foodiePrints

6 Classic Dishes Every Food Blog Should Have a Recipe For

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 13:49:35 -0500

Over the weekend Julie (@TheMagicFridge) of Ottawa's Magic Fridge personal chef service tweeted a link to a piece by Andrea Aku of the StyleCaster website. Entitled "6 Classic Dishes Everyone Should Know How to Make", the write-up garnered 100235 views and 18 tweets when I last read it.

While I am not entirely happy with her generalization that Chinese food is "greasy", I was interested in what Aku considered basic recipes "a beginner chef should have under their [his or her] belt."

Chicken Noodle Soup
Meat Lasagna
Beef Stew
Roast Chicken
Chili
Chocolate Cake

Aku considers these "classic childhood comfort dishes" everyone should learn how to make.

The list and sentiment is rather timely with British TV Chef Jamie Oliver recently making his TED Prize Wish to educate children about food.

I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.

Source: Jamie Oliver, TED

If you haven't seen Oliver's impassioned TED presentation, I suggest you do. The video is embedded after the jump.

In his presentation, Oliver recounts several stories from his televised anti-obesity project in Huntington, West Virginia, called Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. They include setting up a community kitchen "food center" and teaching children "10 meals" that equip them with basic skills to eat healthier.

With Oliver's words reverberating well with me, I decided to scour foodiePrints to see if we had Aku's 6 dishes written up on our food blog. I believe good food blogs are written by food enthusiasts who "play" in the kitchen. These food bloggers develop the physical memory from learning culinary basics. It permits them to better appreciate food, especially more complex dishes. Practicing what I preach, foodiePrints is a both sounding board for our thoughts on food and a cook's journal.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Pho Broth
While we haven't a post on chicken noodle soup per se, we have one for chicken pho. In it are instructions and a link to a recipe for how to make a chicken pho broth. The technique can easily be extrapolated and flavours modified to make other soups. Click here for that post.

Meat Lasagna

Bolognese Lasagna
Bolognese lasagna is one of the dishes I lavish my attention upon and make for family and friends on special occasions, usually from nearly first principles. Click here for my latest attempt. Click here for a quick and easy version.

Beef Stew

Lamb and Barley Stew
Slow cooking is a necessary skill that opens the door to lesser cuts of meat, new textures, and incredible flavour. In lieu of a beef stew, click here for a Lamb and Barley stew, I made for Guinness' 250th anniversary.

Also, in Asian cuisine, braising lesser cuts of beef produces component proteins for dishes like my better half's crispy chow mein.

Crispy Chow Mein with Yu Choy
Chinese food doesn't have to be greasy. In fact, authentic Chinese food typically isn't.

Roast Chicken

Spatchcocked Chicken
Roasting poultry is a really easy way to serve large numbers of people. There are several ways to roast chicken. I prefer spatch-cocked because the bird lies flat. It cooks more evenly and it cooks much faster. Click here for one of our attempts at spatch-cocked chicken on a grill.

We also oven roast chicken "a la can." Original recipes involved beer cans and grills. Click here for an attempt at "exploding" ginger-ale can chicken.

Chili
While we have several curries on foodiePrints, we never wrote-up a chili. Happily, Rebecca (@bitofmomsense), the mommy blogger behind the "A Little Bit of Momsense" blog, shared her recipe for Crock Pot Chili on the weekend.

bitofmomsense (Mar 07, 10:11 AM)
@foodiePrints @Smart_Spaces a simple but yummy chili http://bit.ly/5JQZsf will be hosting 9 adults, 5 kids. it's a crowd pleaser

She was hosting guests for an Oscar party.

Chocolate Cake

Beetroot Brownies
Because my better half is allergic to chocolate, you will find few chocolate dishes on foodiePrints. You will find several sponge cakes like Japanese Kastella and chiffon cupcakes. Recently, however, I made beetroot chocolate brownies for a recipe competition. Click here for the entry.

I guess I need to get cracking on preparing a traditional chocolate cake and a good bowl of chili for posting...Jamie Oliver's TED Acceptance Presentation

Case Study Jam at the Lindenhof - updated

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 12:07:00 -0500

Towards the end of February, I attended a Thursday session of Case Study Jam at a German restaurant, the Lindenhof, on Preston Street (268) in Ottawa's Little Italy. It would be the second time creator Joe Boughner convened the event. Dubbed "Case Study Jam 2: Jamming Harder", Case Study Jam gathers together "do-ers", people who work in public relations, communications, or information technology, essentially "anyone who gets their hands dirty." According to the event's primer, while there is no featured speaker, several quick oral presentations start the event, leading to break off discussions on "Wins" (success case studies), "Fails" (less-than-successful case studies), and "Works in Progress" (ongoing case studies). The goal is to encourage people to share ideas and allow attendees to leverage lessons learned, all in an informal environment.

That evening's presenters follow:

Ian Capstick (@iancapstick) of MediaStyle: His presentation on a "fail", involving a bloggers' resource for blog ideas
Kelly Rusk (@krusk) of MediaMiser: Her presentation on a "fail", involving organizing a Social Media book club
Bob LeDrew (@bobledrew) of Translucid: His presentation on a significant "win", involving rallying Ottawa via social media to help the Cornerstone women's shelter

Because the event was held at the Lindenhof, Boughner encouraged attendees to come early to enjoy "a schnitzel or a bratwurst" before the presenters spoke.

Having read several past tweets from local tweeps about their enjoying great dinners at the restaurant, both when it was previously on Carling and at its new location on Preston, I arrived early to sample some German fare. I however polled some trustworthy sources beforehand. One of the project managers I work with is of German decent. He told me the Lindenhof can be a little unpredictable, he having been served both great and forgettable plates. Never regrettable, he warned me to expect large servings. A friend told me there are better German restaurants in Ottawa.

The event was held in the second floor dining room of the restaurant. The Lindenhof, itself, looked like a converted two story house. With hardwood floors, yellow painted walls, and dark wood accents, the atmosphere matched the generous home-style dishes we were served.

Second Floor Bar
Even the bar looked warm and welcoming.

Off the menu, I ordered the sauerbraten in lieu of either schnitzel or bratwurst. A former colleague of mine once asked me if I had come across the vinegar marinated beef dish in my local restaurant adventures.

Lindenhof Menu

Entrees
Described as "cured and marinated roast beef, served with a tender potato dumpling and sauteed vegetables", I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. I did take note of the schnitzel though...

Schnitzel
Boughner recommends the combined bratwurst and schnitzel plate. His German beer recommend: Warsteiner Dunkel.

Warsteiner Dunkel

Every entree is accompanied with either salad or soup.

That evening's Salad

That evening's Soup
Ian ordered the salad and graciously let me take a picture of it. I ordered the soup. Thin brothed, peppery, and slightly over seasoned, the vegetable soup tasted of tomato and was forgettable.

My sauerbraten plate was indeed generous.

Sauerbraten
The sliced beef bordered on tough, but was very manageable with the savory jus-based gravy. The potato dumpling is the largest I have ever come across. When it arrived, I thought it was a scoop of mashed potato. Expecting something yielding, my fork cut into a tender dumpling that paired well with the sliced beef. The vegetables tasted steamed and finished in butter. They were fork tender. The entire plate was rustic and satisfying.

Arriving at the restaurant ravenous, my dinner quickly filled the gap, allowing me to enjoy the following presentations.

Total: $25.43 (including a Coke ($2.50), a coffee, and taxes).

I would later speak with Bob LeDrew about encouraging members of Ottawa's foodie and food blog community (over 50 blogs strong) to come together and help him hold another dinner for the Cornerstone women's shelter. His idea: a chili or stew dinner. My thoughts: Ottawa has a vibrant foodie community with food enthusiasts who defy author Michael Ruhlman's thoughts that foodies don't cook. Jenn later suggested to include a canned food drive for the Food Bank as well. More on this later.

Many thanks to the Lindenhof for hosting Case Study Jam. Many thanks to Joe Boughner, the presenters, and the attendees for some insightful discussion. I am excited to attend the next one.Here are some of the business cards I gathered from the evening.

Kelly Rusk and Bob Ledrew

Avra Gibbs Lamey and Mar Warrender

Update: Click here to read Anne DesBrisay's (Ottawa Citizen's restaurant critic) recent review of the Lindenhof. I completely forgot the Lindenhof's new location was most recently the Four Cuisines Bistro.

Particulars:
The Lindenhof
268 Preston Street
(613)725-3481

Celebrating a Spring Day with the Scone Witch - updated

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 12:08:00 -0500

A sure sign you're Canadian is the uplifting feeling you get when the snowbanks melt away to reveal bare sidewalks again. You then throw off your heavy winter-wear. You don thick hoodies and vests and exclaim spring has arrived. The temperature, only 4C.

Greeted by sunlight this morning, Jenn and I wandered downtown to enjoy the newly warm weather; me, thick hoodied and she, vested. There, we decided try our luck at breakfast at the original SconeWitch (388 Albert Street). It is one of those eateries, we hear volumes about, but never found the time to try. Friends recently told us, the original was such a success another opened in the Beechwood area.

Scone Witch's Fold Out Menu/Card

Unfortunately, it was not to be. When we arrived, we found the restaurant's 25 or so seats were already taken. The scent of butter pastry filled the air. And, it was uncomfortably humid inside. In fact, condensation clouded the front window, giving patrons a little privacy and a complementary moisture treatment. We ended up picking up an Eggwitch ($5.50), a B.L.T. (bacon, lettuce, and tomato) with pesto SconeWitch ($5.50), and an Orange Cranberry sweet scone ($1.90) to go.

Jenn's Eggwitch consisted of a savoury herb and onion scone that was hollowed out to hold eggs scrambled with cooked ham. Recommended by the line cooks at the back of the restaurant, my SconeWitch sandwiched baby mesculin with crisped and microwave re-heated bacon between the halves of feta scone. One half was brushed with a store-bought basil pesto. The other, spread with mayonnaise.

The Scone Witch is a canteen style restaurant. The dining room, decorated in a bistro style greets you when you walk in from the street. Against the wall is a graduation-style painting of chefs. In the middle is a witch with a tray of scones.

There is an open kitchen at the back. The separation is marked with a counter, where your order your food. We discovered lines formed at both the counter and at the door. The latter, for tables.

There are no servers. While the restaurant is professionally equipped, there is no traditional line. The three cooks who take orders and assemble scone dishes are also bakers and servers. When you eat in, they will bring your plates to you. After you eat, you head over to the cash and till to pay. When you eat out, they bag everything and point you to the cashier. Dishes are made to order. The cashier doubles as a dish washer, there being two dish washing stations in the restaurant. Given the turnover, I can imagine the restaurant going through a lot of dishes.

As we waited for our order, Jenn and I gave opening tables away and took our scones to a park bench on Kent Street, across from the Crown Plaza Hotel. There, we devoured our late breakfast. I found my sandwich quite the realization. Rich and decadent, well-made scones work in sandwiches. Mine was freshly baked, light and airy. Buttery, it tasted passingly of feta. With the peppery greens, nutty pesto, and salty bacon, I exclaimed with delight biscuit sandwiches did not even compare.

Jenn likewise enjoyed her breakfast, giving me her blackberry. The crumb of scone I stole from her when she wasn't looking was likewise light and buttery with just the right amount of dill.

Total cost: $15.57 (after taxes)

Next time, we're coming in when the place opens at 8:00 am on weekends for brunch. At $10.50, you get scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, a scone, and greens. The scone is accompanied with Moss Berry Farm jam or lemon curd. Everything is topped either with mustard-baked ham, a dollop of mushroom ragu, or Mediterranean vegetables and goat cheese.

Update: I looked into the comment from Pearl of the Eaten Up food blog that there was originally another Scone Witch in New Edinburgh neighbourhood. Indeed, the Scone Witch at 35 Beechwood Avenue was originally located on 42 Crichton Street. According to an older "The Materialist" blog by Kirstin Endemann of the Ottawa Citizen, the 42 Crichton Street location was takeout only. In September 2009, the former location was re-opened by Chef Susan Jessup as 42 Crichton Street Fine Foods.

Particulars:
The Scone Witch
388 Albert Street
(613)232-2173

Bridging the Divide Betweent Cutlery and Communication

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:49:49 -0500

Well, I'm not about to advocate communicating with dinner forks (or pitch forks for that matter), but a link to a Utah university student's Etsy shop, "ForkedUpArt", has been going around the blogoshpere. Attached to the link is a picture of cutlery that has been welded together to form an Iphone holder.

ForkedUpArt Iphone Holder
Source: Etsy shop

According to "Jennings Metal", the handle of the artist who operates "ForkedUpArt", the holder recently caught the attentions of TUAW: The Unofficial Apple Weblog, Macenstein, and even CNet, sparking a flurry of activity. In fact, the shop now sports an announcement about bulk purchases. Jennings Metal will even fashion custom holders.

After visiting the Etsy site, I discovered there are two models, one with a "fork head" and one with a "spoon head." The cost: $30.00 USD ($19.99 USD shipping to Canada).

Me, I like the one with a spoon head, given the feet are likewise spoons. It is a bit of symmetry that goes well with me.

But, since I haven't an Iphone to put in the holder, I'm going to pass.

Kudos to Jennings Metal on your creative product!

Tale of Two Sweet Potato Dishes: Failed Gnocchi and Successful Summer Rolls

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 00:07:55 -0500

I am entering the proceeding summer rolls in @shesimmers and @gourmetfury's "Battle Sweet Potato" Veggie Celebration contest for March.

Yesterday, I had a somewhat awkward conversation with a relatively old-school project manager who disparaged the new online presence features of Microsoft's recently unveiled mobile operation system for smart-phones and other smart-devices, called Windows Mobile 7. He felt the social media-oriented aspect was a distraction for business users who are more task-oriented. So, Microsoft is essentially alienating its traditional user-base. Incredulous, I pointed out the upcoming millennial workforce is more conscious of work-life balance and values the new contact and event-driven features. Besides, modern business has realized using such tools as Facebook and Twitter thoughtfully can help them establish their brands (lends to good will) and cultivate familiarities with prospective clients, customers, or patrons. Savvy businesses, that realize benefits should not be measured $/click (or $/follower), also learn about their market at the micro-social level.

To me, Microsoft, having "out-Appled" Apple with respect to their mobile operating system's dynamic interface, made the platform attractive again. In a ubiquitous computing environment, devices need to be multi-functional. While I am not a member of the millennial workforce, I participate in several vibrant online communities using social media tools. It has grown my personal and professional networks, connecting me with people I would never have imagined speaking to. Many connections have materialized in the real-world and developed into friendships.

What does this have to do with sweet potatoes or gnocchi? I am blessed to have so many different people in my life. Through my participation in the food blogging community, I met Leela (@shesimmers), the blogger behind SheSimmers. Later I would meet Melody (@gourmetfury), the blogger behind Gourmet Fury. Together, they run Beet 'n Squash You. This month, it is battle sweet potato. For my entry, I asked a handful of people in my networks how they take their sweet potatoes. That is when I discovered how versatile the traditionally winter root vegetable actually is. I know people who only eat sweet potatoes as shoe string fries. I know people who like their sweet potato as pie filling. I know people who swear by "candied yams", topped with marshmallows. I know people who roast them, jacketed in aluminum foil. I decided to try my hand at sweet potato gnocchi, pairing it with a wilted green and some pulled pork. It is not my Beet 'n Squash entry.

Well, the pulled pork worked...
Pernil-Inspired Pulled Pork

One Pork Shoulder Roast

Second Pork Shoulder Roast

Spice Rub

Hawaiian Salt

Pork Shoulder Roasts Dried

Pork Shoulder Roasted Oiled and Coated

Pulled Pork after 90 minutes of Covered Roasting

Pulled Pork after 3 hours of Covered Roasting

Pulled Pork Mid-Shred

Pulled Pork Texture

Here's what you need:

Pork Shoulder
Enough Rub to Coat the Pork shoulder Above
A Little Canola Oil

Yes it's that simple. For this batch, I used the following ratio of flavourings 6:6:1:2:1:1 onion flake, dried oregano, Hawaiian salt (seriously cool gift from seriously cool friend), Hungarian paprika, ground cumin, and red pepper flake by volume. My choice for measuring this time, a teaspoon.

Prep:

Pre-heat oven to 350F
Dry the pork shoulder roasts of moisture.
Very lightly coat them in oil
Coat the roasts in rub

Method:

Bake covered for 3 hours or until the meat falls from the bone.
Shred
De-fat the drippings and reduce to taste.
Sauce the meat with the drippings. It should be slightly moist, not wet

Plan A: Gnocchi (failed)
Because the gnocchi failed, I am not going to write up the recipe. I am only going to record notes, so I can re-attempt it.

Pair of Sweet Potatoes, Pricked All Over
The potatoes were lightly coated in canola oil and roasted at 350F, until softened. This took 1 hour.

4.2 oz of Old Cheddar Cheese
The cheese was grated finely.

One Hot Green Chili, Finely Chopped
When the sweet potato had been roasted soft, it was left to cool for 5 minutes.
Then, it was forced through a ricer in batches.
To the riced sweet potato, 1 tsp of nutmeg, 2 pinches of kosher salt, 3 grinds of black pepper, and the shredded cheese was added. The remnant heat melted the cheese.
When the mixture cooled completely, one egg was added.

Sweet Potato Mixture Pre-Flour
2 cups of flour were sifted in with minimum stirring.

Sweet Potato Mixture Post-Flour

Here is where things went awry. After looking up several sweet potato gnocchi recipes on YouTube, I figured the texture of the gnocchi dough should resemble ones that contained 50% by mass ricotta. Thus, I added more flour, thinking my dough too wet and overworked it. I then overworked them further, shaping and re-shaping them.

Shaped Gnocchi
The gnocchi was boiled in simmering salted water until they floated.

Gnocchi Post-Boil
Then, the gnocchi was fried in brown butter.

One Batch Browned

Another Batch Browned

Here are three platings with gently wilted young spinach

Wilted Spinach

Plating 1

Plating 2

Plating 3
While they looked and smelled delicious, the gnocchi were neither tender nor light. A day later, as I tore apart the gnocchi incident to figure out what went wrong, a friend, fellow food blogger, and food photographer Shao (@friedwontons4u) of the FriedWontons4U blog twitpic'ed her dinner of Vietnamese summer rolls. Inspiration hit!

Plan B: Sweet Potato Crisp Summer Rolls

Rice Vermicelli and Rice Paper

One Medium Sweet Potato

Thinly Sliced Sweet Potato, brushed with Canola Oil

Thinly Sliced Sweet Potato After 5 Minutes Microwaving on High

Sweet Potato Crisps After Cooling

Mise to Make Summer Rolls

Completed Rolls

Here's What you Need:

Rice vermicelli and rice paper
Pernil-inspired Pulled Pork (recipe above)
1 Large Onion
A little honey

Prep:

Thinly slice the sweet potato.
Brush the sweet potato slices with oil and season lightly with salt
Arrange the slices in a single layer on a microwave-safe dish.
Microwave the slices on high for 5 minutes.
Carefully remove the dish and let the crisps cool completely before removing them.
Cook the rice vermicelli per instructions on the package.
Drain the noodles completely.
French or sliver the onion.
Sweat the onion with a pinch of kosher salt until softened and finish with honey.

Method:

Soften the rice paper as per instructions on the package.
We dabbed each individual sheet dry.
Assemble the Summer Rolls, using the cooked rice vermicelli as a base, followed by onion, pulled pork, and sweet potato crisps.

Amateur Summer Roll Rolling Technique

Layer Ingredients with Featured Ingredient on Top

Roll Once to Encase the Ingredients

Fold in Sides

Continue Rolling Until You Get This

Here are our first attempts:

Unevenly Sized Summer Rolls

After some practice, we produced more uniform rolls, adjusted for flavour and texture.

More Evenly Sized Rolls

The honeyed onion added a sweetness that went well with the sweet potato. The pulled pork provided some spice and a lot of savouriness. The vermicelli noodles provided body. They were delicious.

An Olympic Hockey Bet in the Blogosphere - updated

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 12:56:22 -0500

For those of you shaking off effects of yesterday nights celebrations, you more than likely have a vague recollection Canada demonstrated its prowess in hockey, our Olympians fighting their way to the finals and winning gold medals in both the Women's and Men's events.

Having watched a number of the events during the Vancouver Olympic Games, including both final hockey games, I have to highlight history was made. 2010 saw Canada break two records: most gold medals earned by a hosting nation and most gold medals earned by any country in a Winter Olympics. It brought a smile to my face to hear our national anthem played so often. It brought a tear to my eye when an entire stadium of people sang along with Sidney Crosby, who scored the gold medal-winning goal during sudden death overtime.

Please note, I am not a hockey fan. I am more interested in how concession food is made than hockey itself, but Sunday afternoon, like much of North America, I stopped to watch the Canada vs. US game. I watched the last major event of the games live, streamed though the Internet by CTV and Bell, while reading tweets on twitter. I even bet on the game.

Like our Prime Minister's spokesman, Dimitry Soudas, who mad a bet with White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, I accepted a blog challenge by the blogger (@kalofagus) behind Kalofagus.ca: Greek Food & Beyond. Soudas and Gibbs bet briefings, wearing opposing team's jerseys. It would later be reported President Barack Obama bet Prime Minister Harper beer. I bet a front page blog post.

Kalofagas (Feb 28, 03:15 PM)
who's up for the hockey challenge? Canada wins, you wear/blog Canada apparel, US wins....Cdns. wear /blog US apparel if we lose?

foodiePrint (Feb 28, 03:20 PM)
@kalofagas I'm in! Go Canada Go!!!!!!!

Several food bloggers likewise accepted.

Both men's hockey teams played spectacularly well, tying the game at the close of the 3rd period and forcing an overtime one. It was epic. In the end, Canada won.

Even though I am not required to blog, here is something for my fellow American bloggers who accepted @kalofagus' challenge. Jenn and I are not sure how available Canadian Olympic-wear is across the border, so we took this picture.

Save for the beaver toque, Hudson's Bay-issued (HBC) Official Olympic-Wear
Feel free to post the image on your blogs to make good on the bet. Click here for a link to Flickr.

By the way, Jenn (dressed as she was in the picture), some neighbours, and I ventured out as Canada erupted in celebration. As we walked through our neighbourhood, we heard cheering and honking well into the start of the closing ceremonies.

foodiePrints (Feb 28, 07:50 PM) Re: cheering on Wellington Street (#Ottawa), this may have had something to do with it http://flic.kr/p/7Gx65q cc @robvogt @kalofagas

Still, foodiePrints is a food blog, so this entry requires a food component. Here is the celebratory meal, Jenn and I ate as we watched the closing ceremonies:

Stewed Beef Rice Noodles in Broth with Yu Choy

My Bowl After Adding some Sriracha
Not poutine, but made by proud Canadians!

Update: Here is a picture of front page headlines from two newspapers, one from Friday (after the Women's Hockey Final) and one from today (after the Men's Hockey Final)

Frontpage News: Men's and Women's Hockey Gold Medals

And here are some thoughts during the closing ceremonies:

New winter Olympic sport: Freestyle Human Hamster Ball Jumping :P [referring to the "Zorbs"]
Ok...need to point out that moose don't fly in Canada. When fed maple syrup, they do leap great distances though.
Wonder if the giant beavers can be trained to chase Nickelback off the stage...
Re female Mountie outfits, they don't exist...Poor gals would freeze!
Umm...A lot of athletes on the "dance floor" look confused...Canadian ones too!
They should have prorogued the closing ceremonies after the parade float musical with the hot mounties...

It was however a real pleasure to see Michael J. Fox take to the stage during the ceremonies and the crowd rise to its feet shortly after he introduced himself as Canadian. While many columnists wrote William Shatner warmed our hearts with his "I am Canadian" speech, I firmly believe Fox stole them.

Bubble Tea Anyone?

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:53:43 -0500

Avid foodiePrints readers will have noticed that Don and I love bubble tea and are constantly on the lookout for the best local bubble tea shop. Thus far, we have visited Bubblicity (both Chinatown and Dalhousie locations), Nihao Tea House on Holland Ave. (now closed), Maple Valley, and finally, Ottawa's newest competitor, the Toronto-chain Teashop 168. On my last bubble tea entry, I had updated foodiePrints' list of top bubble tea shops in Ottawa, but did not reveal number one. I shall now fill in that blank spot.

Last summer while looking for something spontaneous to do with my younger sisters as we waited for an order of pizza, we decided to walk from Hintonburg to Chinatown's newest bubble teashop, My Sweet Tea for something cold, sweet, and refreshing. Granted, My Sweet Tea has been in business since July 2008, but it was my first trip there. My youngest sister, who could probably live on a diet of bubble tea, claimed its drinks tasted just like those in Vancouver and Toronto and that I would not be disappointed. Sufficient to say, she was correct.

Signage My Sweet Tea

Located in the heart of Chinatown, My Sweet Tea provides great competition to another bubble tea shop on Somerset Street, Bubblicity, a popular Ottawa chain. Upon entering the shop, I was struck by the sheer delightful fruity smells in the air. There is nothing more comforting when entering a tea shop when you can smell recently made bubble teas of various flavours and tapioca pearls. The fruitiness is enough to put a happy grin on your face and the knowledge that you are in store for a great treat. The chic decor and furniture gives the shop a casual, yet sophisticated feel, and adds to the relaxing atmosphere inside.

Bubble tea barista making a customer�s order

Checking out the menu.....
My Sweet Tea serves a variety of bubble tea drinks in many flavours including ice tea, ice slush, milk tea, ice cream smoothies, yogurt drinks, blooming tea (hot drink). In addition, snacks of fish balls, chicken wings, toast, and chicken popcorn along with cake are also available.

I ordered my usual staple, a lychee bubble slush ($3.99 + $0.50 for jelly) . It was sweet, cold, and delicious. The lychee flavour was strong, but not overpowering. It also had just the right amount of lychee jelly pieces and there were no hard bits or shards of ice. More importantly as the slush slowly melted, the lychee flavour continued until the very last drop. I was in bubble tea heaven.

Lychee bubble slush served in a tall narrow glass cup

Don chose one of his favourites, a black tea based milk taro bubble tea. According to him, it was cold, sweet, milky and smooth, the right consistency of a taro flavoured drink. Feeling adventurous, Don decided to add red beans to his drink, rather than the usual tapioca pearls. The red beans were perfectly cooked and sweet. At $3.99 + $0.50 for the red beans, it was money well spent.

Milk Tea Taro-flavour (black tea base)

A close up of red beans

Looking for a Snack�
Despite finding a drink quenching my thirst, I was also in search of some food. Choosing from a curious selection of flavoured toast on the menu, I decided to try the honey toast. Not knowing what to expect, I was surprised to be presented with a thick slice of toasted white Asian-style bread drizzled with honey on a glass plate. Each bite had a lovely crunch, but found it somewhat greasy with honey tasting of the typical store-bought kind. I am not sure if I will order this dish again in the near future.

A snack of honey toast

Take Out Bubble Tea
Don�t have time to relax and hang out in the tea shop? No problem! My Sweet Tea also has a take-out option, serving the drinks in plastic cups and sealing them in a thick, but clear plastic sheet with teddy bears and a riddle written in Chinese.

Refreshing bubble teas to go! Delicious!

In the top left hand corner is a mango flavour bubble tea with mango jelly pieces, a favourite of my younger sister. Beside it, a black tea based taro-flavour milk tea with tapioca pearls. Below in the bottom right hand corner is a green tea based lychee-flavour ice tea with lychee jelly pieces. Finally in the bottom left hand corner is my drink, a lychee-flavour bubble slush with lychee jelly pieces.

Since the summer of 2009, Don and I have re-visited My Sweet Tea on numerous occasions and feeling satisfied each time. As a result, My Sweet Tea is foodiePrints� pick for Ottawa�s best tea house!

4. Teashop 168
3. Bubblicity
2. Maple Valley
1. My Sweet Tea

Particulars:
My Sweet Tea
824 Somerset Street W.
(613) 321-3481

NiWoTa put Together 30000 Frames of Ottawa, but only 1 Eatery Mention - updated

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:48:02 -0500

Earlier this afternoon Rosemary Vaughan (@ottambassador) of Ottawa Tourism tweeted a link to her blog (OTTambassador's Blog) where she embedded the following video.

OTTAWA - Summer in 30,000 Frames from NiWoTa on Vimeo.

The video was produced by NiWoTa, a "Creative Collective" that is based in Toronto. It is a great time-lapse collage of summer in Ottawa, compressed into 2 minutes 15 seconds.

52 seconds into the video, significant footage filmed at the Manor Park location (363 St-Laurent Boulevard) of Ottawa's Works Burger appears. It shows employees of our city's home grown "gourmet" burger chain, assembling and serving burgers and sides. Featured are the "Tower-o-Rings" ($9.41) and a "Hold the Phone Burger" ($11.31), which is topped with Peanut Butter, Cream Cheese, and Monterey Jack. Click here for our experience at that location. We recommend the Glebe location (580 Bank Street).

Thing is, Ottawa has many eateries besides the Works. Several are in the video. Here is a non-exhaustive list I have compiled.

At 12 seconds, we see the giant vertical rotisseries of Shawarma Palace (464 Rideau), our recommend for the best chicken shawarma plate in the city.
At 16 seconds, we see the ByWard Market farmers' market.
At 46 seconds, we see Auld Dubliner (62 William Street) and Pour House (also 62 William Street), both pubs.
At 49 seconds, we see Dunn's (220 Elgin Street), home of smoked meat poutine.
At 50 seconds, we see Highlander's Pub (115 Rideau St), known to hold scotch tastings.
At 51 seconds, there is footage of a patio from a restaurant in the ByWard Market I can't seem to pin point. If you know what the eatery is across the street or which eatery the patio belongs to, please leave me a comment.
At 1 minute 12 seconds, we see the iconic Beaver Tails (69 George Street).
At 1 minute 21 seconds, we see the 2009 Sparks Street Chicken & Rib Cook-Off.

I should note that Claudie Petrilli (@claudiapetrilli) of Swing Dynamite (a Swing Dancing School) tells me that the Pour House serves some great butter chicken.

Hats off to the NiWoTa Creative Collective. Great vid!

Update: The tweep behind the Works Burger's twitter account (@worksburger) identified the location where the footage was shot.

Eating Earth to Table at the Urban Element - updated

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:16:07 -0500

Sometime before Christmas, Jenn and I picked up a package from our local post office, a parcel wrapped in parchment paper and tied with butcher cord. Instantly, we knew it was a book and it came from a professional kitchen. Reading the return address, we realized it was mailed by someone in Ottawa's food industry whom we chat with regularly about food, food trends, and local restaurants, Chef Tracey Black of Epicuria Fine Food and Catering (419 Mackay Street). The book was Earth to Table, a cookbook, journal, and amazing collection of chefs' profiles. It's authors were Chefs Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann.

A month later, I learned Chefs Crump and Schormann were coming to Ottawa to host an event at the Urban Element (424 Parkdale Avenue). Only, the timing of the event was in flux as the executive and pastry chefs respectively were balancing running their restaurant, the Ancaster Old Mill (548 Old Dundas Road), and meeting engagements on their whirlwind book tour, stopping in New York City (cooking at the James Beard House), Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto. Chef Crump is also corporate chef at Spencer's At the Waterfront in Burlington, but more on that later.

Completely forgetting, I received word from twitter Chef Crump (@earth_to_table) was coming into Ottawa within days, so I quickly dropped an e-mail to Urban Element to sign up. Lucky for me, the fully booked event had two last minute cancellations. I eagerly snatched one up, making the Earth to Table event my first non-sponsored event. At $125 (before taxes) per attendee, attending decimated my restaurant budget for a month and a half. It was worth it.

Chefs/Authors of Earth to Table

Though, I was surprised by the lack of interest from other attendees to greet and chat with Chefs Crump and Schormann when I arrived. After I hung up my jacket, I noticed only a few attendees gathering around the chefs and authors. Everyone was there for a spectacular meal, each course paired with a fine wine. The ticket price included a short introduction to the chefs, a short presentation by the chefs, cheese and charcuiterie, dinner, and wine.

As co-owner/operator Carley Schelck told me when I passed on the wine pairing, had I warned her earlier, she would have made alternate arrangements for someone who doesn't drink wine. Yes, I am a food enthusiast who has not developed a palate for wine. Such regularly irritates front of house staff at several fine dining restaurants, but I digress.

Here is what we were served:
Hor'deurves

Winter Charcuiterie and Cheese
They were accompanied by cornichons, pickled onions, grainy mustard, and zucchini relish

Appetizer

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Brown Butter
The delicate gnocchi was pan fried in brown butter, sprinkled with Parmesan, and topped with deep fried sage leaves

Entree

Braised Beef Short Rib
The short rib was served with apple parsnip puree and whole roasted heirloom carrots

Impossibly Tender and Flavourful

Shot Ribs Broiled and Kept Warm in an Oven
With Chef Crump having staged at Heston Blumenthal's renowned Fat Duck restaurant, the short rib was braised sous vide at 70�C for 24 hours in a gremolata (green herbs and lemon zest). They were broiled in an oven afterward.

Dessert

Sticky Toffee Pudding
The toffee pudding was served in caramel with a "brandysnap" tuile (which tasted of dark sugars and ginger) and creme fraiche.

It was only after the meal attendees followed my lead and took books to be signed, mine already paged through (showing some wear) and me familiar with Earth to Table.

In the proceeding conversations, Chef Crump told us he is sometimes mistaken for Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food and the Omnivore's Dilemma. Alas, flattered, he gently responds he is not Pollan and the famed author penned but a short paragraph after he reviewed the original manuscript. However, Chef Crump admits his book's North American publishing (by Random House in Canada), was more than likely the result of Pollan's blessing the manuscript and it being completed during the rise of of the 100-mile diet. When the 100-mile diet is brought up and he is questioned about whether locavorism is a fad, Chef Crump distances both his book and work from either.Accordingly, the 100-mile diet, while thought provoking, is extreme to the philosophies founding his book and the dishes he and Chef Schormann serve at the the Old Mill restaurant. First and foremost, he admits they are foodies, not environmentalists. In fact, Earth to Table was originally titled "A Year's Relationship Between a Restaurant and a Farm." It is a culmination of documenting a journey he, his chefs, and his cooks had, striving to learn where food comes from. The goal: finding the best possible ingredients. It is why Chef Crump advocates eating responsibly and as sustainably as possible. He refuses to forgo ingredients like fair trade coffee, vanilla, olives and olive oil, rice, white truffles, and buffalo mozzarella, a sampling of "10 things worth the food miles."

As we were served our appetizers, he and Chef Schormann, both correcting each other at times, explained why buying locally and seasonally is advantageous. For Chef Crump, he was indoctrinated at the beginning of his career. Despite completing a political science undergraduate degree, he found he was at home in the kitchen and worked at legendary Chef Alice Waters' Chez Panisse. She effectively hard wires her staff to cook locally. But, local and seasonal food comes with more benefits than lowering one's carbon footprint. You support local business. You often get the opportunity to meet the producers, some of whom have even more stringent standards than anyone certified organic.

Chef Crump advocates shopping at farmers' markets and buying whole meat and poultry from co-ops. He and Chef Schormann practice what they preach, engineering a culinary ecosystem that embraces nose to tail eating. For instance, they purchase 30 whole heads of cattle per year, which produces approximately 800 lbs of ground beef. The beef is sent to Spencer's At the Waterfront. Beneath Spencer's, Chefs Crump and Chris Haworth (formerly of the Old Mill and once a stagiere for Marco Pierre White) opened The Bite. The Bite serves gourmet burgers, fries and ice cream, a re-visioned Milestones, only with really good grub.

My favourite chapters in Earth to Table include seasonal coping strategies those of us in a Northern climate can employ. Our growing season is short. Farmers can only extend it so much with poly-tunnels. We spend half the year battling snow and ice. When produce is in season, practice age-old methods of canning and preserving. Make fruit into jam, preserves, or leather. Pickle vegetables. With respect to meat, fish, and poultry, think charcuiterie come winter. Chef Crump even pointed out that the easiest way to extend a season is look to your refrigerator and consider freezing some of the summer and fall bounty.

As for how to start eating more responsibly, Chefs Crump and Schormann suggest following in their foot steps, choose one ingredient, and move on from there. For the Old Mill restaurant, they started with chicken.

Needless to say, Earth to Table is a good buy and makes a great gift (Amazon and Chapters/Indigo).

Update: Fellow Ottawa food blogger Heather (@aftertheharvest) interviewed Chefs Crump and Schormann before the even. Click here to read her interview.

Also, I neglected to mention I sat with Jennifer Heagle and Jo-Ann Laverty, owners of Red Apron (571 Gladstone Avenue), at Urban Element's dining table.

Red Apron Business Card
I found them great to talk with even though our conversation was at times heated. It was especially so when the conversation turned to newer cooking techniques like sous-vide, which is becoming mainstream.

Particulars:
Urban Element
424 Parkdale Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
(613)722-0885

Ancaster Old Mill
548 Old Dundas Road
Ancaster, Ontario
(905)648-1827

Spencer's At the Waterfront
1340 Lakeshore Road
Burlington, Ontario
(905)633-7494

Udderly Preposterous: I See Cows! (Februray 23, 2010)

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:19:34 -0500

Apparently, the City of Ottawa took issue with the St. Albert Cheese Co-operative, local producer of some of the squeakiest fresh cheese curds to grace a bowl of poutine, and the black and white dairy cow statue that sits above its Cheddar and Et Cetera storefront in Orleans.

The cow statue breaches a ban on "promotional object and banners above a store's roofline." But, after a 1500 signature petition was presented to the municipality, Ottawa's planning and environmental committee reversed its stance, ruling that the cow could remain until the end of 2010. CBC Ottawa reports the reprieve will allow the committee to discuss and reconsider the ban.

Meanwhile, the piece garnered a memorable comment that made me laugh:

Udderly preposterous. The ruling committee shouldn't have a cow over this; rather, they should take the bull by the horns, quit milking the issue, graduate to bovine university and have some common sense. These people need to be put out to pasture � honestly, what's the beef here?

Source: CBC Ottawa (MiguelSanchez from Wakaw, Saskatchewan)

You know what? I've visited that store before and I never looked upwards to see the cow. Then again, it took me a number of years to see the cow's head on the building above Saslove's Meat Market (1333 Wellington Street W.), Agave Grill (1331 Wellington Street W.) and Petit Bill's Bistro (1293 Wellington Street W.). I've lived in the neighbourhood 6 years now.

Look up...Waaaay up!

Flower Munching Cow

Dear City of Ottawa, don't mess with this cow either. Residents of Wellington West probably won't take it well...

Besides, it doesn't promote any udderlying businesses!

Particulars:
Cheddar Et Cetera
900 Watters Road,
Orleans, Ontario
(613)830-8850

St Albert Co-Op Cheese Factory
150 Saint Paul Street
St-Albert, Ontario
(613)987-2872