Cowbell

Cowbell (@cowbellresto), located in Parkdale, is known for having a chalkboard menu that is revised daily. As their website says, doing so "not only announces the day's offerings, but gives a window onto the farms and seasons of Southern Ontario". Chef and owner Mark Cutrara (@mcutrara) is all about cooking exclusively with organic and naturally raised ingredients and serving delicious food in an unpretentious bistro.  Cowbell opened in 2007 where Chef Cutrara processes whole animal carcasses, including cow, elk, deer, pig and lamb, into aged steaks and chops to house-made charcuterie, sausages, carpaccio and burgers. A carnivore's dream really. 


I was really looking forward to trying Cowbell's burger for our Dish Duel tasting since their burger is one of the best in the city. It is no wonder that Toronto Life asked Chef Cutrara to give readers some tips in how to make the perfect patty.


I immediately felt like I walked into a cowboy movie when I stepped into Cowbell. The rustic chandelier, wall scones, the benches with rich red accents and the soft yellow/golden lighting all ties together for a very western decor.

Cowbell's menu.

My Caesar. I wanted to order a second one but seemed a bit excessive given it was only 6:30pm on a week night.

Enoteca Tasting at Buca

I was completely and utterly blown away by Buca's (@bucatoronto) Enoteca Tasting this past Saturday evening. My friend and I both agree that the Enoteca Tasting at Buca (which came into existence less than a month ago) is easily one of the best tasting menu that we've had in the city recently; it was such an memorable experience for me and I truly have nothing but praises for it. 


What made it so great was not only the food, which was phenomenal, but also our server / bartender, Thomas...he was fantastic! He did an excellent job in describing all the dishes and interacting with everyone at the bar; he was friendly, attentive, and it was evident that he was passionate about what he was doing...and I love that~


The Enoteca Tasting is exclusively offered at this eight-seat bar beside Buca's main dining room.  

Our bartender, Thomas. He took care of us the entire night.

We left it up all up to Executive Chef Rob Gentile (@ChefBuca) to bring us out various small plates and appetizers. I remember Thomas asking us at the very beginning whether we were hungry; my answer was "YES" (when am I ever not hungry?!) Sooooo get ready guys because we ate a LOT! By the way, very important, there were different wine pairings through out the night as well but I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the wines =(

Crudo - Smoked raw rainbow trout fillet with artichoke, juniper caper and liquorice bruton syrup ($18)

Media Dinner at Maléna

Last Wednesday, I was invited to sample Maléna's (@malena120) brand new spring menu, created by Maléna's head chef, Doug Neigel. I felt extremely honoured to have been able to dine with some of Toronto's elite food writers and food critics at this event, so before I dive in any further, I want to say a big "THANK YOU" to Rachelle from rock-it promotions and Maléna for the invite.

To be honest, I have never heard of Maléna nor L'Unità (@lunita_enoteca) before the invite so I quickly looked them up. Maléna, the neighbouring sister restaurant to L'Unità, specializes in Ionian Coastal Cuisine with inspiration from Greece and Southern Italy (whereas L'Unità is an Italian osteria and wine bar). The food at Maléna focuses on seafood and is heavily influenced by ingredients drawn from the bodies of water that surrounds Greece and Southern Italy. Whenever possible, Maléna also incorporates local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients. Maléna was featured as one of the ten restaurant's in James Chatto's top ten restaurants for 2010.

Before dinner at Maléna, everybody met up at L'Unità for cocktails. The first thing I saw was the charcuterie *drools*.

Montreal Food Journey - Day 1: Schwartz's

My favourite word: CHARCUTERIE

A trip to Montreal is not complete without going to Schwartz's. It is a fact that Schwartz's is the best place for smoked meat in Montreal. According to its website, Schwartz's has been around since 1928 (founded by Reuben Schwartz, a Jewish immigrant from Romania) - it's the oldest deli in Canada and has been at the same location ever since. Schwartz's has been visited by many famous people including Celine Dion, The Rolling Stones, Angelina Jolie, Halle Barry, and also by our ex prime minister Jean Chretien. 

I've been to Schwartz's once, but that was a few years back. I remember going with a few friends for dinner there, and we had to line up for more than an hour for a table. This time, I wanted to go for lunch, so a twitter friend of mine from Montreal (vinman15) suggested that I go either at 11:30am or 1:30pm to avoid noon hour rush. So taking full advantage of this tip, my boyfriend and I were there by 11:30am on the dot. We didn't have to line up at all, and found street parking too =)

This picture was taken after our meal. Lineup was out the door by then!

A Memorable Experience At The Black Hoof

Fellow foodie Cindy and I visited The Black Hoof back in December. It was her birthday, and as foodies, there was no way that such celebration can take place at an ordinary restaurant.Cindy suggested The Black Hoof, and asked me if I was OK with food that is more out there...maybe like internals, bone marrow, fried brains, etc. I told her I was totally down for that. I read some reviews before going to The Black Hoof (they don't have a website, but the owner, Grant van Gameren, has his own blog). And wow was I impressed! Toronto Star gave it 4 out of 4 stars - its critic said that he was "in love with the restaurant", the Globe and Mail claims that the restaurants serves "the most exciting meat Toronto has ever tasted", and EnRoute Magazine placed The Black Hoof at #2 for "Canada's 10 Best New Restaurants for 2009". So after reading all that, not only was I "down", I was outright excited and counting down to the days till we go.

We went on a Saturday night around 6pm (it does not take reservations and the restaurant is tiny). We actually walked past it because the restaurant does not have a sign outside (and in December, its already pretty dark at 6pm). The only indication that a restaurant existed there was the word "charcuterie" on the front tent cover above the restaurant. The place was full already (not surprised given the rave reviews) and it was just our luck that there were two seats available at the bar. I ordered a martini right away to get things going.

I don't remember what this was. I just remember that
it was average

My Love for Pizzeria Libretto

If you know me in real life, you should know the following: 1) One of my favorite restaurants in Toronto is Pizzeria Libretto, 2) I must order the Duck Confit pizza when I'm there, 3) I must also order a charcuterie plate when I'm there, and finally  4) This is the only restaurant where I have never ordered dessert or felt the urge to order dessert (I've been there 4 times), because I'm just that satisfied with my main meal - this is extremely rare. If you didn't know all that, that's okay, you've learned something new about me today =)

Pizzeria Libretto is located in a funky / hip Portuguese neighborhood at the intersection of Ossington and Dundas. The restaurant often gets rave reviews from magazines; it was placed 8th in enRoute's Top 10 Restaurants in Canada for 2009.  I'm pretty sure that Pizzeria Libretto is mentioned in many so-and-so's "top lists" but I just don't have time to find them all for you here.  

Before I go on posting pictures, I have to thank my foodie friend Cindy for introducing me to this place. Although she moved to Toronto from Calgary only a year ago, she has shown me so many cool places to go eat (including Black Hoof). Actually I think she's the one who turned me into the foodie that I am today! Before meeting her, I wouldv'e never imagined having my own food blog.

So what's so cool about Pizzeria Libretto? First of all, it has the distinction of having imported Toronto's first real Neapolitan pizza oven! It's a 2,000-kilogram stone behemoth that burns wood and can heat up to 900 degrees F, producing a thin, crispy, blistered crust, with bubbles of charred dough here and there. All pizzas are done within 90 seconds in the oven; it was specifically hand built for the restaurant by a 3rd generation pizza oven maker in Naples. Pretty impressive, huh?