitter: @macarondayTO

Facebook: www.facebook.com/macaron

Website: www.macarondayto.com

Friday night dinner is a big deal in Jewish households. Not all households have this tradition but I grew up where Friday night dinner was important, and this tradition continues.

It’s also a great way to entertain. I realize I could entertain and host a Sunday brunch or have people over on a  Saturday night, but some traditions are hard to break!!

This week, my guests will be served the following:

-Challah (frozen then baked)

-Gazpacho (courtesy of Moosewood Original Cookbook)

-Pissaladiere (courtesy of New Recipes from Moosewood)

-Pebre (courtesy of Sundays at Moosewood)

-Pita Chips (courtesy of watching my mom make them for decades!)

-Brocoli crunch salad (courtesy of 101 Cookbooks)

-Yellow Bean Salad (courtesy of 101 Cookbooks)

-Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (courtesy of the Toronto Star).

It’s kind of a “Spring” menu – even if it’s not officially Spring yet!

In this blog post, I’m going to share the Pebre recipe which is also known as Salsa de Ciliantro! This is what you need:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup minced onion or scallions

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

4 medium field tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons of Tobasco or another hot sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, pressed or minced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl and refrigerate.

Final Result:

I use to work as a food sales rep for five years,  but for the last year I haven’t been in the food biz at all. However, I still have an obsession for finding new product which is one of the reasons why I love going to the CRFA show ever year. (Canadian Restaurant and Food Association).

This years’s show had a healthy dose of new products for me to blog about. This is just a few products that caught my eye.

1. Edibles by Jack: They offer 10 delicious flavours of edible asian spoons. (Corn and dill, Corn lime, Coconut curry and more). I’m all about presentation AND flavour and this concept does both! These spoons would certainly make an impression at at any event.

2. Sol Cuisine had developed two more additions to their line up. I thought the Sprouted Quinoa Chia burger (made without soya) was AMAZING and can’t wait to buy this in the grocery store. Congratulations to the Sol Cuisine team for producing such a tasty product.

3. I also spotted 3 unique Ketchups that are being distributed by JL International.. I was in heaven (err…my tastebuds were in heaven). I’m looking forward  to seeing restaurants offering these ketchups to guests..It’s about time that we are offered an alternative to Heinz. Don’t you think?

4. Another new (and interesting) product that caught my eye was Maple Mints. How Canadian!! How perfect.

5. I also noticed a few companies selling Ginger Beer. (a trend perhaps?). I happen to love the stuff and hope to see it offered on more restaurant menus as an alternative to soft drinks. Look out forJohn Crabbie & Co. Ginger Beer!!

6. Now this product had me thinking “BRILLIANT”.  Basically Panificacion Nuevo Rumbo has introduced “bread without the crust” for the purpose of making party sandwiches (something I love, by the way). Why has it taken so long for someone to come up with this idea? I will say it again – BRILLIANT.

As always – looking forward to future food trade shows!! As a foodie – these shows are always high priority on my list of “favorite activities”.

For more information about the show:

CRFA, Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, March 3-5, 2013 

 

I’ve had a fantastic week full of food events. I really can’t complain. Here’s a recap of three food events that I went to in the last four days! Ready. Set. Go!!

1. I attended the Terroir Symposium Chefs’ photo opp at Biff’s Bistro to witness a crew of amazing chefs  assemble an 8 foot long Hero sandwich. When I wasn’t snapping photos, I was drinking beer from Muskoka Brewery and munching on amazing pickles and chips from McClure’s Pickles.

The Terroir Symposium takes place on April 8th and is Canada’s leading hospitality industry symposium which brings together influential chefs, food writers, food and wine experts and food leaders. Their mandate is to educate, network, share resources with the intention of strengthening the industry and building a better community.

I have never participated in the Terroir Symposium before but it’s certainly something I’m considering. Stay tuned!!

2. I also attended the 2013  S. Pellegrino ® Almost Famous Chef Canada Regional Competition. This was an event where I witnessed top culinary students from seven participating culinary schools across Canada, compete for a chance to become the next star of the gastronomic world. A panel of judges critiqued them on taste, texture and aroma of the dish as well as presentation.

I was in heaven. Each plate that I tried was certainly a winner in my opinion!! However there was only one winner which was Jean-Christophe Comtois from École hôtelière de la Capitale (Québec City), who prepared Milk Veal tenderloin, Matsutake and ”Tomme des Joyeux Fromagers” flavored polenta as his signature dish. He now moves on to compete in the the 11th annual Finals Competition in Napa Valley. How exciting!!

Summary of the event: There certainly was a lot of talented young chefs in one room!!

3. Culture.licious

Finally I went to check out a cooking school called Culture.licious. It was the perfect way to end the week. The evening featured Jay’s South Indian Vegetarian dishes. I’m going to dedicate an entire blog post to this amazing cooking school K?. This is just a teaser..LOL

My food adventures continue as I’m off to Mother Dumplings on Friday night, and the Canadian Restaurant  Food Association Trade Show on Sunday. I’m sure Saturday will include a food adventure too. (naturally). LOL.

PS. Have I mentioned that I really need to do a few loads of laundry and cook three different types of soups!! Can someone spare me an extra hour or two?

 

I haven’t made an interesting salad in a while and was in the mood for something refreshing. Not to mention, mint was on sale at No Frills for 99 cents and I always love a bargain!!

I was inspired to try this  recipe as it was posted today on twitter by @jenncuisine who has an amazing blog called JennCuisine. Her photos are WAY better than mine so I hope you go take a peek at her blog post too (which is a gluten free blog, by the way)

Grapefruit and Mint Salad (adapted from JennCuisine)

Ingredients:

1 grapefruit cut into small chunks

1 romaine lettuce, chopped

a few mint leaves chopped up (I use scissors for this step…so much easier)

balsamic vinaigrette (I used balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey mustard, salt and pepper)

**note the original recipe calls for sliced cucumber too.

**note 2: this recipe is gluten free and vegan too

 

Instructions

Mix all ingredients into a bowl. Toss with dressing. Serve

Results  (my apologies for the not-so-pretty-as-I would-like final photo)

I loved this salad as it was so refreshing and certainly different than any other salad I would normally make.

Hope to serve this salad along with grilled salmon and a quinoa dish. What do you think?

Happy Cooking.

I took advantage of the clear skies and the holiday Monday to go to Buffalo. It was time for some good old fashioned RETAIL THERAPY.

My definition of retail therapy combines my love of two stores in Buffalo: Target  and Wegmans. I actually spent just as much money at the grocer store as I did at Target. The customs guy thought I was crazy to go to Buffalo for TWO stores. Ps he didn’t pull me over even though I spent more than what I was suppose to when you visit for FOUR hours.

Here’s what I bought at Wegmans. (it’s all about the food – not the shoes I bought – hee hee).

1 Lesser Evil Brand Chia Crisps…Baked Crunchy Black Bean Chips. I picked out the Zesty-fresh, herb infused CRUNCHY DILL PICKLE because that’s my favorite flavor! (how did they know).

I opened up the bag (even though they are a gift for my friend) to sample a few. A “few” turned into a “few dozens”. I LOVE them and now I’m kicking myself that I only bought one bag! Story of my life.

Let’s review what’s in these chips: Omega 3’s (ALA), Powerful Antioxidants, EC Free, Good Source of Fiber and 4 g of protein per serving. Take a look at all the info thats on the back of the bag!!

2. Prometheus Springs Lychee Wasabi Capsaicin Spiced Elixir. Once again – opened it up when I got back to Toronto and the stuff is WICKED. It’s USDA organic and kosher! Whats in it: Filtered water, organic evaporated cane juice, organic lemon juice concentrate, natural lychee wasabi flavor, sea salt, capsaicin extract. Would love for some bartender to create a cocktail with this stuff!

 

3. Siggi’s Icelandic Sytle Skyr – 0% milk fat, strained non fat yogurt. Again – all natural, milk from grass fed cows, no aspartame, no sucralose, no gelatin, no artificial colorings, no preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup. YUM.

 

3. Lord Nut Levington Rebel Mary Peanuts (spicy bloody mary). Had to buy this and guess what? Scored once again. Will be serving this the next time friends come by for drinks.

5.. This item I bought at the DOLLAR TREE  – Tasty Tortilla Non Stick Steel Tortilla Pan. Not that I NEED this but it was A DOLLAR. How could I not buy it? Will let you know if it works in a future blog post k?

It certainly was a great trip to Buffalo. Naturally I will be going back soon as I’ve heard rumours that Trader Joes is opening in Buffalo. Too excited for words.

Road trip anyone?