Quantity Vs. Quality A Winterlicious Wrap-Up

Winterlicious 2009 - This year it was eat or be eaten.  

My belly runneth over the waistband of my jeans and for your reading pleasure my intense 4 day jam packed dining out extravaganza.  The good, the bad and the ugly.

We begin one week ago today -

Wednesday February 4 

7:30pm 

Atelier Thuet

Dinner Companion - Mr. Homer

Homer and I had dined at Thuet's other restaurant Bite Me in the fall and enjoyed it.  Since the Atelier is right in Homer's work neighbourhood we decided to try it out.  And despite a rocky start when Homer tried to make a reservation and the host (or whomever answers the phone there) said the word "deuce" to many times to make a normal person comfortable, we had a truly excellent meal.

What I ate:

First Course:  Roaster Butternut Squash Soup Garnished with House Made Ricotta

Perfect for a cold winter night, warm and comforting.  Both Homer and I agreed if this had been the only thing on the menu it would have been worth it.

Main Course:  Hand Rolled Gnocchi with Tripe and Braised Pork Belly

Delicious and soft gnocchi with a light tomato sauce.  The pork belly was melt in the mouth but the tripe was a bit chewy and off putting in the dish.  While I don't regret ordering it, Homer's choice of the Truffled Chicken Pot Pie nearly made me reconsider, it smelled like heaven.

Dessert:  Lemon and Chocolate Verrine

Tasty but not too lemony, a nice light finish to the meal.

Service:  Polite if slightly rushed, but not uncomfortably so.  I only managed 1 glass of unmemorable wine which is usually a sign of how fast they are serving.

Go Back at Full Price:  Yes!

Thursday February 5

5:30pm (the ONLY time we could get)

Mildred's Temple Kitchen

Dinner Companions - Mr. Homer, Ryan Cripps and Michael Lazarovitch

Having never tried Mildred's Kitchen in the previous incarnation I had no idea what to expect.  What I got was a gorgeous white space, with so much room I forgot where I was for while, namely attached to an office/mini mall/tower.  Another Liberty Village hot spot, I had read many reviews about crusty service but our gal was nice as could be.

What I ate:

First Course: Roast Cauliflower Soup with Curry Oil

While not as lush as Thuet's this soup was still a winner.  Velvety and deep the curry oil was a bit over powering at points but not enough from deter me from eating the whole bowl.

Second Course:  Grass Fed Ontario Pork with farro and caramelized onion risotto and veg.

An honest and pure dish this was a great example of something simple done right.  It just felt fresh.

Dessert:  Profiteroles with Lindt milk chocolate ice cream and chocolate drizzle

To be frank, not as delectable as I thought it would be.  The profiteroles were pretty dry though I guess maybe they had to be in order to keep this towering dish upright.  Ice cream was delicious though.

A drinking note about Mildred's:  I ordered the Malivoire Gamay which I had never had before.  The waitress said they can barely keep it in stock.  I see why, I could bath in this wine.  Go get it now.

Service - as mentioned terrific.

Go back at full price - Yes

Friday February 5

8:00pm

Marben

Dining Companion - Ms. Jenn Scott

Ok, so this is not really part of Winterlicious, but they do have the same sort of promotion going on right now so you should get your butt there before Feb 13.

I had the great treat of being able to sit at the Chef's Table at Marben this past Friday.  I wish I could tell you everything we ate, but it is sort of a glutenous haze, because you see my friends we did a BLIND TASTING.

I do however has four words for you:

Fois Gras Creme Brulee - Just as decadent as it sounds.  

A gorgeous space as well suited to dining as it is to drinks with the girls (or guys) this Wellington restaurant is really a sort of hidden gem.  Executive Chef Craig Alley is not only a heck of a nice guy he also knows what he is doing.  If you have a special occasion, I highly recommend hitting up Marben and treating yourself to the Chef's Table.  Or just head down on a Friday for some drinks and a great time.  And say high to my buddy the GM Chuck Howard (see photo below of him and Craig).  They'll take good care of you.

AND FINALLY:

Saturday February 6

8:00pm (or try 8:30pm)

Tappo

Dinner Companions:  Mr. Homer, Dan Misener, Jenna Zuschlag Misener, Amber Rutherford

I didn't mind the wait or the too crowded dining room or the rubbery calamari.  I didn't even mind our servers apathetic service, but when he plunked the cheque down before I could even put dessert spoon to mouth the straw she broka my back.  We had just, about 10 minutes ago ordered another bottle of wine and for all he knew we were moving on to the Veuve, guess he never will.

What I ate:

First Course:  Calamari all Griglia

While it was rubbery the flavour was still there with the tomato and avocado.  Safe to say this was actually the best part of the meal.  Sigh.

Second Course:  Stinco D'agnello (or Lamb)

Stin(K)co is right.  This flavourless giant lamb bit was the source for the title of the post, Quantity vs. Quality.  It felt thrown together and uninspired.  I didn't finish it and after I told Homer this when we got home he said I should have given it to him, he was still hungry since the gnocchi was minuscule.

Dessert:  Tiramisu

Not bad, not good, but not bad.  Light and mild but again nothing you couldn't buy at the grocery store.

Service:  Our server was apathetic and trying to rush us out after having been seated late.  You get a fail my friend.  The host was a greasy haired guy who didn't seem to care that that bar was already full and asking us to wait there crammed us at the end by the door, good thing it was warm out! However one of the auxiliary servers was quite friendly when Jenna found a hard bit in her calamari, turns out it was spine of the calamari which he explained to her. Not good but still at least he was honest about it.

Go back at full price:  Um, no.

Coming soon - I'm in a New York State of Mind. 

Even Sooner - I am back in the Kitchen.

Here Comes the Food!

This summer my friend Jenna is walking down the aisle with her fiance Dan.  Jenna didn't really want a shower in the traditional sense so instead our friend Rae threw her a wine shower.
Each guest was asked to bring 2 bottles of wine.  One for the party and one for Jenna to keep.  She sent around a wine registry list, so that we knew what she wanted.  It was a great party, and how many regular bridal showers do you know where the cops show up? (What? the neighbours appparently did not appreciate how ironic new country is)

Rae also happens to be an amazing cook, and naturally I asked to help.  The prep began for Rae early in the week with macaroon making, vegetable roasting and cupcake baking.  I showed up Friday night to help with the final details.  The menu was as follows:  large antipasto platters, cheese trays, macaroons with fruit and whipped cream, mini cupcakes, fresh rolls and last but not least the recipe I offer below a variation on Grapefruit and Lobster cocktail.
Rae modified it to go in shot glasses.

• 1 Cup Cooked Lobster Meat
• 3/4 cup Ruby Red Grapefruit Segmented
• 2 teaspoons ginger finely chopped or grated
• 1/2 cup red and yellow peppers finely diced
• 1 tbsp cilantro roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh meat finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons shallots finely diced
• Juice of 1 lime or more to taste
• 1 tsp of canola oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3 x chives cut into 1" pieces, optional garnish

Roughly chop lobster meat.

Segment the grapefruit cutting it over a bowl to reserve the juices, put grapefruit segments in juice.  Set grapefruit segments and juice aside.

In a medium bowl combine ginger, peppers, cilantro, mint, shallots, grapefruit, lime juice and oil until evenly distributed.

Add lobster meat to mixture and gently toss.

Chill the mixture in the refrigerator to allow the flavours to infuse.

Spoon mixture into shot glasses and garnish with chives.  Serve cold.

A Winterlicious Guest Post!

A Guest Post by Jenna Zuschlag.

Last Saturday we were lucky enough to get a reservation at Edward Levesque Kitchen during Winterlicious.

The restaurant is located at the eastern end of Leslieville on Queen Street. When you first step into the restaurant you literally find yourself in the kitchen. We think Edward Levesque himself was at the helm of the grill, but we're not entirely sure.

After a short wait, our waitress (who was incredibly friendly without being invasive or overbearing) seated us in a row of tables along one side of the long narrow dining room. They had a small wine selection for Winterlicious, none of which really appealed to us, so we were allowed to order off the main wine list. They have an extensive list mostly made up of private label bottles from Australia and New Zealand. We chose a lovely Shiraz Grenache from Clare Valley - it was amazing.

The Winterlicious menu had quite a large selection compared to other participating restos we've been to. From the six apps offered we chose the halved fennel salad made with shredded apples, blood oranges, almonds, and pomegranate in a rosemary and buckwheat honey vinaigrette (for dan), and the roasted beets with onion, arugula, chevre and tarragon vinaigrette (for me).
The fennel salad was great, but sort of weak flavour-wise. The beets were earthy tasting and were perfectly paired with the herbed chevre. It's definitely something I would have again and probably try to make on my own.

The mains selection was great. You could chose from hangar steak, oxtail, salmon, scallops, and roast lamb. Dan had the hangar steak, which was served with roasted plum tomatoes, chive mashed potatoes, and jus. He thoroughly enjoyed the meat, it was prepared according to his liking, but the portion was on the small side. I chose the seared scallops with parsnip puree, grilled leeks, and beet compote. The scallops were great, cooked just right, not too raw, but a bit lacking in the portion department as well. I wasn't a fan of the huge piece of leek wrapped around my plate, but at least it was tender enough to cut through without making a mess of the presentation. I'll be honest though, I spent most of the time coveting Dan's steak over my scallops.

For dessert, three options were advertised, but only two were actually available that night - a triple layer carrot cake and chocolate truffle cake. We had both and split. The carrot cake was great, with rich icing and sans raisins (yuck). The chocolate cake was a bit on the rich side, but it quickly disappeared just the same.

All in all, it was a great meal. Lots of choice, great service, fantastic wine, and cozy atmosphere. We'll definitely be back, probably to try out their brunch menu, which looks incredible.