Stock Restaurant at The Trump International Hotel, Toronto

Stock is a very open restaurant, decorated in a very clean lined, contemporary theme. The staff are very accommodating and attentive. The extremely simple menu is very straight forward. Wines are offered by the glass, but, the per glass price is quite expensive as all of the available wines were $20.00 per glass! Nice breads were presented to begin, a sliced red fife baguette and sliced sourdough baguette. I preferred the red fife. The accompanying butter was nothing special.


Steak tartar was hand chopped "prime" beef (although the steaks offered, as advised by my waiter were only "USDA choice" (and there would be no real taste difference anyhow, between the 2 grades of beef, when chopped raw). The tartar, with accompanying toasts, was assembled with capers, finely diced shallots, chopped chives and mustard. A raw quail egg was mounted on the top. The beef had a very pleasant texture, very good flavour, with just a bit of a bight. This is good beef tartar.

Grilled NY style sirloin (I have mentioned that the menu was quite simple and straight forward) was "hand selected" USDA choice accompanied by a mild chimichurri sauce. I had requested my steak rare. It arrived medium rare. My rating for this steak, using my much referred to "beef boys" ranking was 7/5/7 (all out of 10: taste/texture/juiciness). Not a great steak experience.

I ordered a side of brussel sprouts. The veg was accompanied by chopped pork belly which lent a hint of smokiness to the flavours and roasted cippolini onions. I enjoyed the texture of the firm, properly cooked brussel sprouts and the sweet caramelized flavour of the onions with the pork belly.

Kitchen service was inconsistent. My first course arrived in a reasonable period of time; my second course took about half an hour (with the waiter intermittently promising that the course would arrive shortly, but, did not).


There is a very good cheese menu with a wide selection of choices. There is also an enticing dessert selection, with an emphasis on dark chocolate (my way to end a meal!!). But, I had allotted a limited time for dinner as I had an evening meeting, so I skipped dessert. 

Kenzo Ramen, Toronto

Kenzo Ramen is one of a several noodle restos in the greater Toronto area. I will be on a mission over the next little while, to see whose ramen experience is best. In North America, my "gold standard" is Ippudo, in New York.

Takoyaki, baked octopus balls. Ok, but not a home run. Soft, light, deep fried dough with a chunk of octopus in the middle, with an overly acidic sauce.

Tonkotsu ramen, hakata style pork bone soup with julienned green onion, baby bok choy, sliced beef, a hard par boiled egg. Finely diced garlic on the side. With the additional of bits of the freshly diced garlic that enliven the flavours, this is a good soup with very good broth and very good noodles.

Sapporo miso ramen with roasted veg, bean sprouts, baby bok choy, mushrooms, carrots and cabbage. A bland soup with good noodles.

Overall, a pleasant experience, but not enough to draw me back.

Friday Lunch from Queen Margherita Pizza and Bobbette & Belle

 It seems like it has been sandwiches, sandwiches, sandwiches lately.  Thus, Girl Courier is sent off to the far shores of the Don River in search of pizza.  Of course, we are not looking for just any old pizza.  It is a Queen Margherita pizza we want.

The Queen of all Margheritas

The bad news is that by the time said pizza travels from Queen Street East to Yonge and Yorkville via TTC in February, it is pretty much stone cold.  The good news is that this pizza is so good it doesn't really matter whether it is hot or cold.  Ours is one of the simplest of pizzas:  the margherita, topped with fior di latte, tomato sauce, and fresh basil leaves.  What is so remarkable here is that even in the dead of winter, the basil leaves and tomato sauce combine to give the sweet taste of summer.  While some people would complain that the crust is not thin enough or charred enough, we say phooey to you.The rim is wonderfully chewy with just a hint of crackly ash.  It serves up four generous slices.

Pistachio dreams and Salted Caramel Macarons

The best buttercream you will ever taste: Apple Walnut Cupcake

 With Valentine's Day very much on the mind, we also are thinking sweet thoughts.  It is the perfect excuse to make a pit stop at Bobbette & Belle.  GC returns with two macarons, a cupcake, and bread pudding.  Though attractively presented in a pretty paper wrapper, the muffin-sized portion of apple caramel croissant pudding is a disappointment except for the nicely cooked apple.  The body of the pudding is leaden where we want some custard.  On top, the caramel is slightly bitter, as though overcooked, rather than sweet. Despite a heavy hand with the cloves, the cupcake is much better.  Its major flavour is also apple, assisted by walnuts.  The cake itself is light but it really could be anything because the main attraction is the perfectly rich butter cream.  Whatever bowl this was mixed in, we want to lick  it.  Of the macarons, the salted caramel version is neither very salty or caramelly but we could certainly go for another two or three of the lovely green pistachio variation.

Bobbette and Belle desserts

Despite a slight dessert misstep, it was well worth a trip to Leslieville.

Price:  Margherita pizza  was $15.77 with tax
           Four desserts were $12.10 with tax

Location:  Queen Margherita Pizza  1402 Queen Street East
                   Bobbette & Belle             1121 Queen Street East

Phone:       Queen Margherita Pizza  (416)466-6555
                    Bobbette & Belle            (416)466-8800

Les Chevalier du Tastevin At Didier Restaurant, Toronto

Les Chevalier Du Tastevin, Toronto chapter chooses fine restaurants to enjoy the best cuisine with fine burgundy wines that come from the cellar of the group. This night, the event was at Didier.


Gateau de Sandre with zucchini. An exceptional pickerel gateau surrounded by a chive beurre blanc. This is a good as it gets, anywhere in France,  a French classic. The accompanying wines for this course: Meursault Charmes , 2000, Domaine Comtes Lafon. and Le Montrachet, Marquis de la Guiche, 2000, Maison Joseph Drouin.

Tartar de beouf fait main. A classic beef tartar, accompanied by pommes frites. The accompanying wines for this course: Vosne-Romanee Les Suchot, 1996, Domaine Prieure-roch and Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots, 1989, Maison Remoissonet.

Venison poelee, sauce poivrade, accompanied by compote de pommes fruit, pommes amandine, ginger crusted date and puree de celeriac, all sauced with an absolutely perfect sauce poivrade. Tender, juicy venison, perfectly cooked, with a remarkable paper thin, caramelized, crisp crust. The accompanying wine was Clos de la Roche, 1995, Domaine Faiveley.

Crottin de chavignol chaud au poire. The warm cheese melted in the mouth and was well matched to the slightly bitter frisee. The accompanying wine was Richbourg, 1990, Domaine Anne-Francoise Gros.

The perfect end to a classic French meal, a wonderful tarte tatin (no photo).

"Groundhog Day": A 7 Chef Competition at Cava Resto, Toronto

Groundhog Day is a competition of invited chefs for the best pork dish of the night. The annual competition has 2 prizes, one, a trophy and the second, a $250.00 gift certificate to The Cookbook Store.


The present competition had the following chefs: Ted Corrado of Compass Canada, formerly chef at C5 of the ROM; Teo Paul of Union Restaurant (www.union72.ca); Ryan Donovan of Marben Restaurant (marbenrestaurant.com; Ryan Crawford of The Stone Road Grill (www.stoneroadgrille.com) Niagara on the Lake, Ontario; Mark Cutrara of Cowbell restaurant (www.cowbellrestaurant.ca); Guy Rawlings of Lucien restaurant (www.lucienrestaurant.com); Albert Ponzo of le select restaurant (www.leselect.com).


Non-competing host Cava's pork and beans by chefs Doug Penfold and Chris Macdonald. White navy beans with picked chunks of pig's trotters.

Spicy pork sausage in a tortilla, accompanied by fermented celery. My 3rd fave dish of the night.

Different parts of the pig presented as rilletes, chicheron, sauteed and liquified and fried terrine.

Pig's head and cod terrine, roti and saucisson. My second favourite dish of the night.

Albert Ponzo's (Le select) wild boar head cheese imbedded in foie gras terrine, with quail egg and guanciale en gelee, duck skin walnut crumble, brioche, prune and pear mostarda and pickled beet.

Chef Ryan Donovan's pork en croute with radish, pickled turnip, grainy mustard and verjus. The best visual presentation of the night.

 

Chef Mark Cutrara of Cowbell Restaurant presented a delicious heritage pork cotechino sausage flavoured with allspice, cayenne and nutmeg, and was accompanied by lentil du puis and pickled cherry "bomb". From a taste perspective, tied for my second fave dish of the night.

Chef Ryan Crawford's "fat-tastic dessert": "The Barnyard": smoked maple bacon ice cream "pig" with crispy "pig" tail; bacon "trough" with bacon caramel mousse; bacon caramel corn; cinnamon sugar crackling "dirt"; confit apple compote. All pig elements came from "home grown" Berkshire pigs. This dish was a triumphant success in every way...execution, flavours and presentation! The photo really does not do it justice. A clear winner for most of us and the grand prize winner at this event.

Friday Lunch at Agave and Aguacate

If you cannot escape the greyness of January and February in Toronto for the sunny shores of the Gulf of Mexico, the next best thing might be to indulge in some Mexican food.  For a real taste of Mexico, Kensington Market's tiny Agave and Aguacate is the place to since it boasts a chef who is not only Mexican but also has the finesse endowed by training at the Stratford Chefs School.

Sumptuous Chicken and Avocado Soup

Although it is barely lukewarm when it gets back to the store, we get a nice chile burn from the chicken and avocado soup, and with a squeeze of the lime wedge alongside and a sprinkle of cilantro there is a nice tangy to it, too. With green beans, carrots, and chickpeas, it is a cut above average  The unusual sunflower seed and tomato dip,called skilp'ak shows off the chef's knife skills--it is garnished with a perfectly evenly sliced tomato fan.There are also made-in-house tortilla chips to scoop up the addictively nutty, slightly fibrous spread. The only complaint?  Not enough chips.

Skil P'ak: Strange and addictive.

Quacamole is the crowning element of the green tosada,both figuratively and literally. It has enough texture to be interesting but not so many extra ingredients that the focus moves from the flavour of ripe avocado. It is served up on a puffy, fried tortilla with queso fresco, a quajillo-laced salsa, and crema.

Green Tostada: with Guacamole from Heaven.

With a lovely interplay of colours and flavours, lunch from this tiny hole in the wall was just the thing to take the mind off bleak weather and a full moon.

Price:  $18.00 for soup, dip, and tosada.

Location:  214 Augusta at the back of El Gordo Fine Foods

Phone: 647-208-3091

A Riesling Inspired Dinner For The Mystery Wine Group At Splendido Restaurant, Toronto

The mystery wine group is a small group of individuals with very extensive wine cellars who get together at different restaurants for an extensive, uniquely created meal inspired by certain wine varietals. The wines are served blind or double blind and the wines discussed, guessed at, while hors d'oevres are served and then those same wines are enjoyed during the course of the meal. This night, rieslings were the inspiration. Chef Victor Barry created the perfect dishes to pair with these wines. I have always believed that well made rieslings are the most versatile wines with food. This evening's creations proved the point.


We began with reception wines: Piliteri's Sparkling Reserve 2002, a surprisingly good product but the bubbles were very short lived. Then, 3 wonderful wines: J. J. Prum riesling spatelese 1994; Egon Muller spatelese 1990 and finally an Egon Muller Scharzhofberger riesling spatlese 1976, a deep golden wine in remarkably good condition, viscous and brimming with fruit.


We then sat down to begin tasting the dinner wines with the canapes. Those wines were Von Schleinitz Koberner Weisenberg riesling auslese 1990; Friedrich Wilhelm Gymnasium Trittenheimer Altarchen riesling auslese 1989; Friedrich Wilhelm Gymnasium Graacher Himmelreich riesling auslese 1988; J. J. Prum Wehlener Sonnener riesling auslese 1990; Egon Muller Scharzhofberger spatlese 1970 (another spectacular surprise, a wine a dark golden brown in colour, still well put together with surprising fruit, despite it's age);


The dinner that I am about to describe was certainly one of the very best eating experiences that I have enjoyed in Canada and a very good example of well composed, contemporary, refined cuisine.


Qualicum Bay scallop, chopped pickled ramps, ramp oil, olive oil and tarragon. A symphony of harmonious flavours.

Impeccably fresh Japanese prawn, barely cooked, presented with the head (for sucking the sweet contents); the tail with preserved lemon puree, tarragon, blood orange and breakfast radish; and a piece of Australian toro (belly tuna, in better condition and fresher than I remember tasting anywhere in Toronto) with pequillo pepper, parsley, fried caper, olive, tonnato sauce and confit of fennel. This dish, in itself was an extraordinary taste experience!

Smoked Rocky Point oyster with a smoked beurre blanc monte, with finely chopped chives, potato foam and potato chips. The oyster was succulent and barely touched by heat. A triumph of subtle flavours of the sea and smoke.

Truffled consomme soup perogie accompanied by bratwurst topped with Guiness mustard and sauerkraut, was presented in a bamboo steamer. We were instructed to pop the entire perogie into our mouths and to be careful as it was filled with a delectable soup of smoked ham stock, maple syrup, finely diced culatello and seasoned with black pepper and nutmeg. The perogie experience was a WOW in the mouth!

Oregon black trumpet mushroom salad with enoki and oyster mushrooms, celeriac, jerusalem artichoke puree, pickled jerusalem artichoke, roasted jerusalem artichoke, jerusalem artichoke chips, ramp "snow", pickled ramps, triple crunch mustard, arugula seedlings, shaved Perigourd black truffle and crisp parsnip shavings, all dressed with a maple syrup, truffled wine and flavoured with nutmeg. Each forkful was an explosion of flavours on the palate.

Seared Rouge Farms foie gras with caramelized pineapple puree, compressed pineapple, pineapple jalapeno relish, heart nuts, coriander seedlings, brioche bread crumbs and a reduced chicken jus. This foie gras was exceptionally well executed, with a paper thin, crispy, caramelized crust and an impeccably rare, delicious, melt in your mouth soft interior, all set off with a complementary range of mildly tart pineapple flavours.

Boudin noir with shaved apple, caramelized apple puree, split apple/walnut sauce,  cocoa nib and apple peel powder, walnut powder, glazed turnip crackling, cocoa tuile and duck confit. A rarefied rendering of earthy flavours.

Chestnut filled agnolotti with suckling pig, parsnip, roast chestnut and hazelnut powder sauced with glaze from the pig roast and brown butter. The pasta was incredibly delicate and all the subtle flavours were so harmonious and pleasing. Pasta does not get any better than this!

Roasted and sous vide, red breasted breast and crown of guinea hen with Red Mill grits and sauce perigourd. The grits were flavoured with parmiggiano Regiano, parsley and chopped chives. The meat was incredibly tender and juicy. One can't see the goods on the plate as they are delectably covered with shaved black Perigourd truffle.  

Lisbeth munster cheese, with poached pear, pear puree, Perigourd black truffle/pear puree, shaved pear, chayote, pickled mustard seed, pickled shallot, chopped candied walnut and "brick" dough wrapped munster. 


This course was enjoyed with a splendid Johnnesberger Hansenberg riesling beerenauslese eiswein 1973, golden brown in colour with tropical fruit flavours and a long finish.

Malted toffee pudding with pear and puff pastry, banana passionfruit sorbet, kumquat confit, pistachio tuile, cinnamon crumble, roasted white chocolate snow and white chocolate mango sauce. 


With our dessert, we enjoyed a marvellous 1971 trochenbeerenauslese Rether Langwerth Von Simmern Itoille, Erzeuger Abfullung.

Mignardises: macaroon, pate de fruits, Paris Brest, chocolate with toffee, sable Breton and a madeline. A tasteful finish to a truly fabulous meal with great wines.

Alaskan King Crab at Xam Yu, Toronto

I highly recommend calling this resto, in advance, to pre-order fresh Alaskan king crab. They prepare the crab "3 ways" and also an extra dish of fried rice with the crab "scraps". Crab lovers will find this crab experience delectable!

The Odd Bits Dinner With a Group of 7 Chefs at Parts and Labour Restaurant

This all offal dinner, at Parts and Labour restaurant honoured chef/author and James Beard award winner Jennifer McLagan. The participating chefs were Scott Vivian of Beast restaurant, Bertrand Alepee of The Tempered Chef Caterers, Chris Brown of The Stop, Rob Gentile of Buca, Mark Cutrara of Cowbell, Matty Matheson of Parts and Labour and Mark DuFour of Earth.


Pass around apps: head cheese on a cracker with a pimento cheese spread.

A slice of bone marrow on a cracker topped with a slice of black truffle, all mounted on a marrow bone for service.

Chicken liver wrapped in bacon lathered with a sweet tangy bbq sauce.

The vultures got to this dish before I could get my photo. A chicken liver pate, slices of head cheese, toasts, sliced girkins and dill pickles.

Thirty six hour braised beef tendon in an intense beef broth with peas and bone with marrow, served with toast, by chef Matty Matheson. A dish for marrow lovers!

Ricotta brown butter gnocchi with fennel and kidneys, by chef Chris Brown. Pillow soft gnocchi with earthy flavours of brown butter and kidneys with the wonderful counter punch flavour of fennel, setting off this dish.

Pig's trotters, shank, ears and snout with smokey paprika, white navy beans and crispy lamb intestines, by chef Kevin Mckenna. Another very earthy, palate pleasing, gutsy dish.

"Tongue and balls", crepenette of lamb testicle made with ground pork and bound in caul fat mounted on a slice of beef tongue and all mounted on thin, crispy sauteed potatoes, by chef Mark Cutrara. the rustic realm of offal refined to a sophisticated level. Another offal triumph!

Pork heart tostado with salsa verde and pickled squash, by chef Scott Vivian. Salsa verde is the perfect complement for beef heart.

Veal brain (no photo), by chef Bertrand Aleppe.

Pork blood chocolate tarte with espresso figs, almond and crema di bufala, by chef Rob Gentile. I had to leave early but I have enjoyed this seductive dish before at Buca. For those put off by the blood component, if they did not know, they would love the rich taste of this dish.

It is truly a special occasion to attend an event when chefs of this caliber get together for such fun.