The Ritz-Carlton Introduces Rainer Zinngrebe & Tom Brodi

Yesterday the Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Residence Toronto invited esteemed guests to the sales centre to celebrate and introduce the official chefs of the complex.

Chef Rainer Zinngrebe (above left) joins the Toronto team as the Director of Food & Beverage and Culinary. He comes from the Ritz-Carlton Cancun (welcome to winter!) where he oversaw the property’s two 5-diamond restaurants.

Chef Tom Brodi joins the team as Chef de Cuisine. He is a Toronto native with a strong desire to promote authentic, seasonal sustainable ingredients. He has worked at Canoe amongst other fine restaurants and has appeared on several television programs including the Food Network’s “Cook Like a Chef”

They served the following:

Spiced Bison Tartar

B.C. Dungeness Crab Ceviche

Cream of Lobster Cappuccino

Texel Lamb Slider (people still do sliders?)

Yarmouth Lobster a la King

Cheese selection from the Cheese Boutique

In addition, a selection of wines were presented and poured by the owner of Flatrock Winery. They served sparkling, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir.

Seamus O’Regan, David Rocco, newly appointed Editor of FASHION Magazine Bernadette Morra, Raymond Girard Publisher of EnRoute magazine, socialite Catherine Nugent and other notable chefs and guests were in attendance.

This event was part of the kick off to the opening of the complex slated for Early 2011.

As I quietly exited, the speeches were nearly finished. I did overhear “The Ritz is within walking distance of offices on Bay Street, world-famous restaurants, the subway…” I quietly thought to myself, yes, the people buying $3 million residences are sure to take the subway. However, I was put in my place later that evening while talking with a friend. She mentioned that her parents had looked at them and the proximity to the subway was a big deal. I stand corrected.

Photo credit: Phil Birnbaum – www.philbirnbaum.ca

Bobbette & Belle Macarons

Looking for the perfect macaron? Though Nadège is always a great option, Bobbette & Belle may have them beat.

I had the pleasure of viewing Parisian designer Luc Kieffer’s jewelery last night at an event catered by Bobbette & Belle. When I asked Luc what he thought of the macarons, he simply said, “close to ones I buy in Paris” (en français, of course).

The meringue is perfectly shaped, flavourful and light, while the filling is rich and adds a lovely texture to the experience. They come in countless flavours ranging from pistachio to lemon and strawberry to chocolate.

Bobbette & Belle was started in early 2009 by Sarah Bell and Allyson Merideth here in Toronto. Sarah a pastry graduate of George Brown College who’s traveled and worked all over Europe as well as for Canoe and Biff’s here in Toronto, and Allyson, a graduate with a Bachelor of Science from University of Toronto who was a former teacher with a passion for cake decorating.

Their success with cakes and macarons has blossomed into a lucrative business which will be expanding into the Leslieville area in the upcoming months.

For more information, pricing or menu items, please visit the Bobbette & Belle website here.

Gourmet Burger Co.

With gourmet burgers becoming ubiquitous in Toronto, which ones actually stand out from the rest? There’s so many to choose from you need not walk but a few blocks before you bump into one. In the first of an ongoing review of these burger joints, I’ve decided to write about Gourmet Burger Co.

Started By Australian John Ward, the idea for the place stemmed from food he used to get on the go when he was back home. Essentially it was fast food that wasn’t processed, frozen or microwaved. He wanted to bring that same idea here to Canada.  He thought that burgers were the perfect way to showcase the fast and fresh approach to food.

The burgers are made from farm raised Canadian beef that’s been aged for at least 30 days. All of its sauces are homemade. In addition all of their packaging is biodegradable.

When I grab a burger on the go, I usually get the spicy Cajun burger ($5.95) which has avocado, jalapeños, lettuce, jalapeño havarti, tomatoes, Cajun spice and mokey chipotle & honey mayo. I also order a side of beer battered onion rings ($2.95) which I like, but the onions are sliced pretty thick. I would prefer the portions of the rings to be a bit larger. Though the burger is a bit thick from what I like, it is juicy and has always been cooked properly. The flavouring is basic which doesn’t detract from the taste of the beef.

The Gourmet Burger Company has various locations you can view here. All of their locations are wheelchair accessible.

Origin

Despite Chef Claudio Aprile’s rant about bloggers and wannabe food critics, I still made my way to Origin to give it a go (I thought it in poor taste, but I’m not one to hold a grudge. I also don’t break out a camera during dinner.)

The location is great. I’m a huge fan of the St. Lawrence market area so that was a no-brainer. In my opinion, the décor is near perfection. The different light fixtures were definitely one of my favourite parts, while the patio is one of the better ones in the city.

I start the meal with a dirty Grey Goose martini, my staple, and my friend, a Pimm’s cup. We then go ahead and order: potatas bravas ($5) shrimp ceviche ($4) oysters ($12) burrata ($19) Italian ham ($15) grilled lamb chops ($15) and seared scallops.

For dessert we ordered the lemon tart served with blueberries. It was runny, which was different than I was expecting, but it was sweet, sour and wonderful.

All of the food was good. The two dishes that stood out to me were the shrimp ceviche, first and foremost and the scallops. I’m a sucker for scallops and will often find myself ordering it if it’s available.

I’ve only had shrimp ceviche a few times before, once being at Buona Notte in Montreal. This was definitely the best I’ve tried.

Origin is located at 107-109 King Street East and is wheelchair accessible. Call for reservations 416.603.8009

Image kindly borrowed from Origin

Drink This Wine: Norman Hardie

Norman Hardie’s winery is a well-oiled, well thought out machine of beauty. Every single detail is addressed, which makes for an excellent bottle of wine, every single time.

Having studied wine at the University of Dijon, apprenticed with legendary wine masters in Burgundy and worked as the sommelier at the Four Seasons Hotel, Norm has the goods to back up the acclaim his wine has received.

You are able to tour the vineyard and taste his wines in Prince Edward County, near Trenton. The way he speaks about every wine and every detail of his establishment shows how he lives and breathes all aspects of his wine. My favourites; the Pinot Noir and the Riesling.

The winery will be offering a simple menu in the upcoming weeks; 4 different pizzas, all cooked in a limestone pizza oven built with help from the owners of Libretto. In addition a few other dishes will be offered, call for details.

If Prince Edward County isn’t in your travels, you can experience his wine at top restaurants such as Canoe or Colborne Lane as well as select LCBO locations.

For more information on Norman Hardie’s wines, restaurant locations or to contact him directly, please visit his website here. Norm’s wines are part of goLOCAL organized by the LCBO. The promotion in support of Ontario wines runs from September 12 – October 9, 2010.

Bodum Giveaway!

Perhaps you’ve read my previous posts toting my love of coffee or how much I enjoy using my Bodum French press.

Well, good news for all! I’ve been given a Bodum Chambord French press and a Chambord milk frother to give away! Approximate retail value of $100.

All you have to do to enter is go to my Facebook page and “like” it, HERE! If you’re already a fan, you’re already entered. It’d be great if you became a fan of the Bodum Facebook page as well!

Also for additional entries, sign up and subscribe to my monthly newsletter to the right ->

Previous giveaways have included a Le Creuset Braiser, Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker, Calphalon Convection oven, gift certificates to restaurants and more!

Summer Drink: The Mojito

What could be better on a hot summer day than laying by a pool and sipping a cool and refreshing mojito?

I was recently reintroduced to mojitos on the 33^rd floor of the W Hotel Lakeshore Chicago one night on my recent trip.

Here is their recipe:

2 ounces high-quality rum

½ ounce lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

10 whole mint leaves, stem discarded

2 ounces soda water

In a higball glass muddle lime juice, sugar and mint. Fill glass with lightly crushed ice. Pour in rum and soda water. Stir to combine. Garnish with mint leaves.

Pssst, the Thompson Hotel makes a pretty mean mojito as well.

The W Hotel Lakeshore Chicago is located at 644 North Lakeshore Drive, Chicago. 312.943.9200

When Style and Food Come Together

One of the most exciting things I like about travelling is picking out new restaurants to enjoy. In addition to the food, of course, the design of a restaurant is always something that appeals to me. Chicago had a huge selection of restaurants offering both options, so narrowing down my selection was a difficult one.

The choices I had my first night were a bit more limited as I didn’t get my act together until really late in the evening.

I decided on Avec. I had heard mostly good reviews, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The kitchen was open late, so it met my needs.

Glad I went. The menu though not too extensive, was broken down into the following categories: Small plates, large plates, daily selection of salumi, cheese from our cave and dessert.

This is what I had: chorizo stuffed medjool dates with smoked bacon and piquillo pepper tomato sauce, pan-fried sardine with crispy duck, fennel, scallion and parsley served on garlic crostini and wood oven roasted pork shoulder with cannellini beans, summer squash and strawberry mostarda. For dessert I had a selection of Portuguese and French cheese and the house-made dark and milk chocolate crisps. Thin, crunchy, melt in your mouth happiness.

The one thing that blew me away was the décor. Though the chairs and stools were not comfortable enough to sit for long periods of time, they were uniquely designed. The entire space from floor to walls to ceiling was made of light wood paneling which created a very powerful impression upon arriving at the restaurant. The back wall was lined from floor to ceiling with wine bottles and kind of looked like a Lite-Bright toy.The glassware and serving plates were as unique as the place itself.

Serving staff were amazing and very knowledgeable. Price, about $100us with drinks and tip.

Avec is located at 615 West Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois, They do not take reservations. Phone 312.377.2002