Twenty Valley Winter WineFest - Sweet, Sparkling, Sensational

Well, we endured the freezing cold weather and spent the day in Jordan, Ontario at the Twenty Valley Winter WineFest. This festival is on for the next two days, January 14 and 15, 2012.  This festival runs on the token system. This means that each token costs $3.00 and then you spend however many token to purchase wine, food or wine tours. It was possible to purchase token packages as well...$20 would get you the "Sweet Package" which entitled you 1 glass and 6 tokens. $40 got you the "Sparkling Package", 2 glasses and 12 tokens. $80 got you the "Sensational Package", 2 glasses and 25 tokens.

We arrived just before 1 pm and got down to business. We purchased the "Sensational Package". We noticed that Main Street, Jordan was cordoned off and there was a bandstand in the middle where different bands played or events took place throughout the day. They had and have scheduled events in place for both today and tomorrow. As well, there was three tents set up with different wineries and food vendors selling their products for a few tokens. The tents were called Sweet, Sparkling and Sensational. We visited the Sweet tent where we partook of some Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery wines...2008 Riesling Icewine for Edgar and a beautiful Cuvee Catharine Sparkling wine for me. In the Sparkling tent we both had a Tawse Winery, 2008 Chardonnay Icewine. Excellent icewine. We also enjoyed Bravo Pizzeria & Grill's "Roasted Apple and Niagara Icewine risotto with Chianti-braised short ribs and candied garlic".

But the highlight of this event as far as food was concerned, was the food trucks that had come out to the event. We started off at the Toasted Tangerine and ordered the "Toasted Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli" served with a sage and butternut squash dip.  This was so good. We also ordered the "Thirty Bench Riesling French Toast". A sweet egg bread, icewine infused custard and blueberry maple syrup. This was unbelievably good. It made me happy!

El Gastronomo Vagabundo was also serving up some very delicious choices and turned out to have one of my favourites of the day - "Rummy Tummy Tacos" - described as chili caramel pork belly, chili tamarind sauce and rum infused pineapple. Unbelievable. So so good. We also got their "Beef Cheek Fritters" and "Bajan Invasion Tacos". Edgar really liked the beef cheek fritters, I thought they were okay. The Bajan invasion tacos were spicy but quite delicious.

Rummy Tummy Tacos

Bajan Invasion Tacos

Beef Cheek Fritters

We also got a couple of cupcakes from Cupcake Diner. I got the Strawberries and Cream and the Salted Caramel Cupcake. They cost a token a piece but they certainly looked and tasted delicious.

We tried to keep warm by visiting the Black Box Challenge hosted by Michael Olsen and we noticed that one of our favourite Food Network stars, Ana Olsen was there supporting her hubby.  Our other attempt at keeping warm took us inside Cave Spring Cellars  were we tasted some delicious samples of Upper Canada Cheese Company with the help of Lisa (who gave us a coupon for a free cheese spreader and 25% off to use today and tomorrow). The wine-infused Niagara Comfort was unbelievable and caused me to take the drive to their store to pick some up before we left.  The Niagara Gold was amazing as always. I also managed to pick up a couple bottles of Biff's Juicy Red - an Oliver and Bonacini blend made by Cave Spring Cellars.

Lisa serving up incredible cheese.

Wine-infused Niagara Comfort

Niagara Gold

Gorilla Cheese wasn't serving their amazing gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches until 5 pm. We waited around, got some more tokens and managed to pick up 3 of their delicious sandwiches, which we enjoyed in the car before the drive home. 

We got a "Lumberjack", an "OG" and a "Cheeky Monkey" (which we had never had before). The "Lumberjack" is aged cheddar cheese, bacon, apple and maple on white.

The "OG" is the Original Gorilla or aged cheddar on white. It's described as "better than your momma's grilled cheese" and it is!!!

The "Cheeky Monkey" is grilled raisin bread, nutella, banana and peanut butter. OMG is all I need to say.

In her opinion:

The Twenty Valley Winter WineFest was a great opportunity to sample new wines and different foods. The weather was awful today - temperature wise. We can't blame the event for the weather but it does hinder our ability to enjoy the WineFest. Hopefully tomorrow will be warmer for the people attending this event.

In his opinion:

The Twenty Valley Winter WineFest 2012 was well organized with a nice mix of wine/food tents, food trucks, kitchen stadium cook-offs, ice sculptures and a nice touch of "party buses" transporting you from the off-site parking lot.

The weather couldn't have been worse (cold) but thank God for Ice Wine.....and those outdoor fire pits that kept everyone warm, but smelling like smoke!

The good: Good participation in numbers from wineries, food trucks, entertainment and local celebrities. They kept everyone engaged.

The bad:  $80 for 25 tokens when every glass of wine or piece of food was 3 tokens each was a bit steep,(3 tokens =$9). Maybe if some of the money was going to a good cause......HAHA!

The verdict: Overall a great event, despite the cold. There were many ways to keep warm or you could drink until you could not feel much (warm or cold).

Kudos to the organizers and I hope that it's even bigger and warmer next year. Cheers.

Flashback Review: Blue by Eric Ripert - Grand Cayman - November 18, 2011

In honour of the Cayman Cookout taking place January 12 to 15, 2012 at the Ritz Carlton in Grand Cayman which is hosted by the wonderful chef Eric Ripert; we decided to write about our amazing dinner in the Cayman Islands at his restaurant Blue by Eric Ripert, the only Five Diamond Award restaurant in the whole Caribbean.

In his opinion:
Eric Ripert should need no introduction. Either for his award winning restaurants (Le Bernardin, Blue, Periwinkle and 10 Arts), or for his very famous chef friends (Anthony Bourdain and Jose Andres).  But it is his French background and French/seafood restaurants that delight people all over the world.

We had the privilege to dine at both of his restaurants (Blue and Periwinkle) while on vacation in Grand Cayman this last November, and enjoyed two great meals that we won't soon forget.

Blue is the more famous of the two restaurants we dined in and it is this one that we are here to review. One should expect a lot from the only AAA five Diamond Award restaurant in all of the Caribbean (remember that there are only two five diamond restaurants in all of Canada) and, although the expectations were high, the service and food met all the expectations. (BTW one of two 5 diamond awards restaurants in all of Canada, is down the street from our house, Yay Langdon Hall!)

Blue is housed inside the Ritz-Carlton Cayman (arguably the best hotel on the island) but, unfortunately presents itself with the pretentiousness that one would hope never to find anywhere.

The Decor in the restaurant is very minimalist, with a slight hint of nautical/sea theme but with clean lines and oversized chairs. Our son was starting to fall asleep as we waited for our table after a very long and tiring day swimming with the stingrays and catching starfish. We finally were seated and set up his portable DVD player (that's code for electronic babysitter) to allow us to enjoy our meal. This ended up not being necessary as he fell asleep before the appetizers hit the table. Oh yeah, the meal...I'm getting to it, stay with me.

We both ordered a glass of wine (Rulli "le villerange" White from Burgandy for me and Argentinian Malbec for Julie) as we decide to order from the a la carte menu instead of the $135 or $165 tasting menus being offered...ouch!.

Before we even ordered, they brought us both an amuse bouche; in this case, it was scallop ceviche (ceviche is Spanish for seafood marinated and "cooked" by the citrus of lemon juice). I'm never one to shy away from scallops so I enjoyed it very much...nice start chef!

For appetizer: I decided to go for their signature appetizer Tuna-Foie Grais. I had seen pictures of it before but the pictures don't do it justice. The color and texture were so nice that I didn't even want to put a fork in it. It was a very thin layers of yellow fin tuna, Foie Grais and toasted baguette shaved chives with extra virgin olive oil.

For Entree: There was one item on the menu that was calling my name and I decided to give in. Perfectly grilled swordfish it was.......and served with  baba ganoush and a delicious pomegranate sauce. The swordfish was surprisingly soft and the grill marks just gave it that (I could have done this myself on my BBQ), but not really, no way.

For Dessert:  I chose the pecan tart with house made sorbet and it was just ok. I love pecans so that always makes it good but this was my least favourite part of the meal, go figure. The sorbet and the pecans itself ended up saving the BLAH dessert. I should have gone with the ginger parfait (too late tough, LOL).

Continuing with the excellent service, we were given an after dessert treat sample platter consisting of chocolate fudge, cream puff, strawberry gelee and shortbread cookie. Now that's what I'm talking about......almost made me forget the price of the pecan tart and, I can't argue with "complementary", especially in this restaurant.

Just when we thought it was over, our amazing Hungarian born waiter brought us a beautiful blue box with French macaroons in it, but I will let Julie tell you all about that.

The Good: Ambiance, food and service were top notch. Not the best we have ever had (but then again we have a lot to compare too) but pretty good I must admit. This restaurant was a lot less pretentious than the R. C. Hotel itself and that's always a good thing.
The Bad: Dessert (my fault for choosing it) but 5 Diamond should mean everything on the menu is excellent right? Wrong.....
The Verdict: It was an amazing meal overall. I can see why it consistently is considered the best in the Caribbean but I must say that my experience at my other Caribbean favourite (The Cliff in Barbados) is a great match, even though the Cliff is only rated 4 Diamond.

I loved it, it's done, crossed it off my bucket list and have now his other restaurant to look forward to sometime; NYC's Le Bernardin..........here I come!

I give it a 4 1/2 olives out of 5.

In her opinion:
To say that this restaurant is on my bucket list would be lying. I love good food...I love great restaurants...but the cost of eating at this place really turned me off (especially for a Caribbean restaurant...it's not New York City or Toronto for that matter). Really, was it worth it? I was perfectly satisfied with having dinner at Periwinkle and calling it done as far as Ripert was concerned. However, the morning that we were off to swim with the stingrays my darling husband of thirteen years tells me it is on his bucket list to eat at Blue by Eric Ripert.  So what do I do...I pull out the cell phone and precede to make a reservation for that night.

Spending a long day out on and in the ocean didn't make me anymore excited about dining at Blue; but, who am I to quash a man's dream or the opportunity to check off an item on a bucket list. 

Our last experience with the staff at the Ritz-Carlton had made me realize that this place was super snotty and pretentious but I decided to keep an open mind.  Our reservation was for 8:30 pm and we weren't seated until 8:50 pm.  Ethan was slowly fading ...he ate two pieces of delicious house made bread and drifted away to sleep.  The staff was wonderful and brought a comfortable pillow to rest his head...they scored points there as far as mommy was concerned.

Let me say that our waiter was amazing.  He made us feel like we were the only two people in the restaurant.  He started us off with an amuse bouche, a scallop ceviche.  This was excellent.

I ordered LOBSTER for my appetizer - a combination of crispy and steamed lobster, topped with a lovely micro green salad and served with a wonderful citrus vinaigrette.  I love lobster and this certainly did not disappoint.

For my entree, I ordered BEEF - a wonderful beef tenderloin. Served in a red wine-garlic reduction, served with asparagus and a wonderful potato emulsion.  A crisp potato basket filled with the silkiest potatoes I have ever eaten and topped with shaved asparagus.  The beef was perfectly cooked to medium.  I usually don't order beef in the Caribbean but this was extraordinary.  The beef was perfect with my Malbec.

For dessert, I ordered Chocolate-Banana - chocolate mousse, chocolate sorbet, chocolate brownie, two slices of brulee bananas and caramel sauce with a shortbread crumble. Excellent. So good.  I loved it.

If that wasn't good enough they brought us an after dessert platter of sweets. Now we're talking. Everything was so good.

After we paid our bill, our fantastic waiter brought me a beautiful little blue box filled with two passion fruit French macaroons.  Very nice touch...almost made me forget what we paid to eat here.

Blue was amazing. I am so glad that we ate here. The whole experience was well worth the price.  I think that Eric Ripert definitely knows what he is doing.  This was an unforgettable meal in one of the most unforgettable places in the Caribbean.

Winterlicious 2012 - Reservations

In her opinion:


Just a quick reminder that reservations can still be made for Winterlicious 2012.


We got lucky and got three great reservations for this year's Winterlicious.  We are going to Chiado (first time Winterlicious restaurant), Luma (this was changed from Auberge du Pommier as my friend Christian couldn't make it) and Brassaii.  Really looking forward to these great dinners.


Don't pass up this opportunity.

Thunder Bay, Ontario - Culinary Destination. WHAT??

In her opinion:


 


So I'm heading off to Thunder Bay this evening for work.  Believe me when I say that the Canadian North in winter is not my first choice in destinations (that sounded too much like Anthony Bourdain).  I am, however; going to remain positive! 

Well, as it happens I was on Twitter this morning and just happened to click on a link @shareontario talking about what's hot in Ontario in January.  I stared clicking away and before I knew it I had clicked on Culinary Adventures and to my amazement Thunder Bay was mentioned (okay the gods are trying to tell me something) and that it was considered a culinary destination.  I smirked, no I laughed and then I read on. 

There is a whole package available called Giant Tastes.  I'm impressed. It mentions Gouda (anything with cheese is good), something I've never heard of called Finn Pancakes (I actually found another blog - "I Eat Therefore I Train" - talking about these Thunder Bay specialities), fresh fish, berries and superb chefs (I love superb chefs because that equals superb food). 


*Update - since posting this blog 9 days ago Food Network Canada's "You Gotta Eat Here" visited The Hoito at 314 Bay Street in Thunder Bay. They featured Finn Pancakes plus other local favourites. Amazing. There is definitely a lot more to Thunder Bay culinary scene then I gave them credit for!!!

My past culinary experiences in Thunder Bay have included the introduction to the Persian.  What I would describe as a cinnamon bun with pink icing.  Not a personal favourite but a favourite to many I'm told.  And some very decent food at the Timbers Restaurant at the Valhalla Inn. 

The famous Persian.

So I guess I need to broaden my culinary way of thinking to include other parts of Ontario (especially the Northern parts).  I guess that I'm just blessed living in South Western Ontario and having my surrounding area filled with culinary wonderment.

Boomers Gourmet Fries

26 Erie Street
Stratford, Ontario
519-275-3147

In her opinion:

So I watched the premier episode of "You Gotta Eat Here" on Food Network Canada and decided that I needed to eat at Boomers Gourmet Fries!  It was packed...not too bad that we didn't get a seat but enough to make me realize other people also watched the show.

It's not a big place but it is big on taste. It has a lot of French Fry options to pick from such as two cheese poutine, black bean chili fries or what we ordered, poutini martini.

It's described on the menu as crispy fries and onion rings with white cheese curds and gravy. Garnished with olives. Delicious.

The other thing that Boomers is known for is their burgers. Whether you pick beef, turkey, wild boar or veggie...there are 13 gourmet options to change that burger into something extraordinary. I had the Jersey Shore beef burger (it's described as a chili and cheese topping).  So good! Oh, and it comes with a fork...necessary to pick up all that extra delicious chili.

The menu also consists of hot dogs, chicken fingers, homemade chili, bistro green salad and fish and chips.  Boomers is great. I can't wait to drive back to Stratford to have a "French Poodle" burger.

In his opinion:

Well, well, well........a small mention on the show "You Gotta Eat Here" and next thing you know, the line-ups are out the door. Granted this amazing piece of heaven in Stratford is always a crowd favourite but on this day, (1 day after the TV mention), it was bustling.

It looks like something that Guy Fiery would feature on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" and the feel of an oversized gourmet food truck with very limited seating. We were lucky enough to be able to snatch some seats as the crowds poured in looking for a "fix" to their grub needs.

Although it's pegged as a poutine place, it has so much more to offer besides the speciality fries. I tried the Guacamolean Burger simply because I love avocado and wanted something "meaty" to go with my poutini martini.

This burger is so tender that it basically melts in your mouth as you bite into it. A scrumptious mix of guacamole, shredded cheese and topped with sour cream, very tasty and light...surprisingly. 

The Good: Everything was great and the food tastes really, really good. A gem for anyone looking for street like food in an indoor setting.
The Bad: So much to try on the menu and so little time. Also how come it's not in my home town...but well worth the 45 minute drive.
The Verdict: Just what I needed...another reason to visit Stratford. I'm hoping to visit this place many times and be able to taste as many things as I can on the menu.

I give it a 4 out of 5 olives as rating.

Twenty Valley Winter Winefest & Niagara Icewine Festival 2012

This weekend January 14 - 15, 2012 take a drive to Jordan Village or the Niagara Region in Ontario.  It's the annual Twenty Valley Winter Winefest and Niagara Icewine Festival! 

The Twenty Valley Winefest takes place on Main Street in Jordan Village. What an great opportunity to mix great wine, food and entertainment.  On Saturday evening starting at 5:00 pm the food trucks will also be open for service.  It's your chance to sample great gourmet street fare from El Gastronomo Vagabundo, the Toasted Tangerine, Blue Donkey Steatery,  Gorilla Cheese and Cupcake Diner. 

The Niagara Icewine Festival has several events taking place from January 13 to 29, 2012.  Buy a Discovery Pass for $30 and you will be able to partake of 6 great wine and food pairing experiences at different wineries throughout the Niagara Region.  Wine and food pairings are $10.00 without the Discovery Pass. 

In her opinion:
What better way to get rid of those winter blues then with wine and good food.  I plan to be in Jordan Village on Saturday afternoon that way I can take full advantage of the food truck offerings (which I plan to blog about soon). I am seriously thinking about doing the Discovery Pass and trying some of the great offerings at the different wineries throughout the Niagara Region.

In his opinion: 

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the village of Jordan; let's change that please, and in a hurry. It is home to award winning Cave Springs, one of the great Wineries in Ontario and the fabulous Inn on the Twenty  Restaurant (former baking spot of Anna Olson, plus a multitude of other culinary, shopping and accommodation wonders).  The events happening the next couple of weekends are just another reason to visit this pretty small village and the Region of Niagara-on-the-Lake.


Besides, how can you say no to wineries/food trucks combo? It's the best of 2 worlds coming together just for your pleasure. A foodie's dream...
We attended a similar event last year (the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival) and let me assure you that it is as good as it sounds. So...after you finish reading this, get on it and plan your next 2 weekends. We are...Cheers

Authentic Mexican Food in Cambridge, Ontario!!

Latino America Unida Mexican Restaurant - 
18 Concession Street Unit 101, Cambridge, ON 
519-267-3634

In her opinion:

I love Mexico. I love the people of Mexico. I love Mexican music. But I love Mexican food the most. Corn, cilantro, chorizo, peppers, etc. combining together in one form or another make me happy. Lately, my little city has been blessed with a couple of authentic Mexican restaurant/grocery store combos - El Rinconsito Mexicano and Latino America Unida. Both are in downtown Galt (for those of you that don't live in Cambridge, it's made up of three distinct towns; Galt, Preston and Hespeler) and both restaurants are great. Tonight we decided to have dinner from Latino America Unida.  This restaurant/grocery is run by a lovely Mexican family - Guadalupe, Mauricio, Mauricio Jr. and Ernie. They have been friendly and very informative about the different Mexican products that they sell.

Mauricio, Guadolupe, Mauricio Jr. & Ernie.

  

  

The grocery store and restaurant.

The menu is not huge but what they have is excellent. They have burritos, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, sopes and huaraches. Pricing is extremely reasonable. Buritos (pollo, chorizo, cochinitas, etc.) are $4.99 for a small or $6.99 for a large. Three tacos (carnitas, chorizo, dorados, etc.) for $6.50. Quesadillas for $4.50 and huaraches for $4.50 or with meat for $4.99. So we decided to get our favourites for a quick take out dinner. Our order consisted of burrito de pollo and tacos de chorizo.

 Burrito de Pollo

Tacos de Chorizo

Both are excellent. The burrito has chicken, cheese, black beans, rice, sour cream, onion, cilantro and lettuce. Mexican hot or mild is optional. The tacos consist of chorizo (Mexican sausage, cheese, onions and cilantro.  Mexican hot or mild sauce is served on the side. These are both authentic tasting Mexican dishes that help me recount my various trips to the Mayan Riviera.

Tonight we had an extra surprise. Guadalupe was trying something new to add to the menu - Churros. All I can say is that she would be nuts not to add them.

Churros with an apple filling.

She gave my husband two to try. These were excellent. Just like the ones we had in Mexico. I hope she certainly does add them to the menu. I know I'll be ordering them.

I love this place. I hope more people go and try their food and keep them busy so they are around a very long time.

In his opinion:

This piece of Latino flavour with great Mexican food tucked away and can easily be passed by if you don't know it's there. It's your typical Latin American Tienda (store) with a very small kitchen in the back, cooking amazing food. 

The owners are extremely friendly. They are the ones that staff the restaurant with the warmth and joy that we have come to expect from our happy neighbours to the very south.

In our continuous search for good/ethnic food in our city, we try to experiment with many small, family run restaurants. We have loved this one since we first tried it. The menu is very Mexican and has many of the "expected" items of a Mexican restaurant in Canada.

This evening I drove down to pick up some chicken (pollo) burritos and chorizo tacos. The burritos are very tasty with choices of sauces from the sweet/tangy kind to the habanero type which is super spicy or maybe it's just my plain pallet that thinks it's deadly.  The chorizo tacos are amazing........double wrapped with Mexican tortillas, you get 3 per serving with a choice of sauce as well.

The good: You truly feel that you are arriving at their home for lunch, not their restaurant and the food is prepared in plain sight. It's always very fresh and tasty.
The bad: Many of the best things are still not on the menu as they are still experimenting with what clients want and what they can add. Ask what they also do that might not be in the menu.......well worth it.
Verdict: Great place.....friendly, convenient, you can do some shopping for Latin cooking items as you eat or pick up lunch or dinner.  It's all very accessible in price.

I give it a 3 out of 5 olives as rating.