During our visit to Le Petit Bill's Bistro last week, an item on the tasting menu had us discussing the virtues of choosing artisanal bread for dishes. The tasting menu was meant to celebrate the bistro's first birthday. The menu item that had us discussing bread was a two ways serving of lobster: bisque and creamed. The creamed lobster was served on a rather stale piece of pan fried rye bread. It was an unfortunate dish. Were the bistro to have employed fresh artisanal white bread such as a baguette, the base of the creamed lobster dish would have been lighter. It would have fried up crisper, and it would have been slightly more resilient to handling. Instead, we found ourselves thinking about requesting a knife and board to cut through the soggen slice of toughness. I spent so much effort chewing that the lobster flavor was completely lost to me.

I strongly recommend the chef re-think bread-based servings and consider the texture, flavor, and aroma that comes from artisanal bread.

When it comes to artisanal bread, my thoughts immediately goto one bakery and the oft-sought after skills of its master baker, Kevin Mathieson. During the past 2 years, it has become difficult pickup a foodie magazine in Ottawa without seeing some mention of Mathieson, his wife Stéphanie, or his Art-is-in bakery. I first read about this bread virtuoso in the November 2006 edition of the Ottawa magazine. He had just closed up shop in the Thyme & Again catering kitchens on Wellington and started a venture with Chef Robert Bourassa, former executive chef of Café Henry Burger, in Hull.

Today, Art-is-in baked goods are prized commodities and grace the shelves in many stores. According to its website, Mathieson's hand crafted wares can be found year round at Thyme and Again, the Ottawa Bagel Shop, Il Negozio Nicastro (Wellington West location), Epicuria, Jacobsons, and Pastina (Gatineau). From May to October, Art-is-in bread is sold at the Ottawa Farmer's Market at Landsdowne Park. Of course, you will also be served Art-is-in bread when you visit Beckta, Social, Juniper, and Le Café (National Art Center).

According to dictionary.com, the following is a definition of an artisan

a person skilled in an applied art; a craftsperson

What does an artisan's bread look like? It looks like this:

Art-is-in Display at the Ottawa Bagel Shop

Potato Onion Bread

Sliced

Amazing Texture

The experience Mathieson developped from working in New York, Monaco, and Paris shows and you can taste it. A slice of Art-is-in bread betrays the expert care taken to work and raise the dough. Just try holding a slice of factory-made bread to the light. Art-is-in bread's taste reflects the organic flour used and the fact that Mathieson takes two days to bake it: 1 day to develop a mature pre-ferment and the next, to work, score, and bake it.

As the Art-is-in entry on ottawfoodies.com site states, "every time you pick up a loaf of bread from Art-is-in, you are not disappointed." They're absolutely right. The bread carries a well developed flavour and exceptional texture. Most importantly, it is fresh, usually baked the morning of.

Can you live on bread and water alone? No, but artisanal bread once in a while enriches the soul.

Ever the avid digg.com browser, I came across a top 5 list of "Laziest Inventions" from videoJug, a youtube-esque website, whose mantra is "life is explained, on film." According to Guy Kawasaki, having a mantra makes videoJug slightly more curve jumping, paradigm shifting, and patent pending than other online video sites who sport mission statements. In my opinion, what videoJug does better than youTube is create quality content. VideoJug's content is "how-to"-specific and it is heavily moderated. This means that you're unlikely to find a shaky handed video of a tutu'ed poodle dancing the cha-cha in some woman's bathroom. Instead, visitors browse quality instrunctional videos on everything from cooking and carpentry to photography. It even has how-to videos on creating content for the site and uploading content to the site. This said, how does a top 5 list make it onto a how-to website? The list is guised as a how-to video on becoming "lazier than the stereotypical American." Interestingly, 4 out of 5 inventions to get you "barely moving" are food-related.


The Top 5 Laziest Inventions

These seemingly needless inventions, the "moo mixer", automated twirling spaghetti fork, motorized ice cream cone, and nugget cup" are but 5 examples. Huffington Post's Oliva Zaleski found 10 more and included them in her Top 10 list of "Most Useless Items of Crapola." Since this is a food blog, I am only going to list items related to culinary uselessness.

A Holder for Vertically Challenged Fruit

Banana Holder
Alternative: Fruit Basket

A Mechanized Egg Cracker

Egg Cracking Gadget
Alternative: Hard Surface and Gravity

A Melon Dismantling Device

Melon Wedger
Alternative: Kitchen Knife?

Ms. Zaleski's list also includes the banana guard. I respectfully disagree. After thoroughly examining a banana guard belonging to Mademoiselle Ling, I honestly don't think it a useless device. The guard is well designed and fit every oddly shaped banana we could find to test. Besides, the banana guard has another use: conversation piece.

Now, I have to admit that I am being slightly hypocritical when it comes to seemingly needless culinary-related products. This is because I spent a copious amount of time looking for media coverage of this year's Rube Goldberg Machine Contest at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The contest puts teams, representing various American universities, to work, building exceedingly complicated devices for performing simple tasks. This year, the task was preparing a hamburger. The winner was a team of engineers from the contest's hosting university, Purdue, who constructed a 156 step device.

Here is coverage I found on Gizmodo:


The devices are named for the cartoonist who popularized them during the early 1900s. I saw my first Rube Goldberg machine in the 1968 film adaptation of Ian Flemming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, starring Dick Van Dyke. The device made breakfast - 2 eggs, sausage, and toast.

Cheers to innovators who keep pushing the frontiers of kitchen gear! At the very least, you keep us entertained!

Picture this: It's Saturday evening. You've finished a day's worth of chores. Your better half is having a girls' night out and it's dinner time. There's no room in the fridge to fit even a pizza box, so ordering pizza is out. It's the weekend so that gourmet ready-made restaurant, Thyme and Again, is closed. As a rule, there are no frozen dinners in the freezer. What do you do?

Simple. Turn to an old stand-by: instant ramen noodles. Yessir! Yours truly, a self declared foodie who won't let frozen dinners take up any real estate in the freezer, keeps his pantry well stocked with at least 3 types of instant ramen. Two come from Chinatown. Both are imported from overseas. Anything else is "wild card" ramen: new brands or varieties that I find in the stores that peek my interest. This time around the wild card was a Thai ramen that was heavily marketed by Walmart during the Lunar New Year. Blasphemy? Hardly!

Instant ramen is a food that was invented to meet the age-old requirement to quickly prepare a starch base for a weekday meal. These dried then deep fried cakes of noodles are very versatile and can complement just about any meat, seafood, or vegetable. Case in point, that night, I paired a nice bowl of Japanese-style instant ramen in pork broth with stir fried snow pea leaves and pan-seared oyster mushrooms. I also added a side of stir fried baby cuttle fish. The dinner (save for the cuttle fish) took approximately 20 minutes from start to finish to prep, cook, assemble and serve.

Here's a breakdown:

• Pull some frozen baby cuttle fish from the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge.
• Wash and coarsely split some wonderful giant oyster mushrooms into bite sized pieces
• Separate and wash enough snow pea leaves to make up a vegetable serving
• Heat up some left over pork broth that was flavoured with ham
• Boil some water in a pot on medium heat and cook a pack of instant ramen
• Heat some oil in a wok at medium until it ripples and dump in the oyster mushrooms
• Season with salt and pepper and stir fry until the mushrooms take on some colour
• Evacuate the wok, add oil as needed, and toss in the snow pea leaves
• Season with salt and cook at medium heat until the leaves brighten and the stems soften
• Evacuate the wok, add oil as needed, and toss in the baby cuttle fish
• Season with salt and stir fry until the cuttle fish turn white and become slightly rigid.
• Plate up and dig in!

Giant Oyster Mushrooms

Before

After
The mushrooms came from a recent trip out to Markahm, Ontario. We purchased packs of both this variety and enoki mushrooms from a popular Asian supermarket chain, called "T&T". The price, $3.98 for 319 g before taxes.

Giant oyster mushrooms are flavourful and incredibly meaty. They take to heat extremely well and would make a great meat substitute.

I recently found this variety of mushrooms being sold at Loblaws. The price, $4.99 for 227 g before taxes.

Giant Oyster Mushrooms at Loblaws

Snow pea leaves

Snow Pea Leaves and Defrosted Baby Cuttle Fish
Snow pea leaves are a Chinese green that happen to be my better half's favourite. Their flavour is very bright and only slightly bitter. It is best cooked using high heat in a wok. This way, the leaves retain their crisp texture.

The snow pea leaves also came from a T&T in Markahm.

Snow Pea Leaves at T&T

Here are the completed dishes

Giant Oyster Mushrooms on a bed of snow pea leaves

Stirfried CuttleFish

My Bowl of Ramen
Because I also had some left over pork, I slivered it up, reheated it in a pan, and added it to my noodles.

Not bad for a lowly pack of instant ramen eh?

One of the proudest entries I have ever posted on foodiePrints is the write up of a sneak preview dinner at Le Petit Bill's Bistro (1293 Wellington St.). It was one of my first restaurant-related entries. One of the most interesting aspects were its circumstances. One Friday afternoon, my better half and I happened by the location of the soon to be opened Le Petit Bill's. An owner, Terry, saw us peeking through the window and welcomed us in. Seeing an virgin reservation book, we asked to eat there that night.

A year later, Jenn and I were again on our way to the grocery store when we happened by a flier advertising Le Petit Bill's anniversary dinner in the restaurant's window. Terry again saw us through the window. He invited us in. He gave us a copy of the flier to take with us, and, we made reservations to attend. Besides, how many foodies can turn down a 5-course tasting menu?

Here's the signage that appeared in front of the restaurant the evening of the dinner:

Signage

Here's the menu:

Menu

Here are my determinations:

First Course
Our menu described the first course as being garnished with a mustard sprout and herb aioli. We found the sprout. If the aioli were present, it was just as discernible to the palette as it was to the eye. Conversely, the Waldorf Timbale was apparent. True to its namesake, its apples were sweet, but tart. Its half piece of walnut provided a nutty crunch. Its intention was likely to cut the savoriness of the ostrich. Unfortunately, whatever texture or flavour contrast was intended were lost to an unyielding piece of ostrich.

Ostrich meat is red, so serving it as sashimi is a novel idea. However, it would have been better served sliced thinly across the grain. This way, each slice mimicks more traditional tuna sashimi, which falls apart in the mouth. There is a reason that the classic steak tartare is thoroughly chopped. You cannot expect your diner to bite through a quarter inch thick piece of ostrich meat. I had to swallow mine almost whole. My better didn't fair so well.

Second Course
Yarmouth lobster is lobster that hails from a major fishing town in Nova Scotia. According to wikipedia.net, Yarmouth is sometimes called "The Gateway to Nova Scotia." My question: Why would anyone use lobster from a reputable source to make such unremarkable preparations? Overcooked lobster, served in an overpowering cream sauce, on stale fried bread was the first preparation. Soggy bread, hard (impossible to bite through) crust, and tough lobster meat make a mediocre dish, bordering on bad. The better tasting of the two preparations was the vanilla lobster bisque. This was more because it confused my palate. While it is not unknown to sauce lobster with dairy flavoured with vanilla, the high concentration of vanilla in the bisque made it a peculiar complement.

Third Course
This de-constructed cannelloni includes a slice of buffalo mozzarella, a red pepper sauce (seasoned with parmesan), and two squares of fresh pasta. It was finished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Sweet, sharp, and savory, it was pleasant compared to the previous courses.

BTW, while I am not Italian, isn't the point of Cannelloni to serve rolls of thin pasta, stuffed with a savory filling? Two squares of stacked pasta, fresh or otherwise, do not make a roll. Perhaps, the dish should have been renamed: open face ravioli?

Palette cleanser
The palette cleanser was by far the best part of the tasting menu. Consisting of a lime-basil sorbet and carbonated Elderflower water, it is a brilliant take on the classic root beer float. Because it was served in a thin champagne flute, you eat/drink your sorbet as you inhale the scent of elder flowers. The scent, carried by bubble of CO2 escaping, was heady and sweet. The tartness from the limes indeed cleansed the palette for the final two courses.

My only previous culinary reference for Elderflower was a champagne that was made by Hugh Fernley Whittingstall on an installment of River Cottage. This sorbet was a particular treat for me because, when elderflowers are in bloom, my allergies ususally prevent my enjoying their scent.

Fourth Course
With Easter just past and Thanksgiving upcoming, I looked forward to this dish to provide novel inspiration. I was disappointed by what was essentially a re-worked frozen turkey dinner. Instead of shaved turkey breast, I was served a roulade-type preparation with embedded pieces of shitake mushrooms. Happily, it was tender, but slightly dry. The gravy tasted authentic, likely owing to it coming from real pan juices. Instead of scalloped potatoes, the turkey was accompanied by a potato pave (gratin by another name) whose only distinct flavour came from the scant shavings of truffle. Everything was accompanied by a roasted heirloom carrot. Passable, yes. Great, no.

Fifth Course
The chocolate mousse was light and rich as a mousse should be. It was served with a tart raspberry puree and a fresh raspberry on top. Both cut the richness of the chocolate and provided a punctuated fruity sweetness.

Jenn was served a slice of blueberry pie instead of the chocolate mousse. According to her, the filling was made from local blueberries. They were sweet and fresh. The crust was slightly dense, but flaky and buttery.

Unfortunately, better executed desserts do not redeem a meal whose best part was a palate cleanser. On the bright side, Terry actually recognized me and my order from a year ago: a bison burger. Apparently, the bison burger is no longer on the menu.

I guess I'll check back in another year...

Cost of 2 tasting menus, drinks, and taxes: $87.15

More after the jump...

This morning, I decided to take coffee with some of my former colleagues and their current co-workers. We meet every so often over coffee to discuss everything from sports to politics. Technology tends to come up up. So too, does food and the eateries we've visited.

Today, someone brought up Cora's, a large chain Canadian restaurant that specializes in breakfast. Apparently, a new Cora's opened in Nepean across from the Lincoln Fields mall on Richmond Road. Everyone agreed that the success of Cora's had much to do with the restaurant choosing one thing to do and doing it extremely well. The conversation then turned to a breakfast dish that was originally missing from Cora's menu: steak and eggs.

Steak and eggs is the more the subject of this entry than coffee or Cora's. It represents culinary excess and was once the meal of choice for athletes. Indeed, pairing two very large servings of protein on one plate is very passé in modern cookery, especially after the fallout from the questionably conceived all-protein Atkin's diet. However, sometimes revisiting classic dishes can be rewarding. Such was the case when my better half came home with a pair of prime rib steaks early one evening.

We took the steaks, seasoned them liberally with salt and pepper and seared them at med-high heat in a ripping hot cast iron skillet for 2 minutes on each side. Then, we placed them into an oven preheated to 400°F for 4 minutes. Finally, we rested them on a cake rack and covered them with alluminium foil. The result was medium rare goodness bordering on greatness.

We plated the steaks with scrambled eggs and some gently stewed tomatoes. Essentially, we quartered vine ripened tomatoes, gently seasoned them, and placed them into a pan with olive oil to cook slightly. Everything was plated warm.

The combination of steak and eggs was an indulgence. The peppery steak, soft eggs, and tart tomatoes worked surprisingly well. Though, partaking of this meal filled us to the point of lethargy. Happily, I had but to roll myself in the direction of the couch and momentum from my perceived increased mass got me the rest of the way. How hockey players got through three periods after scarfing down a plate of steak and eggs is beyond me.

I shall close this entry with reference to the Stanley cup playoffs. Go Habs! Bring the cup home!

Back in high school, a friend of mine, named Billy, demonstrated early "l337"-ness by writing a screensaver for the Windows platform. Mind you, this was back in the days when 64 MB of RAM meant that you were flyin' and Windows 95 was giving way to Windows 98. The screen saver spewed hundreds of "icon-sized" bananas across the screen. It was Billy's take on the wildly popular "flying toaster" screen saver from the After Dark series. Personally, given the choice between a kitchen appliance with angel's wings and flying bananas, I would choose bananas every time.

Speaking of bananas, in the same vein as the Christmas food themed USB devices I blogged about during the holiday season, the Chinese technology company Hantat unveiled the Bonanza 8 GB banana-shaped USB Flash Drive last Thursday (April 18, 2008). Originally reported by AVING Global News Network on their website, the story was picked up by the Pocket-Lint blog and Gizmodo on Friday (April 18, 2008). Given that the Christmas-food themed USB devices had much smaller capacities, I'd take a flying Bonanza USB key any day. I wonder if there are any banana-themed linux distributions to put on it. I couldn't find the device on the Aving website, so I'm not sure how much this device costs.

Speaking of technology shaped like food, sometimes technology is decorated with food. Of course, I am referring about the burgeoning business of cell-phone and other mobile-device charms. Jenn and I spent some time in Markahm, Ontario recently helping Mademoiselle Ling outfit her new cell phone with a charm. In the process of witnessing the merchant demo just about every charm in the store, I picked up a charm for one of the assistants in my office who really enjoys Asian food. I chose for her a Doreamon (a time traveling anime robotic cat) charm. It was holding a tray of red-bean filled cakes, called dorayaki. Had any of the following Korean barbecue charms been available, I would have chosen one or two of them instead. Sold by the accessory specializing retailer, StrapYa, the charms make up an entire multi-course Korean barbecue meal, complete with accompaniments and condiments. This particular line of charms was originally picked up by the tokyomango blog in 2006 and later caught the attention of Gizmodo. StrapYa also carries a line of more western fast food charms. Unfortunately, the triple-burger Big-Mac charm looks a little too green for my liking.

If your gadgets don't already resemble food and it is impractical to "charm" them, how about outfitting an existing device to look food-like. After-market plastic shells, silicone skins, and leather or leather-like pockets are not new. Each serves to protect the investment, preventing finger-prints, scratches, dents, and other wear and tear that comes with everyday use. However, outfitting your brand new Apple Ipod Nano to resemble heavily marbled beef is a new wrinkle for me. Dubbed the "Mosquito Ruby Pod Rare", the skin looks like meat destined for the grill at decent Korean barbecue restaurant. It's retailer, rakuten, even packages the device in its own plastic-wrapped meat tray. According to the dvice.com blog, who first picked up on the skin, it will set you back a whopping 6980 yen ($68 USD). I found the skin and the suggested Korean barbecue connection at Gizmodo.

And such ends 3 degrees of food gadgetry thanks to Gizmodo. I could probably find 4 more entries, but its lunch time and there's a new Chilean eatery in my neighborhood that I want to try out. I hear the empanadas are great.

Bonappetit!

Sometime during June of last year, I blogged about a top 10 list of "tips when heading out to a restaurant." The tips were paraphrased from an article that appeared on MSN Money. I then added tidbits from Macleans Magazine, my personal experience, and Chef Anthony Bourdain's seminal book Kitchen Confidential. Both Chef Bourdain and the article from MSN Money recommend against heading out to a restaurant on Mondays. Their reasons have to do with potentially being served the weekend's leftovers and the head chef more than likely being off.

Chef/Owner Arup Jana of the Allium on 87 Holland Avenue is not only present on Mondays, but he's serving made-to-order tapas from a menu that changes weekly.

What is/are tapas? According to wikipedia, tapas is the name for a cuisine of appetizers that originated in the Spanish cooking tradition. At Spanish restaurants, instead of ordering courses, patrons can order many different appetizers and combine them for a full meal. Spanish restaurants even specialize in serving specific taps.

The snack-based meal, however, is not new. There are similarities between tapas and dim sum from Chinese cuisine. Dim sum is a brunch-style meal that consists of a variety of single-themed small dishes served with tea. Some are dry fried. Many are steamed. Some are braised. Others are baked.

While the tapas served at Allium is neither Spanish nor Chinese, it captures the spirit of the snack-based meal: a large selection of small dishes with varying ingredients, flavours, and textures. Allium's tapas is more of a French-bistro style tasting menu. When served, waiters happily pair dishes with local Canadian wine. After all, Allium is a bistro.

The following are pictures from a November 2007 visit to Allium for tapas

Given the menu that Monday, we decided to each order 3 dishes and sample each other's choices. This way we could sample 6 wonderful creations. Our theme: surf and turf.

We started with Chicken Skewers and the Frites. Our chicken skewers came glazed in light soy, honey, and very finely chopped cilantro. They were plated on a mayonnaise-dressed carrot slaw, garnished with soy bean sprouts, and accompanied with a honey dip. The chicken itself was white meat chicken breast and it was tender. Yet enough heat was applied to gently caramelize the honey glaze. It tasted sweet, slightly salty, and savory. The slaw was a little watery, but the dish worked nonetheless.

Regarding the frites, every worthwhile bistro serves wonderful fresh-cut fries. Allium is no different. However, these fries were a departure from the glassy fries Jenn and I remembered. While the fries we were served were carefully fried, they simply weren't the fries Jenn and I were familiar with from dining at the Allium in the past. The fries we had had before were thick cut and plated in a tower. They were exquisitely cooked so that they were extremely crisp on the outside and buttery soft on the inside. In comparison, these fries were thinner and did not sport the same crispy exterior. Nevertheless, they were served in abundance and taste great with the slightly spicy chipotle aioli. Please note that this is a slight twist on the straight creamy mayonnaise that Europeans seem to enjoy with their fries.

More follows:

More after the jump...

The Wellington Village (aka: West Wellington) has grown substantially since my better half and I moved into our one bedroom condo in its arts district. I am discovering that more and more of my colleagues happen to live in the area. Some of my old friends have even moved into the area. The rationale: its myriad of foodie establishments, its many indie art galleries, and its small shops and boutiques. Best of all, if you live in Hintonburg or the Wellington Village, you can partake of a car-less existence. Both Hintonburg and the Wellington Village border on the oc-transpo transit way, so you're but 15 minutes from downtown Ottawa and 45 minutes from Kanata.

Regarding foodie establishments, there are many restaurants in walking distance of one another. Some serve domestic food. Others serve foreign foods. One ethnic restaurant, called "Les Grillades", re-opened after an almost year-long hiatus. The reason it closed is related to Allium's temporary closure. Both restaurants are located in the same building. A grease fire that started in the Les Grillades kitchen on the second floor made its way downstairs. The smoke and water damage caused both restaurants to close. Allium re-opened last July (2007). Les Grillades re-openned last January (2008) and it is a triumphant return. As before, I can't say enough good things about it.

This, to a friend who looked to foodiePrints as a guide to good eating in West Wellington:

If you want really good middle-eastern food, try "Les Grillades." It just re-opened and my posting for Les Grillades is in the works. Warning: If you do go, set aside at least an hour. It'll take 20-30 min for you get your food, but the wait is worth it: best barbecue chicken in town - spatch-cocked (almost boneless), gently spiced, perfectly seasoned, wonderfully grilled

As with any other business, the first couple months of opening are critical. Restaurants need positive cash flow to cover significant investments in re-modeling be it new furniture or decorating. Continued business covers ongoing maintenance. As such, my better half and I rushed to be one of the first patrons of the newly re-opened Les Grillades.

We determined that the restaurant itself changed only slightly in its layout. The front of the house sports a newly rebuilt counter and a quieter hood above the charcoal grill. As far as we could tell, there were new ceiling tiles, new table clothes, new tables, and some new lighting. The walls seemed to have a new coat of paint.

Happily, neither the atmosphere nor the food changed. Ever friendly and welcoming, Chef Ali Chebbani still greets you warmly and takes your order before you find a table. The food is still made to order from fresh ingredients. The faint smell of grilled meats and spices still wafts through the air.

That night, we ordered a half chicken meal and a couple lamb kafta kebabs.

Les Grillades is renowned for making the best barbecue chicken in the city. There is good reason. Firstly, entire chickens are grilled and served halved or whole. The chicken is nearly boneless. When you are served, both the dark and white meat are cooked to succulent perfection. It is gently spiced and "herbed" and perfectly seasoned. The juicy flesh, Middle-Eastern spices, and charcoal grill flavor produce a harmony of texture and flavor with every bite.

The lamb kafta is also gently spiced and very tender.

As always, the sides are fresh. The salad is vibrant and crisp. The garlic sauce and hummus taste like they were just made. The rice, while reheated, is never hard. In fact, the rice is more of a pilaf than the typical rice that comes from a Shawarma restaurant. There are no short brown noodles in it. Instead, it comes with raisins. The raisins add a pleasant sweet sweetness and balances the rice's savory seasonings.

The only issue we have with Les Grillades involves service. Since Chef Ali Chebbani puts the same time and attention to each order, this means that you can wait between 15 and 20 minutes for your food. When Jenn and I are lacking in time, we actually drop by, order for takeout, run our errands, and come back to fetch our meals, packaged and ready to go. The wait time is usually 20 minutes.

Good luck to Chef Ali Chebbani. We'll be back soon!

Here is Les Grillades' Business Card

Card Front

Card Back

Particulars:
Les Grillades
85 Holland Avenue
(613)792-3224

In 2007, September saw a good number of high velocity wind storms hit Ottawa. Some wielded enough destructive power to uproot mature trees from the ground. Here's what one particularly nasty storm did to the overhead signage from a local ethnic restaurant that neighbours Loeb on Wellington (1435).

Just look at the carnage:

Signage stripped from an entire building

Just look at the scaffolding

Even the lighting system came down

Complete with broken fluorescent tubes

Here's the new signage that went up.

New Signage
It's not backlit. It is attached flush to the brick.

Here's the redone street signage to match the new building signage's colour scheme.

Street Signage

With respect to the restaurant, it does a fair amount of business. Unfortunately, neither Jenn nor I have found the time to try the advertised genuine Istanbouli food. We will have to remedy this situation soon.

Particulars:
Istanbouli Restaurant
1435 Wellington Street West
(613)798-9977

Menus and Card after the jump:

More after the jump...

One of my guilty pleasures is watching re-runs of "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" with Guy Fieri on the Food Network. This television show showcases classic "greasy spoon" establishments in the United States that are popular to baby boomer Americans. According to the Food Network website, diners, drive-ins, road-houses, and truck stops are also gaining popularity with GenX'ers and GenY'ers, who are not only visiting them, but also opening and operating them.

While I favor BBC productions over Food Network programs when it comes to showcasing regional cuisine and culture, mini-series like Alton Brown's "Feating on Asphalt" and Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" are interesting to watch. Regarding the latter, Guy Fieri's show focuses on taste sensations when it comes to the establishments he visits; dishes that feature lots of strong flavors. So too do the recipes he features on his own cooking show, "Guy's Big Bite."

During the second season of the "Guy's Big Bite", Guy Fieri made a cuban pork recipe. The recipe and episode inspired the following attempt at Cuban-Inspired Chicken

Cuban Inspired Chicken

Before we start, what makes this Cuban-inspired? The ingredients!

Cuban Spice Mix

Bell Pepper and Spanish Onion Sofrito

Cooked in Orange Juice

The finished dish sang with flavour: heat from the red pepper flake; sweetness from the orange juice and yellow bell pepper; earthiness from the garlic, oregano, and cumin; and savoriness from the Spanish onion. Since the chicken was seared and slowly finished in an oven, it came out juicy as well.

The recipe follows:

More after the jump...

If you live in the Ottawa area, you know that one of our popular past times during the summer is visiting downtown's ByWard Market, a 4 block square of cafés, high-end specialty food shops, clothing and accessory boutiques, galleries, restaurants, pubs, and a large annual farmers' market.

According to its website, the Byward Market was established in 1826 by Lt-Col John By, making it one of Canada's oldest and largest public markets. Its two main streets, George Street and York Street, were designed to be extra wide to accommodate the creation of a public market and gathering place.

At the center of the Byward Market is the Byward Market Square, which was originally constructed in 1848. According to its website, the current incarnation was re-built in 1926 and renovated in 1975. In 1976, the building reopened as a domain for Art and Craft producers. This does not, however, take away from the fact that the Byward Market Square is host to merchants who provide everything from "gourmet sandwiches to spicy Indian cuisine", "something for all tastes and budgets." Presently, these merchants include the following, some of which have been profiled by foodiePrints in the past:

• Continental Bagel, a specialty bagel shop serving traditional hand-rolled and wood baked Montreal Style bagels
• Le Moulin de Provence, a French bakery and bistro, specializing in bread and pastry
• Maple Valley Tea World, a tea house and bubble tea shop
• Shafali Bazaar, a fine Indian Food and Spices restaurant that serves authentic naan
• Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, a gourmet purveyor of chocolates and gelato

While it is intended to be a public market for locals to gather, its age and popularity make it a tourist attraction for the National Capital Region. As such, the merchants and restaurants in the Byward Market have the added responsibility of playing host to visitors from other Canadian cities and other countries.

Unfortunately, one merchant in the Byward Market Square utterly fails this mandate. That merchant is Yayora Express, a purveyor of "Morrocan Cuisine and Catering": soups, salads, and Tajines. From past-due produce to overpriced, overcooked, and poor quality food, Yayora Express proved a disappointment.

In fact, my last visit to the establishment to could have easily sickened both me, my better half, and a friend who was visiting the Ottawa area. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are images from our meals.

Firstly, I have wanted to try an authentic Moroccan Basteeya ever since I watched Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall make a Basteeya-inspired dish with pigeon during an episode of a British show, called "River Cottage." The idea of combining cinnamon, icing sugar, and almonds between layers of carefully wrapped phyllo and dark meat poultry looked and sounded amazing.

Here is the Basteeya I was served at Yayora Express

Chicken Basteeya

Cross Section

Bone in my Basteeya
Shall we start with the filling? The chicken tasted like it was re-constituted from meat that was used to make stock; lifeless and mushy. Evidence? One bite of the Basteeya produced a rather large chicken bone that looked like it spent some time in a stock pot. At well over $10, I was not impressed by this rather small pie, whose phyllo crust only proved palatable.

More after the jump...

The club (aka: clubhouse) sandwich is a mainstay of diner fare, but did you know that the sandwich, consisting of bacon, white meat chicken or turkey, ripe tomato, and fresh lettuce, maybe well over 100 years old? A prevalent theory places its first appearance in 1894 at the Saratoga Club-House, an exclusive gentlemen's club located in Saratoga Springs, New York. This club also originated potato chips.

The oldest written recipe for the club sandwich comes from the Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book, by Isabel Gordon Curtis, which was published in 1903. The recipe describes the club sandwich as a "whole meal" sandwich that consists of slices of dry (yet tender) bacon, a slice of chicken or turkey white meat, a slice of ripe tomato, half a tender leaf of lettuce, a "generous" layer of mayonnaise, and two slices of buttered toast.

According to James Beard, American chef and food writer, the contemporary multi-decker version of the of the club sandwich emerged during the 1930s on double-decker "club cars" of multi-car passenger trains. However, Chef Beard doesn't see the three-decker version of the club sandwich as authentic.

These tidbits of culinary history come from the What'scookingamerica.net entry on the rich history of the club sandwich. Speaking of history, if you're going to partake of the club sandwich, why not enjoy one in a diner setting, like the 60's style diner in the Wellington Village, Fil's Diner?

According to its website, Fil's Diner opened its doors in August of 2000. It is located in what was once the seating area of the West Park bowling alley. Its decor and menu are consistent with the 60s theme: checkered tile floor, high back booths, chrome edged furniture, hot dog platters, chicken finger baskets, steak sandwich platters, beef liver meals, and classic burgers. The "classic" platter on Fil's menu is the club sandwich platter and it is one damned good platter

Consisting of fresh roasted chicken (not chicken loaf), fresh Boston lettuce, fresh tomatoes, dry cooked bacon, and two pieces of toast, Fil's club sandwich goes back to the classic non-tiered format. It is served with a generous side of made-to-order fries and a dill pickle. The combination of tender and juicy slices of white meat chicken, savory mayonnaise, crisp lettuce, sweet tomatoes, crunchy bacon, and toasted bread provides excellent flavor and texture contrasts.

Just one thing: Eat your sandwich quickly. Mayonnaise only provides a temporary barrier against the moisture rich tomatoes and lettuce. Soggy toast does not make a good sandwich.

At $9.99, Fil's club platter is an economical way to enjoy a well crafted classic sandwich in 60s nostalgia.

Particulars:
Fil's Diner
1205 Wellington Street W.
(613) 728-3356
Click here for File's Diner's website

Normally, I try not to use the p-word in relation to food on foodiePrints. I simply don't agree with the term or the rather negative connotation that comes with it, sensationalizing food as a substitute for sex. Even wikipedia's entry on food porn is 2/3 negative. The entry first introduces food porn as a "sarcastic" term for visual media, involving cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, or cooking shows. Then it links the term to high fat or caloric rich food. It ends with the fetish connotation. Tucked into the negative aspects of the entry is a description that I feel appropriate: images of exotic dishes that arouse the desire to eat.

Armed with this last definition, Ridgerock Studios from Calgary, Alberta seems adept in producing food porn. Their team consists of professional photographers and stylists. Their product is high end digital photography. When it comes to their specialty, food, they produce some of the most appetite inducing digital captures of food that I have ever seen. According to their website and brochure, this has something to with Hasselblad digital camera systems and digital editing. Since I am but a point and shoot photographer, I am going to assume that their equipment is top-notch. However, in my experience, whenever a technology is ascribed credit, the skill of its operator is more likely paramount.

I should point out that I didn't run into Ridgerock Studios' website, with its built-in slideshow, from searching for "food porn." I found Ridgerock Studios when I went to look at this April's cooking challenge at foodtv.ca. This month the chosen recipe is a rustic dish, "Roaster Garlic Vegetable Tart." It comes from TV Chef Anna Olsen, of "Sugar" fame. The image of the dish that is displayed with the recipe was captured by one of Ridgerock Studios' professional food photographers, Todd. The image also happens to be his entry for the cooking challenge. Quite frankly, given the quality of the image and the drool that collected on my keyboard, I concede defeat. I will nevertheless try the recipe as my recipe box is sadly lacking in appetizers. I plan to try the recipe both in its original form and substituting puff pastry for the phyllo.

Kudos to Ridgerock Studios. It's a Canadian company too!

I find that I wander to the DivineCaroline website more often these days. Firstly, I have the blog's RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed queued up in Firefox's built-in RSS facility along with other blogs and news sites. Secondly, articles from its female writers, editors, and editorial assistants show up more often on digg.com where they are "dug" heavily. All female staff? As its tag line reads, DivineCaroline is a women's online magazine, written by women for women. The site is very robust, stylishly laid out, and content rich. It seems to be based on a blog engine, complete with user registration, comments, categories, and tags.

Recently, a DivineCaroline article showed up digg.com, entitled "The Worst Artery Cloggers in America." In it, Brie Cadman, staff writer, biochemist, and epidemiologist describes how some fast food restaurants have taken to excesses in serving customers fat, salt, carbs, and calories. She identifies culprits, one of their significantly unhealthy dishes, and a healthy alternative.

Here's a short list of DivineCaroline's of worst dishes and the restaurants they come from:

• Denny's Smoked Sausage Slam - 1480 calories, 88 g of fat, 4340 mg of sodium
• KFC Mashed Potato Bowl - 740 calories, 35 g of fat, 2350 mg of sodium
• Carl's Jr. Bacon Cheese Six Dollar Burger - 1070 calories, 76 g of fat, 1910 mg of sodium
• Pizza Hut Meat Lover's Personal Pan Pizza - 890 calories, 49 g of fat, 2460 mg of sodium
• Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries - 2900 calories, 182 g of fat
• White Castle Home-Style Onion Rings - 780 calories, 44 g of fat, 860 mg of sodium

Click here to see what Brie Cadmin and DivineCaroline have to recommend as healthier alternatives.

The list reminds me of a book I recently found at a local grocery store. It is also available at Chapters. It is entitled Eat This, Not that: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution and is penned by David Zinczenko, Editor-in-Chief of Men's Health, a Men's magazine. In it, he likewise identifies some of the best and worst foods offered by various fast food outlets.

The following is the book's entry on Quizno's:

More after the jump...

We at foodiePrints write a lot about pizza. To date, our "pizza" tag brings up 6 entries, making this one the seventh. Unlike its predecessors, however, this entry concerns itself with frozen pizza. Normally, I don't pay much attention to frozen pizzas because frozen pizzas (with the exception of personal-sized pizzas) measure approximately 12" in diameter. This happens to be the same diameter as medium size pizzas from a pizzeria. Normally, the cost of a frozen pizza is the same price as a medium pizza if you purchase a 2 pizza deal. Most frozen pizzas range from $6 and $10 a piece.

Don't believe me? Take for instance the national chain, Pizza Pizza. It is currently running a promotion that involves purchasing a second 3 topping medium pizza for $3. The price of a regular 3 topping medium pizza is $11.80. This translates into $7.40 per pizza. The same goes for family-owned local pizzerias. Napoli's Restaurant on 81 Richmond Road is currently running a promotion for 2 topping medium pizzas. The price: $21.95. This translates into $10.98 per pizza.

Why buy frozen when you can buy made to order?

One Thursday evening, during a grocery run, my better half and I happened by the frozen section of the local Superstore (at the corner of Richmond and Kirkwood). There, we found a well stocked freezer with No Name Rising crust pizzas in various flavours: 3 meat, pepperoni, and deluxe. At $5.49 per pizza, our curiosity had us purchase a 3-meat pizza . Besides, it was late and both she and I were exhausted. Neither of us wanted to cook that evening. Not expecting much, we were quite surprised by what came out of the oven.

After 28 minutes on the pizza stone at 400°F, the frozen pizza came to life. The pizza literally doubled in height. Better still, the crust was lined with corn meal. This prevented the crust from sticking to the aluminum foil lined pizza stone and created a nice crisp crust. The pizza was sauced conservatively with a savory tomato-based pizza sauce. The pizza's toppings were generous. From piles of pepperoni to numerous chunks of Italian sausage and seasoned ground beef, the pizza was quite meaty.

Given the price, the convenience, and the surprising quality, we couldn't complain. That is, until we discovered that No Name Rising Crust Pizzas are now $3.99. The reason we came across a well stocked freezer with these pizzas was because the store was preparing for a sale. Oh well, I guess one of these pizzas is going to find a home in our freezer for the next evening when neither I nor Jenn wants to pull out the pots and pans after a long day's work.

Aside: Speaking of pizza, according to BBC News, an American, named Chris Park, just sold the pizza.com domain for $2.6 million USD. Having purchased the domain in the early 90s (1994), Mr. Clark now regrets not purchasing more domains during the early days of the World Wide Web.

First there was stabby: an unfortunate red knife holder shaped like a person. Now, let me present UrbanTrend's "Throwzini's Knife Block." Apparently, stabby got away, but he's not in much better circumstances.

According to UrbanTrend's website, the "Throwzini's Knife Block" is made of hand crafted wood. It comes with 5 stainless steel knives: a bread knife, a chef's knife, 2 utility knives, and a paring knife. Each knife is held securely by magnets in protective sheaths when they are placed in the knife block. This permits the block to spin, mimicking the spinning target of a knife throwing act.

UrbanTrend is a design and development organization for consumer products. They provide "retail solutions" for creative designs through its "Asian manufacturing base and consumer client base." Regarding the Throwzini's Knife Block, UrbandTrend's sells them at $99.95 USD per unit through a Yahoo-powered storefront.

At this price, I think I'll stick with my wooden knife block that doesn't spin.

According to potatopro.com, McCain Foods (Canada) introduced "Slow Cooker Solutions" sometime during November 2007. The product is intended to ease the task of making dinner by providing slow cooker ready meals from the freezer. All parents need to do is take a tub of flash frozen "old-fashioned meat-and-potato dinners of years gone", thaw it, place it into a slow cooker, turn it on, send the kids to school, go to work, and dinner will be ready when they return.

Me, I purchased a slow cooker and I believe that wholesome meals can be prepared in tandem with keeping a busy home, but without the need for a cook-from-frozen solution. Here's proof:

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

1. Take a 2-3 lb pork picnic shoulder roast (aka: pork butt), trim it of fat, and place it into the ceramic pot of a slow cooker.
2. Pour 1 341 mL bottle of beer into a small sauce pan. I used a leftover bottle of Coor's Light.
3. Place it onto a burner, set to medium heat.
4. Add 4 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and 3 dried chillies.
5. Cover and bring it to a boil.
6. Pour the entire contents into the ceramic pot and set the slow cooker on high.
7. Once the liquid simmers, switch the slow cooker to low and braise for 8-9 hours.

Here is what the roast will look like after braising.

Picnic shoulder after 7 hours of braising

Here is a picnic shoulder after 8 hours of braising. At this stage, it will be very tender and can easily fall into pieces. Carefully remove the bone if there is one.

Picnic shoulder finished

Picnic shoulder, de-boned, and in pieces

To make the pulled pork, take two forks and start separating the meat into strands. This will take very little effort as all of the collagen has dissolved and the muscle fibres are no longer connected together.

Forked
Once separated, the pulled pork will have a very clean taste. To add the red hue and sweetness that comes with restaurant style pulled pork, the newly forked strands will have to be sauced.

Personally, I'm partial to Diana Gourmet Barbecue Sauce. For this particular batch, I used honey garlic, 3/4 cup to be exact.

Saucing

Once sauced, place the pulled pork back into the slow cooker with 3/4 cup water and cook on high for a further hour.

Sauced

Serve.

One pulled pork sandwich!

Slow cooking a pork shoulder frees up approximately 8-9 hours to accomplish other things. There is minimal prep. Very little attention is required.

A recipe for a slow cooker turkey fricot follows after the jump.

More after the jump...

When last my better half and I visited the Uni Food Mart in the Eastview Shopping Center on 29 Selkirk, both we and a middle eastern couple stopped in front of the produce aisle and stared at a display of a greens, called "Garlic Stems." They were long and thick stems that were bundled together for sale. Neither of us knew what to make of them. The couple mentioned to us that they cook with younger versions of the stems and went to purchase other groceries.

Unwilling to admit defeat, I bought a bunch and hit google for recipes. One recipe I found comes from the Feasta Fiesta blog. It described chopping the stems and stir frying them in hot oil with minced garlic. The results were very appetizing. The high heat brightened the colour of the green stems and garlic tends to go well with most Chinese greens.

I made the recipe and used it as a bed for black bean chicken.

Garlic Stems with Black Bean Chicken

Regarding the garlic stems, I cut them into 3 inch pieces. I heated up a wok with 3-4 tbsp of oil, placed the wok on high heat, and waited until the oil rippled. Then, I added 3 tbsp of minced garlic and stirred them until they started to colour. Then, I added the garlic stem pieces and a pinch of salt. I stir fried the pieces for a couple minutes until the colour lightened (approximately 3-5 minute). I plated the stems and quickly made a batch of black bean chicken.

The stems tasted very much like snow peas and nothing like garlic. Their crispy texture and sweet clean taste went well with the salty and savory chicken.

The black bean chicken recipe is pretty easy. Take boneless pieces of dark chicken meat and silken it. Silkening is a procedure common to Asian cooking. It involves seasoning the meat and adding corn starch and oil to coat. When everything is mixed together, the meat becomes coated in a very thin batter, encapsulating the flavorings. Once the chicken is silkened, add it to a hot wok with 2-3 tbsp of oil and stir fry the pieces until they begin to colour. Add a tbsp of prepared black bean sauce (potent stuff), mix it in, and add 4-5 tbsp of a corn starch and water slurry to create a glaze. Stir fry until the chicken is cooked through. Serve.

I believe that great food comes in many forms and can from some unusual sources. However, employ some common sense when eating out. Don't order fish when you goto a pizzeria (or pasta house), unless you're visiting a coastal city in Italy (e.g. Naples). Don't order steak at a seafood restaurant. Don't order spaghetti at a dai pai dong (a type of open-air food stall that was once popular in Hong Kong). Similarly don't expect hand garnished plates at a buffet.

When it comes to pubs, pub food needs to be simple to make, quick to plate, easy to manipulate, and it must pair up well with the beverage of choice: beer. Like wine, why not cook the dish with the beer that you serve it with? In this case, the pub in question is the Royal Oak Pub on Wellington Street (1217) in the Wellington Village. The dish is a "Beef and Stilton pot pie." The beer is Guinness. It just works.

Well, the dish works. I'm not fond of darker beers, so I didn't order a Guinness with my meal. However, between the gently stewed beef, the sharpness of the blue cheese, the slight bitter notes from the dark beer, and the generous layer of puff pastry, I must have had a culinary epiphany.

The Oak's Beef and Stilton Pot Pie is listed on the menu as traditional "British Pub Fare." According to its description, like all the pot pies, it is homemade and served with seasonal vegetables and a choice of salad or potato. I substituted lattice fries for the potato. They were crisp and flavorful. The vegetables were a very coarsely chopped side that tasted like they spent some uneven time on the flat top. The pot pie was made with beef, mushrooms, and a Guinness Stout and Stilton gravy.

At $12.99 before taxes and tip, the meal delivered good value.

To my readers who are thinking about visiting Ottawa, the Royal Oak is a chain of pubs specific to the nation's capital. There are a total of 10 locations. I've frequented 3: the Bank Street Oak (318 Bank), the Laurier Oak (161 Laurier), and the Wellington Oak. Every time, I have been served pub food that was above average. If you're wanting for a pint, you can't really go wrong by dropping by an Oak.

Cheers!

Particulars:
The Wellington Oak
1217 Wellington Street
(613) 728-6661
Click here for the Royal Oak Pubs' Website

To North Americans, lasagna is a pasta casserole, consisting of alternating layers of meat sauce, cheese, and pasta. To Italians, lasagna refers to the flat sheets of pasta that are typically used to make this dish. To me, lasagna is the quintessential comfort food that takes both time and care to make. My favourite is a slightly modified classic lasagne alla bolognese (bolognese lasagna) with béchamel sauce. Traditional classic bolognese lasagna only uses parmigiano reggiano.

According to wikipedia, while the dish is generally accepted to have originated in Italy, the word "lasagna" has etymological roots in the Greek words λάγανον (laganon) and λάσανα (lasana). The former refers to a type of flat sheet of pasta dough cut into strips. The latter refers to a chamber pot.

Over the years, many variants the dish involving layers pasta with other ingredients and baking it in a vessel have emerged. Some recipes call for several cheeses, including ricotta and mozzarella. Others, include adding spinach to the pasta, colouring the noodles green and producing a lasagna verde. Still others, replace the meat ragu with seafood in a cream sauce, producing a seafood lasagna. If I were Alton Brown, this is where I'd say "lasagna is 'good eats'."

I have been puttering around with a "from scratch" lasagna recipe for years. My recipe makes a lasagna that I reserve for family or very dear friends. Save for the pasta sheets that I try to purchase ready-made but fresh, the recipe starts from fundamentals: ripe Italian tomatoes, herbs (oregano, basil, and parsley), freshly ground pepper, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, cheese, milk, olive oil, ground beef, ground veal, and ground lamb. Its method involves good knife work, careful roasting, long simmering, and a little patience. If I ever purchase a hand driven meat grinder, I'd grind the meat myself. If I ever purchase a pasta maker, I'd make the pasta as well.

Unfortunately, I only have the time to make this recipe when a weekend allows me a full day to do the prep work. With my weekends the way they are, I can barely find the time to roast a decent chicken, let alone simmer a tomato sauce for a couple hours. Happily, when a friend of mine sent me pictures of his first lasagna, I was forced to think of a quick and easy recipe. His lasagna, with its meaty ragu (spiked with chopped sausage) and layer of spinach and ricotta, made me crave lasagna so much that I had to make my own. Only, I didn't have a day to prep and I was limited to what my pantry and fridge contained.

Here's what I was able to cobble together with some canned spaghetti sauce, ready-bake lasagna noodles, and some frozen ground beef that I had in the freezer:

Baked

Sliced

One luscious square to Satisfy a Craving

Recipe follows:

More after the jump...