Gastronavigation: Muskoka Brewery

I'm rarely the type of person who finds the most direct route from point A to point B.

This can drive M (with his logical, plan-based thought processes) for loops, particularly when we're zooming down the highway, intent on some eventual goal, and I exclaim in the general direction of a roadside flyer or an ever-helpful blue attractions-at-this-exit signs and insist on a detour.

Fortunately for both of us, most of the detours end well! One of our most recent triumphs happened as we were heading back to KW from Algonquin Provincial Park (which, for the record, actually knows what a proper winter should look like - snow, glorious snow!)

We were approaching Bracebridge, and though I didn't get much of a solid first look at the exit sign, I did catch the words "Chocolate House" and "Brewery."

"Are we stopping?" M asked.

"Chocolate and beer in the same place, and you're asking me this?" I replied with a smile.

Five minutes later, we arrived at the Muskoka Brewery. Heartened by the sandwich board by the door and its promise of a free beer tasting - we'd struck out earlier that day in our attempt to visit another brewing company and were hoping to try something new - we wandered in and were greeted cheerfully, both by the representative and her golden lab cross, Gertie.

Muskoka Brewery's tasting room is bright, comfortable and welcoming, with lots of nods to its cottage country surroundings - not least these chair taps!

Don't be fooled by the tongue-in-cheek humour into thinking they're lightweights; these brewers know what they're doing. The rack behind the taps had no small number of awards gracing its upper shelves; on the lower shelves were glass jars of the various hops and malts used in the brewing process.

I've got a lot to learn, and enjoyed the time that the Muskoka beer expert (sommelier?) took with us, going over a little bit of the history behind some of the brews and showing us individual flower clusters of one of the hops.

Hops - or, at least this species - was prettier, softer than I'd expected, a thing of light green petals and a mildly sweet smell. It seemed more like something that would be added to a herbal tea, not a full-bodied beer. In the picture to the right, the hops are in pellet form in the middle jar; the petals themselves can be seen just behind the jars.

(The other two jars hold the malts for the Dark Ale and Craft Pilsner, respectively.)

But while ingredients, ambience, and awards are wonderful things, how did the beer itself fare?

Quite well! We had the chance to try their full range of beers, and the seasonal feature - a "Winter Beard" double-chocolate cranberry stout. M and I had tried the stout earlier this year, but we certainly weren't complaining about a second opportunity. The cranberry flavour is definitely discernible, and the chocolate (very strong cocoa flavours upon first sip) lends the stout a depth that suited these cooler months. It would be a great beer to curl up with.

The other standout - new to us - was their Mad Tom IPA. It's strong stuff; denser, somehow, than their other offerings (even the stout; yes, my brain is still figuring that one out.) There's a distinct lemon-citrus note to it and a richness we both found compelling.

I also enjoyed their Dark Ale, but with snowshoes, ski poles, and skates already filling the trunk, we made a mental note to come back after a future trip!

That said, if you're in the Muskoka area, look the Brewery up! We never had a chance to tour, as it was Family Day when we visited, but something tells me it would be fun. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming, the space itself interesting and with lots of little details to investigate - not to mention, the beer sampling is complimentary.

Did I mention that you might just run into the friendliest golden lab who will love you forever if you only play frisbee with her (yes, in the tasting room)? I know that she stole M's heart! He strategized about puppy ownership at least until Barrie...

Happy travels!

(Also, any recommendations for Ontario brews that have knocked your socks off lately?)

Review: Nomiya (Edmonton)

In this season of cold (well, not quite) and homecoming (well, mostly); there's a Snow Patrol lyric that's never been far from my mind: this could be the very minute I'm aware I'm alive; all these places feel like home.

The song speaks more to relationships, perhaps, than jetsetting and moving away, but I found myself craving comfort food from another home even as I adjusted to being on Mountain Standard Time for the holidays. As such, my sister and I all but pulled an U-turn on 109th Street to re-route for a nifty, new-ish ramen bar on Calgary Trail that had caught our eye.

Nomiya welcomed us in warmly. Menus appeared almost immediately in the hands of our charming but bashful server, who ran through the list of ramen and various toppings that you could add in; some of the items puzzled my sister, a ramen newbie who passed me her nori (much to my delight), declared the tree ear mushrooms exempt from her general dislike of all mushrooms, and smiled quizzically at the pretty naruto fishcakes. Still, she declared the curry ramen delicious, and enjoyed that the broth was not too spicy, while being well-spiced (I think she'd been bracing for a more fiery experience, but Japanese curry tends to run on the milder side.)

We'd started with an order of the yaki gyoza; at $5.95 for five, the price seemed a little steep (and odd numbers of appetizers is one of my eating-out irks) but they were tasty, and good to nibble on as we waited for the ramen and caught up on seven months of stories.

It was a while before our ramen arrived, but our server (and the others in the restaurant) had their hands full; I don't think there were more than two empty tables at any point during our meal. My miso ramen was worth the wait, piping hot and piled high with pleasantly chewy noodles, nori, five or six thin slices of chashu pork, bamboo shoots, green onion, tree ear mushrooms, and kernel corn (which never ceases to make me smile; it's always seemed a curious addition.) The broth itself was sumptuous and filling, and I enjoyed that it was peppered with white sesame seeds - different, but nifty.

My experience with ramen is limited - during my year in Japan, I spent a handful of nights at our local ramen place (which, awesomely, was called "Ramen Stand," spelled out in katakana) where the chef would create and ladle out broth from a massive metal container that seemed part pot, part keg, and part cauldron. Memorably, my fellow JET, T, who introduced me to the place, recommended the negi chashu ramen and told me not to think too hard about the process of making the broth or its sodium count in the same breath. I also wandered Sapporo's Ramen Alley on a freezing February night with friends, but as that night also held a tabehoudai/nomihoudai...

That all said, Nomiya's ramen held its ground - savoury, comforting, filling, a little nostalgic, and ultimately yummy. It was worlds ahead of anything I've tried to make since my year overseas, and as ramen places of any stripe are fairly challenging to track down in either of my most recent homes, a pleasant surprise! I'd like to return, but not tomorrow. Sadly, one can't ignore things like sodium levels forever. But perhaps I can until the holiday season is over... ^___^

Review: Cheeses Murphy

Sometimes, simple things can be magical.

And the friendly, quirky folks who staffed the Princess Cinema/Cafe's ticket window-slash-sandwich dispensary on Saturday seemed to have a firm grasp on both of these concepts.

There's a guerrilla element to Cheeses Murphy, the weekend-night only, grilled cheese-only (well, mostly) late night cafe - the rolldown sign in the Princess Cafe windows, the almost conspiratorial grins the cashier gives you as he hands you a laminated picture that represents your order ("Dolly Parton" and "Oprah Tattoo" were called out before us), the mustachioed mascot with a head of cheese printed on very carefully aligned 11x17s in another window. If their methods appear spontaneous, their solid attention to detail and appealing, tongue-in-cheek humour are an excellent counterbalance.

M had visited CM on Friday night, returning with happily glazed eyes and tales of bacon jam. We returned the next day to see if the "Lumberjack" (smoked ham, gruyere, creamy mustard) and "Cheese & Chong" (ground beef, cheddar, fresh cilantro, chipotle sour cream) could take on the namesake he'd tried (with cheddar & bacon jam.) After a short wait, our avatar was called and we snagged our foil-wrapped sandwiches, choosing to eat them amidst the other groups of late-night wanderers waiting in the (open-air so rather chilly) lobby area.

I think after the second bite, we forgot it was cold outside.

Of the two, though the C&C was tasty and the fresh cilantro an awesome idea my Lumberjack was the favorite. The ham and gruyere played very well with the grainy mustard, and while I can't remember the last time I ate plain white bread and might have looked at it with mild disappointment at first, M's thought that said bread fits the easygoing, comfort-food vibe of CM in general quickly unquirked my eyebrows - as did his speculative, if-you-don't-want-it-I'll-joyfully-eat-it look!

Things to return for? The namesake (bacon jam!) possibly served with some homemade tomato soup for dipping. And if we're feeling particularly ambitious, layering one of the fancier offerings around a Classic (cheddar cheese) in what they term an "Inception."

Fast, tasty, and open 'til 3:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights - if you're out wandering Uptown in the wee hours, Cheeses Murphy's definitely worth a stop!

Review/Wandering: Rainbow Caribbean Cuisine

After returning twice in two weeks, I'm coming to terms with the fact that the chicken roti at Rainbow is both addictive and causes something like a Eureka moment. (Oh, you can't help but think upon first bite. That's why people love this place.)

Don Henley's "The End of the Innocence" is playing over the stereo; a years-younger Barack Obama looks out over the oxtail and snapper trays from a poster with an optimistic smile - it's an interesting mix of old and new, but it's a good one. I brush my feet against the floor, sizing up the long bar of curries, rum cakes, and coconut desserts and wonder if Rainbow was the first tenant of this sunny spot in downtown Kitchener, scribbling absently about how kids-these-days might just grow up okay despite listening to Lady Gaga (next up on the stereo) sing about disco sticks if I (who is a self-professed lyrics girl) am only figuring out now how poignant some of my parents' favorite songs really were. Sometimes it takes time to listen differently; time and years. It took me 'til last week to discover that Tom Cochrane's "Big League" (a song - or, well, chorus - sung many a time as my family piled into our van to send my brother or sister off to an early-morning hockey game) is firmly rooted in tragedy.

I digress. Food and music, particularly their combination, can take you anywhere.

The roti I've ordered is massive; sweet-savoury and staining my fingers even as I carve it. It's too large to lift with anything resembling elegance, but this is a Very Good Thing - the roti wrap itself is pleasantly chewy without being dense, and it's packed with tender, slow-cooked chicken, potatoes, and onions. I can already tell I'll be taking the last third home for leftovers. Again! And I walked in starving. ...Now to guard the leftovers from M.

One day I'll make it to the goat curry; to the snapper dinner; to the Jamaican patties with their bright, flaky, egg-y pastry. I'm not usually the type to gravitate to a favorite and get stuck there, but there's a first time for everything.

When I wrote this first, it was during the heart of Oktoberfest, and I think I'd ventured Downtown in search of a schnitzel, but I'm definitely glad my feet turned me this way.

In other fantastic news, I noticed as I left Rainbow that Niko Niko is once again open for business! (It had been closed for some time due to smoke damage from the fire down the block.)

Event: Taste Local! Taste Fresh!

There are, I think, few better ways to welcome fall in than with a riot of fall colours, and fantastic, in-season, local food shared with an interesting mix of friends - and friends you've yet to meet.

And so, Foodlink's "Taste Local! Taste Fresh!" event was perfect for these colder days we've been finding ourselves in.

Taste Local! Taste Fresh! or #TLTF2011, as it's termed around the Twittersphere, ran for most of the afternoon on Sunday, September 18 out at the Riverside Meadows Park in St. Jacobs. I had the good fortune to be working as a volunteer behind the scenes, handing out custom pottery plates (by clay diva Vicky Davis) to attendees and snapping photos (and snagging tastes) whenever I was on break.

The vegan salad rolls from Fertile Ground and Seven Shores were delicious and gorgeous - as were the local flowers that Fertile Ground brought as a backdrop. I kept wanting to snag one for my hair, but was fairly certain this wouldn't go over well!

These two were one of twenty teams: 20 local farms and 20 culinary institutions (restaurants, catering companies, cafes, caterers...) were matched up for this event - one would provide feature ingredients and the other would make some culinary magic with them for the sampling delight of the 400+ attendees, volunteers, and participants.

It's wonderful to see this kind of support for local restaurants and farmers; given, in sunny, summery Ontario, "eating local" has gained some traction, but it's events like this that truly build a sense of community - if you know the farmer that grows the apples on your table (thanks to the folks at Martin's for the Honeycrisp, that said!) it can change the way you look at your food and connect with your community, often opening doors to new friendships and new experiences along the way.

Speaking of new experiences, one of my first samples was a pulled rabbit crostini with a marigold & peashoot slaw from Puddicombe House and Top Market Rabbitry. (YUM.)

I'd never tried rabbit before, and thought that Chef Lance's preparation was delicious. I don't think it will be a meat choice I will seek out regularly (particularly as, in my history at least, when it appears on a menu, it's to the tune of ~$40 for an entree) but it meshed beautifully with the piquant, fresh, and wonderfully colourful slaw and ultimately was a great "taste."

Despite a windy start, the day was gorgeous, and it was fun to people-watch as folks floated by on their own personal Cloud Nines with smoked apple gelato or pumpkin blinis in hand. I think everyone who I asked "so, any favorites yet?" had a different answer.

When walking around before the event started, I had to snap a shot of the homemade pepper jelly from the amazing team at Kitchener-Waterloo's Culinary Studio! These jars almost look like minature stained-glass windows, but their contents (a swirl of which was served, perched atop a freshly made corn donut with buttercream icing) was far more delicious.

Another perk of events like these can be the bits of education one picks up along the way. In this photo, you can see the results of when Baer's Vibrant Farms and Wildcraft teamed up to make a scrumptious sous-vide organic beef spiral served in a sesame cone with quinoa slaw.

As I snapped photos, I learned from the Wildcraft crew how the sous-vide cooking method works - it may not be the most visually attractive process, but it rendered delicious results!

All in all, it was an amazing event, and I already can't wait for next year's Taste Local! Taste Fresh! With luck, I'll be one of those aproned blurs working behind the scenes as a volunteer to help make it awesome, once again.

Review: Ennio's Pasta House (on King)

The Italian Soda cocktail at Ennio's Pasta House is a little like summer filtered into a glass. Not late summer, like what has found us now: cooler nights, turning leaves, and inescapable heat during the day, but the peak of summertime with its bright hue and Limoncello fizz - and the kick that surprises you when you rise to your feet; that, too.

Yum.

Thinking about seasons turns me maudlin and metaphorical (there's lengthy proof of that in my other blog) but then, the patio at Ennio's is a good place to reflect. It's a little noisy, what with facing King Street between University and Weber, but the high walls and central fireplace make it a comfortable space. I'd love to return and curl up on the couches that surround the fireplace, but was craving pasta, which is tricky to manage gracefully in slouchy chairs!

Instead, we headed for one of the patio tables; M snagged a glass of the Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon and threatened playfully that he'd steal my Soda (but didn't carry through, which was wise; it'd be a long walk home!)

My pasta came with a starter house salad, which I shared with M; as house salads go, its blend of iceberg and redleaf lettuces, cucumber, and a ribbon of carrot didn't seem very exciting (though the marinated rings of red onion were a piquant, nostalgic touch) but everything was very fresh and the Italian dressing served with it tasted homemade. Also, for a starter salad, it was large - and, once the two wholegrain buns and olive oil/basil pesto dipping tray arrived for us to nibble on, I knew I'd be bringing leftovers home.

In a list of things Taryn Likes Best, leftovers hit the top thirty, safe.

M ordered the Michelangelo pizza, and happily noted that Ennio's offers a whole wheat crust. I, on the other hand, smiled at his healthy choice and ordered a new addition to the menu: scallops, roasted red peppers, and asparagus in a saffron cream sauce with a "hint of citrus" over linguine was calling my name. It's a lot of flavours to fit together; it was the first pasta dish I've seen served with a lemon wedge in a very long time as well, but the lemon worked, tying flavours together. Very decadent.

The pizza (roasted chicken, mushrooms, and fresh basil, with a tomato base; there were either roasted red peppers or sundried tomatoes as well, but my memory is failing me and a couple of Google searches have not yielded the menu) was met with a grin. The pizza is generous - M usually finishes single-serving pizzas and then is hungry two hours later, but he left a couple of pieces for a late-night snack.

Our friendly server asked about coffee or dessert, but we declined, taking our leftovers homewards. Ennio's is one of those places that everyone knows about, and somehow feels like it; stories and lives, like some kinds of pasta, are made to be tangled up together (and for an evening, it was fun to be part of the mix.)

Gastronavigation: Dana Shortt Gourmet

It's funny - the longer I live in KW, the more I am grateful for services like Twitter.

After all, it was a wayward tweet that caused my feet to wander to Dana Shortt Gourmet, a catering/fine foods store just off of Erb in Waterloo. It hinted at a brand new "olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting bar" on the premises, and while I've enjoyed tasting bars at various Niagara wineries, this was something new.

Something new, and utterly fascinating. I made it past the rows of cupcakes and sample trays of shortbread cookies (though, I did try the brown sugar & chocolate shortbread cookies and left with a bag to share with friends) to turn the corner and find myself in the company of over thirty fusti of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, their contents clearly and cheerfully labeled.

I puttered about for a couple of moments, reading the descriptions posted on the front of each fusti and looking curiously towards the food pairings: pint-sized bocconcini salads and sample shot glasses of yogurt and granola, but wasn't sure where to begin (short of taking a couple of pictures.)

When I asked about taking photos, it opened up an entirely new opportunity - visiting the tasting bar became a tour as food expert Jennifer encouraged me to try different oils and vinegars, showing me how to swirl the sample glass of oil on my palm to warm it up before giving it a try. Some of the pairings were more unusual than others - she matched the yogurt with a blood orange olive oil - but it was surprisingly delicious.

From touring through the five "straight-up" olive oils (my favorite, an almost-fiery Hojiblanca, resides beside my stove) to sprinkling white truffle oil over some fresh-popped popcorn and sharing it with me, she was patient and knowledgeable, sharing facts and anecdotes with an easy smile.

One of my favorite stories involved their supplier, Veronica Foods. It turned out that one of Veronica's grand-daughters was not a fan of olive oil, so they worked to blend a mix of olive oil and herbs to create...

...and, yes, it does taste like butter.

I have an abiding love for all things citrus, and zoomed in on the lemon olive oil, which has a story all its own. This variant, as well as the lime and blood orange olive oils, were created through a process called "whole fruit infuse argumato" (which I did misspell; thank you to the folks @ Dana Shortt for catching it!) The concept behind it is that the citrus fruit which goes into the oil were grown in the same area as the olives, and the fruit and olives were pressed simultaneously, giving the oils a rich, bright flavour. I took a sample vial of this oil home, and have used it to great effect on spinach salads (matched with a lemon or cranberry-pear balsamic) and sole fillets since.

This process sets them apart from other variants, like garlic or chipotle, where the extra flavours are infused at a later point in the process.

One of the flavour options that I liked immediately was the wild mushroom & sage olive oil; rich, smooth, and almost smoky. On the other side of the bar was a dark chocolate balsamic, which, Jennifer assured me, could translate well to sweet or savoury dishes (ice cream or steak were the options suggested!)

One of the features that I liked best about Dana Shortt's tasting bar was how user-friendly its setup is. From the tasting-notes on each fusti to the "cocktails" beside each spout with a mixture of an olive oil and a vinegar that make a classic (garlic & butter) or quirky (blackberry-ginger & Persian lime) combination, it was a lot of fun to tour around. I tried a lot, talked a lot, and left with a lot left to try.

Like this 18-year-old balsamic vinegar (see: the massive fusti on the bottom shelf.) One day!

That said, if your feet are in a wandering kind of mood and you find yourself in Uptown, might I recommend indulging your inner chemist and food enthusiast? The tasting bar is complimentary, and the experience itself is a lot of fun.

On a completely different note, here's the best kind of PSA: butter tart competitions. Attendance is free, and the competitors are dynamite.

I suspect that the little heart shapes that have taken up residence in my eyes are bound to last for a while now.

Happy wandering! (And who knows? Maybe I'll see you there!)

Corrections (July 23/11): when blissfully overwhelmed, it can be hard to get all of the details right. Thanks to the folks at Dana Shortt for catching my scribing slip-ups: Veronica's grandchildren (not daughter) are the ones who inspired the butter olive oil; the citrus olive oils are whole-fruit infused; and the tasting bar has over twenty varieties and then some! The count is at 37 varieties of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegars, and other specialty gourmet oils - and (best of all) more varieties are due next week!