Saturday, January 21, 2012
Bench Player
If you like the idea of a crisp, juicy, tart green apple in a wine glass may I suggest Top Bench White 2009 from Peninsula Ridge Winery ($13.95 LCBO 226803). This wine is a great value and an excellent party wine or aperitif. You could also enjoy this wine with shell fish, grilled pork or chicken with mango salsa. It is well balanced, fruity with a nice acidity that I like. Top Bench wines are a blended brand from Peninsula available in red and white. The white is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer and won gold at the 2011 Ontario Wine Awards.
I Like Mine With Hockey
Over the years, Canadian or Rye Whisky has become as distinct and important a product as any of the best whiskies in the world and no self respecting bar would be caught without some on hand. To be considered a Canadian whisky, products must be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada using some kind of grain but not necessarily rye. The grains can be straight or malted. The distilled product must be aged at least 3 years in charred oak barrels no larger than 700 litres. Just as with Scotch, caramel can be used to enhance colour and flavour and whiskies can be blended or single malted. Canadian whisky is smoother and lighter than Scotch and Irish whiskies. The most popular brands of Canadian Whisky outside Canada are Crown Royal, Seagrams V.O. and Canadian Club.
Now, all of this brings us to one of the youngest new whiskies in Canada: Collingwood Hand-Crafted Artisanal Canadian Whisky was released just under a year ago. This whisky has a number of cool traits that make it truly unique and Canadian, even if it comes from the American owned Canadian Mist Distillery. The product is a collaborative effort of the Town of Collingwood, Ontario Government and The Ontario Grain Growers. The whisky is triple distilled from locally grown corn and pure spring water from Georgian Bay. It is aged for 3 years in white oak barrels and then rested with toasted maplewood to mellow the finish.
But, how does it taste? The whisky has great caramel and woody flavours and lives up to the promise of a mellow finish. This whisky opens up nicely on the rocks as the ice melts and improves the nose and the palate. This would be a great whisky for use in whisky based cocktails, especially in a Manhattan. This whisky is not of the same complexity of Crown Royal, but is a wonderful and unique and distinctly Canadian Whisky. Try it with your next game of euchre or hockey on a cold winter night.
Available at LCBO for $29.95 for 750ml. Product code 244186
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Restaurant Review: Chatterpaul's Whitby
Nestled into a nondescript plaza in a nondescript neighbourhood of the equally nondescript town of Whiteby (sic), one will find, from the outside at least, a nondescript and unpretentious restaurant by the name of Chatterpaul's. The restaurant opened in 2008 and is run by Chef James Thomas-Chatterpaul and partner Penny Johansen. The interior is a clean and contemporary modern bistro with dark wood, brushed metals and frosted glass. The lighting is modern and elegant and subdued, which can not be said about the crowd.
The restaurant was busy and noisy when we arrived, my usual 15 minutes early. We were offered a seat at the crowded bar while our table was being prepared. The hostess checked on us and updated us accordingly, but no effort was made to offer us drinks. The table was made ready within ten minutes and we were seated prior to our actual reservation time. Taya commented that the hostess was very pleasant and smiled a lot; I agreed.
Our waitress was just as pleasant, even if she struggled to hide the effects of stress from a busy night. We were offered drinks: I ordered a beer and Taya a Shirley Temple both of which arrived promptly with our menus. Chatterpaul's provides two menus, a main menu and a dinner feature's menu which I assume is revised from time to time as it comes as a separate piece of paper. However, there is no indication that it is modified or how often. Appetizers on the main menu average $13-14 with the highest being $17-18. The mains average $25-28 with the highest priced items in the $30-40 range. The dinner features menu is similarly priced.
By way of comparison, when looking for a restaurant to take Taya, Biff's Bistro was also mentioned. Biff's menu runs about the same average as does the wine and cocktail list. Biff's also offers a three course prix-fixe menu for $33 per person, so Chatterpaul's has priced themselves in the upper level of Toronto's upscale bistro eating.
Taya decided to order from the main menu so I chose to order from the features menu. Taya's appetizer was a flash fried calamari ($13) and I order the crab and shrimp egg roll ($15). The calamari was not what the impression of a "flash fried" would suggest, I was expecting something delicate and lightly battered but what came was a typical battered and fried calamari which lacked any of the herbs and spices (at least evidence of any) promised on the menu. The chipotle ketchup aioli was a nice accompaniment. The features menu promised a shrimp and crab stuffed egg roll with wasabi, ginger, lemon aioli and rice wine infused slaw. What I received were two small mushy, cylindrical shaped crab cakes wrapped in pastry which was made soggy by a puddle of brownish-red liquid at the bottom of my bowl. I failed to detect any of the wasabi or ginger.
For a main dish Taya received the Seafood Pasta Medley ($35) while I went with the Curried Lamb and Shrimp ($25). Once again the promises of the menus did not match the reality on the plates. I was promised flavours of ginger, coconut and cilantro but what I was served was a roti style, earthy flavoured curry over linguine which was supposed to be cilantro infused but tasted more confused than infused. The lamb was cooked very well and and was tender and flavourful, the pasta was perfectly al dente and the portions huge. The three shrimp on top were a meal in themselves and the curry was well spiced, something I admire in curry. But the dish just seemed to lack a brightness and the pasta failed as partner to the curry, perhaps a lime infused rice would have been better. Some evidence of some vegetables would also have been nice, this was a protein and carb heavy dish in need of some brightness to cut the heaviness.
Taya's promise was "mussels, shrimp, clams, salmon and squid in a delicate angel hair pasta with morsels of fresh vegetables in a white wine, spinach, garlic, olive oil sauce." I would have described it more as a seafood stir fry on angel hair pasta. Again the food was cooked properly, arrived hot, and was a large portion (Taya only ate about a third). But the promised flavours seemed to be lacking. The pasta was less sauced than wetted by a thin flavourless moistness. To me the description of "morsels of vegetables" would suggest bite sized pieces of vegetable, not a few snow peas thrown in. Taya is not a fan of salmon and perhaps she will read a dish's description more closely in the future, but I love salmon and I too felt that it was an interloper in this dish. The pasta was perfectly cooked, the shrimp were huge and the molluscs were cooked perfectly tender and delicate, as was the salmon. It just seems that the dish was left wanting of something more, or maybe less.
I wanted something more, also. I wanted to fall in love with Chatterpaul's and when I walked through the door I wanted to fall in love even more. My sister and brother-in-law raved about the food and the service and the extras. A friend at work confirmed the description and yet my experience left me wondering if I had gone to the wrong nondescript plaza or if I was in the wrong nondescript town. The service was prompt, courteous, friendly and professional but, I failed to experience any of the "extras" that others had experienced. I was told that the food was vibrant and eclectic and modern and exotic, only to experience a kind of trying-too-hard. The kitchen did demonstrate some skill in terms of preparation, but I think they would do well to narrow their focus and perhaps rethink the fusion of some of their dishes. Now, you might argue that I should have ordered something that is considered a signature dish, but since I was a first timer I wouldn't know what that would be and none of the staff went to the trouble of enlightening me.
Chatterpaul's is priced at or above Biff's Bistro, and I assume they want to be a bistro judging by the napkin wrapped cutlery and casual atmosphere. But, at Biff's I could have fresh oysters for $1 each, any Canadian wine and some imports by the glass, and a three course meal for $33 all served with the typical Oliver and Bonacini quality one expects. If Chatterpaul's wants to compete in that market they need to step up their game, narrow their focus and concentrate on matching the food on the plate with the promises on the menu. In the end Taya gave them a generous rating of 4 out of 5 I, however would rate them a 3-3.5.
Decor and Atmosphere: 4.5
Service: 4
Wine List: 3.5
Food
Flavour: 3.5
Presentation: 3
Portion Size: 4
Price: $$$$
Overall: 3-3.5
Ratings are out of 5. Price ratings are out of $$$$$ with $ being McDonalds and $$$$$ being Auberge de Pommier
Chatterpaul's is located at 3500 Brock St. N. Whitby (North of Rossland South of Taunton) 905-665-7575 for reservations.
The restaurant was busy and noisy when we arrived, my usual 15 minutes early. We were offered a seat at the crowded bar while our table was being prepared. The hostess checked on us and updated us accordingly, but no effort was made to offer us drinks. The table was made ready within ten minutes and we were seated prior to our actual reservation time. Taya commented that the hostess was very pleasant and smiled a lot; I agreed.
Our waitress was just as pleasant, even if she struggled to hide the effects of stress from a busy night. We were offered drinks: I ordered a beer and Taya a Shirley Temple both of which arrived promptly with our menus. Chatterpaul's provides two menus, a main menu and a dinner feature's menu which I assume is revised from time to time as it comes as a separate piece of paper. However, there is no indication that it is modified or how often. Appetizers on the main menu average $13-14 with the highest being $17-18. The mains average $25-28 with the highest priced items in the $30-40 range. The dinner features menu is similarly priced.
By way of comparison, when looking for a restaurant to take Taya, Biff's Bistro was also mentioned. Biff's menu runs about the same average as does the wine and cocktail list. Biff's also offers a three course prix-fixe menu for $33 per person, so Chatterpaul's has priced themselves in the upper level of Toronto's upscale bistro eating.
Taya decided to order from the main menu so I chose to order from the features menu. Taya's appetizer was a flash fried calamari ($13) and I order the crab and shrimp egg roll ($15). The calamari was not what the impression of a "flash fried" would suggest, I was expecting something delicate and lightly battered but what came was a typical battered and fried calamari which lacked any of the herbs and spices (at least evidence of any) promised on the menu. The chipotle ketchup aioli was a nice accompaniment. The features menu promised a shrimp and crab stuffed egg roll with wasabi, ginger, lemon aioli and rice wine infused slaw. What I received were two small mushy, cylindrical shaped crab cakes wrapped in pastry which was made soggy by a puddle of brownish-red liquid at the bottom of my bowl. I failed to detect any of the wasabi or ginger.
For a main dish Taya received the Seafood Pasta Medley ($35) while I went with the Curried Lamb and Shrimp ($25). Once again the promises of the menus did not match the reality on the plates. I was promised flavours of ginger, coconut and cilantro but what I was served was a roti style, earthy flavoured curry over linguine which was supposed to be cilantro infused but tasted more confused than infused. The lamb was cooked very well and and was tender and flavourful, the pasta was perfectly al dente and the portions huge. The three shrimp on top were a meal in themselves and the curry was well spiced, something I admire in curry. But the dish just seemed to lack a brightness and the pasta failed as partner to the curry, perhaps a lime infused rice would have been better. Some evidence of some vegetables would also have been nice, this was a protein and carb heavy dish in need of some brightness to cut the heaviness.
Taya's promise was "mussels, shrimp, clams, salmon and squid in a delicate angel hair pasta with morsels of fresh vegetables in a white wine, spinach, garlic, olive oil sauce." I would have described it more as a seafood stir fry on angel hair pasta. Again the food was cooked properly, arrived hot, and was a large portion (Taya only ate about a third). But the promised flavours seemed to be lacking. The pasta was less sauced than wetted by a thin flavourless moistness. To me the description of "morsels of vegetables" would suggest bite sized pieces of vegetable, not a few snow peas thrown in. Taya is not a fan of salmon and perhaps she will read a dish's description more closely in the future, but I love salmon and I too felt that it was an interloper in this dish. The pasta was perfectly cooked, the shrimp were huge and the molluscs were cooked perfectly tender and delicate, as was the salmon. It just seems that the dish was left wanting of something more, or maybe less.
I wanted something more, also. I wanted to fall in love with Chatterpaul's and when I walked through the door I wanted to fall in love even more. My sister and brother-in-law raved about the food and the service and the extras. A friend at work confirmed the description and yet my experience left me wondering if I had gone to the wrong nondescript plaza or if I was in the wrong nondescript town. The service was prompt, courteous, friendly and professional but, I failed to experience any of the "extras" that others had experienced. I was told that the food was vibrant and eclectic and modern and exotic, only to experience a kind of trying-too-hard. The kitchen did demonstrate some skill in terms of preparation, but I think they would do well to narrow their focus and perhaps rethink the fusion of some of their dishes. Now, you might argue that I should have ordered something that is considered a signature dish, but since I was a first timer I wouldn't know what that would be and none of the staff went to the trouble of enlightening me.
Chatterpaul's is priced at or above Biff's Bistro, and I assume they want to be a bistro judging by the napkin wrapped cutlery and casual atmosphere. But, at Biff's I could have fresh oysters for $1 each, any Canadian wine and some imports by the glass, and a three course meal for $33 all served with the typical Oliver and Bonacini quality one expects. If Chatterpaul's wants to compete in that market they need to step up their game, narrow their focus and concentrate on matching the food on the plate with the promises on the menu. In the end Taya gave them a generous rating of 4 out of 5 I, however would rate them a 3-3.5.
Decor and Atmosphere: 4.5
Service: 4
Wine List: 3.5
Food
Flavour: 3.5
Presentation: 3
Portion Size: 4
Price: $$$$
Overall: 3-3.5
Ratings are out of 5. Price ratings are out of $$$$$ with $ being McDonalds and $$$$$ being Auberge de Pommier
Chatterpaul's is located at 3500 Brock St. N. Whitby (North of Rossland South of Taunton) 905-665-7575 for reservations.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Table for Two
There is, in my life, a person whose company I never tire of; whose very presence makes me happy; someone I think about every single day; who I have never had an argument with or exchanged a cross word with in the entire time I have known her: my goddaughter, Taya. And, today she turns 15. I can not believe that my little sweetheart is one year away from learning to drive and only three years from finishing high school. I have been a part of Taya's life since the day she was born and can not imagine what life would have been like without her. She stole my heart the first time I held her and has greeted me with a smile and a hug every time I have seen her since.
A few weeks ago while Christmas shopping, Taya and I stopped for lunch at one of those national chain family restaurants. We began talking about the service and the food and Taya mentioned that she had been thinking about culinary arts as a potential field of study after high school. This, of course, was met with much excitement by me and we discussed many of the career paths in the industry and also discussed how to critique food and food service. We both decided that the restaurant we were in rated about 2.5 out of 5.
Today, as I stated, is Taya's birthday and tomorrow I will be taking her for dinner to her first real fine dining restaurant. My hope is to expose her to some finer dining than what she is used to and let her see what it might be like in the industry (hopefully the restaurant will be busy). I was given the name of a restaurant in Whitby that my sister and brother-in-law raved about and has had many good reviews and I hope this will provide the experience I am looking for. Part of the deal is that Taya will be evaluating the food and the service and will rate them against her previous experiences. Maybe I will be able to convince her to put her thoughts down on paper and publish them here.
Now, Taya is not wholly without some fine dining experience; two and a half years ago we travelled to British Columbia and enjoyed afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel. Best $50 cup of tea I have ever had and the experience of watching a little girl try so hard to act like a young lady was worth every penny. The waiter was brilliant and after pouring the tea asked Taya if she would like sugar with hers to which she responded "yes, just one please." This seemed to impress him but more so when he turned and asked me and I asked for two. He made a face and gestured toward Taya and the two rolled their eyes in mutual deprecation. I responded that he was lucky I wasn't asking for coffee. After tasting the tea I had to admit that one sugar would have been plenty and I thought that this was the first time I had ever really had a good cup of tea. For Taya and myself, this experience is how we judge all restaurants in terms of service and food preparation and the Empress, for us, is now the standard. It will be interesting to see how this little restaurant in north Whitby compares.
A few weeks ago while Christmas shopping, Taya and I stopped for lunch at one of those national chain family restaurants. We began talking about the service and the food and Taya mentioned that she had been thinking about culinary arts as a potential field of study after high school. This, of course, was met with much excitement by me and we discussed many of the career paths in the industry and also discussed how to critique food and food service. We both decided that the restaurant we were in rated about 2.5 out of 5.
Today, as I stated, is Taya's birthday and tomorrow I will be taking her for dinner to her first real fine dining restaurant. My hope is to expose her to some finer dining than what she is used to and let her see what it might be like in the industry (hopefully the restaurant will be busy). I was given the name of a restaurant in Whitby that my sister and brother-in-law raved about and has had many good reviews and I hope this will provide the experience I am looking for. Part of the deal is that Taya will be evaluating the food and the service and will rate them against her previous experiences. Maybe I will be able to convince her to put her thoughts down on paper and publish them here.
Now, Taya is not wholly without some fine dining experience; two and a half years ago we travelled to British Columbia and enjoyed afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel. Best $50 cup of tea I have ever had and the experience of watching a little girl try so hard to act like a young lady was worth every penny. The waiter was brilliant and after pouring the tea asked Taya if she would like sugar with hers to which she responded "yes, just one please." This seemed to impress him but more so when he turned and asked me and I asked for two. He made a face and gestured toward Taya and the two rolled their eyes in mutual deprecation. I responded that he was lucky I wasn't asking for coffee. After tasting the tea I had to admit that one sugar would have been plenty and I thought that this was the first time I had ever really had a good cup of tea. For Taya and myself, this experience is how we judge all restaurants in terms of service and food preparation and the Empress, for us, is now the standard. It will be interesting to see how this little restaurant in north Whitby compares.
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