Gastronavigation: TERRA at Home Market

It started with a wayward Tweet on a Thursday afternoon, in which I heard about Manual Labour Coffee, a mobile espresso bar based in part out of Dundas (and in part out of a vintage Bailey Travel Trailer named Frankie), and shared this finding with M.  

M, in turn, tracked down their website, quickly fell into admiration, and shared with me that they would be part of the TERRA at Home Market that Saturday in Burlington. And thus, a road trip was born.

The premise behind this winter market is a little magical, not least to me; I make the joke with a wistful smile that I must have been a plant in a past life, as I operate a thousand times better when it's sunny outside or when surrounded by green, growing things. 

So, this greenhouse just outside of Burlington made the perfect escape for us from the grey skies and cold last weekend. Stepping in, it's easy to be distracted by tall palms, stunning orchids, and hardy cacti, but if you wind past the pots of hyacinths and callas, you'll find yourself in the market, lured instead by the sweet-salty smell of kettle corn (be sure to sample the cinnamon variant!) or the precise fire of a blue-flame torch over creme brulee cheesecakes.

We visited most of the stalls, coming away with everything from organic rutabagas to Hario coffee drippers. Meanwhile, M was in coffee heaven as he talked preparation methods and bean origins with the friendly and extremely knowledgeable team at Manual Labour. Even though coffee levels me with headaches and jitters, I walked away with a dark chocolate and chipotle cookie, which was glorious: smoky-bittersweet, chewy, and the best kind of unusual.

We entrusted our growling stomachs to the naked sprout, splitting the kale salad and sweet potato & parsnip soup. (It tasted great, and has to be at least some positive food karma for the mix of superfoods and veggies therein.) Kale has always been a food I've danced around; not deliberately, but as friends swore by kale chips or carried massive fronds through farmers' markets, I'd find myself distracted by Brussels sprouts sold while still on their stalk or new varieties of apple (or, okay, Anna Tolazzi's chocolates; those too.)  

I'm happy to report that the naked sprout's salad was a good introduction to kale. The cashew sour cream swirl on top of the soup was also delicious, lending an almost-citrus-y counterpoint to the rich, mildly sweet flavours of the sweet potato and parsnip. Perfect for warming up after dashing outside to drop off round one of our purchases (say what you will, but potatoes and rutabagas become heavy over time!)

The greenhouse setting was great for taking a break to eat lunch, but also talking with the vendors and other folks as we wandered.  

Although the market was busy, we never felt rushed or crowded, and covered in conversation everything from the schematics necessary to make road trips for cheese curds to the politics of organic farming; debated the merits of rainbow trout pate versus smoked salmon (the trout won); and talked truffles and Valentines with The Little Truffle Maker (and her husband, the Big Truffle Maker, who had the best aprons in the Market and wonderful smiles. And dangerously tasty truffles - if you can, sample the Orange Heat!)

It was a busy afternoon, but a wonderful one - if you find yourself in Burlington or Milton (where another Terra market has just started up) over a weekend, it can be a great way to connect with local farmers, chefs, and innovators - and is a welcome burst of colour. Spring's just around the corner, after all...

Happy wandering!

Gastronavigation: Caffeination

...I've been a lazy blogger as of late, but am looking to change that.

Starting off easy, with photos taken while wandering through the various (awesome) independent coffee stores that KW has to offer.

Cafe Pyrus is relatively new to the coffee scene, but they definitely look like they know what they're doing. While the armchairs and couches look like they got lost on the way to being part of a John Hughes set, they are also ridiculously comfortable (and ideally positioned to soak up afternoon sun while sipping on a perfectly lemony iced tea - not too sweet! I, sadly, did not take a picture of it.) I liked the nifty lime, pomegranate, and jasmine plants on the windowsill (you can just see some tiny limes!)

Sammich [sic] is one of the few misspellings that my recalcitrant English-major side will let slide. The funky monocled pear and sly sense of humour used throughout Cafe Pyrus' vegan menu is fun as well.

I loved the open baskets of beans at Kitchener's Matter of Taste from the first moment I walked in. There's just something beautifully sensual about it (and yes, I restrained myself from poking at the beans. But only barely, and out of consideration for fellow coffee enthusiasts.)

The ensemble of Bourbon Street vanilla rooibos tea and cheese croissant for me, and Americano and blueberry-oatmeal (?) muffin for M. All yummy. One day, I should really ask who does their architectural-meets-graffiti-overlay artwork that hangs on Matter of Taste's walls. There's one with lots of reds and an old brick building that I covet quite considerably!

I (finally!) stopped back at Cafe O for an espresso-based beverage... and found their latte delicious and a perfect afternoon pick-me-up (the prettily-swirled soft foam was a visual bonus.) Sadly, they were out of those epic almond croissants... another time!

Where have you been wandering? Is there anywhere I should send my feet towards?

Review: Matter of Taste (Kitchener)

One of my resolutions for 2011 (say what you will) is to stop holding grudges.

In this case, to stop holding grudges with undeserving-of-said-grudge coffee shops. After surprisingly rude treatment by one of the employees at Uptown Waterloo's Matter of Taste on my first visit there, I'd steered clear of both locations until a blustery day steered our feet Downtown. M had a craving for an Americano, and I just wanted to feel my toes again. On our first trip past the storefront, M looked over with a hopeful smile, I made some sort of grumbly noise, and we trekked on.

But as luck (and Sunday hours) would have it, we ended up back in front of Kitchener's Matter of Taste. Neither of us had been to this location before, so I swallowed my fear of snarly baristas and followed M.

Said fear disappeared immediately. MoT offers an almost academic sensory overdose, not in the sense of rulers and pencils, but an offering of ideas and histories and flavours, if you're interested in digging deeper. I was distracted by the open baskets of coffee beans, the almost-abstract landscapes with graffiti overlay on the walls, the charts of coffee aromas and how to tie them all together, the (sadly occupied but definitely comfortable-looking) armchairs and couches... it took M ordering his Americano to bring me back to the menu. I requested a London Fog, and we snagged one of the tables after the young man at the counter told us he'd bring our drinks out (definitely a nice touch!)

Both drinks were what we needed - M needed the caffeine kick and enjoyed that the Americano's strong flavours broke through the haze a stubborn cold put on his sense of taste, and I enjoyed the vanilla kick and perfectly foamed milk of my Fog. According to their website, MoT actually holds latte art competitions, where baristas create artistic masterpieces on the surface of foamed milk.

We stayed for a second round; M grabbed a coffee and I ventured to the tea shelf and "smell tested" the sample vials of the black and green teas (completely missing the shelf of herbal, white, and rooibos), and chose the green Cinnamon Sibu. (YUM.)

Toes warmed and well-caffeinated, we headed out into the chill - but we'll be back.

Review: Cafe O

Much like seasons, some foods are tied to times in your life. We can't help it; pairing certain foods with certain occasions comes naturally (it's what's in season) or sometimes with help from local vendors (it's what's available at the sporting venue; hello there, arena beer).

Short story long, almond-paste desserts will always hearken back to elementary school Christmas concerts; one of the moms at the school also ran a bakery, and would bring these amazing desserts with puffed pastry, slivered almonds, and almond paste in the middle in large rings of delicious to help fundraise for the school. Every year, my family would buy one, and my siblings and I would be on rations, lest we eat it all in one sitting. (It happened. Once.)

Since then, I've looked for something with a similar taste, having never been able to find its equal (or the name of the original). Last Saturday, I was delighted to find that Cafe O's almond croissant was one of the closest matches to date.

Light yet substantial, sweet yet not cloying, the crispy pastry complimented the smooth, almondy filling perfectly. I'm no pastry expert, but I was a very happy camper from my first bite on! M's cinnamon twist looked delicious, too.

My Mont Blanc chai was, perhaps, ambitious, but I have a weakness for chai and candied chestnuts (and the Symposium amaretto chai had been delicious) so I went for it. Unfortunately, while enjoyable, it KO'd my considerable sweet tooth and lacked the richness I had been hoping for from the chestnuts, or the spice-heavy aromas that I've been hooked on since Remedy Cafe first introduced me to chai. Maybe chai is milder on this side of the Canadian Shield?

The experience in overall was really lovely. Cafe O will see us again; they serve an array of impressive sweets, tarts, and cakes that all but ask to be sampled. The staff are all welcoming, friendly, and knowledgeable (and seem like family). As a plus, the wi-fi worked well, much to M's delight (but they have limited outlets, so stake out your table if that's why you're there!) and the atmosphere is comfortable, well-lit, and quietly stylish. Points for the deep-set, swiveling armchairs.

If you're looking for a chill place to catch up with friends over coffee and a pastry, Cafe O is a great addition to the options that K-W offers.

Review: Symposium (Waterloo)

Symposium is a good place to curl up in the evening with a dessert and a friend, a date, or a book*.

I was lured in by a "cake tour" - seriously, who refuses an offer like that? - and ended up spending a great summer evening talking over Colossus chocolate cake and their signature Chocolate Brownie cheesecake. Yum.

If you like your chai lattes mild in flavour but with a spiked twist, the amaretto chai is worth a try. It's definitely not as spiced as other chai I've tried, but this makes a tasty after-dinner drink.

*Unfortunately, depending on how busy it gets, some small print on their menu notes that tables may be limited to 45 minutes - I'm not certain if, or how often this happens, though.


Note: The above was first posted on urbanspoon on Sept 2, 2010.

Addenda: I've since been back to Symposium twice; once for cake (the Turtle cheesecake this time around; tasty, but could have been nuttier) and once for a book club meeting, during which I mulled over a Blueberry Tea (delicious, but served with a 2% creamer on the side, which puzzled me. Generous servings of tea and amaretto, though, and reasonably priced.)