The Olive Pit
805 Queen Street West
647 430-7085

Shirley Bougourd knows olive oil. She tells me she’s still learning, that the past three years of running The Olive Pit, haven of oil and good taste in general, has been quite the experience; that she’s still taking in new information each day. But to the average lay person, Shirley knows her stuff. Thus, she knows olive oil.

The Olive Pit is situated directly underneath The Spice Trader, and opened on the same day in fact; the purveyors of the above storefront are her son and daughter-in-law. Shirley’s not so much into spices as she is into oils, but then spices and oils do go hand in hand. It’s a nice combination, and makes for a pleasant space.

Continue reading Olive Oil 101 »

It seems like everyone’s seeking refuge in lighter fare these days, with most finding refreshment in the cool crispness of lettuce leaves or sweet juicy tomatoes. However, increasing interest in foods that have been grown organically or naturally has put the spotlight on another leafy green that has been finding favour within our food community. Seaweed has been used as food by many, particularly those in East Asia, and is now showing up in many Western areas (albeit confined mainly to those restaurants serving Asian food). This sea vegetable is high in vitamins and calcium, and while most may associate it as only the purplish-black sheet that keeps hands clean when picking up a sushi role, or perhaps as agar used to gelatinize prepared foods, seaweed is a delicious product all on its own. Seaweed comes in all shapes and sizes, as highlighted below, and is scrumptious when it is served as a simple salad. I’ll gladly take this tasty alternative over any boring bowl of salad greens.

Marinated sheets of chewy wakame (above) sit on a bed of soft mixed greens, and is topped with shredded onion and crab meat at Chef Hiro Yoshida’s Hiro Sushi Restaurant (171 King East). This is a refreshing balance of cool vegetables from the land and sea.

Continue reading Salads from the Sea »

Bombe Calde Corporation/ espresso expresso coffee bar
3175 Rutherford Road, Concord
905-660-3030

Cotton candy, chocolate Pocky sticks, red bean slushes - these treats bring back fond childhood memories for me. However, for Marzia Poldi, bombe caldes (a.k.a “hot bombs”) are what invokes these happy times. As owner of Bombe Calde Corporation, Poldi’s love for these Italian style donuts has translated into a flourishing business that’s been operating since 2006. With a passion for this filled pastry that she grew up with in Italy, Poldi decided to create a business to let Torontonians in on the secret of this dessert.

Continue reading Hot Hot Bombe Caldes! »

If you’re like many who inhabit this Great White North and embrace the blessings of fine mid-spring weather and three work-free days, this long weekend is bound to involve an encounter or two with some outdoor cooking. So read on.

As a relative newbie to open flame cuisine, I had the timely good fortune to have an inspirational telephone chat with Chef Ted Reader – some may know him better as King of the Q’s, a frequent guest on Q107 and visitor of Regis and Kelly – during which he shared some his ideas, tips, and grilling philosophy. Or grillosophy.

Classically trained in the culinary arts, Ted Reader was attracted to cooking with fire as a little kid, watching his father make hamburgers on a makeshift grill comprising a wheelbarrow and a refrigerator rack. “Dad was cheap,” he says. When Ted began working professionally, he gravitated toward the grill. Now Ted has 100 grills and barbecues of his own, give or take, allowing him the opportunity to try out his various creations – and those of others – and to fine tune them using different equipment.

How does he come up with his ideas? “Tequila.” He laughs, but the smile in his voice suggests he’s only half-joking. “And Jack Daniels. I like working with Jack.” Indeed J.D. is an active participant in a number of Ted’s recipes including his version of Beer Can Chicken that calls for a couple of shots of bourbon.

Continue reading Grilling the Saucy Zen Master »

As the weather warms, many choose to celebrate the season of fun in the sun and outdoors by taking their meals outside. Portable and delicious, the sandwich is an excellent food choice for such outings. My search for an ideal balance between a wheat-based shell and its glorious fillings has resulted in many noteworthy finds that would make any man (or woman) swoon. Sample any of the treats below for complete satisfaction.

The tender and moist slow roasted beef brisket ($6.50) takes 5 days to prepare at Black Camel (Rosedale Location: 4 Crescent Road). Choose to pair it with the house made Black Camel BBQ sauce, and/or any additional toppings (i.e. roasted sweet red peppers) for an extra $0.75.

Continue reading Which ‘wich? »

The thought of noodle soups may baffle many as the weather starts to warm up, but there’s nothing easier to eat during this transition stage. When dreary forecasts loom, a steaming bowl or plate of slippery strands in an aromatic broth hits the spot; when the sun beams lap at your brow, cold noodles and their springy textures do more than refresh the palate.  Toronto may not have an abundance of hawker stands like many SE Asian cities, but it does boast numerous eateries, both high- and low-end, that showcases this carb-y delight.  Below are a few noodle based courses that I had the luxury of consuming in the past year.

Hiro Sushi’s (171 King Street East) Soba Sunday offers authentic Japanese handmade buckwheat noodles made by Soba Canada may be topped (clockwise from upper left) with ikura (salmon roe), grated yamaimo (Japanese yam), snow crab, oroshi (grated daikon radish), fried buckwheat crackers, or just-done-Oboro tofu. Made with buckwheat cultivated from Manitoba, these toothsome strands are served cold. However the meal ends with a pot of hot soba water that can be seasoned with dashi.

Continue reading Using Your Noodle »

Toronto’s artisanal bakeries are in for some competition.

Visitors to last fall’s Gourmet Wine and Cheese show might remember having samples of some tasty breads from a company from Montreal called Première Moisson. Run by company president Liliane Colpron and her three children, Première Moisson opened in 1992 and now sells over 350,000 loaves of bread each week through 15 of their own bakeshops as well as in supermarkets in Quebec.

Continue reading Bread Head »

For Christmas a couple of years ago I got Gordon Ramsay Makes it Easy. I wanted to start off really easy. So it looked like I would be making his version of scrambled eggs, which is more of a creamed egg dish and was the easiest recipe in the book.

Except that it called for crème fraîche.

“Bloody hell,” I said in my best North County-cum-Glaswegian accent. “Maybe it’s easy for those who stock crème fraîche for our everyday-bacon-and-eggs needs, but what about the rest of us?” At that point I’d never even seen it in a store. For novice cooks, this can put the brakes on full. And for the record, it can’t be replaced with sour cream, I’ve tried and the results aren’t good.

Continue reading Crème Fraîche Isn’t French Sour Cream »

It’s time to wax poetic about one of my favourite pastimes. There is no greater sense of excitement for a snacker than to scour the supermarket shelves for scrumptious treats; this is even more thrilling when those items are from SE Asian snack vendors or supermarkets. From cookies to candies, chocolates, nuts and pastries, to crackers and chips, or even dried fruit, vegetable and protein matter, these pre-packaged delights may bring comfort to those familiar with the flavours or have others question their inventive origins. Perhaps it’s time to take another trip to the stores lining Spadina, those that dot the insides of Market Village and Pacific Mall, or are a beehive of activity for grocery shoppers (T&T Supermarket). Take a quick look at what can be found in the aisles!

Continue reading Got the Munchies? Head for the Aisles SE Asian Style »

Local, traceable, and meaty are in, while equatorial fruit and small plates are passé.

A quick not-statistically-accurate-at-all poll of a few city chefs shows that the buying local trend hasn’t run out of steam, although being able to intimately map a food’s source is quickly gaining ground.

Continue reading Tapas Out, Meat In »

The start of every New Year is associated with feeble attempts to make resolutions; vows that are often guaranteed to last no longer than a glorious scoop of Solferino’s (38 Wellington Street East) pistachio gelato under the hot summer sun. Of course this fact doesn’t excuse one from accepting challenges. There should still be a willingness to step outside of one’s comfort zone, especially if it involves good eats. A New Year means new beginnings, and what better way to approach 2008 than to do so with a ready stomach. Listed below are 10 food related tests to tantalize the taste buds and open the palate. It isn’t difficult considering that there are 12 months in a year. Really, that’s less than one feat to conquer per month. By the end of the year, the budding foodie residing within will truly be able to stake claims of having been there and done that.

Continue reading Daring Food Challenges for the New Year »

Specialty Food Shop
Main Floor, The Hospital for Sick Children
555 University Avenue

The main foyer of The Hospital for Sick Children is awash in colour and breathes open air. Staring up and around at its tall structure, visible elevators, and larger-than-life toys, it seems meant to inspire a little awe and a little hope. The room looks anything but a hospital, but instead a place of magic from the viewpoint of a sick child.

Down the hall sits the Specialty Food Shop, whose decoration is not so inspired as the foyer’s. But it isn’t the paint job or lighting that draws customers; instead the items on the shelves. This year marks the 25th birthday for the Specialty Food Shop (SFS), providing specialized foods and health advice for children and adults who are forced to watch what they eat.

For many people, eating is less a pleasure and more a challenge.

Continue reading Where You Watch What You Eat »

When I asked a vegetarian if he liked veggie dogs, the curt reply was: “I’d rather eat a real hot dog.” Contrary to his opinion, there are, however, many products that carnivores and herbivores can both enjoy. Some of them might give pause, like Lick’s Natureburger (grilled and smothered in their Guk sauce). Others are just right to hit the spot when you want something as substantial but don’t want to taste like flesh.

After a stint of being meat-phobic (blame it on watching one grisly episode of the X-Files), I acquired the taste for soy meats. Having been brought up on a tofu and whey protein/gluten steady diet helped, too. My first taste of a smoke-crisped veggie street dog laden in Toronto’s terrific toppings had me hooked.

Continue reading Where’s the Beef (Substitute)? »

Charlie’s Sticky Sauce, a new BBQ condiment to arrive in various locations throughout and surrounding our fair city, certainly lives up to its name. “Sticky” is what happens when one of the key ingredients is sugar. For anyone who likes their grill sauces and dips with a hard sweet kick to the palate rather than just a plain ol’ kick, then the line of Charlie’s Sticky Sauce sauces is tailor-made for them. And the wallet of their dentist.

Available in ‘Original’, ‘Mid-Evil’ (Hah!), and ‘Stupid Hot’ (Oh stop! My ribs! I mean it!), my barbecue-loving pals and I actually found the ‘Original’ strength to be more inflammatory than the ‘Mid-Evil’ (which is very hoi-sin-esque). We began sampling each one straight out of the bottle and licking off our grubby little fingers (hey, we’re food-lovers – not scientists). All three intensities pack quite a punch in terms of heat, but none is lip-blistering. The ‘Stupid Hot’ was maybe a tad mouth-numbing – not painful (my friends and I are relatively fire-proof) – but there’s enough caliente in this one to potentially knock out the flavour of the food it’s attempting to enhance if one goes too far with it straight up.

Continue reading Charlie’s Sauce is Sticky-licious »

“You must try the burek.”

I was in Budapest, at a soiree, chatting with charming locals about things to do and see.

“It is wonderful. One piece will sustain you for a day.”

Of all the must-try recommendations, I did not expect a pastry born in Serbia, with Turkish roots. But it was indeed, lovely, and the perfect comfort food for the day after, having survived a night of many glasses of Hungarian reds, pints of Czech pilsner, and shots of rakia, with newfound friends.

Continue reading Big On Burek »