Who the #$&@ is Gordon Oliver?

Gordon Oliver (@gordonoliverca) is apparently a self-proclaimed

"Celebrity Chef"

who will, on March 14 at 7:27PM, be on “Eat Talk” (a small cooking segment following CTV's eTalk, before Big Bang Theory). Apparently, Gordon Oliver will be cooking up a storm in his first ever TV appearance.

Photo credit: www.gordonoliver.ca

From his website www.gordonoliver.ca, Gordon Oliver also brags that he is a  

"Gourmet Canadian Chef with a knack for creating ridiculously delicious food."

Correct me if I'm wrong but none of this crap looks "delicious" to me. FAR FROM IT.

Photo credit: www.gordonoliver.ca

If anything they make me want to puke.

Photo credit: www.gordonoliver.ca

But who knows, you may think Gordon Oliver's Buffalo Wings Milkshake look appetizing *please no*. If that's the case, be my guest and check out his recipes, where you will also find recipes for a Salmon Chocolate Cake *gag* and Buffalo Wings Cupcakes *double gag*

Photo credit: www.gordonoliver.ca

The Gabardine Revisited

It has been more than a year since my last, and first, visit to The Gabardine.  I have always been meaning to go back, and trust me I'm not just saying that. I remember how thrilled I was when The Gabardine (Twitter: @TheGabardine, Facebook: The Gabardine) started dinner service on Saturdays :) And seriously, The Gabardine also has this incredible ability to make me suddenly crave whatever they just posted on Twitter and Facebook. It wouldn't even matter if it was only like, 9 in the morning, I would still want it bad. Real bad. 

Case in point. They would post stuff like this, with photos:

~Pork chop with black eye pea ragout, sautéed mustard greens & red eye gravy~

~Chinese BBQ pork on a bun w/ scallions, mayo & napa cabbage slaw~

~Pork shoulder chop on buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup, black currents & sour cream~

~Fried chicken on a cornmeal waffle with creamed collard green, maple syrup and lemon~

~Brownie pie with graham cracker crust & peanut butter cream~

I mean, come on. How can your stomach NOT growl after reading stuff like that? It all sounds so insanely enticing that it's ridiculous.

Coincidentally, dinner at The Gabardine the second time around was also with my friend Julia, who came with me the first time. 

It's extremely rare that I don't order a cocktail or a glass of wine during dinner - it almost never happens. I'm not sure what happened that Tuesday night but I think I was craving for something cold and refreshing, and because I'm not a big fan of beer, the apple cider did the trick perfectly.

We shared: 

Deviled Eggs ($4)

Crown Princess Fine Dining

In my opinion, unlike uptown Markham or Richmond Hill, where you will find a lot more average priced, middle-ranged Chinese dim sum restaurants, there are only two types in downtown Toronto, which are basically the two extremes: the cheap and the pricey. The cheap, semi sketchy-looking, hole-in-the wall dim sum joints offer traditional dim sum plates at bargain prices, and are typically located in Chinatown (or the general vicinity of Spadina and Dundas). The other type, the pricey, extravagant "fine dining" Chinese restaurants have fancy dim sum during the day and multi-course dinners at night (and often doubles as wedding banquet reception halls on weekends). These high-end restaurants often have over-the-top decor and aside from traditional dim sum, they also offer new creations and sometimes creative takes on traditional ones. They are also generally very keen on presentation and service.

Just by the picture below, you can probably tell that Crown Princess Fine Dining belongs in the latter category of dim sum restaurants. There are chandeliers on both the ceiling and the walls, where you will also find large fancy-looking paintings. The crown moldings, pillars, and the granite / marble bar completes the entire elegant ambiance that Crown Princess is striving for.

Fancy teapots and tableware at Crown Princess with porcelain rests for your spoon and chopsticks.

Dim sum are listed as either small ($3.10), medium ($4.30), large ($5.30), XL ($6.30) or Special / SP (no idea how much).

Recipe For Change 2013

FoodShare Toronto (Twitter: @FoodShareTO, Facebook: FoodShare Toronto) is Canada’s largest community food security organization. Founded in 1985, FoodShare works with communities to improve access to healthy, affordable, sustainably-produced food through community-based programs and policy recommendations, with a vision of Good Healthy Food for everybody. FoodShare's programs, which reach over 155,000 children and adults per month in the City of Toronto, include fresh produce sourcing and sales, childhood nutrition, hands-on food education from junior kindergarten to grade 12, a healthy school cafeteria model, gardening, composting, cooking, and urban agriculture. 

FoodShare’s annual Recipe for Change event, presented by GE Cafe Appliances, is a celebration of food as well as supporting FoodShare's work. This dining event raises funds to teach school aged children how to cook, grow food, compost and more. It also raises needed consciousness as to why teaching children these skills are important, in that they can become food conscious, competent and literate. 

Thanks to Mary Luz Mejia of Sizzling Communications, I was invited to Recipe for Change last night, which took place at the historic St. Lawrence market. The event consisted of 30 chefs, 30 VQA wines and 9 local beers. All the chefs created plates that showcased their own creative vision, combining foods and flavours to form a small meal.

Here is a recap of what I had last night.

Hooked: Cooke's Cove, PEI, and Leslie Hardy & Sons oysters - Served with house made horseradish, Ontario Riesling mignonette, Hooked hot sauce and fresh lemon

Chococrepe: Savoury pulled pork mini crepes and vegetarian mini crepes.

Momofuku: Momofuku brisket on a steamed bun with mustard, cabbage, and horseradish

FRANK at the AGO: Vegan fava puree with sunchokes and winter vegetables

Palais Royale: Rosemary smoked duck breast served with a mousse of duck confit, and a blueberry and raw chocolate coulis

George Brown Chef School: Savoury bread pudding with seasonal root vegetables and house made pickles

Fidel Gastro: PeKing Elvis sandwich  a butter grilled pita featuring spicy orange duck meat, green onion and the King's secret sauce

$15 Prix Fixe Lunch at Pizzeria Libretto

BAM!

It seems too good to be true but it IS true! 

A salad + one whole pizza + dessert all for only $15.

It is one hell of a deal and it is only available at Pizzeria Libretto!

This is beginning to sound like a commercial...

But I can't help it...

The cheap frugal Asian in me loves this awesome deal!

From time to time, I would go to Pizzeria Libretto's Ossington location for lunch and pig out:

Caprese Salad

Beet, Ontario Fiore di Latte, Basil Cookstown Seedlings, Olive Oil

Margherita D.O.P

Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella

Espresso-Cinnamon Gelato

Cook Live with Vikram Vij

Attention everyone!

I'm about to make a confession.

It is going to be an earth-shattering one so please be prepared.

Here goes:

I.RARELY.COOK.

I know. It's shocking.

Okay. In all seriousness, I know that YOU know that 99% of my blog posts are about eating out at restaurants. But in all honesty, I actually really enjoy cooking. I know it's really hard to believe but I assure you that I'm telling the truth! Whether you believe me or not, it really doesn't matter 'cause I think what I'm about to tell you is pretty cool...especially if you love cooking...like me :p

Chef Vikram Vij, who was born in India and grew up in Amritsar and Bombay, is the owner of the restaurant Vij’s (@Vijs_restaurant) in Vancouver, BC, which was recently named the Best Restaurant in Canada by Vacay.ca. In addition to appearing as a featured guest on Top Chef Canada and on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, Vij has published two award-winning cookbooks and has his own named brand selection of frozen foods.

Cook Live with Vikram Vij

On March 7th, Vikram Vij will host Canada’s first ever live-streamed cooking show, Cook Live with Vikrim Vij, where viewers will get the chance to cook a family meal live with an internationally renowned chef.

How it Works

The ingredients needed will be posted online and will  e available for download from the Vij’s website, www.vijs.ca, during the week of March 4th, and the actual online cook-along will be shown from Cirillo’s Culinary Academy at 6pm EST, 3pm PST, on March 7th 2013. Families are encouraged to “do-as-he-does”, putting together the ingredients at the same time, as Vij talks people through the process of cooking an Indian family recipe together.

Tweet!

Your cooking experience with Vij will also be interactive! Viewers can log on to the live stream by visiting the Vij’s website at www.vijs.ca and they can tweet Vij live with questions or comments on how their meals are coming along by using the hashtag #Vijcooklive.

Click here for more information on Cook Live with Vikram Vij

dbar

I've been to Café Boulud (Twitter: @CafeBouludTO, Facebook: Café Boulud Toronto & d | bar) more than a handful of times now so I thought it was time to give dbar some love too! It seriously didn't take much since I am all for cocktails (any time of day) and burgers (I'm a sucker for burgers and have heard lots about dbar's firehouse burger). So after a day of intense window shopping in downtown, I made my way to dbar last Sunday night with my friend Rob for a quick bite.

Located on street-level at the new Four Seasons (@FSToronto), dbar's decor is contemporary, modern, yet sophisticated. It is very comfortable and spacious especially with their floor-to-ceiling windows.

dbar's food menu offers more of a casual fare compared to Café Boulud upstairs. The items on their menu is ideal for sharing and is divided into six sections: To Share, Appetizers, Charcuterie, Sausages, The Grill and Dessert.

Once Rob told me that Andrea Bargnani from the Toronto Raptors was sitting at the table beside us, we couldn't help / stop making Primo Pasta & Sauce aka "Primopastasowse" jokes on Facebook and Twitter.  Yes. We are a mature bunch. 

Sorry. I digress.

Albert Kirby (@aKirbyDrinks), manager of dbar, recommended us some cocktails to start. From left to right, we had:

Neo-Negroni: Bombay Sapphire Gin, Campari, Green Chartreuse, Dry Vermouth, Lemon Twist ($18)

Atwood: Havana Club Anejo, Grapefruit Juice, Nepitella Syrup, Crispy Basil Leaf ($13)

Old Fashion: Wisers Rye, Muddled Cherries, Rhubarb Bitters, Simple Syrup ($15)

Campagnolo

Finally! I finally understand why it is so difficult to get a reservation at Campagnolo. Okay, so the fact that the restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday may have something to do with it. It's not a huge deal, but still, a contributing factor. However, having named as Canada's Best New Restaurant in 2011 by enRoute Magazine and being Mcleans' pick as one of the 50 best restaurants in Canada last year is, by far and foremost, the biggest reason why snagging a table at Campagnolo is such a strenuous exercise. But hey, don't get me wrong, all the effort and patience was totally worth it. After my meal there, I realized that yes, although the accolades from critics and audiences alike is a big reason why getting a reservation at Campagnolo is so difficult, the real reason is because the food at Campagnolo is truly outstanding; it is chef and owner Craig Harding's talent that keeps bringing Torontonians back to his restaurant time and time again.

Located at the corner of Dundas and Euclid, Campagnolo (@Campagnolo_) is warm and cozy. A very romantic atomsophere, a great date night spot in my opinion.

The open kitchen at Campagnolo. Hopefully I'll get to sit at the chef's rail next time.

Mistura

It is a treat to dine at a white-table cloth restaurant from time to time. After all, almost every girl I know likes to be pampered occasionally (well some more frequent than others) especially when it's not for a special occasion (the best kind in my opinion). For me, dining at Mistura in Yorkville delivers just that. Yes, it has fancy white table clothes, but by no means did Mistura feel pretentious or "stuffy". The ambiance there was fancy, elegant, yet still comfortable and relaxed. Seems almost impossible to have all that happening at the same time but I assure you that's how I felt. Perhaps the best way to describe Mistura would be "casual luxury"?

Mistura, co-owned by Paolo Paolini and chef Massimo Capra (@ChefMassimo), opened its doors back in October 1997, almost 16 years ago. Known for his handlebar moustache and big smile, chef Massimo Capra, in my opinion, still delivers some of the best classic (yet refined) Italian cuisine. Although a celebrity chef, with regular appearances on City TV Cityline and as a host on Restaurant Makeover on the Food Network, I still saw chef Capra manning the kitchen on a busy Friday night a few weeks ago. He also took time to greet diners and seemed to be very friendly and approachable. 

Bubbly cocktail to start the night? Sure! 

AGNOLOTTI AL CINGHIALE

Wild Boar Agnolotti, port stewed dry cherries, wilted greens, brown butter, roasting jus

BUFALA MOZZARELLA

Imported fresh Mozzarella, heirloom tomato, roasted eggplant, celery & basil salad 

Who is Toronto's Hottest Bartender?

Who is Toronto's Hottest Bartender? 

YOU decide. 

The power is in YOUR hands.

Kristina Chau from Not Your Average Party and I are founders of both the Toronto's Hottest Chef charity competition (which happened six months ago), and the Toronto's Hottest Bartender charity competition, which is happening RIGHT NOW.

Last year, the Toronto's Hottest Chef competition raised over $3,000 for the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, which was our Toronto's Hottest Chef winner, Chef Jo Lusted, charity of choice. 

Crossing our fingers, we are hoping that we can raise even more money this time for the winning bartender's charity, so please make it happen by voting who you think is Toronto's Hottest Bartender!

HOW THIS ALL WORKS

Partnered with Swallow and sponsored by Victoria Gin, the TO's Hottest Bartender competition is all about raising money for charity while having fun. We started out with 12 bartenders in Round 1, where each bartender was asked to choose a charity where proceeds would go to if he / she wins the competition. With Round 1 eliminating three bartenders, we are now left with the following nine bartenders in Round 2:

Alyssa Luckhurst (Keriwa Cafe) - Heart & Stroke Foundation

Caylee Alzner (Spirit House) - Prevention of Animal Cruelty

Chanel Wood (Cold Tea) - Toronto Humane Society

Japhet Bower (La Carnita) - Paws for The Cause

Jeff Carroll (County General) - Sick Kids Foundation

Josh Lindley (Rock Lobster Food) - Toronto People with AIDS Foundation

Michael Boyd (Communist's Daughter) - St. Christopher House

Simon Ho (The Drake) - Musicounts

Brittany Maguire (The Drake) - Toronto Humane Society

EACH AND EVERY ONLINE VOTE IN ROUND 2 WILL GENERATE $1 FOR THE WINNER'S CHARITY, ALL GENEROUSLY DONATED BY THE PARTICIPATING ESTABLISHMENTS / BARTENDERS.

Voting ends FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15 at 8PM so make sure you vote for your favourite bartender ASAP and spread the word to all your family and friends!

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ROUND 2

Five fan favourites will move on to the final event at The Drake Hotel, which will be hosted by Ivy Knight of Swallow and Dave Mitton, President of the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association. Tickets to the event will be sold at the door for a "pay what you can" fee, with the suggested minimum donation of $10. Victoria Gin, the official sponsor of the competition, will be providing food, and each of the five bartenders will be creating a cocktail using Victoria Gin, which all guests will get to sample. All guests will then get to vote, by ballot, on who they think should be Toronto's Hottest Bartender. So come for food, come for drinks, meet the finalists and have a grand time! 

PLEASE VOTE NOW

The winning bartender's charity of choice will receive the proceeds from both the online votes and donations at the final event. With your support, we'll be able to award a worth charity with a nice sum of money to help them continue their inspiring work.

Website: http://www.swallowfood.com/torontos-hottest-bartender/

Twitter Hashtag: #TOHottestBartender

Facebook: Toronto's Hottest Bartender

Email: tohottestchef@gmail.com