Foodism - 22 - The Summer Issue by Twenty Two Media Group

T O R O N T O , O N E B I T E AT A T I M E

INTRODUCING THE NEW APPLETON ESTATE Appleton Estate rum, born in Jamaica’s Nassau Valley, began perfecting complex rum-making over 265 years ago. This history of passionate people nurturing the Estate has resulted in a collection of rums renowned for distinctive Jamaican flavours and an unwavering commitment to excellence. At Appleton Estate, the age statement signifies the youngest drop in that blend, serving you a rum that is exquisite, elegant and complex.

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THANK YOU To all of our partners who made this issue possible. We're humbled to have been able to produce one during these difficult times and to say thanks, we've decided to donate all net advertising profits from it to:

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EDITORIAL PUBLISHER

Krista Faist ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Katie Bridges

STAFF WRITER

Taylor Newlands EDITORIAL ASSISSTANT

A WORD

FROM THE TEAM

Photography: Tyler Bowditch Art Direction: Brianne Collins Glassware: Cocktail Emporium

Meredith Hardie COPY EDITORS

David Ort Lydia Winter

CONTRIBUTORS

Erin Davis Kate Dingwall David Ort

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STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHER

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Sarah Pflug PRINTING

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Krista Faist ACCOUNT MANAGERS

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Taylor McIndless LEAD DEVELOPER

AJ Cerqueti CHAIRMAN

Tim Slee

ustainability has long been worn like a badge of honour – a nice principle to tote around like a reusable coffee cup, but not one you would ever truly have to live by. But when the fabric of our society is torn apart and simple things we took for granted are uncertain, how can we stick to our intentions? Over the past few months, we’ve been thinking about (read: lying awake, stressing about) all the ways in which the coronavirus will continue to impact the food economy long after the citizens of Toronto are on the other side of lockdown. Will we continue to live as globally as we did, sourcing the finest Japanese tuna belly or truffles from Italy? Or will chefs turn to local farmers more than ever before as they attempt to reestablish the culinary landscape? One thing made clear throughout this difficult time is our deep need for food. As the restaurant industry grappled with its new reality, chefs wasted no time sharing recipes mid-crisis (don’t miss their warm-weather cooking inspo in our pullout Summer Recipe Guide on pg. 83). It’s not called the hospitality industry for nothing, but if the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we owe local businesses the same generosity in the coming months. Here at Foodism, we owe a great debt to the wider food industry – which is why we want to do our part to give back. All net profits from the advertising in this issue will be donated back to the community with half going to the Fort York Food Bank to purchase food, and the other half to save hospitality initiatives. In our Summer Issue, Guy Rawlings at Montgomery’s flies the flag for local cuisine (pg. 51), the team rounds up the best in the sustainable biz (pg. 70) and Erin Davis takes us on a much-needed jaunt to the wineries of Valle de Guadalupe (pg. 92), where Mexico is making more than just mezcal. Whether you’re upping your cooking game (pg. 41) or ordering in, we have plenty of ways to feed your bellies and fill your soul.

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GUY RAWLINGS

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© Twenty Two Media Group 2020. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. All information contained in this magazine is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Foodism Toronto cannot accept responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. If you submit unsolicited material to us, you automatically grant Foodism Toronto a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in all editions of the magazine. All material is sent at your own risk and although every care is taken, neither Foodism Toronto nor its employees, agents or subcontractors shall be held liable resulting for loss or damage. Foodism Toronto endeavours to respect the intellectual property of the owners of copyrighted material reproduced herein. If you identify yourself as the copyright holder of material we have wrongly attributed, please contact the office.

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THE GRAPES AND THE GOOD

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BOOZERS AND SHAKERS

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SPICE UP YOUR MELT with this delicious Vietnamese-inspired recipe. But don’t forget the most important ingredient – Jarlsberg® cheese.

Life’s better with Jarlsberg® To ﬁnd this and other exciting recipes, visit Jarlsberg.com

— PART 1 —

GRAZE “WE’RE A BUNCH OF SPOILED KIDS BECAUSE WE’VE BUILT A SOCIETY AROUND CONSUMING.” GUY RAWLINGS, 051

ECO SNACK PACK

Put your sustainability game on overdrive with these solutions for eating on the go.

1. DASH C OL L APS I B L E T U PPE RWAR E

THE FOODIST

With limited access outside, Taylor Newlands finds that living sustainably is more than just a trend.

N MARCH, SOCIETY as we knew it ground to a halt, the city experienced unprecedented closures and, along with just about everyone else I know, I became a lot more familiar with the inside of my house. From day one’s optimism – “I’m going to read more books, practice yoga every day and do face masks” – to the bleak moment when I had exhausted every indoor activity and resorted to staring at the walls to pass the time (this was day three), life in isolation has been an emotional roller coaster. That being said, I do count myself among the lucky ones. The only difficulty I’ve had to grapple with is the nagging, constant pullmy-own-hair-out-boredom. But with all this free time, I’ve started to think about things I never paid attention to before. It took three trips to the store to get my hands on some carrots. Am I really going to throw one out because it has a weird spot

on it? (In the past, the answer would have been a resounding “yes.”) Frozen vegetables and canned goods were the first things to disappear from shelves, leaving me to buy fresh, local foods that create less plastic waste. Meanwhile, working from home meant no more packing lunches and no more plastic sandwich bags. Without the option to dine in at restaurants, takeout and delivery has been on everyone’s minds (and is a great way to support local businesses). But with pandemic paranoia itching at the back of my neck, I’ll be using my own cutlery over plastic. This has been a difficult and scary time, and I’m not trying to say that a world-shaking pandemic has a silver lining… but as things return to “normal” I will definitely be holding onto my lessons from self-isolation. For starters, I’ll invest in bamboo cutlery and ditch plastic bags in favour of Tupperware, while visions of empty shelves will keep me from binning edible food. f

Imagine a Russian doll set, but for silicone containers. These easy-to-store, lunch box hacks make reaching into the dreaded Tupperware cabinet a little less dreadful. The collapsible feature lets you maximize space without compromising secure food storage. Pack a picnic or meal prep with ease instead of having to play a no-fun game of Tetris. bydash.com

2. M IND YOUR B E E S W RAPS Use and reuse these handmade sheets to keep food fresh and solve your single-use plastic problem. Crafted in Hamilton with local beeswax, you can cover a multitude of kitchen items, from fruits and vegetables to yesterday’s glass of wine. These compostable, vibrant wraps will brighten up any fridge, are easy to clean and last for up to a year. mindyourbeeswrap.com

3. PORT E R U T E NSIL SET Smart, sharp and good-looking, this sleek kit is better than our last Tinder date. The set of stainless steel utensils (which come in five pastel hues) pack neatly into lunch bags and everything, including the protective silicone case, is dishwasher safe. Beautiful design meets high function all in the palm of your hand – or the bottom of your purse. wandpdesign.com

FOODISMTO

THE RADAR Stay in and support these new (or updated) Toronto restaurants in these uncertain times. CA N OE How do you update a beloved and critically lauded restaurant celebrating 25 years in business? In the case of Canoe – a Toronto fave perched on the 54th floor of the TorontoDominion Centre – it’s with a revamped Canadian aesthetic and a tweaked menu that reflects the country’s history and culture. After eight weeks, and with the help of Solid Design Creative, the O&B venue has added a woven-felt ceiling in an homage to weaving techniques used to make snowshoes; a feature wall showcasing the Three Sisters mountain range in Alberta; and custom rugs and fibreglass lenses to diffuse light over the dining room. For now, you can get your Oliver & Bonacini fix with their grocery delivery, or order takeout from sister spots Liberty Commons, Beauty Barbecue and Smokehouse or R&D. canoerestaurant.com

B U E NA CO PA

T RAT TOR IA M IL ANO Inspired by the fashion capital of Italy, Trattoria Milano is the latest upgrade to the Manulife Centre’s sprawling Italian food mecca Eataly. The restaurant specializes in traditional northern Italian fare, with a focus on elevated Milanese dishes. Even the cocktails are carefully curated to represent Milan. Following COVID-19, Trattoria Milano is now offering the dine-in experience from home – weekly fourcourse, prix fixe menus (veal, gnocchi, beef stew) are available on Tock. eataly.ca

VIC INO ITAL IAN K ITC HE N Another win for the east end, Vicino Italian Kitchen is bringing traditional southern Italian fare to Dundas and River. And this is a place that caters to everyone – for those who prefer to avoid or minimise gluten, the flour used in Vicino's pizza dough is comparatively low in the stuff, while pasta dishes can be swapped for gluten-free noodles. Expect classics like margherita pizza, rigatoni bolognese pappardelle with short rib ragu and linguini puttanesca. vicinoitaliankitchen.ca

SW E ETC HOPS

MEAT AND PIE CO. This Adelaide barbecue joint made headlines when it invited people experiencing homelessness to dine before the official opening. It might not seem obvious from its name, but this isn’t your average smokehouse. The mouth-watering menu is completely halal, the drinks are alcohol-free and the pies are more personal than your browsing history. meatandpieco.com

AÑE J O The latest to join the King and Portland hotbed of new restaurants, Añejo recently took over the former Bier Markt space. Another place catering to the city’s obsession with tacos and tequila, the drink list stretches from blanco and reposado to añejo (duh) and mezcal. A mighty menu of margaritas also accompanies the diverse Mexican fare. anejo.ca

Photography: Cindy La (Canoe)

Despite quarantine, SweetChops quietly opened its (virtual) doors for takeout and delivery. Entirely plant-based, the menu features modern American favourites. Think salads, bowls and burgers – and even a meatball sub made with mushroomlentil balls and topped with vegan mozzarella. Before the pandemic threw a wrench in its plans, the West Queen West spot was set to have seating inside and out. eatsweetchops.com

From the folks who gave us Campechano and Good Hombres, comes a new antojeria (small plate café) and cocktail bar in Little Italy that goes beyond chips and salsa. Buena Copa serves antojitos (small plates): colourful bites made of masa, a Mexican corn dough. Choose your masa (thick, fried, thin or stuffed) and your filling (meat, fish or veg). buenacopa.ca

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THE DIGEST

Everything you need to know about food and drink for the summer months. Now all we need is sunshine...

G ONE, B UT NOT F OR G OT T E N While the restaurant landscape in Toronto evolves drastically every year, these past couple of months have seen unprecedented change. Sadly we’ve lost a few good ones: Prohibition, Hideout and Crocodile Rock are just a few who have had to permanently close their doors. Vesuvio Pizza & Spaghetti House was open for 63 years before shutting earlier this year, with an epic send off of people lined up down the block for one last slice.

TA K EOUT, BUT MA K E IT FA NCY

LET'S G O N U TS Tim Hortons has hopped on the alternative milk train, just in time for iced coffee season. The Canadian-made coffee giant that improved our morning routines with Timbits and double-doubles will now be offering almond milk. While almond milk relies heavily on irrigation, it’s still more sustainable than cow’s milk. Hopefully this change lasts longer than Tim’s Beyond Meat foray... timhortons.com

M IL L E NNIAL M OONSH I N E There’s a new claw in town. Internet-famous American hard seltzer White Claw, associated with college dorm starter packs and tailgate parties, has landed northside. Some have described it as “the nectar of the gods”; others prefer “hand soap.” Tastes aside, the hype is very real. Earlier this year, U.S. bars and alcohol distributors struggled to keep up with the demand, but that hasn't stopped Canadians from making border runs and lining up in the freezing cold outside the LCBO on release day. whiteclaw.com

Photography: Claudio Divizia; Lunasee Studios; Oasisamuel

Delivery has skyrocketed over the past few years and with restaurants forced to close due to COVID-19, it’s all we have right now. Even fancy dine-in only restaurants like the crème de la crème Alo and break-the-internet Antler (their food is worth the hype) are taking to tech to pivot their business. There’s also the national #TakeoutDay initiative, encouraging Canadians across the country to order takeout en-masse in support of their favourite local haunts.

ALL ABOUT

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Peak season is April to June

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SOM E L IG HT R E L IE F Leave it to the chefs to save our bacon. Toronto’s Victor Barry (Piano Piano, Café Can Can) and other top Canadian names have launched a fund to help their industry compatriots. The Canadian Hospitality Worker Relief Fund (CHWRF) sets out to provide onetime $500 grants to all hospitality employees in need of items they don’t have the means to buy. The fund is administered by the Design Exchange along with founding partners Uber Eats, Garland and Welbilt Canada — who have pledged more than $1 million.

D ELI VERI N G T H E GO O DS It took a pandemic for the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to allow restaurants and bars to serve alcohol with takeout orders. We won’t go so far as calling it a silver lining, but it sure is nice to pair your fave restaurant’s delivery with one (or several) of their specialty cocktails or bottles of vino. The AGCO only allows sealed, unopened bottles to be sold, leaving venues to get creative with cocktails delivered deconstructed. Cheers to that.

BABY B UY B UY B UY Canadian e-commerce platform Shopify has unveiled a new shopping app, Shop. This free app is like having your own personal shopping assistant that can fit in your pocket. You can browse through local stores, pay directly on the app and track the delivery of your order in real time – like you would on Uber. There’s even an option to offset your delivery emissions by protecting an equivalent number of trees. The app comes at a time when it’s never been more important to support small business. Shopify, we salute you. f

Photography: Yulia Grigoryeva; Mark Umbrella; Nrqemi

TOO LI T T LE, TO O LATE Five years after its arrival, Foodora left Canada, ceasing all Canadian operations on May 11. There’s never a good time to file for bankruptcy, but the middle of a pandemic has got to be one of the worst. The Berlin-based food delivery app initiated proceedings in April and owes more than $4.7 million (yep, really) to restaurants and creditors, and will leave hundreds of workers without a job at the worst possible time. Foodora released a statement saying that it will “provide additional recovery to employees and other creditors” – like an “I still love you” after a break up text.

A NEW CHAPTER IN DIRECT TRADE Community Seasonal Blend is a collaboration with Direct Trade partners, Nicholas Hammond and Chalo Fernandez. Featuring coffees from their communities of Chimaltenango, Guatemala and Paicol, Huila, Colombia, a portion of the proceeds will support programs for farmworkers and their families. pilotcoffeeroasters.com

FLAVOUR OF THE WEEK Katie Bridges gets the low-down on Yorkville's upscale Aburi Hana.

ORKVILLE MIGHT BE known for the old-school Italian and French restaurants that line its pretty alleyways, but one of its newest residents promises to blow away the cobwebs. Aburi Hana, a new Japanese restaurant from the people behind Miku, opened its doors in January just off Yorkville Avenue, offering a 15-course marathon packed with local and global ingredients. And it more than earns the name Hana (meaning beauty and elegance), with traditional Japanese floral arrangements, artwork and wood and stone interiors evocative of an Emperor’s palace. Executive chef Ryusuke Nakagawa, who brings Michelin-star experience from his

OP EN T H E KI MO NO

stint at Kikunoi in Kyoto, Japan, has created two kaiseki menus (traditional multi-course – Japanese dinners). The Aburi Kyo-Kaiseki ($195) is the more affordable of the two, while – the top-tier Hana Kyo-Kaiseki ($330) rewards diners with elevated ingredients. The Kakurega (Japanese for “hidden gem”) private dining rooms give two to eight people an intimate dining experience – but the real fun happens around the 16-seat chef’s counter, where guests salivate as staff plate nigiri, wagyu tenderloin and bluefin tuna belly right in front of them. Usually, there are two seatings, but right now you can enjoy the Hana bento box at any time (search for Miku on Ritual or Uber Eats). 102 Yorkville Ave, aburihana.com

FOR ELITE'S SAKE Cocktails haven’t made it to the menu, but you won’t miss them. Alexander Powell, their beverage director, has picked wine and sake pairings that bring further harmony to the meal. For $125 or $180 (depending on the menu) guests can enjoy a curated list of drinks, from sparkling sake to exclusive wines purchased at auction, poured out of a mesmerizing spiral decanter. Or order wine by the bottle and non-alcoholic beverages à la carte.

POSH PANTRY

Photography: Aburi Hana

DELISH DISHES Before you lick it clean, pay some attention to the plateware. All of the Arita porcelain was made exclusively for Aburi Hana and imported from Japan. From stunning plates for sushi to beautiful aburi boxes, it’s fitting that the visually striking cuisine has an attractive pedestal.

Chef Nakagawa artfully blends local and international ingredients – think dishes like lobster tempura with miso and fermented mushroom powder beside Japanese barracuda and wasanbon (sugar) ice cream. For the Amadai course, you'll get aburi-style flame-seared sushi accompanied by a dry-ice fog – worthy of a Victorian melodrama – billowing from under a leaf holding salmon caviar, while maple smoke is pumped into the box. f

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FLAVOUR OF THE WEEK

At the Green Wood on King, Meredith Hardie eats fish so fresh it jumps on her plate.

MAGINE A BUSY Sunday brunch service, but with a later bedtime – that's what you'll find at the Green Wood’s new King Street spot. While the restaurant's original Leslieville location is known for hangover-curing fry ups, the new opening might just be the reason why you have one in the first place. Could this be a ploy to get us to visit twice in two days? Because we can't say we mind all that much... If the Green Wood King were a person, it would be someone who hits the gym early after a late night knocking back drinks downtown. It’s colourful breakfast bowls and family-style plates of whole fish, it’s good, clean eating so satisfying it feels like cheat day

I N TO T HE (G RE E N) WO O D

– it's truly the best of both worlds. Executive chef Ariel Coplan's menu follows the seasons with a focus on sourcing sustainable, local ingredients, and the food and drinks are inspired by the bright colours of the Mediterranean. At night the industrialzen space glows invitingly with candlelight bouncing off the stained glass windows. We ate our fill of trout and haddock so fresh we might as well have been dining by the waters they came from. And just when we thought there was no room for dessert, our server insisted we get the indulgent sweet potato beignets with maple dipping sauce (twist our arm). Surprisingly enough, deepfried dessert is always a good idea. 461 King St W; eatgreenwood.com

GREEK, C'EST CHIC We started with the "shareable" souk fries (they are shareable, but you don't want your dining partner to know that): hand cut fries topped with grilled eggplant goodness and creamy tahini. Elsewhere, our mains were all about the sea. Steelhead trout fillet was expertly grilled, served with broccolini covered with dates and cheddar. The finale of roasted haddock, with a gentle kick from spicy tomatoes and sausage, came to the table in a parcel of warm parchment paper.

DO THE SPRITZ

Photography: Erin Leydon

LOFTY AMBITIONS Transformed from a once-dusty pub, the space is now an open, loft-like hideaway for escaping from your weeknight woes. Wooden banquets with plants growing out of them resemble church pews, which sit in complement to the building's original stained glass windows.

The drinks are refreshing and not too strong, except for the Mediterranean mule which packs an Amaretto punch that could knock you under the table. The Cynar spritz is their take on the internet-famous Aperol spritz, without the bitterness you sometimes get with Aperol. For a daytime buzz that isn’t an alarm clock, the Carrotini is basically cold-pressed juice with booze (our kind of cleanse). f

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WHAT'S IN STORE

Meredith Hardie finds out what makes Fresh City Farms work as both a store and delivery service.

“I

THINK PEOPLE OFTEN have less of an issue spending a lot of money on shoes or a handbag but they don't really think twice about what they put in their body,” Ran Goel the CEO and founder of Fresh City tells me as I make a mental note of the empty takeout boxes and four pairs of shoes hidden under my desk. “We started as an urban farm nine years ago in Downsview Park (which has become Canada's largest commercial city farm) with the idea to connect eaters and makers, to get people thinking about how food comes to their table. It started with deliveries of produce baskets and over time we evolved into a fully-fledged grocer that focuses on sustainable, organic and seasonal, fresh and prepared foods,” Goel continues. Growing up in Toronto, lettuce came from a bag and the only wild animals I saw were pigeons. Food didn’t come from a local farm, food came from somewhere in Mexico and somehow ended up on my plate. The first

thing I notice when I walk into the Ossington location of Fresh City are the floor-to-ceiling windows adorned with planted herbs – this isn't your average grocery store. The food here is often grown and prepared on site. And when it’s imported, every step of the process, from the organic farm to the fair-trade labour to the transportation, has been painstakingly verified. “Organic is an important label, but it’s not the only thing. You could get an organic banana that's made by slave labour. Our sourcing approach is what we pride ourselves on,” says Goel. The bananas in the produce aisle – beside the house-made salads that make my desk lunch look extra sad, and around the corner from the local charcuterie – are from Ecuador, and are Fair Trade. These are things I like knowing; things I can know because Fresh City does the homework for me. Now it’s up to me to not overcook the grass-fed steak from the Healthy Butcher in my basket and stop myself from buying every single Mabel’s chocolate croissant. f

Earlier this spring, the newest (and largest) Fresh City location opened at Bay and Gerrard. The store includes a café with a seating area for customers to enjoy a coffee, a croissant (the best) and some peace of mind knowing that your food was grown, made and delivered by good hands.

You jar what you eat If your idea of cooking is jabbing at the microwave, there’s an extensive line of freshly made, pre-prepared meals that come in reusable jars which Fresh City will clean and sanitize. Try organic butter chicken for last-minute dinner or an apple pie breakfast jar that’ll actually make you want to get out of bed.

Homeward bags Lately, not leaving your house hasn’t been frowned upon, it’s heavily encouraged. Fresh City began delivering organic produce bags to homes and has grown into a complete online grocer including deliveries of family-sized meal kits to a bouquet of Ontario-grown tulips (not edible, sorry).

TIPPING THE SCALES

From the wallet-friendly prix fixe to the magnificient, multi-course affair, the tasting menu comes in many forms that suit many different budgets. EN O T ECA SOC IALE ($)

E DUL IS ($$)

M ASAK I SAITO ($$$)

What’s the deal

Tasting menus might bring to mind white tablecloths and courses that require a magnifying glass, but this Niagara Street spot does things a little differently. From a Parisian striped awning and burgundy facade to a cozy interior that's more like a dimly lit home than a restaurant – one with a gentle ban on mobile devices – Edulis is anything but stuffy.

What you get

What’s the deal

A decade is a long time in the restaurant biz, and while home-cooked, Italian flavours never go out of style, it was time for a facelift at this Dundas West institution. Along with a new open-concept kitchen and interior redesign, visitors at Enoteca Sociale can now reserve a spot at the four-seat chef’s bar and try their Roman tasting menu.

What you get

What else

For the wine pairings (priced by the glass), chef Rindinella chose a list of robust offerings, including a number of Italian varieties rarely seen in Toronto.

What else

A huge wine and champagne list, caviar and Spanish-cured ham, plus an impressive cheese menu offer tempting ways to increase your bill. In truffle season, Edulis offers menus revolving around the delicacy.

What’s the deal

A city doesn’t get much more cuisine clout than the arrival of renowned two-star Michelin chef, Masaki Saito, who left NYC to set up permanently in Toronto last year. At his omakase restaurant inside a Victorian apartment in Yorkville, you can sample some of the priciest and most exquisite sushi.

What you get

The uber luxe menu ($500) features five appetizers, 12 pieces of sushi, miso soup and dessert – but since no two menus are alike, that’s all we can tell you. Depending on the season you might find fresh hairy crab, sliced octopus served with yuzu kosho or grilled sawara (mackerel) served with soy. Saito’s main draw is the sushi courses with fresh seafood flown in daily from Japan. Expect expertly sliced scallop and horse mackerel served from the chef's hand to yours. Note: Masaki Saito takes reservations two months in advance, so plan accordingly.

What else

Chef Saito and his team have compiled an impressive collection of hard-to-find sakes from all corners of Japan. f

Photography: Rick O'Brian; Chuck Ortiz/Back Of House

Chef di cucina Kyle Rindinella has been working closely with local farmers to showcase the best of southern Ontario. For $65, diners get Enoteca classics like cacio e pepe and amatriciana, while recent additions, like the sweet-and-bitter powerhouse combo of anchovy and rapini cavatelli, usher in a new era of faves. The four-course menu might include arancini balls packed with mozzarella di bufala and ‘nduja or mortadella freshly sliced in front of your plate.

The local ingredients change frequently but diners can expect a lot of seafood on the five- ($85) or seven-course ($105) menu. Husband-and-wife duo Michael Caballo and Tobey Nemeth are committed to making everything from scratch to earn a reputation as one of Toronto’s best restaurants. Meals go from sourdough and cultured butter to Chantilly cream on baba au rhum cake, with plenty of wild mushrooms in between.

WEAPONS OF CHOICE This issue, we've got the best kit for a more sustainable kitchen. You'll go green with envy. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAILEE MANDEL STYLING BY BRIANNE COLLINS

PITC HE R PE R F E C T SOMA 10-CUP WATER FILTER PITCHER

It might be a weird flex to say this, but real water drinkers will know that filtered H²O just tastes better. Ditch the plastic bottles and take your tap water to the next level with the Soma 10-Cup Water Filter Pitcher. It’s made in the U.S. from BPA-free plastic with a sustainable white oak handle.

$59.99, well.ca

B RIN G T HE OUTSIDE IN AEROGARDEN HARVEST

Take the guesswork out of growing your greens with this nifty indoor gardening gadget. The plants grow in water (no soil necessary) and a control panel tells you when they need a refill. Grow your own vegetables, herbs and flowers. Up to six plant babies can snuggle up under the automatic 20-watt LED lights to maximize their growth potential.

$194, homedepot.ca

NO T HY M E TO WAST E PREPARA STAINLESS STEEL HERB SAVOR

Once you’ve gone through all the effort of growing your own herbs, don’t let them wilt in the back of your fridge. The Prepara Stainless Steel Herb Savor can keep your greens fresh and hydrated for up to three weeks.

$38.99, thebay.com

OUT TO L U NC H ZERO WASTE UTENSIL ROLL

Keep your reusable cutlery safe, sound and right by your side with this adorable cotton-and-canvas roll up. Four pockets on the inside mean you can pack your reusable glass drinking straws ($27, brookdrabotglass.etsy.com) too, or just a knife and fork for two. Nice and easy.

$49, themadeandfound.etsy.com

REUSABLE SNACK BAG

Made with a food-safe waterproof liner on the inside and 100 per cent cotton on the outside, this little bag has big potential. Use it to keep your snacks fresh, pack your lunch in it or use as a planter. Comes in three different sizes.

$10-15, laptitetrousse.etsy.com

BA MB O O ZLE D TOTALLY BAMBOO 3-PIECE FLATWARE SET

Worried about the plastic takeout cutlery that gets dumped in the trash after one use? You should be! Reuse these Moso bamboo utensils again and again â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just wash with water and soap after your meal.

$22.16, amazon.ca

ALL B OXE D UP PYREX GLASS AND ACACIA WOOD 6-PIECE STORAGE CONTAINER SET

Forget plastic – keep lunch fresh all day or store snacks and pantry items on your countertops in these stylish and sustainable containers.

$45.99 thebay.com

W RAP ART ISTS MIND YOUR BEES WRAPS

Say goodbye to plastic wrap for good. Extend the life of your fruits, veggies and bread with these pretty handmade beeswax food wraps. Wash and reuse them for up to a year then throw in the compost – they’re completely biodegradable.

$20, mindyourbeeswraps.com

G ET T HAT GAR BAG E OUT TA HE R E JOSEPH JOSEPH FOOD WASTE CADDY

This granite compost bin looks chic on your countertop â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and with its ventilation design and replaceable odour filter, you'd never know what nasty whiffs lurk within.

$49.99, amazon.ca

. S R E M R A REAL F . S E P I C E R REAL

Egg Farmers, Laver Family,

ntario Warkworth, O

eggs. REAL h s e fr rm fa g producin We another great ’s re e H ! m ’e g n E eati And you LOV Enjoy! r eggs u o h it w y tr n a recipe you c

Egg Stuffed Peppers

. . . . . . . . . . . SERVES 4 - PREP 10 MINS - COOK 35 MINS

These aren’t your usual stuffed peppers! Eggs are the star of this meal, complemented by fresh chives, turkey, spinach and cheddar cheese. A unique way to use up that leftover turkey!

Ingredients: 1 sweet red bell pepper 1 sweet yellow bell pepper 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil 3 eggs ¼ cup (60 mL) milk 2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped fresh chives, plus extra for garnish ¼ tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper

½ cup (125 mL) finely chopped cooked turkey breast ¼ cup (60 mL) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove liquid 1 cup (250 mL) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice peppers in half lengthwise and clean out seeds. Coat peppers with olive oil and place cut side up in an 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20 cm) baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, chives, salt and pepper. Stir in turkey, spinach and ¼ cup (60 mL) of the cheese.

NUTRIENTS PER SERVING: (¼ recipe or 1 stuffed pepper half): 260 calories, 18 g total fat, 400 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrates, 1 g fibre, 3 g sugars, 19 g protein. Excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B12, pantothenate and selenium. Good source of vitamin B6 and zinc.

Divide mixture between peppers and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until cheese is melted and peppers are tender. Broil on high for a few seconds for extra golden tops. Garnish with extra chives.

TIP: If you don’t have leftovers you can buy a small boneless, skinless turkey breast. Season well then sear in a cast iron pan for 3 minutes on either side. Bake in 350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. Let rest before chopping. Freeze extra meat to use later. TIP: For a veggie option, omit turkey and use tofu instead.

ns of Check out to tcracking.ca e g t a s e ip c re

BACK TO BASICS Meredith Hardie catches up with David Zilber, Scarborough native and the head of Noma’s fermentation, for a primer on how to use one of the oldest foodways.

ALK DOWN ANY grocery aisle and you’re bound to see the works of fermentation at play – from ketchup, king of condiments, to the wellness world’s latest obsession, kombucha. Fermentation is incredibly diverse – it starts your sourdough and preserves ingredients way beyond their expiry date. Today, it’s advanced from preservation to innovation. In Copenhagen, there’s a place that knows a thing or two about innovation and rarely needs an introduction. Noma, the two-Michelin-star restaurant and fourtime world's best restaurant, incorporates fermentation into almost every dish. It’s so important that they created a fermentation lab. At the helm is Canadian David Zilber who started cooking in Scarborough and is Noma’s

current director of fermentation – turns out, transformation isn't just for pickles.

What is fermentation? “Fermentation is the transformation of one ingredient into another with the help of microbes,” says Zilber. Microbes are tiny living things that exist everywhere on earth. Some microbes are good like lactobacillus, a salt-loving bacteria that lives all around us, including on our skin. Then there are not-sogood microbes like the bacterium clostridium botulinum which is bad because, well, botulism. “Rot is also the transformation at the hand of a microbe, so you need another agent in the process – you. The fermentor is

needed to make sure that the fermentation process happens as it should. When you take an active role, you can control what you end up with,” Zilber says.

Is it safe? “Picture a line outside a nightclub. Rot is a nightclub where everyone gets in: pathogens, all sorts of bacteria, amoebas. There's no one at the door and everything is causing chaos inside. Fermentation is the club that employs you as the bouncer and you're outside with a velvet rope deciding who gets to come in and who doesn’t. When you let the right set of microbes into your club you end up with an amazing party,” explains Zilber.

When the right microbes consume carbohydrates, they create alcohol and acids as byproducts, which extend the food's shelf life by killing off the bad guys that cause rot. It’s why those pickles you forgot about at the back of your fridge last longer than the cucumber you just bought. But, those former cucumbers required a fermenter who added saltwater to the party and cut off the oxygen – the only time you'd want this at a party.

Where did fermentation come from? “People have been fermenting since before they even realized they were practicing it. The Romans used to think alcoholic fermentation (when yeast transforms sugar into ethanol) was magic. The word ferment comes from the Latin word “fervere,” meaning “to boil,” like a fever, because they would see things bubbling without heat,” says Zilber.

BREAD

Alcoholic fermentation isn’t just for booze. When yeast, single-celled fungi, chow down on dough’s carbohydrates, they produce alcohol and carbon dioxide gas (the alcohol is evaporated during baking, womp womp). Other alcoholic fermented items include kombucha, wine and beer. CHEESE

Brie, camembert and that stinkingly good blue cheese ferment from the fungi mould. Yup, mould isn’t just something you panic-call a pro to remove from your apartment. The good kind of mould from the penicillin genus (you know, that life-saving antibiotic) has

family members that feast on the proteins and sugars in milk and grow on the rinds of certain cheese. This doesn’t apply to fresh cheese like mozzarella – scrape off any mould there.

Can you ferment at home? You don’t need a lab to ferment, all you need to do is control your ferment’s environment. This could be as simple as adding some saltwater and a lid to a jar of vegetables. The fermentation process gets more complicated with things like cheese that require a precise temperature, acidity level and a cheese babysitter who constantly checks that the right kind of mould is growing on it.

What are the benefits? “When you ferment something, what you’re actually doing is outsourcing the work of digestion to a microbe. The enzymes that microbes use for breakdown are very much akin to the ones that your body would produce to do that same job. If you're consuming something that's been predigested by another organism it actually has a higher nutritional value,” Zilber explains.

What food can be fermented? Anything that has microbes (so, everything). Different microbes exist on different types of food which ferment in all kinds of ways, so separating the myriad of fermentation processes into neat categories can be limiting – it would be like saying all mammals are the same. However, there are a few familiar items you probably have in your kitchen right now.

Why is it important to Noma? “It adds dimensions to the pantry of flavours that we have in Scandinavia. René Redzepi and the team at Noma work within a geographical box with ingredients that define the region. Fermentation allows a lot of control to bring acidity, umami, brightness and complexity to ingredients that don’t have to be just what they are plucked from a field,” Zilber says. “For me, there’s this sense of wonder and creation. One of the things that brings me the greatest joy is seeing people make a ferment for the first time. It’s extremely emboldening to see people do this stuff and nail it.” f

PICKLES

When cucumbers are lacto-fermented in a brine (saltwater) they turn into pickles. Remember our friend lactobacillus? Well it lives on cucumbers’ skin and when it consumes the vegetable’s sugars it produces lactic acid which prevents unwanted microbes from growing and gives fermented pickles their distinctive tangy, sour taste. Other lactofermented foods include kimchi and yogurt.

W HERE TO G ET IT

Photography: Zarzamora; Medvedeva Oxana

M ONTGOMERY’S

MO TH E R C OC KTAIL BAR

NORT HE R N M AVE R I CK

996 Queen St. W.

874 Queen St. W.

115 Bathurst St.

Chef Guy Rawlings has created a menu featuring only seasonal, Canadian ingredients (even the salt is from our shores), so what happens in the winter? Fermentation, that’s what. We'd be happy if the house-made sourdough bread with their rooftop herb butter was our entire meal, but only if there’s enough room for entrées like the aged duck and mushroom ragu fettuccini. montgomerysrestaurant.com

Behind the mysterious wood-slat facade lies a craft cocktail bar unlike any other. The bartenders here are elite athletes of mixed drinks – their knowledge is extensive and their skills make the at-home cocktail connoisseur look like a baby with a wine opener. They’re obsessed with incorporating fermentation into their food and drink menu with twists on classics like the salted negroni with lacto-fermented plums. motherdrinks.co

You can’t miss this massive craft brewery on the corner of King and Bathurst, not just because of its size but also for the high-quality brews and house charcuterie. Forget your standard boards, from now on we want a house-cured meat and Canadian cheese programme. With eight fermenters that hold up to 20 hectolitres of liquid gold, Northern Maverick can brew enough beer to pour half a million pints a year. northernmaverick.ca

MADE LIKE NO OTHER FOR A TASTE LIKE NO OTHER

Recipes

BE THE HOST WITH THE UNICORN TOAST

After months of indoor dwelling, we're relying on our plates to provide a dose of fun and frivolity. These five recipes from the creator of Unicorn Toast do just that.

FOODISMTO

F YOU ARE what you eat then as we finally emerge from literal hiberation, we are one very generous serving of chili, loaded up with sour cream and plenty of extra cheese. We’re not about to kick carbs out of bed completely, but summer is the time to get excited for beautiful produce. Adeline Waugh changed her eating habits after researching the connection between diet and acne. When no amount of prescription medication (or several pounds of makeup) would do the trick, she experimented by reducing her intake of refined sugars, dairy and gluten, and cutting out processed food in favour of real food. In addition to finding better skin and a much improved mood, Waugh created

the Instagram account @vibrantandpure to document her journey and showcase meals that are as photogenic as they are nutritious. Her debut cookbook Vibrant & Pure ($24, penguinrandomhouse.ca) features 80 bright and healthy recipes, including some of her most popular dishes, like Unicorn Toast, a concoction responsible for launching the Instagram food phenomenon. In 2017, the blogger and food stylist posted a snap of her beet-juice-infused, hot-pink creation, inspiring an internet’s worth of copycats and catapulting herself into the spotlight. On top of colourful snacks (mermaid toast, anyone?), Waugh offers everything from smoothie bowls to sweet potato fries and lentil burgers. We’ve rounded up a meal’s worth of colourful and delicious recipes. f

Vibrant & Pure: Healthful Recipes for Bright, Nourishing Meals by Adeline Waugh ($24 hardcover, Penguin Randomhouse Canada).

FOODISM RECIPES, IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROBERT MONDAVI PRIVATE SELECTION Long before California’s Central Coast became synonymous with great wine, legendary winemaker Robert Mondavi pioneered the region. He inherently recognized its potential to produce phenomenal grapes at a more accessible price. Our Private Selection wines celebrate Robert Mondavi’s early passion for the

Central Coast, exuding the fresh fruit character and bright acidity that comes from a wine shaped by the Pacific Ocean. Robert Mondavi Private Selection wines rely largely on grapes from California’s Central Coast to create a collection of wines with a story and substance – quality crafted wines for everyday enjoyment.

Adeline Waugh’s

PINK CAESAR SALAD

Take the stodge out of this former steak house staple by adding colour to the dressing with beet juice. Hemp seeds and nutritional yeast pump up the ﬂavour.

PAIR THIS

RM Private Selection Chardonnay This white wine's notes of toasty oak, coupled with its crisp acidity, will find a bosom pal in bright, summer salads. LCBO #379180

I N GREDI EN TS ◆ 2 heads of romaine lettuce,

torn into bite-sized pieces

◆ 2 Tbsp hemp seeds

◆ 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

◆ 2 to 3 Tbsp Pink Caesar

Dressing (recipe follows)

DRESSING ◆ 4 garlic cloves ◆ ½ shallot

◆ ⅓ cup veganaise or

mayonnaise

◆ 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil ◆ 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

◆ 2 Tbsp beet juice (or 1 Tbsp

chopped, peeled raw beet)

◆ 1 tsp fish sauce or

caper juice

◆ 1 tsp Dijon mustard

◆ 1 tsp apple cider vinegar ◆ ½ tsp freshly ground

black pepper

Method

1 Add the garlic and shallot to a food processor or high-speed blender and pulse until it’s very finely minced. Add in the veganaise, olive oil, nutritional yeast, beet juice, fish sauce, mustard, apple cider vinegar and black pepper, and purée until smooth. 2 Place the romaine in a large salad bowl and toss with the hemp seeds,

nutritional yeast and Creamy Pink Caesar Dressing. Divide the salad between 2 bowls and top with the crumbled crackers, if desired. Serve immediately so that dressing doesn't have a chance to wilt the romaine. Note: The Creamy Pink Caesar Dressing is best if used right away, but can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. f

Adeline Waugh’s

CARAMELIZED POMEGRANATE CARROTS

Welcome summer with a rainbow of colour on your plate. The roasted carrots are hearty enough to chase away lingering chilly weather.

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2 In a large bowl, combine the molasses, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, red pepper flakes and salt, and whisk until fully combined. Add the carrots, then toss to coat. Spread the carrots evenly on the baking sheet. 3 Roast the carrots for 15 minutes, then turn and cook for 15 minutes more. Turn once more and cook for 15 minutes more, or until the carrots are fork-tender and caramelized. 4 While they are still slightly warm from the oven, sprinkle the carrots with the pomegranate seeds, and the chopped Italian parsley, if desired. f

I NG REDI EN TS ◆ 1 Tbsp pomegranate

molasses

◆ 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil ◆ ½ tsp apple cider vinegar ◆ ½ tsp honey

◆ ½ tsp crushed red pepper

flakes

Photography: Adeline Waugh

◆ ¼ tsp sea salt

◆ 15 large carrots, peeled

and halved or quartered crosswise ◆ 2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds ◆ Chopped Italian parsley, to taste (optional)

PAIR THIS

RM Private Selection Cab Sauv Pair all that juicy pomegranate with flavours of ripe cherries and blackberries. Perfect with grilled veggies. LCBO #392225

Adeline Waugh’s

FISH TACO BOWLS

Don't fancy making your own tacos by hand? Ditch the dough and try these ﬂavourful bowls instead. All taste, no hassle – we're sold.

Method

1 Preheat the broiler and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2 Make the fish. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, lime juice, avocado oil, salt and chipotle powder. Add the fish and evenly coat with the garlic mixture. Place the fish on the baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes, until opaque and flakey. Let the fish cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then break up into bite-sized pieces using a fork. 3 Meanwhile, make the pico de gallo. In a small bowl, combine the diced mango, diced onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. 4 Make the mayo. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sriracha, lime juice, honey and cumin until a smooth, creamy sauce forms. 5 Divide the lettuce and cabbage among 4 bowls and top each with some chunks of cod. Drizzle with the mayo and top with the pico de gallo. Sprinkle on the tortilla chips, radishes, avocado and cilantro, if desired. f

INGRE DIE NTS FISH ◆ 2 garlic cloves, minced

◆ Juice of ½ lime (1 Tbsp) ◆ 1 Tbsp avocado oil ◆ ¼ tsp salt

◆ ¼ tsp chipotle chile powder ◆ 4 (6-ounce) cod fillets

PICO DE GALLO ◆ 1 cup diced mango

(from 1 ripe mango)

◆ ½ cup diced onion

◆ 1 jalapeño pepper, minced

◆ ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves,

finely chopped ◆ Juice of 1 lime (2 Tbsp) ◆ ¼ tsp sea salt

MAYO ◆ 3 tbsp mayonnaise

or veganaise

◆ 1 Tbsp sriracha

◆ Juice of ½ lime (1 Tbsp) ◆ ½ tsp honey

◆ ¼ tsp ground cumin

SALAD

PAIR THIS

RM Private Selection Sauv Blanc

◆ 2 cups shredded

iceberg lettuce

◆ 2 cups shredded romaine ◆ 1 cup thinly sliced

green cabbage

Notes of freshly cut grass and grapefruit pairs this wine perfectly with fish tacos – and balcony hangs all summer.

◆ 1 cup crushed tortilla chips

LCBO #405753

◆ ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro

TOPPINGS (OPTIONAL) ◆ 1 watermelon radish,

thinly sliced

◆ 1 avocado, sliced

Photography: Adeline Waugh

Adeline Waugh’s

GARLIC-ROAST CHICKEN

With the crispiest skin and the tangiest sauce, this roast chicken turns a classic into the stuff of legend. Serve this at your next dinner party for extra culinary kudos.

INGRE DIE NTS CHICKEN ◆ 1 whole chicken (about 6

pounds), preferably organic and pasture-raised ◆ 2 tsp salt ◆ 6 garlic cloves, minced ◆ 1 shallot, minced ◆ ¼ cup fresh parsley, minced ◆ Grated zest of 1 lemon (about 1 Tbsp) ◆ 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil ◆ 1 tsp red wine vinegar ◆ ½ tsp dried thyme ◆ ½ tsp dried rosemary ◆ ½ tsp sweet paprika ◆ 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper ◆ ⅓ cup Green Sauce (recipe follows)

GREEN SAUCE ◆ 4 garlic cloves

◆ 1 jalapeño pepper

◆ 1 (4-ounce) bunch of fresh

cilantro (stems and leaves)

◆ 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil ◆ 1 Tbsp pepperoncini brine

(see Tip)

◆ ½ tsp salt

TIP If you don’t have pepperoncini brine, feel free to substitute pickle juice. If you don’t have either, you can use white wine vinegar, but make sure to taste and adjust the salt, as pepperoncini and pickle juices provide extra saltiness.

Method

1 Place the chicken in a roasting pan. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tsp of the salt, the garlic, shallot, parsley, lemon zest, olive oil, vinegar, thyme, rosemary, paprika and pepper. Rub the mixture onto the chicken, making sure to get some seasoning underneath the skin. Cover with plastic wrap and let the chicken marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. 2 Preheat the oven to 425 F. 3 Roast the chicken for 45 minutes

to 1 hour, or until the skin is crispy and browned and the temperature reaches 165 F on a meat thermometer. Remove from the oven and let cool. 4 In a food processor, combine the garlic, jalapeno and cilantro and pulse until finely chopped. Add the olive oil and brine and purĂŠe until a uniform green sauce forms. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 5 Carve the chicken and serve with a generous dollop of green sauce. f

CABERNET SAUVIGNON WITH A BOURBON BARREL TWIST

PAIR THIS

RM Private Selection Bourbon Cab Photography: Adeline Waugh

This blend of Californian wine and bourbon whisky aging is the ideal addition to marinated chicken. LCBO #464149

Please enjoy our wines responsibly. 20RMPS_4690 ÂŠ2020 Robert mondavi, Acamo, CA

Adeline Waugh’s

BLOOD ORANGE– PASSIONFRUIT CHEESECAKE With the creative use of cashews, it’s entirely possible to make a vegan cheesecake that will please even the most discerning dinner-party guest.

ING R E DIE NTS FOR THE CRUST ◆ 1 cup walnuts

◆ ½ cup hazelnuts

◆ ½ cup pitted dates

◆ ½ tsp vanilla extract ◆ ¼ tsp sea salt

FOR THE FILLING ◆ 2 cups raw cashews, soaked

and drained

◆ ¼ cup coconut oil, melted

Method

1 Make the crust. In a food processor, combine the walnuts, hazelnuts, dates, vanilla and salt until a thick and slightly sticky dough forms. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and chill in the freezer, about 15 minutes. 2 Make the filling. In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews, coconut oil, maple syrup, orange juice, lemon zest, lemon juice, passionfruit pulp, vanilla and beet and blend on high speed until smooth. Add up to 4 Tbsp of water, as needed, until the filling is smooth. Taste and adjust flavours to your liking. 3 Pour the filling over the crust and spread to evenly distribute. Return to the freezer and chill for at least 6 hours, or up to overnight. 4 To serve, let cake sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. Store the cake in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. f

◆ ⅓ cup maple syrup

◆ Juice of 1 blood orange

(about ½ cup)

◆ 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest ◆ Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tsp) ◆ 2 Tbsp passion fruit pulp

(from 1 passion fruit)

◆ 1 tsp vanilla extract

◆ 2 Tbsp diced peeled raw beet

(optional)

PAIR THIS

This bold, ruby red wine is the perfect foil for a colourful cake bursting with zesty citrus fruit. LCBO #13734

Photography: Adeline Waugh

RM Private Selection Rum-Barrel Aged Merlot

MADE LIKE NO OTHER FOR A TASTE LIKE NO OTHER

FROM

LEFT

RIGHT

Beronia

Tempranillo:

LCBO #243055, $13.95 2. Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio DOC: &

Fils

LCBO

#302380,

MĂ˘con-Lugny

$14.95

Saint-Pierre:

Bouchard LCBO

PĂ¨re

#51573,

$22.00 4. Monte Antico IGT: LCBO #69377, $15.95 5. Bollini Pinot Grigio DOC: LCBO #951319, $18.95

Importers and distributors of fine wines and spirits since 1990. Woodman Wines & Spirits Inc. is committed to excellence in our relationship with our producers, our distributors and our customers. For a complete list of our valued producers, please visit woodmanwinesandspirits.com / Complimentary delivery throughout Ontario.

@woodmanws

COOKING LOCALLY WITH LIMITS IS EASY

CANUCK CUISINE

At Montgomery's, Guy Rawlings quietly plugs away to promote his version of hyper-local Canadiana. On a Canadian restaurant concept The idea was always to be a Canadian restaurant, and I like that term because it doesn’t have a definition. For us, it just means using things around us. It’s not a new concept in the world; if you look at older civilizations, that’s the way they did it and from that they built cultural traditions. In parts of Canada you may have certain cultural developments – Quebec and Newfoundland have more of a food identity than we do in southern Ontario. For us it’s more about sustainability and less about being "Canadian".

On using only local ingredients We’re a bunch of spoiled kids because we’ve built a society around consuming.

When I have an abundance of choice – I can order anything from anywhere in the world – it’s actually a little overwhelming. Cooking locally with limitations is easy. I’ve got some pork, cabbage and onions, which coincidentally go very well together. We dive in and develop their flavours instead of making a muddled mess of ingredients. We try to go even further down the rabbit hole – a year ago we stopped using international spices. They’re just dried weeds, berries, twigs and guess what? We have all that here. When you dry a whole parsnip and grate it on a microplane, it smells and tastes like curry.

On Canada’s winter abundance Folklore and confused messages have been

sent telling people that because there’s snow on the ground, there’s limited produce in Canada. But there are resourceful ways to produce and save. If you’re already intimidated by cooking, you’re probably going to be intimidated by these so-called restrictions. People make fun of me for not using lemons, but I think some chefs should be embarrassed about where they’re getting their produce from. One friend of mine was worried about setting up a restaurant in the winter, but it’s actually a time that we get excited about – there are carrots, parsnips, celeriac, sunchoke, cabbages, potatoes, apples and pears. And that’s just the salad stuff. We’re still producing arugula and kale, plus cucumbers are a year-round product. I never serve things that are available in the winter during summer to avoid limiting my choices.

On suppliers There are so many different avenues and we’re lucky because we have a reputation now. But sometimes people show up at our door unannounced, which is the best – after all, weirdos attract weirdos. A guy I hadn’t seen for a year once showed up at the restaurant with fresh scallops, because he knew I'd like them.

On fermentation Chefs like to give cheeky comments sometimes, like “Oh, what are you going to ferment next?” It’s pretty ignorant because so much on menus is fermented – the bread, wine and beer. It’s not a new thing, it’s something I’ve done forever. The first time I fermented vegetables they were so bright and complex. Now we make all of our vinegars. Fermentation shouldn’t be a big deal for people, and in the rest of the world, where people cook seasonally and locally, it’s a staple technique to make things last longer. We ferment and dry asparagus peelings, and save coffee grounds to turn into vinegar. f

CONTEST

Ingredients ◆ 1 cup of spiralized beets, carrots,

butternut squash and zucchini

◆ ½ avocado

◆ ⅓ cup blanched edamame

◆ Handful of sunflower seeds ◆ ¼ cup roasted chickpeas

◆ Toasted sesame seeds for garnish ◆ Sprinkling of cilantro ◆ ¼ cup shaved radish

◆ ¼ cup shaved red onion ◆ Dash of Maldon salt ◆ Lime wedge

Ginger Dressing

HOME ADVANTAGE Your favourite gaming destination is bringing the fun home with takeout options and at-home inspiration.

HE WORD 'AMBIENCE' is something we’ve been throwing about a lot lately. Don’t get us wrong, becoming part-time food bloggers has been fun, but ultimately, we miss the lively atmosphere of restaurants, and nowhere is that truer than at the Rec Room. Toronto’s premier Eats and Entertainment destination – with state-of-the-art gaming alongside classics like ping-pong – may be temporarily closed, but you can still bring home the trophy this summer. With two stellar restaurants, Three10 and the Shed, the Rec Room has always been a great spot to dig into fresh and handcrafted apps like poutine and calamari, or to sit down for woodfired oven pizza and summer rainbow bowls (see recipe). Luckily for us, the same shareable meals are available on

SkipTheDishes – and for those looking to level up their night, you can add board games like Jenga, Twister and Monopoly to your order. For aspiring chefs, the Rec Room is also sharing food and drink recipes on Instagram, so you can recreate game time at home. How about a grapefruit vodka Livin’ My Best Life cocktail and pizza with a side of Battleship? Race you to the dinner table! Even better, the good folks at the Rec Room donated $1 to Food Banks Canada on each and every online order, plus they are donating lunch to Eastview Neighbourhood Community Centre each month until the end of the year in support of frontline workers during COVID-19. Talk about a team player. ● To learn more, head to therecroom.com or @therecroomca

WIN A MEALKIT FROM THE REC ROOM

◆ 1-inch chunk of ginger, peeled

and chopped

◆ ⅔ cup lime juice

◆ A dash of kosher salt

◆ A squeeze of Gochujang paste ◆ ⅓ cup of honey

◆ 2 Tbsp soy sauce

◆ 1 cup of canola oil

For the ginger Combine ginger, lime juice, salt, gochujang, honey and soy sauce into a bowl. Using an immersion blender, blend until completely smooth. Slowly drizzle in canola oil until fully incorporated and homogenous. Store refrigerated in an airtight container.

Method 1 In a mixing bowl, dress spiralized vegetable mix with 1.5 oz of ginger dressing, toss well to combine. Place the spiralized vegetables in the center of plate. 2 Slice avocado into 7 slices, fan out gently, and place core side up in the center of the vegetable mix – garnish with toasted sesame. 3 Place the blanched edamame, shaved red onion, roasted sunflower seeds, cilantro, radish and chickpeas in tidy piles surrounding the exterior of the vegetable mix. 4 Drizzle the remaining ginger dressing over the garnishes, add lime wedge, season with Maldon salt and serve.

WIN

We’re giving away everything you need to host a (socially distanced) game night. Winners will receive a pizza and nachos DIY kit, two premium game bands, plus a $100 gift card to use at the Rec Room. For a full list of T&Cs and to enter visit: foodism.to/competition

Photography: Kailee Mandel

RAINBOW BOWL

— PART 2 —

FEAST “FOIE GRAS HAS A PARTICULARLY LARGE TARGET ON ITS BACK.” OPULENCE ON TRIAL, 064

054 HOT TOWN, SUMMER IN THE CITY | 064 OPULENCE ON TRIAL 070 THE GREEN LIGHT | 083 SUMMER RECIPE GUIDE

HOT TOWN, SUMMER IN THE CITY

Whichever way you look at it, this summer’s set to be one to remember – but let’s make sure it’s for the right reasons. Here are a few of the ways we’re making this season special.

HE LAST FEW months have been hard, to say the least. And even as restrictions start to loosen, this summer isn’t going to look anything like what we’re used to. Summer time in the city was once synonymous with jam-packed patios, overcrowded (and overpriced) food festivals and stadiums stuffed with sports fans – all things that have become a distant memory. It’s easy to dwell on what could have been. But in a country where winter lasts eight months, we plan to make the most of the precious, little warm weather we have. Sharing a meal with family and friends was once something we took for granted, and now it’s the most wonderful gift we could ask for. So instead of reminiscing about yesteryear, we’ve come up with a list of little things we can do to keep hold of that magical summer feeling, even as we continue physical distancing practices. From Toronto chefs and bartenders and the foodism team, here are the simple, special ways we’ll be celebrating summer in the city. →

Photography: Photography: Warren Wong ###

Raising the porch Meredith Hardie, Foodism’s Editorial Assistant

I live right across from Trinity Bellwoods Park, where you used to find me on warm days petting other people’s dogs and picnicking with friends. Summer has always been spent outside my little slanted row house – until this year. After spending ample time at home these past couple months, I’ve had the chance to do some much-needed cleaning and re-decorating, and my priority has been my outdoor areas. For the longest time my front porch and back patio were just extra storage space, neglected and filthy from long winters. A little elbow grease, twinkly lights and several trips to RONA’s online store have transformed my dilapidated decks into HGTV-worthy havens. I’ve even learned how to turn on my BBQ and haven’t killed any of my plants (they’re fake). Once a week my partner and I will get takeout from one of our favourite local spots like Union (burgers, every time) or

Montgomery’s and eat our meals on the patio. It feels almost normal. If you’re strapped for outdoor space, little things like solar powered lights, artificial grass (Canadian Tire) or deck tiles and fold up chairs (IKEA) go a long way. Views Balcony Bar makes great bite-sized patio bars for condo balconies where you can sip your favourite cocktails. We order from Dolly Trolley Drinks, Supernova Ballroom’s deconstructed cocktail delivery service, or grab cold ones from Bandit Brewery.

TWINKLY LIGHTS HAVE TURNED MY DILAPIDATED DECKS INTO HAVENS

LEARNING TO COOK OUTDOORS IS MOSTLY ABOUT PRACTICE Fishing and Foraging Michael Hunter, Chef and Owner, Antler

Photography: Anna Nahabed

I try to get to the Toronto islands every summer. They’re a cool little spot just to paddle board or canoe and you really feel like you’re getting out of the city. I go to Algonquin Park for a portage trip that I love and there’s great fishing up there as well. I try to get out into nature as much as possible. We do a little bit of foraging for the restaurant; things like mint, watercress, wild ginger and sumac in the warmer months. What you hunt is dictated by the seasons, too. Summer is mainly all about fishing. Pickerel, bass and trout are all pretty local. I mainly go to the Kawartha Lakes and Georgian Bay and some of the little rivers and streams in the GTA can be good, too. I love cooking over an open fire. I think it’s a lot of fun and challenging. If you’re new at it, it’s a bit of a learning curve, but once you get over that curve it’s really rewarding. I do it in my backyard – if you live in a condo you might be out of luck, but a lot of parks have those barbecue pits for charcoal and bins where you can dispose of the hot coals. It’s just trial and error. People are afraid to cook or too nervous to try new things, but it’s just about practice. Get out there and have fun. If you’re doing steaks, I like to do high heat. I like to sear steaks in cast-iron pans. Cast-iron is beneficial because they transfer the heat evenly so you’re able to heat up the entire pan and then the meat retains that heat. With thinner, aluminum cookware, once the meat is in there it cools the pan down really quick and doesn’t hold the heat as well. Cast-iron is great for anything from open fire to electric elements to on a grill. →

Summer sipping Amanda Chen, Founder, Salty Paloma

My favourite cocktail for the summer is definitely a watermelon Margarita, a frosé, or something frozen and blended. I really like to play with rosé in the summer. I usually drink red wine over white, so I’m really excited to get into that. And an Aperol Spritz is a pretty fun drink for the warmer weather. I’m pretty excited about people getting more in the mood for summery, fun drinks, rather than the heavier, very spiritforward, winter, knocking-you-out type of drinks. You might only have one or two drinks in the winter and you can now have three or four and they’re all lighter. So you can enjoy the variety more. A Negroni is a pretty strong cocktail in itself. But instead of Campari, I would switch it with Aperol or even Lillet Blanc to lighten up the cocktail for summer and bring out more of those orange notes. I think orange is a huge flavour for most cocktails in warmer weather. Planting your own fresh herbs; that’s an easy way to instantly elevate your cocktail. You can make your own little tiny garden in your condo. And just add those fresh herbs as an extra flourish. They can be the garnish or they can be put directly in your drink. If you want to, muddle fresh herbs like basil or mint, or muddle actual fruits. Cucumber is really fun to work with and strawberry is really popular as well. Just the act of mashing things up, shaking them and putting them together gives you that extra bit of fun and changes the drink from your general vodka soda combination.

The best thing to do on a summer day (and a tradition in my family) is to grab food from a local restaurant, head to the nearest green space, spread out a blanket and tuck into a takeout feast. It works with one friend or several. Each person can even bring their own meal to accommodate different dietary needs (or cravings), and to maintain those all-important physical distancing measures. You can mix up your food/park combo, too. This way, I avoid the patio pandemonium, and still get to chow down on some good eats while basking in the glory of a beautiful summer day – not to mention supporting local businesses, especially those that don’t have outdoor seating but still need our patronage. I might even pack a little giggle water (or regular water, if the police are reading this) in a reusable bottle. Don’t forget to bring your bamboo or reusable cutlery. →

EATING TAKEOUT IN THE PARK IS A GREAT WAY TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES RIGHT NOW

Turning up the take out Taylor Newlands, Foodism’s Staff Writer

Photography: Kristi Blokhin

First off, let’s get one thing straight: I’m not knocking Toronto’s patio culture. My love affair with al fresco dining is the highlight of my summer. But, in my humble opinion, there’s a better way to spend an afternoon soaking up the sun and enjoying our favourite restaurant fare – and it doesn’t involve lining up for two hours just to be crammed onto an overcrowded patio.

Sharing is caring Mary Berg, Host of Mary’s Kitchen Crush

Katie Bridges, Foodism’s Associate Editor

It’s with a touch of sadness that I reconcile myself to the fact that this summer will be one to remember – but for all the wrong reasons. And for Canadians, who wait all year for four straight months of al fresco freewheeling, it’s a double punch in the gut. One particular shot through the heart is the realization that it may be some time before I am able to visit a winery in Niagara or Prince Edward County. While there’s no substitute for wine tastings between the vines, in the exact terroir that you’re reading about on the

label, there is another way to get up close and personal with some of the province’s best. Social-distance-senses tingling, several Ontario wineries quickly galvanized, pivoting their business models to bring wine to the GTA – in some cases, waiving the delivery charge. This summer, I’ll be (metaphorically) walking through the vineyards with each glass – enjoying crisp barrel-fermented riesling from Trail Estate Winery, small lot rosé blends picked from Thirty Bench’s estate in Beamsville, or skin-contact wines from Southbrook Vineyards’ 150-acre plot in →

Drinking and dreaming

Photography: Ken Felepchuk

The thing that I enjoy doing the most is making a meal. I love cooking and when I’m stressed, that’s what I like to do. So I’ve been cooking even more than I normally do. And then we disseminate that meal throughout our friends. They’ll pop by and I’ll pack them a plate, still distanced and still keeping our space, but sharing in the same meal. I think sharing the same thing is weirdly something we’ve always taken for granted. In the summertime, the thing I make that really brings people together are my pies. I love baking and anytime there’s fruit, the pie-making quota goes up like crazy. In the summer, you just want to use up all those fresh fruits and vegetables and I’ve been getting a bunch of different food boxes from local restaurants and breweries. Tip: Bellwoods Brewery has been doing a produce box and Cote de Boeuf has awesome half-priced wine. It’s super fancy wine that’s not at the LCBO and usually costs $35 a

MANY WINERIES HAVE PIVOTED TO BRING WINE TO THE GTA

bottle. I’ve been making different sweet and savoury pies that are perfect for sharing. I love a strawberry rhubarb pie, a coconut cream, and lately I’m really into savoury pies. Whether that’s a quiche with white winesautéed mushrooms, onions and ramps, or a tomato pie with a ricotta base and mustard and herbs – it’s friggin delicious!

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FOODISM IS SUPPORTING THE LOCAL BUSINESSES NEAR AND DEAR TO US Lending a helping hand Krista Faist, CEO & Publisher

→ Grange of Prince Edward Winery’s rustic idyll and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Pair it with local produce – does anything scream summer more than Ontario peaches and sparkling wine? – or leave it to the pros. Alo made its takeout debut earlier this spring, and recommends regional faves like Pearl Morissette to go with their stunning tasting menu, delivered to your door. Easy peasy. Savouring the seasons Matthew Ravenscroft Chef de Cuisine, Rosalinda

Photography: Sara Carpenter

I think the biggest thing that gets me really excited about summer is the diversity and abundance that Ontario produce brings. I’m constantly surprised by what people are growing and able to create locally. There’s a biodiversity that’s just a rainbow representation of this area and is so, so rich. It opens up a lot of different flavour combinations, ways of cooking vegetables and different social

experiences that become an opportunity to celebrate great food. You get to forge these new connections – maybe it’s with a vegetable you haven’t cooked before, but are finally going for it, or maybe it’s with the farmers who are out there growing your food. That’s a really special experience that we’re particularly missing out on right now. These small exchanges are moments that are really meaningful, and really reflective of the summer season for produce. There are these highly anticipated micro-seasons – tiny moments that perfectly capture a plant in its prime. To me, that’s the ultimate delicacy. Tomato season, when it’s right, is both fleeting and perfect. A summer strawberry? Out of control. It’s delicious. It’s a feeling that it’s better to love and lost than never to have loved at all. And I am just so for that. You can truly feel rich eating a perfect peach when it’s the right moment on a perfect summer day, and remember the sheer disappointment when it’s finished. I think we all have that one thing we really look forward to, and while it differs for everyone, it sparks a very specific joy in us.

I’m not sure how this summer is going to shape up, but I do know that it’s going to be unquestionably different than any we’ve experienced before. What’s scary though, is the idea that once restrictions loosen, our favourite bars and restaurants might not be there to open their doors to us. The industry we hold so near and dear (and the one that allows us to create this magazine) is in a lot of trouble. It’s falling through the cracks and its future is uncertain. While some great initiatives have been born out of this, including Canada #TakeOutDay, One Table and Save the Hospitality Industry Fund, it’s going to take everyone’s help. We wanted to do our part and decided to help in two ways: as you might have read in the editor’s letter, we’re donating all of our net advertising profits from this issue of foodism directly to the initiatives above, with a portion also going to the Fort York Food Bank. We want to focus on being advocates for sustainable and ongoing support because when doors reopen, establishments are in for a long and hard battle. Our aim is to drive awareness to things everyone can do: continue to order take out once a week (bonus if you order directly), buy gift cards if you’re not comfortable dining in and support your local independent shops. If you do dine out, (and that should be considered a massive celebration in itself!) tip the service staff well and understand that menus and pricing may change as venues adapt to their new situation. Small actions can make a big difference and will shape how quickly the hospitality industry recovers. f

OPULENCE ON TRIAL

As jurisdictions around the world ban foie gras, Ontario’s chefs strive for a way to source it ethically – or opt out entirely. WORDS BY KATE DINGWALL

Photography: ###

ABOVE: Langdon Hall, in Cambridge, Ont., is committed to responsibly sourcing everything on the menu, including this foie gras

OIE GRAS, ALONG with truffles and caviar, is a symbol of excess. “I’ve never considered not using foie gras,” says chef Nicholas Trosien, chef de cuisine at Café Boulud. “It’s almost an expectation from our menu.” But not everyone feels the same. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) scorns the ingredient, pointing out that it can only be made by force-feeding birds. Over 100 restaurants in Toronto serve foie gras, from formal dining spots to fast-casual eateries. Café Boulud serves it in many ways: seared, covered in a blanket of cherries, or in charcuterie. At Mother Tongue, a Filipino

and Pan-Asian-inspired spot on Adelaide, alongside a menu of bao buns, Guangzhou chicken wings and lemongrass chicken, chef Francis Bermejo carefully folds foie gras into delicate duck confit dumplings. AloBar does a mousse version, piped onto house-baked brioche, while the beer sippers at Bellwoods Brewery can spoon foie gras terrine on toast points. Holy Chuck offers it as an addon to burgers and poutines. (“Want foie gras with those fries?”) But south of the border, New York chefs are losing this luxury. Thanks to Bill 1378, Manhattan menus will be wiped clean of foie by 2022. Chefs are mourning the loss of a dear friend. “It’s like taking letters from our alphabet,” one New York chef said.

It’s trickling north. Outside Bar Isabel (who serves it shaved atop Balearic cured sausage) last November, animal rights activists drew picket lines, standing outside with signs decrying the product. Foie gras is a contentious, polarizing product: chefs are either strongly for or against it but usually not in between. It is not alone in its divisiveness: horse meat, beluga caviar, shark fins and unpasteurized milk have all met debates over ethics, public health or animal endangerment. But foie gras has had a particularly large target on its back. The price tag (averaging $50 a pound) makes it a delicacy. Chefs argue that it’s far more than a pricey topping. It’s essential to culinary history. Removing it is

LEFT: Chef Francis Bermejo has created a shareable menu at Mother Tongue that draws from a variety of global influences and works foie gras into Asian-style dumplings

EVEN THE TITANIC’S FINAL DINNER SERVED FOIE GRAS, BAKED EN CROUTE

an infringement on the craft. “Everything I grew up reading or researching in my education – it always comes back to foie gras, as a delicacy or in a classic recipe,” recalls Boulud’s Nicholas Trosien. Other chefs simply find it redundant. Roger Yang, owner of Avelo, has never seen the draw and is appalled at the process, though he does offer that mock “faux-gras” version made of mushrooms and herbs on his bar menu. “We can get the same kind of texture, the same kind of experience without actually using liver.” Roman and Greek gourmands ate it. Roman Jews ate it – the product met kosher dietary laws. Louis XIV and his Sun Court fawned over the ingredient, and the French

upper crust followed his lead. With that, foie gras solidified its home on high-end menus across the globe, where it has reigned ever since. (Even the Titanic’s final dinner included foie gras, baked en croute and sprinkled in a snowfall of truffles.) Scholars think that in ancient times, the birds weren’t force-fed: wild geese and ducks would chubby up, stocking fat in their liver and doubling their weight, before migrating. Egyptians learned to domesticate geese and waterfowl, gently hand-feeding them – a process we now know as gavage – with local figs to replicate the natural gorging. With industrialization, force-feeding got less personal. Hands were replaced with →

mechanized feeding tubes. Fruits were replaced with low-cost grain mixes. It was no longer a seasonal ingredient. Birds were fed earlier in life, and slaughtered at a young age, usually just 100 days old. Today, the process is astonishing: ducks are force-fed for a 20-day feeding regimen that swells the liver up to 20 times its original size. “It’s unnatural – you have to make a bird sick,” explains Ashely Byrne, associate director of PETA. Animal activists liken it to cockfighting or dogfighting – cruel and archaic. Why are people so enamoured? How can foie gras join Wagyu beef, caviar and truffles as part of the small cult of astronomically priced, prestigious products? “People believe that foie gras’s high price tag means birds are raised in exemplary conditions,” explains Byrne. Truffles are found through foraging, and caviar prices fluctuate with rarity. Wagyu farmers massage their stock to reduce stress. Some even sing to the cattle, or serve them cold beers to blissout the cows and increase appetites. “But foie gras is not the same. Ducks are raised on filthy factory farms, just like other animals.” Often, the ducks are just farmed for their liver; the rest is discarded. “At Hudson Valley Foie Gras,” Byrne explains, referring to the massive New York foie operation, “15,000 birds drop dead a year, too sick or injured to finish out the feeding regimen.”

BELOW: The owner of Mariposa Farms is confident nearby foie bans will just help bring local attention to his product

Investigators have snuck into the factory, finding birds broken, battered and bloody, shoved into tiny cages. But many chefs say it’s the large-scale, factory farming that skews public perception. “Some companies give foie a bad name,” advocates Trosien. “There are tons of small farmers who are going about it the right way.” “A lot of the controversy regarding foie gras comes from irresponsible farming practices,” adds chef Jason Bangerter, who heads Langdon Hall’s award-winning, sustainably-minded culinary programme. On a trip to France he visited a foie farm and saw first-hand how the process “can be done with care and respect for the animal.” Ducks, who wag their tails when happy, like a dog, were running free, tails shaking with glee. This visit set the bar for him on what to look for in a Canadian-based supplier. Now, he works with two different farmers (Quebec’s Rougié and La Canardière) who pride themselves on animal welfare. “They maintain a stress-free environment to produce a quality ingredient.” Ottawa’s Mariposa Farms imports foie gras and sells it to restaurants, yes, but they don’t produce foie themselves. Owner Ian Walker says they make ‘blonde livers’: fatty livers created when free-range geese naturally over-feed to get ready for the frigid Ottawa winters.

Only 50 per cent of Walker’s geese produce this pale, foie-like liver at Mariposa Farms. He doesn’t force it, he says: “It’s just a bonus for me.” It happens, or it doesn’t. To Walker, and to many chefs, the debate shouldn’t be for or against foie gras, it should be a conversation about the industry as a whole. “There are many, many, many agricultural issues in our industry,” sighs Walker. “How we’re feeding our population is extremely dubious.” He’s frustrated that people are spending energy banning one product, rather than tackling the issue of mass factory farms. “What about the chickens in small cages? Why aren’t they banning eggs, then?” “Overusing, overfishing... There are so many things we have to be aware of,” continues Trosien. “You always need to be conscious about where your products, from fruit to vegetables to pork, are coming from, how they are treating the animals. You really have to do your homework.” Bangerter knows that it is his responsibility to “take the time and effort to understand where my ingredients come from and build a relationship with the supplier to ensure we share the same values. These values never waiver when sourcing any ingredient – even foie gras.” Norway and Denmark banned the force-feeding of animals in 1974 and 1991 respectively, with Italy making the ban in 2004. By 2005, Israel had banned foie gras while Prince Charles had it removed from royal menus in 2008. France holds strong – in 2006, the product was declared part of the country’s “protected cultural and gastronomic heritage.” California banned sales in 2004, and Chicago in 2006. The latter ban was pulled back two years later. California reversed its ban in 2015, but in 2019 went back to the ban. The incoming laws in New York – one of the biggest foie markets in the world – will leave the industry in flux, with American farms bracing to close. When asked if this ban will rock the Canadian industry, Ian Walker, owner of Ontario’s Mariposa Farms, is confident. “Historically when these things start to happen they increase the market, oddly. Chefs stock up – they’re pissed off and they want to support the industry.” He’s right that when New York City voted to ban the ingredient, sales ballooned by 20 to 30 per cent. Chefs ordered more and more, slipping it onto their menus with pride. It was a political statement: “We support foie gras. We stand behind it!”

ABOVE: At Bar Isabel a seared slice from a lobe of foie gras comes served on morcilla with pear

CHEFS ORDERED MORE FOIE GRAS, SLIPPING IT ONTO THEIR MENUS WITH PRIDE

Bangerter is watching foie gras technique disappear from the industry, but he stands by it. “The culinary world is constantly evolving and our ingredient choices are being guided by sustainable choices.” He’ll use it, but seasonally, and with a zero-waste mentality: conjuring the product into terrines, and parfaits and off-cuts. The excess is frozen and grated or rendered into fat for basting. “Nothing is ever wasted.” PETA’s Byrne knows foie gras’s future will depend on consumer awareness. “Young people value things that are ethical, sustainable and good for the environment,” she says. “Compared to prior generations, the idea of what is valuable and luxurious and worthwhile is different now.” As society veers to healthier and more

sustainable options, it’s becoming increasingly impossible for companies that are cruel to the environment or to animals to survive. “And it’s hard to greenwash foie gras,” she points out. “The thing with bans,” says Avelo’s Yang “is even for people who don’t eat foie gras, it will make them think about their food a little bit more. It starts a discussion.” When he opened up his first high-end, plant-based spot five years ago, vegetables were a “weird, hippie fringe thing.” Now, it’s the norm. Even chefs who cling to foie gras recognize they’re conduits for change, and it’s their role to be educators. “We need to give our guests the best product,” explains Trosien, “But also the best story and the best information.” Will foie gras continue to be invited to the party? Time will tell, but diners will decide. f

THE GREEN LIGHT

It’s not easy being green, but some of the food industry’s best are paving the way for a sustainable future. We chatted with six businesses who have built environmentally-friendly practices into their blueprint.

OU DON’T HAVE to be Greta Thunberg to live a more sustainable life. Being environmentally conscious is something we’re all capable of, just by making better choices. It could be little things like buying produce locally when possible, using a refillable water bottle and bringing a reusable bag to the grocery store. Or it could be big things like committing to a zero-waste home (we’re not exactly there, yet). Sustainability can feel overwhelming at times (*breathes heavily into a compostable paper bag*). If you’re unsure where to start, we’ve found some people who can lend a green thumb or, at least, provide some guidance. We chatted with some remarkable leaders, business owners and community members who are contributing to a more sustainable, full-circle food system. Along our sustainability quest we discovered an innovative meat-share delivery program, a brewery that’s disrupting the nonrenewable energy market and a farm that’s so ahead of the curve, they’ve gone past sustaining and are onto regenerating. These initiatives aren’t just changing habits, they’re innovating for the future. They’ve shown us that sustainability is achievable in our lifetime. We just gotta take a step forward – minus the whole carbon footprint thing. →

Photography: Marcin Jucha

WE’VE GONE PAST SUSTAINING – WE NEED TO BUILD THE SOIL BACK UP GILLIAN FLIES

Founder and farmer, the New Farm My husband Brent Preston and I started the New Farm 15 years ago. We’re not your traditional farmers because we came from a background in political development and human rights. When we moved back to Toronto after being abroad for 12 years in Africa and Asia, we wanted to look at what was going on in Canada. And we realized that global warming, climate change, human health, obesity and cancer, all of these issues lead back to the way that we grow our food. We have a 100-acre, certified organic heirloom vegetable farm on the crest of the Niagara Escarpment. We are now growing a number of different salad mixes and greens, beets and cucumbers. But we want to be leaders in this regenerative organic movement in Canada. Through agriculture, you have the capacity to sequester tonnes of carbon. In 2015, at the Paris Climate Summit, experts stated that if we were able to increase the carbon in agricultural soils around the world by just 0.4 per cent, we could reabsorb all of the excess carbon we currently emit today. We’ve gone past the place where we can sustain and we actually need to build the soil life back up. It’s not holding water, it’s not growing nutrient dense food, it’s not storing enough carbon. The beauty of it is that when farmers adopt these practices and increase their soil health, they have all kinds of other benefits including resilience. We also work hard to regenerate socially and in the community. We have a lot of events on our farm

that we try to hold to the highest standard. It’s all about showing people that you can make all the right decisions and not compromise on quality – in fact, it’s better. We have all organic and regenerative food, there are no menus (it’s on your phone), we pay carbon offsets for buses coming in – everything is thought about against the backdrop of beyond sustainable. We have about 30 different chefs from Toronto and other places that cook on our farm pretty regularly. It’s amazing, the food is incredible. People are happy, plus we offer some education so they go away more informed than when they came here. thenewfarm.ca

KATE FANE

Communications Officer, the Stop Community Food Centre From the very beginning, the Stop (a healthy food bank) differentiated itself by ensuring that every service provided is dignified, respectful and fostered a sense of community. That started with the food. Everything we serve is made with care and given to people in their seats – they’re not waiting in line for a handout. We have community gardens where people who are living on low incomes can learn how to grow produce. We have a big focus on growing our own food. We also work with some incredible local partners like 100 Kilometre Foods and farmers who we buy our produce from. We try to source locally as much as possible. It’s all about connecting

folks. It’s a bit more challenging under this current climate to do some of that work, but we’re still doing our best to maintain the quality of food that we give out and the dignity of service. Our mission is to provide good food in a way that brings people together and to raise awareness of the systemic causes of poverty and food insecurity. People need comprehensive income support and access to affordable housing. While we’re trying to create a space as welcoming and respectful as possible, we also know that fundamentally a food bank shouldn’t really exist. What could a new future look like where we don’t have to rely

on food charity? Where we can just ensure that everyone has access to good food as they need it? The Stop is all about bringing people together around food. With COVID-19, we had to switch to focusing on just providing emergency food access through our food bank and takeout meals. Our community chefs were able to use a lot of these great ingredients donated by restaurants to put together really healthy, balanced meals. Restaurants always donate their food and are constantly asking what else they can do to help. A really important piece to remember is that our food system is interconnected. thestop.org

Photography: ###

EVERYTHING IS SERVED TO PEOPLE IN SEATS – THEY’RE NOT WAITING IN LINE FOR A HANDOUT 75

IT’S A MEAT SHARE PROGRAM FOR A CONDOSIZED FREEZER JEREMY LOSIER

President, West Side Beef

West Side Beef was founded by Richmond Station owners, Ryan Donovan and Carl Heinrich, who had the idea of a meat share program that would work with a condo-sized freezer. We take a whole cow and divide it up, and instead of giving that all to one person, we split it into 20 shares. So 20 different people get an exactly equal portion of the meat without having to buy a full animal – we’re the butcher shop you don’t have to physically go to. We’re one of the only companies that delivers fresh meat to people’s front door. All of our farms are within about an hour of our warehouse, so the cows, pigs and chickens come in the day before we deliver, then are packaged and sent out within 24 hours. We freeze our leftovers every week, then once a month we do a sale where customers can take advantage of discounted product. I think that the meat industry often gets painted with a negative brush – the reality is that 90 per cent of the meat industry is very unsustainable. But despite all of the studies, you can absolutely eat meat sustainably. What’s really important is knowing exactly where it’s coming from and ensuring that it has been raised in a way that’s not just good for the animal and good for the end product, but good for the overall environment on the farm. Beef that’s been raised on a pasture and on grass for the majority of its life is actually very good for developing healthy soil and regenerating the whole agriculture of the farm. We try to find a way to turn every single part of the animal

into something that we can use. If we’re ever stuck with a lot of extra product, we’re able to work with a wholesale company who sells the meat to their network of customers. We’ve also partnered with a natural raw pet food company that will take our leftover meat so that nothing goes to waste. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been shipping to people who have elderly family members anywhere in Ontario for free and sourcing non-meat items for people who need something that they can’t find. My team here has been able to pull off something incredible to help the community around us and keep our farmers supported, and that’s been a joy to be a part of. westsidebeef.com

Photography: ###

MAX MEIGHEN

Owner, Avling Brewery

When I moved back to Toronto, I was looking for a way to bring cooking and beer together. The idea for Avling was born out of the desire to reconnect to the agricultural process, so we try as much as possible to work closely with small-scale grain producers. We’ve found a number of grain farmers that are working to grow heritage varieties in a regenerative way, an approach that benefits soil health and biodiversity. Waste water from our brewery goes to the rooftop garden that we have on site, the produce from the rooftop goes into our menu and beer. We’re saving and freezing unsold bread to make a breadbased beer, finding a second use for something that would have otherwise been thrown out. We source fruit to flavour our beer from a juice manufacturer, so they’ve already pressed the juice and we’re just using the pulp, skins and pits. One hundred per cent of our energy used is reinvested into renewable sources. We pay a subsidy to Bullfrog Power who then buys the equivalent amount of energy on the grid from renewable sources to offset the energy we’re using. As their buying power grows, the cost and availability starts to outweigh the cheap natural gas and nonrenewable sources. They’re investing in green infrastructure on our behalf. It’s like taking a flight and buying a carbon offset – we’re doing a similar thing for our kitchen and brewing operations. As a brewery in a city, we’re always looking for opportunities to find added value and make sustainability work for everyone. avling.ca

WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE SAVING AND FREEZING UNUSED BREAD TO MAKE BEER 79

JOANNE GAUCI

Campaign Manager, Love Food Hate Waste Canada

lovefoodhatewaste.ca

Photography: Shebeko; Scorpp

Canadians are wasting a lot more food than we realize. We often think that it’s restaurants and the grocery stores where the food waste is happening. But in fact, a significant amount of food waste is happening right inside the home. The National Zero Waste Council, who runs and leads Love Food Hate Waste Canada, did a study to understand what food Canadians were throwing away at home. We found out that 63 per cent of the food that we throw away in our homes could at one point have been eaten. So that’s not the banana peels or the egg shells, that’s the bread that you bought too much of that’s gone mouldy. That’s the fruits and vegetables that you buy, but aren’t able to use up by the end of the week. People think by composting their food, there isn’t a food waste issue. But it’s really much more important to focus on preventing that food waste in the first place. When we waste that food, we’re wasting all of the resources that have gone into growing that food and transporting that food. And all the while we’re creating greenhouse gas emissions in the process. What we’re trying to do with Love Food Hate Waste is inspire Canadians to make their food go further and waste less. We do that by providing food saving tips, recipes and strategies, and inspiration to think differently about the food that you buy and use up in your home. This spring, we rolled out a whole theme around rediscovering

the value of food, and asking all Canadians to share their food saving tips and recipes and strategies. Everybody has solutions and we want a call to action so that people can share their stories and create a national conversation. The website is a big portion of that, and you’ll see lots of changes in the coming months to really support Canadians. When you start to break it down and talk about food waste, people get quite excited to share their food story. I think that’s the important piece. This is about really reconnecting with the value of that food – what food means to you and your family. If we reconnect with how much we love food, we’re less inclined to waste it.

Now Available in Vintages

A R E F R E S H I N G N E W LO O K FO R

A mile of golden Rapaura land studded with nature’s wonderous stones, makes our exceptional Stoneleigh® Latitude wines.

A WONDER OF NATURE

SUMMER RECIPE GUIDE

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Strawberry Summer Salad

Ingredients:

½ cup (125 mL) thinly sliced red onion ¼ cup (60 mL) red wine vinegar 1 tbsp (15 mL) granulated sugar 2 cups (500 mL) mixed greens 2 cups (500 mL) baby spinach 1 cup (250 mL) halved cherry tomatoes 1 cup (250 mL) crumbled blue cheese 1 cup (250 mL) sliced strawberries 6 eggs, hard-cooked, peeled and quartered Strawberry Dressing: 1 ½ cups (375 mL) fresh strawberries, hulled and halved 3 tbsp (45 mL) apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil

. . . . . . . . . . . SERVES 6 - PREP 15 MINS - COOK 7 MINS

1 tbsp (15 mL) maple syrup 1 tsp (5 mL) poppy seeds Candied Walnuts: 1 tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter ½ cup (125 mL) chopped walnuts ¼ cup (60 mL) maple syrup Directions: In a small bowl, mix together red onion, red wine vinegar and sugar. Pickle onion for 5 to 10 minutes or until red onion flesh turns pink. Drain from liquid and set aside. Strawberry Dressing: In a mini food processor, combine strawberries, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and maple syrup. Purée until smooth. Stir in poppy seeds.

Candied Walnuts: Line a medium plate with parchment paper; set aside. In a small skillet, over medium heat, melt butter. Add walnuts and maple syrup. Cook, stirring until walnuts become a golden colour and sticky, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to plate. Allow to cool fully. Roughly chop and set aside. In a large serving bowl, combine mixed greens and baby spinach. Arrange cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, strawberries, drained pickled onions, eggs and walnuts on top of salad greens. Drizzle with dressing.

ns of Check out to tcracking.ca recipes at ge

NUTRIENTS PER SERVING: (1/6 recipe): 360 calories, 24 g total fat, 400 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrates, 4 g fibre, 16 g sugars, 13 g protein. Excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, riboflavin, vitamin B12, pantothenate, selenium and manganese. Good source of niacin, folate and calcium.

Happy Summer From the Team Illustration: Remie Geoffroi Art Direction: Brianne Collins

Photography: GoncharukMaks

THE ONE TINY, little upside to the giant spanner in the works that is 2020, is our renewed love of cooking. As restaurants shuttered and outings to grocery stores began to resemble scenes from a zombie apocalypse movie, even the least adept home chefs picked up a spatchy spatch and dug out their dusty cookbooks. From sourdough starters – because bringing another needy living thing into our apartment during a pandemic seemed like a good idea at the time, okay? – to elaborate meals meant to occupy all of that free time suddenly

stretching out endlessly, we got to work in the kitchen. But no amount of whisking or julienning (it’s been three months, we speak French now) could eclipse our love for all the bars and restaurants that we miss so dearly. To relive our fave dishes and drinks across the city, and to keep our cooking up to snuff, we leaned on our favourite bars and restaurants to share their summer recipes. From El Rey’s al pastor tacos to the Chase’s strawberry shortcake, we’ve got enough summer spreads and sippers to make hay while the sun shines. f

SUMMER RECIPE GUIDE

Watermelon and Rosemary Greek Salad During lockdown, we need to make sure we’re eating fresh food. My husband is Greek and he inspired me to create summer dishes with seasonal ingredients like watermelon and tomatoes to enjoy on our back patio. – SUZANNE BARR, TRUE TRUE DINER

INGREDIENTS * 3 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil * 3 slices of bread, cut into

½-inch cubes

* ½ green bell pepper, seeded

and cut into 1-inch cubes

* ½ red bell pepper, seeded

and cut into 1-inch cubes

* 1 ripe vine tomato, seeded,

cut into ½-inch cubes

* ½ cucumber, unpeeled and

sliced into ½-inch pieces

* 2 celery stalks, peeled,

cut into 1-inch pieces

* 1 ½ cups watermelon,

cut into 1-inch cubes

* ½ cup crumbled feta cheese * 4 Tbsp chopped rosemary

METHOD 1 Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a bowl, add cubed bread with olive oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Toss and place on a baking sheet. 2 Bake in the oven until the bread cubes turn golden brown. 3 Remove from the oven and set aside. 4 Place the remaining salad ingredients

into a large mixing bowl. Add the toasted breadcrumbs. 5 Add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl and drizzle the oil in last. Use a whisk to mix until a thick but pour-able dressing is achieved. 6 Pour over the top and mix well until all ingredients are well coated with rosemary and dressing. Garnish with pea shoots and enjoy. f

* 2 Tbsp chopped tarragon * Salt and pepper to taste * Pea shoots to garnish

DRESSING:

* 1 garlic clove

* 1 lemon, zested and juiced * ½ tsp white balsamic * ¼ tsp greek honey

* Pinch dried oregano

* Pinch salt and pepper * ⅓ cup olive oil

Insalata Di Burrata Our burrata is an elegant salad you can start any meal with. As the seasons change, so do the fruits and vegetables, making it such an easy seasonal dish to make at home. Keeping the mint crumb and the lemon vinaigrette continues to provide acidity and texture.

INGREDIENTS * 1 Wisconsin burrata

* 100 g fresh or frozen peas * 4 baby gem lettuce

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MICHAEL LAM, ASCARI KING WEST

* 1 large lemon

* 150 ml extra virgin olive oil * 200 ml canola oil

* 100 g bread crumbs * 2 bunches of mint

LEMON VINAIGRETTE

MINT OIL

1 Juice the lemon. Mix the lemon juice with the extra virgin olive oil and season with salt. Stir with a spoon before using.

1 Combine the remaining mint and canola oil in a blender and blend on high speed for 30 seconds. Place in a small pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Whisk continuously to prevent from burning. The oil will be ready when the bubbles are small and there is less steam than when you started, about 3-5 minutes.

3 Wash your baby gem lettuce, then cut to your desired size.

2 Cool immediately over an ice bath and strain through a coffee filter.

5 Dress the peas, baby gem lettuce and burrata with lemon vinaigrette and salt.

INSALATA DI BURRATA

6 Arrange the burrata in the centre and the vegetables around the outside to create a nest for the burrata.

MINT CRUMB 1 In a pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil and toast the breadcrumbs until light golden brown. Season with salt and sugar. Set this aside to cool. 2 In a food processor, pulse the cooled breadcrumbs with Â˝ of the mint and spinach. Pulse for 10 seconds until the leaves of the greens are ripped and there are no whole leaves. Allow this mixture to dry on the stove top overnight or in a 200 F preheated oven with the door slightly cracked open. Make sure to keep an eye on it to prevent it turning brown. 3 Once dry, pulse one last time until the mixture is uniform and set aside.

1 Take the burrata out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before eating to ensure the stracciatella inside the burrata is as rich and creamy as possible. 2 In a medium pot, bring water to a boil and season with salt. Blanch your peas for 30 seconds and shock in ice water.

(leaves only) * Handful of spinach * 50 g pea shoots * Salt to taste * 20 g sugar

7 Sprinkle the mint crumb on top of the vegetables, and finish with mint oil. 8 Garnish with some small leaves of mint and pea shoots. f

Tacos Al Pastor These tacos are my personal go-to in restaurants and at home. They’re an homage to my family’s cooking, and I’m proud of my take on this classic, which has become a signature dish at El Rey. – RODRIGO AGUILAR, EL REY MEZCAL BAR

AL PASTOR MARINADE METHOD 1 Toast the dried peppers in a dry pan until fragrant. Break open the peppers and remove as many seeds as possible. 2 Put the peppers in a pot of boiled water and cover for 30 minutes to rehydrate. Drain. 3 In another dry pan, or on the barbecue, char the exterior of the onion and toast the garlic until lightly browned.

at least 5 hrs, but overnight is preferable.

SALSA CRUDA METHOD 1 Peel and wash tomatillos and coriander. Dry both well. 2 In a food processor, add all ingredients except the avocado and blend until you have a smooth paste. 3 Cube avocado and blend with the rest of the ingredients until smooth.

4 In a food processor, blend peppers and the remaining ingredients until smooth.

4 Season with salt and lime juice.

5 Marinate the pork in a sealable bag for

1 Toast the arbols in a dry pan over

ARBOL SALSA METHOD

INGREDIENTS * 1 kg Al Pastor marinated pork * Salsa cruda * Arbol salsa * Pineapple salsa * Tortillas (Source the best

quality tortillas you can find. We use tortillas from Good Hombres. They use 100 per cent non-GMO corn from Mexico and it makes all the difference.)

AL PASTOR MARINADE

* 1 kg pork shoulder (ask the

* * * * * * * * * *

butcher to have the shoulder cut into 1-inch thick slices for easy marinating and grilling) 1 arbol pepper 20 g guajillo peppers 30 g ancho peppers ¼ medium-sized white onion 3 cloves of garlic Pinch ground coriander 30 ml pineapple juice 1 Tbsp sugar 30 ml red wine vinegar 1 Tbsp salt

SALSA CRUDA

* 2 medium tomatillos * Small handful of coriander * ⅛ medium white onion * 2 cloves of garlic

* 1 serrano pepper

medium heat until they become fragrant. 2 In another dry pan, or on the barbecue, char the exterior of the tomatillos and toast the garlic until lightly browned. 3 In a food processor, blend arbols, garlic, oregano, salt and lime juice until you have a smooth mixture.

TACOS AL PASTOR METHOD

1 Grill the marinated pork on a barbecue or sautée in a pan with a little oil. Rest the meat and cut into manageable pieces.

2 Heat tortillas on the barbecue or in a dry pan for 10 seconds each side, then allow to steam in a tea towel. Heat as many tortillas as you intend on using and leave them to the side to steam.

4 Add tomatillos and pulse.

PINEAPPLE SALSA METHOD 1 Cut pineapple into small pieces. 2 Chop the cilantro and mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

3 Assemble your tacos. Daub a little of the salsa cruda on the bottom of the tortilla. Dress the pork in the pineapple salsa and spoon onto the taco, then top with another spoonful of your pineapple salsa. Eat with your fingers and enjoy. f

* *

(seeds removed if you don’t like the heat) Pinch of ground coriander seed 1 oz jalapeño pickling juice Juice of 1 lime Salt to taste 2 avocados

ARBOL SALSA

* 2 arbol peppers * 120 g tomatillo

* 1 small clove of garlic * Pinch oregano

* 1 tbsp lime juice

PINEAPPLE SALSA

* 250 g fresh pineapple * Handful of cilantro * Juice of 1 lime * Pinch of salt

Salmon Fresca This dish is seriously versatile – you can swap out for a meaty white fish and add any aromatics you happen to have. With summer upon us, it’s a beautiful way to showcase bright flavours and to break away from heavier winter cooking. It also works very well for larger group dinners, as you can scale the fish up and have it prepared ahead of time, ready to go straight into the oven. – CORY VITIELLO, CACTUS CLUB CAFE

PRESENTED BY

PAIR THIS ROBERT MONDAVI WINERY FUMÉ BLANC An aromatic and fresh take on a classic, with notes of zesty citrus, stone fruit and gooseberry. VINTAGES #221887

METHOD 1 Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2 Place the salmon on the parchment and season the fish with generous amounts of sea salt, olive oil and herbs. Take half of the cherry tomatoes and cover the top of the fish with them. Drizzle more olive oil over top and place the prepared salmon in the preheated oven. 3 Cook salmon for 15-20 minutes, depending on how you like your salmon cooked. 4 While the salmon roasts, in a mixing

bowl, combine the remaining tomato halves and sliced cucumber, and season with 2-3 pinches of sea salt or according to your own taste. Let this stand and macerate until the fish is out of the oven and ready to serve. 5 Toss the tomato and cucumber mixture with the remaining herbs, a few squeezes of fresh lemon and a generous amount of virgin olive oil. 6 Leave the tomatoes and herbs on top of the fish. Transfer the fish to a serving platter with the parchment (I love the rustic presentation). Arrange the tomato and herb mixture on top and serve. f

INGREDIENTS * 24 oz Ocean Wise™

* *

* * * *

steelhead (or other goodquality Ocean Wise™ salmon), skin and pin bones removed 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved 1 ½ cups thinly sliced cucumber, split lengthwise and seeds removed 1 cup of mixed fresh herbs Sea salt Olive oil Lemon wedges

Beef Burger INGREDIENTS * 12 oz KOST blend of ground

* * * * * * *

A burger is a classic that had to be on KOST’s menu. What makes this burger special is that it’s simple and traditional, yet elevated by quality ingredients. It is very much a Jeremiah Tower approach to food, based on his Californian style. – MORGAN BELLIS, KOST

beef, mixing chuck roll, brisket and dry aged beef rib fat cap (this adds to the depth of flavour found in every bite) 2 black and white sesame seed buns 4 slices of smoked black pepper bacon 1 beefsteak tomato ½ head of Boston bibb lettuce 4 slices of aged smoked cheddar 1 large pickle Lemon mayo

LEMON MAYO

* 500 ml mayonnaise

* 10 g roasted garlic puree * 50 ml lemon juice

LEMON MAYO 1 Simply combine mayonnaise, roasted garlic puree and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt.

BEEF BURGER 1 Preparation is key for any recipe, so get your garnish ready ahead of time. Thinly slice your tomato, pickles and aged smoked cheddar. 2 Pan-fry your smoked black pepper

bacon until your desired level of doneness. We recommend not over cooking, as you want it more tender than crispy.

charcoal oven. Once your burgers reach temperature, add the aged smoked cheddar and broil for a minute or two until you get the signature bubbly, melted cheese.

3 Using damp hands or a spoon, form the blend of ground beef into a burger, about ½-inch thick.

5 Quickly toast or grill your bun until warm and slightly crisped.

4 Cook to an internal temperature of 160 F for medium. For a delicious chargrilled smokey flavour, we use a

6 Place the burger and all of your toppings on your black and white sesame bun. Enjoy! f

Strawberry Shortcake with Ice Cream This is a very popular plantbased dessert that we offer at the Chase to showcase Ontario strawberry season. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; JOYCE WONG, THE CHASE

METHOD 1 Mix all wet ingredients together (coconut milk, lemon juice, canola oil, vanilla paste). 2 Separately blend all dry ingredients. 1 Combine dry mixture into the wet mixture.

4 Allow the ice cream to soften in the fridge for 20 minutes until spreadable. 5 Place the first layer of ice cream in the mold and layer with sponge cake and repeat until the mold is full. 6 Keep the cake in the freezer.

COCONUT WHIP METHOD 3 Bake at 325F for 15 to 20 minutes on a half-size sheet tray.

ICE CREAM METHOD 1 Cut the strawberries into quarters. Toss with sugar and let them macerate for two hours. 2 PurĂŠe the strawberries and the liquid with the rest of the ingredients using an immersion blender. Chill thoroughly and then freeze in an ice cream maker. 3 Cut the sponge cake in a round shape. We recommend using a circular mold, about 6 inches in diameter.

1 Remove the coconut milk from the fridge without shaking or tipping. Open the can and only take the hardened coconut cream, leaving any clear liquid. 2 Add the sifted icing sugar and vanilla extract to the cream and whip with a hand or stand mixer until light peaks form.

ASSEMBLY 1 Once ready to serve, un-mold the ice cream. Spread the coconut whip cream all over the cakes. Next, cover the sides with fresh sliced strawberries and garnish with crushed pistachios. Add a scoop of ice cream on top. f

INGREDIENTS * 525 g coconut milk * 100 g lemon juice * 340 g canola oil

* 20 g vanilla paste * 225 g sugar

* 500 g all-purpose flour * 14 g baking soda

* 5 g baking powder * 10 g salt

* Crushed pistachios to garnish

ICE CREAM

* 700 g fresh Ontario

strawberries

* 100 g sugar

* 15 g rice syrup

* 375 g plant-based milk,

use your preferred choice

* 7 g lemon juice

COCONUT WHIP

* 1 can coconut milk,

refrigerated for 24 hours

* 80 g icing sugar, sifted * 8 g vanilla extract

The Pursuit of Something More What Robert Mondavi saw was not just a place of exquisite beauty in To Kalon Vineyard, but the birthplace of an idea for what wine from Napa Valley could and should be. Robert Mondavi Winery is the culmination of one man’s pursuit of something more — where we see his impact on winemaking grow with every vintage and we embrace his call to live beautifully every day.

TIME TO SAVOUR THE NIGHT IN Snacking just got a whole new look and taste. Don't just spend the night in, savour big and small moments with Miss Vickie's Signatures kettle cooked potato chips â&#x20AC;&#x201C; same classic crunch, new premium flavours. 14

PROMOTION

UNCOM-PAIR-ABLE, MIX IN YOUR MISS VICKIE'S SIGNATURES FOR A PERFECT PLATTER APPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE AND SHALLOTS PLATTER Cheese ◆ Blue cheese

(Stilton or Gorgonzola)

◆ Gruyère

◆ Bloomed goat's cheese

Meats ◆ Prosciutto ◆ Salami ◆ Speck

Fruit and Vegetables ◆ Fresh figs

◆ Castelvetrano olives

◆ Grapes (red and green) ◆ Apples

Condiments and Nuts ◆ Fig jam

◆ Walnuts

◆ Fresh rosemary and sage

for garnish

E’RE NOW USED to spending the nightin and the novelty of those leisurely walks from our couch to the fridge are starting to get a little old. Date night consists of over-streaming and underwhelming snack selections; the spark slowly dimming in the flickering TV light. We need a change. Thankfully, just as we start to tuck into those inevitable summer evenings at home, the

Miss Vickie’s brand has saved the night-in, in the nick of time. Miss Vickie’s beloved bags of potato joy have introduced a new collection of premium, kettle cooked chips, Miss Vickie’s Signatures (ohhhh). These gourmet crisps aren’t your average chip, they’re crafted with unique flavour combinations like Apple Cider Vinaigrette & Shallots (sounds like a salad, tastes infinitely better), Hickory Smoked Salt, and Black Truffle & Parmesan.

They’re the greatest thing to happen to potatoes since Miss Vickie's first started kettle cooking them right here in Canada in 1987. The Black Truffle & Parmesan flavour even did the impossible and inspired us to put on our best button-up pants. Open up a bag with your partner in snacking or in life (or by yourself) and fall in love all over again with that classic Miss Vickie's crunch, now elevated. Distance doesn’t stop us from connecting to the things we love most. Especially when those things are delicious chips for a special occasion in your living room. If you’re on board with charcuterie (us, always), why not replace crackers with Miss Vickie’s Signatures indulgent flavours which add ideal crunchiness to a selection of cured meat and savoury cheese. It’s not about winning here, but you certainly will with a power move like that. You’re welcome. We’re no math wiz (we prefer dining over dividing) but chefinspired flavours plus modern ingredients make for one heck of a snack. Multiply that by the time spent sharing in simple moments with the ones you love and the only thing that’s salty about summer are the Miss Vickie’s Signatures crumbs on your hands (don’t forget to wash them, you know the drill). ● Miss Vickie’s Signatures kettle cooked potato chips are available at all major retailers across Canada. To learn more, visit MissVickies.ca.

INGREDIENTS * 2 oz Gusto Sangria Mix

* 4 oz wine (red or white)

* 1 oz San Pellegrino Limonata * 1 oz San Pellegrino Aranciata * 100 g seasonal fruit

* Grapefruit wheel to garnish

if you’re using red wine, or a lime wheel to garnish if you’re using white wine

GUSTO SANGRIA MIX

* 394 ml St. Remy Brandy

* 260 ml Dr. McGillicuddy’s

Peach Schnapps

* 173 ml simple syrup * 173 ml lemon juice

This will make 1L of Gusto Sangria Mix that you can keep refrigerated for up to 15 days and continue to use whenever you want to make sangria

SIMPLE SYRUP

* 100 g white sugar

* 100 ml boiling water

SIMPLE SYRUP METHOD 1 Mix all of the ingredients in a plastic container. 2 Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. 3 Cover and refrigerate for up to 15 days.

GUSTO SANGRIA MIX METHOD 1 Combine all of the Gusto Sangria Mix ingredients in a plastic container. 2 Stir well until all of the ingredients are fully integrated.

Sangria

3 Keep your Gusto Sangria Mix refrigerated for up to 15 days.

A sangria is a classic patio drink that signals the start of summer. Our recipe is slightly less sweet than a traditional sangria but still packs a boozy, fruity punch.

1 Add all ingredients to a wine glass and top with ice. Stir.

– JORGE YARCE, GUSTO 501

SANGRIA METHOD

2 Garnish with grapefruit half wheel or lime wheel. f

Moscow Mule This ultra-refreshing and well-balanced tipple is perfect for summer sipping, and a delightful way to ease into cocktail hour – especially when a sun-soaked patio is involved. The mezcal adds just a touch of smokiness and richness without overpowering the other flavours. – STEVE SPOONER, MAISON SELBY

INGREDIENTS * 1 ½ oz Jaral de Berrio mezcal * ½ oz Olmeca Altos

Plata tequila

* ¼ oz raspberry black pepper

syrup (Equal parts fresh raspberry juice to sugar. Add cracked black pepper to taste.) * Dash of lime juice * Ginger beer to top * Lime wedge, raspberry and sprig of mint to garnish (optional)

METHOD 1 In a cocktail shaker, add the mezcal, tequila, raspberry syrup and lime juice. 2 Add ice and shake until chilled.

3 Pour into a rocks glass and top with ginger beer and ice. 4 Garnish with a lime wedge, raspberry and a sprig of mint. f

Shiso Mojito Our Shiso Mojito is the perfect summer cocktail; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s light and refreshing and made with Yamayuzu Sake, which creates a unique flavour profile with the fresh lime. Shaken and served over ice, with shiso leaves, this is an ideal summer sipper. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ANTHONY YEUNG, MIKU TORONTO

INGREDIENTS * 45 ml Yamayuzu Shibori Sake * 2 lime wedges

* 4 fresh shiso leaves * 5 ml lime juice

* 10 ml simple syrup * Soda water

Shiso leaves can be found at most specialty Asian grocers.

METHOD 1 Muddle 3 shiso leaves, lime wedges, lime juice and simple syrup in a shaker. 2 Add sake and ice, and shake vigorously. 3 Pour into a tall beer glass, top with crushed ice (if available) and soda water. Garnish with a shiso leaf. f

INGREDIENTS * 1.5 oz Appleton Estate V/X

Signature Blend

* ½ oz Grand Marnier * 1 oz lemon juice

* 1 oz ginger tea syrup

* 3 dashes of Angostura Bitters * Mint sprig and lemon wheel

for garnish

GINGER TEA SYRUP * Fresh ginger * Black tea * Sugar

GINGER TEA SYRUP METHOD 1 Add fresh ginger to blender (we fill the blender half-full – the more you add the greater yield of syrup you’ll end up with). 2 Add black tea equal to the amount of ginger in the blender. 3 Blend together. 4 Fine strain and press all liquid from ginger through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth. 5 Measure your yield of liquid and add 2:3 parts white sugar.

Lady Luck

6 Place on low heat until sugar is completely dissolved.

This cocktail was inspired by the most influential lady in our industry, Joy Spence. She was the first woman to hold the position of Master Blender in the spirits industry for Appleton Estate Rum. L.U.C.K stands for Labour Under Correct Knowledge.

1 Build all ingredients in shaker tin and shake with ice.

– GERARD CULLEN, WESLODGE SALOON

LADY LUCK METHOD

2 Strain into a cocktail glass. 3 Garnish with a mint sprig and dehydrated or fresh lemon wheel. f

Spritz and Sud This classic Italian cocktail was reimagined with the charismatic spirit of the Amalfi Coast, combining a touch of butterfly pea syrup to provide both flavour and complexity, plus a splash of extra-dry prosecco (Principi di Porcia is our go-to) and Limoncello. This citrusy, fruity (think grape, pear and green apple notes) and floral sipper is the perfect refreshing cocktail for summer days. – SALVATORE MELE, ORETTA

INGREDIENTS * 1 oz Pisco

* ½ oz Limoncello

BUTTERFLY PEA SYRUP METHOD

SPRITZ AND SUD METHOD

* 3 oz prosecco

1 Bring 2 cups of water to boil.

* Peel from 1 lemon

2 Add sugar and butterfly peas, and reduce heat.

1 Fill a 5oz wine glass with ice, add pisco, Limoncello. Carefully pour in the butterfly pea syrup.

* ¼ oz butterfly pea syrup * 1 oz soda

BUTTERFLY PEA SYRUP

* 2 cups water * 1 cup sugar

* 1 bag butterfly peas

3 Simmer for 20 minutes on medium temperature. Leave to cool. You can keep any leftover syrup in the fridge for use in future cocktail recipes.

3 Gently top with prosecco and soda to achieve proper colour separation. 4 Zest lemon peel over glass then place gently on top so that it does not sink. f

At Appleton Estate, the age statement signifies the youngest drop in that blend. Appleton Estate 8 Year Old Reserve is aged in the tropical climate of Jamaica. Perfect for sipping or transforming cocktails, 8 Year Old Reserve has a versatile expression.

THE ESTATE DAIQUIRI 1.5 oz 8 YEAR OLD RESERVE 1 oz FRESH LIME JUICE 1/2 oz SIMPLE SYRUP Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, strain into a chilled Coupette glass, garnish with an orange peel.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CANADA’S NO. 1 SELLING AMBER RUM

IG: @APPLETONESTATECAN WWW.APPLETONESTATE.CA Please drink responsibly.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON WITH A BOURBON BARREL TWIST

DISCOVER

RUM BARRELAGED MERLOT. NEW at the LCBO!

DISCOVER

RUM BARRELAGED MERLOT. NEW at the LCBO!

WE’RE HIRING FOR OUR ADVERTISING SALES TEAM Work with the friendliest people in the business. Sell to the coolest brands in the industry. Work for Toronto’s biggest food magazine.

SEND YOUR RESUME TO HELLO@FOODISM.TO

HIGH SOCIETY Take dining to new heights – 351 metres to be precise – with Canadian cuisine paired with unparalleled views of Toronto. Executive chef John Morris has created an organically grown, locally sourced and sustainably harvested menu at 360 that’ll make you feel like you’re on top of the world. To see the menu and make your reservation, head to cntower.ca/360

FEAST ON

PROMOTION

SKY HIGH SUSTAINABILITY CN Tower’s 360 restaurant takes local sourcing to a whole new level.

HE CN TOWER (you know, that really tall building) is all about standing out. For 34 years it held the record as the world’s tallest free-standing structure and continues to make achievements we can all look up to. Today, its latest accolades revolve around accomplishing new heights in food and drink – our kind

of world record. Yes, the tower has the world’s highest wine cellar (with over 550 international and Canadian wines) that makes the most elaborate condo’s collection look like an HGTV “before” photo. But perhaps even more impressive than 360’s cellar in the sky, is its commitment to serving up local and sustainable fine dining.

This Feast On (Toronto’s Greenest Choice, Feast On 2018) and Ocean Wise certified restaurant tilted heads when they devoted their beer list solely to Ontario craft beer. A bold move that has paid off with a beverage menu that’s majority Ontario-made, not to mention a pretty cool, custom label “Tower Lager” – talk about a tall can (Dad joke alert). 360’s approach to sourcing directly from local producers instead of buying exclusively from larger companies helps to support small farms and businesses and allows for more food transparency. Sometimes, the farthest distance ingredients and garnishes will travel is the elevator ride up from the groundfloor garden. This local philosophy has allowed 360 to not only meet, but exceed local requirements, making it a truly Canadian dining experience, minus the moose (they’re not good with heights). The CN Tower has also made some major moves in reducing food waste – seasonal ingredients are in, singleuse plastic is so 2007. Each disposable cup, lid, takeout container and piece of cutlery is made with compostable materials. Virtually all food waste has been eliminated through the use of an innovative ORCA system, a clean food waste technology that mimics a natural digestion process by turning food scraps into an environmentally safe liquid – just not the drinking kind, stick to the VQA wine for that. At 360 you’re bound to have a meal that's as memorable as the view (351 metres above Toronto) whether you tuck into a seared Fogo Island cod, a 45-day aged Alberta AAA roast beef prime rib or the vegan beetroot and cranberry ravioli with smoked Ontario eggplant purée. As for 360’s commitment to serving regional, sustainable food… well, that’s the cherry on top. ● To find out more about the CN Tower's 360 Restaurant, head to cntower.ca

— BALDERSON® —

THE GREAT CANADIAN CHEESE STORY A FOODISM GUIDE

CHAMPION CHEESE For 139 years, Balderson has been bringing their collection of award-winning, naturally made fine cheese to seasoned Canadians across the country.

HINGS DON’T BECOME a ‘classic’ overnight; something Balderson – makers of fine Canadian cheese since 1881 – know only too well. For more than a century, Balderson master cheese makers have been working hard to create a collection of cheese

that Canadians reach for time and time again, from packing a lunch to entertaining dinner guests. While you’re likely familiar with Balderson’s range of cheddar cheese, which run the gamut from spreadable to their premium 5-year-old heritage,

what you might not know is that the company has a history that’s every bit as rich as those golden blocks. In 1881, a group of local dairy farmers in Lanark County, near Perth, hatched a plan. They formed a dairy collective, pooling their excess milk production to make a local

PROMOTION

RE CIP E S

THE WORLD HAS CHANGED SINCE 1881, BUT BALDERSON'S CRUMBLY, FULLFLAVOURED CHEDDAR HAS NEVER FALTERED cheddar cheese. Following construction of a small factory at a crossroads known as Balderson Corners, the story of Balderson began. It has been over a century since those early days, and not surprisingly, a few things have changed. The cheese shop at the crossroads has passed to other hands and the factory has moved to a state of the art facility down the road. But the most important thing hasn’t changed – Balderson still makes cheese with the same dedication and craftsmanship: each cheese block is still graded before

leaving the facility to ensure Balderson continues to make the world's very best fine aged cheddar. Balderson’s cheddar, a full-flavoured cheese with a crumbly, rich texture and a satisfying sharpness that only improves with age, has never faltered. Those dairy farmers didn’t know what the world would look like over a century later, but their instincts for careful aging and bold flavours, coupled with the pride Balderson cheese makers have today, has made Balderson a favourite for its fans all over Canada. Today, the Canadian cheese company continues to impress, picking up prizes for their cheddar. Not only did the cheese scoop awards at the Royal Winter Fair and the British Empire Cheese Competition, Balderson also wowed on the international stage, taking home grand championships at the World Championship Cheese Contest and the International Dairy Competition in London. Balderson's cheddar is a versatile cheese that can be enjoyed in every way, on any day (or every day, no judgement). From double-smoked mac and cheese to aged cheddar perfectly paired on wine and cheese night, Balderson has the cheese you're craving. ● To find out more about Balderson, head to baldersoncheese.ca

CHEDDAR STORAGE TIPS Leave cheddar in its original packaging and tightly cover with plastic wrap. This reduces air circulation, which in turn reduces the possibility of mould. Store the cheese in the coldest part of your refrigerator – not in the door.

MUSHROOM AND CHEDDAR FLATBREAD WITH TRUFFLE OIL Ingredients

◆ 2 Tbsp olive oil

◆ 1 lb (500 g) mixed

mushrooms, sliced

◆ 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme ◆ 2 cloves garlic, minced

◆ ¼ tsp each salt and pepper ◆ ⅓ cup dry white wine

◆ 2 Tbsp truffle oil, divided

◆ 1 lb (500 g) prepared pizza dough ◆ ¾ cup shredded Balderson Royal

Canadian Cheddar 2 Year Old

◆ 1 cup shaved Balderson Royal

Canadian Cheddar 2 Year Old

◆ 2 Tbsp microgreens

1 Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C). Heat olive oil in large skillet set over high heat; cook mushrooms, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper for 5 to 8 minutes or until mushrooms start to brown. Stir in wine; cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until almost no liquid remains in pan. Remove from heat and stir in half of the truffle oil. Let cool slightly. 2 On lightly floured surface, divide dough in half. Roll each portion into 10- x 6-inch rectangles, about 1/8-inch thick. Arrange on large greased baking sheet. Sprinkle over shredded cheese and mushrooms. 3 Bake for 15 – 18 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is golden brown. Sprinkle shaved cheese over top; drizzle with remaining truffle oil. Garnish with microgreens. Cut into six pieces.

R E C I P ES

SMOKY CHORIZO AND CHEDDAR DIP Ingredients

◆ 1 tbsp olive oil

◆ 1 dry-cured chorizo sausage ◆ ½ cup frozen corn, thawed ◆ 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded

and diced

◆ 2 cloves garlic, minced

◆ ¼ tsp each salt and pepper ◆ ¼ tsp smoked paprika

◆ 4 tsp all-purpose flour

◆ 1 cup 35% whipping cream

◆ 2 ½ cups shredded Balderson

Double Smoked Cheddar Cheese

◆ 4 green onions, thinly sliced

◆ 2 pieces naan bread, toasted

1 Heat olive oil in saucepan set over medium heat; cook sausage, corn, jalapeño, garlic, salt, pepper and smoked paprika for 5 to 8 minutes or until sausage starts to brown and vegetables are tender. Sprinkle flour over top; cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. 2 Slowly whisk in cream; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and half of the green onions. Transfer to serving dish. 3 Garnish with remaining green onions and a sprinkle of smoked paprika if desired. Serve with toasted naan bread.

For more recipes, visit baldersoncheese.ca or Balderson Cheese on Facebook and Instagram.

Balderson Royal Canadian Cheddar (aged 2 years) is the perfect balance between classic cheddar flavour and the secondary sharp taste from aging. With a rich body, creamy texture, and slightly acidic aroma, it pairs well with fruit and full-bodied red wine.

Balderson Championship Cheddar has been aged for 12 months and has a well-rounded cheddar flavour and creamy texture. It pairs well with nuts, fruit and olives. Most white, red and sparkling wines will be a match for this cheese.

PROMOTION Balderson Double Smoked Cheddar has been aged for a full year for a smooth, smoky taste. Its darker exterior has a more intensified wood-smoke flavour, which comes from natural smoking using a variety of hardwoods. Pair with ales, lagers and dark beer.

Having a variety of seasonal fresh fruit on your board not only adds a pop of colour â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it's a great palate cleanser between cheeses. Figs are a great match for Balderson's medium and more mature cheddars.

Balderson Extra Old Cheddar is aged 14-18 months to develop a stronger secondary sharpness. With a slightly drier and more crumbly texture, this clean cheddar flavour and slightly acidic aroma pairs well with crisp white wines, most young red wines, as well as beer, ales and lagers.

Photography:

Thinly sliced cured meats like prosciutto and salami add variety and flavour to your board. Cheese can be rich, so you want some salt to cut through that flavour. Baguette slices are a good choice for any cheddar, but especially aged cheddars like Balderson 2 Year Old. Thinly sliced and toasted artisanal breads or fruit breads are also ideal.

— PART 3 —

QUENCH “LITTLE DID WALTER CHELL KNOW HE WAS ALSO CREATING CANADA’S NATIONAL DRINK.” COCKTAIL DECONSTRUCT, 135

092 THE GRAPES AND THE GOOD | 102 POP GOES THE MENU 108 THE NEXT ROUND | 110 BOOZERS AND SHAKERS | 114 COCKTAIL HOUR 120 BOTTLE SERVICE | 133 COCKTAIL DECONSTRUCT

THE GRAPES AND THE GOOD Home to rolling hills, pristine farmland and an under-the-radar wine scene, Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sun-baked Valle de Guadelupe calls for a change of pace. WORDS BY ERIN DAVIS

Photography: Photograph Prisciliaby Salinas ###

ABOVE: Squatting in the middle of Baja California on Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s western flank, Valle de Guadalupe is being touted as the new Napa Valley for winemaking

RIGHT: Valle de Guadalupeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautiful landscapes make for a brilliant terroir, which is why itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home to a blossoming winemaking community

LEFT: Valle de Guadalupe’s winemakers are dedicated to sustainability and preserving their community – as well as making delcious wines

I Photography: Eleni Mavrandoni; Schlyx

’VE SIPPED DAIQUIRIS on Cancún’s crowded beaches, rung in the New Year on the streets of Playa del Carmen, and snorkelled off the shores of Los Cabos. I’ve even sampled tequila in Guadalajara. But, as I discovered, there’s nothing quite like Mexico’s blossoming wine region. Valle de Guadalupe is emerging from the shadows of the country’s commercialized resort zones and big cities. The secret is out; while the region had fewer than 10 wineries two decades ago, there are now more than 150. Located 145 kilometres from San Diego in Baja California, Mexico, this still relatively untouched piece of the country features sun-baked vineyards surrounded by rolling hills, pristine farmland, endless sunsets and winding mountain roads that overlook the crashing Pacific Ocean below. Rather than sprawling, tourist-rammed allinclusive resorts, you’ll find quiet eco-friendly boutique hotels and glamping spots designed to honour the environment and blend seamlessly into the surrounding nature. Most accommodations are the type that require a flashlight after sunset to get from dinner to bed (admittedly, not always my

VALLE DE GUADALUPE IS A PLACE OF SUNBAKED VINEYARDS favourite as a female rooming alone). But, once you turn it off to sit in the silence and glow of the countless stars that envelop the night – with a glass of the region’s wine in hand – you’ll find a sense of stillness that’s absent on most vacations. This calm complements the unique wining and dining experiences; though the pace here is peaceful, a trip will involve busy days exploring the vibrant wineries, restaurants and food stands (word of advice: wear comfy shoes), as you get to know the

welcoming faces behind them. “People know Mexico as a great tequila and beer producer; not so much for wine. But we’ve finally captured the attention of the big wine connoisseurs across the globe,” says Juan Pablo Arroyuelo. “When people discover the region, they’re so surprised”. The developer, a Mexico City native, was drawn to the natural beauty of Valle de Guadalupe in the late 1990s and purchased the land that would become Bruma Valle de Guadalupe winery and eco resort 13 years ago. Constructed with local and mostly recycled materials, Bruma winery was built around a stunning 300-year-old oak tree that’s the star of the show – well, aside from the wine. Seasoned winemaker Lourdes “Lulu” Martinez Ojeda currently produces five varieties of wine at Bruma; two reds, two whites and one rosé. Trained in Bordeaux, Martinez Ojeda spent a decade as part of the winemaking team at Château BraneCantenac in Margaux-Cantenac, a commune in southwestern France. Although not usually my first choice, the rosé was a favourite here. A pale peach colour, the crisp wine offers refreshing strawberry and berry undertones →

LEFT: Wine barrels majestically line the walls in Vena Cava’s eyecatching tasting room

BRUMA’S PEACHY ROSÉ OFFERS BERRY AROMAS

RIGHT: Bruma features impressive architecture; LEFT: Beautiful buildings are par for the course at Vena Cava

that are suited to Mexico’s warm afternoons. As Arroyuelo reminds me, good wine can’t exist without good food. During a winefilled lunch at Bruma’s rustic-chic Fauna restaurant, we take our time at communal tables with the multi-course, experimental meal cooked by chef David Castro Hussong, who rarely knows what he’ll serve until that day. He describes his style as ‘Mexican with a personal twist’ – something inspired by successful stints at San Francisco’s Cala restaurant and New York City’s Eleven Madison Park and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. A large garden provides organic fruits and vegetables that find their way into Fauna’s dishes, including those made by Castro Hussong’s wife, pastry chef Maribel Aldaco Silva. Menu items include everything from

cauliflower tacos with seaweed and ponzu (a Japanese citrus sauce) and charred broccoli in aioli, to butter-poached scallop tacos, and duck sopes – a bit like a thicker, tiny tortilla. For the complete Bruma experience, it’s worth dropping the extra dollars on a wine pairing with your meal (you’re on vacation). A 30-minute drive away, enclosed by mountains in the heart of the Guadalupe Valley, Vena Cava winery captured my heart – and my camera lens. The site is the passion project of charming husband and wife team, British ex-pats Eileen and Phil Gregory, who arrived in the region in 2002 when they purchased 70 acres and pursued a newfound interest in wine making. Phil studied under Mexican winemaking pioneer Hugo D’Acosta at Baja’s wine school La Escuelita →

AT FAUNA, THE MENU INCLUDES BUTTERPOACHED SCALLOP TACOS AND DUCK SOPES

Photography: Photograph Priscilia by Salinas ###

ABOVE: A mural by Jorge Tellaeche at Lomita winery; BELOW: Lomitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gorgeous wine tasting room

LEFT: Lunario is the fine-dining restaurant at Lomita, taking inspiration from the phases of the moon

in 2005, with a focus on a boutique production and sustainability. That same year, the Gregorys opened up shop. Now, Vena Cava is known as an appreciated, top-tier winemaker that specializes in small-batch wines. The winery draws upon the highest-quality grapes in the valley and its own vineyard is organically farmed. “The most popular wines in our traditional range are the Tempranillo and the Big Blend, both of which I prefer to pair with a couch and Netflix,” says Phil with a smile. “Our more recent natural wines have become very popular, especially the amber wines and the pét-nats, which go with almost everything.” Increasingly popular, amber (or orange) wines are skin-fermented white wines, while the equally as trendy pétnats (pétillant naturel) are sparkling wines created by bottling wine that’s only partially fermented, without adding yeasts or sugars. For me, a visit to Vena Cava is just as much about the visually stimulating experience as it is the sipping and swirling. Like Bruma, Vena Cava is the result of a sustainable yet chic design vision that draws heavily on recycled and repurposed materials. In fact,

VENA CAVA DRAWS ON THE REGION’S BEST GRAPES the same architect, Alejandro D’Acosta, designed both wineries. Talking points in the design department include things like vaulted ceilings made of reclaimed fishing boats from a local port, walls adorned with discarded lenses from a nearby eyeglass factory and an intricate outdoor canopy created with reclaimed wood. Vena Cava’s six-bedroom La Villa del Valle boutique hotel, another passion project of the Gregorys,’ offers views of the peaceful vineyard and its surrounding mountains.

Perhaps more impressive, however, is the onsite restaurant, farm-to-table spot Corazón de Tierra, which sits adjacent to the winery and has been named one of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants. Here, chef Diego Hernández Baquedano creates innovative spins on traditional Mexican dishes, with a multi-course tasting menu made from local goodness that changes daily. Your meal could include crowd pleasers like the beef tartare, grilled octopus with refried beans on a tortilla, locally sourced duck, or fish chicharrón (basically crispy bits). Naturally, guests have the option of wine pairings. With its eye-catching art, Lomita winery rivals Vena Cava in its visual appeal. Entrepreneur Fernando Perez Castro started Lomita in 2009, with a vision to create a “free flow winery” that avoided the use of machines to move the grapes and the juice to fermentation and into aging barrels. Lomita has practiced organic viticulture since 2012 and now produces eight separate and diverse labels, the product of Gustavo González’s winemaking expertise. González got his start – and left a major mark – at California’s iconic Robert Mondavi winery, where he became →

ABOVE: Chef Sheyla Alvarado, who runs both Lomita’s restaurants; BELOW: a taco on the menu at Lunario, the fine-dining restaurant

the celebrated head winemaker, responsible for the red wines. With hints of cherry and plum, the cabernet is particularly easy to sip; it’s the type that pairs well with carb-filled foods like pizza and pasta. “Besides our different labels, visitors are most impressed by the winery’s vibrant mural art by Jorge Tellaeche in the grape selection/ crushing area that also functions as our tasting terrace,” says public relations director Gerardo Tejeda, as he proudly shows us the property. The indoor succulent garden and aging room/cellar are also favourites among visitors. Of course, so is the food. Lomita features two restaurants, TrasLomita and Lunario, both run by chef Sheyla Alvarado. Fine-dining spot Lunario – what Tejeda calls “the last piece of the puzzle” – is inspired by

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the moon’s phases and opened in fall 2019. “I’ve always said that we cook what we like and we get inspired day by day, taking into account the amazing produce from our local suppliers,” says Alvarado. “Usually I start from a protein base, vegetable, sauce or mole that I have my eye on, then I start searching for complementary elements for the dish, trying not to do too much to them because we are trying to showcase the quality of the local products.” Alvarado also takes inspiration from her team. “Our food is a reflection of our family traditions; from childhood memories to daily recipes.” According to Alvarado, favourite menu items are the tacos; in particular the soft-shell crab taco with red pipian (pumpkin seed mole), and the octopus with brisket. Lunario

VALLE DE GUADALUPE IS A FAR CRY FROM MEXICO’S BIGGER, BUSIER CITIES offers four, six, and eight-course menus with optional wine pairings from Lomita and sister winery Finca La Carrodilla, which sits seven kilometres away and provides the produce for both restaurants. Finca La Carrodilla’s orchard produces beets, carrots, kale, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, radishes, Swiss chard and aromatic herbs. With panoramic views of the surrounding hills, the certified organic winery – also owned by Castro – offers nine wines, most of which are available for sampling and best enjoyed with a selection of fresh cheese during the on-site tasting experience. In moments of such simple pleasures, I silently hope the region doesn’t lose its authenticity. “In Mexico, we tend to think that our amazing biodiversity and the profound cultural heritage isn’t enough to attract tourists,” says Castro. “So, instead of setting regulations to protect our land and our communities, we let unscrupulous people with ‘big ideas’ do investments that irreversibly destroy our natural habitats and negatively impact our culture.” A new paradigm is needed, he says; one where sustainability, creativity and community development are the driving forces behind tourism. “The uniqueness of our landscape, the quality of our wines and the talent of our chefs are enough reason to visit. The last thing that we want to be is the new Tulum.” For now, Valle de Guadalupe remains a refreshingly far cry from Mexico’s bigger cities. You’ll find an off-the-beaten-path type of exquisiteness you have to experience to understand; whether you take it in via horseback on top of a mountain, in between bites from a taco stand, or simply sipping a glass of wine in a sun-kissed valley. f

A MODERN WINE born from Tuscan tradition

MODUS SUPER TUSCAN

90 POINTS Modus 2015 • Wine Spectator O C TO B E R 3 1 , 2 01 8

POP GOES THE MENU

Partnering with food pop-ups could be a way for Torontoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breweries to start paving the path towards the new normal, finds David Ort. 102

Photography: Timothy Dykes

REMEMBER EXACTLY WHERE I was five years ago. Sitting on the back patio of Craft Pride, a craft beer bar on Rainey Street in Austin, Texas, I appreciated the homey picnic table and the cool shade (even in April, the temperature was already regularly into the 30s.) But I wasn’t at this joint just for the cozy confines and their couple dozen taps of Texas-only beer – this was also the in-the-know place to get some delicious Detroit-style pizza. In 2015, pizza truck Via 313 was a semi-permanent feature in the Craft Pride

beer garden and I was struck by how much sense this made. Have the bar stick to their specialty – picking great beer – and get someone else to perfect the food. At that point, the idea wasn’t unheard of in Toronto. Breweries brought in food trucks, especially for special events, and there were a handful of early vendors – but pop-ups hadn’t reached the peak they did in 2019. Last summer, one brewery owner told me that there were a few vendors (think BBQ or oysters) whose presence could goose taproom sales on an August Saturday by 30 or

40 per cent. He went as far as admitting that connections to top vendors played a role in who he hired as a general manager. Why did food pop-ups and craft breweries become such fast friends? As usual, it was a combination of factors. Early adopters get to sample creative menus before they hit the mainstream. (Via 313 in Austin spawned four brick-and-mortar locations from the one original trailer as Detroit-style pizza became a ubiquitous favourite.) And those loyal to their local would never get bored with the menu if it changed every weekend. →

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Plus, craft brewery owners didn’t have to build the HR headaches, kitchen equipment costs and extra inspections that go with a permanent kitchen into their business. Obviously, this March, the ground under those models shook as much as it did under all of us thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Most in Ontario adjusted quickly and started delivering their beer to thirsty customers stuck at home in isolation. Experiences varied, but the two common threads I hear about are that the home delivery service was more popular than expected and the lay-off has lasted a lot longer than predicted. Steve Himel of Henderson’s, a bar in the Junction Triangle that’s often standing room only, put it succinctly: “The shift to home delivery has saved us, to be honest.” As health authorities in Ontario start to plan how to relax the restrictions on business operations, breweries are having to figure out a gameplan just as quickly. Himel is cautious about what customers want and, preeminently about keeping everyone safe by limiting the number of people inside his brewery. Outdoor pop-ups or food trucks could work – or something shelf-stable as an add-on option for delivery orders – he says. “The thing that I loved most about the pop-ups,” he remembers, “was the people. We are all in the hospitality business and every pop-up was just a new personality bringing their energy into our space. It’s like a band having a guest musician come on stage for just a song or two – it adds something extra that the band alone maybe could not deliver. I really miss that.”

POP-UPS ARE LIKE A BAND HAVING A GUEST MUSICIAN COME ON STAGE

ABOVE AND BELOW: Muddy York’s co-owner, Susan Michalek, is cautious about reopening pop-ups and having to send customers away due to new spacing rules

ABOVE: People’s Pint in the Aleyards District is hoping to have a pop-up vendor set up on the sidewalk to entice people to pick up some beer

Photography: David Chang-Sang

Susan Michalek of Muddy York, a trendy bottle shop and taproom in East York, is also cautious – from a safety-first perspective but also for customer service reasons. “If people came specifically for the pop-up and there was nowhere to sit due to a spacing rule,” she says, “that’s not the customer experience I would want them to have. Trust me, people do not like to be turned away. They remember that stuff.” Michalek thinks a food truck might be able to operate during peak curbside beer pickup times but also wonders if it would be viable for the truck operators. At People’s Pint in the Aleyards District, Peter Caira is figuring out how to plan for having a pop-up vendor set up on the sidewalk outside the loading dock where customers pick up beer orders.

“I think having a pop-up either inside or outside the brewery is more than just a way to entice people to come pick up some beer,” he says, “it’s a sign that life might be going back to some semblance of what we thought of as normal. I say it that way because I’m not sure we’ll see a return to the way things were for quite some time. With all of the uncertainty about the future, these little things might make a big difference to people – a little joy, maybe a little hope. I know I could use a little hope and joy right about now!” Week-to-week and case-by-case are extremely important caveats to consider when planning to check out Toronto’s favourite food pop-ups. Luckily, like the breweries themselves, many have found a way to get their product directly to customers’ homes. →

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H E R E ARE T HE BRIGHT LI G H TS AN D C ULT FAVO URI T ES FRO M THE F O O D POP-UP S CE NE Island Oysters There is something magical about the connection between cold, freshly shucked oysters and a well-made beer. (The pairing goes well beyond just the tried and true stout and six.) Plus oysters have a cachet and mystery to them that makes an expert like Jason Kun a welcome master of ceremonies. His pop-up appearances were in high demand from breweries who found they encouraged unusually large crowds. Until he gets to return to a brewery patio near you, Kun has been delivering bivalve care packages to eager customers across the city. islandoysters.ca

Petojo The operators of this Indonesian caterer out of London, Ont. have taken a blue-skies approach to the current state of affairs. “While big societal and economic episodes like this pandemic can negatively impact business,” Kimi Abdullah says, “they can also offer an opportunity for great innovation and change. We decided at the onset of the pandemic that we were going to take this time to find ways to improve and grow our business. Our mindset isn’t on survival, it’s on growth. That philosophy has kept us motivated and I think that positivity is what attracts customers.”

ISLAND OYSTERS HAS BEEN DELIVERING BIVALVE CARE PACKAGES ACROSS THE CITY 106

FOR THOSE ON THE EAST SIDE, BEACH HILL SMOKEHOUSE IS A WELLKNOWN FAVOURITE focuses solely on organic, hormone-free meat. ohmylard.ca

Beach Hill Smokehouse For those on the east side, Beach Hill Smokehouse is a well-known favourite – I tried them for the first time at Muddy York. Until they can set up their booth at neighbourhood breweries, Beach Hill is delivering through the usual services and direct on Saturdays. See their social media for pre-ordering details. beachhillsmokehouse.com

The Better Vegan

Photograph by ###

ABOVE: Island Oysters is a popular fixture at spots like Henderson Brewing; TOP RIGHT: Oh My Lard has been grilling since 2015 and will be popping up at People’s Pint on beer pickup days; BOTTOM RIGHT: Fans of the Better Vegan can get vegan Chick’n burgers delivered during lockdown

Because their menu, with highlights like Balinese corn fritters, vegetable lumpia and panci babi (a stuffed pork wonton), is easy to eat alone or on the go, Abdullah doesn’t see huge changes coming to what they serve. With tight spaces in breweries and prep being difficult outside, she does see more of a focus on prepared and to-go food. They’re working on tentative plans with Left Field, Beerlab! and Forked River for events this summer. petojofood.com

Oh My Lard The Oh My Lard team rolled their 13-foot beast of a smoker up to breweries across the GTA last summer. Owner, Kirk Massicotte has set tentative plans with People’s Pint for him to make an appearance at one of their popular beer pickup days. Drawing from a wide range of barbecue styles, Massicotte

Jay Ahmad of the Better Vegan would love to see a point in the near future when brewery pop-ups are possible again. He stresses that clean food prep has always been a priority for them and thinks an outdoor setup might work. Until then, they have shifted to deliver their core offering: vegan Chick’n burgers in a four-pack, frozen and ready to reheat when the next craving hits. Slide into their DMs on Instagram or Facebook for details on ordering. @thebettervegan

“People come to the brewery for the care-free parts of their lives and I just don’t see those times happening much in the short and medium-term,” Henderson’s Steve Himel says. We’re months away from that tranquil back patio in Austin but there are glimmers of light. And creative solutions are what craft brewers and food entrepreneurs specialize in. f

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THE NEXT ROUND The latest additions to our bar cart meet the newest soft stuff.

A RTI NG STALL’S B RILLIA NT LON D ON DRY GIN

L OS CAR DOS DOÑA PAUL A M AL B E C

If the success of Bridesmaids, The Oﬃce and Freaks and Geeks wasn’t enough, Hollywood director Paul Feig has something new to delight us with. In a partnership with Minhas Micro Distillery, the movie mogul is now the maker of Artingstall’s Brilliant London Dry Gin. $54.95, lcbo.com

Grown in Argentina at the base of the Andes, in a sub-region that’s renowned for its malbecs, this new release from Doña Paula has all the makings of a great wine. Los Cardos malbec is floral and fruity on the nose with flavours of red berries and a velvety mouthfeel. $11.95, lcbo.com

O LD CAM P PE AC H PECAN L IQU E U R BELG I AN MO O N MAN G O WHE AT Refreshing and fruity, this new release from Belgian Moon has arrived just in time for summer. Catch hints of mango, peach and citrus as you enjoy this sessionable sipper outdoors. It’s palate-cleansing enough to pair with spicy fare. $2.90, lcbo.com

K ITE SPA RKLING BOTAN ICAL TEA If you want to restore balance and adapt to stress without a yoga membership, try a botanical brew instead. Torontobased KITE infuses sparkling water with adaptogenic teas and plants (sourced from organic farms in India), which help the body deal with its overwhelming todo lists. $2.99, drinkkite.com

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Could there be anything more middle America than a country music group making whisky? From Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line, Old Camp Peach Pecan Liqueur (decidedly labelled as whisky in the U.S.) is now available at the LCBO. Made from Georgia peaches, it’s a smooth, easy-drinking spirit. $23, lcbo.com

Just in time for summer weather, beer brand Ace Hill has released a duo of lowcal vodka sodas. Made with real fruit, the canned concoctions are gluten-free and only contain one gram of sugar. Choose between raspberry or lemon flavours. $2.75, lcbo.com

SA P S U C K ER

S P RO U D

Unlike maple syrup, this tree-tapped beverage is for swilling. Sapsucker, organic sparkling tree water, is as refreshing as it is original. The bubbles are bursting with natural sweetness from Canadian trees and with 46 naturally occurring minerals, vitamins and antioxidants it’s great for drinking by itself or in a cocktail. $2.49, sipsapsucker.com

Soy milk, oat milk and almond milk, step aside – pea milk is joining the non-dairy parade. Straight from Sweden, Sproud is made from pea protein, which is being billed as a more sustainable option than dairy or almond milk. It comes in original, unsweetened, chocolate and, of course, a special formula designed for baristas. $4.99, besproud.com

AC E HIL L VODK A SO DA

ST EL + MA R

NU DE VODK A SO DA

This isn’t the box wine you remember from your student days. Stel + Mar combines premium wine with environmentally friendly packaging that won’t shatter and doesn’t require a corkscrew. Hitting shelves this summer, the premium rosé comes in a box of six 500ml tetra packs. $45.95 a box (3L), lcbo.com

Billed as the first white-can vodka soda to hit Canadian shelves, Nude is ahead of the curve with this sugar-free, sweetenerfree, gluten-free beverage. Made with all-natural flavours, it comes in lime, peach, raspberry-lemon, cucumber-mint, grapefruit, strawberry-kiwi and mango. $2.90, lcbo.com

ISL E OF HAR R IS G IN RI LLI BRILLI PINK LEMONA DE RO SE With subtle hints of rose petals, this sparkling soda is a blossoming summer garden in a can. Ready to drink for luxurious ease on a hot day, it features juicy citrus flavours and a soft, velvety mouthfeel. $2.75, lcbo.com

OK! KOMBUCHA This Toronto-based kombucha brewery brings fizzy goodness direct to your door. They had to pivot their business to contactless delivery, but the change hasn’t stopped them releasing new flavours like orange-cardamom. Their popular ginger-jasmine flavour took two years to develop – and it was worth the wait. $30 for a six-pack, okkombucha.ca

Juniper, coriander seed and orange peel are among the nine different botanicals that go into making this unusual Scottish gin, but the magical ingredient is sugar kelp. The brown algae is painstakingly – and sustainably – harvested by hand from underwater kelp forests to give the spirit a complex and completely unique flavour that sings of its maritime origins. $92.10, lcbo.com

Grapefruit juice, carbonated water and local small-batch gin go into this canned Toronto-made concoction. At 110 calories, one gram of sugar and three per cent alcohol, this drink is designed to help you have a great Saturday night and a good Sunday – sans hangover. $2.95, lcbo.com

LEITZ EINS Z WEI Z ERO SPA R K L ING R O S É

T WEED HO U NDSTO O T H & S O DA

Whether you’re celebrating or not, there’s something special about a glass of bubbly. Now non-drinkers can get in on the fun with this sparkling rosé. Dry and refreshing with cool red fruit flavours, Leitz Eins Zwei Zero is 100 per cent pinot noir and zero per cent alcohol. $12.95, lcbo.com

There’s no alcohol in this little bevvy, as per Canadian cannabis laws, but you won’t miss it when the 2mg of THC kicks in. Mixed with refreshing soda water, the small dose of sativa makes this a great sipper for beginners. We recommend starting with one can and seeing how you feel. $3.95, ocs.ca

G OOD SUNDAY

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PINTS OF PERFECTION

MU S IC TO MY B EERS Half of Burdock’s 3,000 square-foot space is a music hall where they host just about every kind of show under the sun. From comedy and poetry nights to classical music and book launches, if it’s good, you’ll find it here.

BOOZERS AND SHAKERS

At Burdock Brewery, a pioneering pairing of wine and beer makes a lasting impression on Taylor Newlands.

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wine. Creating a wine programme for the restaurant side of Burdock led to tastings and building relationships with wineries. Rather than cheat on their beer, they decided to marry their two loves and bring wine into the brewing process. By aging their beer with grape skins left over from the winemaking process, they can bring out some of the rich, fruity flavours we’re used to tasting in wine. The result is a lineup of delicious and unique beer-wine hybrids that showcase the best of both worlds. Partnering with Lincoln, Ontario winery Pearl Morissette, Burdock recently released their first beer made with Syrah. Aged on wine skins for 35 days, Lyrah is a grape ale that perfectly captures the spicy, earthy essence of the Syrah varietal. “We are lovers of fine things,” says Park. And Burdock’s brews are exactly that – fancier, finer beer that is meant to be sipped and savoured. f

DRINKS DEL IV ERED Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the lockdown of the city, Burdock has started offering free same-day shipping on any order of a case or more. Curbside pickup is also available, so all your bases are covered.

Photography: Burdock

ORE THAN FIVE years ago, old friends Matt Park and Jason Stein were planning to start a business together. Park, a former firefighter and avid home brewer, knew he wanted to start his own brewery, while Stein is a musician who at the time had just completed a business programme. In 2015 the duo opened Burdock Brewery: part-music hall, part-brewery – not to mention a restaurant and bottleshop – rolled into one very unique establishment. For Park, the switch from home brewing to making beer on a much larger (and more professional) scale was easier than anticipated. “When you’re brewing at home, you have to have a pot boiling on the stove, tubes running from the sink and then turn on the tap with your foot,” jokes Park. After opening the brewery, Park and Stein started to delve into the world of

B REWS A ND C HEWS Chef Emma Herrera (Planta, Rosalinda) heads up the seasonal, locally focused food programme at Burdock. Expect to find a menu of simple, straightforward dishes done really well – just the way we like them.

PROMOTION

FORAGER & TONIC Ingredients ◆ 1 oz Forager Botanical Whisky ◆ 3 oz Tonic

◆ Lemon wedges

Method 1 Fill a highball glass with ice. 2 Add Forager Botanical Whisky. Top with tonic and stir well. 3 Garnish with a lemon wedge.

WHERE THE WILD DRINKS ARE Infused with sustainably-sourced wild Canadian botanicals, The Forager is a gin-like whisky that captures the essence of Canadian wilderness in a bottle.

HERE’S ONLY ONE thing better than summer in the city, and that’s summer outside the city. Heading up north to get away from it all and commune with nature is one of the greatest warm weather pleasures that a city-bound human can have. It’s an indescribable feeling: cooking outdoors over an open fire, soaking up the sun

and getting back to nature – all while toting your favourite tipple in hand. When your weekend away comes to an end, or if you don’t have a cottage to escape to, it doesn’t mean you have to kiss this feeling goodbye. Bring a little piece of the Canadian wilderness home with you, in the form of a summer sipper that will bring you back to

your happy place every time you take a swig. Capturing the essence of the Canadian wilderness in a bottle, The Forager Botanical Whisky is your ticket back to the great outdoors. It’s infused with wild-sourced Canadian botanicals like juniper berries from the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, spruce tips from Nova Scotia and sweet fern from just outside Algonquin Park – all harvested sustainably by trained foragers. The very first of its kind, The Forager starts out as a Canadian whisky, aged for three years before being infused with those Canadian botanicals and aged further. The result is a golden spirit with all the character and depth of whisky, the light and refreshing qualities of gin and the complexity and flavour of wild botanicals. It's crisp and fresh – and quintessentially Canadian. Take a whiff – The Forager is bursting with a bouquet of fresh cut pine and a hint of sweet, candied citrus. At first sip you’ll be met with the familiar flavour of Canadian whisky, but don’t let that fool you, there’s much more in store. Your mouth will quickly become awash with the warm, sophisticated flavours of herbal tea. Expect a slight kick from the long, peppery finish. For optimal enjoyment, take any cocktail with gin, and swap it out for The Forager to add complexity, character and more flavour. Or simply savour it with tonic. No matter how you shake it, The Forager Botanical Whisky will bring the Canadian wilderness home in every sip. ● The Forager Botanical Whisky is available at the LCBO for $34.95. lcbo.com

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COCKTAIL HOUR From the couple behind Trash Tiki, the anti-waste punk pop-up, comes Supernova Ballroom, a disco-themed cocktail bar that is anything but garbage. WORDS BY KATIE BRIDGES PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH PFLUG

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S NORTHERN INCEPTION ING REDIENTS

• • • • •

1 ½ oz Fig & Kombu Toki 1 tsp orgeat syrup 1 dash Pernod Absinthe 2 dashes orange bitters 3 oz soda

For Fig & Kombu Toki: Combine 6 oz Suntory Toki Japanese Whiskey, 1g Kombu Seaweed, 25 g chopped figs and leave for 24 hours. Strain and bottle. Build all ingredients in a collins glass over fresh ice and stir to combine. Garnish with a big, untrimmed lemon zest.

EVENTIES COCKTAILS TEND to come with more glacé cherries and umbrellas than ringing endorsements – but that didn’t stop Kelsey Ramage and Iain Griffiths from opening a discothemed sustainable bar in the financial district. “It sure as hell wasn’t seamless,” laughs Ramage as she details their journey from Trash Tiki, an anti-waste pop-up, to Supernova Ballroom on Bay Street. After working in bars around the world (including London’s Dandelyan, formerly voted World’s Best Bar) the mixologist-duo-turned-zero-waste cocktail slingers planted roots in Toronto. “We’re not super in your face about it, which is where I think some sustainability platforms fail,” says Ramage modestly. Supernova Ballroom does more than ban plastic straws: their bartending bible is New Testament, eschewing staples like mint and citrus and experimenting with the structure of a great drink using ingredients that are available seasonally in Canada. Buying local is not without its challenges; “It was nice to finally find a cranberry grower but our bartender had to drive out to the farm to personally pick up a shitload of them.” While some drinks were too good to replace, their seasonal menu naturally warrants a new cast of cocktail characters. The most recent edition features drinks like Factory Special, a Harvey Wallbanger spinoff which uses lactofermented citrus to make an orange wine; or the Rickety Fence, a barnyard-y riff on the Stone Fence which uses local Ontario apples. “Sustainability is not black and white – it’s about the path, the journey and the struggles,” says Ramage. Sustainable cocktails might not save the planet any time soon, but it’s one great way to get wasted. f

Disclaimer: Supernova Ballroom make their sustainable cocktails using lots of clever techniques. To make things easy for home bartenders, we’ve simplified some recipes.

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FACTORY SPECIAL ING R EDIENTS

• • • • • • • •

½ oz Vodkow Vodka ½ oz Absolut Vodka ¾ oz fresh orange juice ½ tsp Galliano 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp Quinquina 1 tsp simple syrup 2 oz Featherstone ‘Joy’ Sparkling Rosé

Add all ingredients except sparkling wine into a shaker tin, shake (just a short little shake!) and strain into a flute. Top with sparkling rosé. Note: Supernova Ballroom tops Factory Special with a Fruit Loops-infused coconut milk which is whipped with NO². To simplify, top with cream or enjoy as is.

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NIGHT MOVES ING R EDIENTS

• • • • • • • • •

1 oz Havana 3 Rum ¼ oz Novo Fogo Cachaca ½ oz coconut milk 1 tsp clarified miso 1 tsp lemon juice 1 oz carrot juice ¾ oz egg white 1 oz soda water 1 dash Angostura bitters

Add all ingredients except soda into a shaker tin without ice, shake vigorously. Add ice into the shaker tin and continue to shake for 30 seconds. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice and top with 1 oz of soda. Garnish with carrot greens or dehydrated and crushed carrot flakes.

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YUBARI DREAMIN IN GREDIE N TS

• • • • • • •

1 ½ oz Izumi Sake 1 tsp Amaro Nonino ¼ oz simple syrup ¾ oz melon liqueur ½ oz lemon juice 2 dashes orange bitters ½ oz egg white

ME LON LIQUEUR

• • • •

1 cup melon juice 200 g melon pulp 1 cup vodka 50 g white granulated sugar

For melon liqueur: Dissolve sugar in vodka, add melon juice and pulp, and leave in a container in fridge overnight. Finely strain, bottle and refrigerate. Use within 3 days. For Yubari Dreamin: Add all ingredients to a shaker tin without ice, shake vigorously. Add ice and shake for 20 seconds. Strain into a coupette glass (neat) and garnish with a watermelon candy.

D OL LY TROLLEY DRINKS Following Covid-19, Supernova Ballroom has pivoted to provide a range of high-quality cocktail mixers to your door. Dolly Trolley Drinks makes homemade, organic and sustainable mixers to go with their suggested spirit pairing, which customers can add to their cocktail kit. Orders include a large bag of housemade popcorn or chips. Head to supernovaballroom.com to order your sustainable sipper.

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BOTTLE SERVICE

This month’s sipping forecast: the best tequilas, beer, botanical-infused liquids, gins and low-ABV wines that’ll see you through till summer’s end. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAILEE MANDEL ART DIRECTION BY BRIANNE COLLINS

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T EQ U IL A 1 CASAMIGOS TEQUILA AÑEJO: A subtle sweetness from the Blue Weber agave is perfectly balanced by hints of spice and oak from the premium barrels this tequila is aged in. Robust aromas of caramel and vanilla on the nose. $100.40, lcbo.com 2 DON JULIO BLANCO TEQUILA: Crisp and clean, this Blanco is as clear as its flavour is pure. It acts as the base for all of Don Julio’s tequilas. Catch hints of agave, citrus and grapefruit on the nose. $83.95, lcbo.com 3 ESPOLÒN TEQUILA REPOSADO: Rich and robust on the palate, you’ll taste caramelized agave, sweet tropical fruit and notes of vanilla followed by a long spicy finish. It adds great character to cocktails. $40.95, lcbo.com 4 PATRON AÑEJO TEQUILA: Aromas of oak, vanilla, raisins and honey are accompanied by a smooth and supple mouthfeel. Aged in oak barrels for over a year, this golden tequila has a smoky finish with notes of caramel. $101.95, lcbo.com

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G IN 1 COLLECTIVE ARTS RHUBARB & HIBISCUS GIN: Like a warm rhubarb pie, only more fun (and boozy). This herbaceous gin doubles as a delicious, drinkable work of art. $49.20, lcbo.com 2 METAMORPHOSIS INDIGO GIN: This gin gets its subtle spice and purple colour from the butterfly pea flower. Add tonic and watch it change colour to a vibrant pink. $39.95, lcbo.com 3 NICKEL 9 HIDDEN TEMPLE GIN: Level up your bar cart with this whimsical bottle. Hidden Temple is a premium gin distilled from apples – which counts as one of your five a day, right? $54.95, lcbo.com 4 GEORGIAN BAY GIN: For that cottage campfire feel, this London Dry-style gin will keep you warm on those cool summer nights. Made with Georgian Bay juniper. $34.95, lcbo.com 5 DILLON’S DRY GIN 7: If you like your gin drier than a disapproving British granny, then this is the gin for you. Use it for a classic G&T or add some vermouth for a Bond-worthy martini. $39.95, lcbo.com 6 TAWSE DRY GIN: Made from Ontariogrown corn with a blend of 10 botanicals, this gin is made by a Niagarabased, family-owned organic winery. $34.95, lcbo.com

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S U M M ER B E E R 1 BEAU’S GOOD TIME SESSION I.P.A.: A playful mix of fruity and hoppy in an easy-to-enjoy light ale. Good time on the label, even better time inside. $3.45, lcbo.com 2 HENDERSON PICNIC BEER SEASONAL: This refreshing golden brew with hints of lemon zest is perfect for those dog days of summer. Pack it in a cooler for a park party or picnic – your secret’s safe with us. $3.40 lcbo.com 3 FIXED GEAR BREWING CHERRY TRAINING WHEELS SOUR: A colourful can that’ll get your gears in motion. Blended with fresh cherry juice, this beer pours a summer sunset pink. $4.25 lcbo.com 4 SIDE LAUNCH BREWING CO. MARGARITA GOSE: If a margarita and a craft beer had a baby, it would taste like this. Brewed with organic agave syrup, lime purée and finished with salt for an ideal blend of sweet and sour. $3.70, lcbo.com 5 COLLECTIVE ARTS JAM UP THE MASH: For hop heads and sour fans, this mixed fermentation brew is the best of both worlds. $3.55 lcbo.com 6 STEAM WHISTLE PILSNER SHANDY: A blend of the brewery’s premium pilsner with the O.G. drink of summer: lemonade. Ideal for summer afternoons. $3.15, lcbo.com

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B OTA N ICALS 1 THE FORAGER BOTANICAL WHISKY: Sustainably sourced wild Canadian botanicals give this rich whisky its complex gin-like qualities. Hints of fresh cut pine are accompanied by herbal flavours and a long peppery finish. $34.95, lcbo.com 2 KARDASI BOTANIC LIQUEUR: Best enjoyed as an apĂŠritif or digestif served with an orange slice, this Grecian liqueur starts sweet before a bitter finish with a burst of botanical aromas like citrus, sage and cinnamon. $25.35, lcbo.com 3 SEEDLIP GARDEN 108: Add complexity and floral notes to your cocktail without the alcohol. This booze-free botanical brings the English countryside home with initial notes of peas and hay, followed by subtle hints of spearmint, rosemary and thyme. $49, cocktail emporium.com 4 KETEL ONE BOTANICAL CUCUMBER AND MINT: Distilled with a family recipe of botanicals, Ketel Oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vodka gets a glow up with their botanical series. This flavour is crisp and fresh with notes of mint and cucumber. $35.95, lcbo.com

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MADE WITH A SQUEEZE OF REAL GRAPEFRUIT JUICE AND LOCAL GIN

110 CALS. 1g SUGAR 3% ALC. Find us at the LCBO. Please drink responsibly.

L IG HT WINE 1 CHALET DU PAPILLON PINK: Like its namesake butterflies, Chalet du Papillon Pink is light and summery. It’s pleasantly sweet, but not too sugary. At only 5.5 per cent ABV it’s an easy sipper that’s fruit forward on the palate. $11.95, lcbo.com 2 THE PEOPLE’S SESSIONS SAUVIGNON BLANC: At 9 per cent ABV, what this light white lacks in alcohol content it makes up for with big, bold flavours of tropical fruit and juicy citrus. Pair it with a summer salad, grilled vegetables or sushi. $12.55, lcbo.com 3 BANROCK STATION PINK MOSCATO: For those with a sweet tooth, this 6 per cent pink Moscato from Australia is bursting with fresh strawberries, raspberries and cherry. It’s slightly acidic with flavours of ripe fruit on the palate. $12.45, lcbo.com 4 GIESEN PURE LIGHT SAUVIGNON BLANC: Made from grapes grown in the stony soils of New Zealand’s Marlborough region, this 9.5 per cent sauvignon blanc packs a punch. Tropical fruit notes blend with citrus for a full flavour that pairs well with seafood or vegetarian fare. $11.80, lcbo.com

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PROMOTION

TREASURE ISLAND Born from its rugged and remote coastline, Isle of Harris Distillery has created a gin which captures the essence of the island in every hand-sealed bottle.

HEY SAY THAT life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans, a phrase that seems to have been tailor made for the Isle of Harris Distillery. The spirit producer – named after the small, Scottish community of less than 2,000 people in the Outer Hebrides where it stands – wasn’t looking to make an award-winning gin, but that’s exactly what happened when its doors opened back in 2015. The area might be better known for the Harris Tweed that has been hand-woven by islanders in the iconic

herringbone pattern for generations. However, dismayed by a long term decline in the local population, Anderson ‘Burr’ Bakewell set out to create an enterprise to employ locals and encourage younger people to stay, by making an equally traditional Scottish product – single malt whisky. While the Isle of Harris Distillery, known as ‘the Social Distillery,’ patiently waits for the whisky to mature, their gin has become a spirit success story. (Recognize that award-winning bottle?) Every single drop of Isle of Harris Gin is made in Tarbert, a ruggedly beautiful

village in the Western Isles of Scotland, built on three-billion-year-old rock. A small copper gin still, nicknamed 'the Dottach' after a similarly small and feisty local woman, sits in the distillery's Spirit Hall, next to its whisky-making brethren. While nine botanicals in total head into the still, it’s the sugar kelp, hand-harvested by a local diver from the seas around the Outer Hebrides, that provides the complex, maritime essence of this extraordinarily special spirit. The magical seaweed – gold-green fronds, sustainably foraged from underwater forests in springtime – gives the spirit a savoury-sweet flavour that’s just as at home in a classic G&T as it is in a dry martini. The juniper-forward gin is softened by fresh, low-mineral water from the Abhainn Cnoc a ’Charrain stream for a well-balanced taste every bit as special as the Isle of Harris itself. From 10 people – and one giant ceilidh – to almost 40 permanent staff, the distillery is creating positive change, supporting the Hearaich (people of Harris) and sharing the elusive spirit of this island with gin drinkers all over the world. One sip and you'll see why. ● To find out more, head to harrisdistillery.com

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IT STARTS

APEROL + PROSECCO + SODA Please Enjoy Responsibly.

APEROLCANADA

IN GREDIE N TS • • • •

3 oz prosecco 2 oz Aperol Splash of sparkling water Orange zest

Add the Aperol and sparkling water to a wine or rocks glass, then fill with ice. Add prosecco. Briefly stir. Express orange zest over drink for aromatics, then add to the cocktail.

An orange wedge or peel is the traditional garnish for the citrusy Aperol Spritz.

Ascari, 620 King St. W.

APEROL SPRITZ

The bright orange hue comes from the Aperol.

This cocktail is most recognizable in a large wine glass, but it’s also at home in a rocks glass.

Made right in the glass with a 3-2-1 ratio of prosecco, Aperol and sparkling water, this sipper is simple to make but sophisticated enough to serve at a summertime soirée.

Photography: Sarah Pflug

COCKTAIL DECONSTRUCT

In recent years, this brightly coloured cocktail has seen an incredible resurgence in popularity. Whether that’s due to a new ad campaign, the spritz trend or its Instagram-worthy appearance, the Aperol Spritz has made a bigger comeback than Seabiscuit. Though it’s fairly new to North-Americans, the classic cocktail has roots stretching back to the early 1800s. While Austrian soldiers were occupying northern Italy, they began adding a splash – or “spritz” in German – of water to their Italian wine. Over time, the tipple evolved and water and wine were replaced with sparkling water and spirit-based apéritifs, and eventually prosecco was thrown in the mix. In 1919 Aperol was born. By the 1950s the bitter orange apéritif had taken over as the preferred ingredient and the Spritz Veneziano, or Aperol Spritz, became an Italian staple. ascari.ca/kingwest PRESENTED BY

Tony DaSilva, head bartender at Ascari on King, gives us a primer on the sunset coloured cocktail.

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IN GREDIE N TS • 2 oz vodka • 2 oz Prosyro’s Caesar Booster • 8 oz Clamato Juice • Montreal Steak Spice for rim • 1 bar spoon pickled horseradish • Pickled vegetables for garnish Rim a tall cocktail glass with Montreal Steak Spice, simply add each ingredient into the glass and stir, then garnish with your favourite pickled vegetables. Sofia, 99 Yorkville Ave.

CAESAR Prosyro’s Caesar Booster combines the base seasoning of a perfect Caesar: Worcestershire, lemon, horseradish and spices (get it at the Cocktail Emporium).

Dip the rim of your glass in lime juice before the steak spice to make it stick.

A highball or Tom Collins glass allows for a perfectly applied, even rim.

COCKTAIL DECONSTRUCT

Mixed directly in the glass, this Canadian cocktail is perfect for any balcony BBQ or hungover weekend brunch.

In 1969, Calgary Inn food and beverage manager Walter Chell was tasked with creating a signature drink for the inn’s new Italian restaurant. Little did he know he was also creating Canada’s future national cocktail (seriously, Parliament made it official in 2009). Behold the Caesar. Chell was inspired by the restaurant’s spaghetti vongole and spent months perfecting a recipe that reflected the pasta’s savoury clam and tomato flavours. He mashed clams to get fresh clam nectar and mixed it with tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire sauce, spices (his secret ingredient was a dash of oregano) and a celery salt rim. He named it after Julius Caesar, the mighty Roman conqueror. The same year, Duffy Mott Company patented canned clam-tomato juice (a.k.a. Clamato) and the Caesar conquered Canada. sofiayorkville.com

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— PART 4 —

EXCESS “WINDSOR HAS GROWN UP A LOT IN THE LAST DECADE, SWITCHING OUT STRIP CLUBS FOR SEASONAL GRUB AND DISTILLERIES.” INSIDER, 146

TIME TO SPILL THE TEA

From dedicated tea tasting bars to tea-infused cocktails, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something special brewing in Victoria, British Columbia. WORDS BY KATIE BRIDGES

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ABOVE: The Fairmont Empress is home to the Empress Room, which serves 21 bespoke, seasonal loose-leaf teas

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T’S A FRIDAY afternoon in March, and I’m sipping a cup of oolong from the (relative) safety of a tea room. The weather outside is gloomy, and despite temperatures that hover around the 11C mark, today’s blustery conditions – coupled with a heavy sky that resembles that of a grey army blanket – suggests that rain will be here before I’ve finished my drink. Despite all signs to the contrary, I am not in my native U.K. Instead, I find myself in Victoria, British Columbia’s capital, and my home for two nights. In a city that was named after Queen Victoria, it’s not hard to fathom the rich tea tapestry that continues to weave its way through this wonderful place 177 years after British settlement began. But beyond the tiered cake stands and bone

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china, this city located on Vancouver Island’s southern tip is steeped in a tradition as diverse as the history of tea itself. This trip has coincided with one of the strangest weeks of my life. When I arrived in B.C. four days ago, the threat of COVID-19 was laughable, a hypochondriac’s game that I scoffed at with fellow travel writers, who threw caution to the wind and shared familystyle meals in defiance. But once the NBA postponed their season – the tipping point for many Raptors fans – we bumped elbows in greeting and nodded solemnly as talk inevitably shifted towards the virus. It’s what puts the ‘relative’ in the safety I’m currently feeling as I cradle my cup at Silk Road Tea’s tasting bar, the first of its kind in North America. Though Victoria has been hit with

MY EARLIEST MEMORY IS OF TEA – I REMEMBER DRINKING IT FROM A BABY’S BOTTLE

LEFT: [clockwise] The Empress Room at the Fairmont Empress; the hotel’s exterior; a tea-infused cocktail made with purple butterfly pea blossom

far fewer cases than the rest of Canada, I nevertheless take great comfort from both the lukewarm drink I have my hands wrapped around and my cozy vantage point inside. And it’s no accident that my tea isn’t piping hot. “If you’re evaluating tea in the same way you would taste wine, you actually want to enjoy it at a slightly cooler temperature,” explains Daniela Cubelic, a tea master and owner of Silk Road Tea, a retail store and purveyor of fine organic teas in Victoria’s historic Chinatown. Cubelic, who opened the store back in 1992 when she was just 22, didn’t expect her career to shake out the way it did, although she does confess to having read the tea leaves at a young age. “My earliest memory is drinking tea – and just to give you a sense →

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of how early that was, I remember drinking it from a baby’s bottle,” says Cubelic. Introduced to plenty of herbal teas by her grandmother, Cubelic pursued the subject as a hobby until a chance opportunity presented itself at the end of university. Despite career aspirations in the foreign services, the history graduate plunged headfirst into opening a teahouse on the edge of Chinatown, deciding that she was “just young and poor enough to go for it.” Though the location of Silk Road Tea’s first store (the second is inside the Victoria Public Market) was based on a number of factors (“the building was up for lease!”), Cubelic believes its positioning adjacent to the gates of Canada’s oldest chinatown is symbolic. The neighbourhood, which dates back to 1858 when Victoria first saw an influx of miners arrive from California, was designated

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a National Historic Site of Canada in 1995. While Cubelic credits Victoria’s strong British traditions with solidifying its ‘Canadian capital of tea’ status, as someone who studied in China and Taiwan for a decade, she cannot understate the Asian influence. “We have an actively involved and integrated Chinese and Japanese population, so people in Victoria get introduced to different types of tea from a young age.” Like matcha, a finely ground shock of processed green tea leaves, which can be sampled in a number of ways around the corner in Chinatown. Kip and Tiffanie Home opened their first Just Matcha Tea Shop in Greater Victoria in 2013, but when appetites for the Japanese tea continued apace, they launched a second storefront on Pandora Avenue. Though the couple has spent the years since coming up with innovative ways

to enjoy the drink (from lavender lattes to lemonade infused with matcha), the initial attempt wasn’t exactly their cup of tea. “The first cup we made was a complete disaster,” explains Tiffanie Home. “Used to regular tea, we filled a cereal bowl with boiling water, didn’t sift the matcha and then tried to whisk it up. Determined that we must be doing something wrong – because there was no way something that tasted that bad could last for 800 years – we decided to read the instructions on the tin!” By the third or fourth cup, the couple noticed increased energy levels, accompanied by a “calm wakefulness”. Upon realizing it was the tea creating this feeling of well-being, the pair launched their empire, serving some of the best Japanese matchas. “Victoria has fallen in love with matcha because it’s a health-conscious city and

LEFT: Afternoon tea at the stunning Butchart Gardens; BELOW: Silk Road Tea on Government Street uses only the freshest leaves

THE FAIRMONT EMPRESS SERVES AFTERNOON TEA TO 400 GUESTS IN A SINGLE DAY

Photography: Destination Greater Photography: Victoria

people are looking for a coffee alternative,” says Home. “The Just Matcha experience is all about personal reflection and connection.” Over on Fan Tan Alley, Canada’s narrowest street, tea fans can get their cuppa in a cone at Kid Sister. The corridor, named after the Chinese game, was once a seedy, gambling district populated with opium dens. Today, ice cream addicts can get their fix from scratch-made seasonal scoops, including a London fog flavour made with a blend from Silk Road Tea. Despite the name, London Fog is actually a West Coast creation, believed to have originated in Vancouver in the nineties. The exact origin of the earl grey based drink may be cloudy (pun intended),

but the frothed (hence “fog”) milk drink has remained popular in Victoria’s cafés, perfect for all those Pacific Northwest rainy days. Victorian palates have come a long way, but it’s impossible to speak about the beverage without bowing (or curtsying) to the original afternoon tea which began more than a century ago on the edge of the harbour. In 1908, almost 200 years after the first shipment of tea was imported into Canada by the Hudson’s Bay Company, the Fairmont Empress opened its doors. Designed by Francis Rattenbury as a terminus hotel for the Canadian Pacific Railway, the châteaulike building began serving afternoon tea right away. However, it would take a visit from royalty to confirm its status as a tea destination. In 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) visited Victoria as part of a royal tour of Canada. The royal couple hosted a 250-person event at the hotel in the famous Empress Room, sending a china pattern ahead of time to be used. The visit launched a tradition of tea that still reigns supreme, and though the plateware would be shelved for another 12 years until Queen Elizabeth II paid a visit, a mimicry of the china pattern is still used in today’s service. During the summer months, the Fairmont Empress would usually serve afternoon tea to 400 guests per day – more than most hotels in London, England. “People come from all over the world for our tea,” says Indu Brar, the general manager at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. “It’s that nostalgia of a bygone era. Today’s world is so 24/7. Everyone is so switched on and we don’t really do enough for ourselves, something everyone is realizing in these unprecedented times.” The usually bustling Lobby Lounge, whose doors have temporarily closed like the rest of the Empress, is serious about tea. Amidst the white pillars and mauve accent cushions sits a stunning signature bar designed with tea, not cocktails, in mind. Once guests have chosen from the Empress blends – a selection of seasonal teas created exclusively by the “crop to cup” Metropolitan Tea Company in Etobicoke, Ontario – hot tea is piped through urns and delivered to their table. If you need help deciding between the 21 loose-leaf teas, four of their staff are certified tea sommeliers, including Christian Elsing who leads the offerings at the Lobby Lounge. “He is truly a star, just really engaged in and excited about the tea experience,” says Brar. The experience, of course, wouldn’t be complete without the sandwiches and pastries that make afternoon tea. →

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LEFT: Daniela Cubelic of Silk Road Tea is bringing new teas to Victoria, B.C.

BREW KID ON THE BLOCK

How to make a perfect cup of tea by Indu Brar, general manager at the Fairmont Empress 1 Buy high quality loose leaf tea. 2 Pre-warm the pot by swilling it with hot water. 3 Fill your tea kettle with freshly drawn water – otherwise your tea will taste flat. 4 Bring the water to a rolling boil and let water stand for 2-3 minutes. You do not want to burn the tea leaves. 5 Fill your tea pot with the recommended amount of tea for your pot size. 6 Pour water over the tea. 7 Each tea will have a very different steep time based on the ingredients and the kind of tea. We recommend trying before you remove the tea from the pot as the tea is only finished steeping when it has reached perfection for your individual palate. At the Empress, we use a wonderful tea timer with recommendations of steeping time based on your preference for the strength of your tea. 8 Pour your cup of tea. 9 If desired add milk or sugar to your liking. Always add any additions to the tea little by little until you reach your desired taste. In general, you do not add anything to green or oolong teas.

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Pacific sockeye salmon, poached Vancouver Island egg salad, and local Sun Wing cucumber sandwiches are just some of the seasonal fillings the Empress offers. And it doesn’t get closer to home than the lawns of the Empress, where hundreds of thousands of bees make honey that’s used in everything from desserts to tea and cocktails at the hotel. “Then you get to the yummy parts,” says Brar of the sweet treats. “We have our famous Empress scones served warm with housemade clotted cream and strawberry lavender preserve, made by our pastry chef. You’ve got cranberry, ginger and vanilla macarons, apple and pecan tarts, and sweet little French florentine cookies.” There’s more than orange pekoe tea on offer. Guests who upgrade to a Royal Champagne Tea can toast to the majestic view of the harbour with a glass of Veuve Clicquot Rosé. But if you’re looking for a cocktail with a real sense of place, we recommend a certain purple gin. A collaboration between Victoria Distillers and the Fairmont property, Empress 1908 Gin was born out of a desire to celebrate the hotel’s grand reopening in 2017. Inspired by its iconic afternoon tea, the gin was infused with eight unique botanicals, including butterfly pea blossom, Pacific Northwest juniper, and the Empress Hotel’s signature blend of tea, a floral mix from India, Kenya and China. “Their master gin distiller and our tea team were playing around at the bar. We used our afternoon tea – Blue Suede Shoes – and by accident that’s how that colour turned out.” This stroke of serendipity aligned the drink’s hue with the hotel’s royal purple colour – but there would be one final touch that Brar

AT THE COURTNEY ROOM, I PAIR DUCK FAT TATER TOTS WITH A TEAINFUSED COCKTAIL played a hand in. “When they were designing the bottle, I made sure that the top of the bottle was copper, like the roof of the hotel.” Elsewhere in Victoria, tea is finding its way into another boozy beverage. While coffeeflavoured porters and stouts have become a common part of the beer narrative, tea is an even more natural bedfellow for beer, with hops matching herbal notes for a bright sipping flavour profile. Spinnakers, Canada’s oldest gastropub, makes a peach-flavoured German wheat beer as well as a spicy chai brown ale brewed with Silk Road Tea blends. What makes Silk Road Tea so ripe for collaboration is an industry-wide respect for Cubelic and her years of experience. While it’s fairly standard for North American tea to be stockpiled, the tea master refuses to deal in stale tea that has lost its antioxidant value and flavour. “Buying tea is a little like buying Persian carpets – if you don’t know what you’re buying, you don’t know the quality that you’re getting,” says Cubelic. “When I look at a leaf, I can tell how fresh it is.” While tea in dining rooms across Victoria continues to evolve, from extended pinkie fingers at the stunning Butchart Gardens to plant-based offerings at family-run Venus Sophia, Cubelic is confident that the beverage will continue to be a fixture. And as I pair duck fat tater tots with a Silk Road Tea-infused cocktail at the Courtney Room, the dining room inside the Magnolia Hotel & Spa and one of 2019’s Top 100 Restaurant’s in Canada, I’m inclined to agree. “People are foodies here,” says Cubelic. “So the quality and the calibre of food and dining experiences you can have in Victoria, relative to its size, is very, very good.” f

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THE INSIDER

Travel sustainably this summer and instead of heading south, join Katie Bridges in venturing to Windsor and Essex County for the sunny, southern reaches of Ontario.

N OLD CITY with a faded industrial past, Windsor might not be at the top of everyone’s weekend travel list. But those who do make the journey to Canada’s southernmost city will find a border town on the up, with a food scene as diverse as its residents, a waterfront hosting a healthy festival circuit, and plenty of green spaces. Windsor has grown up a lot in the last decade, switching out strip clubs for seasonal grub and cultivating an exciting roster of distilleries that pay homage to the Rose City’s whisky roots. The introduction of microbreweries and farm-to-table restaurants alongside old favourites that peddle Lake Erie perch and Windsor-style pizza, has made downtown a destination for locals and visitors alike. Located near Canada’s southernmost extreme, Windsor is on the same latitude as

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northern California, meaning that in addition to milder winters and longer summers, it’s also near great crop-growing regions. Kingsville, a 40-minute drive from downtown Windsor, is a quirky gem of a town (and a favourite of Margaret Atwood and bird watchers, alike) jam-packed with wineries – 11 of which can be explored with the EPIC Tasting Pass (which unlocks tastings and tours). Despite a population of only 21,000, the tiny town on Lake Erie’s shores is a rich tapestry of chocolate makers, cocktail shakers and swoon-worthy cafés, stores and pubs. There’s more than enough to keep you occupied in Windsor and Essex County – but for a getaway within your getaway, Detroit offers plenty of bang for your buck. Take the tunnel bus over the Ambassador Bridge to see J.F.K’s customized, presidential limousine at the Henry Ford Museum. f For more great travel content, check out our sister magazine, escapism Toronto. escapism.to

GETTING THERE

While the train and bus make the trip, there’s a more relaxing way to travel to the Rose City. Porter flies from Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport to Windsor Airport in just over an hour, giving passengers plenty of time to enjoy free beverages and snacks. Find flights for $200 round trip.

NERO’S STEAKHOUSE

Caesars Windsor has been a fixture since it first opened its doors back in 1998, but the casino isn’t just for high rollers and slot machines. Nero’s raises the steaks with riverfront views and a menu of quality cuts, seafood and pasta. While plantbased options are available, this is an old school steak house. Order an Angus rib-eye with a side of Alaskan king crab legs and make sure their sommelier recommends a worthy accompaniment from their wine list.

J.P. WISER’S When people call Windsor the whisky capital of Canada, it’s not just a marketing gimmick. In 1858, Detroit businessman Hiram Walker created the Canadian Club brand and today, whiskies like J.P. Wiser’s, Lot 40, Pike Creek and Gooderham & Worts are still made right here in Windsor. For only $15, the J.P. Wiser’s tour takes thirsty guests around the distillery, explores the Canadian whisky story and wraps things up with a tasting that includes a selection of their award-winning drams in their beautiful showroom.

MICHAEL DIFAZIO RECLAIM ARTISTRY

Photography: Roxana Gonzalez; Katie Bridges

The Ford City area is having a moment right now and Michael Difazio is helping propel its regeneration. Since winning the Tourism Innovation “Spark” programme, the reclaimed furniture artist has been brainstorming ideas for his Ford City Makers Club, like the Make Your Own Charcuterie Board classes, a.k.a. a perfect introduction to woodwork, if you don’t mind getting a little dusty. Under Difazio’s guidance, novice makers saw, sand and varnish reclaimed wood into a worthy home for cheese and meat (refreshments included).

TWISTED APRON Walkerville, a former town named after local whisky tycoon Hiram Walker, is easily our favourite neighbourhood in Windsor. And there’s no better place to kick off your weekend than at the Twisted Apron. The farm-to-table eatery serves twists on comfort-food classics like eggs benny poutine and some of the thickest French toast we have ever attempted to scoff. If you’re looking to make it a boozy breakfast, take things up a notch with a crème de mentheinfused hot chocolate. Then walk off all those delicious carbs with a stroll around the nearby vintage clothing boutiques and antique stores. Don’t miss Juniper Books, a charming “house of books” with cookbooks in the kitchen and sci-fi titles in the attic.

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PELEE ISLAND WINERY

You may be familiar with Pelee Island Winery’s Lola Blush, an excellent frizzante wine. However, with approximately 600 acres of vineyards to play with, Canada’s largest estateowned winery is known for lots more. Pelee Island is the warmest grape-growing region in the country, yielding a huge number of varieties (gewürztraminer, cabernet, baco noir). You don’t need to take the 90-minute ferry over to sample its vino – the Kingsville winery’s daily tours give guests a sneak peek in the cellar before culminating in a complimentary tasting glass of wine.

THE GROVE HOTEL If Kingsville is Windsor’s P. E.C. equivalent, then the Grove Hotel is their answer to the Drake Devonshire. The iconic three-storey lodging only opened its doors in 2016, but already it’s become the go-to place to stay after a day of exploring Kingsville’s many wineries. The historic hotel has 19 rooms, all themed and decorated accordingly – we stayed in ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ but the ‘Brew Master Suite’ is a must for hopheads (who should also stop in next door for a pint at the Grove Brewery). Free tea, coffee and pastries are available and guests will be only too happy to point you in the direction of local points of interest, like Dutch Boys Chocolate just down the street.

IRON KETTLE HIGH TEA

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Photography: Katie Bridges

After a visit to England (and an embarrassing ‘cream tea’ misunderstanding) Ginette Tremblay decided it was time to enlighten the masses on this 19th century tradition. The afternoon tea experience (hosted three times a year) takes place inside the Iron Kettle Bed and Breakfast, a stunning Victorian home built in 1876 in the picturesque town of Comber. Tremblay’s husband, Benjamin Leblanc-Beaudoin, serves farm-fresh bites – like roast beef sandwiches and homemade jam and clotted cream-laden scones – on vintage plateware, while guests sip on local sparkling wine and try as many teas as they wish during the 90-minute sitting. Take a spin around the property before you leave, or better still, stay the night in one of their five stunning guest rooms. The Harvest Dinner, held in their rustic barn in September, is another culinary event not to be missed.

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DAY TRIPPER

Taylor Newlands plans a visit to the bountiful Niagara region, starting with a dreamy brunch at Queenston Heights Restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake. 14184 Niagara Address tktktk Pkwy, tktktktktktk Niagara-on-the-Lake

IN A NU TSHE L L Providing that you’re in the passenger’s seat, the winding drive up to Queenston Heights Restaurant provides dazzling entertainment. Perched atop the Niagara Escarpment, you’ll pass the great chasm and mighty cliffs on your way. There’s no need for drivers to risk craning their necks – once you arrive, you can spend the duration of your meal gazing down at the Niagara River. In warmer weather, sit on their sprawling terrace, but a spot inside the charming Victorian-style house is just as nice. We’re hung up on the Sunday brunch that runs year-round, but you can also visit for lunch or an early dinner when their operating hours are longer in the summer.

W HAT’S ON T HE M E N U I have three words for you: four dollar mimosas. Along with every other basic b**** in Toronto, I like to think of myself as a brunch aficionado and I have yet to find a morning-meal experience as pleasant (and well-priced) as brunch at Queenston Heights. For $33, you get full access to their Feast Oncertified buffet. Chef Bill Greenan’s offerings pack a punch. You’ll find staples like eggs benny, sausages, bacon and Belgian waffles, along with soup, antipasto and salads. Hot selections include Great Lakes fish, herbroasted chicken, roasted vegetables, a potato of the day (because who doesn’t love starch?) and a full carving station. There’s also dessert, of course. And don’t forget to add a mimosa (or two, or three) in your choice of orange, mango or, our favourite, margarita.

W HY IT’S WORT H T H E T R I P Aside from the obvious reason that on a Sunday, driving to Niagara takes the same amount of time as waiting for a table at any brunch spot in Toronto, there are plenty of activities to make a whole day – or weekend – out of this trip. Explore Queenston Heights Park, from lush flower beds to Brock’s monument; visit some of Niagara’s awardwinning wineries; or head over to the Falls and the main strip for kitschy, tourist fun. f

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Still hungry? Prolong your day trip into an overnight getaway. Come for the views of Niagara Falls and stay for an evening of wining and dining that tastes of Ontario. Taylor Newlands has a meal to remember at Table Rock House Restaurant. I N A NUTSHELL This is the absolute closest you can get to dining atop Niagara Falls without being at risk of falling in. Table Rock House Restaurant is mere steps away from the precipice, with floor-to-ceiling windows that put the entirety of this natural wonder on full display. Daytime visits are certainly lovely, but evenings see the Horseshoe Falls illuminated in a rainbow of different hues during the dazzling nightly light show. Cozy up in one of the half-booths facing the window for maximum views and minimal neck-pain-inducing-head-turning. And it gives you something to talk about when conversation with your partner runs dry. You can thank me later.

6650 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara Falls

W H AT’S ON T H E ME NU Ever wondered what Ontario tastes like? Table Rock House is it. Certified by Feast On, the restaurant uses a breadth of local ingredients on the menu. Sink your teeth into juicy Canadian AAA striploin or Ontario lamb chops grilled to perfection. Even Ontario cheese has its time to shine with the Gunn’s Hill brie arancini and Woolwich goat cheese ravioli. Best of all, each entrée is listed with a local alcohol pairing from Niagara wines to Collective Arts brews. And you’ll never look at an apple pie the same way again after trying the 1918 Shipwreck Apple Barge. Warm Niagara spy apples wafting with cinnamon come nestled in a basket of crispy, delicate filo pastry, topped with fluffy Chantilly cream and a side scoop of vanilla gelato. The combination of texture and temperature is more mouth action than I’ve had in years.

W H Y I T’S WORT H THE TRIP

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Photography: Rob Anzit

Niagara’s night life may not be comparable to Toronto’s – so don’t compare them. Buzzing with neon signs, bright lights and quirky attractions, a night out here has its own charms that you won’t find in the city. After a tasteful dinner at Table Rock House Restaurant, hit up the casino and the clubs for a little lowbrow fun. Get a hotel room to make the most of your stay, or catch the late-night bus back to the city. f

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THE STAYCATION

Staycations don’t sound like such a compromise after all when they involve Hotel X, down on the waterfront. Meredith Hardie hunkers down for a superlative stay. 111 Princes’ Boulevard Rooms: 404 Restaurants: 2

W H AT’S T HE D RAW

WHAT TO E AT

W HAT E L SE

It’s safe to say that staycations are on the horizon for the next little while and this luxury urban oasis is the ideal getaway without, you know, actually getting away. The first thing you’ll notice about Hotel X is its size – the waterfront’s equivalent of the tall kid in the class picture, it sticks out and for good reason. Crucially, the hospitality is exceptional. This is a large resort-style hotel, but the service and attention to detail make you feel like you’re the only guest. First things first: get yourself to the rooftop, pronto, where a year-round heated pool and a sky bar welcome you with panoramic views of a city that feels like it could be all yours, even if it’s just for the evening.

Pètros82 may be in a hotel, but this isn’t your average instant-oatmeal-hotel-restaurant situation. It’s hard to take your eyes off the stunning 40-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, but the Mediterannean-inspired food will bring you back down to earth, or in our case, under the sea. For our main we had a whole fish freshly imported from the Azores, grilled to perfection and accompanied by a side of chef Richard Andino’s paella. For a liquid dessert, try the coffee and cookie cocktail. It’s a delectable twist on the espresso martini, garnished with a mini Oreo, that will have you dancing in the moonlight and, if you’re not careful, turning the sign to a hungover “do not disturb” in the morning.

You’d have to stay a week to fully experience all of Hotel X’s amenities. From two indoor tennis courts overlooking the Toronto skyline to a movie theatre (sans sticky floors) and a Top Golf simulator, there’s so much room for activities without actually leaving the fully licensed premises. Yup, you can even drink in the gym. The Guerlain Spa is a special treat-du-jour. The only Canadian location of the French beauty house opened late last year and it is fancy as f -rench. The radiance facial is like a yoga retreat for your face. Snack on delicate macarons in your plush robe, watch sailboats dance on the lake and wonder, “is this real life?” It is for today, at least. Rooms from $283, hotelxtoronto.com

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WINDSOR, TAKE ALL This summer, skip the overcrowded hotspots and use your weekends wisely. Windsor has it all: outdoorsy R&R paired with small town charm and a big city food scene.

HILE BORDERS REMAIN closed, it looks like we’re all staying put this summer. But having to explore our own backyard, when it’s as beautiful and abundant as Canada, is the travel equivalent of spinning your weaknesses into strengths in a job interview. There is so much to experience, even right here in Ontario. And especially now that lockdowns are lifting right at the same time as we’ve reached the season of packing up the car on Friday night, hitting the road and escaping the city.

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As we plan our weekend wanders, it can be tempting to flock to the same overcrowded (and dare we say, overrated) places as everyone else. But there are better ways for the weekend warrior to spend their precious days off. Head away from the herd marching east, and take the road less travelled to Windsor, where you’ll find all the tranquility and friendliness of rural Ontario, coupled with the amenities you would expect to find in sprawling urban areas. It’s laidback, small town charm combined with the culinary calibre of

a big city – and only a three-and-a-halfhour-drive away. Dive into the drink scene with a tour and tasting at one of the region’s 18 wineries, including Ontario’s only beach-front winery Sprucewood Shores. Pelee Island Winery is Canada’s largest estate-owned winery and grows a wide variety of vino, from gewürztraminer to baco noir. The home of Canadian whisky, Windsor is where you’ll find both the J.P. Wiser’s and Canadian Club distilleries. Once you’re pleasantly buzzed, it’s time to dig into some local cuisine.

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IT’S LAIDBACK, SMALL TOWN CHARM WITH THE CULINARY CALIBRE OF A BIG CITY

The area is surrounded by thousands of greenhouses growing fresh veggies, so farm-to-fork restaurants are never hard to come by. After getting down on those dishes, get outside for some much-needed R&R amongst nature. Paddle along Lake St. Clair; hike the peaceful forests of Peche Island and discover the ruins of old estate houses; or bike along some of the flattest cycling trails in the province. At the very tip of Canada, Point Pelee National Park is well-worth exploring. On the way, stop by Birdies Perch

bustaurant – a restaurant housed inside of a bright red 1965 double-decker bus from the U.K. – for the freshest Lake Earie yellow perch you’ve ever had. Make the most of your trip and maximize your wining and dining by staying the night at one of the area’s adorable accommodations like the boutique-y Grove Hotel or the quaint Iron Kettle Bed and Breakfast. ● To learn more about Windsor, browse recommended itineraries and start planning your trip, head to visitwindsoressex.com/foodism.

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FOODISM’S FINEST

Remember going out to eat at restaurants? Us neither. We take a walk down memory lane and dream about the delicious bites and sips we took earlier this year.

DAHLLICIOUS

Katie Bridges, Associate Editor I was seven years old when I first saw Willy Wonka’s Three Course Dinner Chewing Gum and, honestly, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. It was brought to mind once again at K. Dinners on the Danforth, an imaginative, weekly 10- to 12-course tasting menu ($120) run by Ken Yau, alumnus of Nota Bene and Michelin-starrestaurant the Fat Duck. On an evening packed full of mind-melting moments (including an oyster that tasted like an orange wedge and his smoked lumpfish caviar take on a chicken nugget), the ‘flavour bomb’ reigned supreme. The onebite palate explosion, which wrapped pear, chili, salted plum and sour lemon in a perilla leaf, made me feel like I’d received my very own golden ticket.

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FEATHERY FLAPJACKS

Taylor Newlands, Staff Writer

During a day trip to the far reaches of Mississauga, I stopped in at Fuwa Fuwa’s latest outpost at Square One. The Japanese soufflé pancake retailer opened hot on the heels of Toronto’s latest obsession with Japanese-French fusion pastries so I was eager to see if the hype was deserved. While I would choose pancakes over waffles any day, they’re still an at-home staple more than a brunch indulgence. But these thick, fluffy saucers rocked my world. Each sweet bite was fluffy and light as air – not to mention the piles of fruit and syrup on top. Luckily, they have two locations in Toronto to sate my newfound craving. And throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, all of their stores have remained open for takeout and delivery.

AFTERNOON LIP SERVICE

Meredith Hardie, Editorial Assistant

“What do you drink when you’re not drinking?” Is the question Seedlip sought to answer with their distilled, nonalcoholic spirits. (Personally, my answer is usually “wine.”) During an afternoon Seedlip botanical tea service at the Shangri-La, the evidence was placed right in front of me. The included Seedlip Grove cocktail was refreshingly punchy and so delightful I had two. There is an option to add sparkling wine (definitely yes) for a low-ABV tipple, but it’s just as good without it. Tiny delicacies and freshly baked scones were served inside a hanging bird cage, which was completely over-the-top and absolutely necessary.

COURT-SIDE EATS

Photography: Rick O’Brien; Simon Boucher Harris

Krista Faist, CEO and Publisher

Dinner at the Platinum Club at Scotiabank Arena is already quite the ‘treat yo self’ experience, so when they announced a new dinner series where local culinary heavyweights would lend their recipes to an exclusive one-night-only tasting menu, I had to see for myself just how luxe the Club experience could get. The first installment saw Mark McEwan team up with MLSE’s executive chef Chris Zielinski for a threecourse dinner. And while a $30 burrata salad would have most people walking, the whole experience, including being served by the man himself, was certainly memorable.

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THE SELECTOR

Drinking and dining out seem like a daydream, but they’ll be back. Here’s where we’ll be going as soon as lockdown lifts, from farm-to-table restaurants to cool speakeasies.

S SUMMER FINALLY swings in to lift our spirits, we’re reflecting on how we’ve grown and changed as a city, not only during the past couple of months, but over the last decade. Gone are the days of decadence and excess – massive portions have been traded for thoughtfully curated snack plates; fastfood joints are being swapped out for grainbowl-and-salad spots; and a square meal no longer requires meat. Torontonians now seek out restaurants that wear words like “local”, “sustainable” and

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“farm-to-table” as ribbons of honour. In that spirit, we’ve picked five spots that are raising the bar. From a menu of Ontario-only meat to working with regenerative farms, these chefs are setting the standards for sustainability. As the trend towards cutting back on meat continues, we round up our favourite plantbased burgers that will satiate vegetarians and omnivores alike. Lentils, mushrooms and chickpeas lead the way as the most classic of greasy junk foods becomes a healthier option. With lockdown gradually lifting, folks are desperate to hit the streets in search of food and fun. When the hospitality industry

reopens its doors, these bars are where we’ll be. And why have one drink when you can try three? We’ve got the best joints for sampling flights of every variety. Barbecue is synonymous with summer and the grilling game is on fire at these five restaurants who specialize in the classics. And finally, take your friends to these speakeasies and hidden bars to remind them how cool you are. Between a bar under an old mansion and complex cocktails tucked behind convenience stores, you’ll reclaim your crown as the “friend in the know” for a very, very long time. f

1. G I FT S H OP On Ossington, Gift Shop blends with the strip of unmarked bars frequented only by those in the know. At first glance you’ll see Barber & Co., a neighbourhood barbershop that’s closed

in the evenings, but past the darkness there’s a light in a doorway. A barman known as “H” (he has a forearm tattoo to match his nickname) slings the complex cocktails at this neighbourhood spot. barberandco.com

3. T HE C L OAK BA R Don’t let the locked door fool you, this secret bar beside Marben is very much in business. Call the number listed and someone will let you in, lead you down a utility stairwell, through a dark doorway and into a ritzy, New York-style speakeasy. Be sure to get their tandoori chicken scotch egg. thecloakbar.com

2. SOUS SOL As you would expect from a restaurant set in a historic mansion, Maison Selby has its secrets. Step inside and you’ll feel as though you’ve been invited for dinner by your posh French ami. In keeping with the old timey aesthetic,

you’ll find the dimly lit speakeasy Sous Sol in the basement. A luxuriously long cocktail menu covers classics and house specialties to pair with bar snacks like freshly shucked oysters and the charcuterie board. maisonselby.com

4. M AHJ ONG BAR This unassuming bodega on Dundas West is more than it seems. Head through a magic keyhole-shaped doorway and in an instant, you’ll travel back to 1960s Hong Kong. Asianinspired cocktails, dumplings, fried rice, noodles and Taiwanese fried chicken fill the snack menu. mahjongbar.com

Photography: Cindy La

SNEAKY SALOONS

Ready to start drinking in public again? These hidden bars are the ticket for easing back into imbibing.

5. HU SH HUSH At the back of an unmarked convenience store peddling patties, you’ll find a heavy freezer door. On the other side, is the rustic-chic speakeasy, lit by an impressive array of neon signs. Hip hop beats are bumpin’ and the cocktails are flowing. We could sip the Jackson Margarita all night. hushhushbar.ca

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PRODUCE ON THE PLATE

Support local restaurants and send some business to Ontario farmers with these top farm-to-table joints. 1. TH E GREEN WO O D This popular Leslieville brunch spot got a new bedtime and west-end digs. Both locations are open from morning to late and focus on rustic, Mediterranean home cooking. From towering sandwiches to those drool-worthy sweet potato

beignets with maple dipping sauce, chef Ariel Coplan constantly revamps the menu to incorporate seasonal ingredients. He also co-created a nonprofit ‘Not 9 to 5’ to help the hospitality industry deal with mental health and addiction. eatgreenwood.com

3. RUBY WATC H CO. For 10 years, this east-end institution has been serving up hearty family style meals à la farm-to-table. Chefs Lynn Crawford and Lora Kirk create dailychanging, four-course menus which are posted on Instagram every Tuesday. All courses have a vegetarian and vegan substitution. rubywatchco.ca

4. M AR B E N

2. R I C HMON D STATIO N This is our answer to a neighbourhood spot in the bustling, downtown core. Choose from daily chalkboards featuring seasonal specials or staples like the pastured beef Station Burger. Their menu has an entire vegetarian section,

but if you’re on board with charcuterie, they’ve got the city’s best housecured meats. Top Chef winner Carl Heinrich is fiercely committed to local and regenerative agriculture and even runs their own organic garden up in Creemore. richmondstation.ca

Head to the English countryside via Marben for a classic fry-up with bottomless mimosas on Saturday and mouthwatering roasts on Sunday. Eating the seasons has always been a mantra of chef Chris Locke and this Feast On certified spot’s comfort food is good for the soul and the earth. marben.ca

5. FA R M’R A two-minute walk from St. Lawrence Market, this fast-casual eatery is as local as it gets at a good price. Craft your own plate with made-from-scratch ingredients from nearby suppliers. Farm’r partnered with reusable takeout company Wisebox, so diners can have the snacks without the packs. farmr.ca

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1. LOV When this whimsical, vegan restaurant opened on King West last year, we wouldn’t have guessed it would become a top spot for comfort food – we stand pleasantly corrected. With healthy twists on just about every plate, you won’t feel

guilty about indulging. The popular Big Lov Cheeseburger with special big Lov sauce and vegan mozzarella is full of melt-in-your-mouth creamy goodness without any dairy. The “e” is the only thing missing. lov.com

3. BY C HL OE Think fast food, but make it fashion… and healthy-ish. This Insta-famous, plant-based New York City outpost found a northern home in Yorkdale mall. The guac burger alone, with an ice cream scoop-sized drop of the good green stuff, has amassed its own following. eatbychloe.com

2. M AP LE LEAF TAV E RN For a vegetarian clone of one of the city’s best cheeseburgers, run – don’t walk – to Maple Leaf Tavern. The lentil and mushroom patty is as thick and juicy as the east end restaurant’s beefy twin and deserves just as much recognition.

Plus, it’s got all the same American cheese and garlic mayo oozing over the sides. This once dilapidated east end bar (with a kitchen led by Jesse Vallins) sure knows a thing or two about reinventing classics into something even better. mapleleaftavern.ca

4. UNION SOC IA L The West Coast (best coast) Veggie Burger requires two hands and absolutely no second thoughts. It’s so delicious, even people who eat meat order it. The house-smoked cheddar cheese and watercress mayo are not vegan and not a problem when they drip down your sleeves. unionsocial.ca

Photography:

THE BEEF STOPS HERE

Forget meatless Monday, you’ll want one of these meat-free patties every day of the week.

5. DOOM IE S Located inside Parkdale’s Bar Vegandale, you can’t miss Doomie’s Vegan Big Mac because it’s, well, rather huge. There are two patties packed into this meat-free doppelgänger of the famous McDonald’s icon. Although it’s plant-powered, it’s by no means a healthy alternative, despite the lifting workout. doomiestoronto.com

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SMALL BUT MIGHTY

They say good things come in small packages, and that’s definitely true at these small-plate restaurants. 1. BA R KOUKLA Melt-in-your-mouth grilled lamb ribs served with a side of creamy tzatziki; crispy sesame bread dipped in a rich honey butter; and a delicate sea bream crudo with a zest of colourful citrus – need we say more? The menu at Bar

Koukla is jam-packed with Greek greats. Don’t skip out on the cocktails, either. The bar programme rivals the food with tipples like the Tzatziki, a mix of gin and cucumber, and the Aegean Spritz, a bubbly, floral drink that isn’t too sweet. koukla.mamakas.ca

3. BAR PIQUET T E Wine may be the leading lady at this establishment, but the rotating seasonal dishes could win for best supporting role. Sip biodynamic wine and graze on charcuterie and snacks like toasted bread topped with spicy ‘nduja sausage and creamy stracciatella, and finished with a slice of melon. barpiquette.com

4. BAR M OR DE CA I

2. CASA LA PALMA Not only does Casa La Palma have a great small-plate menu, they’ve also got the atmosphere and aesthetic for any time you’re feeling a little chichi. In cooler weather, the fireplace and floral couches set the scene for cozy canoodling over

elevated sips and snacks. Sunny days see the windows open up onto the patio, turning the place into an al fresco dining spot. Best of all, you can expect the same delicious, seasonal fare you’ll find downstairs at La Palma – only smaller. lapalma.ca/casa

Reminiscent of old-school hotel bars, Bar Mordecai comes from the team behind Hong Kong-themed Mahjong Bar, its neighbour on the Dundas West strip. Bar Mordecai might be mini but the menu is mighty – stacked with chef Brian Ho’s takes on the classic hotel bar eats like oysters. barmordecai.com

5. SA RA Small plates with Japanese influence are the name of the game at this Portland and King spot. You’ll find a menu of the interesting, thoughtful dishes that we’ve come to expect from the Food Dudes, like the “French Fry,” two crunchy potato sticks topped with schmaltz, kewpie mayo and kimchi. sara.restaurant

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1. T H E CARBON BAR Barbecue… but make it fancy-ish. The Carbon Bar elevates the rustic backyard barbecue experience with leather banquettes and a mahogany interior – fitting for a space all about transformation (it used to house the Electric Circus

nightclub). The cooking stays close to its southern roots, while a wood fire pit delivers perfectly smoked meat. The signature pitmaster platter is a meatlover’s dream with succulent pork ribs, beef brisket and buttermilk fried chicken (bib not included). thecarbonbar.ca

3. ADAMSON BARBEQUE They say everything is bigger in Texas and this Texas-style Leaside smokehouse sure has some big brisket energy. Platters are stuffed to the brim with quarter-pounds of ribs, housemade sausage and brisket. Lifting your tray counts as exercise, right? adamsonbarbecue.com

2. CH ERRY ST RE ET BAR-B-Q UE One of Toronto’s MVPs (most valuable pitmasters), Cherry St.’s Lawrence La Pianta serves up classic southern-style smoked meats along with fun twists – hello, double-stacked cheesy mac (like a Big Mac but the patty is made fresh from

brisket trimmings). The always-juicy meat selections steal the show, but the side of baked beans plays a crucial supporting role. The beans are smoked under the brisket where they collect the delightful drippings. Oh yeah. cherrystbbq.com

4. BAR QU E Barque puts southern Ontario barbecue on the map by combining classic BBQ styles with locally-sourced Ontario sugar maple wood. If you want it all, the Meet Meat Platter features six of their most popular items, like BBQ chicken and smoked pulled lamb shoulder. It’s for four people, but who’s counting? barque.ca

Photography:

FRONT OF THE ’CUE

Summer means one thing and one thing only: barbecue, and these joints know how it’s done.

5. SM OQUE N’ BO N ES Located next to Trinity Bellwoods Park, Smoque N’ Bones draws inspiration from the four gods of barbecue: Memphis, Texas, Kansas and the Carolinas. Pork ribs are served straight from the smoker with sauce and a brush for DIY rib painting, while the bar has more than 50 bourbons. smoquenbones.com

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FLIGHTS OF FANCY

Why have one drink when you can try them all? Here are our favourite bars serving up tantalizing tasters. 1. BA N D I T BREWE RY There’s nothing better than a patio day (or night) at Bandit Brewery. A former autoshop turned micro-brewery, this gem has new limited barrel releases every month that range from juicy IPAs to dry, hoppy sours to a coconut and chocolate imperial

stout. If you’re overwhelmed by the selection, the beer flights are the perfect place to start. The brews are served from light to dark on a custom wood slab (beer needs its own picnic table, too) and each one has its own distinctive taste. banditbrewery.ca

3. DOW NTOW N WI N ERY You don’t have to go to Niagara or P.E.C. to have a winery experience. Downtown Winery on Ossington is all vino without the vines. This urban winery, retail shop and tasting room does their own blending and imports wine from all over the world. Sit at the tasting bar and enjoy a custom flight. downtownwineryto.com

4. R E ID’S DIST IL L ERY

2. MI KU Known for aburi-style (lightly torched) sushi and kaiseki so beautiful it borders on an art installation, this Vancouver expat is a Torontonian sushi-lover’s dream. To complement the extensive nigiri, sashimi and kaiseki dishes, order a

flight of three Japanese sake selections hand-picked by their sake specialist. Miku even has its own exclusive sake label from Yoshinogawa, a famous brewery in Japan. The sake is selected for you, so the only difficult task will be choosing your favourite one. mikutoronto.com

This family-run gin distillery in Toronto’s east end offers a flight-tasting experience that’ll take you on a botanical trip. The flight includes three out of their four gin selections and is served as a deconstructed gin and tonic, each with its own garnish and tonic on the side. reidsdistillery.com

5. HE R FAT HE R’S CI D ER

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Photography:

The city’s first all-cider bar has over 100 ciders from Ontario and small-batchbrewers around the world. Flights include three options from 12 Ontario craft ciders. The flavour profiles are diverse thanks to the different kinds of apples and fruits like blueberry, plum and peach. herfathers.ca

FOR

ALL THE MOMENTS WE STAND UP

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TIME TO ICE THINGS UP

Warm weather is finally on the horizon. Keep your cool when things get hot at these sweet spots. 1. I H ALO KRUN C H You might recognize iHalo Krunch’s signature black cones from the charcoal craze that swept the city last summer. While that fad has melted away, these ice creams sure didn’t. You can still find them on West Queen West (or at

Vaughan Mills) serving their unusual soft-serve flavours in hand-rolled charcoal cones. Go for that black on black look with the coconut charcoal flavour, or try something out of the ordinary with ube – a sweet purple yam. ihalokrunch.com

3. DUTC H DR E AM S Can you really call yourself a Torontonian if you’ve never been to this iconic spot? Once you’ve survived the queue, step inside to see walls lined with old portraits and landscapes. Pair that with a secret ice cream recipe passed down for generations and you’ve discovered the magic of Dutch Dreams. dutchdreams.ca

4. F UG O DE SSE RTS

2. BAN G BAN G I CE CRE AM Usually it’s what’s on the inside that counts, but not when it comes to Bang Bang’s decadent homemade cookies that sandwich a generous scoop of ice cream. Their warm cinibun ice

Ice cream here comes piled high with all the accoutrements, like the Cookie Monster: blue ice cream in an Oreo cone with mini Chips Ahoy cookies, or the Skor brownie flavour coated with toasted marshmallow. While you’re there, grab a few of the specialty mini donuts that they’re known for. fugodesserts.com

cream sandwich also makes for a treat worth wrapping your mouth around. Or swaddle your bundle of cold creamy joy in a puffy Hong Kong-style waffle cone. bangbangicecream.ca

5. K E KOU G E L ATO

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Photography:Photography: Sara Tewfik

What started out as a small seasonal shop has grown into a year-round favourite for gelato and bubble tea. Flavours like Vietnamese coffee, dark chocolate cherry, jasmine tea, soursop and black sesame come by the cup or cone – or as gelato bars dipped in chocolate and crumbled nuts. kekou.ca

LAPHET: Laphet is Burmese for fermented or pickled tea. Pōpa get their tea leaves from Tea Squared, which they infuse before draining (to remove the bitter flavour) and soaking overnight.

SHRIMP POWDER: Fried garlic, onions and baby shrimp are combined with paprika, cayenne and salt, blended in a spice grinder to make a powder.

GARLIC CHIPS: Garlic is sliced very thinly and uniformly. This is fried in oil until crunchy, crispy and golden brown in colour.

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FERMENTED TEA LEAF SALAD: Romaine lettuce is tossed with the tea leaf dressing, garlic chips, chickpeas, toasted peanuts, sunflower seeds, tomato, jalapeno, shrimp powder and fish sauce, and garnished with a lemon wedge.

TEA LEAF DRESSING: The tea leaves are finely chopped in a food processor before getting mixed with oil, garlic, dried chili flakes, lemon juice and salt. This is left to ferment for 16-20 days.

FRIED YELLOW SPLIT PEAS: Pōpa fry their chickpeas (sourced from local Asian grocery stores), before sprinkling them with red chili powder, tumeric powder and salt.

PŌPA, 2901 Bayview Ave, North York

Photography: Blue Door Communications

Laphet thoke, or fermented tea leaf salad, proves that tea is just as delicious eaten. Pōpa, Bayview Village’s Burmese fusion spot, serves their take on the national dish.

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Foodism - 22 - The Summer Issue

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