I’ve recently returned from an extraordinary couple of weeks of eating fine food and tasting top-flight wine in BC, as well as cooking with friends more locally (Thanks for the pix Ross). This has not done anything positive for my waistline. It has, however helped me develop my palate a bit more, and afforded me the time to reflect on what is on our own doorstep.
While we might not have the variety and abundance of extraordinary ultra-fresh seafood available to left coasters, we have nothing to be shy about in the local wine and food department, nor any lack of culinary talent to transform it. For instance I had the opportunity to cook earlier this week under the watchful eye of Anthony Greco. He’s the talented new Chef de Cuisine at Zest Restaurant in Fonthill.
Our menu included locally-produced foods, with tasty elements such as fall berries, the first (oh so flavourful)
butternut squash of the season, colourful heritage radishes, foraged mushrooms, heartnuts, and (a first for me) mouse melons, fingernail-sized treats with cucumber and kiwi-like notes. And despite the efforts of amateurs like myself, the meal was truly delicious.
It also seems to me that we have a growing cadre of folk who are dedicated to organizing a plethora of festivals and events to showcase the bounty. Just yesterday I was at the “Sew Hungry” food truck rally on Ottawa Street. It was a lively scene as you’ll see in the photos with local restos joined by no less than 15 food trucks spaced all along the street.
I skipped the long lineup at perennial local favourite, Gorilla Cheese, and tried to find two of the advertised trucks I’d heard of and very much wanted to try (i.e Dragon’s Den-pitched, Caplansky's Deli, and featured-on-the-food-network El Gastronomo Vagabundo.) Both were AWOL and I gather the latter was filming a TV show somewhere. There were plenty of other choices though and I’m sure all were as good or better than the so so and expensive Japadog I had in Vancouver.
I ended up at a new Hamilton food truck. Launched only six weeks ago, the Dirty Southern Love truck was seeing its share of action. I opted for a DSL, with crispy fried chicken, candied bacon layered between three buttermilk waffles. More treadmill for me, but it was delicious. They sold out not long after I had my order filled. Find them on Facebook and Twitter (@dirtysouthtruck ) to see where their next port of call is.
Also kicking off yesterday, and running through to October 14th, is the fifth Downtown Hamilton Localicious Experience featuring a dozen downtown establishments. Apart from being a boon to downtown economy, Localicious also aims to “promote knowledge regarding the locally grown produce, meats, and other food-related goods in the Hamilton region”.
The prix fixe 3-course menus present a great chance to try out a new place. However prices have not been uniformly posted on the websites of participating eateries, so I suggest a call prior to verify: they seem to max out at $20 for lunch and $35 for dinner with some places charging a bit less.
On the wine front, the Niagara on the Lake Wineries have a ton of promotions and events coming up. For instance a “Winemakers Selection Tasting Pass” can now be used at 28 wineries for a tasting any day of the year. (The cost is $31.64 and the conditions associated with this promotion can be found here.) Their annual “Taste the Season” event will be on soon too. For around 50 bucks you can sample “up to 28 seasonally-inspired VQA wine and food pairings” at participating wineries any Friday thru Sunday in November 2012.
Designated drivers are not left out with their pass only $30 for food and non-alcoholic drinks. You can see what’s on offer foodwise on the website: it ranges from spicy lamb chilli and nine-hour smoked ribs to vegetarian curry and delicious sounding Spiced Squash Soup, with asiago and rosemary shortbreads.
As readers know, I’m always looking for new stories, so please keep those ideas coming. I do have some great things brewing: over the coming months I’ll tell you about a beautiful and intimate new winery just outside Hamilton with a neat backstory (Aure Wines), D Hot Shoppe, a longtime favourite Trini Roti joint in Burlington run by a lovely young couple, Dyments market and Bakery, (our go-to Dundas farm outlet for sweet corn and great pies, and celebrating 125 years of single family ownership this year), the third part of the Alex/Rapscallion trilogy, and a long-overdue piece about NaRoma Pizza on Locke St among others.
Finally, here’s a fun thing. The National Post has a new feature called Gastropost: Gastronauts can get a new “mission” each week and results are posted on the web site as well as in the print version. (This week it is “taste something new” and post about it.) Sign up and you could win a dinner for you and nine others cooked by celeb Chef Lynn Crawford at her establishment, Ruby Watchco.
As a ps, I do like this summer schedule of writing every couple of weeks, so will stick with that unless there is something urgent Food For Thought readers should know about.
Also kicking off yesterday, and running through to October 14th, is the fifth Downtown Hamilton Localicious Experience featuring a dozen downtown establishments. Apart from being a boon to downtown economy, Localicious also aims to “promote knowledge regarding the locally grown produce, meats, and other food-related goods in the Hamilton region”.
The prix fixe 3-course menus present a great chance to try out a new place. However prices have not been uniformly posted on the websites of participating eateries, so I suggest a call prior to verify: they seem to max out at $20 for lunch and $35 for dinner with some places charging a bit less.
On the wine front, the Niagara on the Lake Wineries have a ton of promotions and events coming up. For instance a “Winemakers Selection Tasting Pass” can now be used at 28 wineries for a tasting any day of the year. (The cost is $31.64 and the conditions associated with this promotion can be found here.) Their annual “Taste the Season” event will be on soon too. For around 50 bucks you can sample “up to 28 seasonally-inspired VQA wine and food pairings” at participating wineries any Friday thru Sunday in November 2012.
Designated drivers are not left out with their pass only $30 for food and non-alcoholic drinks. You can see what’s on offer foodwise on the website: it ranges from spicy lamb chilli and nine-hour smoked ribs to vegetarian curry and delicious sounding Spiced Squash Soup, with asiago and rosemary shortbreads.
As readers know, I’m always looking for new stories, so please keep those ideas coming. I do have some great things brewing: over the coming months I’ll tell you about a beautiful and intimate new winery just outside Hamilton with a neat backstory (Aure Wines), D Hot Shoppe, a longtime favourite Trini Roti joint in Burlington run by a lovely young couple, Dyments market and Bakery, (our go-to Dundas farm outlet for sweet corn and great pies, and celebrating 125 years of single family ownership this year), the third part of the Alex/Rapscallion trilogy, and a long-overdue piece about NaRoma Pizza on Locke St among others.
Finally, here’s a fun thing. The National Post has a new feature called Gastropost: Gastronauts can get a new “mission” each week and results are posted on the web site as well as in the print version. (This week it is “taste something new” and post about it.) Sign up and you could win a dinner for you and nine others cooked by celeb Chef Lynn Crawford at her establishment, Ruby Watchco.
As a ps, I do like this summer schedule of writing every couple of weeks, so will stick with that unless there is something urgent Food For Thought readers should know about.
For more great pictures, click here
Alex (Alex can be reached at fft@thehamiltonian.info ) or on twitter @AlexBielak
Food for Thought logo, designed and kindly donated by Ninka Bielak. Ninka can be reached at ninka.bielak@gmail.com.
Food for Thought logo, designed and kindly donated by Ninka Bielak. Ninka can be reached at ninka.bielak@gmail.com.
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