Here's what's cooking around town today...
Eric Vellend was impressed with Mercatto, as were we when we dined there a couple of month back. [Inside Toronto: Menumental]
I don't want to say Michael Smith was robbed on last night's much-touted Iron Chef episode, because I wasn't there to taste any of it, but people, did you SEE the presentation Bobby Flay was sending out? And which he got 14/15 points for? WTF?? That thing with the watermelon was a freakin' mess. And no one made the super-easy and delicious avocado and chocolate mousse. I bet that would have cinched it for Smith. [Toronto Star]
With the Niagara icewine festival over, it's time to start enjoying all those bottles you picked up on your travels. [Gremolata]
I'm seeing lots of mentions of kale in various places, and not in any of those freaky viral meme kind of ways either. Just a whole lot of unrelated people who all seem to be craving dark leafy greens in the cold inhospitable winter. [Sift, Dust & Toss]
I've been watching a UK series called My Dream Farm recently - about city slickers who have moved to the country following some romantic notion about being a farmer and then facing the harsh reality (both physical and economical) of actually running that farm. So the Organic Farming Certificate offered by Everdale is kind of intriguing. Because knowing what you're getting yourself into is never a bad idea. [Sustain Ontario]
Okay, maybe not the cheapest place for lunch, but at Buca you can get an awesome pizza and some therapeutic arts and crafts time with the pizza scissors. [Toronto Life: Daily Dish]
Everything you ever wanted to know about the green fairy. [Cuisine Canada Scene]
With macarons on everyone's hot trend of the year lists, I really, really, REALLY need to reiterate... people, macarons in Toronto are not going to taste the same as the ones you've had at Laduree in Paris. Okay? They're just not. You're looking at almonds from California versus Spain, eggs raised under different standards, eating different feed, possibly sugar from beets instead of sugar cane, and even a different climate (which, as anyone who has ever made macarons at home knows, is a huge factor). That doesn't mean they're all going to be great, or even good, but they're not going to be like in Paris. Eat 'em or don't, but FFS, stop complaining about them. [Hunger Over Thirst]
Lynn Crawford talks about moving back to Toronto (and we see proof, once again, why it's a good thing to moderate reader comments). [BlogTO]
And in Food For Thought - don't believe the labels, cake at the office, and jelly bean portraits. [Save Your Fork]
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Everyone I know has basically been shitting their pants over that Michael Smith result. General consensus seems to be that he got robbed.
PS LOVE the fact that my captcha says 'bacon' :)
I watched Iron Chef as well and was very disappointed as well. The "actor" judge in the middle (a real-life Joey from friends) was a terrible judge. I'm sure that is where chef Michael lost all his points. That guy said right off that he didn't like avocado, anything with a spicy flavor etc. They should only have food critiques on there and forget putting childish actors. I've made many of chef michaels recipes and they are all very tasty. His presentation was better than Bobby Flay's. Bobby Flay is a great chef as well, but I think Chef Michael was definitely robbed.
Iron Chef results: Smith lost most of his points in the "taste" category. The judges creamed him there. Otherwise, it was a pretty even split.