Review: Salsateria (Guelph)

My first patio dinner of the year is always a great moment - even if particularly stubborn cloud cover drove my friends and I to a nifty, curvy booth inside Salsateria after we'd devoured our Super Star nachos!

We were sufficiently starved after hiking around waterfalls and through fields of trout lilies on the Bruce Trail all afternoon, and found no respite (read: restaurants with patios) when driving through downtown Hamilton, which we'd eyed as our original dinner destination.*

Fortunately, one of our number knew that Guelph had no shortage of patios, so we trekked onwards and paused outside Salsateria, caught by the bright colours and lively music playing from inside (and the empty tables on the tiny patio that were currently in the sun.) Our server was quick with the menus and our sodas - we eyed the beer list, which looked both solid and very affordable, but the closest we came to beer was using our glasses of ginger ale and Coke to describe different beer varieties for a curious friend. Once our Rojo Chicken Super Star Nachos appeared, descriptions tapered off. The nachos, covered in tomatoes, cheese, green onions, and tender chicken cooked in a creamy-pimento salsa (faintly orange; very delicious) were a great starter, and though we eyed the trio of dips (Los Trio?) as a second appetizer, once our pizzas and burritos appeared, we were happy we'd saved space.

M and D ordered pizzas, choosing the "One Love" pizza sauce from a selection of four (one Italian-inspired, another Spanish; this one promised spice and mangoes, and I know that M has a weakness for both of those!) while choosing jerk chicken and beef as their proteins respectively (nice to see tofu on the list) and asking for "the works" - including broccoli florets! - for toppings. The broccoli added a jolt of colour and crispness to the pizzas, served on a thin crust that almost seemed like a hardier, chewier phyllo.

K and I went for the burritos (beef and rojo chicken, respectively; again, with "the works" - no broccoli, but green peppers, green onions, rice, beans, and caramelized onions make a stuffed and tasty burrito!) They were served with a small helping of corn tortilla chips and a mildly spicy and very flavourful salsa. Word on the Internet is that said salsa is for sale; though I didn't see any jars of it at the bar or near the door, I'd be interested in picking some up on a return trip.

Salsateria feels like a place with a history; the drink menu is still labeled with "Van Gogh's Ear" and some of the art on the raised ceiling panels feels like it may have been left over from this restaurant's last incarnation - but it fits the primary-coloured, warm, and mildly chaotic vibe. M eyed the stage and sound equipment at the far end of the restaurant with interest, wondering aloud how Salsateria would change in the wee hours, with live music and flickering lights. It's open 'til 2 AM on the weekend nights, and seems to be a popular late-night/post-club venue.

I suspect we'll be back to find out.

That said, happy patio season!

* = I mean no offense to Hamilton's restaurants, but we had our hearts set on a patio, and the direct route through combined with our general lack of knowledge of the area set us up for disappointment. That said - recommendations? ^____^

Event: Nick&Nat's Iron Chef Uptown Competition

Guest judging at the first of Nick & Nat's Iron Chef Uptown competitions for the season is shaping up to be one of my favorite KW memories. It had everything: fun hosts, great setting - must make it back to Nick & Nat's for their food soon! - amazing people, tasty food... And it was all for a good cause (raising money for the local food bank and for Foodlink, a local organization that, among other things, connects farmers with restauranteurs and other businesses.)

There was an incredible sense of energy and enthusiasm that bounced off every corner of the restaurant as two-man teams from Waterloo's Bauer Kitchen and Morriston's Enver's incorporated maple sap, maple woodchips, maple candy, and maple syrup into two innovative and delicious dinner menus. In under an hour.

Considering that it takes me about an hour to create a simple meal, my eyes widened in wonder as I watched the chefs shape gnocchi and slice apples into impossibly thin segments. The knife skill and control displayed by both teams was (while perhaps not surprising) almost mesmerizing. Scoring perch fillets and mincing maple candies seemed as easy as breathing.

This is one of my favorite photos from the night, even though nearly everything in it is blurry. It captures the speed with which the teams were moving and a little bit of the concentration and dedication that the Enver's team brought to the kitchen.

Here, gnocchi is being sliced into bite-sized pieces, before being combined with brussels sprouts, parmesan, bacon (?), maple syrup, spices, and mushrooms. Comfort food at its finest. (I admit now that I can't remember all of the ingredients or elements to the dishes, but I'll do my best to recall them.)

I was very, very happy to discover this morning that Enver's has gnocchi on their regular menu; there was a world of difference between what I tried at the judges' table and the plastic-wrapped insta-pasta that I usually pick up from the grocery store. (I may have used a metaphor involving the Sun and "that poor discounted planet, Pluto" to describe the difference between insta-pasta and Enver's pasta during my judge's review. On a mike. In front of the entire restaurant. But I think I made the chefs smile, so...)

More calmness-within-the-storm displayed as Mike from the Bauer Kitchen rolls out the pastry for their apple-maple-cinnamon tarte tatin.

Part of me thinks that when I upgrade to a DSLR camera one day, and almost all of my pictures turn out fully in focus, I might miss shots like this, where the subject's body is a blur but you can sense his concentration. I know I've looked at a blank sheet of paper or Word document with a similar expression: where will you take me? And, sometimes: why aren't you there yet?

Soon enough, "Welcome To The Jungle" was blaring over the loudspeakers, signaling the last five minutes of the competition. If possible, the chefs moved even faster.

Pouring, plating, decorating... to create the dishes below.

The Bauer Kitchen's first dish was a spring greens salad highlighted most memorably by warm goat cheese medallions and spicy-sweet maple candied pecans. The salad was one of my favorites, and, were I given a jar of the pecans, they would be gone in short order. Great, zippy vinaigrette, and one of the prettiest dishes, plating-wise.

Enver's first plate was a perch filet over a sweet potato (and/or squash? eep...) and bacon hash. I believe the fish was smoked with maple chips, and it was an unconventional choice that stood up well to the sweet-savoury hash. I really liked the orange orbital plating detail. I forget what it was composed of, but it was tasty.

Bauer Kitchen's maple-smoked scallops... mmm. Perfect texture and great flavour. The toffee-esque circles of caramelized maple sugar they're sitting upon were worth the work to get some off of the plate (eating it was similar to a good caramel apple; you feel your jaws stick together but you don't care.)

This stack by Enver's was one of the most innovative. Plated on spinach drizzled with a great white wine (and maple?) vinaigrette was a piece of garlic-rubbed bread topped with the Cyprian cheese halloumi (which I've only ever seen before served in a skillet with some olive oil and lemon - this was a great twist!) I'm not certain if the judges knew decisively whether the meat was proscuitto, duck, or duck proscuitto, and while I lean towards at least some duckish element, it complimented the mild cheese and zip of the salad. The green-onion-looking garnish is a garlicky frond of "ramps," or wild leeks! I've seen these growing wild along the Iron Horse Trail, and always wondered what they were...

TBK's pork chop with fingerling potatoes was massive and beautifully tender. No cardboard pork here! I liked the thyme incorporated into the potatoes, and the mild smoke notes in every bite of pork. Very satisfying. I didn't get a very good angle on the maple squash puree underneath, but it was a lovely compliment.

Gnocchi, gnocchi, gnocchi! I blame M for getting me hooked on these tasty, doughy dumplings in the first place - Enver's made my favorite plate of them to date. Complex and comforting... if you're ever puzzled as to what to do with brussels sprouts, may I recommend this?

The tarte tatin rounded out The Bauer Kitchen's menu. Sweet with a great mixture of cinnamon and vanilla bean from the ice cream, this dessert was all about tastes and textures, from the caramelized pastry to the smooth ice cream. We judges were in accord that the apples were "just right" in texture.

Baked, smoked ricotta ravioli may sound like an odd choice for dessert, but teetering over and served with a maple pecan and fresh apple hash, the smoky flavour of the ricotta played off of the sweet maple ridiculously well. It may have broken my brain in the first couple of bites, but this was my other favorite of the night.

And now (understandably) I'm off to find some food. Writing this post has definitely whetted my appetite!

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: Village Creperie (with a side of history)

Oh and I changed my whole menu last night due to our conversations and made crepes. I had a creamed steak and broccoli and roasted garlic and pepper crepe and a scallop with ginger and green onion and peppers with the Mango, ginger, jalopeno sauce crepe served with a salad. Everyone enjoyed it! So thanks for the inspiration!


This, I think (excerpted from a recent e-mail with my Mom; I recounted the awesome pre-V-Day dinner that M and I enjoyed at the Village Creperie to her, and she completely rerouted the family dinner that night as a result) is a big part of why I'm a fledgling foodie. ^_~ It could be said that we breathe food, a little, in my family.

I love you, Mom. Never change. ♥


That said, I've been waiting to try the Village Creperie since arriving in KW in August, and it lived up to my expectations! Nestled in Belmont Village behind an unprepossessing storefront (though I covet the quirky vintage font used in the signage), we opened the door that night to a bit of Brittany brought to the Tricities.

The ambience is charming and romantic; tealights and overhead lights cast a soft glow over the twelve or so tables and long bar, and the hostess and servers were amiable and welcoming.

I would happily return for my crepe - a special, featuring slow-roasted chicken cooked in a Riesling wine sauce with mushrooms, onions, and topped with peas. The side salad of baby greens and tomatoes added crunch and variety, and left space for dessert! M's eye was caught by the smokey Texas chili galette (buckwheat crepe) stuffed with beef, garlic, chipotles, kidney beans, peppers, and aged cheddar, and the bite I was able to negotiate away from him was delicious.

We lingered over our wine (a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and an Italian Pinot Grigio) as we narrowed down dessert options; M's smile grew impossibly once his dessert crepe with ice cream and chocolate sauce descended, and I'm sure mine mirrored his as I took in the sight of my fresh fruit and dulce du leche crepe, topped with more fruit and toasted pecans. My crepe was tasty (I never even had a chance with M's) but I'll be back for it in the summertime to see if the fruit selection changes; the grapes and citrus fruits were a bright counterpoint to the richness of the dulce du leche, but the grapes were somewhat unwieldly. I'm thinking strawberries and raspberries (and peaches, yum) will be much more amenable. M ordered an Americano with his crepe, and he praised its flavour and aroma highly (and bounced most of the way home.)

As we ordered and received our dessert, the restaurant filled up quickly; I recommend calling in advance for reservations, especially on weekends.

Bon appetit!

Review: Watami Sushi & Sake Bar

There is nothing sadder than having two plates of gorgeous maki arrive at your table and realizing your camera's memory card is still tucked into your laptop. As it is, I'll do my best to paint a mental picture of the sushi artistry that Watami creates.

After enjoying the gorgeous dance scenes and creeping madness of Black Swan at the Princess Twin, a friend and I turned our feet down King in search of eats. I'd been eying Watami since "Opening Soon" signs showed up in Charbries' darkened windows, and suggested it as we passed by.

We ducked in, and were shown to a table between the crackling fireplace and a brightly-lit fishtank; both features, along with the artwork, created a comfortable and mildly upscale ambience that hinted at the attention to detail to come with our food. Watami's decorative palette is bold - warm reds, browns, and blacks - but the lighting makes it welcoming, not overwhelming.

The menu is detailed, clear, and honestly massive - particularly as the "a la carte" options include sashimi, sushi, maki, or hand-roll styles (choose one of nineteen varieties of seafood/fish, then choose your prep method). I plan to come back for that, and sit by the chefs and watch them work their magic. It was one of my favorite things to do when I was eating out in Japan, although my absolute favorite chef was the main ramen cook at this tiny diner literally called "Ramen Stand" in my hometown. He never stopped moving, and to this day, I've never found ramen to match his.

Digressions aside, although the Ginger Wasabi roll (fresh salmon with ginger and wasabi) and Kansai Sushi ("fresh fish on top of Kansai style box sushi" - sounding a lot like a blend between Kansai (Osaka-Kyoto region) and Tokyo-style chirashizushi) caught my eye, and we puzzled over the Tex Mex roll (diced tomatoes with fresh tuna and avocado on top of a California roll? Fusion, sometimes you break my brain) - we decided on the Spider Roll and Watami on King.

The rolls offer a lot of selection, but are accessible to most levels of sushi enthusiast; several of the more complex rolls are elaborations on the shrimp tempura (Red/Black/Green Dragons; Ice&Fire) and California rolls (Rainbow/Watami/Tex Mex), and Watami also makes vegetarian and cooked rolls (Teriyaki Chicken or Beef.)

S and I watched the Sushi Lover Boat for Two sail past us, and almost changed our order (huge and gorgeous; come with an appetite) but we were definitely happy with our choices when they arrived.

Great attention was paid to plating; the Spider roll was plated over a spiderweb of sauce, and the cooked soft-shell crab wrapped up in a whirlwind of lettuce, tobiko, and sushi rice was delicious. I particularly liked how two of the crab legs spiked up from the rolls, giving them an extra sense of drama... and more seafood for us to enjoy.

The Watami on King rolls were a tasty multi-bite affair. Definitely not for purists, these California rolls are topped by a seafood salad turned pink by the mixture of mayo and tobiko that keeps it together. I will admit to raising an eyebrow (they reminded me of nothing quite so much as cupcakes in appearance) but restaurants usually don't attach their names to something questionable, so we grinned at each other and dug in. Yum. Like chirashizushi, this dish is a good way for chefs to use fish that might not be shaped perfectly for sashimi, and I caught tastes of salmon, tuna, crabstick, and hamachi as I ate through the salad to get to the California roll (to continue the metaphor, much like eating the icing first!)

We debated ordering a third roll to share, but decided to take a walk to give our stomachs room for dessert. With tax and tip (and tea, which I think was provided at no charge and speedily refilled by our excellent server), our bill was in the mid-twenties; definitely a solid late lunch.

One thing that caught my eye about Watami was that they almost always have a long table for 8-10 people set against the front window, and that this table is almost always full. I'm hoping to organize a dinner that will need that table - I think that it will make for a fun night out, and be a great chance to try a lot of sushi. Maybe by then they will have added umeshu, which is a Japanese plum wine, to their menu; a girl can hope!



Watami Sushi & Sake Bar
15 King Street N
Waterloo ON
ph: 519-747-1100

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.

Gastronavigation: Chianti, Sugarbowl (Edmonton)

I have to admit it: when I went back to Edmonton for Christmas, I had a food list.

I'm not saying that Culina's dark chocolate and blue cheese steak, or the Hardware Grill's lobster mac & cheese, or Da-De-O's sweet potato fries, or the Manor's spinach salad, or Duchess' macarons are the best in the city (though you won't steer wrong if you order them at all), but I missed them, just as I missed walking around the River Valley or trying to figure out (as I do yearly) whether I shoot left or right in my family's yearly road hockey games.

(For the record, I shoot left.)

Having my sister gift me with a "Sister Lunch" was a bonus! However, something we're known for, and should have expected going in, is what we tend to call "adventure" and what a more honest person might call "getting lost/distracted/detoured and ending up somewhere else altogether". We were headed to Hudson's on Whyte for bison burgers (bison being on my list) and to watch one of the World Junior hockey games (hockey games being, always, on my sister's list)... only to discover that said pub was closed for renovations!

So it was with hungry eyes that we turned our eyes westbound down Whyte, succumbing to the warmth and nostalgia (and $7.99 all-day pasta specials!) featured at Chianti.

Chianti is a Whyte institution, hosted in an old Post Office and easy to spot as it's capped by a green-roofed clocktower. It's one of the first restaurants that I remember visiting, so it was, in part, nostalgia that steered our steps. I've had family dinners and birthday dinners and first dates and breakups and hey-we're-just-friends lunches hosted under its tall ceilings, looking out onto the Ave or taking in the classical prints and neon printouts of upcoming concerts. I don't know if I've ever wandered off the pasta menu (there are a lot of options!) but while it's by no means haute cuisine, I've always left very happy and full!

After sharing a couple of laughs with our server (who was an old soccer teammate and friend of my brother's) I ordered the Fettuccine Fulminante: thick homemade noodles with baby shrimp, smoked salmon, onions, and black olives in a curry-cream sauce, and my sister, craving pesto, ordered the Penne alla Pollo with chicken, tomatoes, and peas.

Her dish was tasty - although peas strike me as unconventional, they added a sweet note to the savoury flavours of the tomatoes and basil pesto - but the Fulminante is an old favorite and I dug into it with gusto. There's something awesome about the rich, smoky combination of the olives and salmon combined with the yellow curry sauce (something that I probably should have figured out how to cook by now, but there's also something to be said about going out!) Defeated after eating about two-thirds of the generous serving, I declared myself too full for a shared order of Da-De-O's cajun sweet potato fries (we'd toyed with the idea pre-lunch), and trekked across the river so I could introduce my sister to Duchess Bake Shop.

Strike two - the bakery was closed between the 1st and 10th of January - but I did get an interesting photo of their gingerbread Notre Dame!

Not to be fazed by this setback, we rallied and turned even further west to Vi's for Pies, whose tasty soups and knockout desserts I discovered far too late in my days in Edmonton. Unfortunately, they were also closed for the holidays!

Fortunately, the Sugarbowl welcomed us warmly, and a square of banana cream pie and a massive serving of bread pudding were soon in front of us. The banana pie was smooth and tasty, and was probably the wiser choice given that we'd just eaten pasta - but I hadn't had bread pudding in ages and couldn't resist. I'll return and defeat it, one day, or share it with a friend: delicious and formidable, topped with soft, real whipped cream and peppered with raisins, banana, and caramel, it's a great decadence for a cold day, and effectively added itself to my Food List for future trips.

While the Sugarbowl's hard seats don't look like you could spend hours in them over coffee, portabella burgers, or exotic lagers without losing feeling, they are oddly comfortable, and service is quirky, quick, and personable. With its proximity to the University, most diners were either students or professors, but it shouldn't be dismissed, with its awe-inspiring beer list (it's even longer in real life), exposed brick and wood walls, and casually stylish staff as for-hipsters-only. The Sugarbowl has been around since the '40s and has been a "Belgian-style cafe" since the late 80s, serving up microbrews and unique ales far prior to the current fascination for beers beyond Bud. It's definitely worth a visit.

This day, complete with detours, was a perfect gift - a chance to literally gastronavigate for a few hours and take someone awesome along with me.