Awesomo Dessert-O

Please have fun watching my video below and try not to drool on your computer!

This dessert idea was courtesy of my sister Joey. I just edited the video and wrote this intro (plus enjoyed eating it!). Since we don’t have dairy in our house except sheep and goat’s milk cheese, we made a big vegan NYE dessert. Just because I don’t eat Baskin Robbin’s (when I googled it for spelling, I couldn’t even look at the website without wanting to hurl) or Dairy Queen, doesn’t mean I can’t have a good ice cream sundae. This ice cream bar is not only vegan, but it’s nut-free and organic too. Thanks to Mum’s Original for their goji berries and coconut sugar covered cacao nibs, Surf Sweets for the candies, Sweets From The Earth for their chocolate fudge cookies, New Morning for their graham crackers, Suzanne’s Specialties Ricemellow, Mother Hen for their sorbets, Luna And Larry’s Coconut Bliss (there are so many more flavours that I need to try, but Mint Galactica is my all-time favourite but not available in Canada. ), organic blueberries frozen from summer and organic strawberries that my mom bought because it was a treat for new year’s, even though they aren’t in season. Plus, my own mom’s special raspberry and fudge sauces.

I suggest that you make your own Awesomo Dessert-O Ice Cream Bar.

Pizzeria Libretto – Danforth Edition

I wasn’t planning on writing a review on this location because I figured that it was the same as the other restaurant on Ossington. You can read that review here.

We went to the Danforth location twice this week. It’s convenient on our holidays because we can go to the Big Carrot afterwards for grocery shopping.

When you walk in to this location, you’ll like how much wider it is than Ossington and there is much more room for seating inside. I pondered filling you in on this little tip – they actually take reservations at this location (hopefully you don’t get the restaurant all booked up so I can’t go now). They have 2 pizza ovens, one that says “Pizzeria” and one that says “Libretto” – the other location only had one oven. Even with this, the service is much better on Ossington, but we weren’t in a rush so it didn’t matter much to us.

The menu seems to be about the same, except we noticed they had this puffed bread thing and we asked what it was. The waiter let us know that it was called Paneto (see picture above), and is basically a souffle of pizza dough that kind of deflates when it gets to your table. It’s not on the menu, so you have to know about it to get it. It does comes with one of their antipasto platters I think.

It was the first thing we ordered when we went back the second time and it was topped lightly with parmesan and rosemary. My mom actually let me order a cheese board that had 3 cheeses, breadsticks, crackers, figs, sliced pears and a pear compote (see picture above). It was a very good layout on a wooden board and everyone enjoyed, especially me. Their pizza of the day, when we were there had a smoked tomato and black garlic sauce and we asked if we could try a sample of the sauce with our appetizer, which they even heated up, and we LOVED it.

As far as pizzas go, Pizzeria Libretto has the best in town. Our family always orders the pizzas on spelt crust which I highly recommend. My mom’s favourite is the Marinara pizza which has no cheese, but the best tomato sauce, garlic and oregano, plus she adds arugula on top, it’s a great option if you are vegan, but I really like it too. My brother and sister always share the Margarita pizza which is a plain-ish type of pizza, but instead of being covered in cheese, it has little patches of really good cheese. My favourite pizza is the Prosciutto and Arugula without the prosciutto (I used to get it on the side and it made me too thirsty since I don’t eat meat that much).

I really like this restaurant, it’s great for families and they are great with allergies.

P.S. There is a downstairs bar, with a private room.

Gilead Café

I was excited to try a new restaurant (for me at least) tonight, especially knowing that it was Jamie Kennedy’s food. I reviewed the Wine Bar when it was his years ago. The prospect of getting to review another one of his places was exciting (admitting that his fries are the biggest draw!).

We drove up and I was surprised to see that the Cafe was in a super narrow alleyway, although it’s a street called Gilead Place. We parked behind the cafe in reserved free parking which was awesome. We walked into a dim atmosphere that was a little more formal than what regular cafes would be in my opinion. The menu is written on a floor to ceiling chalkboard that has a list of all dishes, prices, including wines too.

Because the kitchen wasn’t ready to start serving food yet (we dine early when with my little brother), the waitress offered bread and cheese, which I said no to, but then my brain registered that she said cheese and then I ran up to listen to that day’s cheese plate. (for those of you that don’t know me, I collect Fifth Town cheese stickers and call myself a “cheeseoisseur”). I eat mostly sheep’s and goat’s milk cheese, but when I’m out at a restaurant, if I’m really lucky, my mom lets me order cow’s milk cheese. We had two sheep’s milk cheeses and a blue cheese and they were served with housemade crackers and apple slices. My sister thought they were too salty, but I did not.

We got two orders of french fries which we enjoyed and sadly there are never enough it seems. Although I didn’t love their housemade ketchup, I was so happy that it wasn’t Heinz yuckiness!

My mom had a root vegetable salad and a beet salad that she loved. I tried the Swiss Chard that she shared from her salad and it was really good. My sister and I both got burgers that were served on an english muffin with caramelized onions and housemade condiments, and I thought it was very good, but it would be better if it were a bigger portion. So if you get it, beware if you have a big appetite like me and order sides! My dad loved his organic fried chicken, bok choy and sweet potato mash.

Their menu changes all of the time, so you might not be able to get these things, but it’s because they support local and organic so they change their menus with what’s in season.

Right now as I am writing this post, I am so thirsty from the salt in the meal! But, I did love my meal and the space at the Gilead Cafe!

Vicki’s Veggies Hot Sauces

I’ve been waiting for an entire year to have Vicki’s Hot Sauce again. Last year, her hot sauce was insanely good and I was really mad that when we ran out of our first bottle quickly, there was already none left at the market!

This year, I was overjoyed when I saw that they not only had one hot sauce, but 3 different varieties! Vicki’s farm grows the organic peppers and other veggies she uses to make the sauce. The 3 kinds are: Barrel Aged, Smoked, and XXX Hot (there is a picture of all 3 in this post). I sampled all 3 at Evergreen Brickwork’s Farmers’ Market last Saturday and decided that the XXX Hot was the spiciest hot sauce I’ve ever tasted (because I wouldn’t even try the one my mom made from the peppers in my garden since she said it was so spicy her head was going to blow off!).

I couldn’t decide which ones to get and luckily my mom came up with the GENIUS idea of getting all 3! So, now, at most meals, Vicki’s Hot Sauce is on our table.

Vicki's Veggies Hot Sauces 2011

I would go get yours before she runs out!

Belmonte Raw in Leslieville

I had the good fortune to go to Belmonte Raw with my mother, and got served directly by the owner and chef, Carol Belmonte. She is super nice and is a really good cook (I guess that’s un-cook). Right when I walked in to the little cafe-like space, I knew I was in for a real treat. The little blackboard listed very good organic ingredients and I immediately knew that I was going to get the Raw Burrito. Walnut “meat”, jicama, peppers, sprouts and other amazing ingredients were stuffed and rolled into a big collard green, used as the wrap. It was tied up with rope (make sure to remove prior to eating!) and sitting on a bed of sprouts and spinach. On the side were dehydrated crispy nacho chips (the best I’ve had – although I’ve only had one other), guacamole (I licked the container clean it was so good), pico de gallo (Carol was surprised when I knew it was called that!) and my favourite thing about the meal was the cashew “cheese”, which I was just tempted to eat alone with a fork it was so good.

Next out, Carol brought out a platter of Jicama “Fries” which were absolutely amazing. I was pretty happy when I saw the cashew cheese on the side for dipping them in. As far as juices go, Carol makes the best! My favourite is her green juice combo which has cucumber, parsley, spinach, apple, lemon, and ginger (I have had this before in her glass takeout bottles – I am happy that she doesn’t use plastic bottles). She also made us a juice called “Happiness”, which had granny smith apple, red grape and grapefruit and had a beet swirl garnish on top.

Because my sister has a severe nut allergy, we cannot go to raw vegan places with her because of all of the nuts, and I had never tried Cashew Mylk before. It was very white and creamy, I didn’t love it on it’s own, but would absolutely recommend it in breakfast cereal. She gave me 2 oatmeal raisin cookies, warmed up slightly in the dehydrator that were awesome. They were chewy-ish and very rich and flavourful – I loved the cinnamon and raisin combination.

I thought I was done after that, but little did I know, the best was saved for last. Carol’s Chocolate Thimble with peanut butter filling was supercalifragilisticexpialidociously awesome. It looked small, but on the inside it was HUGE flavour-wise. It’s worth an hour drive through traffic to get one (or ten) of these. I wish it wasn’t made with nuts so I could have brought some home, but I guess it’s part of Carol’s secret recipe.

Carol was so nice and she gave me another one of her Green Juices to take home, which I enjoyed just before writing this post.

I used the word “amazing” so many times yesterday when visiting Belmonte Raw (ask Carol yourself), and I bet you will too!

A little note from me: Belmonte Raw’s website wasn’t complete when I posted this, so I suggest you get in touch with Carol or just go in!

Chef Doug McNish at the Windsor Arms

When I heard that we were going to the Windsor Arms Hotel for Doug McNish’s new vegan menu on my birthday, I was overjoyed. I have eaten Doug’s amazing food before at Raw Aura in Port Credit (where he used to work and make the best ravioli and kale chips) and also at our house. It is fresh, always so good and very, very healthy.

You can find the menu by scrolling down (all the way to the bottom) right here. Because my sister has a severe nut allergy, and there are normally lots of nuts on the menu, Doug specially altered the menu to accomodate my sister so we could all come. (He’s awesome!)

When we got there, we were seated in a beautiful room, with very comfy chairs and nice tablecloths. My little brother ran in with the cutest smile on his face and ordered an apple, orange, kale juice as soon as the waiter came over to our table. There is a full juice and smoothie menu, and I did not order one (I have those at home every morning so it’s not very special for me), but my mom, sister, dad and cousin all got green organic juices and were very happy. Next time, I am going to get some tea – they had a great selection!

The second I looked at the menu, I knew that I was going to get “The Works” which includes Bean Chili, Scrambled Tofu with greens, tempeh bacon, potatoes and toast with miso butter (wow, I LOVED that miso butter, I wish it was up for sale in the store – but there is the Zen Budda from RawFoodz now in stores that is nut-free and raw, vegan). My favourite part was the tempeh bacon, which, lucky for me, I got 3 orders because I had mine, my sister’s and my cousin’s since they don’t really like tempeh. Even an adult will be full after eating “The Works” – there is so much food on the plate and it looks and tastes amazing.

My cousin and my dad both got the stuffed french toast, which I would only get if I could leave out the strawberries (not a fruit I like), but they thought it was amazing and ate every last bit. My mother also got The Works but had to give away her potatoes to my younger brother, who was pestering her constantly until he got them. She also gave her bean chili away to my sister who loved that. It’s good to have a mom who shares. And speaking of sharing, my sister gave me her tempeh bacon and gave my dad half of her order of pancakes with blueberry infused maple syrup. Our family tends to try as many things as possible and the dish that we order always end up getting shared.

After we were all full of the insanely yummy vegan brunch, (or the I.Y.V.B., for short), because it was my birthday, Doug brought me a little chocolate birthday cake and had written in chocolate sauce on the plate, “Happy Birthday Ryan”. My brother ran over and took a huge forkful of it, it was really so good. It was vegan and gluten free.

All in all, I think that this is the best place for Sunday brunch in Toronto. Let me know if you go for an I.Y.V.B. anytime soon and what you think of it.

Reviewing My Own Lunch: August 12, 2011

Instead of reviewing someone else’s food, I am reviewing my own! And, it was 5 stars!

I toasted two pieces of Silver Hills Squirrelly bread. Then I spread on one of my Kozlik’s mustards (Tarragon 4) and put a thin layer of Fifth Town’s Goat Cheddar Cheese on top – then back in the toaster under broil! When it was bubbly, I put on Kind Organics Spicy Blend Sprouts (Arugla and Mustard Greens) and chives from our garden. It tasted like awesomeness!

Then, for dessert I had a New Moon Kitchen Ginger Snapper Cookie, a square of Hemp Gold from Chocosol, and a spoonful of wild blueberries (because my mom made me).

I love getting to make my own lunch!

 

Young Urban Farmers

This is my first video, and there are lots more to come. I am going to start not only reviewing restaurants but anything related to food!

I interviewed Chris Wong, co-founder of Young Urban Farmers, in the rain, in my garden! Wait until you see what we harvested! I hope you enjoy it and decide for yourself if you want to grow your own veggies!

Watch it here –>

Buca

I went here in February 2010 and wrote the review, but lost it. Now, over a year later, I found it. Since it’s been a long time since I dined with my family at Buca, forgive the shortness.

I started with a cheese board, and of course said yes when I was offered a balsamic drizzle (I was excited, my mom couldn’t believe the price). The buffalo ricotta tasted like a fluffy white cloud and I almost fell asleep eating it because it was so dreamy! The pizza was white crust (not as close to as good as the spelt crust at my favourite Pizzeria Libretto), and was so cool because it was served on a wood board with shiny scissors to cut it instead of struggling with a knife. The restaurant and space and service was better than the food. The staff were really nice too.

Enoteca Sociale

Enetoca Sociale is a great restaurant, where we go if we can’t get a table at Pizzeria Libretto. When we got there, we were early and saw them covering up a bullet hole in their window, and when we asked them why it was there they said it was someone from the nightclub across the street who had a gun and shot a hole in the window and went through the curtain too. It sort of bothered me because there was a bullet hole and sort of creeped me out, but glad they put a sign up over it.
We had to wait a while for our table while the waiters and waitresses were running through last minute preparation, but the staff there are very nice. I love their cheese menu and the waiters and waitresses make recommendations for me. My mom likes me to only get sheep and goat milk cheese, and my favourite so far has been, Grey Owl. It was a soft cheese served on the board with honey and crackers. I usually get 3 cheeses, but I would like to get 5. They divide the cheeses on the special menu into categories, like soft, hard, medium, and blue. Things like apricots and honey come with the cheese (I gave the apricot thing to my sister because I didn’t like it).
I don’t eat meat at home,or white stuff like pasta, but when the ingredients are clean and fresh then my mom lets me choose whatever I want and I LOOOVE the Spaghetti Carbonara, which has pieces of pancetta in it. And best of all, it didn’t make me really thirsty afterwards (well, overly thirsty anyway…I’ve had to cut back on the prosciutto at Libretto because it makes me insanely thirsty and gets stuck in my orthodontics).
I also realized that I liked fiddleheads, they are way better than asparagus in my opinion, which we seem to get at home everyday when it’s in season! The chickpea fritter dish with mushrooms and lentils on the bottom was delicious. We all shared it even though it was my dad’s dish.
Next time I go there, I am going to ask if I can see the cheese cave (it says on the menu “from our very own cheese cave” and I saw it when I went to the bathroom downstairs but didn’t get to go in).
Enoteca Sociale is a very good restaurant, and I love it there.