Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Sips and Bites – December 2013

Sips and Bites – December 2013

Some great places to eat, and wines to drink, are featured in this December round-up edition of Food for Thought. As this is published I’ll just have returned from a trip: It was for a meeting, but I took an extra couple of days to avail myself of the many culinary options during my first visit to a great Spanish city.

“Oooh...I'm jealous!” said Erin Dunham when she learned I was off to Barcelona. She’s Chef Matt Kershaw’s partner in Burlington’s The Alex and Hamilton’s Rapscallion, and was chatting with me online about their new venture, Two Black Sheep, on John St South in Hamilton.

“It is an oyster and charcuterie cocktail bar. We are making cocktails like a chef would; freshly squeezed juices and ingredients,” she told me. “It was inspired by a cocktail bar in San Francisco when we realized as much love could go into drinks as we put into food.” Very good point!

Their web site indicates they’ll “offer light fare of oysters, with a variety of garnishes; charcuterie and salumi; a selection of cheeses; and other offerings of pickled vegetables and crisps.”

Sounds like a neat destination, with less travel involved than Spain. So does Charred Rotisserie House on James North, which beckons with a neat logo, charcoal roasted chicken and “signature home made piri piri sauce.” Another I’m looking forward to visiting, 28 Lister Chophouse Grill, has announced it will finally be open for business in early January. It sounds as if they have been facing some frustrating delays because of construction and permitting issues.

They have apparently been keeping their other chops, the culinary ones, fresh by catering events in Hamilton and Toronto. I hear the food for a recent Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Business to Business event, held at the Tourism Hamilton Visitor Centre, apparently went down well… (To see some of their pictures check

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Spirit(s) of the Season

Spirit(s) of the Season 

With Hanukkah and Christmas, not to mention Kwanza and New Year’s Eve upon us before we know it, I thought this column should bring some holiday cheer. Two recent events provided grist for the mill in the form of distilled products that would make any tippler happy.

In my last column I mentioned my serendipitous discovery of a new artisanal gin: Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers UNFILTERED GIN 22 was the base of the winning Apple Rosemary Collins cocktail mixed by the Earth to Table Bread Bar during Battledish on Locke St.

Very impressed, I visited the distillery in Beamsville to make a purchase, and subsequently had the pleasure of sitting down with the lanky, young distiller, Geoff Dillon, at the (wonderful) 2013 Ontario Culinary

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- #Battledish @LockeStShops #hamont

Naroma - Chef (King) Mario & guests -
Battledish Hamilton

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak-  #Battledish @LockeStShops #hamont 

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to be one of the judges for the first, and hopefully not last, Battledish to be held in Hamilton. It’s an international contest with local chefs competing to eventually go head to head with others across North America for the best dish. The arena was Locke Street, eight restaurants entered the lists and the fair maids of Tastebuds Student Nutrition Collaborative were on hand to represent the beneficiary. (To get a great flavour of what was to go down see the entertaining WWE-style videos by SteelandtheCity.)

Having arrived at the charming, temporary Battledish operations centre at Ceylon Teabush, I organized my own tasting in the order courses of a meal might go. Soup by Chef Tor Krueger at the Cheese Shoppe on Locke, mains by Chefs Zelco Grahovac, Walter Roper and Manny Ferreira and Mike Tofano (respectively The Courtyard on Locke, West Town Bar & Grill, Earth to Table Bread Bar and Ole Gourmet) and moving to sweeter offerings from Chefs Mario Spina, Nicole Miller and Josie Rudderham,

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- #Battledish @LockeStShops #hamont

Fod for Thought with Alex Bielak - #Battledish @LockeStShops hamont 
A couple of weeks ago I was asked to be one of the judges for the first, and hopefully not last, Battledish to be held in Hamilton. It’s an international contest with local chefs competing to eventually go head to head with others across North America for the best dish. The arena was Locke Street, eight restaurants entered the lists and the fair maids of Tastebuds Student Nutrition Collaborative were on hand to represent the beneficiary. (To get a great flavour of what was to go down see the entertaining WWE-style videos by SteelandtheCity.)

Having arrived at the charming, temporary Battledish operations centre at Ceylon Teabush, I organized my own tasting in the order courses of a meal might go. Soup by Chef Tor Krueger at the Cheese Shoppe on Locke, mains by Chefs Zelco Grahovac, Walter Roper and Manny Ferreira and Mike Tofano (respectively The Courtyard on Locke, West Town Bar & Grill, Earth to Table Bread Bar and Ole Gourmet) and moving to sweeter offerings from Chefs Mario Spina, Nicole Miller and Josie Rudderham, and Erin McGuffin (NaROMA Pizza Bar, Cake & Loaf Bakery and Democracy Coffee).

Therein lay a problem for the judges and public. How - when dealing with such a gamut of eateries and courses - do you judge whose dish is “Most Delicious, Creative, Authentic or Best Modern,” or who offers the “Best Cocktail”? Fellow judge, Scott Alexander (of GourmetOntario.com). “absolutely enjoyed” the event, but identified another problem, for the judges at least: “Portion size was way too big,” he said.

Before I go on, let me say that in my mind, ultimately, there were no losers! Some bruising perhaps, but that comes down to the issue I note above, coupled with a degree of ambiguity about how the criteria were scored and by whom. More on that later.

There was a great deal of Twitter traffic around the event (hence my column title) and Hamilton Small Fries and The Hungry Gnome wrote up fine posts about it describing most of the dishes, so I won’t go into that detail here except to also point you to the link at the end of this piece to my own pictures. Although all the offerings were better than merely good, it was clear to me the winners would come from among three restaurants: I called 4 of the 5 category winners.

With a lack of specific criteria for judging, I scored based on taste, component balance, and plating of dishes, and I saw the leaders of the pack being: laser-focussed Earth to Table Chef Manny’s modern take on comfort food (a beer-battered brie on fried bread with spicy nuts, bacon jam and apple puree with maple), NaRoma’s schiacciata con l'uva (a grape pizza which I gobbled down so fast I had to photograph a passing plate), and Courtyard’s tasty and beautifully-plated quail and polenta dish served with a complex reduction of pear and demi-glace and artful micro greens. The West Town came close with a flavourful, but poorly presented (and I gather variably done) pork tenderloin in puff pastry (mine was spot on), accompanied by a flavoursome rye Caesar.

Top Honours were carried off by Earth to Table (Most Creative, Best Modern and Best Cocktail), and NaRoma (Most Authentic and Most Delicious) NaRoma’s Chef Mario also won the “King of Battledish” Crown, regrettably leaving Chef Zelko of the Courtyard, and other worthy competitors, out of the medals.

The top drink was ultimately a delicious Apple Rosemary Collins from Earth to Table. I was intrigued to learn it was made with a gin I was unfamiliar with. Dillon’s Unfiltered Gin with 22 botanicals is made in Beamsville and is a real find. (I’ve since visited the distillery and am planning a column on them and another interesting spirit purveyor.)

Chef Zelko was understandably deflated when I spoke to him indicating that he had hoped the judges’ votes would have counted for more. “I enjoyed it… but I was surprised I did not make it into any category.” I told him Scott and I had both rated him a class winner, but suspect this was little consolation, given his confidence at the outset. (He had predicted he was going to win when I was doing my rounds.)

At the other end of the spectrum Chef Mario (now King Mario!), who had warmly greeted all his guests the day of the battle and passionately explained his dish to them, was elated when I called. “It’s unbelievable, I was speechless. It was an amazing event... I tried all the other dishes, [it] was really competitive.”

Thinking about it from a broader perspective, he added “we saw so many new faces: it’s good for NaRoma, good for Locke Street and good for our City.” He’s waiting to get details on the road ahead in terms of the competition with other cities, but said, “King of Hamilton, I’ll take that for now!”

After the event, I made some suggestions and posed some questions to seemingly indefatigable event organizer, David Hanley. He responded “Totally agree that there is always room for improvement“, later adding “we had 140 people (they didn't all go to every stop) and 21 judges including some Ti-Cats, a last-minute addition.”

“Judge votes [were] weighted at 50%, all other ticketholders [were] 50% (so it did matter)! I am not sharing the number of votes with anyone but I can tell you it was ridiculously close in all categories but one (Bread Bar's Apple Rosemary Collins) eclipsed the competition.”

When I asked if he was going to run another event, sensibly he said “I can't say if there'll be a next time or not yet… I want to debrief with restaurants so to make sure they got value out of it.”

I know he will learn from this event based on feedback from the restaurants, judges and participants. I’d like to see more emphasis on publicizing the fundraising aspect of the event, tasting portions for judges, and having judges actually meet, discuss the dishes and be able to compare apples to apples.

So Dave, once you’ve reflected I hope you go for it. Hamilton will be the ultimate victor!

NOTE 1: For those up for more good eats, the next Hanley extravaganzas are Dishcrawl Hamilton (On the Mountain, November 26th with only 6 tickets remaining as I write) and #2 in the Popup Restaurants series (November 22nd).

NOTE 2: As a Battledish judge I was provided with free food and drink tickets by the organizers to enable me to conduct tastings. Neither Battledish, nor any of the establishments mentioned, reviewed the content of this article prior to publication. While enthusiasm for the event as a whole rose with successive beverages consumed, I do not believe this affected my judging capacity!

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Bagged! Reflections on Indian Food

Bagged! Reflections on Indian Food

Sometimes we simply don’t feel like cooking yet still crave something fast and tasty: something more complex than frozen pizza and on the table in half the time it would take to order and get delivery from a local ethnic restaurant. You get the mission: flavour, minimal prep/cooking, fast.

That situation arose this week after a long day in Toronto. I was glad I had a couple of fresh Sobeys “Blue Goose” (Certified Humane®) chicken breasts in the fridge, and usually have a variety of jarred or packaged sauces on hand for just such an eventuality.

I had recently picked up an Olivieri Butter Chicken “Fresh Sauce,” which, according to the packaging is “made with a blend of authentic Indian spices, tomatoes and cream… with no artificial preservatives, colours or flavours.” I also had two packages of vegetable curry in the freezer.

The latter were from superstar chef and cookbook author Vikram Vij and obtained from Goodness Me, one

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak Local Thanksgiving Sips and Bites

FlourPower owner, Veronica Bridge

Local Thanksgiving Sips and Bites 

Sometimes timing is everything. Having tried to phone several times, I should have known better than to just drop in to one of my favorite farm markets and ask for an interview for a profile, just a couple of days before Thanksgiving weekend!

Dyments Market and Bakery is located on the escarpment on the corner of Sydenham & Fallsview roads above Dundas. It has been family owned since 1887, and I usually pick up one of their wonderful pies when I’m getting corn during the summer.

The smell in the parking lot was delicious as I approached the attractive store which is open year around. It

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Top 10 Do's and Don'ts for your Kitchen Renos

The Top Ten Do’s and Don’ts for Your Kitchen Reno

Thinking of re-doing your kitchen? Then here are the top ten things you should consider to save your sanity as well as some dollars. Rest assured you’re not just getting my views; I solicited input from some of the kitchen designers, countertop specialists and cabinet builders at the Fall Home Show and Sale in Hamilton last weekend. I also checked in with the designer of our own kitchen, and asked our long-time handyman and house reno consigliere, Mark Gilroy of Marx Group, for his top do or don’t do item when he dropped over to do some work at our place.

We re-did our kitchen a few years back. It’s awesome, and as soon as we had the butcher-block island countertop installed, it shifted the centre of the house. The kids immediately started to hang out and do homework in the warm, renovated bright space while we made supper. It was money well spent, but we learned some hard lessons along the way, not least when the company we hired to do the work began to go bankrupt. (They’re back in business in the same location but under a different name, so, as always, buyer beware. And yes we had checked references before we signed the contract. And yes contact me directly and I’ll tell you the whole story.)

So here’s the top ten:

1. Unless you have money to burn, you want to do the reno once and forever. Elysha Cesar, the designer for

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Going for (culinary) Gold

Going for (culinary) Gold

One of the joys of writing (and I hope reading) this column is the unexpected tangents it takes.

There I was thinking about a column about a local food outlet, when I was “cordially invited to the Canadian Food and Wine Institute ~ Benchmark Restaurant” as their guest.

It turned out that the Canadian Food and Wine Institute (CFWI - nowadays one of the top culinary training institutes in the country), needed sixty knowledgeable and critical eaters to provide feedback on a trial menu. Not just any menu that is, but a potentially golden one.

Before the dinner began, the Acting Dean of the college, Craig Youdale told us that the Canadian Culinary Federation hosts a Junior Competition every three years to allow young and aspiring Chefs to compete to

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Sips and Bites – Bumper Summer Crop Edition

Sips and Bites – Bumper summer crop edition

As I head off for a family holiday I thought I’d leave readers with a bumper, omnibus edition of Food for Thought, sharing some summer food and wine finds, and offering thanks to some friends and readers along the way.

I recently tried the recently-opened Amaya Express at 489 Brant St in Burlington. While it wasn’t very express when I visited (they were still working things out in the open kitchen), the service and the food were very good and dishes fairly priced. Their décor (unadorned pastel walls and barnboard) and menu are not what I’d call the traditional Indian we are all familiar with. “It is more a take on Indian street food, Indian with a twist!” said the friendly manager, Sachin, a member of the family that runs the Toronto-based Amaya food group.

My daughter – a butter chicken specialist – declared their version top notch: I loved the small pot of smoked

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Marie’s Menus – Going Social

Marie Pavone

Marie’s Menus – Going Social

I’m pleased to offer up the second serving stemming from my serendipitous discovery of food-related contestants participating in the Innovation Factory’s recent pitch contest. 

As she sits at my kitchen counter, Marie Pavone, runner-up in the hotly-contested event, is the epitome of poised charm. Trained as an engineer, the Ancaster mother of two, is cool, calm and in control. In fact, at times I feel like the one being quizzed: as she jots her own notes, she wants to know what my favourite restaurants are, and whether, as a food writer, I’d be interested in contributing to her potentially soon-to-be-revamped MenusOnly website which already has an average of 7000 unique visitors and 20,000 page views monthly.

I ask her to tell me about her pitch at Innovation Factory as I had had to leave before she got up on stage. She wants to give me some background first. She started the site about 7 years ago after a brainwave: about to go out to dinner after work with some friends, she Googled for a new place to go.

Finding navigating multiple websites and locating different menus time-consuming, she said to herself, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a website where all the menus were there for that city? That was when the idea was born.”

Pavone’s LinkedIN profile articulates her original intent succinctly. “My goal with MenusOnly.com is to

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - How Green Does Your Garden Grow?

Dean Hall of Growing Green Hamilton

How Green does your Garden Grow?

Space in my last round-up column precluded going into detail about a serendipitous meeting with two food-related entrepreneurs at the Innovation Factory’s recent pitch contest. Since then I’ve interviewed each of these go-getting Hamiltonians, and this week am pleased to tell you about Growing Green Hamilton’s Dean Hale. (Look for my piece on Menusonly.com’s Marie Pavone in the next column).

Dean is a passionate believer in the square foot garden. As the name suggests, this concept, developed by Mel Bartholemew, is an intensive, compact grid-based system that can produce 5 times the yield of a conventional row garden. “A 4 x 4 square foot garden

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Sips and bites July 2013

Cornerstone Winery - Jerry and Nina Kopanski

Sips and Bites - July 2013  A great deal is going on and while I present some highlights here, I’d invite readers to mention other events in the comments section.

The July 18-24, 2013 edition of Hamilton’s View Magazine is their annual “Best of Food 2013” Edition and you can see the winners (located in both Hamilton and Burlington) on the website or simply extract the double fold ratings from the print edition for future reference. While there are some well-deserved victors, I’m frankly surprised at who’s missing from the list, but who am I to argue with the voters?

I’m always astonished at the number of categories people get to vote in, and thankful the ratings here are simple (gold, silver) rather than the confusing categorizations I’ve seen elsewhere and which I suspect are made up to further maximise advertising revenue. (Do we really need four sandwich categories over and above subs and pitas? Who knows if Platinum trumps Gold but not Diamond?)

A possible future contender when it opens in late summer (Sept?) may be the 28 Lister Chophouse Grill

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak

Vinexx marks the spot - A Hamilton-based fine wine business

The façade of the Kirkendall-neighbourhood house belies what lies within. This is not just a gracious residence, but the ground floor is the headquarters of Vinexx, a Hamilton wine business employing about ten people and turning over a respectable $5 Million a year in a competitive market dominated by big brands.

Somehow, years ago, I found myself invited to a tasting of wines in Oakville which is where I first met Vinexx Special Projects Manager, Johanne Desautels. She organized the event: I had fun, ate some nice nibblies and tasted some decent wine.

Over the years it was always a pleasure to hear from Johanne about an upcoming tasting. I always enjoyed the events, and occasionally ordered a wine or two that I particularly enjoyed from her. The beauty of the events was the reliable mix of wines. Different varieties, at different price points, some available by private order, but many listed at the LCBO. Instant gratification, more or less.

In March, 2013 I found myself at Seasons Restaurant in Oakville, again tasting a variety of wines and

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Hamilton Tastebuds

Hamilton Tastebuds – 23,000 breakfasts a day, and counting

In my last column I wrote about the jarring contrasts one can find on the streets of our city. Of juxtaposition and dissonance: of wealth and poverty. This piece showcases a remarkable collaborative effort to address the latter and to provide a nutritious breakfast to all children in Hamilton’s schools.

“Hamilton Tastebuds Student Nutrition Collaborative,” to use its full name, is the brilliantly re-branded Hamilton Partners in Nutrition (HPIN). It’s shepherded by the not-for-profit Social Planning and Research Council (SPRC) of Hamilton and managed by Senior Social Planner, Deirdre Pike.

To put it in perspective, Hamilton Tastebuds helps deliver 23,000 breakfasts a day at 144 venues, about 80% of them schools, and most of those in the inner city. That leaves almost another 100 schools without a program. (To find the current venues see the map on the old HPIN website that is slowly being folded into the new Tastebuds site.)

While those are stunning numbers for you to consider as your read this with Timmies in hand, or online at your local Starbucks, the program is not just about feeding kids in need; it is also about ensuring all children get a nutritious start to the day.

I’d first come across Pike when we were both part of the Spec’s Community Editorial Board, and recently became interested in an initiative proposed by SPRC to foster links between the breakfast program and local farmers. So I was delighted when she invited me to participate in a HPIN event, held in April, to honour volunteers in the program. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm of the large crowd and chat with some of the many partners (too many to list here) who have come together to make the program a success.

To say that giving Pike a microphone is like pouring gasoline on a fire is an understatement. It might be her

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Juxtaposition, Dissonance, Approval

Juxtaposition, Dissonance, Approval

This column was supposed to be a profile of Dave Hanley, the driving force behind the Hamilton Dishcrawl. It’s not. He’ll understand.

It is about the James St. North Dishcrawl held May 28th. It’s Hamilton in 200 meters.


4:45 a.m. May 29th

It’s about the thoughts that come at dawn, and a very different piece thrashing itself awake. I’m thinking of the food we ate. And then the beggar in Jacques Prévert’s poem “La grasse matinée”. (Read a decent full translation here.)

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Kewl Kitchen, Part 2

Kewl Kitchen Kit – Part 2

In the last column I promised to write about some of the kitchen gear I’ve had the opportunity to use recently.

At the SIAL food marketplace held recently in Toronto, among the myriad products the Cookina stood out. A free sample of this re-usable, 100% non-stick alternative to aluminum foil, parchment and wax paper was immediately put to use by the bakers in my family. Good to 500°F, it is one of a line of several related products and available online, or at local Metro stores.

Though I have a full complement of pots and pans, two of the new Nordic Ware line of cast aluminum enamel-coated Traditions cookware I mentioned in Part 1 have quickly become favourites for certain tasks. Manufactured in the US since the mid-1940s (and available at 100 Sears locations in Canada), they obviously don’t hold the heat as well my (far heavier) cast iron standbys, but they do heat up faster. They also require no seasoning and because of the “texture fuse non-stick interior” cleanup has been a snap.

I used the 4 ½ quart braising pan to make 3 racks of ribs: Having earlier applied a dry rub I popped the ribs

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Kewl Kitchen Kit (and the ethics relating to free stuff) – Part 1

I am going to tell you about some interesting kitchen equipment I’ve come across recently, but before I do so I think it’s important you be aware of why and under what conditions I am writing about this stuff.

In my last column I noted I had attended the first Food Bloggers of Canada conference. It had been organised by a talented and committed trio who worked their collective buns off to deliver a superb event. For a treat – but only after you’ve read the rest of MY column – do check out their wonderful blogs: Eyes Bigger than my Stomach by Melissa Hartfield; Eat.Live.Travel. Write by the Macaron Queen, Mardi Michels; and Feeding Ethan by Ethan Adeland.

The conference was held at Hockley Valley Resort which as you can see in the photos has its own giant charcuterie display fridge, thus qualifying as an official foodie haven Although I paid full freight to participate in this kaleidoscopic introduction to the food writing world, registration came with a bunch of unanticipated benefits: The bag of swag awaiting us was so large the contents filled the table in the laundry room for days as I sorted through it. All during the conference representatives of a number of brands were on hand to talk about their wares.

For instance Canada Beef, the presenting sponsor, hosted the first dinner and had a number of their

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Dishcrawl , A win for Hamilton

What an extra-ordinary few weeks culminating last Tuesday in Hamilton’s 2nd-ever Dishcrawl in Hess Village. 

On the heels of my 60th birthday, and retirement from my day job, I had a broad variety of culinary adventures that will be grist for reflection and future columns. I attended the inaugural (and, for me, life-changing) Food Bloggers of Canada conference. What I learned on many fronts will help improve how I write about food and wine: if you want a taste of what went on see this recap of recaps by a variety of attendees.

I also: got to use some serious molecular cooking equipment at Cedarlane Culinary; took in a demo of Cutco knives and cookware; and participated in the Hamilton Partners in Nutrition volunteer recognition luncheon (they feed breakfast to ~23,000 kids A DAY!). I also survived an Icarus-like cooking disaster in my own kitchen, but that’s another tale…

I’ve mentioned Dave Hanley, the man behind the Dishcrawls, in recent columns about the Hamilton food scene. When I got to the gathering place for the Hess Street event, Koi Restaurant, Dave was there in his pork pie hat greeting guests, and seeing to last minute logistics.

The basic outline of a Dishcrawl is this: Guest stump up a paltry $60 online (actually $71.79 after taxes and processing) to secure their spot. This includes all taxes and tips but not drinks. 48 hours prior to the event participants are notified where to gather. After some introductory remarks by the restaurant owner or chef they are fed. The next location is then disclosed and the crowd decamps. This is repeated again and again, with each of the four restaurants seemingly determined to outdo the others. The atmosphere is great,

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Are we a culinary wasteland?– Part 2.

Are we a culinary wasteland – Part 2?

YES, Anonymous, I was being a “provocateur,” and it’s clear the answer to the question is NO we are not a culinary wasteland. Food for Thought readers responded vigorously to part one of this column, offering many opinions and suggestions. One thoughtful commentator wrote (sic):

“I love the Hamilton that is not like everywhere else. Most great things about Hamilton have come about despite (and perhaps because of) nothing comes easy. Diversity rising out of adversity, a cultural Galapagos largely ignored and spurned by the rest of the country. I could give a toss whether we rate alongside Toronto or Montreal on some fabled "culinary roadmap … Could things be better? Absolutely. Celebrating and supporting what we have and not wasting too much time bemoaning what is not seems like a good place to start.”

I think we can build on that sentiment and the passion evident in various other responses. I wrote earlier “we

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Sips and Bites- March 2013

“Sips and Bites – March 2013”
Well I certainly did get your attention! The previous column (Are we a culinary wasteland – Part 1?) attracted a lot of comment. Based on that, the time I need to digest the thoughtful input of individuals I’ve interviewed for the piece (including ebullient Hamilton Dishcrawl Ambassador, Dave Hanley), and the Easter holiday, I’m deferring the second part of the piece till next time around.

Before I tell you about a few upcoming events I’ll begin with a curious piece I found in my local newspaper, the Flamborough Review, about a food and drink

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Are We a Culinary Wasteland? – Part 1.

Are We a Culinary Wasteland? – Part 1.

I hope I have your attention! When I started this column last May (FFT01 – The first steps in our journey), I had a feeling we were missing some critical gastronomic element in Hamilton and Burlington.

Sure, there are some fine restaurants, talented chefs, great produce, well-stocked kitchen stores, and individuals passionate about food, amongst an almost-overwhelming presence of fast food outlets and chain restaurants serving undistinguished fare.

I’ve written in the past that the Oakville-to-Niagara area should merit attention at the national level, and in rankings such as the En Route guide to top restaurants (FFT 21 – Belgian Delights, Canadian Lists). I’ve also suggested that something bold might help put us on the map (FFT13 – High Flying Food).

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Heat in the Kitchen

We all know the adage “If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen.” I can imagine it being yelled at the height of a dinner service in a French restaurant in the days of Escoffier. The yeller would have been Chef, immaculate in his whites and toque; the yellee some hapless apprentice wilting at the stovetop as a result of his exertions during a long shift.

The title of this week’s column is a nod towards the remarkably-titled book by Bill Buford, “Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany.” It’s a great read, and gives true insight into what passions can drive those who are obsessed with food.

My nephew, a talented pastry chef, once told me that when he was cooking in a Michelin-starred restaurant,

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Sips and Bites - February 2013

Sips and Bites - February 2013 

This week is a bit of a miscellany, providing some options for readers to enjoy in the next few weeks.

Taste of Burlington is in full swing, ending March 10th, and it’s a great way to try a new eatery. The prix-fixe promotion features almost two dozen restaurants offering lunches as low as $15, and four-course dinners ranging from $30-40. The website has all the details, including where to find vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and children’s options.  

Meanwhile I was alerted via Twitter to the opening of a new Italian restaurant in Hamilton. Prosecco is at 275 King St. East and one of the new owners, Mario Nesci, told me they have been doing good business since they opened February 5th (and not last October per the relatively favourable Spec review by Dan Kislenko). Mario said their website should be up in a couple of weeks and the place certainly sounds like a good addition to our local food scene.

Watching the Valentine’s Day episode of CBC’s Dragon’s Den, I was amused to see a businessman in a cow suit come and make a pitch for funding. Ed Dorian is a Hamilton restaurateur who several years ago invented a different take on poutine, called Mootine! Though Ed did not get the money, he did get the girl, proposing to his girlfriend, Debbie, on the show… (ahhh).

If you want to try this concoction of mashed potatoes, meatballs, gravy and cheese, ($3 for a small, $4 for a medium and $5 for a large according to the pitch), mosey on down to Big Ed's burger joint at 132 Queen St S. (A word of caution however; the Urban Dictionary defines Mootine as “a fat boy” which might just be the outcome of eating too many!) 

Finally, earlier this week, I was at a splendid fundraising dinner at Benchmark Restaurant with the proceeds benefitting Niagara College students. I learned the College is running a Chef Signature Dinner series featuring instructors from the College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute. (The last dinner in the series will be May 9th.)

The six featured chefs are a Who’s Who of Niagara cuisine; the next event in the line-up (March 6th) features the ebullient Chef Olaf Mertens who produced a great suckling pig and mud bugs creole appetizer at the afore-mentioned fundraiser. Frankly the events are a relative bargain at $79 all in, including taxes, gratuity and a wine or beer pairing. Call 905-641-2252 ext. 4619 or email benchmark@niagaracollege.ca for reservations.

So whether you are off for a Mootine, or something a bit more haute, happy eating.

For more 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 with Alex Bielak- A Coffee Drinker’s Dilemma (Part 2)

A Coffee Drinker’s Dilemma (Part 2)

Part 1 of this column got a strong response from readers of Food for Thought. Besides the expected suggestions for favourite methods of caffeine delivery, the hot button issue was clearly the environmental impact of “one cup” systems.

Some of you even questioned my environmental cred simply for reviewing pod-delivered coffee. Let me assure you, I agree it is environmentally unsustainable to add tons of used pods to landfills. For an excellent overview of that issue see this New York Times article, courtesy of my friend Ecogirl, or read this piece as flagged by a reader in the comments section from Part 1.

For the record, I won’t be switching to any variant of the pod system soon as I’m happy with my current Espresso machine and other alternatives. I’m glad, however, to see producers of such systems moving to address the environmental concerns.

Adriana Melo, the manager of the busy new Burlington ECS location, told me some of the product they sell

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - A Coffee Drinker’s Dilemma

A Coffee Drinker’s Dilemma (Part 1)

Like many, I love a great cup of coffee in the morning. Most of my life my preference has been for espresso, and latterly decaf espresso. I love it so much, my graduation present to myself 30-years ago was a heavy-duty manual Gaggia machine to replace the little stove top espresso makers still in the basement.

Once the brewing head on the Gaggia succumbed to metal failure I quickly got another, a Saeco: after a decade of regular use it became terminally clogged with lime buildup and exploded in the kitchen one morning. A noble end to a good friend.

Lesson learnt, I now regularly de-scale my current Saeco semi-automatic. Not as finicky as the manuals, it

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Exploding the System

“Exploding the System” - Caveat Emptor

“Caveat Emptor” means “Buyer Beware,” and is one of the few phrases I’ve retained from my middle school struggles with Latin. It sprang clearly to mind recently as I was driving back to Hamilton munching on some exotic snacks.

After delivering my daughter back to her domicile after the Christmas break I made a pit stop in a large Chinese grocery I had noticed on the way to her apartment. I love the distinctive smells in such ethnic emporia as well as the mounds of unfamiliar products.

I meandered around the aisles wondering what on earth some of the products might be and how I could use

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Exploding the System

“Exploding the System” - Caveat Emptor


“Caveat Emptor” means “Buyer Beware,” and is one of the few phrases I’ve retained from my middle school struggles with Latin. It sprang clearly to mind recently as I was driving back to Hamilton munching on some exotic snacks.


After delivering my daughter back to her domicile after the Christmas break I made a pit stop in a large Chinese grocery I had noticed on the way to her apartment. I love the distinctive smells in such ethnic emporia as well as the mounds of unfamiliar products.


I meandered around the aisles wondering what on earth some of the products might be and how I could use them in my cooking. One box of colourful packages caught my attention: they depicted a mound of brownish balls nestled in a sea of grass.


The ingredients list was handily translated into English on the back of the package. And since you can’t make this stuff up, I quote directly and exactly, including the punctuation, and invite you to see the attached photo in case you think this a New Year’s Fool joke:


“This product fine ferments take the degreasing soybean as the main rawmaterial becomes, luster red brown sauce fragrance thick, sticks thicklymoderate, flavor tasty, the nutrition is rich, is the family commonlyused regulator taste high quality goods.

Ingredient :Food water used, Degreasing soybean, Table salt, Sodium benzoate

Qualitative index : Amino acid condition nitrogen ≥ 0.50g/00g

Preserved method : This should lay aside ventilates, coolly, is dry place, not suitableexposed depositing”


Well, it had my attention even if I was not really much the wiser. I read on:


“Ediblemethod ; Operates the bag to be direct edible, or adds the meat, the egg, theseafood explodes the system, also may serve as the cooking, the coldfood in sauce.”

Even though the label further assured “the Yingkou Sauce brews the limited liability company” and there was 12 months “Guarantees the nature time” I’ll admit to not wanting to explode my system or anyone else’s for that matter. Amused, I took a picture and moved on down the aisle.


I did buy a package of Vietnamese “Cashew Pucks” which promised sugar-glazed cashew-half brittle adorning tapioca wafers. I was happily munching on these in the car when it dawned on me that the second and third layers of these cookies sported crumbled pieces of cashew rather than the lustrous halves I thought I was getting (see pictures). I really like that style of cookie so no biggie, I thought.


When I got home I opened another purchase, the bag of “Green Treasure Health Prime Minister” seaweed flavoured coated peanuts. As I tried to extract the treats from their bag, my fingers encountered an unanticipated resistance. I thought at first it might be one of those desiccant packs one sometimes finds with these kinds of food. But this was more substantial.


There was a prominent plastic insert in the bag that effectively bulked up the package to make it seem like there was more of the fairly bland product in it than there actually was. When you look at the pictures you’ll see what I mean. My experience reminded me of the sort of misleading advertising examples that grace the inside back cover of Consumers Reports Magazine.


In and of themselves each of these occurrences might have passed without comment. It took the conjunction of the three to make me reflect that one really does need to be

on one’s toes, particularly when in unfamiliar territory, or when one wants to avoid explosions!




For more pictures, click here