Lobster Longing…

Lobster is another one of those foods that makes me salivate just thinking about it. In the summer, I’m always on the hunt for a deal so I can make them at home. Not that I don’t enjoy going out but who’s made of money these days? This past weekend a local grocery store, Loblaws, was selling live or steamed lobsters for $5.99 per pound. Please note, that these are not large. They are between 1 pound and 1 and a half pounds at most. I’m not sure exactly where they are from either. All the flyer said was “Canadian hard shell lobster.” I was more focused on the fact that it was lobster for 5.99 a pound!

So, I scooped up 4 lobsters, some garlic bread, wine and salad and headed to my friend Patty’s to make her dinner. (There are perks for my friends. When I crave something, I will buy it and share.)

I admit that I am still nervous putting the lobsters into the pot. Its just the ones that start wildly flapping their tail back and forth as I’m sure they have an inkling that this the end for them. But it’s always a fleeting fear.

• For steaming my lobster, I filled a pot with about two inches of water and some sea salt. The pot should have a cover.
• As the water comes to a nice rolling boil, I placed the lobster in the pot and put the cover on.
• Because of the small size of my lobster, I steamed it for 8 minutes

Steaming Lobster

I’ve  heard people say that you hear the lobsters scream as they are being put in the pot. I’ve never heard a sound and I honestly hope I never do.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have one large pot so I did this a few times but the results were excellent! I steamed 4 lobsters and Patty and I each had two.This cost exactly $31.42. You can’t go wrong with that!

4 Steamed Lobsters

After wolfing down my succulent lobster dinner, I started to reminisce over by previous lobster meals. Scaramouche Restaurant is one of the top rated establishments in Toronto. In continues to maintain excellent food and service. Plus, it has one of the best views of the city. If you can snag a window seat, it’s definitely a great place to take a date or celebrate your anniversary but you’ll never disappointed in the food. Every February,  they have Lobsterlicious, a 3 course prix fixe lobster event. It is very popular and a great price for this level of restaurant. Pictured below is the poached lobster with fingerling potatoes that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Poached Lobster at Scaramouche

My other memorable lobster meal was with my friend Ann. She invited a few of us to a Chinese restaurant in Richmond Hill called O Mei. They offer the largest live lobster and crab I’ve ever seen in a restaurant. We chose a 7.75 pound lobster to divide amongst the four of us.

Me holding a live lobster. It’s 7.75 pounds!!!

Once you inspect your lobster, they take it back into the kitchen and prepare it three different ways: sautéed with garlic, stir fried with onions and battered.. This turned out to be way too much food for the four of us. If you plan to go, you should definitely bring a group of at least 8 people. I like to eat but I couldn’t force anymore food in my mouth and it was yummy lobster.

I am still on hunt for great lobster dinners. If you know somewhere I should visit, let me know. Even if it’s your home.

Steamed Lobster with Garlic on Vermicelli Noodles.

Stir Fried Lobster with Onions.

Foie Me Baby!

I LOVE eating foie gras. Do you?

For you newbies, its the fattened liver of a duck or goose that is accomplished by force-feeding. Yes, you read that right. While it does sound cruel, the smooth, buttery texture tastes absolutely delicious.

My most recent foie experience was at Trevor Kitchen and Bar. My BF took me there for a Friday night dinner. Its located below ground and the lighting gives you a sense of it being quite cozy but I did find because it was so busy the restaurant had more of an energetic vibe that could make it a bit hard to hear. There is a great looking bar and lounge at the front but we were seated in the dining area.

I started with the truffled foie gras poutine.

Foie gras poutine

My BF ordered the seared foie gras with johnny cakes & preserved cherries.

Seared foie gras with johnny cakes & preserved cherries

I loved the fact that the poutine was made with goat cheese as its easier to digest for those of us who have lactose issues. You can’t go wrong with either choice, but the foie gras with johnny cakes & preserved cherries is an exceptional dish! All who know me, know I am “particular” aka pretty damn picky when it comes to my food. (But don’t be afraid to invite me over for dinner). The combined flavours in this dish were so good that I can taste them in my dreams. Lucky for me, I was able to steal a few forkfuls while still enjoying my poutine.

My main consisted of the lobster & prawn spaghettini. The shrimps were plump and that lobster was succulent. This was my second time ordering this dish because I love spaghettini.

Lobster & prawn spaghettini in cognac & chive sauce

My BF had the filet of beef tenderloin with horseradish crust, fingerling potatoes & double smoked bacon. A beautiful and tender cut of beef but I kept thinking it looked like a massive piece of foie gras.

Beef tenderloin with horseradish crust, fingerling potatoes & double smoked bacon.

Do I have foie fixation?

We passed on dessert but they served us complimentary cotton candy. What a nice touch! This wasn’t my first visit to Trevor but it was the first time having foie gras there. It is definitely worth coming back for. Yum!

Food Trucks in Toronto are a Waste of Time

Food Trucks: El Gastronomo Vagabundo and The Toasted Tangerine.

Today there was a Food Truck Eats event  in the courtyard of the Bay Adelaide Centre. Across from the new Trump Hotel and Tower and in the financial district, four trucks had line ups of people between 11 and 2pm waiting for some good eats.
As this was my first experience, I eagerly rushed over to decide  between the food of The Toasted Tangerine, El Gastronomo Vagabundo, Cupcake Diner and  The Blue Donkey Streatery.
I waited for an hour and never made it to the front of the line.

Like people in any industry, you have 45 minutes to 1 hour for lunch and you should wait at most 15 minutes to be served food so you can sit down and enjoy eating it. Every restaurant knows how valuable time is. Unless I’m confused about food trucks, I thought the food was partially prepped already and just needed to be finished off and served.  After waiting an hour in line to find out the item I wanted was sold out, I decided to poll the crowd rather than continue swearing under my breath.  I discoverd that the average wait was about a half an hour to 45 minutes  in line to order and pay for the food and then another half an hour to be served the food. I ran into a friend who waited  a total of an hour and 45 minutes and felt the food was not good enough to warrent that kind of a wait and she won’t be trying it again. There were many people who had to go back to work or were just plain tired of waiting and they asked (and received) their money back. This is the financial district where people spend money on lunch everyday. What were they thinking?

I am not a person who enjoys waiting for anything and the fact that I waited an hour and still didn’t taste any of the food makes me want to kick myself.

Note to hotdog vendors: show up wherever there is a food truck. You will make a killing!

Here are some tips for the organizers of this event if you ever feel you would like to make it up to the financial district and want loyal customers:

• Choose vendors who are a bit more organized with their timing and proportioning of food reserves (you shouldn’t be running out of items if you’ve planned properly)
• Include a vendor that just sells drinks (drink cart) so at least people can occupy themselves with something to staff off the hunger
• If you have people in excess of waiting of 20 minutes for food, you should offer them something for free (coupon for future use, an extra item for free),  a discount or an apology
• Organize events with enough food trucks to meet the demands of the customer base that will help shorten line ups – or back to my first point – only choose experienced food truck vendors that can pump out the food. Get tips from The Great Food Truck Race.

I understand and appreciate what the Ontario Food Truck Association  is trying to do in order to introduce the city to street food but if you’re not organized and ready to meet the demand, you’ll lose customers.

Where to Eat Oysters in Toronto

Having an oyster craving? With patio season on it’s way, here is my list of where to enjoy them around the city.

Oysters from Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill

The top oyster establishments in the city (meaning they specialize in and carry a variety of oysters plus they have experts on the premises) are:  Oyster Boy, Pure Spirits Oyster House & Grill, Rodney’s Oyster House and Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill. Other restaurants on the list offer one variety of oyster depending on the season but it could be a good deal. Enjoy!

Distillery District:

• Pure Spirits Oyster House & Grill – Tuesdays, $1.50 ea – all day; All other days $2:50 and up

East:

• Ceili Cottage (Leslieville)  – everyday – starting at $2.50
• Goods and Provisions (Leslieville) – everyday, $13 for 1/2 dozen; 12 for $26

Financial District:

• Biff’s Bistro – Daily, $1 ea -  after 5pm in the bar only
• Longos Maple Leaf Square – Corks Bar – Thursdays, complimentary with purchase of beverage – 5 to 8pm
• Reds Bistro – Fridays, $1 ea after 2:30pm in the bar only
• Resevoir Lounge – Thursdays, $1 ea (minimum half dozen order) – 6:30 to 9pm
• Rodney’s by Bay – Daily, $3 and up
• Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill – Daily, $2.70 and up

Midtown/Uptown:

• Cava Restaurant – Daily, $3.25 ea
• Coquine – Mondays, $2.50 and up
• Fuzion Resto Lounge – Fridays, $1 ea – 5 to 8pm
• Windsor Arms Hotel – Lounge 22 – Wednesdays, $1.25 ea – 6 to 10pm
• Zee Grill Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar, Daily, $2.50 and up

West:

• Big Daddy’s Bourbon Street Bistro + Oyster Bar, Daily, $2.50 and up
• Brazen Head – Fridays, complimentary – 5 to 7pm
• Delux Restaurant – Tuesdays, $1 – 6pm to close
• Fynn’s of Temple Bar – Fridays, complimentary oyster bar
• Oyster Boy – Daily, $2.50 and up
• Rodney’s Oyster House – Daily, $2.50 and up

Oyster Night Out

The Olympia oyster with a shot of vodka

Oysters are one of those things you either love or hate.  I’m an oyster lover and decided I wanted to learn how to shuck them so I can enjoy them at home. A quick internet search led me to Starfish and a return email from the owner Patrick McMurray (aka Paddy). The power of the internet led me to find out that Paddy currently holds the Guinness World Record for most oysters opened – 38 oysters shucked in under a minute. With that info, I was convinced I would be in expert hands  and turned a solo lesson into a girls night out on a Monday.

Seven ladies gathered with glasses of wine within reach and our lesson started with a platter of oysters and learning about 5 varieties and their look, feel and taste.

The most popular Malpeque oyster is from PEI and is available at most seafood restaurants and some grocery stories. Next we tried the Jersey Rock, a Pacific oyster from Jersey rock England. The Kumamoto from Washington (originally from Japan) is a noticeably smaller oyster but the shell is cupped. I found this was sweet and the tastiest of the group for me.  The European flat from Ireland are known for their smooth and flat shell and have a meatier texture.

The fifth species we tried was the Olympia oyster from Puget Sound Washington that can be hard to come by. Bigger than the Kumamoto but still a small oyster, they are sweet and metallic and considered a species at risk. It takes five years to grow, there are only two growers in the world and both are located in North America (Puget Sound and B.C.)  The growers are regulated.

With refilled wine glasses, we were equipped with a shucking puck, cloth and specially designed knife by Paddy and instructed on the delicate are of opening the shell and not slicing into your hand. I was nervous but managed to succeed without injury. Note to self – don’t get distracted by conversation and keep your eyes on the oyster while trying to ply it open!

After our lesson, we went back to eating and drinking but Paddy challenged us to a “Shuck n’ Suck contest”. We paired up in three groups and were timed on how long it took one partner to shuck two oysters and the other sucking them back. Let’s just say, what happened at Starfish stays there but there may be video evidence.

Patrick McMurray – instructing us on how to shuck an oyster.

Our tools for shucking – a knife, puck and cloth.

All Canadian Shuckin’ Puck to place your oyster on in place of a mat.

Shuckin’ Cloth used wet to help hold the oyster in place to prevent your hand from slipping.

Getting ready to shuck my first oyster.

I prefer just grated horseradish on my oysters but popular accompaniments are hot pepper sauce or a shallot vinaigrette (no heat).

A selection of delicious oysters.

The Olympia oyster with a shot of vodka. Went down smoothly.

The Best Kept Secret at The Miller Tavern on Bay

CHAMPAGNE!

I LOVE drinking champagne.

If you don’t, that’s okay. We can still be friends.

At The Miller Tavern (Bay street location only), they offer Veuve Clicquot on the menu for $10 a glass and a full bottle for $60! The LCBO sells the same bottle for $66.30. When I’m in the mood for some bubbly with friends, you know where to find me.

If you’ve met Rob Montgomery – @Kidcampari who runs the show down there – then you know there are mixologists on the premises who whip up fantastic cocktails and entertain you while sitting at the bar.

The place could be a tad busy before a game or concert (due to its close proximity to the Air Canada Centre) but its a great place to have their tasty Blue Crab & Shrimp Crab cakes, a steak dinner, a pint or domestic bottle for less than $6. Of course there are a ton of food options that make it an enjoyable night out. Their patio is set to open towards the end of April. Enough said.

Champagne anyone?

Power Play

Maple Leaf Square, located by the Air Canada Centre, is a major entertainment complex with a boutique hotel, 2 condo towers, shopping and dining. Score Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment group or is it the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan (majority owners) who made the right move?

Play Lounge inside Hotel Le Germain (located in the square) is one of the few lounges that I enjoy going to. You’ll find no DJ or security guards trying to pat you down. It’s the type of lounge to relax with a cocktail, beer, conversation and some delicious nibblies. It’s a relaxing space you could host a client reception, have drinks to catch up with friends or meet some new ones?

For those who feel it’s too sophisticated, right around the corner is E11even’s patio for an after work wind down or The Real Sports bar with their 199 tvs including the mammoth 40 footer HD screen is in yelling distance.

The Power Play Cocktail: *

Absolut Elyx vodka

Mixture of melon, lime and mint juice

Topped off with champagne

* this specific recipe was created for a private event

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Just Add Road Kill

Roadkill Helper

Quacky

Crazy or brilliant?

Peking Duck Chips

What do you think?

 

Party Patronage

BACKSTAGE: Jeanne Beker (Fashion Television) with Danielle Brown getting ready to strut the runway at Dare To Wear Love.

In my previous post, I was fundraising in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. With the support of my friends, family and colleagues, I was one of the top three fundraisers who qualified to walk to runway during the World Mastercard Toronto Fashion Week at the closing night show called Dare to Wear Love. It may surprise you but I can be somewhat shy. So, I chose my very adorable niece, Danielle, to walk in my place.

The experience of having to raise money, seek donations for prizes, and selling tickets gives me an appreciation for the hard work of people who fundraise for the many worthy causes and for the people that spend the time organizing the events that surround them. And these are fabulous parties – fun people, great DJs, gourmet food and open bars.

Who doesn’t enjoy a great party?

Mark your calendars to save the date for some of the top fundraising parties in the city! They need our support.

January/February

• Book Lover’s Ball in support of the Toronto Public Library

March/April

• Dare to Wear Love in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation
• PROM in support of  the Royal Ontario Museum
• Massive Party in support of the Art Gallery of Ontario

May/June

• Powerball in support of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery
• National Ballet of Canada Gala – 60th Anniversary
• Caribbean Ball in support of  Tropicana Community Services

July/August

• Boys Night Out in support of Prostate Cancer by Lifford Wine Agency
• Buskerball in support of Epilepsy Toronto

September/October

• Booby Ball – Rethink Breast Cancer Gala
• Operanation in support of the Canadian Opera Centre
• Fireball in support of Sheena’s Place
• LG Innovators Ball in support of the Ontario Science Centre * new date

November/December

• Bloor Street Entertains in support of CANFAR