Anita Stewart's CANADA

A One of a Kind Bakery

2010-04-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

The tiny river village of Wakefield, Quebec is on the map for many reasons. Great music at the Black Sheep Tavern; a plethora of restaurants (some 23 for a populace of 800 + tourists) and now the Pipolinka Boulangerie, which would be a serious culinary destination for any major Canadian city. But here it sits, beside the river, serving forth the best lemon tarts I've ever tasted, butter-rich croissants and authentic sourdough breads made with flour milled and grown in Quebec. Today's faves were the hot cross buns (warm from the oven); the mushroom pâté-filled pastry (my breakfast) and their Paris Brest, an authentic choux paste piped into a round and filled with praline whipped cream.

All about the MEAT!

2010-03-30T04:17:00.001-07:00

At CharCut, Calgary's new meaty, hot spot, there is no getting away from it. Being a carnivore rules. The pigs head mortadella is spiked with pistachios and truffles. The shaved lamb ham has been cured and 'slowly aged' before being topped with grated Gruyere. Crispy chicken skin makes it to the menu in a salad with buttermilk dressing. A heart stopping version of poutine is smothered in truffle gravy. Mains are char-boiled and wood-smoked. Butchering is done on site and hung till tender and perfect. Attention to flavour, locale and detail continues to dessert...saskatoon berries are layered with cheesecake in a small Mason jar. Cookie crunch gelato are served in sea salt sugar cones and if you crave chocolate, the cookies are still warm when they're served along side, what else, a tiny mint/vanilla milkshake. MMMmmmm....

Details: CharCut is on 9th Avenue in Hotel Le Germain.

And to go with the wines....

2010-03-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Students not only learn to make wine, they create their own charcuterie - great with the Dean's List Pinot Noir. The simple College White was spectacular with the Niagara Culinary Institute (NCI) maple-glazed duck breast...awesome!

Traditional Foods

2010-03-11T11:38:00.000-08:00

The Gulf of St. Lawrence surrounds and feeds the people of Les Iles de la Madeleine. Snow crab and lobster, shellfish and, of course, seal. Survival depended upon harvesting and using whatever food was at hand and, today, the islanders, serve it forth with pride.

Jamie Oliver's Speech at TED

2010-03-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

Jamie Oliver is a man on a mission. His TED prize allowed him to speak to a room filled with America's top movers and shakers. His wish is to teach children about food. It's a powerful and extremely important message! It needs to be shared.

Coming Home!

2010-03-01T05:46:00.001-08:00

Planted firmly in a snowbank beside my front door when I arrived late at night was a 6 foot reminder of how we are a winter nation. My neighbours have a sense of humour but the beauty of it made me smile as much as a bouquet of flowers. Think I'll decorate my front yard with giant icicles.

Toasting Our Team!

2010-02-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

The new name for 'bartender' is 'mixologist' ... a person, in this case a engaging Aussie, who combines being a shrink with being a salesman / gastronome. Jacob Sweetapple tends his (s)willing flock at the swish Fairmont Pacific Rim's lobby bar. He sized us all up - we were all completely fried after our pre-games breakfast event, and suggested that he just make a flight of drinks. Bingo. Don't remember who had the signature cocktail named "O'Shaku" (we were told it's Japanese for 'one who pours' but it could've been Greek for "totally yummy"). It's based on pear vodka, Armagnac, peach bitters and so forth. He created a Scratched Sidecar for the gal who clearly had worked the hardest that day. But my fave was the Bramble...a concoction of good gin, plum liqueur, a splash of lemon and sugar with a couple of perfect raspberries balanced on raft of lemon peel. Apparently it's a classic (you can google it) and it's going to be one that I hope to make in largish quantities sometime next summer during G&T season and when the blackberries are ripe.

BTW...Try Victoria Gin from Victoria, B.C. -- it's a close second to the marvelous Myriad View brand from P.E.I. which is stellar but made in such small batches that you have to visit the distillery or one of the nearby Island liquor stores to buy it.

Bluebird Sky and Amazing Snow!

2010-02-21T21:01:00.000-08:00

Mount Washington is a great alpine experience! The good news is that I survived! If you could look to the right of where I was standing at the peak, the Strait of Georgia is clearly visible and the slopes of Whistler are on the other side.

Got home to barbecue some venison while the neighbour dude cut his lawn. Beer in hand we toasted B .C. (and no broken bones or torn ligaments) and then hunkered down to watch the Games.

Local = Shellfish in C.R.

2010-02-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

Like much of the rest of Canada, the great regional foods of Campbell River and environs have long been hidden in its home kitchens. A new, hopeful movement is afoot which began with a vital farmers market and has continued into this brand new shop, The Local Market, where you can begin to taste the area. As an old Arbee's franchise, it has all the trappings of of a fast food restaurant...take out window, large open kitchen called The River City Forest Cafe and a well lit retail area. They serve a really great shellfish chowder with lots of honey mussels from Quadra Island which are among the most sought after on the coast. Shop for fireweed honey and local beef/lamb/yummy-looking bacon, hand made furniture and locally grown vegetables, while the cook grills a bison burger for you.

Seeing is Believing!

2010-02-19T10:26:00.000-08:00

Okay...so here we go. My son Mark just finished harvesting last year's broccoli from their garden! No shelter needed. We're having it for dinner! The sun's out, hence the rainbow.

REAL Wasabi and More!

2010-02-18T15:03:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhh Spring! Made the mistake of phoning home today....Ontario's frozen stiff and bone-chilling. But here in Campbell River, spring green's returned and this gorgeous wasabi plant is flourishing. For all of us sushi and sashimi lovers who have had to put up with the powdered, pseudo-version, there really is hope. We transplanted a sweet cherry tree and picked a bit of broccoli that had over-wintered. An eagle sunned himself in the fir tree above the garden while out in Discovery Passage the chinook salmon are running.

Move Over P.E.I...here comes Pemberton

2010-02-17T09:30:00.000-08:00

On both coasts this make such good sense but it may yet be up to some wise Ontario entrepreneur to come up with a REAL Canadian vodka using our very own Yukon Gold....or another one of the late Gary Johnston's varietals.

....finally....

2010-02-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

A glass of dry B.C. cider, spread the spot prawns and let the garlic butter coat them gently...! Sweet and tasting of the sea!

Culinary Advice

2010-02-16T21:35:00.000-08:00

Spot prawns are a B.C. specialty. Commercially the traps are set in the spring but personal fishing is a year round option. Chef/fishing guide/son Mark snowboards on Mount Washington on the same day as he does just that. He rinses them and freezes them in water (along with venison, halibut, veggies from his garden, foraged mushrooms and every kind of salmon).

He brought a kg or so to Salt Spring for our family feast, thawed them simply under cold running water....and then! Melted butter and LOTS of garlic.

The Taste of BC Spring!

2010-02-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

Big Leaf maple...BEFORE!

Big Leaf maple ... AFTER!

VERY RARE AND VERY DELISH!

Another first!

2010-02-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

My first dandelion of 2010! In the garden of Harbour House...beside a huge bed of well-sprouted garlic.

Took the picture then....um....made a salad!

Snow and Sails

2010-02-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

The beauty of this coast astounds me every time I visit. It just smells so good! Woke this morning to an eagle calling!

Brilliant Vancouver Food!

2010-02-13T21:05:00.000-08:00

Tojo's tuna is classic if not legendary! A culinary artist, Hidekazu Tojo has been seducing diners for decades and the food just gets better 'n better.

Add a flight of locally brewed sake...draft, classic and unfiltered.

Then let Tojo-san, or his cluster of talented apprentices, just feed you!

Vietnamese Penicillin

2010-02-13T13:43:00.000-08:00

All this partying is really quite exhausting. So I headed to "The Drive" / a.k.a. Commercial -- where you can feast for next to nothing. Dampness evaporated with a huge, deep, steaming bowl of beef/noodle soup redolent with fresh basil. Just perfect. Check out their spring rolls and Vietnamese coffee.

www.eatatstix.com

Passing the Flame

2010-02-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

The Olympic Torch was passed cheered on by crowds lining all sides of the Robson/Thurlow intersection. Big band leader Dal Richards, who received the flame from Walter Gretzky, passes it to Dmitry Chernyshenko, head of the 2014 games in Russia.

Canadian Flags Everywhere!

2010-02-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

Celebrating the flag -- wrapped on buildings

and imprinted on apples

GO CANADA GO!

Vancouver 2010

Behind the Scenes

2010-02-12T16:18:00.000-08:00

Remi Cousyn made a fabulous Bison Carpaccio with dried Carmine Jewel cherries from U of Saskatoon's research programme. A great new Prairie crop!

His bread pudding was laced with some wild and cultivated mushrooms. These beech mushrooms, grown in B.C., are particularly intense.

SAVOURING CANADA

2010-02-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

The breakfast celebrating our great northern bounty began with apples and continued with an array of top flight food producers from across the nation cooking for the media. Watch CNN for their interview with Chef Michael Smith or look for images of the Minister of Agriculture & AgriFood cooking fabulous steak and eggs with Saskatoon's Remi Cousyn. FYI...that's cherry marinated bison on the skewer. But not just any cherry. These are Carmine Jewels perfected for Prairie agriculture by Dr Bob Bors, alumnus of the University of Guelph and now making some huge strides in fruit growing in the at-times harsh Prairie climate.

A Bit of History

2010-02-10T04:36:00.000-08:00

Getting ready to head down to the Pan Pacific for a meeting with the Canada Brand team, I looked out the south window of the tower I'm bunking down in. The panorama of Vancouver sky scape was bathed in sun....as was this building. I watched the Snow Birds close the Expo 86 from these gardens on the roof of the Manhattan Apartments. These growing spaces were a first for Canada...a project by City Farmer and their dream-meister Leslie Scrimshaw. It was a huge struggle to convince people that food could be grown in non-traditional spaces. Now the new Convention Centre which has been turned into the Media Centre for the 2010 games has an enormous roof of greenery.

The gorgeous art deco building at the corner of Robson and Thurlow was a cooperative ... one of the first in the city, managed by the tenants. For me, it's an other one of the feel-good, culinary circles that occur so regularly on this coast!

The (New) City of Light

2010-02-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

Move over Paris....Vancouver is poised to take over.

COUNT DOWN!

2010-02-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

Only 5 days before Agriculture and AgriFood Canada joins forces with some of Canada's top chefs in Vancouver to celebrate the extraordinary food of our nation. Great beef, the finest pork, spectacular seafood, grains from wheat, buckwheat and flax...not to mention canola oil and the best pulses on earth are all going to be framed at a special media breakfast where we're inviting the world to our table to Savour Canada! I'll be blogging and tweeting throughout the event when I'm not on stage emceeing it.

GO CANADA GO!

MAN LAND

2010-01-31T07:17:00.000-08:00

Not that I mind the testosterone ... actually it's quite life-giving...but the Ontario Food Terminal is far more than a bunch of guys selling produce. It's the largest fresh produce distribution centre in Canada. In 2009, the team there, led by a government appointed board and managed on a day to day basis by a mere 38 people, handled 960,958 TONS of fresh fruit and veggies. The OFT's cold storage facility @ 80,00 square feet is the largest on the continent.
Glimpsing it from the QEW in Toronto's west end, it's easily identifiable as a parking lot for trucks...or so it seems. It's one of the most energy-charged, competitive places I've ever visited...where a handshake is a contract and where Ontario's growers assemble all year long to supply the restaurants and independent grocery retailers from Thunder Bay to the East Coast.
Winter's tough...the outdoor 550 stall, somewhat sheltered area, can be bitterly cold. But we, as consumers, hum the tune...'Good things grow ow ow ow, In Ontari-O' , these farmers feed us so well - from the sweetest carrots (note the new, very wise, regional designation on this image) to celeriac to cucumbers and masses upon masses of fresh flowers.

To listen to my broadcast on the OFT, head to www.cbc.ca/freshair.

Fish Foraging

2010-01-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

With Chef Chris Aerni's herring being the hit of the Canadian Chefs Congress, I wanted to learn the story. Behind the inn he and his wife, Graziella have a sprawling kitchen garden but it's his dedication to locally landed seafood that, for me, is the biggest part of their story.

He gathers teh marshmallow-sized scallops that are cultured in Passamquoddy Bay, just down the road from the inn and the VERY freshest herring (a.k.a. sardines) .

His menu looks like a fisherman's wish list.

Begin with sake-pickled fresh herring on a warm fingerling potato-radish vinaigrette and horseradish - caper cream.... then head to the vanilla butter poached 'naked' lobster ("it's easier to eat that way..." ) with melted leek-sour cream perogies, sweet potato-lobster jus, sweet pea coulis... finish with bee balm poached peaches and a small spoon ful of peach yogurt ice cream scattered with wild New Brunswick blueberries. FABULOUS!

Eating Canada at Stadtlanders' Farm

2010-01-28T06:59:00.000-08:00

Registration closed early...there were just too many people who wanted to go. Unlike the usual foodie gatherings, Michael and Nobuyo Stadtlander opened their free form farm to the professional food community of Canada.
It was like opening Michael's personal Roladex.

Remi and Janis Cousyn from Saskatoon...JK from Toronto/PEC ... Pierre LePage from the NWT who I later saw at Gordon Bailey's new place in Charlottetown. Carson Schiffhorn from Inn on the Lake in the Yukon came as did the passionate, foraging New Brunwicker Chris Aerni of Rossmount Inn. His herring was THE hit of the entire event. Vij teamed up with Charles Baker who spent a good bit of time serving his fabulous wine and'resting' .

Only at Stadtlanders would one find ribs cooked on a manure spreader...!

And it ended with a rip roaring...bonfire that leaped high, high, high into the night sky.

Chocolate as a Food Group!

2009-04-12T05:36:00.000-07:00

In the tiny (almost a crossroads) hamlet of Marshville, down in the Niagara region, the Easter bunny has been very hard at work! Marshville Chocolates have a local reputation for some of the best, most delicious, and traditional Easter candy. The chocolate molds are hand filled and wrapped with the most decorative ribbons. It's worth a detour from the celebrated Niagara wine route!

$5000 per tray please

2009-04-12T05:25:00.000-07:00

Just did a signing at the Cheese Boutique in Toronto - a hidden gem of a place tucked away near the South Kingsway. It's a repository for upscale, exotic ingredients from around the world...and the price tags are not for the faint of heart. Run by the Pristine family who've been in 'the business' for three generations, it's a place to go to see what extraordinary possibilities exist for our own producers and processors. While I was busy signing, Afrim Pristine arrived at the desk, smiling broadly. His treasure? A small wooden tray of precious black truffles...so pungent and rich in aroma that they need only be shaved onto a dish.

Food and "Soft" Adventure

2009-03-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

Sounds like a perfect combination...right? But first there was the small issue of the frozen waterfall...which I rappelled down, muttering expletives most of the way

......and then...into the Charlevoix.....

and later, one of the simplest, most delicious cheese dishes I've ever tasted.

The fabulous Fleurmier cheese from Laiterie Charlevoix is made with milk from Canadienne cows...the offspring of those that Champlain brought to the New World in 1608. It's richness oozes into warmed honey when it's broiled for a minute or two.

Eat it with crusty bread and a glass of beer as I did at Le Saint Pub in Baie St. Paul or a glass of fruit wine! DELICIOUS!

Just the Beginning!

2008-05-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

While the official book tour ends on the coast of Vancouver Island, the real odyssey of Canadian cuisine is just beginning. Across the land, Canadians are claiming local food as their own and these days they're making the choice, not out of necessity as was done in the earliest days of settlement, but out of pride. Never before has a food book on Canada hit the Globe and Mail's best seller list, not just for one flash-in-the-pan week, but for two. More than anything this speaks to the hunger Canadians have for an understanding of our collective food ways.

Stay tuned! The journey together continues.

Culinary Campbell River

2008-05-25T21:26:00.001-07:00

There are old businesses like Crabby Bob's which began selling seafood in the early 1980s. The image I was able to take today was the first time I've ever been able to extract a smile - perhaps because he's finally decided to retire. Having said that, Bob has been selling the liveliest Dungeness crab and spot prawns, fresh oysters and perfect frozen (local) swimming scallops for decades his barge-like floating store anchored near the Pier Street Market. Bravo!

One of the new, totally neat shops is Cheddar and Co on Shoppers Row in downtown CR. The revitalization of the core is proceeding with lots of creativity and this shop could

easily be at home in any large urban centre. From the superb cheeses of Saltspring Island - David Wood's gorgeous goats milk concoctions to Over the Moon Dairy's artisan cheeses from the cows that each have names, owner Michelle sells the finest cheeses from across Canada. She also shops locally for her ingredients. She tosses freshly steamed prawns onto Patterson Farms stunning greens...her breads are from Cakebread Artisan Bakery in Courtney but all the rest of her baking is done in house by a lady simply named Madonna. How perfect.

Roderick Haig Brown

2008-05-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Roderick Haig-Brown was a wise, ecologically brilliant magistrate - a naturalist - who lived on the banks of the Campbell River. He fished and observed the life cycle of all the salmon species of the coast. His legacy is profound.

Today his home is used as a writers' retreat. But it is is writing that, even today, rings true. His message was simply that if there was ever a time that the salmon don't return, human-kind will be closer to its own extinction. If only we would listen.

Pier Street Market

2008-05-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

This place is such fun---and it really is the soul of Campbell River. You can buy west-coast fished albacore tuna or buy a warm whole wheat crepe cooked on the spot and stuffed with cream cheese before being dolloped with stewed fresh rhubarb and whipped cream. Island-roasted, fair-trade coffee in any urban-esque variation you choose is made to order.

In the distance, beyond the ocean, are the snow capped mountains of the coastal range. Behind is the Marine Heritage Centre where BCP 45, the B.C.Packers ship that once appeared on our $5 bills, is being rebuilt by a cadre of local shipwrights.

The Museum at Campbell River

2008-05-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

When I re-read my book, I realize how much material relates directly to the weeks I've spent here in this coastal community. When museum curator, Lesia Davis (recently nominated as Campbell River's Citizen of the Year), and city councillor Morgan Ostler, got wind of its publication, they organized a signing and celebration at the museum. Outside of the galleries in a glassed in area overlooking Discovery Passage, we toasted the food of the coast and the stories that weave us together as a nation. We ate local cheeses, drank good wine and finished off with Peggy Morris' Amazing Butter Tarts.

Culinary Boot Camp in the Cowichan

2008-05-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

At the end of every one of Mara Jeringan's culinary boot camps at Fairburn Farm in the extraordinarily lush Cowichan, she invites neighbours and friends over for an impromptu meal. Thankfully my timing was perfect! She began this one outdoors at here huge brick oven while her students and for me the most impressive part of the entire evening was the first buffalo milk mozzarella made in North America while the shy water buffalo pastured nearby.orth America while the water buffalo pastured nearby.

Landing on The Island

2008-05-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

No trip to Vancouver Island is right unless I have even the briefest sojourn at Sooke Harbour House. At night a red heart hangs as a welcome sign over the driveway. At dawn, the sun streamed over the magnificent property filled with flowers. Even my morning eggs were strewn with blossoms.

Off the Main Road

2008-05-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Backroads are the best....particularly ones that wind and twist and turn high into the hills towards a new winery experience like Dirty Laundry. On a sun-soaked day we traveled through blossom laden orchards near Peachland en route to an excellent Gewurztraminer tasting!

Gyoza and Pavlova

2008-05-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

As an appetizer there are few that I like as much as Japanese-inspired gyoza. They are dipped into a spicy soy/chili sauce and, in this case, sits in a deep spoon with a pool of the sauce underneath. These were served in Mission Hill's teaching garden.

The interpretation of June's Pavlova was one of the best renditions of this dessert that I've ever eaten. YUM!

Michael's Menu

2008-05-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Winery Chef Allemeier and Sous Chef Phillip Dionne created an incredible menu to honour my book matching each course with a specially selected Mission Hill wine.

The Feast

Highwood Crossing Rye Loaf

with their cold-pressed canola oil

~~~

2006 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc

Tasting of Carmelis Goats Cheese p.226

chevry souffle, chabichou & asparagus, sorrel & vintage fritter

~~~

2006 Reserve Riesling

Prawns Peri-Peri p.91

pea greens

~~~

2006 Reserve Pinot Noir

Classic Chicken & Dumplings p. 139

freshly-harvested morel mushrooms

~~~

2005 Reserve Shiraz

Bison & Cheddar Meat Pie p.121

lovage gremolata

~~~

2006 Riesling Reserve Icewine

June's Pavlova p.228

Okanagan cherries

~~~

Espresso

The Red Shoe's Gingerbread p.25

Potato Buttermilk Doughnuts p.199

The Food Life of Mission Hill

2008-05-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

Michael Allemeier makes most of us look as though we're standing still. He's an absolutely top flight chef, a teacher, a leader, a champion at the barbecue (he won the coveted "Jack" last year for his mastery at the grill), a marathon swimmer, a dedicated husband and devoted father.

He's cooked at Bishops, Sooke Harbour House (where we met), did a stint at Whistler's Wildflower just after Casavant left, put Calgary's Teatro onto the map and then headed for the mountains.

The Mission Hill experience reflects Allemeier's total dedication to the regional ingredients which have always been the foundation of his menus. Whether it's the perfect Shipspoint oysters with Riesling 'pearls' dotted with lemon thyme flowers or a simple dish of poached egg with fresh asparagus spears and fingerling potato in a pool of preserved lemon butter, his team of chefs respond to the freedom he gives them with spectacular dishes.

Culinary Synergy

2008-05-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years, the food scene in the Okanagan has simply exploded. From the early days when Chef Grant de Montreil defined what he called "Cascadian cuisine" (he's currently cooking at Hannah's near the waterfront with all its art) till today, some of Canada's finest chefs have coalesced into a culinary region that is one of the strongest in the nation. Chef Bernard Casavant, another BC veteran who has mentored so many, has landed at Burrowing Owl's Sonora Room in the dry, desert-like setting near Oliver. One of his protegees, Rod Butters has been cooking at Fresco in Kelowna for ages. Rod, with his partner Audrey Sauro, were the opening culinary team at Tofino's renowned Wickanninnish Inn. Ned Bell, of Food Network's Cook Like A Chef, is opening the Cabana Grill in Kelowna this summer. There are young chefs -- Dana Ewart and Cameron Smith who have Joy Road Catering and impeccable credentials including Montreal's Toque! restaurant. And of course, there's superstar Michael Allemeier, of Mission Hill...but more on his efforts in a later post. This is a happening place!

Artsy Kelowna

2008-05-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

Over the years special friendships are formed and in my case it's usually around food. Sandra Kochan is one of those amazing people. We met while she successfully obtained the very first J license for a winery restaurant in the entire Okanagan Valley. Seems people have forgotten this major accomplishment but had it not been for her moving and shaking many of the glorious restaurants in the Valley would likely have had a whole lot harder time setting up.

Today Sandra is organizing public art for the City of Kelowna, a job that gives her a chance to stretch her creative muscles again. I took a walk with her and it's really one of the prettiest night time strolls I've ever had. Around the town, there are public spaces that are graced with some fabulous pieces.

This one is Rhapsody by Robert Dow Reid in the Waterfront Park. It's one of 38 in the core of this gracious lakeside city.

To the Valley

2008-05-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

I was heading towards the Okanagan, en route to Kelowna. By Hope wisps of clouds were flowing up the sides of the mountains. The choice was to drive up the Fraser River route, a roller coaster highway that is one of the best drives in the country or via The Coquihalla. If I took the first, I'd have to double back through the Thompson River Valley and through Kamloops. Or I could take a shorter route,The Coquihalla, officially called #5. This highway brought back memories of driving a van packed with camping gear and kids en route to the coast while the red light on the dash flashed urgent warnings in 40' heat. The only way to cool the engine was to turn on the heat. Needless to say, before the next trip I had the vehicle 'summerized'.

But today, May 14, I was facing snow and spring that seems to come only sporadically and I didn't have a lot of time for sightseeing. I opted for the "Coq".

The destination was Mission Hill....the Mandl family estate winery that can claim to be the most glorious winery in the nation. Cellars are deep and barrel-filled and the bell tower rings across the valley on the hour. Noon is a cacophony of music.

The Tojo Experience

2008-05-10T21:37:00.001-07:00

This is a separate post for a reason. When you read this menu think of balance. This is the mysterious concept of umami. The elements are all here -- salt/sweet; crunchy/soft even gelatinous; the sea/the land; smokey and fresh; hot/cold. And of course, there's artful contrast visually. The drink is chilled, fine sake.

Freshly seared tuna is sliced in to small squares, blessed with a quick bath in a soy-based marinade and served atop mountain potato puree. It's strewn with threads of green onion and seaweed, a shake of toasted sesame seeds and a bit of hot, Japanese pepper. Then it's served in a nearly frozen bamboo bowl.

The next layer added another element...crispy tempura batter encasing sweet scallops stuffed

with creamy sea urchin roe. Beside it, a small battered Japanese green pepper. Both were to be dipped into green tea (macha) salt.

Another bowl....julienned daikon, cucumber formed the base of a snowy tower of the freshest, most tender octopus I've tasted. Again...heat/cool; salt/sweet; crisp/salt. FABULOUS!

The next dish contrasted the earthiness of morels with their ling cod mousse stuffing. Deep-fried they were strewn with small shards of bonito tuna flakes which, literally, danced with the heat.

Under a paper cover tied with rattan and a pine needle garnish, smoked black cod swam in a the lightest fish broth. I was instructed to squeeze a slice of lime over the fish which sat on fresh steamed asparagus and thick slices of king mushrooms.

Then came the cone (the first to eat with soy) of goeduck clam, mayo, wasabi wrapped in a crisp nori sheet.

The 'rolls' followed....a scallop, sweet shrimp, crab all wrapped with eggplant and topped with a spoonful of flying fish roe. Cucumber is sliced into paper thin wrappers and nearer the end of the sequence, Tojo wrapped mango, yam, avocado, asparagus and just-fried tempura prawn into what he named a "Northern Lights Roll".

With a communion glass of plum wine, 'dessert' was ginger-fresh pineapple sorbet, crushed dragon fruit topped with a single, bright red organic raspberry and served with a sesame wafer.

Tojo creates heady food ... but it's also food that honours Canada's finest raw ingredients -- perfectly. He cooks -- he creates -- with heart.

Constant Reinvention of a Legend

2008-05-10T21:27:00.001-07:00

High airy ceilings and string halogen lights and sleek woodwork has replaced the original Tojo's. Leaving those earliest rooms must have been difficult where so many memories were created. But this new environment is finally as elegant as the food that Hidekazu Tojo serves and has served for decades. He was cooking local sablefish, salmon, tuna, scallops ... etc... since the mid 80's when I was so lucky to make his culinary acquaintance. His is intelligent cuisine, perfectly balanced and absolutely delicious. Sitting at the sushi bar is still the best place to watch his mastery and to catch the twinkle in his eye. No jaded chefs here. Tojo loves to cook and his staff have caught the spark.

Vancouver - tastefully!

2008-05-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

I shipped my winter coat home from Winnipeg where, when I left, residents were expecting a late spring snowfall. Then I flew.

This is the flower-strewn west coast where at least one runner I know complains of slipping on the cherry blossoms that drift the roads.

The tastes are of new Asian fusing with our ingredients. At the glamorous bar in the Hotel Vancouver, bowls of warmed salt and pepper edamame beans are a common appetizer to have with the local beers.

Fishing boats sell the famous spot prawns and west coast tuna at the docks near Granville Island. Go Fish is a hugely popular take-out beside them which serves fabulous fish and chips!

The book signing was at Barbara Jo's Book to Cooks, Granville Island location, where Vancouverites head for fresh fish, superb farmer-dried apples and pears; Terra Breads and spectacular Oyama charcuterie...amongst them spicy wild boar salami that's served as part of the menu at a neat, prize-winning restaurant called Salt in Gastown. Even with a problematic location -- down poorly-named, certainly-memorable and even a tad scary, Blood Alley. Salt is a haven for those who love to graze on superb cheeses and meats or feast on a simple, perfectly grilled sandwich. Great wine list! But keep your wits about you.

Grain, Edible Oil and the Future.

2008-05-08T04:16:00.000-07:00

This is Canada! Dozens of highly skilled researchers beavering away creating new ideas and potentially new products with darn near no recognition. Buried in the downtown Winnipeg tower of the Canadian Grain Commission, a stones throw from legendary Portage and Main, teams of scientists delve deep into the properties of new varieties of some 21 different grains and oil seeds. These people bounce back and forth between the global picture and the most minute detail of say...the colour of the durum wheat in a piece of pasta or whether the shape of a loaf of bread made with Canadian wheat will work for a traditional Columbian bread called Alinado or how light a particular variety of canola or flax or mustard or safflower works in making my fave salad dressing. The work is as specific as one paper by Garth Paulley on the "Effects of Ingredients and Processing Conditions on Bread Quality When Baking Syrian Two-Layered Flat Bread from Canadian Wheat in a Traveling Oven." Here the 100 mile diet clearly makes absolutely no sense - particularly if Canada is to remain competitive and take her place in feeding an ever hungrier and needy world. And besides, I want to bake good bread and make Alex's Perfect Pasta, the dish that absolutely relies on durum semolina, in my home in Ontario and it's these folks who make the new varieties work so that I can.

GO CANADA GO!!!!

In "The Peg"

2008-05-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

Perfect weather and PERFECT foie gras. Bernard Mirlycourtois grew up here and left to cook in France for decades before returning to his roots to serve "Cuisine De Tradition". In his own classic French style he harvests Manitoba (the pickerel almandine really is perfect) and heads to Quebec for the foie to create his exceptional foie gras terrine. An almost across the board challenge in this Province seems to be access to Canadian wines. So if you want a great late harvest Vidal with your foie, best bring your own.

OPENING SOON!!!!

2008-05-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

Maebell and her Calgary foodie friends have a big secret. Behind these happy animal faces will be a one of a kind restaurant....sometime this summer when wonderful smells will begin to waft from the farmhouse kitchen.

CULINARY CALGARY ROCKS!

2008-05-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

Landed in fantastic sunshine and headed to The River Cafe. Since the mind 90s Sal Howell has been 'doing' local food. The angular glass and weathered wood restaurant is on an island in the middle of the Bow River. The wine list reflects the forward thinking of the Alberta government -- no booze kingdoms here! Highlights? Sprouted Red Fife wheat bread with restaurant churned butter. The perfect salad of Desiree potatoes, various hot house, heirloom tomatoes and black cod; the stinging nettle chimichurri atop a venison loin and DESSERT! A berry studded cake with creme fraiche ice cream and lots of caramel sauce.

HAVE A GLASS OF WINE AND SIGN A BOOK!

2008-05-04T04:56:00.000-07:00

Seems to me to be a very civilized way of signing my books .... a glass of crisp wine and a bin of oysters being shucked by John Bil. Bon Appetit Books is at 388 Victoria in tony Westmount and people here love to eat, talk about food and read. The store, operated by the young team of Michelle York-Cheung and Jonathan Cheung, seems much more like a well-loved library and reminded me of New York's famous Kitchen Arts and Letters but without the attitude. At Bon Appetit authors and chefs cook and share their knowledge in a great demonstration space. It was such fun! Off to Calgary!!!

John Bil's Oyster Knives at the Ready!

2008-05-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

MONTREAL!

2008-05-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

MONTREAL! Day Two!!!!!! Joe Beef is an edgy place. Not a place to be seen but a place to really be. Experimental. Ancient. Wrapped up in a small, crowded bar that's not much larger than my living room. Offal, escargots, cracked bones with oozing marrow and pungent, biting flavours. They also have the best oysters on the continent and the oyster philosopher himself, John Bil. Teamed with his buddy Fred Morin this restaurant will be one we'll say..."Hey...do you remember when we ate shredded pig ears with poached eggs...my God it was amazing!" This is a restaurant that is ahead of the history books and one that'll go down in them.

MONTREAL!

2008-05-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

Night One -- The Beaver Club (c.1785). Pure elegance. A cart of chilled champagne and a menu that sings the praises and flavours of Canada and Quebec. This is the experience of true dining with an eye to the future --foams and intensely concentrated flavours - and an eye to the best of the magnificent classic past...flambées and cloud-like soufflés (mine was lime with a crunch of sugar that coated the baking dish. So delicate that it quivered). The beauty of this extraordinary mirrored and richly paneled room, is that with the masterful guidance of the brilliant Michel Busch -- it works! The crystal is crystal...the silver is silver....the service cannot get better. Anyone who wants to understand gastronomy must visit this dining room at least once in a lifetime.

Byward and Onward

2008-05-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Touring the Byward Market is a bit like touring a community but when you're with the Market Manager, Philip Powell, well, he's a magnet and at least half a dozen vendors/shop keepers greet him with unbridled enthusiasm. And this during the time when the outdoor vendors are barely there. According to Powell, the market doesn't kick into high gear till after Mother's Day. By mid-May it's a rowdy, aroma-filled place with fresh schnitzel frying, all sorts of meat being smoked and some of the best 'street' food anywhere. For an extraordinary panini, as good as any I've eaten in Italy, built with meat from their own deli and toppings from their own kitchens, head to Nicastro's.

For a hockey player's appetite, there's the towering Bison Burger at Sweet Grass.

Buttery Croissants and Good Jam

2008-04-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

The French Baker has an almost hidden bistro named "Benny's". In the front of the house, you can watch the real croissants being made with chilled butter. No just-proofed and baked-off pastries here. The coffee is superb...Illy in a bowl with warm milk is perfect -- and the breakfasts options, not counting the long list of classic pastries (brioche, pain aux raisins, chausson aux pommes), range from great (under-stated) mushroom and cheese omelette to what I mowed down...a fluffy goats milk cheese frittata with a dollop of chipotle creme fraiche with thick slices of multi-grain toast. The jam was a gingery rhubarb....the best springtime tonic out there. (Note to self: This kind of pace cannot continue. But there is a celebration of my book later tonight..#$#&&%$%!!!!)

Eating on the Hill (a.k.a. LOVING Ottawa)

2008-04-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Small and crowded, the spirit at Whalesbone was one of pure East Coast hospitality. It reminded me of the early days of my writing career when I blasted around Atlantic Canada in search of a "real" Canadian dining experience. But no restaurant or inn or cafe served the food that's coming out of the postage stamp sized kitchen on Ottawa's Bank Street - ever! Sit at the chefs' bar and you will have a perch to watch two talented guys cook with not only their heads but their hearts. Being transported to another time/place is sometimes the role of culinary experiences.We ate oysters from Cortes Island that were so fresh and tasted so richly of the salt air and the ocean that I was forced to pause and close my eyes in ecstasy. Chalk one up for the good guys. They understand "Fresh and Simple"! And they also understand flavour-filled and complex. Case in point, the "lacquered" pork belly which is salted, spiced, marinated, refrigerated, braised till utterly tender and finally chilled 'n pressed till serving time, a process that literally takes days, before it's glazed with honey and soy. Chefs Wall and Lord hand make their "gnudi" with house-made ricotta and using them as a base and a whole lot of roasted garlic and pan-fried Wakefield mushrooms, the pork belly was one of the best dishes I've eaten in years. BRAVO!