Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Sips and Bites – Holiday 2014 edition

SB Prime Chef, Sidney Brandt (r) 

and Ampersand Catering Chef, 

Christina Christiansen

Photo by A. Bielak

Sips and Bites – Holiday 2014 edition

I know how busy folks are in the lead-up to the holidays, so this column will be a short, sweet roundup of food and drink news and opportunities.

But first, last time around I wrote about a new book on gluten-free artisan bread. We’ve had the chance to test several of the recipes and chat with one of the authors, Jeff Hertzberg, and I hope to report more fully in the future along with pictures of some of the results. Bottom line is the book is a recommended “Buy” for those who have to deal with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

I also hope to offer reflections sparked by a tasting organized by Tourism Burlington in conjunction with SB Prime. The restaurant is, I’m given to understand (please correct me if I’m wrong), the only one in the area headed by a female Chef. It was good to visit for the first time and watch Chef Sidney Brandt, assisted by her colleague, Chef Christina Christiansen (she leads SB Prime’s parent group’s catering division) in action. The space was convivial, with lots of food and cocktails for the assembled bloggers and food writers to photograph, sample and tweet about (in that order). All in all it was a lively and fun event. A bonus was that I learned appetizers at SB Prime are ½ price from 4 to 6 pm every day. Go on a Monday and bottles of wine are half price as well!

Looking for a quick, easy advance Christmas present for your sweetie? The indefatigable Dave Hanley, owner of Popup Hamilton continues to grow his enterprise. His Holiday High Jinks event at the Hamilton Farmer’s Market this Tuesday (December 3rd) still has tickets available. This time around, Hanley has enlisted some star power: Proud advocate of aboriginal cuisine and third-place finisher in the last season of Top Chef Canada, Chef Rich Francis will be doing his thing along with Chefs Mark Farruggia of La Piazza Allegra, and Shane McCartney of McCartney and Son. There will be wines from Ridge Road Winery, live entertainment and more.

Or you could put tickets for “Pop Up Speakeasy” under the tree. The Valentine’s Day 2015 event sounds like a ton of fun: A prohibition-era Speakeasy will be the venue, with “authentic period cuisine, wine, beer, bawdy entertainment.” Tickets go on sale December 15th.

On the wine front I can recommend the excellent Tawse Winery Sketches 2013 Riesling ($17.95 LCBO Vintages # 89029): it was an excellent match for a spicy Singapore Prawn dish I prepared recently. I also had the opportunity to crack a 2011 Pillitteri Estates Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine ($34.95 LCBO Vintages # 674812) and have it with a chocolate terrine with berry coulis. It was a fantastic match. (Thanks to my daughter’s friends for this generous house gift incidentally. Come back any time!)

Want to stock up for the holidays? I was recently informed by an impeccable, knowledgeable and trusted source that Niagara College Teaching Winery has some great deals on currently “like Dean's list 2009 & 10 Pinots and 2011 Chardonnay $20, DL 2010 Meritage $30, and 2010 Merlot, Cab Sauv and Cab Franc $15 by the case (can be mixed).”

In closing, sincere kudos to local restaurateurs Matt Kershaw and Erin Dunham. Their following have such regard for them that 174 of them stumped up over $100,000 in a crowd-sourced funding campaign to fund a new restaurant to add to their existing stable (The Alex, in Burlington, and Rapscallion and Two Black Sheep, both in Hamilton. For more on the story that can only be good news for the food scene in our area see this CBC report. Bravo both on pulling this off.

To see all past columns please see (and “like”) the Food for Thought Archives

Alex (Alex can be reached at fft@thehamiltonian.info or on twitter @AlexBielak)

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Artisan Bread – Gluten Free?

Gluten-free Artisan Bread

Artisan Bread – Gluten Free? 

One of the pleasures of this gig is getting to see some neat cookbooks. Danielle Johnson, Senior Publicist At BC’s Raincoast Books very kindly sent me several titles recently, and I am looking forward to perusing, and sharing thoughts about, them with readers in the coming months.

The one that first caught my eye was “Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day” by Jeff Hertzberg (an MD), and Zoe Francois (a Pastry Chef). It seems more and more people say they can’t handle wheat or gluten, but their options for truly great fresh, crusty bread appear pretty limited. I’d also like guests at my table to be able to indulge in one of life’s pleasures, without concern

The front cover attracted me because of the beautiful loaves featured. The resident baker was instantly sceptical saying something to the effect “there is no way those are gluten-free”. After an expensive trip to the health food store to acquire the various ingredients (which are going to see us thru about ten loaves) the yeast is doing its magic and the dough is rising.

The aforementioned baker is an adept of the Jim Lahey, ‘no-knead’, method of making bread popularised in a seminal New York Times Article. She learned the techniques from Marc Albanese at Pane Fresco when he himself was still actually baking his fantastic breads in the Burlington Store. The method is close to foolproof and we immediately ditched our bread machine as our ‘no-knead’ bread proved far superior in taste and texture, and was not appreciably more work. (We also reduced the frequency of visits to Pane Fresco, except for a few items they excelled in, but which were beyond us!)

Hertzberg and Francois previously authored “Healthy Bread”, “Artisan Bread,” “the New Artisan Bread” and “Artisan Pizza and Flatbread” (all “in 5-minutes a day”), none of which I was previously familiar with. Point is they seem to know what they are about: The family baker found plenty to give her comfort as she read through the key bits before acknowledging gluten-free could well work, and heading out on her shopping expedition.

The results of the first experiment (a standard white made following the basic recipe) won’t be in till tomorrow and, after that is mastered, there are plenty of great-sounding recipes to try. (Pumpernickel, date and walnut for one.) I’m encouraged too, enough to share the details with readers who might wish to acquire the book without delay. I will report later on how things turned out and also point readers to a coming cookbook giveaway (including this one), in the winter edition of BCity Magazine, where I also get to write about food and drink.

For more pictures. click here.

To see all past columns please see (and “like”) the Food for Thought Archives

Alex (Alex can be reached at fft@thehamiltonian.info or on twitter @AlexBielak)

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Cooking with Maharajas - Dining with Princes

Geeta preparing food at the tour launch event

Cooking with Maharajas - Dining with Princes

Diwali, the Indian festival of lights - marking the victory of light over darkness and good over evil - just came to an end. Given tragic recent events, culminating in the funerals of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent this week, one can only wish the gods are paying attention.

I’ve had occasion to mention Burlington-based Chef, Geeta Maini, before: she’s the author of a fine cookbook (An Affair with Indian Cooking) with another in the works. I’ve had the privilege of cooking with her on a couple of occasions and her recipes are delicious and practical.

She is a bit of a stickler for detail, but in a good way. This will serve her well as she co-leads a

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Bit and Byte – the back to school edition

Food for Thought has gone back to school, for the next six months! And I must say being a student again is quite taxing, so the column is going to a somewhat new format for the upcoming months. Every second one will be a short snippet, or perhaps just a photo. Intervening columns will aim for the feature length that has proven so popular with readers. We’ll see how it goes…

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak-Chili Times in Flamborough

Chili Times in Flamborough

It was hot, hot, and hotter at the Legion in Waterdown as folks sampled chili from a dozen restaurants during the 2nd Annual Flamborough Chili Festival. The beneficiaries of the September 21st fund raiser were the women and their families served by the Flamborough Women’s Resource Centre. Councillor Judi Partridge honoured me by asking me to again help in adjudicating the contest. I was much impressed by the uniformly high standards of the chilies served this year. It was clear returning competitors had upped their game and were in it to win it.

There were awards aplenty to be had, and I’m glad to report the Celebrity Judges recognised Roseto Culinary and Catering Services as winners in their category. I first introduced readers to the owners of the Waterdown-based business, Anna Hansen and her mother Elizabeth, in this column in July 2012: their second attempt at Chipotle Blonde Chicken Chili (it included charred peaches and cream corn and a mini-cornbread garnish) had been lightly porked-up over last year’s offering, improving flavour and winning them top honours.

The People disagreed, awarding Flamborough Downs their award for a chili based on over 25 pounds of deboned and de-fatted Prime Rib. They also took the “Most Creative Garnish Award” for a somewhat overwhelming add-on to the Chili, as well as the “Hot n Spicy Award”. Their armful of

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Family Meals - An interview with Chef Michael Smith

Family Meals - An interview with Chef Michael Smith

Michael Smith. You may know him as the Inn Chef, Chef at Home, Chef Abroad, Lentil Hunter or Prince Edward Island’s food ambassador. Or as a challenger to Bobby Flay on Iron Chef, judge on Chopped Canada, or author of eight cookbooks. Perhaps even as "World's Tallest Freestanding Chef", a description he’s coined in acknowledgement of his 6 feet 7 inches frame.

I remember him from the late nineties when I lived in Halifax. My wife and I went to his top notch restaurant, Maple, for date night. The only table available was one overlooking the kitchen, directly where he was expediting. Though he’s not a “shouty” chef (think Gordon Ramsay), the instant responses from his brigade of “Yes Chef,” acknowledging his every call, showed that he certainly had their respect and attention. So instead of spending the evening gazing soulfully into each other’s eyes, we were mesmerized by the ballet of the kitchen and the careful

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak -What’s on the Menu?

What’s on the Menu?

People think it would be nice to go back in time sometimes, perhaps in pursuit of a more genteel era, where the food was slower, if not necessarily more sustainable. Well now one can. Literally.

The New York Public Library has a “What’s on the Menu” site where over 17,000 (and counting) historic menus are archived. It’s well worth a few minutes to scan, and visitors to the site can even take on some reviewing functions if they’d like to contribute to the ongoing transcription process.

It’s fascinating to see what patrons at clubs like the Bohemian, Banker’s, Chemist’s, Cotillion, Gridiron or Papyrus clubs, among many others, were partaking of in the late 1800s, or having for breakfast on the high seas as the SS America steamed on and 1953 drew to a close. For instance diners at the Boston-based Papyrus Club tackled an imposing repast that included Fried Soft Shell Crabs, Fillet of Beef, and Loin of Spring lamb. Refreshed by “Roman Punch” they went on to

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak-Cookbooks: Essential friends, new friends

In the last column I wrote about Chef Daniel Pascoa of Eatalia saying the cookbook “NOMA – Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine” was “one of his must-have references and inspirations.” I also alluded to the fact that although I have this hefty volume, I have not actually cooked anything from it, partially a reflection of the very specific Nordic ingredients Chef Rene Redzepi sources locally and partially because of the complexity of the preparations.

I don’t know how many cookbooks I have, but it is a lot. This was driven home when a house stager told us to cut the number of books on the shelves by half!  Some of these books are ones I’ve barely skimmed. Others I use for as little as a single recipe. And yet others I’ve read cover to cover, more than once, to the point the pages are loose or stained with sauce.

I pick cookbooks up for new ideas, time-tested recipes, inspirational photos, insights to the minds of exciting chefs, great writing, and techniques. If I strike the jackpot, a book might have most of those things. If I had to choose the best, my favourite, or the last one I’d let go, I’m not sure which I’d pick. And yet I put that

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Global Tastes, Local Tastes

Chris M with Chef Redzepi by Tom Motz

So the last column set readers a culinary challenge. But got nary a nibble.

I’ll admit it was probably completely unfair to expect anyone to guess the mystery cover photo was of barbequed cucumbers adorned with liquid nitrogen-frozen ants (and tiny flowers?), a dish served at one of the top restaurants in the world, NOMA, in Copenhagen.

In the photos section accompanying this offering I have included several other shots taken by my friend Tom Motz who recently partook of the Nordic cuisine served up by Chef Rene Redzepi. The plating is extra-ordinary and Tom described the meal and setting as up there with anything he has eaten anywhere.

The twenty courses included such things as “Nordic coconut”, Moss and cep, Flower tarts, White cabbage and samphire, Caramelized milk and monkfish liver, Æbleskiver, lovage and parsley, Burnt leek and cod roe, Shrimp and goosefoot, Radish and yeast, Cured egg yolk, potato and elderflower, Turbot and nasturtium, and even a graphic Beef tartar and ants. (Tom said the ants offered a nice acidic contrast!)

The rarified world of restaurant food at the top level may seem a bit distant and disconnected to us here in

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Mystery Photo, Win a Lunch Edition

Mystery Photo – Win a Lunch Edition

Food for Thought has been fishing (and catching!) so this week’s column is short and sweet.

My gastro-buddy, Tom, recently sent me the accompanying picture. He ate this interesting dish recently and I challenge readers to identify the components, and where it might have been served. I’ll take the first person to get it right in the comments section for a lunch at one of my favorite spots (see below)! (Several of our compadres are privy to the answer and I WILL know if they blab.)

The Centro Market Chef Street Fight, mentioned in the last column, between Chef Andrew Mcleod (@ChefMcLeod) and Food Trucker, Chef Adam Hynam-Smith (@EGVadam), was a hard fought battle. The chefs are clearly friends, but very competitive, so it was hard to call one over the other: the winner by split decision was… (drum roll please…) Chef Andrew McLeod!

I learned Andrew has exciting plans in the works. Even though he is very much enjoying cooking at a variety

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Chef vs Chef (vs Chef vs Chef)

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak

Chef vs Chef (vs Chef vs Chef) 

The last couple of weeks have been busy ones on the culinary scene, with the most populist event having been the 2014 O Canada Ribfest held in Waterdown. It attracted nearly 50,000 participants and according to Rotarian organizers there were people from all over Southern Ontario in attendance. Bravo to the committed volunteers who pulled off such a success. Boss Hog’s repeated their win in the “People’s Choice Category” for both Ribs, and Sauce, and Kentucky Smokehouse took top honours for both in the “Judged” category.

As I’ve said before, there are lots of intersections in our culinary scene, both personal and via the personalities and events involved. So, speaking of judging, I’ve been asked to be one of the judges for the

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Denninger’s - A Hamilton Diamond’s Anniversary (Part 2)

Chef Lynn Crawford signing at Denninger's 60th Anniversary

Denninger’s - A Hamilton Diamond’s Anniversary (Part 2)

My last column, about the Denninger’s Foods of the World 60th anniversary, veered a bit to the nostalgic. However, given the enthusiastic comments I heard, it apparently struck a chord with readers who are truly fond of the institution.

I mentioned I was looking forward to meeting Chef Lynn Crawford at the re-launch of the venerable King Street Store as she demonstrated how to grill some special cuts of meat, and that it promised to be a grand, and likely popular, occasion.

Well I was right on one front. It was busy as all get out: I didn’t get to interview Chef (who had many contractual obligations to fulfill) or even to see her cook. (Immodestly, I think my own Tomahawk steak, cooked earlier in the week, was perhaps every bit as good as hers.)

Arriving shortly after 10 a.m. the newly-finished patio was already hopping. There was also a goodly and excited crowd inside the store; Chef was sequestered with her assistant checking emails; Denninger’s Co-owner Martin Frank was trying to juggle parking and site access issues; flocks of PR folk were attending to last minute details. The stress was palpable. And just as I was about to try to introduce myself to her, it was ShowTime.

Chef Lynn has an innately warm and engaging public persona much appreciated by the crowd, which included Mayor Bob Bratina and various Denninger’s staff and family members. The warm and uncomplicated Sunni Genesco of K-Lite and CHCH (which in a symmetrical twist is also celebrating 60 years in Canadian TV Broadcasting this year) conducted a Q&A which was followed by Chef interacting with her fans and signing cook books.

In my earlier interview with Frank he had told me about Crawford coming aboard to help market the company’s products. “Part of the deal is she likes to come survey the facilities… it was amazing the response we received from her. She was so excited… almost to the point of jumping up and down – she got right behind the counter and tried everything from our schnitzels to our Oktoberfest (sausage).”

During the interaction with Genesco, Crawford said she felt “part of the Denninger’s family,” noting “there are people here who like food more than I do.” Frank had told me Chef was very partial to Denninger’s whistle dogs, a bacon-wrapped sausage. Crawford confirmed that during the Meat n’ Greet, joking she had eaten 16½ when she came to familiarise herself with the store!

In between taking selfies with, and dispensing hugs to, audience members, she organized an impromptu Whistle Dog eating contest: two hardy souls battled it out for a copy of her most-recent cookbook, published last fall (At Home with Lynn Crawford: 200 of My Favourite Easy Recipes).

Meanwhile, inside the store and on the patio, the crowd was busy shopping and visiting with the various suppliers who were on hand to provide samples of their wares. It was delightful to taste the almost creamy Ferrarini prosciutto, hot sauce from Uncle Nathan, Thornbury Cider, Liberté Yoghurt, Ritter Sport Chocolates, and Hewitt’s Dairy ice cream (love the coconut!), those being but a few of the goodies one could try. And that’s not including the slew of Denninger’s in house specialities, including – here’s my nostalgia re-surfacing – Polish Paczki spiked with plum butter, just like at my father’s store, aka Euro-donuts in the store’s vernacular.

One product stood out for me, and not just because I regularly stock it in my pantry, or the pitchman’s distinctive cowboy hat. Doug Renfro came all the way from Fort Worth in Texas, bearing salsas and other products based on or inspired by his Grandmother’s recipes. Mrs. Renfro’s Gourmet Salsas has a few years on Denningers: founded 74 years ago, Doug said when they heard Denninger’s was celebrating, the Renfro family wanted to support them by celebrating with them. “It was a no-brainer,” he added.

About 15 years ago, Denninger’s was the first retailer in Eastern Canada to give Renfro’s a shot. Now Renfro’s is the “biggest of the little guys” and to my palate make uncompromisingly great and tasty products, including a ghost pepper salsa I have yet to try. Still family-owned, they rank among the top ten of the ~500 Salsa brands in the U.S., and were recently named one of seven finalists across America for the 2014 DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Go get ‘em cowboy!

Of his trip to Hamilton, Renfro said “I had a great time & it was obviously a momentous occasion for the family.” I think we can look forward to other milestones for Denninger’s: there’s is an expansion agenda, though the company is coy on potential locations and timelines.

And Chef Lynn is slated to be back to cook hams at Christmas. Perhaps I’ll get to meet her then…

To see more pictures, click here.

To see all past columns please see (and “like”) the Food for Thought Archives


Alex (Alex can be reached at fft@thehamiltonian.info ) or on twitter @AlexBielak

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak Denninger’s - A Hamilton Diamond’s Anniversary (Part 1)

Denninger’s - A Hamilton Diamond’s Anniversary (Part 1)

Sometimes the stars align. With my 60th column for the Hamiltonian, I get to honour the Diamond Anniversary of (another) Hamilton Institution: Denninger’s Foods of the World. (A recent column congratulated Tim Hortons on the fifty golden years since their first store opened in Hamilton. So we move from gold to diamonds!)

Not just that, but I get to reflect on my own roots in what is close to the 60th year of operation of the Parade Delicatessen in London, England. My parents, immigrants from post-war Poland, built that business, and I worked there most Saturdays and holidays as a lad. My parents are gone, and I’ve moved on: the Parade, a local landmark, continues to prosper.

The parallels (see even the cover picture for this column) are striking: they may explain why I get such a deep sense of satisfaction, and yes, sense of place, when I walk into a Denninger’s store. The sights and smells pull me back in time; familiar aromas of cured and smoked meats and fresh baked goods, the taste of generous

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Walking and a’ Wandering – Culinary Tours and other Diversions

Steve Lovelace, Niagara Culinary Tours
 and Pillitteri wines

Walking and a’ Wandering – Culinary Tours and other Diversions

In my last column I teased this piece would feature “an Australian, a big knife, cool wife and tale of breaking into the Kremlin.” It does, as well as describing a new venture offering culinary tours in the St. Catharines and Niagara region.

I’ve cooked with Steve Lovelace, the affable Aussie in question, for several years now. Kibitzing aside, when big knives are involved you learn to work carefully in close quarters! Steve’s love of wine and food is infectious and was instilled at an early age: his Mum was a great cook and grandparents were bakers. “A bit of wine and a bit of water at the table as soon as you were a teenager, and as the years progressed, more wine and less water!” he says his raucous laugh filling my kitchen as we chat.

He and his backpack bounced about a bit as Aussies often do, working in the hospitality business including being part of the opening staff for Si Wai Lai’s Shaw Café in 1996. He got out of the restaurant business - again that hearty laugh - because the bank told him he had to get a real job if he wanted to buy a house! Settled in Niagara

More Food for Thought...

Based on the popularity of Alex Bielak's Food For Thought feature on The Hamiltonian, Alex has developed a repository of past issues . To get there, click here. And don't forget to Like it on Facebook. 

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Rrroll up the Rim for Giveaway winners, and dates, dates, dates

Rrroll up the Rim for Giveaway winners, and dates, dates, dates

This long weekend edition of Food for thought plays catch-up while saluting a Hamilton icon.

First off the good news. Because of the generosity of the sponsor, ALL those who commented on my last column will win a three month subscription to WorldJikoni. I ask Scrap, Just an Observer, Kevin, Cynmom16, Brad Koziej, Brenda Lee and Colleen at Forty Something Bride to email me at fft@thehamiltonian.info and I will provide them with information as to how to access their prize. Congratulations to all and enjoy!

Also in the last column I mentioned the departure of Dave Hanley from Dishcrawl Hamilton and when I invited Dishcrawl to comment, they had not got back to me. I got a very nice note from Dominique Foreman,

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Sips and Bites – Arrivals, Departures and Giveaways

Sips and Bites – Arrivals, Departures and Giveaways

There’s lots going on with several developments impacting the regional culinary scene. So we’ll dive in... mouth first… Do please read through to the end for details of how to win one of three exciting, tasty giveaways.

I was surprised to hear the agreement between dynamic Dave Hanley and Dishcrawl Hamilton has ended and Hanley will no longer be running the events. I reached out to Dishcrawl for comment, but as of my deadline had not heard back. Dave told me “I am sure there will be another ambassador in place soon. In the interim, I will be focusing on my other ventures in Hamilton.”

I wish him well as he’s a man of boundless energy, ideas and vision: he and his pork pie hat will be missed in his Dishcrawl persona. In the meantime you can sponsor Dave who will be rappelling down 100 King St.

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Come @EatWith Us

Come @EatWith Us

Many people like dining in some-one else’s home. They like to do so either in person or, perhaps vicariously, by watching some of the popular shows on television. Some go to more extreme lengths: A fellow member of my cooking club, ate at four strangers’ houses in the course of a week, and then invited them all to his place for supper!

He won the popular, if bitchy, TV program “Come Dine With Me”. (Brad’s 15 minutes of fame were well deserved; his recipes blew the competition away, and included one for a delicious maple miso glazed sea bass that I’ve cooked a variant of.)

So I was interested to get an invitation via Facebook to join a friend “and other interesting dinner guests for an Exotic Journey to the Past - a British Raj dinner in downtown Burlington.” It would be $35 a head and

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Marmalade! Near and Far

Marmalade! Near and Far

I suppose it may be the British upbringing, but I love Marmalade. I love the associated rituals: Toast in a toast rack (or toast cooler as my wife refers to it), the butter melting, spooning out and spreading the wonderful preserve, the aroma, crunch and mouth feel, and scooping up the last escaped crumbs with sticky fingers.

Since this is the season home canners are active turning Seville oranges into tawny gold, I wanted to share some old and new favourites with readers.

My sister-in-law is known in the family as a premier source of a tangy marmalade she issues in small jars on special occasions to those deemed deserving. She vies with her Mother (my Mother in Law) in this respect, something I should probably try to put to my advantage.

Adrienne’s marmalade is a delightfully tangy and chewy three citrus blend with hits of lime and lemon rind

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - But wait, there’s more Kitchen Kit

Marc the Garlic Grater Guy

But wait, there’s more Kitchen Kit 

Do you remember “It slices, it dices…”? It was, of course, the pitch for the Veg-O-matic? But wait, there’s so much more...

Partly prompted by the catastrophic failure of my trusty stick blender, and partly by several recent acquisitions, this edition of Food for Thought deals with some pieces of indispensable kitchen kit, most of which you can see by clicking on the pictures link at the end of the column or the various hyperlinks.

The stick (or hand) blender is ideal when you don’t want to take out a larger blender or food processor. It allows you to blend soups or smoothies right in the pot or measuring beaker and is a snap to clean. Ours (a Cuisinart Smart Stick) had been used daily for a couple of years, but its gearing was frankly over-taxed by

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Sips and Bites – Coming Attractions, March 2014

Chef Tobias & Louise Sherwood
at Red Canoe

Sips and Bites – Coming Attractions, March 2014 

Coming soon. Spring. We hope and pray.

I’ll admit to feeling overwhelmed with matters culinary: I simply have too many ideas on the go to focus on just one this time around. So, I’ll alert readers to some neat opportunities both locally and a bit further “afield” (Ahem, almost a pun there, as you’ll see below). I’ll also share how stories can evolve organically and how inter-connected our culinary scene really is.

First off a reminder: the 9th Annual Food and Drink Fest at the Careport Centre on Longwood Rd., Hamilton is nearly upon us. On March 21 – 23, it is truly a wonderful event and draws good crowds. However don’t expect to see it featured much by either the Spec or our Community newspapers: They’re

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Key Restaurant Challenges - A Taste of Burlington (and beyond) Part 2

 Chef Michael Stauffer
and crew - Rib Eye Jacks

Key Restaurant Challenges - A Taste of Burlington (and beyond) Part 2

My last column covered the launch of the currently ongoing Taste of Burlington 2014 and revealed the results of my straw poll of 23 chefs, owners and other professionals present. I had asked who is producing the most innovative cuisine in our area, but had other questions too.

The second related to the biggest challenges facing the various establishments. Once again the answers were illuminating and thoughtful. They ranged from the almost cuss-word emphatic (“Weather!” was the succinct response of Mike Lorinczi, DOWNTOWN BISTRO’s owner) to longer responses falling into several categories.

They essentially break down to time, staff, competition, innovation and seasonality. Where to obtain a Chef’s hat also featured, but read on for that tidbit.

Primed by ongoing interactions with Chefs in Hamilton, I was frankly surprised by what I did not hear. There was not a single complaint about the City of Burlington! Clearly the folks at city hall understand the “destination” potential of a vibrant culinary scene.

Congruent with answers to the first question, several restaurateurs said they were super busy and their

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- The Culinary Stars’ Stars - A Taste of Burlington (and beyond)

The Culinary Stars’ Stars - A Taste of Burlington (and beyond) 

Earlier this week I was invited to cover the launch of Taste of Burlington 2014. It was a busy event featuring 25 local restaurants: each served up a food sample aimed at enticing diners to try the promotional prix fixe menus that kick in from Feb 16th through to March 6th.

Given the number of food bloggers (or culinary writers as they were identified) in attendance, I knew there would be plenty of coverage of the dishes served, so I took a different tack. I posed four simple questions to the owners, chefs and front of house staff representing the various eateries to gauge what was happening in this part of our region. More on those later.

The dishes at the event were also judged by the 300 or so guests, and a panel of celebrity judges. You can see a full description of the results here: In summary, the judges voted the praline-rolled sweet potato donuts filled with Ontario maple cream – served up by the QUEEN’S HEAD PUB – as their top choice.

WEST PLAINS BISTRO shared the “People’s Choice” award for a complex and delicious roasted cauliflower soup. Co-winner, STONE HOUSE RESTAURANT, served up beer-braised short ribs with subtly-truffled turnip puree. Given what I’ve learned recently about fakery in the truffle business, I was happy to hear from Chef Mitchell Lamb that he is very careful to source pure truffle oil from his supplier of fresh truffles.

I’m grateful to my friend Heather Lang (check out her food and garden blog) for the use of some of her

50 Reasons why Alex Bielak's Food For Thought has been So Successful

Alex Bielak
 photo by Ninka Bielak

The Hamiltonian and our readership are truly fortunate to have Alex Bielak as our "foodie" and expert in the celebration of food and drink. Alex's enthusiasm for the appreciation of fine food and drink, is infectious and is laden with depth and elegance. With this week's edition of Food for Thought, Alex has reached a milestone marking this edition as his fiftieth.

Alex has definitely caught the attention of our readers and is also a sought after personality in the food and drink circles. He was invited to be a judge of the First Flamborough Chili Festival (http://www.waterdownlegion.ca/12415/Hall-Rental-Social-Events.htm) in support of the Flamborough Women’s Resource Centre and also a judge at the 1st Hamilton Battledish (http://dishcrawl.com/hamilton/) held last October. He has been to various food events including the Ontario Culinary Tourism Summit (https://ontarioculinary.com/octasummit/) and is a proud member of the Food Bloggers of Canada http://www.foodbloggersofcanada.com/ . 

His writing will also be featured with our friends at Hamilton Magazine and has an article in the most recent edition of upcoming “Wine Food and Friends". Alex will also be featured in http://rarerepublic.com/ in the future.

Alex tells us that he is most happy that people read his material and that he is having fun writing. Thank-you Alex for your hard work, enthusiasm and contributions to The Hamiltonian. 

In truth there are not fifty reasons for Alex's success in The Hamiltonian and beyond; there is only one- Alex Bielak.

Cheers Alex and thank-you. We are all looking forward to edition 100 of Food for Thought ;-) For now, let's enjoy the fiftieth edition by clicking here.  

Teresa DiFalco and staff of The Hamiltonian

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Sips and Bites – the January 2014 Value edition

Sips and Bites – the January 2014 Value edition 

Certainty is elusive. The vortex is polar and the loonie is falling. But there can be value upsides.

The cold winter has been great for ice wine producers who have had plenty of time and optimal conditions to harvest what looks like a bumper crop. And the weather is appropriately brisk for the Ice Wine Festival that concludes this Sunday, January 26th. This means there is still time to nip down and partake of some of the excellent-value “Discovery Pass” events at a variety of locations, from Beamsville to Niagara on the Lake.

I’m pleased to have been invited to the sold-out preview event for a Taste of Burlington at the Burlington

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - White Gold (and a missed opportunity?)

White Gold (and a missed opportunity?

What is whitish, mottled, lumpy, pungent, and might generally be qualified as visually underwhelming and unattractive, yet is a luxury food that normally costs in the range of $7 - 8,000 per Kilo?

My wife and I had the opportunity to find out just before Christmas at a $60 per plate event held at Konoba, the Croatian restaurant and lounge in Hess Village. The answer is of course a sought-after seasonal delicacy Tuber magnatum Pico. That’s white truffle to you and me, and no, we’re not talking the chocolate kind. Rather we were sampling the elusive fungus hunted with dogs (really – there are lots of videos on YouTube) in the Motovun forest in Istria, Croatia.

The white truffle is truly a luxury item available in the fall through to December. They are tasty (more on that below) and aromatic beyond belief, which is why dogs (and pigs) can be trained to find them where they grow in the wild. The most highly prized are from Italy and Croatia and, according to Wikipedia, stratospheric prices in the range of hundreds of thousand dollars have been paid for large specimens of a kilo or so.

We were among a small group of enthusiastic guests that joined Konoba’s Chef and co-owner, Vedran