Friday Lunch from The Chickery

Like other chefs around Toronto--and New York, David Adjey yes, that same guy of TV fame, has decided to go the fast food route.  Open just over a month, The Chickery serves, you guessed it, chicken with sides.  They are roasted and frying not just any old chicken.  This chicken is free range, antibiotic, steroid and hormone free Beretta Farms chicken.

We sampled a roasted half chicken.  Nicely browned and spiced, this chicken had no nasty clots of fat as fast food chicken often has, nor was it too salty.  It was moist but not watery.

Our two sides were fries and coleslaw.  It was hard to judge the fries.  As usual, by the time they arrived at Yorkville and Yonge, the fries had lost the crispness with which they(we hope)had started. They were less golden than one wants to see in a fry.  One of us found them slightly salty. Nothing to complain about with the coleslaw.  It was one of the most colorful we have ever seen with red cabbage, thin ribbons of yellow pepper, orange carrot shreds, green onions, and , we believe, a little fennel, under a shower of black sesame seeds. Its vinaigrette was more sweet than acidic.  The real standout was a homemade plum dipping sauce.  A beautiful shade of pink, it was both smooth and spicy, a revelation for anyone who has only tasted the thing called plum sauce served up in plastic packets.

At just under $20/00 for two, this was a meal which satisfied both our hunger and our pocketbooks.

Price:  For half a chicken with two sides, $19.21 including tax

The Chickery
Location:  130 Spadina Avenue
Phone:  (647) 347-2222

Soft Shell Crab at Nota Bene, Toronto

Seasonal soft shelled crab is such a joy to eat and only available for a few short weeks. I like chef David Lee's crispy fried version with a spicy "slaw" redolent with coriander.

Rhubarb ice cream with rhubarb, a great way to finish.

Revisiting Nota Bene, Toronto

I go to Nota Bene fairly regularly. It is not only very conveniently located to attend the ballet and opera at the Four Seasons Centre, but  also, the food and service are reliably very good. But, occasionaly, like this one, the food was just so-o-o-o satisfying!


I began with roasted marrow bone...I know I shouldn't, but sometimes, one is just in the mood to taste something well made that makes one feel so good and is so completely satisfying. I know, it is not for everyone. It came dressed with a parsley salad, radish peel, candied lemon peel and toasts made of the great house made bread (that I could just make a meal of, simply dipping it into the lovely, fragrant house olive oil).

My main was the hanger steak cooked rare, which I also adore, both for the taste and texture. I had to cut back somewhere, so this time, I did not indulge in one of my favourite sides here, the fried onions. The steak came with breaded and fried gerkins (the gerkins were tasty but the fried breading a bit too doughy and thick). It also came with baked beans. I preferred the version that they formerly served with chimichurri sauce, although the beans were good. NO dessert today!

An Extraordinary Game Dinner, With Truffle Accents and Extraordinary Wines at Nota Bene Restaurant, Toronto

Chef David Lee created an exceptionally rendered game dinner, hosted by a good friend. David is a Canadian gem and although Nota Bene is a favourite resto of mine, David's remarkably creative, high level skills that are so sensitive to the ingredients he works with, were particularly visible at former his haute cuisine resto, Splendido. Nota Bene has wonderful comfort food, but, one must ask David to create a special occasion meal to truly experience David's highest levels of culinary attainment. For this dinner, for the most part, Chef Lee worked with Alba white truffles and Alba, Molise and Burgundy (which have much less flavour and aroma) blacks.


Our first wine, gewurtztraminer "Hugel", Homage a Jean Hugel, !998, accompanied the next 3 dishes.


Church Hill Farms blue shelled, creamy and perfectly "loose" scrambled eggs with highly perfumed shaved white Alba truffles.

The chilled reduction gelee of poached wild Alaskan salmon with shaved white Alba truffles. What an extraordinary taste sensation. A subtle and sublime marriage of flavours made in heaven!!

Poached wild Alaskan salmon with a matsutake mushroom broth, roasted cilantro root on the side. Another wow of subtle flavours.

Domaine Romanee Conti Grands Echezeaux, 1988, accompanied the next 2 dishes.


Wild game terrine, foie gras, tendon and black Alba truffles were accompanied by toasted brioche and game gelee. For the game in the terrine, teal and mallard duck, pheasant and King City buck were used. Another remarkable experience in complex flavours and textures.

Mallard duck breast and pine mushroom salad with shaved Burgundy black truffles. 

Leroy Grands Echezeaux, 1959, accompanied the next 2 dishes.


Tagliolini pasta dressed with a touch of butter and parmesan cheese with shaved white Alba truffles. This pasta dish was as good as the best anywhere in Italy!

Butter poached wild turkey breast, brought to the table before slicing and prep.

The sliced butter poached wild turkey with shaved Molise white truffles (good, but not anywhere as intense in flavour or fragrance as the Alba whites). This combination of the beautifully tender turkey, the sauce and truffles was another heavenly match.

Marcel Guigal Cote Roti La Turque, !990, accompanied the next dish.


Game tortiere made with ground venison, moose and duck was accompanied by a pressure cooked, molasses lacquered duck leg and beans. A wonderful savoury experience.

Chateau de Beaucastel, 1989, accompanied the next dish.


Game consomme with stuffed game, salt pork and cabbage roll.

The sliced black Alba truffles are added to the above dish. Amazing flavours highlighted by  truffles!!

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1986 went with the next dish.


Roasted elk and goose breast (the slice on the right) with potato pancake ("latke"), apple puree and clove dust. This part of the goose breast was remarkably tender. The clove dust was the counter punch in flavour.

Chateau Petrus, 1988, accompanied the following dish.

Roasted King City buck loin accompanied by Vickie's turnips, a roasted pearl onion and creamy mashed potatoes.

Chateau Coutet Barsac 1986, arrived with the next dish.


Apple galette with wild blueberries and vanilla ice cream.

New at Nota Bene Restaurant

Highly capable and creative, chef David Lee loves to work with new ideas for Nota Bene restaurant. This night, he surprised me with a "tongue and tail" terrine en gelee mounted on arugula leaves and on a fried potato "latke" (pancake). OMG I was in food heaven with this dish. The terrine was accompanied by cornichons, a single radish, and pickled beet and onion. The texture and flavours were wonderful. 

Cross section of the terrine.

Then, Chef Lee presented the dish in a new way, wrapping the terrine with lardo and shredded potato, dusting the patty with flour and frying the result. The patty was presented with sauteed pine mushrooms. Another major flavour WOW!! I cut a piece and popped it into my mouth....the terrine elements had melted, creating a wonderful juicy interior with the tongue and tail elements for texture and flavour. And with the earthy flavours of the mushrooms, another heavenly experience!

Porchetta Tuesdays at Nota Bene

Sometimes, I can't wait for Porchetta Tuesdays at Nota Bene.

I began with a very good steak tartar, certainly one of the best in the city. This version was a refreshingly good novelty, with burrata cheese in the middle, especially with a squirt of fresh lemon. As many know, my palate is not a lover of cheese with meat (exception, aged parmesan with carpaccio). This combination was a very good surprise and it was topped with some good shaved parmigiano.

And now for the piece de resistance, chef David Lee's wonderful version of porchetta topped with morels, "popped" crackling and sided with rapini.

And, of course, this is one of my favourite restaurants to enjoy deep fried onions. They are fabulous while hot. Eat them within 5 to 10 minutes and have the cooled remainder removed from the table. 

Loving Lunch At Nota Bene Resto, Toronto

I look forward to hearty lunches at Nota Bene. Wednesday has wonderful smoked meat (I skip the cheese!!). This time, a Thursday, I enjoyed lunch with a friend. So, we got to split the the fabulous, full of flavour, wagyu beef burger (beef from Cumbrae's), cooked medium rare, accompanied by terrific french fries, and the pulled pork sandwich. Both were knock your socks off good!

Below, the juicy pulled pork sandwich accompanied by tangy house made cole slaw and french fries. This perfect bun does not fall apart.

Below, the Cumbrae Farms Wagyu beef Burger (with "yellow mustard"...natch....not dijon!) topped with sauteed onions on a toasted bun.

Note Bene Restaurant Steak Experience

I have eaten at Note Bene Restaurant several times over the past 10 days. Their beef, particularly the rib steak (yes, I ate the 33oz steak!) specially selected by Chef David Lee, from the very best prime Canadian beef at Cumbrae's, tastes exceptional! The flavour is very complex, a by-product of well aged beef that has been carefully raised and fed the very best mix of feeds that Cumbrae's farmers have custom formulated together with Steve Alexander, owner of Cumbraes. The texture is quite exceptional as well. I also enjoy the wagyu beef burger, again, custom blended by Chef Lee with Cumbrae's wagyu beef. I order this burger rare.