Origin: Tapas, Godzilla & A Young Stormtrooper

Toronto has plenty of excellent restaurants, a diverse collection of cuisines, so how do you decide where to dine if you only have a day or two?  You should read up on the restaurant scene, checking reviews, as well as seek personal recommendations. Consult the restaurant websites, viewing their menus and drink lists.  If good food is important to you, the research is well worth the effort. In the end, part of the decision will also be an emotional feeling, how you feel in the gut about a certain place.

For my first night in Toronto, I wanted a more casual restaurant, something close to my hotel. After a few hours traveling in the car, I just wanted a place to relax but I still wanted good food, especially if it were locally sourced.  So I decided on Origin, a tapas-style restaurant owned by Chef Claudio Aprile, who also owns Colborne Lane. The kitchen at Origin is run by Chef de Cuisine Steve Gonzalez, who has long worked with Aprile. It is a casual place, with a quirky and fun style, and was quite busy on a Sunday evening.

There are two main dining areas, one which includes a lengthy bar and the other which has an open kitchen. You can even sit in front of the open kitchen, watching the cooks prepare all of your dishes. That is where we sat, and it was enjoyable to watch all of the kitchen activity. In a small, private dining area, you'll see a large ceiling light, covered by hundreds of kaiju, Japanese monsters such as Godzilla and Mothra. Just a cool, funky light that enhances the vibe of this quirky restaurant.

The menu is eclectic, with plenty of Spanish and Asian influences, and consists of Sides & Snacks ($3-$9), Raw Bar ($9-$17), Mozzarella Bar ($16), Chilled ($9-$16) and Hot ($6-$27, with a single $79 entree). Many of their ingredients are locally sourced. In general, their small plates are meant to be shared, and I am a big fan of these type of places as it is a great way to sample a variety of dishes. There were plenty of items on the menu which appealed to me, so it took some time to decide on what I wanted that night.  They also have a full bar menu, including a number of local wines and beers.

We began with Smoked Cod Croquettes ($6) with Saffron Aioli, which resembled small donut holes. They had moist centers, with a strong smoky flavor and plenty of sweet cod. Very tasty, I could have easily popped a half-dozen more of them into my mouth.

Next up, was the Bufala Mozzarella ($16) with pear, rosemary oil, pinenuts and honey atop crostini. These flavors and textures worked very well together, from the creamy mozzarella to the sweet honey. The moist pear slices added both to the taste and mouthfeel of the dish. Another winner of a plate, and I expect the other mozzarella dishes would be equally as delicious.

A larger dish was the Chorizo ($19) with manchego rice, poached egg, salsa verde and dried black olive. This was a superb dish, another harmonious blend of flavors and textures. The meaty chorizo was savory with nice spices, though without much heat, and the manchego rice was more like a creamy risotto, enhanced by the gooey egg yolk. Two people can easily share this dish, though you might fight over who gets the last forkfuls of rice.

We also ordered a side of Spicy Spanish fries ($9) with chorizo and manchego, and the first time the dish came to our table, the chorizo was cold to the touch. I asked the cook about it, who immediately took the dish back, throwing it away, and prepared a new dish for us. It was a very good dish, with crispy fries and plenty of toppings.

I ended the meal with a Cream Soda Float, with vanilla soft serve. If you are used to U.S. cream soda, you might be surprised to learn that Canadian cream soda is often pink in color, and can have more of a red fruit taste. There was lots of ice cream in the glass, and I enjoyed the different flavor of the cream soda. And I'll admit I didn't know Canadian cream soda was different when I ordered it, but my dining companion did know that fact.

Overall, the service was very good, with the cooks sometimes serving us our food as we were sitting in front of the open kitchen. I very much enjoyed all of the food, which evidenced compelling blends of different tastes and textures. Though it is not inexpensive, you are getting high quality food so the prices are not outrageous. Plus, it has a fun vibe, definitely avoiding pretension. I would return and recommend that other visitors to Toronto check it out.

One of the restaurant walls has the above picture, which may cause you make a double take. Yes, this is a fun place.

Brick Street Bakery & SOMA: Delights of the Distillery District

With only a short time to explore Toronto, I needed to be very selective as to my destinations.  I knew that I had to visit the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company, located in the Distillery Historic District. This district consists of restored Victorian Industrial buildings, with restaurants, art galleries, fashion shops, cafes, jewelry stories, theaters and more.  The streets also have some intriguing artwork, including some large and fascinating metal sculptures.  While waiting for the sake brewery to open, I wandered through the area, sampling a few of the district's delights.

The Brick Street Bakery uses many local, natural ingredients, producing a variety of breads, cookies, pastries, baked goods, pies, sandwiches and much more. Everything looked very appealing, and I bought an assorted bag of pastries, from Eccles cakes to croissants. An Eccles cake is a British pastry, a flaky cake stuffed with currants.  Everything I tasted was fresh and delicious, most items costing about $2-$3.

Various tarts, from chocolate to lemon.

A line-up of fresh loaves of bread, from Basil Parsley Sourdough to Corn Bread.

Cookies, including Butter Shortbread, Oatmeal and Eccles.

Overall, I was very pleased with the quality and diversity of the products, and I would return again. The croissant and brioche was both light and fresh, and especially good.

Another compelling destination is SOMA Chocolate, an artisan chocolate making shop which produces small batches from the cacoa bean. They use mostly Fair Trade and organic ingredients, and make a variety of products, including hot chocolate, chocolate bars, truffles, pralines, caramels, cookies, gelato, and more.

There are large glassed-in areas where you can watch them producing chocolate, though they were not making any chocolate at the time I visited.

These are but some of the individual chocolates available, and there are plenty of chocolate bars also available, from milk chocolate to dark chocolate, including chocolates of various origins.

I decided to try some of their hot chocolate, available as One Short Intense Shot, a Mug with Steamed Milk or a Mug with Hot Water. I got two types, the Spicy Mayan and Classic Dark Side, in the One Short Intense Shot size, $3.50 each.  Though both look alike, they are certainly different in taste, despite some similarities. Both are thick and rich, coating your throat and mouth with velvety chocolate. The flavors are very intense, with the Mayan having an intriguing spicy blend with hints of heat.  Out of the two, the Classic Dark most appealed to me, and due to its rich intensity, you really don't need more than a small cup. Definitely one of the best hot chocolates I have tasted in a long time and highly recommended.

I also had a small cup of Thai Coconut Sorbetto, which was smooth and creamy, with an intense coconut flavor.  Intensity of flavor seems to be a common denominator for SOMA's products, and that flavor seems natural and not artificial. Prices might be considered high, but then you are also receiving high quality products, made from top notch ingredients, so you should expect to pay more. To me, the items are worth the price as they deliver the taste you will crave. This should be a must-visit destination if you visit Toronto.

The Cookbook Store: Toronto

Why isn't there an independent bookstore in the Boston area dedicated to food and drink? I think that is a gap which a clever, food-loving entrepreneur could fill. There is Stir, but its selection is relatively small and it is more dedicated to being a demonstration kitchen. The major chains all have food & drink sections but they are not independent and usually lack the more esoteric titles.  Boston needs a specialized food & drink bookstore with a significant inventory of both new, esoteric and used titles.

The closest such bookstore is probably Rabelais in Portland, Maine, a worthy destination for a day trip. Other cities around the country have excellent food & drink book stores, such as Omnivore Books in San Francisco, California. Whenever I travel, I seek out such stores, if they exist in the city I am visiting.  Most recently, I had the opportunity to visit The Cookbook Store in Toronto. Located on Yonge Street, at the intersection of Yorkville Avenue, it is easy to find, and there is a parking lot nearby.

The Cookbook Store has been around for over 25 years, and the store manager, Alison Fryer, has been there from the beginning. It is a small store, but there are thousands of books lining the shelves, separated into various categories, from International to Vegetarian. Essentially, all of the books appear to be new and in print, and include a number of more esoteric titles.  You will also find books by Canadian authors and publishers that you won't find in the U.S., such as the fascinating Taste Buds and Molecules by Francois Chartier. Unfortunately, they do not carry used or antiquated books, which would make it an even better store.

The books are well organized and neat, so it is easy to peruse the shelves and you could easily spend a few hours checking out all the available titles. There are even a few chairs where you can sit as you skim through the various cookbooks and other food-related titles. The store also runs many different events, hosting numerous authors and famous culinary professionals, as well as running demonstrations and seminars. I am sure this is a very popular destination with local food lovers, and it is good that the locals are supportive of this independent shop.

Overall, I enjoyed the store and wished I could have spent more time perusing the titles. I purchased a couple interesting books, which are not readily available in the U.S. As I mentioned earlier, my only minor complaint is that the store does not carry used or antiquated books like Rabelais and Omnivore Books. If you visit Toronto, stop by the store and find something new to read and enjoy.

Rant: How Memorable is TasteCamp?

Two weeks ago, under dreary skies, I visited the vineyards and wineries of the Niagara region, both on the Canadian and New York sides. This was TasteCamp North, the third such wine blogger conference and I have been pondering various matters about the event since then. One of the questions that came to mind concerned the overall impact of TasteCamp, and whether the attendees would still be talking about Niagara wines in a year from now. And of course that made me consider whether the attendees of the TasteCamps in Long Island and the Finger Lakes still talked about those wines. What is the long term impact of TasteCamp?

I have attended all three TasteCamps so feel I have a good understanding of them. TasteCamp is a small, intimate wine conference, limited to approximately 30-40 bloggers and their significant others.  Lenn, of the New York Cork Report, deserves much of the credit for originating the concept of TasteCamp, though numerous others have contributed to creating and arranging the three TasteCamp events. The main idea is to highlight some lesser known wine regions, areas which don't often garner much attention in wine print media.

Over a three day period, you visit numerous wineries, meet various wine makers, and have the opportunity to taste 200+ wines. It is an intense weekend, dedicated to an educational experience concerning the wine region. Yet there is plenty of fun to be had as well, and overall it is an extremely enjoyable time. There are no seminars or classes on blogging, though some independent discussion inevitably occurs. The weekend is devoted to wine. In those respects, it is a much different experience than the Wine Bloggers Conference.

The attendees pay for much of the trip themselves, such as travel and hotel costs, though some of the meals are partially or totally subsidized. Plus, there is not a cost for the various tastings. The attendees are not obligated to write about TasteCamp, and if they do write something, they have full discretion to write whatever they feel, whether positive or negative. Obviously, it is hoped and encouraged that the bloggers will choose to write about their experiences. And everyone should be able to find at least a few story ideas out of the weekend.  

Though only two weeks have passed since TasteCamp North, it has already generated over 25 blog posts, with more to come. That certainly seems a very promising start, garnering plenty of publicity for the Niagara region. TasteCamp Finger Lakes and TasteCamp Long Island each generated at least 50 posts. How many articles about these regions have appeared in wine print media during the last three years?  I bet there have been only a handful of printed articles at best.

Besides the blog posts, TasteCamp also generated hundreds of tweets, before the event, during the event and after the event. Those tweets reach many thousands of wine lovers all across the world, giving lots of exposure to the wine region. Less documentable, TasteCamp also generates plenty of word of mouth recommendations concerning the wine regions. There are also additional benefits, from attendees who purchase wine from these regions, to attendees that might even become wine ambassadors.

I am curious though as to whether the wineries involved in TasteCamp consider all of that sufficient coverage and publicity for participating in TasteCamp. The participating wineries do incur expenses, including time, money and product. Do they feel they obtain a good return on their investment? To me, I think the overall wine region receives plenty of great coverage, more than they might receive from many other events. With the wine print media, some of these wine regions might see only one or two articles in a year. With TasteCamp, a region is likely to garner over 50 articles, many hundreds of tweets, and much more.

Particular wineries from each region may only receive a little, if any, specific coverage. I am sure that may disappoint those wineries, but there are no guarantees of coverage. They may feel their investment was largely wasted. Speaking for myself, some of the participating wineries do not offer wines that excite me, and sometimes the wines are just not very good at all. I prefer to highlight the wines which most impressed me, or the stories which most fascinated me.  I have little motivation to write reviews of mediocre or poor wine. Maybe a lack of coverage should be a wake-up call to those wineries to step up their game.

I am especially curious though as to how memorable TasteCamp is for the attendees. Does it have a lasting impact? Or is its influence limited to the immediate period surrounding the event?  As for myself, it has had a lingering effect and I still discuss and recommend wines and wineries from both Long Island and the Finger Lakes. I know people who have made plans to visit these regions and I have offered suggestions of which wineries they should visit.  Prior TasteCamp wines have been included in my year-end Top Ten Wine lists, and I think it is likely that at least one, if not more, Niagara wines will end up on my 2011 Top Ten Wine lists.

But am I alone? Or do many TasteCamp attendees feel the same way?  It is a given that the attendees who live in the respective wine regions will continue to talk and write about those wines. But what about the outsiders, especially when most of the wines from these regions are not available outside of the region? Even though Massachusetts is next to New York, few wines from New York make it to our wine store shelves. So I cannot locally find some of my favorite wines from Long Island and the Finger Lakes.

From some limited discussions with other attendees, it seems that a number of them are like me, and still talk about wines from prior TasteCamps. So at least anecdotally, it appears that TasteCamp can have a lingering effect on attendees. But I would like more evidence to support that theory, and to see what percentage of attendees feel that same way. If it is a significant percentage, then TasteCamp generates more than immediate publicity, but also creates permanent advocates for a region. And that is a valuable thing.

So, if you have attended the prior TasteCamps, please tell me whether you still discuss and/or write about the wines and wineries from those regions.  If not, please give an explanation.

Let us answer the question: How memorable is TasteCamp?

51 Lincoln: Local, Artisanal & Delicious

The suburbs often don't get enough credit for having some top notch restaurants. Boston and Cambridge garner most of the publicity, thus some of the best suburban restaurants remain largely hidden treasures, known mainly to locals or others in the know. I have to admit that I knew little of 51 Lincoln until very recently, when it seemed to pop up more and more in the news. But, it is well deserving of even more attention and gets my highest recommendation.

I recently ate at 51 Lincoln as part of a media dinner, and I will be hurrying back to experience even more of its cuisine.  The restaurant has been around for about five years and the owner/executive chef is Jeffrey Fournier, who previously worked at a number of top Boston restaurants, including Locke Ober and The Metropolitan Club. Local ingredients are emphasized and the restaurant even has a rooftop garden. 

The restaurant is medium-sized, with a separate bar and dining area.  The dining area, which seats around 60 people, has wooden tables and chairs, with unique colorful paintings on the walls. At the bar is a blackboard listing food and drink specials. There is a casually elegant ambiance, and it would be a good spot for a romantic date, drinks after work, or just a dinner out with friends.

They have a full stocked bar, and make both classic and innovative cocktails.  The wine list has about twenty wines by the glass ($7-$14) and about 100 bottles (many $40+). The list has a good and varied selection of wines from all over the world, though I would have liked to see some local Massachusetts wines on the list. Restaurants that promote their use of local ingredients should also promote local wines, especially as there are some excellent Massachusetts wines that are now being produced. They carry a number of local beers so why not carry some Massachusetts wines as well?

I was intrigued by their eclectic menu with its mix of cuisines, including Italian, Latin, French, Thai, Cambodian and more. The menu includes Appetizers ($9-$12), Cheese & Charcuterie ($4-$5), Pasta ($9-$15/appetizer size & $18-$25/entree size), Entrees (most $22-$27), and Sides ($6).  The prices are reasonable for the quality of this restaurant. You can also order a three-course Prix Fixe menu for $35, which is a Chef's Whim menu meaning that the three courses depend on what the chef wants to prepare that evening.

Your dinner begins with a basket of various house-made breads, the types varying day to day, accompanied by oil with tomato chili jam and their house-made hummus spread. I really enjoyed the warm and moist corn bread, though I would have liked some butter to spread upon it. Neither the oil or hummus would have really enhanced the cornbread. The other breads were quite good too.

We started off with a platter of house made charcuterie, including pork salami, bacon chorizo, duck prosciutto, black pepper pork jowl, kidney terrine, and head cheese. They obviously are very passionate about their charcuterie, and you can even see a small refrigerator in the bar area where they keep and age their meat. I savored all of the various meats, with their vibrant flavors, and was especially delighted by the thinly sliced head cheese. Head cheese is often served in thick slices, and sometimes can contain gelatinous pieces which can detract from its taste. But these thin slices lacked that potential problem and provided only rich flavor.

The Salmon Sashimi, farmed in Canada, came with ponzu sauce and microgreens and tasted very fresh, with a silky mouthfeel that nearly melted in my mouth. This was as good as anything you would find in a high-end Japanese sushi restaurant.

The Classic Caesar Salad ($11) had large, crisp pieces of fresh Romaine lettuce, topped by a light and flavorful dressing.  It was accompanied by a hunk of Fiore di Nonno Burrata atop a crunchy crouton. The Burrata had a firm exterior, hiding the creamy insides, and was very pleasing.

One of the specials that evening was a Duck Egg atop fiddleheads, duck confit, and mushrooms. Quite a savory dish with a nice blend of earthiness with tender duck meat and the gooey yolk of the egg. Why can't you find these duck eggs at most breakfast places?

Based on the photo, you might think this is a piece of tenderloin yet it is not even meat. In fact, it is a Pan Seared Watermelon Steak ($11) with eggplant chicharron, confit cherry tomato, french feta, and fried parsley. When you slice it open, it resembles seared tuna and when you eat it, your taste buds explode in delight from its savory flavors.  Even tasting it, you would be hard pressed to identify it as watermelon. Frankly, it is compelling enough I would almost consider ordering it just as my entree.  This was clearly a "wow" dish, indicative of the chef's creativity.

For my entree, I chose the Cambodian Fluke Amok ($27), which has jasmine rice, curry, lemon grass, ginger, and coconut milk. There were two large pieces of flaky, sweet fluke with a compelling and balanced Asian sauce, providing some additional sweetness but also some spicy undertones. An excellent dish, using a fish you don't often see on the menu. Three of us ordered the Amok and all of us enjoyed it.

We tried a couple sides, both of which thoroughly impressed me. The Fried Housemade Pickles ($6), which come with a Remoulade, were probably the best fried pickles I have ever tasted. First, they possessed a light, crunchy coating and the pickles were moist and crisp.  Unlike many other fried pickles, these pickles were thinner slices, providing just the right amount of contrast for the coating and also preventing the coating from getting soggy. They were addictive and I could easily order them as an appetizer.

The Polenta Fries ($6) with a truffle parmesan dip, were also very impressive. Looking like French toast sticks, the thick fries had an excellent crispy exterior with a light and delicate corn-flavored interior. The dip was a rich and creamy spread that enhanced the polenta, and actually would have been great with the corn bread too. This would also make an excellent appetizer or bar snack.

Though I had little room left in my stomach, I did have enough space to taste a few of their desserts. They make their own Frozen Custard, including Honey Lavendar, Chocolate Expresso, and Madagascar Vanilla Bean as well as their own Sorbet, such as Cinnamon and Cranberry. The custards were pleasantly creamy and both the custards and sorbet were certainly rich in their respective flavors. My favorite was the Vanilla Bean, with the Honey Lavendar a close second.

The "Where is the Cake Lebowski" is an homage to the movie The Big Lebowski, and consists of a white Kahlua cake, cocoa powder dust, and toasted coconut. Besides being a cool idea, the cake is also scrumptious, being moist and with a strong coconut flavor.

Service was very good, and my overall experience was excellent. It reminds me in some respects of Bergamot, its use of local ingredients, its artisanal foods, its innovative and delicious cuisine. 51 Lincoln offers compelling cuisine, reasonably priced for the quanity and quality, and it is a top notch culinary destination. I will be returning there soon, to partake of more dishes from their menu, as well as enjoying again some of my favorite foods.  My only regret is that I had not known of this restaurant before now.