First Restaurant Review

Okay, by no means am I suggesting I'm in any qualified to give restaurant reviews, but hey, in a sense we're all qualified because we all eat and we know what we like. After two years of opening up a culinary journey for myself, I've travelled from coast to coast and sampled from some incredible restaurants.

Before I begin review entries (positive ones only here), I'll start by naming my top 3 EVER. I can't say these are in any particular order, so I'll just go from west to east.

BRAD'S TOP 3 FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS IN CANADA

BON ROUGE RESTAURANT AND BISTRO (Victoria, BC)

I can't remember a time when I visited a city, and actually went to the same restaurant a second time because it was so good and I was utterly convinced that nothing else would ever measure up. Victoria is known for great restaurants, and all my dining experiences there were good, but this one absolutely blew my mind from start to finish.

This is a Parisian-inspired bistro with an incredible seasonal menu.

I saw a number of different plates, but my menu on night 1 was a crispy duck confit leg served on a white bean stew with red wine jus and fig jam. Night 2 was smoked blackened cod topped with figs, cherries and butter and served over mushroom risotto.

This was one of those dining experiences where I actually became high from the food - like some blissful euphoric daze of heavenly eating. Given that we had gone a second night in a row and sent so many compliments to the kitchen, the owner and executive chef actually came out to meet us. We chatted and he told us his culinary journey from his upbringing to his training to his aspirations for the restaurant.

If you find yourself in Victoria, GO HERE.
http://www.bonrouge.ca/


PIZ'ZA-ZA (Gatineau, QC)

Where has this pizza been all my life?! And who says pizza can't be a fancy candle-lit dinner with an incredible wine selection?

This is one of the National Capital Region's best-kept secrets. Constantly full, impossible to get a table more than 15 minutes after it opens, and an absolutely incredible ambiance. And did I mention the best pizza that I've ever had anywhere? I would be so bold as to say you've never had pizza until you've had this... unless you've had it from an authentic pizzeria in Italy. The crust is amazing, and what's truly special is that none of the pizzas are conventional. My favourite is the Paysanne with fresh tomato sauce, prosciutto, mushrooms, dried figs, and provolone. But they're all amazing and they have an over-the-top delicious selection of salads and desserts and the wine selection is one of the best in the region... even surpassing the more stuffy fancy restaurants in the region.

http://www.pizzaza.ca/restaurants/wine_cellars.php


GARDE-MANGER (Montreal, QC)

If you can find it, and if you can get a reservation (call six weeks in advance), you're set for one of the most amazing dining experiences Montreal has to offer.

This is the restaurant of renowned celebrity chef Chuck Hughes - you can check out his TV show, "Chuck's Day Off" on Food Network. This restaurant is cool, trendy, hip and absolutely stupendous in its rustic ambiance and stellar unique and truly originally delicious food.

No signage, no website, no ads, no paper menu. You just have to find it... that weird little pink lit box in the Old Port, where when you open up the little door you find a loud bustling restaurant full of people.

I started my first experience off with the lobster bisque poutine... yes, in the city known world-wide for its amazing poutine, this, one of Chuck Hughes' signature dishes, is a crispy bed of perfect fries topped with fresh cheese curds, chunks of lobster meat, and smothered with gravy... aka lobster bisque. I followed this up with tastings of blackened cod on perogies with carrot purée and bacon scallops with a crab salad exploding out of the shell of a crispy potato... did I forget to mention these were the best scallops I've ever tasted in my life?! And then of course I finished it off with Chuck's signature deep-fried Mars bar with ice cream - which lasted, I don't know, about 8 seconds.

This place is an adventure. If you live in Montreal or plan on going, call a good month or more in advance, and enjoy this spectacular culinary bliss.

http://www.pagesjaunes.ca/bus/Quebec/Montreal/Restaurant-Garde-Manger-Inc/2820256.html?adid=&tabSelect=&dymList=&origWhat=true&how=onlyonefound

So Much Better Than Benny

Now that that's out of the way and you know the truth about eggs (see below), time to experiment with delicious ways to enjoy that rich savory flavour. As I said several entries ago, the best way to taste the true flavour of a high quality egg is to poach it. No need to fry it in butter, no need for a Benedict sauce.

My favourite is to make little toasts. This can be done a thousand ways depending on what you like, but this is the most popular in my kitchen.

BRAD'S POACHED EGGS ON PROSCIUTTO TOASTS WITH SUNFLOWER SPROUTS

(For 2)

4 free-run eggs; 4 tsp & 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 4 toasts (baguette or your favourite); 4 slices prosciutto; 4 handfuls sunflower sprouts; olive oil; Kosher salt; fresh pepper

There is only a few seconds between a perfectly poached egg and a hard rubbery ball with no flavour, so as I always say, poach your eggs when everything else is done.

Toss your sprouts in a tbsp of apple cider vinegar and about a tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of S&P. Set aside.

If you like your prosciutto a little crispy like me, lay it on a small baking sheet in a toaster oven and broil for about 45 to 60 seconds per side. If you don't have a toaster oven, just put them on a pan with a small drop of oil and fry on medium-high for about 45 seconds per side. Set aside.

Put your toasts a toaster oven or oven and keep warm when done.

Pour hot water into a large sauce pan and cover and bring to a gentle boil. While you're waiting for it to come to a boil, crack all your eggs into ramekins or small bowls. Be sure to be careful not to break the yokes. If there are casualties, place them in the fridge for something else - these do not make for good poached eggs. (TIP: The best way to crack an egg if you're using large eggs is gently against a flat surface (never the edge of a bowl). If you're working with small eggs or brittle shells, tap with a butter knife.)

Pour a tsp of vinegar in each bowl and swirl. When the water is gently boiling, quickly roll the eggs in, keeping them apart using a slotted spoon and gently nudging the egg whites over the yokes to make a ball. Quickly turn the heat to low and partly cover. They usually take about 2-3 minutes, but best to pick up the first egg you dropped and gently nudge the yoke - you're looking for a yolk very elastic and soft but the white somewhat solid. Quickly take them out and lay on a paper towel.

Drizzle the toasts with olive oil and lay the prosciutto on top. Place eggs on the prosciutto with a pinch of salt and a crack of pepper. Then top with sprouts.

Tastes Like Eggs

Like eating with the seasons, eating what's not genetically modified and eating animal-based food that's raised and handled in accordance with nature and slaughtered humanely, understanding the facts about eggs and egg production has entailed much research.

In my quest to find 100% organic free-range meat, I stumbled on a farm not 20km north of my home that raises seasonal lamb, beef and goat; as well as laying hens. But first, a little background.

Floating toward more ecologically sustainable and healthier foods I started reading labels very carefully, paying attention to every detail of where it came from and how it was procured. I quickly learned, however, that like the "organic" label in the late 90s, the free-range label has almost virtually unregulated, allowing pretty much any factory "farm" to label the dubious claim on packaging. And this goes without mentioning ecological sustainability of foods, especially wild-caught sea food.

Until regulations are clearer, grocers and farmers will continue to make these dubious claims and thus a lot of vigilance is required on the part of anyone wanting to eat ethically. Fortunately there are a few simple rules to keep in mind that will help you learn what to expect; although be ready to be disappointed on occasion as you won't know until you try.

I mentioned in a previous entry how to spot a real free-range chicken; although you won't know until you taste it. The same rule applies with meat in general. Free range meat essentially has more colour and much more flavour. But if you're not sure, the best thing to do is track down the farmer. Ha! Not so easy. If you get your meat from a grocery store it likely comes from Ontario, Alberta or the US and probably nowhere near you. Nor would they ever let you visit or respond candidly to your questions. If you can find a local farmer, I suggest setting up a seasonal order of meat so that you know where it's coming from, how the animals are treated, and all this can be verified with your own eyes. The farmer that I'm now ordering from is willing to give full tours so I saw with my own two eyes the wide-open fields several acres in size where livestock can literally run, bond with their peers, raise their young, and play. I pet the lambs and even lended a hand in herding a cow that was fearful of crossing a small cliff to get to where the rest of the cattle were. I even met the layer hens, hanging out with the farmhouse cat, and who would, shockingly, approach you clucking friendly and even let you handle them.

I also learned a lot.

Suffice it to say, if you're interested in learning more and don't have a free-range organic farm close by, I recommend some bedtime reading: Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food" (http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/In-Defense-Of-Food-Michael-Pollan/9781594201455-item.html?pticket=pjn3avyz2zh3bwzl4qkzl4ryRJJF8I20%2f2HWWCXsXs0yOc8wEIE%3d) and Jonathan Foer's "Eating Animals" (http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/search?keywords=eating%20animals&pageSize=10).

The bottom line is that ethical eating takes work, dedication and sometimes tough decisions. But I'm of the mind that dedicating my efforts to it and eventually passing it down will push the market further in the right direction, and certainly improvement can be seen all across the food industry (except the poultry industry where it is steadily getting worse).

So on that note, free range eggs. How do you know? Sadly, after you crack it open. But here's a few hints:

1) It is rare if not unheard of the find a truly free-range egg producer in a grocery store. The free-range labelling is absolute hogwash. The free-range term can be used for example, simply when the hen is not confined to a wired cage. If six thousand hens have only a few hundred square feet, which incidentally is covered in three inches of shit (thus they avoid leaving their perch anyway), then this passes the legal definition of free-range. You need to find a specialty distributor (occasionally whole food stores) or go directly to the farmer.

2) Free-range eggs will never be uniform in size or colour. The low-tech operations and low output of an actual free-range farm makes size sorting inefficient so all shapes and sizes are packaged together.

3) If it's a large-scale company or brand name, it cannot be free-range.

4) And this is one of the most crucial - like meat the free range egg is much darker and has much more flavour. Simple rule, free range yolk is orange, factory is pale yellow.

Now you know.

A Meal of Super Foods

Give your body what it wants! This improvised treat is so packed with nature's goodness that your body will be thanking you for days. Omega-3-packed salmon, folic acid-packed dandelion, and complex carb-packed wild rice. This is proof that a health kick is probably the best thing that can ever happen to you.

BRAD'S WILD SALMON WITH LEMON AND DILL WITH LOCAL DANDELION SALAD AND WILD RICE

(for 2) 2 wild salmon steaks; fresh lemon slices; fresh dill; 2-3 tbsp butter; splash olive oil; Kosher salt and fresh pepper

Bunch fresh local dandelion (in season now!!); extra virgin olive oil; Kosher salt and fresh pepper; big handful pine nuts

Wild rice with butter

Cook rice with about 2 tbsp of butter (normally takes about 45-50 minutes).

In a cast iron skillet heated to medium, melt butter and add olive oil. Preheat oven to 350. Season salmon steaks. When oil is smoking add salmon and sear for about 3 minutes, and then flip to sear the other side for 3 minutes and top with lemon slices and dill. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes.

Toss salad ingredients together.

Let salmon sit for 4-5 minutes and then plate up.

You Can be Bad

The way I look at dessert is, if you take the time and make it yourself, you've truly earned it. It's so much more gratifying to indulge your sweet tooth this way than to tear open the drum stick.

Of course, those of you that know me know that may favourite things in the world include dark chocolate, maple syrup, and ice cream. So why not throw them all together with some caramelised bananas?!

The caramelised banana split is an idea I got from an episode of The F Word so credit goes to Gordon Ramsay for this, but essentially you simply cut a banana length-wise and then sprinkle the wet side with coarse sugar generously. And then, just like a crème brulée, you torch it. Of course, unlike me who likes to toss around cash on kitchen gadgets, most people don't have a food torch, so this can also be done by laying the sugared bananas on a baking sheet, and putting it in the oven on the highest rack on broil for about 3-4 minutes - watch closely; yank them out as soon as you see them bubbling rapidly. With this method of course, you need to let them cool or you're ice cream will melt too fast.

Topping a banana split is all you. I usually just grab whatever's in my baking cupboard, which almost always includes some dark chocolate. Just like coffee, the way to go with chocolate, no matter what you're making, is organic fair trade. You will absolutely taste the difference good clean soil makes to cocoa bean, even when it's melted over ice cream.

The trick to melting chocolate is a gentle melting process, and something to keep it from hardening from the shock of the cold ice cream. To do this, place a metal or glass bowl over a saucepan of water (make sure the water doesn't touch the boil) and lay the chocolate (roughly chopped) in the bowl and bring to a gentle boil. When the chocolate starts to melt, add about 1/2 tbsp of corn syrup and whisk until liquidy.

And of course, to add my special touch I added a maple-cream sauce... don't ask - essentially it was botched maple fudge (I forgot to whip the cream) but it turned into an absolutely amazing sauce instead.

This is intensely delicious and downright orgasmic. Indulge!

Tastes Like Chicken

Chicken - the bland poultry that needs to be intensely flavoured or immersed in fat to taste good... oh man how we've been misled.

The fact is, chicken, when reared properly, is as flavourful as steak! That is to say it carries intense flavour with no sauces or special seasonings or deep frying needed. I've said it before - happy meat is tasty meat - when you raise livestock that can roam about and without growth hormone or antibiotic, you'd be amazed at the result. These chickens cost about double that of a factory farm chicken, but they can provide a full six to eight meals and the carcass provides for an amazing stock.

I've already discussed the many reasons for investing in better food, even if it means cutting costs elsewhere, but there are many reasons I would recommend this. There is of course the obvious humane and environmental motivation for buying free run meat. Ethics aside, the stress of the confined space in wire cages causes an over-abundance of adrenaline production, which can cause spikes in blood toxins... not to mention factory chickens live ankle-deep in their own shit. It is for these reasons that I will either starve to death or become vegetarian before I eat another factory chicken.

Interesting experiment - The chicken stock recipe referenced a few entries below... For those of you that have made stock with a factory chicken, you'll know about the yellow foam that appears as soon as the water comes to a boil. Quite simply, you grab a wooden spoon and skim this off a few times and it's eventually gone. But I've often wondered what it is. The first time I made stock using a free-run bird, I placed the lid down, raised the heat to max, waited for the steam and when I popped the lid off to skim off the scum... no scum. Ha! And in the 10 batches of stock ever since... no scum. Think about that - still hungry for that fryer? You know the yellow foam that washes up on the banks of a polluted pond or river? Conceptually, I think there's a commonality here. And I'm not about to dip a cup into the edge of that river and take a big slurp.

So! All that to say, try this once - you'll never go back.

BRAD'S FREE-RUN CHICKEN WITH LOCAL ROOT VEG

Free-run organic chicken; olive oil; Kosher salt and fresh pepper; local carrots and blue potatoes chopped; and celery chopped; 8-10 thyme sprigs; 2-3 bay leaves

Lay vegetables in a ceramic dish, drizzle with olive oil, season and toss. Layer thyme and bay over the veg. Lay a metal wire rack over the dish, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub with S&P and lay on the rack. Roast at 375 for about 90 minutes, tossing veg occasionally. Internal temperature should be 170-175. You will not believe what you taste!

The Balkans know how to Live

One of the key things the food of my English and Irish ancestors and the food of south-eastern Europeans have in common is cabbage, cabbage and more cabbage. Personally I find it tastes like sweaty socks and so for a while I thought maybe I just won't like southeastern European food, what with all the cabbage and pickling and raw onion... that is until I visited Balkan Foods store in Montreal. The smell of smoked meat was almost overpowering. This is home to the world's best cheese spread, called Kajmak, imported from Serbia as well as an endless array of preserves from various parts of former Yugoslavia. The sandwich board outside displays a mouthwatering temptation of smoked sausages sautéed with bell peppers on a bun sitting on a pile of raw onion... the raw onion I could do without. Being the average height for a northwestern European Canadian, I rarely feel short, but when you stand in a room of Serbian men averaging about 6'7 speaking in a gruff Slavic tongue it can certainly be intimidating... but they were super-nice, and I walked away with a bag full of goodies, wrapped tightly in multiple layers of plastic so as not to stink up my car with the smell of smoked meat.

With my first crack at Balkan smoked sausage I decided to make one of my all time favourites - similar to what they put in the bun, only over Jazmin rice - not very Balkan, but hey - it works. Once again, simplicity at its finest!

BALKAN-STYLE SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

Essentially, I made this very similar to the way I make most sausage and pepper dishes, only this time let more of the flavours talk instead of caramelising to death. To make this authentic and to make the flavours "pop", quite simply - more garlic, more onions. For each 2 servings, slice one 12-inch sausage into 3/4 inch slices. Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high and coat the bottom in olive oil and toss in the sausage (in judging how much oil to put in, look at the sausage inside - the more white speckles, the less oil you'll need, but from my experience with smoked sausage, much of the fat has been rendered off, so chances are you'll need more than less.)

Toss in a whole white onion roughly chopped and 1/2 each of a red and yellow bell pepper cut into strips. Fry and season with salt and pepper gradually. About 2 minutes before you're ready to take it up, toss in about 7-8 cloves of chopped garlic. Serve it however you like - on a bun, over rice, or even on its own.

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