Some Summer Food

Venison t-bones with a 2003 Bordeaux

Heirloom tomatoes from various friends

Picnic bread at mid-assembly (there are layers of zucchini, mint,
basil and eggplant in there first...

Roasted tomatoes on a second bed of mint, arugula and basil

And then some caramelised shallots to top it off...

I took advantage of a slight reduction in the killer heat that we've been having here in Toronto lately to fire up the charcol barbecue and grill some zucchini and these venison steaks, which sadly represent that last bit of my sister's deer... : (

The picnic bread is a really handy and tasty recipe from Donna Hay's Entertaining -- a cookbook that we bought way back in Guelph (or was it Kingston?). In any event, a fun thing to make and very good to eat!

Goodnight! Bar

Good friends S and G were the gatekeepers to Toronto’s latest underground spot last night: Goodnight! Bar.

After some excellent Persian food at Sheherzade (beside Pomegranate on College) and fine coffees on the genteel terrace of La Palette, we walked to the Richmond/Spadina area and then proceeded down an alley beside a small pop-up clothing store to a nondescript metal door. Upon ringing the bell, we were greeted by a young woman who confirmed our reservation and showed us into the bar.

Goodnight! is an extremely comely locale. It has a manufactured broken-in feel that truly works and the end result lies somewhere between Brooklyn and Barcelona. Recycled radiators make up the base of the bar, which is finished with a raw exposed wood top. Packing skids placed vertically create peek-a-book divisions between sitting areas to facilitate the people-watching that will definitely happen here. A small wood frame staircase propped against the far wall gives a sense of depth that is then played upon further by small half-steps that continue along in a vertical slant. My favourite part of the decor has to be the sewing/tailoring patterns on the walls – an original idea that highlights the bespoke nature of boutique spaces such as this one.

For my Red friends (Alex, Jen), I should mention that there is a “Communist Corner” below the faux stairs that sports portraits of famous Enemies of the West (and oddly, John F. Kennedy).

Drinks-wise, Goodnight! boasts an extensive, although certainly not cheap, cocktail list – parts of which the young bar staff working last night were still evidently learning. Service, though, was amiable and friendly and with no trace of attitude. The idea that Goodnight! should be a television-free bar in which conversation and meeting people should reign appears to be working. The music, as mixed by the owner, was eclectic and good and contributed well to the overall vibe of the place. 

All in all, a very fine place to spend a few hours in good company or simply to watch the beautiful people. Current load restrictions will keep it intimate but one assumes that with TIFF just around the corner (and now centered in this neighbourhood), Goodnight! will become quite the hopping place, indeed.

Drink: Gimlet or Manhattan Dry if you want something even more lip-smacking.

Return to the AGO…

On Tuesday, I finally got around to renewing my AGO membership – it had been a while and although I had poked my head in since the Gehry transformation, I hadn’t given the new building a good look-see.

It really is phenomenal. The use of wood, the bendy staircases and more than anything, the increased space to show the AGO’s fabulous collection have really combined to make for a special building.

I took advantage of being there to check out the current big show, “Drama and Desire: Artists and the Theatre” and while I found the first few rooms to be rather “meh,” I thought that the latter sections were excellent. It was a wonderful surprise to walk into the 19th Century France room and be greeted not only by some nice chamber music (after the heavy intonations of a Stratford production of Lear had resonated in another area) but also by Degas’s delightful “Blue Dancers.”

Equally intriguing was a chance to see “The Opera Orchestra” up close:

After taking in “Drama and Desire,” I just wandered the building a bit, finding the inner bendy staircase first and then the exterior one that takes you up to the espresso bar (a nice touch). I also checked out the Grange, which is now the members’ lounge as well as the Galeria Italia, which is the most breathtaking aspect of the transformed AGO. The arching Douglas Fir beams, which serve as the spine of the glass facade, are magnificent. A must see for anyone coming to Toronto.

PS: In my whirlwind tour of the building and collection, I did take time to see some of Varley’s work (my favourite of the Group of Seven and a very under-appreciated portratist) and the special room dedicated to Frans Masereel’s colour prints and engravings.  The two pieces depicting a 6 day bicycle race are wonderful.

Some Varley for those who don’t know him:

[Note: this portrait of Vera, one of my favourite paintings, hangs at the National Gallery in Ottawa]

IGTC Endorses: Ruby Watchco

OK, before my memory fades, here are some impressions and a review of the new hotspot in the East End, Chef Lynn Craford’s home-style, one-set-menu-is-all-there-is boite.

The space is cozy, inviting and only got really loud once it was full around 8:30. It’s been prepared with a lot of thought by the people who do Restaurant Makeover and still has its “new car” shine.

It was insanely hot here in Toronto today so the first thing up was a delicious house cocktail: a raspberry bourbon sour.  Not too sweet, the raspberry and bourbon went well together, made all fizzy by some soda (but no egg white that I could discern). Could have had a couple…

The opening salad was perhaps the best salad I’ve ever had in a restaurant… hmm, could this be true? Let me think? Not too many fab salads immediately come to mind? Most of the truly great ones have involved duck products of some sort… Ah yes! Of course!! OK, this is the SECOND best salad that I’ve ever had. The first was most definitely the foie, pansy petals and iberico ham salad that Ramon served at his old fancy place, Cluny, in Madrid. Oh my… my mouth waters at the memory of that one… : )

So you get the idea; this was one good fucking bowl of greens, peach and pink shrimp. As far as the shrimp goes, given the immediate association most people make between small pink shrimp and the ubiquitous and flavour-free ring in which they normally appear, my mouth was almost expecting them to be a) ice cold and b) watery and nasty. Oh so wrong on both counts… These tasty little bastards had been warmed to the temperature of the other ingredients AND were extremely flavorful. Good show!

The “living mizuna” mentioned on the menu above was essentially a spinach substitute and the toasted cashew vinaigrette pulled it all together. YUM.

With that excellent course finished, it was time for the main event: a grilled flank steak with heirloom tomatoes and caper relish.  This nicely rare meat came with some zucchini fritters (that disappeared quickly), a bowl of new potatoes and beans (that we won’t talk about) and, perhaps the greatest discovery of the entire meal: grilled sweet corn with chipotle aioli, lime salt, queso fresco and some fresh cilantro.  Corn has never tasted so succulent and tangy. Wow. the combination of cilantro and the sweet yet grilled kernels was absolutely fantastic.  This is definitely something to replicate at home.

Ruby Watchco’s cheese course tonight was a 10 yr old Ottawa Valley cheddar that came accompanied by some spicy pickles. The cheddar itself was extremely mellow and moist. Not heavy at all.

For dessert there was a blueberry shortcake made of almond sponge lathered in sweet cream from a farm named Hewitt. Good stuff, even for a non-dessert person like me.

Wine: Italian rose. Tart, not as fruity as expected but that was just as well, given the range of flavours on the plate(s).

Service: Fantastic. The Bulgarian server (who is almost finished her sommelier course) was wonderful, as was the rest of the staff.