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The CityBites 45: The Best of Drinks and Drinking Our annual roundup of the best drinks, drinking establishments and people who make drinking so rewarding. Both non-alcohol and alcohol drinks are represented. Read about: • Top beers and brewers • Spirits and cocktails • Sommeliers and beers experts • Toronto's best beer halls • Where to go for great cocktails • Wines that'll make you go "wow" • And more! Plus: All the news that you need to know about dining in Toronto this summer.
Citation preview
JULY/AUGUST 2013
PLUS! CRUMBS + SZABO ON WINE + U.S. CRAFT BEER + URBAN FARMING
Now online atcitybites.ca
THE BEST DRINKS & DRINKING IN TORONTO (P14)
THE CITYBITES 45
WILD TURKEY & PIGThe County General’snew bottle service (p16)
WHERE THE PROS DRINKCocktail-hopping withNYC’s mix master (p18)
KOMBUCHA Why you need it (p23)
COOL CITY OYSTER BAR
Toronto’s smartest seafood idea yet!
(p5)
SECRETS FROM
THE GRILLTop chefs tell you how to do it (p10)
WILD TURKEY & PIGThe County General’snew bottle service (p16)
WHERE THE PROS DRINKCocktail-hopping withNYC’s mix master (p18)
KOMBUCHA Why you need it (p23)
COOL CITY OYSTER BAR
Toronto’s smartest seafood idea yet!
(p5)
SECRETS FROM
THE GRILLTop chefs tell you how to do it (p10)
3July/August 2013
FROM THE EDITORP
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contentsJuly/August 2013 No. 47
This being our special issue devoted to drinks and
drinking, it’s fitting that, as I write this, I’m two
glasses into a bottle of Greenlane 2011 Rosé from
the 20 Valley in Niagara. And it’s damn good!
With this issue, we’ve cast a wide net around
the topic of drinks. We’ve called out a few
notable people in the business who deserve a
nod, be they producers, retailers or professional
drinkers. We’ve also highlighted some of the
great ingenuity and invention coming from the
drinking set, be it the cocktail wizardry of The
Harbord Room’s Dave Mitton and PDT’s Jim
Meehan (p. 18) or the life-affirming potions of
Tonica Kombucha (p. 23).
For, most assuredly, we like to drink. And
liquids play an important part in the food and
dining scene we’re so lucky to enjoy in Toronto.
More so, of late, with talented sommeliers
challenging the palates of both chef and
customer. Brewers pushing the bounds of flavour.
Bartenders elevating the cocktail to fantastic
heights. We’re in a golden age in the city right
now—so drink it all in.
We hope you enjoy this issue. If you do or
don’t, please fire us a note. And visit us online for
extended versions of some of the stories here.
Dick Snyder, Editor • [email protected]
@citybites city bites magazine citybitestoronto
Cover photo by Rick O’Brien.
Regular Bites5 Starters Cool City Oyster Yard.
6 Crumbs News for eaters.
7 Out&About Marben reinvented.
8 Grow It’s not too late to plant!
8 Taster The Soho House.
9 Head to Head Esoteric Canadian wines.
12 The Q&A The Neal Brothers.
34 One Last Bite Farming in the city.
The Experts30 Fishmongering Dan Donovan on oily fish.
31 Szabo on Wine John Szabo on the gems of Prince Edward County.
32 The Ej Konrad Ejbich’s seventies flashback.
33 Libations Stephen Beaumont on U.S. craft beer.
Features 10 Secrets from the Grill Tips and tricks from top chefs on how to kill it on the grill this summer.
14 The CityBites 45: The Best of Drinks and Drinking A very biased view of the best drinking experiences in and around Toronto, and the people who make it happen.
Deliciously
online at
citybites.caBOTTLE GOODNESS Fresh juice at Belmonte Raw.
Editor Dick Snyder/[email protected]
Art Director Craig Sinclair/[email protected]
Managing Editor Natalie Goldenberg-Fife/[email protected]
Wine Editor John Szabo
Director of Vinous Affairs Zoltan Szabo
Intern Sarah Wright
Contributors Stephen Beaumont, Joseph Cassidy, Dan Donovan,
Konrad Ejbich, Nick Green, Olga Kwak, Adam McDowell, Susan
Mohammad, Brittnay Montgomery, Simone Saunders, Jordan St.
John, John Szabo, Zoltan Szabo, Elise von Kulmiz, Sarah Wright
Photography and illustration Randy Cameron, Andrew Cullen,
Rick O’Brien, Marc Polidoro, Simone Saunders, Ross Spencer,
Dick Snyder, Elise von Kulmiz
Publisher Paul Alsop/[email protected]
Sr. Account Manager Wendy Lyall Gardner/[email protected]
Email [email protected] or visit www.citybites.ca
Advertising Inquiries [email protected]
City Bites Media Inc., 26 Dalhousie St. Suite 200, Toronto, ON, M5B 2A5,
647-827-1705. City Bites is published six times a year by City Bites Media Inc.
Made possible with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation
THE STARTERS
5July/August 2013
TEAM CITYBITESSIMONE SAUNDERSis an actor, writer and
producer hailing from the
Wild West of Calgary. She
currently works in the res-
taurant industry managing,
serving and indulging. Her contributions
to CityBites are supported from her BFA at
the University of Alberta, photography from
George Brown and Visual Arts from ACAD
(Alberta). She also writes a pretty juicy
food blog sexyfoodtoronto.com.
NICK GREENis a lifestyle, arts, and culture
writer. Aside from his free-
lance writing for various
publications, his blog at
and_fabulous.com is a
resource for all things fabulous in Toronto,
from restaurants and attractions, to night-
clubs and party nights. Being an award-
winning playwright, Nick has (naturally)
worked in the restaurant industry for the last
decade in almost every capacity possible.
ANDREW CULLENlives in Toronto, managing film
shoots, joining humanitarian
projects and photographing
restaurants. He’ll consider any
project if it offers a chance to
see a new corner of the world. Andrew also
spent many years flipping steaks in various
restaurants around town.
ELISE VON KULMIZis a Toronto native freelance
photojournalist. Her interest
in food and drink is rooted in
her concern for environmental
and animal rights. She enjoys
spending her time working on photo stories
in Hogtown, the Okanagan Valley and the
Kawartha Lakes. EvKphoto.ca
Get in touch!Send emails to [email protected] or snail mail to CityBites, 26 Dalhousie St., Toronto, ON, M5B 2A5. Letters may be edited for space and accuracy.
Cool in the cityTOP-NOTCH SEAFOOD ON A PATIO— IT’S THE BEST SUMMER EVER! By Dick Snyder
On Thursday evenings at Cool City Oyster Yard, customers wait eagerly for the train to go by—which it does with regularity, just a few meters south of the bar. The rumbling is soothing, really, and the deck shakes a bit, and the bell clangs lazily. But it’s the toot of the horn that everyone waits for… and when it comes, there’s a round of Tequila Tromba Margarita shots for everyone at the bar. (Just one more reason to love Tromba!)
Refreshingly, this is a fun idea that you won’t see replicated at every other new bar or restaurant opening this summer, as there aren’t a lot of joints bordering the (right side) of the tracks. Cool City is full of smart, new (to Toronto) ways to eat and enjoy great seafood in a concept that’s actually not a concept. It’s just a good place to eat with dishes conceived to highlight the beauty of the oceans, revealing Chef Michael Pataran’s obsession with both the discipline of authenticity and the pure fun of random goofiness. Pataran’s partner here is 99 Sudbury owner Marco Petrucci, and the duo are also working on the revitalization of The El Mocambo.
But this summer’s project is Cool City. The menu ranges from raw Hamachi ($21) to a messy boil up of southern-style crawdads (market price) to tempura fried popcorn prawns ($18). How’s that for cross-cultural? Daily specials, like Crabby Mondays, Piss ’n’ Spuds Tuesdays (that’s beer and clams, by the way… a 60 oz. growler of Muskoka to be exact, for $30) and Bourbon and Blues Fridays. Pataran is sourcing his oysters directly from both coasts, and he also has a beautiful Coromandel from New Zealand, which is a Pacific oyster with east-coast characteristics. “It’s got the salinity of the east and the plumpness of the west,” says Pataran. And because New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are reversed, making this oyster a great choice in summer.
Cool City sprang up in June, and may well be gone by fall. Why? Because every one of the 75 seats is outside on the patio (though there is some coverage inside, if needed). They may look for another location; or maybe it’ll be time for a whole new concept. (A pop-up that’s not a pop-up? What a concept!)
Oh, and if you want a seat at the bar to do a little trainspotting on Thursdays, get there early. There’s only room for 17.
Cool City Oyster Yard99 Sudbury St.647-426-5997coolcityoyster.com
SHUCK IT Fresh oysters expertly prepared.
RAW RAW Hamachi with peas and koji salt.
6 CityBites
CRUMBS By Nick Green | @and_fabulous
Foodie gossip conversation-starters
SUMMER SIPPINGS A PALETTE FOR EVERY PALATE
Get ready for summerIt’s as easy as 1, 2, 3...Poolside, patio, barbecue, picnic, cottage & weekend wine. 2011 White Palette2011 Red Palette2012 Pink Palette
Buy online or journey to Niagara.Also available at select LCBO Vintages locations.
13thstreetwinery.com
$14.95 each
... Camping never tasted so good. This reporter earned some badges at Scouts Honour, a bar-meets-summer-camp mash up (1576 Dundas St.) ... Le Canard Mort is dead, resurrecting as Bistro 896 in Leslieville (896 Queen St. E., bistro896.com) ... Everyone’s talking about the new brunch by Bickford Park (word is she’s even vegan-friendly). The Bickford Flexitarian is setting some jaws a-wagging for brunch and dinner (326 Harbord St., thebickfordflexitarian.com, @TheBickfordF) ... The Hogtown is making room for Rasta Pasta, Kensington Market’s favourite (only) Italian/Jamaican restaurant (61 Kensington Ave.)
... You gotta be in the know to cut the line at Boar. This new lunch spot is worth the wait for their house-made Italian sandwiches (2013 Yonge St., @boarsandwiches) ... Many new sightings of happy diners eating al freso at Rose and Sons’ new backyard grill Big Crow. It’s the place to be seen on Dupont (176 Dupont St., roseandsons.ca, @RoseAndSons) ... King Street is getting hotter, or should I say muy caliente. Valdez is cooking up Latino food in Toronto style; open late and served with sassy cocktails (606 King St. W., @thevaldezTO) ... Finally, a restaurant in Leslieville! Kidding. Spanish-inspired Bero joins Foodie Row in Queen East (889 Queen St. E., bero-restaurant.com) ... Colborne Lane owner Claudio Aprile has brought tapas to Bayview Village: Origin North (2901 Bayview Ave., originnorth.com, @OriginNorth) ... People are getting wet over O&B’s newest spot. Cabana Pool Bar serves up poolside-Spring-Break realness with upscale casual bites (11 Polson St., cabanapoolbar.com) ... Keep your eyes out for The Salted Pig, a new food truck in town. Trust, you’ll want to pig out (thesaltedpig.ca, @TheSaltedPigLtd).
Email tips, opening soons and discoveries to [email protected].
... Word on the street is The Hoof Café and Raw Bar are off to the glue factory. Owners Jen Agg and Roland Jean have rum and Haitian comfort
food on their minds. Keep your eyes peeled for Rhum Corner! (923 Dundas St. W., hoofrawbar.com, @TheBlackHoof) ... There’s a new jam coming to
coming to Ossington. News like this shouldn’t be preserved: kitten & the bear (kittenandthebear.com, @katbpreserves) ... The dudes are on the
move, so stay tuned for a new Food Dudes resto rumored to be opening on Harbord in January 2014! (@TheFoodDudesTO) ... Rumours of an
all-new cocktail-on-tap system are surfacing on Dundas West. Keep your
eye on neighbourhood hotspot Montauk for innovative drinks and hot new pop-ups (such as with Happy Hooker seafood spot) throughout the
coming months (765 Dundas St. W., barmontauk.com, @MontaukBar) ... Like a lager on the lake? Things are hop-pening at the new Amsterstam
BrewHouse Restaurant on the lakeshore: (245 Queens Quay W., South Building, amsterdambrewhouse.com, @AmsterdamBH) ... The people
of La Carnita are trying so hard to prove that the Yanks do it better. We’ll have to wait and see once Home of the Brave opens its King West
location, featuring the best of American Comfort Food (@home_ot_brave) ... This ain’t no half-baked plan. Terroni has opened a new bakery, Sud
Forno (716 Queen St. W., terroni.com, @TerroniTO) ... Bay Street is about to get hipsterfied with the Drake’s newest restaurant, Drake 150 (150 Shaw St.,
drake150.ca, @theDrakeHotel) ... Don’t spread this secret or I’ll pinch you. Rock Lobster has opened its second location at the former Shanghai
Cowgirl (538 Queen St. W., RockLobsterFood.com, @RockLobsterFood) ... There’s a new corner patio in midtown. Paired with good eats, it’s a
good time in Davisville; Lil’ Baci (2013 Yonge St., lilbaci.com, @lilbacitaverna)
7July/August 2013
OUT & ABOUT By Natalie Goldenberg-Fife | @NatalieGF | @CityBitesP
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Marben reinvents… againA NEW CHEF, A NEW LOOK AND AN AMBITIOUS NEW MENU—PLUS THAT SAME GREAT OL’ BURGER
The Story When Marben opened its doors in 2007 it was less a place for eating than a venue for epic late-night partying. Then came the decision in 2010 by owner Simon Benstead to give Marben a serious culinary makeover. Enter Top Chef Canada Season 2 winner Carl Heinrich—pre-Top Chef fame—and house butcher Ryan Donovan. The dynamic duo quickly revolutionized the former resto-lounge into a committed farm-to-table establishment that won over critics. Heinrich’s burger—a riff on Daniel Boulud’s beef-rib stuffed patty—put the joint on the map in a big way.
With the departure of Heinrich and Don-ovan to open Richmond Station, Benstead decided to reinvent once again. As of May, Marben has a new chef, revamped menus and fully remodelled décor. The chef is Ben-stead’s childhood friend Rob Bragagnolo, who spent 12 years working through the kitchens of Switzerland, Spain and Italy.
The Space Out with farmstead chic, in with modern, bright and colourful Canadi- ana, to the tune of $500,000 and at the hands of Bradley Denton, famously known for his work at The Harbord Room (yes, those pink walls) and THR & Co. The upper dining room is punctuated by dramatic paintings and portraits, while the lower level is popu-lated by giant circular leather booths, a new bar, and four new windows that were redis-covered during demolition. The two floors and patio now supply 170 seats.
The Scene With its downtown location, killer patio and sophisticated yet accessible menu, Marben attracts a mish-mash crowd: the business-luncher, couples on dates, after-work burger ’n’ beer guzzlers and industry-types looking for respectable late-night eats (the kitchen is open to 1 a.m. every night; closed Mondays). “Marben will always be a place where you can get a burger and a beer on a Tuesday night,” says Brag-agnolo. “But now if you are looking for an amped up tasting experience for a romantic date on a Friday night you can do that as well.”
The Drinks The wine list focuses around Canadian, California, Spanish and Italian bottles, from $45-$150. Palate pleasers like Norman Hardie’s unfiltered Chardonnay 2010 ($82) and Marramiero Montepulciano 2008 ($97) stand out. By-the-glass options are $10-$16. The cocktail program has been amped up with quality ingredients from small regional producers. Classic Ontario flavours dominate in drinks like the Soft ’n’ Sloe with No. 3 London dry gin, Hayman’s Sloe gin, rhubarb and a lemon lavender foam finish ($15). A tap pulls Thomas Lavers ginger beer from Kensington Market.
The Food Bragagnolo describes the new menus as “modern Canadian and Torontonian, because the food is not just a reflection of my heritage but these are flavours typically found in this multicultural city of ours.” Marben’s tasting menu is a succession of seven to nine courses that in-clude tiny one-bite snacks and larger plates ($54; add $30 for wine pairings). Expect to witness Bragagnolo sneaky sensibility with mini-dishes like liquid-centre black olives and cheese dressed up like a tomato.
The a la carte menu, which is subject to frequent change, is heavily Mediterranean with Spanish, northern Italian and Cana-dian flavours dominating (appetizers stay under $20 and main plates range from $19-$27). Strong allegiance to local Canadian ingredients is evident. Think wild mushroom risotto with Ontario and B.C. mushrooms (add seared Quebec foie gras for $9) and Dungeness crab and scallop ravioli with P.E.I. mussels, saffron and red sorrel ($25).
All that really remains of the old Marben is that burger—dubbed the “John’s Burger” ($19)—made with deli-cious Branston pickle, braised ribs, aged cheddar, coleslaw. “We couldn’t get rid of that burger,” says Benstead who named the burger after his dad. “It’s such a huge success and so many people come here just for it.” And it’s nice to have a little piece of history to anchor the place. CB
Marben488 Wellington St. W.416 979-1990marbenrestaurant.com@marbenresto
PALATE SATISFIER Bragagnolo delivers.
SPOT ON Bragagnolo’s interactive take on spot prawns.
SPATIAL TRANSFORMATION The newly refurbished digs.
8 CityBites
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GROW By Marc Green TASTER By Dick Snyder
It’s mid-July, and the question we hear most is: “Is it too late to start a veggie garden?” The answer is an unqualified “ABSOLUTELY NOT!” In fact, it’s almost never too late.
Mid June to early July:There’s still time to do just about everything you might want, just not plants that don’t tolerate hot weather, like spinach, radishes and peas; or things that need long mature time, like some of the larger beefsteak toma-toes. The trick might be sourcing seedlings, but someone usually has something left on the shelves. You can plant from seedling: tomatoes, ground cherries, peppers, egg-plant, broccoli, cabbage, and herbs; and from seed: cucumbers, pole/bush beans, zucchini and other squashes, chard, kale, lettuces.
Mid to late July:You’ll need to be a bit more selective now as there won’t be enough time to grow things that require a longer season—most tomatoes and peppers, eggplant, zucchini, for instance. You can plant from seedlings (pending avail-ability): Tiny Tim and Gold Nugget cherry tomatoes, cabbage (which loves to grow into the cooler fall weather); and from seed: kale, chard, lettuces and herbs.
Mid to late August:Take the heat lovers right off the list, even those that mature quickly. However, because evenings will start to get cooler over the next few weeks, there’s still a lot to plant. You can plant (all from seed): chard, kale, beets, Asian greens (tatsoi and bok choy, for instance), radishes, lettuces; plus a variety of herbs (perennials will be there for you next spring, and some can be brought inside in pots for the winter).
September and beyond:If you establish a garden using raised beds (a BUFCO recommendation) you can easily add hoop tunnels or cold frames—miniature greenhouses—that will help retain some of the daytime heat throughout the night, there-by extending the growing season, sometimes right into December. Marc Green and Arlene Hazzan Green run The Backyard Urban Farm Company. Visit them at bufco.ca.
Summer plantingIT’S NOT TOO LATE TO GET YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN GOING
Chef Nano Crespo
Since it landed in Toronto last year, the Soho House Toronto has been a buzz spot for many reasons, not the least of which is Chef Nano Crespo’s delicious pan-global cuisine. The Buenos Aires-born chef has been working in restaurants, beginning with his dad’s, since he was 13, and has preferred hard labour in kitchens to theory in classrooms. He worked his way from Argentina to L.A., where he discovered the Soho House group of gastro-obsessed operations that include global high-end restaurants, pop-ups and exclusive clubs. Chef Nano launched the Toronto club and was slated to head back to L.A. once it was up and running—but he decided to stay (despite the infernal cold!) and has been spinning out mouth watering dishes ever since. You just don’t hear about them on Twitter because Soho members are forbidden to eat and Tweet. How refreshing is that? Bishop’s Building, 192 Adelaide St. W., sohohousetoronto.com
OH SOHO TASTY (clockwise from top) Chef Nano Crespo; quinoa salad; wood-fired pizza; ricotta orecchiette; mac and cheese.
SOHO HOUSE TORONTO
9July/August 2013
HEAD TO HEAD By Zoltan Szabo | @zoltanszabo
TRY THESE MIND-EXPANDING ONTARIO WINES… NOW!
DRINKING THE STARSHinterland 2010 Rosé 91 ptsPrince Edward County | $37 Strawberries, roses, delicate, lively and absolutely delicious, Pinot Noir at 70%, the rest Chardonnay. hinterlandwine.com
LUCKY NUMBER13th Street Gamay Noir Sandstone Old Vines 92 ptsFour Mile Creek | $29.95 Complex with raspberries, cherries, licorice and smoke. Juicy with soft, dusty tannins. Exemplary. 13thstreetwinery.com
BORED OF BORDEAUXHillebrand 2010 Clark Farm Vineyard East Block Showcase Cabernet Sauvignon 93 ptsFour Mile Creek, Niagara | $40 Splendid wine made from “lieu-dit” grapes of a single vineyard, possessing flesh, precise structure and finesse. andrewpeller.com
JEDI JUICECharles Baker 2011 Picone Vineyard Riesling 94 ptsVinemount Ridge, Niagara | $35 Stellar Riesling. Baker’s best to date. The result of the man’s perseverance and passion, the vineyard and the 30-year-old vines’ capacity, and minimalist winemaking approach. This is all free-run juice here. charlesbaker.ca
FORGET ME DOWN UNDERFive Rows 2010 Lowrey Vineyards Shiraz 92 ptsSt. David’s Bench, Niagara | $50 Shiraz for those who like structure and balance, this is a harmoniously knitted together, artisanal red. fiverows.com
COOLClosson Chase 2011 Closson Chase Vineyard The Loyalist Chardonnay 90 ptsPrince Edward County | $29.95 Vibrant, citrus fruit tone with mineral edge. Classic, cool-climate Chardonnay, perfect for a restaurant’s by-the-glass list. clossonchase.com
Dreamy wines
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10 CityBites
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GRILLING By Natalie Goldenberg-Fife | @NatalieGf + @CityBites and Sarah Wright | @HungryGirlTO
Secrets from the grillCHEFS AND EXPERTS SHARE THEIR MOST INTIMATE AL FRESCO TECHNIQUES
Amanda RayChef de Cuisine
Biff’s Bistro@ChefARay
Visit my favourite local butcher @sanagans. Most important: rest your meat after cooking so the juices settle.
Scott FraserOwner
Hogtown Smoke Food Truck@5starDIVE
Smoking tip number one: low and slow. You want to smoke your meat at a temperature of 220°F for approximately one-and-a-half hours per pound.
Peter SanaganButcher
Sanagan’s Meat Locker@sanagans
I love grilling thick steaks like porterhouses and bone-in rib steaks but it’s often hard to get the cooking time right. So I keep one side of the grill hotter than the other, sear the steak on the hotter side for a couple of minutes per side then move the steak over to the other side of the grill to finish cooking. You’ll get an evenly cooked steak that isn’t burnt on the outside.
Aaron Joseph Bear RobeChef and Owner
Keriwa Café@KeriwaCafe
Marinate bison flank steak in adobo and yogurt overnight. Get grill smoking hot, oil steak and sear just long enough to get grill marks on both sides. Slice thin and enjoy!
Donna DooherExecutive Chef
Mildred’s Temple Kitchen@mildredstemple
Whether I’m grilling fish, meat, poultry or vegetables, I always cut a couple of lemons in half and lay them flesh-side down on the hot side of the grill. The grill gives the lemon a smoky flavour and coaxes juice from the fruit. It looks great when used for a garnish and a squeeze is an easy way to finish a dish.
Matt BlondinEst. 2014 (formerly of Acadia,
Momofuko Shoto)
@chefmattblondin
Place a cleaned hanger steak in a bag with your favourite marinade. Turn grill on high, and on one side of your grill place a pot of cold water. Place your bagged hanger in the cold water until it reaches 60 C. Remove from water and bag, season and grill-mark. The steak is perfectly cooked, it just needs that grill flavour.
Anton PotvinManager and Sommelier
The Chase Fish & Oyster@antonpotvin
I gravitate towards crisp dry rosés to match up the smoky charred notes that a proper charcoal BBQ imparts on food. It’s my favourite wine to drink while BBQing. I know it’s not reinventing the wheel, but keeping refreshed while standing by a hot smoky BBQ is critical to success.
Don’t overwork your patty. Make it soft and loose
11July/August 2013
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Nigel FinleyGeneral Manager & Sommelier
The Chase Fish & Oyster@NigelFinley
Because fish is delicate, your best bet is to grill a whole fish as opposed to a fillet. It’s easier to manage on the BBQ and the flavour is superior. The key to cooking perfect fish is buying perfect fish. Flesh should be firm, eyes clear, gills red and skin moist and shiny but not slimy or wet. Charcoal is the best for fish: it gets the grill hotter and infuses that natural BBQ flavour.
Nano CrespoHead Chef
Soho House Toronto@SohoHouse
Always bring food to room temperature before it hits the grill.
Nick LiuChef
Gwailo@Ninjachefnick
A great way to grill whole fish is to marinate the fish with chili peanut sauce. Wrap it in a banana leaf with aromatics inside (lime leaf, lemon grass, coriander, ginger, garlic, Thai basil) and slap on grill. The banana leaf makes it easier to grill because there’ll be no sticking. It also steams slightly allowing fish to retain moisture while caramelizing sauce inside.
Michael PataranChef and Consultant
Cool City Oyster Yard@MichaelPataran
Corn niblets make great sides! Get a bunch of corn with husks. Pull back husks (but don’t remove). Rip out any silks. Make your own butter (roasted garlic, cumin, paprika). Rub the butter all over the cobs. Roll husks back on to cover the buttered corn. Wrap in foil. Cook on the grill for 8-10 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove foil. Roll back husks entirely and cut cobs into half-inch rounds.
Cory VitielloExecutive Chef
The Harbord Room@ChefCoryV
For best burger results: grind meat at the butcher or home. Don’t overwork your patty. Make it soft and loose and make them just before you put them on the grill. I use 100% brisket meat.
Trista SheenExecutive Chef
Crush Wine Bar@tristasheen
Keep an extra propane tank and a fire extinguisher handy.
Johnny PrassoulisChef
Holy Chuck@HOLYCHUCKBURGER
Your grills are hot, your meat is seasoned just before you put it on the grill (unless you’re marinating) and you flip only once.
Alexander MolitzExecutive Chef
Farmhouse Tavern @Redvelvet101
Make sure the grill is preheated, wiped and oiled.
12 CityBites
THE Q&A By Susan Mohammad
Twenty-five years ago Chris and Peter Neal began their snack foods business making croutons in their mom’s kitchen. From there, they evolved a business that created and distributed products and brands that were organic, fair trade and all natural—well before consumers began demanding such practices. What have they learned in a quarter century? What’s next for enlightened snacking? Read on…
Which of you is the more creative snacker? Peter: I think it’s in my nature to come up with more wacky combinations. What’s now known as our sweet corn salsa was the result of scraping day-old corn into a bowl and adding zucchini relish to it. It’s usually driven out of desperation and my weird moods.
Was snacking a big thing in your family growing up? Chris: No, it wasn’t. We just veered into it. Our food habits were pretty meat and potatoes on Sundays. Mom made homemade bread but we never had pop in the house or snacks on a regular basis. We started with croutons, but dropped that pretty quickly to go the snack food route—there’s volume with it and you can be creative.
Peter: But a love of snacking and Cape Cod–style potato chips were the impetus for the business. It’s what we originally wanted to do.
How supportive were your parents when you started the business? Peter: They were really supportive. They let us room and board for many years while we did this. Chris: They wished us well, but there was general concern also. It took us a long time to make any money. I think my dad would have loved us to go work for a big company like Xerox or Procter & Gamble. Peter: Our dad was an investment advisor and I don’t think he was too proud walking down Bay Street telling people his sons were baking croutons in their mom’s kitchen. Wasn’t a point of pride.
Let’s talk about how eating and snacking habits have changed in North America over the last decade and how it has had an impact on your business. Peter: There’s been so many changes to food in the last 10 years around education and awareness of health issues, the environment, GMO and gluten. You used to walk into a food store years ago and it was a pretty homogenous box. It used to be hard for guys like Chris and I to get our product into chain stores, but consumers are demanding healthier options and independent taste and brand experiences so retailers are looking for more diverse products. Ethnic sections have also really matured. They used to be really small with only nacho chips, refried beans and an Asian wing sauce as offerings.
I think the Millennial generation is looking for more of an experience with a brand and are disillusioned with what big corporations are doing. And we do a lot of partnerships with organizations such as Community Food Centres Canada and are aligned with local chefs, beer and wine guys. We do a lot of charitable work and partner-ships with events that are health based.
What’s the next big food issue or topic in North America? Chris: GMO. It hasn’t even fully come to the surface yet. It would change the way companies produce food and people eat food. CB
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13IN0622_CityBitesMagazine.indd 1 7/3/13 11:25 AM
14 CityBites
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By Nick Green | @and_fabulous “What do you have on tap?” is no longer a simple—or even direct—question. Toronto is seeing an intoxicating new trend popping up at restaurants around the city. And while there are many ways to deliver wine to thirsty customers, wine on tap is allowing diners to try high quality, interesting wines without committing to a bottle. Not sure about a Shiraz? Don’t know much about Merlot? Can’t pronounce Gewürztraminer? This is your chance to give one a try—it’s as easy as saying “Give me 4 ounces of the white.” Via the virtues of regulated airflow, restaurants and bars can keep their product fresh while serving up wine by the ounce, glass or carafe. You can find this sexy feature at several hotspots around the city, including Gusto 101, Mercatto, Rock Lobster, One and Globe Bistro—with many more joints ready to jump on the tap-wagon. Just remember your manners when placing your order. Try not to ask for a pint.
T H E
45T H E B E S T O F D R I N K S & D R I N K I N G
Wine on Tap
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2Good looking beersBy Dick Snyder | @CityBites
VOLKAN SANTORINI BLONDEFrom the volcanic island in Greece, dry-hopped and finished with a tiny amount of Santorini honey, which is harvest-ed just once a year. kolonakigroup.com
AMSTERDAM FRAMBOISEThis beer just keeps winning awards—chalk it up to a recipe that calls for 2.2 pounds of Canadian raspberries in each bottle. $11.95/750mL at LCBO.
BEAU’S LUG TREADMassive depth and com-plexity in a perfect sum-mer refresher, Lug Tread is a chef and foodie favourite. Watch for their special seasonals. $15.85/4x600mL bottles at LCBO.
SHAWINIGAN HANDSHAKEJean Chretien gave his blessing to this beer from La Trou du Diable, and he even bought the first case. He’s a regular at the Shawinigan brew pub too. $6.05/600mL at LCBO.
SUNNY & SHARECreemore gets into the saison-al game with this citrus-flavoured Belgian-style beer—crisp, tart, refreshing. Find it in bottles at bars and res-taurants. $2.85/473mL can at LCBO and Beer Store.
45
4Cherry Bomb CoffeeBy Simone Saunders | @sexyfoodtorontoRoncesvalles’s Cherry Bomb Coffee knows all too well what Toronto coffee-goers demand of their morning ritual, handing out continuous pours of java to devout sippers. In a line snaking through this quaint bakery café, executives, working dads and mums and sleepy-eyed artists fall in to snag their fix. With just a few coveted stools inside, most coffee guzzlers shuffle to the seats outside for that first satisfying sip, armed with a delicious house- made treat. Cherry Bomb is an in-and-out kind of place that almost never disappoints. 79 Roncesvalles
Ave., 416 516-8212, cherrybombcoffee.ca
BlackballedBy Natalie Goldenberg-Fife | @NatalieGF | @CityBitesOnce upon a time there was a Riesling so good it hit the lists of all the greatest restaurants in Ontario. But it just couldn’t get VQA status. Said the VQA: It just doesn’t taste like a “typ-ical” Riesling. The aromas of funky white-peach-flavoured pilsner, flavours of tart green applesauce, and creamy mouth feel—while fascinating and attractive—do not cut it VQA-style. “You were blackballed!” Morissette’s supporters told him. And thus a Riesling was born. The Pearl Morissette 2010 Riesling Cuvée Black Ball now has a devoted cult following. (The 2011 is also available.) $28 at pearlmorissette.com
5Prime your wineglassBy Konrad Ejbich | @WineZoneIn restaurants that care about wine, glasses are rinsed with very hot water and wiped dry with a clean linen cloth just before service. But most wine professionals go one step further to ensure that nothing taints the delicate bouquet and taste of wine that are about to sip. The process is called priming, seasoning, or simply, preparing the glass. Here’s how it’s done: Line up all your glasses. Pour a half-ounce of wine into one, swirl it around com-pletely coating the inside, then pour it into the next glass. Repeat with the other glasses. They are now ready to use.
By Nick Green | @and_fabulousAre you tired of those insatiable cravings for raw,
organic, gluten/dairy/sugar free food and drinks? Ok, probably not. But when those cravings do occur, there’s Belmonte Raw, Leslieville’s popular restaurant and juice bar. From cold carrot ginger soup to zucchini hummus,
they serve it up flavor-packed and sustainably packaged. Their list of juices and smoothies are enough to make you
consider giving up bacon for a juice cleanse, especially since they’ll deliver for the right price. 1022 Queen St. E.,
647-340-1218, belmonteraw.com, @BelmonteRaw
Juice Bar
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8German RieslingThis perfect summer
sipper is all over
Toronto restaurants
this summer, by the
glass and in special
pairings and tastings.
Visit 31DaysGer-manRiesling.ca.
9Havana Club 3 AñosIntense in nose and
flavour, belying its
neutral colour, this
rum is blended from
various aged batches
that are further aged
in white-oak barrels.
Pristine rum for super-
lative cocktails.
$26.95.
Sweet ZeviaWith 11 flavours, Zevia soda pop
promises natural sweetening with stevia,
a South American plant that contains
no calories and does not affect blood
glucose levels. They’re also vegan,
kosher and gluten-free. zevia.com.
Bottle and pigBy Dick Snyder
What makes The County General’s new bottle service so spectacular is the accompanying 25-pound suckling pig—not to take anything away from the bottle of Wild Turkey 81 and the endless supply of County-made lemonade that makes this feast such a rare treat. With this special meal, introduced earlier this month, eight to ten diners pony up about $45 each (market price may vary) and arrive to a table scattered with divine sides and condiments, including pickles, slaw, kimchi, lettuce, beets, leek pancakes and at least five sauces of varying heat and spicing. Everything is homemade. A deal by any stretch of the imagination, this meal is also a serious gourmet undertaking. A four-day brining process means you must reserve four days prior; and only one table per night is possible. The pig comes from Cumbrae’s, and at a pretty penny. “I could get a pig at half the price,” says chef Victor Barry. “But it would be half as good.” Thanks goodness this isn’t a compromise he’s willing to make.936 Queen St. W., 416-531-4447, thecountygeneral.ca, @CountyGeneral
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Michelle Nguyen loves mixin’ drinks. And if you’ve consumed one of her cocktails at Parkdale’s rustic Italian restaurant Porzia, you’d taste that love in your glass. Nguyen hasn’t been trum-peted in the “cocktail press” yet, but we think she’s one to watch out for. The 26-year old ditched her science degree at U of T when a job bar backing at Amé stole her focus—and her heart—away from academia. “I just became in awe of the whole thing. The food industry kinda took me over,” she says. Watching Nguyen be-hind the bar is like watching an athlete in action. Her eyes are fo-cused on the concoction at hand and she doesn’t smile much. She’s all about the creation—she makes many of her own bitters and infusions. The Mallard Reac-tion ($12) is Nguyen’s ingenious
version of a Caesar, with roasted-duck vodka (she makes this her-self too), mostarda, San Marzano tomatoes and a juniper rim. It reads like a meal and drinks like a dream. Midweek is now a great time to scope Nguyen in action: with Cheap Date Wednesdays, Porzia does $10 small plates from 6-10 p.m.
Michelle Nguyen at Porzia By Natalie Goldenberg-Fife | @NatalieGF | @CityBites
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133 good booze booksA good drink is hard enough to find—but a good book about drinking… 1) The PDT Cocktail Book is Jim Meehan’s (see above) beautiful and brilliant guide to all you need to know about the cocktail. Period. 2) Pairing Food & Wine for Dummies by Master Som-melier John Szabo is a readable, easy-to-follow and incredibly detailed book of both theory and practicality. 3) A Beer Drinker’s Guide to Knowing and Enjoying Fine Wine by Jim Laughren is exactly that.
15Wine & DineThe Vintners Quality Alliance has a program to recognize restaurants that promote VQA wines made with 100% Ontario-grown grapes. Find a place to eat and drink at winecountryontario.ca—click under “Ontario Wine 101.”
14The oysterAs explained by Chef Mi-chael Pataran of Cool City Oyster Yard: The most important philosophy I believe is to let the oyster take centre stage and the beverage to play a very “minor” sup-porting role—which unfortunately is the reverse for many a somme-lier or barman, who will place more focus on the liquor in the glass and not enough of the liquor in the shell. Many purists in southern U.S. on Gulf Coast prefer not to drink at all while eating oysters, as the oysters themselves provide all the necessary liquor (soul juice) that is needed. coolcityoyster.com
That’s amaro!As Toronto bartenders become more and more enamored with all things dark and bitter, Barberian’s sommelier and gener-al manager Pasquale Orgera reminds us that while Amaro and ginger is nothing new, there’s something about the Nonino brand that “seems to bring out a nice orange flavour.” RECIPE: 1 part Nonino Amaro, 2 parts ginger ale, dash of bitters, dash of soda.
New York City cocktail phenom Jim Meehan of PDT came to Toronto for the first time this summer, hosted by Dave Mitton of The Harbord Room. The pair put on a spectacular cock-tail dinner at THR & Co., presented by CityBites. We asked Dave to tell us where they went for cocktails:
“Sunday afternoon we started at Soho House for a few pints of Guin-ness, which was fun because we found ourselves in the middle of a Pride party. Then we headed to Momofuku for a snack and some Ontario Spring Water Sake and some bottled cocktails by Ben Deacon. Then we headed to one of my oldest locals The Beacons-field where a very dear friend, Shanly Meronek, was slinging drinks, and we went straight to old faithful Negronis.
We made our way up to Harbord Street were we grabbed a couple of coffees at Sam James and then head-ed to The Harbord Room where we met my good friend and mentor of all things cocktail, Christine Sis-
mondo. We had some oysters and small dishes and drank some deli-cious cocktails made by my lovely business partner and great friend Liz Campbell.
We set sail to see Sandy de Almeida at The Churchill where she made us some of her boozy signature cocktails. We then stumbled our way to The Black Hoof to see one of my oldest Toronto friends, Jen Agg, who was actually on a rarity these days working the stick. She sent us some signature charcuterie and some of her originals including her version of the Vesper— so good!
At this point word was getting out that Jim was making his way around town and some off-duty bartenders started joining us. We had to hit up Bar Isabel for some late-night eats by Grant Van Gameren and some per-fectly balanced cocktails by Mike Webster and some really cold palate- cleansing beer as well. Everyone parted ways while the bar was closing down.”
Drink like a pro
Stones & bones
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17 Michael Tremblay of Ki By Nick Green
Think you have an impressive job title? How about Head National Sake Sommelier? Those are the words embossed on the business cards of Michael Tremblay, from Ki Modern Japanese and Bar. Having toured and trained with experts across the world, Tremblay is one of only five certified Advanced Sake Professionals (and the first Ontarian) from the Sake Education Council in Tokyo. He works as a writer, educator, event coordinator and all-around sake enthusiast, urging Ki to push the boundaries and expand its portfolio of the dynamic drink. His sake dinner series with Ki chef Elio Zannoni are an ongoing achievement, celebrating different sake brewers from Japan. For your summer sake pleasure, Tremblay recommends the Masumi Karakuchi Ki-Ippon Junmai Ginjo ($9.85/180mL at LCBO). “The sake is so clean, it is perfect for the summer heat wave.” Follow @michaelatkisake and sakefuse.com.
Even the geekiest of wine and spirit drinkers rarely trace the pro-duction path of their precious fluids back to the wood. And yet, the barrels contribute much to the character and structure of any liq-uid placed inside. Since 2007, Peter Bradford has been carving out a niche for himself at Carriage House Cooperage, now located near the 66 Gilead Distillery in north Bloomfield, Prince Edward County. He’s been sourcing oak and other woods from the region, and local wine-makers and distillers are experimenting with ageing their precious liquids in his casks. It’ll take time to determine the optimum balance among different kinds of woods and the variety of grape juices and spirits now being produced in Ontario. But anyone who puts their faith in the trees is bound to understand the importance of patience. thecarriagehousecooperage.com
By Dick Snyder
IT WAS DESTINED TO BE: Dan Aykroyd’s mystically wrought vodka and Keith Richard’s band (let’s not kid around about who makes the mu-sic here) joined together for the love of spirits both tangible and fleet-ing. This 50th anniversary Crystal Head Vodka Rolling Stones box is a must-have for fans not only for the unreleased live recording but also for the “lip logo” crystal bottle stopper. It’s cool. And the vodka’s pretty clean too. $99.95/750mL and a box of goodies at LCBO.
Barrel maker By Dick SnyderStones
& bones
20
Hand-crafted using copper pot stills and fresh ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible, the collection of bitters from Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers are infiltrating the toolkit of better bartenders across Ontario. Currently you need to get to Beamsville to buy them right from the source. Soon, BYOB Cocktail Emporium on Queen West will have them too. dillons.ca
Dillon’s Bitters
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By Natalie Goldenberg-Fife | @NatalieGF | @CityBites
If you are one of those people who gets his or her rocks off by wowing co-workers, friends and lovers, then join-
ing a wine club is a must-do. Why? “It’s like a mini-Christmas,” says John Szabo, Canada’s first Master Sommelier. “You get stuff that isn’t avail-able through winery retail shops. And most of these clubs are more than just wine. They also offer discounts and invitations to special dinners and events. They may even introduce you to a wine you wouldn’t have considered before.”
We’ve sorted through the barrel and chosen a few wine clubs you may want to consider.
THE NO-BRAINER JOIN-THIS-CLUB CLUBWHO: Vineland Estates Winery | vineland.comWHAT: This club has so many perks, you wonder how they make any dough at all! Vineland may be the only the club in the world that includes wines from neighbouring wineries in their monthly shipments (of two bottles). “We show the best of our friends to our best customers,” says Vineland’s David Hulley. PERKS: Members and guests enjoy free wine pair-ings when ordering the chef’s “creative menu” at Vineland’s restaurant. Members are invited to nu-merous events at little to no charge, and pay no corkage for club wines at the restaurant. They also receive a complimentary cheese course. Extra bonuses include occasional trip giveaways to Germany and Italy, and more! COST: $50/month (yes, really, $50).
THE SHOW-OFF CLUBWHO: charliesburgers.ca The secret dining club Charlie’s Burgers recently launched a crafty and foodie-focused wine program. WHAT: Three to six bottles of the same wine are sent monthly, along with wine info and food-pairing suggestion that reference top restaurants in Toronto and across Canada, such as Richmond Station, Langdon Hall and The Gabardine. PERKS: Bring your wine to an associated restau-rant for free corkage.COST: $112/month.
THE DEEP-POCKETED OENOPHILES CLUB WHO: Tawse Winery | tawsewinery.caWHAT: The Tawse wine club is all about exclusiv-ity. Wine-maker Paul Pender makes extraordinary wines on a members-only basis. Members commit to four cases of wine per year at regular retail price, and receive advance notice of each shipment. Sub-stitutions are allowed.PERKS: Pre-access to all wine releases and win-ery concert tickets. Free tasting and access to Cellar Bar. Access to member-only wines, member-only events and member-only tastings. COST: $1600-$2400/year depending on the wines.
THE EVERYBODY-KNOWS-YOUR-NAME CLUBWHO: Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery | ravinevineyard.comWHAT: “This is more than just a couple bottles of wine showing up at your door,” says Paul Harber, proprietor of Ravine. Launched last October, Har-ber is so keen on making his club as close-knit as possible that he plans to cap it at 60 members sim-ply because he wants to ensure he knows each and every member’s name. PERKS: Two bottles of wine delivered each month along with small gift from Ravine Grocery. Access to pre-release wines and back-vintage finds. Com-plimentary tastings, discounts, and tours. COST: $75/month.
Join the clubPaul Harber at RavineBy Natalie Goldenberg-Fife | @NatalieGF | @CityBites
There are family wineries, and then there are family wineries. Both may have massive lineage backing them up, but the dif-ference is in the details. Ravine Vineyards’ Paul Harber is all about the details.
Visitors receive the most welcoming of greetings and feel-good vibes when popping in for a visit, a wine tasting or a full-on gourmet extravagance. Chef-proprietor Harber took over the family business in 2009 and revamped the food and beverage program in a major way. Now, the charming family-run estate tips the awesome scale with its rustic-chic architecture, outdoor oyster bar and serious wood-fire pizzas. The grounds, which you’re free to wander, are casually scat-tered with grown-up playthings like ping pong tables, bonfire pits and performance areas where local musicians entertain. You may also run into a pig or two.
Harber almost always has a massive smile on his face and likes nothing more than greeting guests and offering them all the compli-ments of the house. “It is a good mood that built Ravine as a family farm and I want everyone to feel like this is their farm every time they come,” he says. Harber has trained under culinary greats like Michael Stadtländer (Eigensinn Farm) and Andrew Carmellini at Café Boulud in New York City.
At this new/old winery, Harber’s motto is writ plain and simple: “As soon you as you are not changing and improving based on feedback, you are stagnant.” So expect things to remain much the same at Ravine… just a bit different, and likely better and better. ravinevineyard.com
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New from ArgentinaNew from ArgentinaUma!Uma!Uma!Uma!
Uma!Uma!
w w w. b w w i n e s . c o mF o r M o r e I n f o r m at i o nc a l l u s at 4 1 6 - 5 3 1 - 5 5 5 3
Uma Torrontes $9.95 - LCBO #276626
Uma Torrontes $9.95 - LCBO #276626
Quality, Freshness and Price
Available at the LCBO
Summer Drink EventsBy Sarah Wright | @HungryGirlTO
JULY 11, JULY 25, AUGUST 8, 2013 7 P.M.
Summer School Wine Classes Skin + BonesIn house sommelier Michelle Ratzlaff con-ducts a range of wine classes that promise to uncork the secrets of classic grape varietals. If you discover you’ve developed a distin-guished palette, check back in the fall when they host more advanced classes on food-and-wine pairing and the methods of blind tasting, targeted at industry and advanced amateurs. Classes are $50–$60 with four wines and light food pairings. Skin + Bones, 980 Queen St. E., skinandbonesto.com
JULY 14, 2013 11 A.M. TO 6 P.M.
The Rhino Summer Beer FestivalA classic tale of Brewery and the Beast. If you weren’t ready for last call at Ontario Craft Beer Week, Parkdale’s favourite pour house is dedicating its taps to signature suds from the likes of Great Lakes, Junction, Nickel Brook and Spearhead. Regular tickets are $20 and include five sample tickets and souvenir glass; general admission is free with sampling tickets (and you will need them) at $2. The Rhino Restaurant & Bar, 1249 Queen St. W., therhino.ca
JULY 19-21, 2013
I4C International Cool Climate Chardonnay CelebrationWhat’s cooler than being cool? Chardonnay. This three-day event will affirm that the ’ol ABC adage (Anything But Chardonnay) is Anything But True. Guests can create their own custom blend , with a la carte Char-donnay experiences ranging from intimate vineyard luncheons to The Cool Chardonnay World Tour, the only opportunity to taste test the 120 wines featured from the noble grape. Tickets range from $70-$150. Various locations, coolchardonnay.org
JULY 26-28, 2013
Toronto Festival of BeerBoasting beers from more than 60 brewers worldwide, and over more than brands, this festival’s impressive beverage list reads more like an encyclopedia. Tickets start at $39.50 and include five sample tokens and a stein. (For an extra $10 you can Hoptimize your ticket for some delicious perks.) Bandshell Park, Exhibition Place, beerfestival.ca
continued on page 23
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THE CITYBITES 45
Summer Drink EventsAUGUST 3, 2013 1 TO 7P.M., 2013
Griffin Session MuskokaLooking for an excuse to soak up the sun in the charm of cottage country? Enjoy the warm weeks of Ontario’s summer while sipping on cider, enjoying local lagers and savouring Muskoka this August long week-end. It’s the best way to experience beers, bearded bands and the annual brewmaster Olympics. Tickets are $25 and include en-trance and five sample tokens. Annie Williams Park, Bracebridge, muskokabeerfestival.ca
AUGUST 9-11, 2013
The Ultimate Winery Weekend Escape in NiagaraExperience the best of Ontario Wine Country with a thrilling weekend of exceptional tast-ings and unforgettable meals. While you have to be a Visa Infinite cardholder in order to purchase tickets, oenophiles are guaranteed to pop their cork in a big way. $1,575 per person includes 2-nights accommodation, guided winery tastings and multi-course meals from leading chefs. Niagara, visainfinite.ca
AUGUST 29, 7 TO 11P.M., 2013
iYellow Wine Club Summer Wine JamWorried that summer coming to an end? Don’t be! What better reason to celebrate another season in Toronto at than the trans-formation of the stunning Airship 37 event space into a supersized cellar. $55 ticket includes tastings of more than 40 wines, music and food catered by Berkeley events. Airship 37, 37 Parliament St., iyellowwineclub.com
SEPTEMBER 13-21, 2013
Toronto Beer WeekWhat could be better than spending seven days raising a glass to the golden goodness of beer? Rather than a beer tent, Toronto Beer Week is hundreds of events around the city designed to advance the craft beer movement. From tastings and beer dinner to tap takeovers and whacky one-offs, it will quench your cravings for character-laden craft beer Various locations,torontobeerweek.com
continued from page 21
It’s a good idea to try Kombucha before finding out what it is. Best enjoyed on a hot day, this sparkling drink is light and crisp, with a certain something you can’t put your finger on. Well, it turns out it’s ferment-ed mushroom. Sounds appetizing, doesn’t it? This is actually another name for the Kombucha SCOBY, meaning “symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast,” not the mystery-solving dog. According to Toronto’s own Tonica Kombucha, made popular from their stint on Dragon’s Den, the brewed beverage boosts your me-tabolism and your energy while delivering minimal calories. With its distinctive taste, Kombucha may not become a daily drink, but considering its liver-cleans-ing properties, it may be a good thirst-quencher for the morning after the enjoyment of a few brewed bev-erages of another variety. tonicakombucha.com
Moments after we sit down to chat about her family’s namesake whiskey, Hollis Bulleit—great-great-great-granddaughter of Augustus Bulleit—takes my notebook and jots up a chart that plots popular bourbons along two axes. Sweetness ver-sus spiciness, and the proportion of clean distil-late, known as “heart,” that is used in the final product. Bulleit Bourbon, she insists, uses quite a small heart and throws away plenty of less-opti-mal liquid in the name of quality. And it’s spicy, partly because it’s made with 28 percent rye grain, a notably high proportion. Bulleit Bourbon sits all by its lonesome in the lower-right quadrant of Hollis’ graph. The message: Bulleit is something different, even unique.
Spirits reviewers and bartenders have tended to view the product positively, but the truly decisive factors helping Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey shoot its way into the forefront of the worldwide cocktail revival of recent years would probably in-clude the eye-catchingly old-timey bottle and the approachable price point (currently a nickel shy of $38 in Ontario). It also helps that Bulleit works well—very well—in cocktails. You’ll find it just about everywhere a fine cocktail is poured.
Tonica Kombucha By Nick Green | @andfabulous
Hollis Bulleit By Adam McDowell
Niagara’s Rosewood Estates winery takes their Semillon very seriously. A recent tasting of their estate-grown Semillon revealed a range of Semillon styles over five vintages from 2008 to 2012. Each wine, while exhibiting stylistic Semillon character, was highly individual, due to the effects of a variety of factors, from weather and vintage conditions to crop-ping, fermenting and, especially, ageing. The hand of nature and the hand of human could both be felt and tasted. Older vin-tages with low cropping revealed oily, wet stone and citrus notes, and an unmistak-able beeswax aroma and taste. Is it only coincidence that Rosewood also raises bees and makes honey? Winemaker Luke Orwinski assured us that no honey was added to the wine. It’s clear that this is one of the flavour components that develops as
the wine ages. In more youthful vintages, delicate wildflower honey notes may be present. The 2008, long since sold out at the winery, is a formidable wine, with pine spice, wax and wet stone aromas and a suppleness domi-nated by tropical and citrus.
The 2011, currently at Vintages, comes from similar vintage conditions, and currently shows grassy, herbaceous aromas and a green apple palate with lime and bracing acidity. It’s very appealing now, but will likely evolve in a manner similar to the power-ful 2008. Rosewood Estates 2011 Semillon, $18 at Vintages (#177758).
Rosewood Estates Semillon By Dick Snyder
24
24 CityBites
THE CITYBITES 45
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Think you know your beer? You don’t have anything on Crystal Luxmore. As an accomplished journalist and beer educator, Luxmore truly is a beer expert in her own right. But now she can prove it. After sitting a four-hour exam in Chicago, she has become the third woman in Canada to achieve the illustrious Certified Cicerone designation. Think sommelier, but with beer. To add to this impressive feat, not only did Luxmore prove savvy to the characteristics, process, and storing of the many different beers, she did so while 8-months pregnant! Safe to say that kid has the coolest mom ever! Crystal Luxmore is the author of Hopped Up for The Grid. Check her out @crystalluxmore and crystalluxmore.com.
Apple CiderBy Jordan St. John
One of very few local fruits One of the features of Ontario’s agriculture heritage whose resurgence became inevitable with the proliferation of bars specializing in craft beer and small batch beverages is the cidery. In 2012 (an off year), we pro-duced 63 million pounds of apples—and you can only make so many pies. It’s the single fastest growing market segment at the LCBO, growing as much as 15 percent annually, appealing perhaps to those looking to avoid gluten or just to beer and wine drinkers yearning for some- thing different. While multiple importers are taking advantage of the trend, Ontario has some fine ciders on offer:
THORNBURY CIDER Of the Ontario ciders this is the most sim-ilar to the mainstream imported ciders like Strongbow. The champagne yeast creates a dry finish and the body remains relatively light at 5.3 percent alcohol. Thornbury is a thoroughly approachable option for those looking to dabble.
SPIRIT TREE PUB STYLE CIDER Based out of Caledon, this is the closest thing to a proper West Country scrumpy that you’re likely to find in Ontario. Spirit Tree’s Pub Style Cider brings a complex sweetness and pleasantly acetic kick that refreshes before the next sip. At 6 percent alcohol, it’s almost dangerously quaffable.
COFFIN RIDGE FORBIDDEN FRUIT HARD CIDERJust Northwest of Meaford, Ontario, Coffin Ridge specializes in boutique wines, but their cider, in its big, friendly glass swingtop bottle is equally special. Made entirely with apples harvested in Grey County, Forbidden Fruit retains all of the juiciness that you’d expect while flirting with lemony citrus notes.
Some of these, but not all, are available
at the LCBO. The best variety of ciders in
Toronto can be found at Tequila Book-worm at 512 Queen St. W.
By Nick Green | @and_fabulous
27 Crystal Luxmor on Beer
Sometimes your liver needs a lift, but you don’t feel like laying off the lactose or giving up the gluten. The people at Pulp Kitchen have a lot of accessible ways to give your body a treat. Take, for instance, the Detox Darling, a tasty juice comprised of milk thistle, lemon, apple, kale and wheatgrass. Given that you’re probably already an expert on nutrition, you won’t need to be informed by the friendly and knowledge- able staff that this blend offers immune-boosting and detoxifying benefits. All you need to know is that, unlike many “cleansing” products, this one is actually delicious. In this city of tempting treats, who couldn’t use a detox, Darling? 717 1/2 Queen St. E., @pulpkitchenTO
The two Barrys in charge of the Still Waters Distillery—Stein and Berstein—got into the booze game for the right reason: A pas-sion for Scottish single malt. That led initially to a spirits im-porting and bottling operation, and ultimately to their Concord distillery. But it takes time to make whisky, so they sold first an impressively round and s mooth Single Malt Vodka, then a honey-ish and big-bodied blended Canadian Whisky, and now, finally, Stalk & Barrel Single Malt Whisky. Sold at both cask and bottling strength, it is a single cask spirit, bottled only when the Barrys deem that a specific barrel is ready to drink. My sample, bottled at 63.2%, showed caramel, a light charred wood smoki-ness and some tea-like tannins on the nose, and a sweet and quite rich body with vanilla, roasted caramel, campfire notes and a dry and rather constricted finish. Stalk & Barrel is avail- able from www.stillwatersdistillery.com.
Pulp Kitchen By Nick Green | @and_fabulous
29 Ontario’s First Single Malt By Stephen Beaumont
25July/August 2013
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The CityBites Beergroni is inspired by one of Montreal’s finest brunch spots in the Mile End called Lawrence Res-taurant. Originally, it was served in a rocks glass with ice, Campari and Okanagan Pale Ale. We’ve spruced it up negroni-style to make for a refreshing, patio-worthy and food-friendly aperitif that can be drunk over and over again throughout the night. That’s just how we roll.
INGREDIENTS1 oz. Campari.5 oz. Red VermouthA pour of Okanagan Pale Ale (or similar)A slice of orange
METHODFill a frosty beer mug with ice, generously. Add Campari, Red Vermouth, and a pour of beer to top it off. Stir gently while keeping the frothy foam. Garnish with orange.
Tell us what you think! @citybites #cbcocktail
City Bites ½H/ 4C materials due June 24th. 7.27” x 4.625”
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The Citybites Beergroni32Other Toronto bars may offer a wider selection
of single malt Scotch than The Caledonian, but none could be said to assemble its list with more care. While the bustling College Street Scottish pub is careful to cover each of the mother country’s six whisky-producing regions among its 160(ish) choices, husband-and-wife owners Donna and David Wolff are especially mindful of their shared preference, namely the smoky drams of the island of Islay—an appropriately edgy focus for the west end.
“We’re the biggest seller of Ardbeg in North America, which is crazy for the size of us,” says Donna, who herself hails from Speyside but enjoys Ardbeg and other sooty Islay malts.
The Wolffs pride themselves on The Caledonian’s knack for introducing newbies to the joys of the single malt, using guided tastings, carefully curated flights and women-only events to spread the grainy gospel. “When people see a wall with 160 whiskies, it’s very intimidating,” Dave says. A partially Scottish staff is all too happy to help guide whisky novices toward the list’s many gems. “Not having people talk down to you is probably the biggest thing.” thecaledonian.ca
The Caledonian By Adam McDowell
26 CityBites
THE CITYBITES 45
By Jordan St. John
MILL STREET BEER HALLA modern take on the beer hall concept with design features reminiscent of tatami and slate, the attractions here are the Ampel Weiss and Distillery Ale. Elizabeth Rivasplatas’ imaginative charcuterie and pork boards demand a communal approach, if only due to their generosity. millstreetbrewery.com
WVRSTThis is the traditional beer hall reduced to its barest elements, executed well, with an eye towards simplicity and accessibility. The beer selection focuses on Ontario craft beer with some Germanic accents. I recommend the Boerewors Currywurst and a Weissbier. wvrst.com
BAR VOLOVolo’s renovation to allow for a greater selection of draught beer and their increased focus a la carte charcuterie, cheese and fermented bar snacks has resulted in a postmodern take on the beer hall. While the seating may not focus on communality, you’ll be rubbing elbows with your neighbours on the way to the bar. barvolo.com
3030 DUNDAS WESTA favourite of the Junction neigh- bourhood, “beer hall” is only one of the functions of 3030 Dundas West, which features 16 craft beer taps that rotate in short order. Whether you’re going to see live music or local art, 3030 lets you do that with a beer in hand. There’s even pinball if you feel like tilting something. 3030dundaswest.com
THE AMSTERDAM BREWHOUSEThe new jewel of Toronto’s Harbourfront is the 800-seat Amsterdam BrewHouse, which showcases Head Brewer Iain McOustra’s innovative beers. In addition to a number of seating areas designed to suit the mood of the evening, the BrewHouse features a retail store with two-litre growlers. If you like the beer, take some home with you. amsterdambeer.com
Beer halls
Quebec’s De L’Aubier is maple tree sap water recovered from spring syrup production. Try it at Canoe.
De L’Aubier
27July/August 2013
The maturity of Glenrothes Single Malt from Speyside is determined not by age, but by vintage. They speak about the relationship and effects of the wood on the whisky, bottling only when “The Whisky is Ready” rather than at a pre determined age. Currently available in the LCBO is the 1998 vintage for $74.60. This is a very invigorating dram with a fair bit of nuttiness, apple and dried flowers. Vanilla and a bit of sweetness from the sherry casks. Try this with the Thunder Oak Gouda from Thunder Bay. It has a similar cara-mel finish of an aged whisky, with caramel nutty notes.
Dark Horse galloped onto the scene late last year to immediate acclaim from cocktail mixers and whisky fanatics alike. With 90 percent rye, about eight percent bourbon and a drop of sherry, this mixed-breed packs some serious heft, but also a complex and intriguing profile. Whisky expert Davin de Kergommeaux states simple: “This is a very, very tasty whisky.” $29.95 at LCBO.
Starting in 2011, the Companions of the Quaich in sponsorship with Via Allegro restaurant began bestowing annual awards to restaurants and bars with superlative whisky collections. Here are Toronto’s 2012 win-ners. FIVE QUAICHS: Feathers. FOUR QUAICHS: Quinn’s Steakhouse. THREE QUAICHS: The Caledonian. TWO QUAICHS: The Ceili Cottage, The Emmet Ray, Fynn’s of Temple Bar, P.J. O’Brien, Stout Irish Pub, and The Foggy Dew.
De L’Aubier
35Glenrothes and Thunder By Joseph Cassidy
36Dark Horse
37Quaich Awards
28 CityBites
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THE CITYBITES 45
By Dick Snyder
David Lawrason may be better known as one of Toronto’s top wine writers and wine judges, but starting this spring he’s back in the classroom doing one of the things he does best: teaching wine. Lawrason wields tremendous depth and experience, gathered over several decades of travelling the worlds and writing about wine. During Lawrason’s 13-year run as The Globe and Mail’s wine columnist, he turned out weekly columns that were educational and entertain-ing, while guiding readers to the best values and the best examples of wines at the LCBO and Vintages. Today, he writes (albeit more briefly) for Toronto Life, highlighting the star wines of the day, and also for WineAlign.com. He recently teamed up with Master of Wine James Cluer of Fine Vintage Ltd. to teach U.K.-based International Wine Education Guild courses in Toronto, one of the world’s most prestigious accreditations for wine. Classes start at a beginner level, so no need to be intimidated. Lawrason’s a really nice guy, too. finevintageltd.com
By Stephen Beaumont
The Canadian minds behind Tromba Tequila would like to invite you to exchange your salt shaker for a cocktail shaker. What’s more, they’ve partnered with local mixologists to help you out. Sure, some of the cocktails in Tromba’s mini-Mix-ology Handbook, available on bottle necks and online, aren’t ones you’d probably make at home, unless whipping up pear and walnut bitters is your idea of fun! But for an alternative to the ubiquitous Margarita, you could do much worse than Dave Mitton’s three-ingredient Lady Sniper, Jan Ollner’s savoury Midnight Run or Robin Kaufman’s Tromba Martinez. You might even forsake the salt for good. tequilatromba.com
By Dick Snyder
Up until BYOB opened two years ago, we used to get emails asking where to get specialty bitters, quality bar gear and oth-er assorted goodies. Not any more! Anyone who’s anyone knows where to go: Straight to Kristen Voisey’s Queen West shop. She’ll set you up with everything from basic bar gear to advanced-class accoutrements. And if she doesn’t have what you want, she’ll get it for you. Just you wait. byobto.com
A great wine tour demands a great wine hotel. Here are two of the best: one in Prince Edward County and one in Niagara. Try both!
VICTORIAN VILLAS: Imagine a morning at the spa, a day being shuttled to the region’s best vineyards and dinner at the newest eatery. A brand-new expansion added more suites and the new home of Stephen Treadwell’s Farm-to-Table Cuisine restaurant and wine bar. Wonder-ful details include fire pits for roasting and a rooftop patio for sipping. Options range from deluxe rooms ($325) to three-bedroom premium furnished suites ($900 ). All-inclusive packages start at $255/person per night, minimum four people. thevictorianvillas.com
THE INN AT HUFF ESTATES: Located right on the vineyard, for maximum immersion in all things wine, this modern and supremely comfortable inn gives you premium access to Huff’s award-winning wines, with accommodating offerings ranging from guided tours to all inclusive Wine & Dine packages (from $130-$460/person per night). huffestates.com
By Olga Kwak
Pre-dating the flavoured whisky trend by 20 years, Sortilège is made from 100% rye grain whiskey flavoured naturally with Quebec maple syrup. An authentically Canadian prod-uct, it finally made its way to the LCBO last year. $30 for Original, $49.95 for Prestige. LCBO.com
38Wine Educator David Lawrason
Tromba Tequila
40 Sortilège
39Stay in Wine Country By Brittany Montgomery
BYOB Cocktail Emporium
29July/August 2013
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THREE FAVOURITES: 1) Fish Bar Fri.-Sun. 3:30-5 p.m. for $5 wine, $4 draught, cheap apps and oysters. 2) The Drake Mon.-Fri. 4-7 p.m. for $8 cocktails and half-price sushi. 3) Prohibition 4-7 p.m. and 10-12 p.m. for $5 pints, premium rail and wine (no limit!). Join the fun and share at #HappyHourTO
By John Szabo MS
I take my Fernet pre- chilled, with one large cube of ice. Fernet’s digestive properties are legendary, so after dinner is the most logical hour of con-sumption. But I’ve also found that in the morning it can revive the dead. Love of Fernet cannot be counted upon in foreign lands, so there’s always a bottle in my bag when I travel. It’s essential in winter, unless of course it’s summer, when it’s equally necessary. I find it delightful to sip in cafés, though I’m told it’s also suitable on a snowy mountain-top before a double-diamond ski run. And to be found in a horse-drawn carriage in Vienna without a 750mL bottle, companions, and an iPod would be utterly unthinkable.
By Stephen BeaumontIf you’re an aficionado of single malt whisky, you’ll have noticed a price creep over the past few years. You may also have noticed that Wil-liam Grant & Sons’ Glenfiddich is resisting this trend, with their 12-year old still less than 50 bucks and their 18-year old costing the same as whiskies two-thirds its age. And now comes the 14-year old Glenfiddich Rich Oak, a robust malt finished in new Spanish and American wood and priced at a $59.95. Fairly massive on the nose, with caramel, muddled fruit and spicy vanilla notes, it is equally large on the palate, segueing from first a sweet vanilla taste to a drier, lively, citrusy middle and finally a long and lingering woody spice. Supplies are limited to 400 cases. LCBO.com
Stay in Wine Country By Brittany Montgomery
43 Fernet
45 Happy Hour!
44 Glenfiddich
30 CityBites
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EXPERTS // FISHMONGERING By Dan Donovan | @hookedinc
Summer is the season to satisfy the health experts and enjoy a couple of servings of fish per week—including one serving of oily fish.
These fish are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids that are known to lower bad cholesterol, improve heart health and contribute to brain development.
However, oily fish tend to have a stronger smell, which often deters seafood lovers from cooking them in their own kitchens. Well, now is the time: Fire up the grill and let’s put these healthy fish on your food palette.
Examples of oil-rich fish include mackerel, sardines, herring and pilchards. While trout, salmon and tuna are included in this group, let’s focus on these other oily fish because they are incredibly healthful,
inexpensive, and they help us to better balance our utilization of the oceans resources while diversifying our gastronomy.
All of these species are quite abundant off the east and west coasts of Canada. However, as North American grocers seem intent on promoting farmed salmon as your only fish choice, the vast quantities of oily fish caught by Canadian fisheries
merely provide feed for farmed salmon.
The perverse result is that Canadian mackerel and sardines are often difficult to get in this country and are frequently reimported from countries that still honour their culinary value.
If you are near the coast, you may find these fish in roadside stands or from community supported fisheries. In the city, fresh offerings of smaller oily fish are generally imported from the Mediterranean or further abroad. Be sure to watch for fresh- ness as they typically don’t travel well.
Generally your best bet is to buy fish that were quick-frozen on the vessel, just minutes after they were caught. Oily fish freeze very well, and this will ensure that you are eating fish at the peak of freshness.
Once you’ve sourced your oh-so-healthy oily fish, be sure to clean and rinse the fish well. Fish blood will taste bitter when cooked, so be sure to trim out the dark bloodlines.
An appropriate portion of fish is four to five ounces, the equivalent of a fillet of Atlantic mackerel or one to two whole sardines. Not surprisingly, the little fellows will have bones. There are two strategies for dealing with the bones. With larger fish like Atlantic mackerel,
taking the fillets off and removing the bones is easy, even easier if you ask your fishmonger to do it. Cook smaller fish whole and the fillets will easily lift off the bones.
A quick marinade will infuse your fish with flavour. Think Mediterranean: garlic, pesto, citrus, olive oil. Light a gas or charcoal grill—charcoal really does shine here—and grill the fish for two minutes each side. Properly cooked fish is tender to the bite, but it is better to err on the well-done side in this case as oily fish has a tough texture when undercooked. Served hot or room temperature with salads, eggs and a chilled white or rosé, grilled oily fish is a light, fresh and healthy way to enjoy summer. CB
Oily fish love summer grillsINEXPENSIVE AND HEALTHFUL, MACKEREL AND SARDINES MAKE PERFECT AL FRESCO MEALS
DAN DONOVAN is a graduate of the Stratford Chef School and a veteran of the Toronto restaurant scene. He and his wife Kristin run Hooked (hookedinc.ca), Toronto’s only seafood retailer 100% committed to sustainability.
Cook smaller fish whole and the fillets easily lift off the bones.
OILY MACKEREL Small fish packed with flavour and goodness.
31July/August 2013
EXPERTS // SZABO ON WINE By John Szabo MS | @Johnszabo
Organic Leaders for 29 Years!Natural Food Market • 348 Danforth Avenue • [email protected] • www.thebigcarrot.ca • the_bigcarrot thebigcarrotnaturalfoodmarket
CityBites_Summer2013_1_CityBites 13-05-23 4:10 PM Page 1
Southern Ontario’s Prince Edward County is quickly becoming Canada’s premier region for lean, quivering, mineral-suffused Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. There are also eloquent arguments for Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Gamay, as well as sparkling wines. But it’s a county Chardonnay—Exultet Estate’s “The Blessed”—that has bested the rest in the last three consecutive Ontario Wine Awards, including overall top white wine of the year in 2013. For a region that lacked even a single grapevine 20 years ago, that’s pretty impressive.
Conveniently positioned between Toronto, Montreal (and Ottawa, I suppose) on a virtual island surrounded by the waters of the Bay of Quinte and Lake Ontario, “The County” is a quaint region. More artsy than glitzy. You’ll find country roads, old farmsteads and historic barns, B&Bs and country inns. Food producers offer their local produce at roadside stands, and many artists and artisans call the county home. Five hundred miles of shoreline, including Sandbanks Provincial
Park, providing for summer bathers. Yet for grapevines, paradise this is not.
It’s bloody cold in the winter, necessitating the labour-intensive practice of burying vines to protect the crop. Summers, too, are cool, and the season is nearly a month shorter than in Niagara. So early ripening grapes like Chardonnay are about the only ones to ripen reliably. Production costs are high and yields are low, so don’t expect to find good cheap wine here. But the County has a secret weapon: limestone—a lot of it—much like other top regions specializing in cool climate grapes. As well, it’s widely acknowledged that marginal areas often yield the most thrilling wines. Consider the Mosel, Loire Valley, Champagne, Burgundy, or the extreme Sonoma Coast. Like those regions, the county is about premium stuff.
There are nearly 40 wineries operating now. For the most part these are small, family-run affairs, with a conspicuous absence of ostentatious spending and grand buildings, which I suspect suits the locals just fine. Here a few recommended bottles, but your best move is to plan a little escape to the county this summer. NOTE: The wines on the right are not available at the LCBO. Order from the wineries direct. CB
The county is about premium stuff.
MORE ARTY THAN GLITZY, THE COUNTY DELIVERS SERIOUS WINE
JOHN SZABO MS prefers his wine straight up and natural, and tweets @johnszabo. Looking for the best wine buying club in Ontario? Check out sommelierservice.com
NORMAN HARDIE 2011 COUNTY CHARDONNAY | $35 Hardie’s wines get better with every vintage. Over the years, his shift to larger, 500-litre barrels and less new wood has favoured more finesse and stony flavour in the best sense, as this 2011 Chardonnay shows.
NORMAN HARDIE 2011 COUNTY PINOT NOIR UNFILTERED | $35 A fine follow up to Hardie’s 2010, this 2011 pinot is a model of finesse allied to deceptive power. It’s all silky and refined on the entry, shored up by a core of firm tannins and sharp acids.
ROSEHALL RUN 2011 “DEFIANT” PINOT NOIR | $18.95 Sourced from the south and west estate blocks along with fruit from two small parcels in Hillier farmed by the Rosehall Run viticulture team, this is a Pinot of delicacy and finesse. It’s bright, lively and vibrant.
KEINT-HE WINERY & VINEYARDS 2011 PORTAGE PINOT NOIR | $25 Keint-He’s Portage Pinot Noir comes from three estate vineyards—Closson, Benway and Foxtail. It delivers an intriguing mix of fresh and dried berry fruit alongside plenty of earthy-leafy and mushroom notes. Tannins are soft and 12.4% alcohol is light and airy. Bottled unfiltered.
CASA DEA 2010 CHARDONNAY UNOAKED | $15.95 An excellent value, Chablis-like unoaked Chardonnay with mouth-watering acids and plenty of stony-mineral character.
HUFF ESTATES 2007 CUVEE PETER F. HUFF SPARKLING | $39.95 The county’s top bubbly, Huff’s Cuvée Peter F. Huff spends extended time on the lees to develop significant toasty-biscuity character overlying the signature minerality of the region.
HINTERLAND 2012 ANCESTRAL GAMAY | $25 Modeled after the rare but delicious “ancestral method” Gamays of Bugey-Cerdon in eastern France, sparkling specialist Hinterland re-invents this delicious, pale red, medium-dry, lightly bubbly wine, full of fresh berry flavour. Dangerously guzzleable.
THE GRANGE OF PRINCE EDWARD 2010 RIESLING | $15.95 This Mosel-like off-dry Riesling shocked us all when it took the best in show white at last year’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair wine awards. You gotta love the vibrancy, freshness, and especially the price.
Prince Edward County comes of age
32 CityBites
EXPERTS // THE EJ By Konrad Ejbich | @WineZone
It’s difficult to admit. My love of wine is rooted in greed. I don’t know anyone else who’s made the same claim.
Many people tell me they were introduced to wine by a more knowledgeable friend. Some say they had to learn because they got a job in the wine business. Others admit they turned on to wine to meet classy singles.
Not me. My motives were strictly mercenary.
If you have a gray hair or two, you may remember that in the mid-’70s the feds imposed wage and price controls. Ontario’s booze monopoly played along by freezing prices on all liquor products. But by 1978, the LCBO complained that
some brands were selling for less than they cost. In a pre-budget announcement, Ontario finance minister Frank Miller made it clear he would be lifting the price-freeze within three weeks.
I viewed this as an opportunity to speculate. If I could wisely spend $100
before the price change went into effect, I could double the value of my investment. Ah, but which wines to buy?
A trip to some of the monopoly’s local outlets proved fruitless. Knowing zip about wine, I still seemed to know more than the losers who worked there. Most were really old guys with hairy arms and faded anchor tattoos.
My next strategy was to visit the Ottawa Public Library where I signed out all 17 books on wine. Reading over a weekend gave me the ability to recite all the Bordeaux château included in the official classification of 1855, but provided little information about the impending price hikes of cheap French table wines in Ontario.
A trip to the Rare Wine Store (today, called Vintages) followed. To my dismay the fellow on duty could also repeat the 1855 classification, but was unaware that a budget date had been set or what it implied. He did, however, mention the large selection of fine wines just across the Ottawa River in Hull, Quebec.
I immediately drove across the bridge to the Maison des Vins where, to my relief, the attitude was as different as the language. There, I met Richard Charbonneau, a young clerk whose enthusiasm was contagious.
Richard was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Four visits later, despite my atrocious “Franglais,” he invited me to join his mini-group of Quebecois tasters. Great! Not only would I be able to pick their brains and make a killing on my “Operation Winevestment,” I just might upgrade my language skills as well.
This plan backfired. Oh sure, my French improved dramatically; I learned all the principles of tasting, I even made some lifelong friends. But I quickly discovered that the LCBO products that would soon double in price were not worth buying.
I did, however, become obsessed with learning about fine wine, which has since cost me a few Jamaican vacations.
The richness that wine has brought to my life is immeasurable: a career change, a treasure trove of taste memories, friends all over the world, a wine cellar worth much more than it cost, and no fear of liquor board strikes, ever.
I suppose my mercenary beginnings paid off. CB
Bitten by the oenophile bug
HOW MERCENARY INSTINCTS TURNED ME ON TO WINE
KONRAD EJBICH is an author, broadcaster, columnist, photo/video-journalist, and host/producer of Pro & Kon on YouTube. Follow him on Twitter @WineZone.
The richness that wine has brought to my life is immeasurable.
WINE CAT Vintage 1970s, before wine was “hep.”
33July/August 2013
EXPERTS // LIBATIONS By Stephen Beaumont | @BeaumontDrinks
Buying consignment wines from an agent is easy. Go online and get their list. Phone or email your order. Wait for delivery. Repeat.How to Buy Wine from an Agent
B&W Wines416-531-5553 www.bwwines.com
B&W Wines offers a portfolio of iconic and boutique wineries: Penley Estate, Lillypilly, Two Hands and Jansz from OZ; Darioush and La Crema in California; Argentinean Bodegas Weinert; Barolos from Brovia, Rhone-Ranger Jean-Luc Colombo and Douro producer Quinta de Ventolezo.
Lifford Wine Agency416-440-4101 or toll-free 1-877-272-1720 www.LiffordWine.com
2010 Winner - VINTAGES Portfolio Award of Excellence Serving the hospitality sector and private consumers in Ontario since 1985 with a focus on family owned and operated wineries that are equally as passionate about great wine as we are. Maison Louis Jadot, Felton Road, Felsina and Hollick, to name just a few.
Back when I was just a little drinks writer, knee-high to a hop vine and all that, I used to dream about American craft beers coming to Ontario. If only we could get some of the better ones in, I would muse wistfully, they might inspire our local brewers to break from their conservative ways and create bigger, bolder and stronger beers.
Look around, folks. It’s no longer a dream!The LCBO, bless their pointy heads,
have discovered U.S. beer in a (relatively) big way. Buoyed by their current fascination with IPAs—from a near-complete absence only a handful of years ago, the shelves now groan with domestic and imported examples—the Board has been listing American craft beer by the armload in recent months.
Okay, maybe not armload. How about fistful?
Many of them are IPAs, and many are one-shot rather than continuous listings—meaning they may be sold out by the time you read this. But among them are some of the truly great beers now brewed south of the border.
If the above strikes you as very odd, you haven’t been paying much attention to what’s been brewing in the States over the last 20 or 30 years. From an international joke—remember the “making love in a canoe” line from Monty Python?—U.S. craft beer has grown into one of the most sought-after segments of the drinks biz. With year-to-year percentage growth now regularly in the double digits and a dedicated craft beer export program overseen by the Brewers Association, that isn’t likely to change around these parts any time soon.
(Which is not to say the United States is still the craft beer leader it was a dozen or so years ago. Great beer is now just as likely to be found down the street from almost wherever you are in the world, from Japan to Italy and Brazil to Canada.)
One of the most thrilling listings of late is the Founders Centennial IPA, and not just because it is one of the finest IPAs brewed south of the border, with the sort of seamless hops-and-malt balance that many brewers can only dream of assembling. At least as exciting is the fact that this is the first of numerous Founders beers we can expect to see, continuing this summer with their light (4.7% alcohol) and lively All Day IPA.
Elsewhere on the IPA front, Elysian Brewing of Seattle has made a spring appearance with its wonderfully assertive, yet not overwhelming, Immortal IPA. San Diego favourite Green Flash has arrived on the general list with cans of their West
Coast IPA, a beer not for the faint of heart that will cheer lovers of aggressive U.S. hops.
Another general list IPA, which has been around for a while now, is Southern Tier IPA from over near Lake Erie, with its big, piney, grapefruity hop character. Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA is one of a stream of Boston Beer Company brews we’ve also been seeing for a while, and which are likely to continue.
On the non-IPA front things have been mostly quiet for a while, save for the recent appearance of a trio from Chicago’s Goose Island Brewing, brought in by parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev (Labatt). Neither the slightly candyish, bière de garde-esque Sofie nor the Orval-inspired Matilda are quite the beers I recall from years back, but either should impress with their large format bottles and relative complexity. The third is Pepe Nero, a black saison-style ale.
Looking forward, I expect the situation to only improve further, particularly if some of the current rumours—Firestone Walker? Stone? The return of Victory Brewing? Be still my heart!—come to fruition. Far from stealing sales from our own breweries, these breweries and brands are merely expanding the market and enlarging the craft beer tent. Just as it was in my dreams. CB
Drinking the American dream
These breweries are expanding the market and enlarging the craft beer tent.
HOW BEERS FROM THE SOUTH ARE EXPANDING OUR MINDS AND PALATES
STEPHEN BEAUMONT’s latest book is The World Atlas of Beer, co-written with Tim Webb. Keep an eye out this fall for their new one: The Pocket Beer Guide.
34 CityBites
URBAN FARMING BRINGS NEW MEANING TO THE CONCEPT OF SHOPPING LOCALLY
ONE LAST BITE By Elise Von Kulmiz
Farming in the City
Savvy entrepreneurs with green thumbs around the city have been taking over homeowners yards and cultivating them into edible miniature fields. Urban farming brings new meaning to the concept of shopping locally. Organic radishes, squashes, tomatoes, kale, mustard greens, arugula, lettuce and herbs are all being harvested in Toronto backyards and sold at your local farmers’ markets.
Here’s how it works: willing homeowner simply allow urban farmers access to their yard, running water and electrical hookups. As payback, they are gifted with a portion of crops and the luxury of not having to mow their yard. Another bonus: there’s virtu-ally no carbon footprint involved because many organizations like Cityseed Farms use only pedal power to transport themselves and their produce.
Now lets all enjoy a delicious local organic green smoothie while soaking in the scenery of our concrete jungle habitat!
Elise von Kulmiz is a freelance documentary photographer with roots in Toronto, Kawartha Lakes and British Columbia. See more at EvKphoto.ca.
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