Serving the | Bill Buford Interview, Beef from Uruguay, Toronto: July 2006, Gremolata Number 82. | |
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![]() Bill Buford was a man of letters, Founding Editor at the esteemed literary magazine Granta, later the Literary Editor at The New Yorker. Then, in 2002, he gave it all up to become Mario Batali's kitchen slave. Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany tells the story of Buford's three year odyssey to understand food and cooking, and it's the food and wine publishing sensation of the year. Buford's portrait of Batali as a larger-than-life Falstaffian character is as riveting as his description of Dario Cecchini's struggle against the mediocrity of modernity and crappy food. And his account of the kitchen at Babbo, and the people he worked with every night, shows us every triumph savoured and defeat suffered in a four-star New York restaurant. In this exclusive Gremolata interview, Buford tells Malcolm Jolley about what he saw and what he learned. Click here. | |||||||||||
Beef from Uruguay There may not be a lot of grass-fed beef in Canada, but there sure is in Uruguay. Gremolata's Chow For Now columnist, Michele Chandler, discovers a small butcher shop in Toronto that's bringing South American beef to Hogtown ...[more]. | Good Food Revolution Jamie Oliver upsets Aussie politicians, Trans Fat Taskforce reports, Robert Carrier dies, more Nigel Slater recipes, roach bomb injures five ...and more! | ||||||||||
| Wine: a Canadian selection for Dominion Day from the archives: Lenko and 13th Street wineries. | |||||||||||
The End of Food Author/journalist/agricultural expert Thomas Palwick lived in Italy for a few years, then came home to Canada and bought a tomato... bad idea. In this exclusive Gremolata interview, the author of the most shocking book on modern agriculture explains why even the fresh food we buy may not be particularly good for us, and how big agri-business is destroying the family farm and the environment with it ...[more]. | The Marches Hits the Spot First it was the Veneto, then Sicily and Puglia, now a host of new small wine regions are challenging Piedmont and Tuscany's hold on the fine Italian export market. The 2004 Saladini Pilastri Falerio dei Colli Ascolani (LCBO# 681700) is from The Marches, and like the wines from "new" regions that came before it, it offers exceptional value at $11.95 ...[more]. | ||||||||||
Short Strawberry Season A late frost this spring did considerable damage to the tiny blossoms that become Ontario strawberries. The Farmer's Daughter (a.k.a Michelle Shabatura), who sells berries grown on and around her family's farm west of Toronto, warned Gremolata that this year's crop is unusually small, though every bit as tasty. Supplies of fresh seasonal strawberries are not expected to last beyond the July holiday weekend. | Good Food Revolution This week: Gina Mallet blasts the LCBO's Food & Drink, Michael Pollan writes back to Whole Foods chief, court says Gordon Ramsay's show not faked, Nigel Slater's summer recipes, rapper Jay-Z calls for Champagne boycott ...[more]. | ||||||||||
Brunch Bites Apparently a lot of people who work in kitchens aren't as pleased as you might imagine to get up early on a Sunday morning to serve you coffee and eggs. Learn why brunch is loathed as the indomitable Ivy Knight returns this week to dish out on her least favourite meal service ...[more] | Wine for Food Just in time for summer and simply made Italian-style meals a wine that doesn't over power the palate. At $14.95 the 2004 Dolcetto d'Alba from Poderi Colla is a good deal and a nice break from high-octane "fruit bombs". With an alcohol level of 12 to 12.5%, the Dolcetto is the embodiment of a "food wine" ...[more]. | ||||||||||
Sarawak Dining Adventure Sarawak is the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo, where world traveler, Food-Zen-ist and TrippinMag.com writer Michael Elliot went searching for fish salad and found a Sarawak specialty: the sago grub, or black headed maggot ...[more]. | ![]() | Slow Food Toronto Explained Everyone's heard of Slow Food, but what exactly are they up to? As the Toronto Convivium gets ready to stage the city's summer's biggest craft food event, July 12th's Terra Madre "fun-raiser", Gremolata caught up with Pamela Cuthbert to find out what's up with slow ...[more]. | |||||||||
Andy Shay Goes to Market What happens when Gremolata's Cheese Guru, Andy Shay, finds himself near to the St. Lawrence Market with cheese on his mind? Cheese shopping, of course! Andy puts together a random cheese board based on what he happens to find that afternoon ...[more]. | [Ad] Luque Olive Oil | Costières de Nîmes Long live France's 2003 vintage. That hot dry summer continues to deliver exception bargain wines, especially for the South. At $11.95, the 2003 Les Sirianes Costières de Nîmes a spicy, fruity pleasure while subtle enough to pair nicely with summer food. Much like it's $25-$40 cousins from further north on the Rhône ...[more]. | |||||||||
NEW GOURMET MEDIA: Is Thomas Keller hanging up his toque to flip burgers? Mark Bittman vs. Alain Ducasse and clebrity chef's who open multiple restos. Bill Buford reads from Heat | [Ad]![]() Gremolata's Burgundy | First Fresh Herb Check you backyard, or just check your local farmers' market, fresh grown local mint is here: the first of the season's fresh herbs. In honour, we present Nigella Lawson's Warm Shredded Lamb Salad with Mint and Pomegranate. Yum. | |||||||||
Pinotage Rosé The verdict's out as to whether Rosé has made a comeback, or if it's really only being discovered by Anglo audiences now. Certainly, the 2005 Delheim Pinotage Rosé ($11.95) is a far cry form the sweet pink wines poured from squat bottles in the 70s or the weirdly named "blush" and "White Zinfadel" creations that came up in the 80s. As the demand for good quality summer quaffers increases, new regions have begun blending their own versions, with interesting results ...[more]. | [A Special Gremolata Promotion] Splendido's Exotica Canadiana Menu On June 1st Chef David Lee revealed his third annual Exotica Canadiana tasting menu at Splendido Restaurant. [To read the menu, click here.] While Lee consistently serves the best possible ingredients, his June menu announces the arrival of the Canadian growing season and the six courses he puts together showcase the best the country has to offer. This year features Nova Scotia lobster, Quebec foie gras, line-caught BC salmon. Somelier Carlo Catallo has matched each course with a Canadian wine, including a selection form cult-favourite Tawse Winery. General Manager and Co-Proprietor Yannick Bigourdan confirmed that Exotica Canadiana is Splendido's most popular themed-tasting menu. Iit runs for the month June only. Book now by calling 416-929-7788 or visit www.splendido.ca for more details or to reserve online. | ||||||||||
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Hot Books Gastronome and oenophile extraordinaire Dean Tudor returns with a look at seven of the hottest food and wine books recently published. In this update he reviews: Gastronaut, The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market Cookbook, Chef at Home, Sake: a Modern Guide, Treading Grapes: Walking Through the Vineyards of Tuscany, John Platter's South African Wines 2006 and Casa Moro: The Second Cookbook ...[more]. | Interesting Wine In the age of critter wines, a cutesy name and label are usually an indication that the winemaker is spending more money on focus groups, advertising campaigns and graphic artists than on actually making the wine. So Gremolata was shocked to find that the 2004 Mad Dogs & Englishman Godello Chardonnay is actually a rather good and interesting $13 Spanish wine ...[more]. | ||||||||||
Sweet Treat From the June/July edition of City Bites magazine: Trish Kaliciak rediscovers a past pleasure: the Lola. Ontario's favourite frozen pyramid of sweet syrop is back after a long hiatus. Trish explains the right way to eat the treat broiught bakc from the dead a few years ago ...[more]. | ![]() | Buy Local From the June/July edition of City Bites magazine: Mira Shenker surveys where to buy local produce: from farmers' markets, of course! Mira explores some of Toronto's better markets, stores and restaurants featuring local stuff and asks the purveying experts why provenance matters ...[more]. | |||||||||
Andy Shay Collection Gremolata celebrates resident Cheese Guru, Andy Shay, with a complete retrospective of his cheesy works. Read about: Italian Artisan Cheese, Ontario Artisan Cheese Part I, Ontario Artisan Cheese Part II, Cheese from England & Wales, Summer Cheese Trips, Sheep's Milk Cheeses, Where to Buy Cheese in New York, Washed Rind (Stinky) Cheeses, The Best Canadian Cheddar, Cheese and Fat, Bloomy Rind Cheeses and Five Things You Should NEVER do to an Artisan Cheese! | Pinot Noir Under $20 The Mount Riley Pinot Noir (LCBO# 694703) offers a sneak peak of what will be on offer in the May 27 Vintages release, mostly featuring wines from New Zealand. It just skirts under the $20 threshold at $18.95. Ever since Miles and Jack tramped up and down the hills of Santa Barbara in Sideways, it has become increasingly difficult to a decent bottle of Pinot for under a small fortune ...[more]. | ||||||||||
![]() | Ad: Gremolata's Burgundy Trip Gremolata's Malcolm Jolley and Spyns are presenting a six day, five night gourmet tour of Burgundy starting September 17. Join us as we cycle our way from vineyard to table just as the harvest begins. Click here for all the delicious details. | ||||||||||
Good Bye Gremoblog![]() Malcolm Jolley's Gremoblog is being put on permanent hiatus after a year or so online. In it's place, Gremolata plans a new site "Good Food Revolution", to be launched in mid-June, which will cover the week's news in the gourmet media world. Look for extended coverage of local events on the page of Gremolata, and the odd bit silliness, like the photo of Dustin Hoffman visiting Toronto epicurean landmark (and Gremolata advertiser) The Cheese Boutique taken this week. Who knew he liked cheese? | |||||||||||
BREAKING NEWS: JENNIFER McLAGAN WINS JAMES BEARD AWARD!![]() Toronto's Jennifer McLagan beat out American food writing powerhouse Michael Ruhlman to win the 2006 Award for a Single Subject Book on May 8 for her cookbook Bones. Asked for a comment, McLagan said, "You know what I feel about winning? I think it shows that people still want a real cookbook, not just a TV Celebrity accompaniment. I think it is great that someone without a platform, media profile or a cleavage can succeed in being noticed. All you need is a good idea and a lot of hard work. Read Gremolata's exclusive interview (and an award-winning recipe) with McLagan from Gremolata 048 here. | |||||||||||
Slow Food Youth 2006 Slow Food Toronto's Pamela Cuthbert went up to Stratford to see Paul Finkelstein, his students, their friends from the North West Territories and BC and some of the best known chefs from Toronto and Stratford and find out what happened at Crossroads: the 2nd Annual Slow Food Youth Symposium ...[more]. | Fish'n'Chips Gremolata's Islander extraordinaire Ivy Knight knows a thing or two about beer batter. Before turning into a tournand, Knight paid her dues on a deep fryer. In this Gremolata exclusive she explains what makes a fine batch of seafood and starch from haddock to deep fried clams ...[more]. | ||||||||||
Where to Find Good Beer![]() Introducing Gremolata's new beer columnist Greg Clow. Greg explains the state of beer drinking in Ontario (some of it good, some of it bad) and offers some of his favourite spots in Toronto to try a brew or two of superior quality ...[more]. | |||||||||||
- Ad: Cheese Boutique Festival of Chefs, May 2006 - May 2006 - May 2006 -![]() | |||||||||||
SPRING SALAD SPECIAL! | |||||||||||
The Queen of Dressings Renée Unger is Canada's Queen of salad dressings. But did you know she only uses all natural ingredients? Gremolata sat down with the woman behind the company that first put the condiments in the fridge in the produce section ...[more]. | The Prince of Lettuce Tired of deep fried food court fare? So was Matthew Corrin and he figured that a lot of people would prefer a fresh salad to a transfat fill-up. Meet the man whose Lettuce Eatery is revolutionising the office lunch ...[more]. | ||||||||||
Ivy's PEI Potato Salad Islander Ivy Knight knows a thing or two about potatoes, and it's not all Miracle Whip and Jello cubes. Ivy ponders her favourite summer starch and throws in a recipe ...[more]. | From Gremolata's Archives Who says the Spanish and Italians don't like butter and cream? Gremolata 014 author Margaret Visser explained her theory of the Myth of The Mediterrean Diet ...[more]. | ||||||||||
Ontario Hostelry Institute Toronto restaura and Michael Bonacini won top honours as the Ontario Hostelry Institute's Gold Awards Dinner last week. The partners won the prestigious Chairman's Award for their commitment to excellence at Oliver-Bonacini Group. Gold Award winners included Chef: Joan Monfaredi, Executive Chef, Park Hyatt Hotel, Supplier: Paul Higgins Jr. and Michael Higgins, Co-CEOs, Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee Inc., Hotelier: Dino DiCenzo, President, Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc., Educator: William Pallett, Sr. Vice President, People & Quality Delta Hotels, Media - TV/Publishing: Dorothy Duncan, Historian & Author, Independent Restaurateur: Rodney Clark, President, Rodney's Oyster House, and Foodservice Chain Operator: David Aisenstat, President & CEO, The Keg Steakhouse & Bar. And the list of new Fellows inducted into the OHI included Pamela Stradwick, Creative Director, Chesterfield 8 Inc., Serge Simard, Vice President, Food & Beverage, Fairmont Hotels, Joanne Yolles, Pastry Chef, Pangaea Restaurant, Barry Smith, President and CEO, Metropolitan Toronto Convention Centre, David Olgivie, General Manager, Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, Lynn Crawford, Executive Chef, Four Seasons Hotel, Fred Lawlor, Vice President & General Manager, Avendra, Michael Deibert, Editor, Ontario Restaurant News, Anna Olsonurant News, Anna Olson, TV Program "Sugar", Cookbook Author, William Allen, Deputy Minister of Tourism (Ontario), and Gremolata's Publisher, Malcolm Jolley. For more information click here. | |||||||||||
More Morels | Why a $26 Chilean Chardonnay is actually a bargain... | ||||||||||
Ruth Klahsen in Toronto Monforte Dairy's cheesemaker Ruth Klahsen is making a special appearance this Saturday, April 29 between 10 AM and 4PM at All The Best Fine Foods. She'll be offering samples of some of her favourite cheeses and answering any questions. Cheryl Young visited Ruth a few weeks ago, read her profile by clicking here. | Amanda Hesser says "it's the KitchenAid Mixer of the Spanish home" and Ferran Adriá swears by his: the Thermomix is taking over Ontario and Gremolata's own Michele Chandler is leading the charge. This machine slices, dices and boils and simmers ...[more] | ||||||||||
Top 30 Under 30 This week The Ontario Hostelry Institute announced their list of the Top 30 restaurant and hospitality workers "who will make a difference" and who are under 30 years old. Here's the complete list: Gianpiero Angelone: Catering and Convention Services Manager, The Westin Harbour Castle | Jason Bailey: Sous Chef, The Air Canada Centre | Jasmine Baker Director of Special Events, The Drake Hotel | Jessica Bassil: Learning Coach, The Fairmont Château Laurier | Sara Bell: Pastry Chef, Canoe Restaurant | Markus Bestig: Sous Chef, Auberge du Pommier | Suzanne Carere, BA. Sc., RD: Professor of Food & Nutrition, The City College - George Brown | Liana Carniello: Front Office Manager, The Sheraton Centre Toronto | Jody Chrobak: Hospitality and Tourism – The University of Guelph | Sara d'Amato: Sommelier, Truffles Room - The Four Seasons Hotel | Francis Desjardins: Front Office Manager, The Fairmont Château Laurier | Karalyn Ferdinands: General Manager, Canyon Creek Chophouse | Roger Gergi: Operating Partner, Swiss Chalet | Helen Griffiths: General Manager, Pogue Mahone Irish Pub | Lesley A.S. Kennedy: Food and Beverage Manager, Emerald Hills – Clublink | Lora Kirk: Sous Chef, The Four Seasons Hotel – Toronto | Anson Kwok: Chief Steward, The Fairmont Royal York | Iris Lam: In Room Dining Manager, The Westin Trillium House – Blue Mountain | Quentin Lewonas: Regional Director, Canyon Creek Chophouse | Jason MacArthur: Restaurant Chef, Water's Edge - The Lake Joseph Club | Darcy MacDonell: General Manager, The Brasserie & Up Lounge (SIRCorp) | Marie-Pier Morin: Guest Service Manager, The Fairmont Château Laurier | Emily Pimblett: Office of the Prime Minister, Tour Assistant | Heather Rhymes: Sous Chef, The Restaurant - Vineland Estates Winery | Bamini Shanmugalingam: Manager, Kentucky Fried Chicken - North York | Ryan Staroszik: Sous Chef, The Fairmont Royal York | Michael Steh: Executive Sous Chef, Splendido Restaurant | Sandra Sturgess: Employment Brand Manager - Team Tim Hortons (The TDL Group Inc.) | Darren Thompson: Assistant Banquet Manager, The Westin Harbour Castle | Kevin West: Manager, Coffee & Beverage Development, Tim Hortons (The TDL Group Inc.). | |||||||||||
Salmonella Warning Upper Canada Cheese Company President Wayne Philbrick, in a press release dated April 12, stated “Although all tests to date have not found any contamination in our cheese, salmonella contamination has been identified in one of our suppliers.” Salmonella may be found in the milk of infected cows. Canadian Food Inspection Agency spokesman Davendra Sharma explained to Gremolata that the CFIA had called for a "voluntary recall" (as opposed to "mandatory recall" ordered from the federal Minister of Health) following the advice of the Ontario Ministry of Health. Sharma explained the that the matter originated with an investigation led by the Niagara Region Public Health office. The Ontario warning states it's "based on an ongoing investigation that showed a link between the two identified Upper Canada Cheese Company products and several confirmed cases of food-borne illness caused by salmonella bacteria." One case involved Gremolata contributor Cheryl Young, who was hospitalised for four days. Despite being "violently ill for a week", Young told Gremolata she "still loves cheese" and will continue to consume raw milk varieties. Gremolata will continue to update and report on this story as more facts come to light... | |||||||||||
Wild Leeks (or Ramps) The first shoots of Ontario wild leeks (or what American's call ramps, sometime also known as wild garlic) have been spotted coming up in Maple stands outside of Toronto. The Spring eating eason has officially begun! Look for wild leeks at high-end grocers like the Cheese Boutique and Pusateri's or from the folks who gather them at your local farmers' market. They can be cooked much as one would regular leeks, though they're much more delicate. New York celebrity chef Mario Batali is a famous ramp champion and his recipe for Spaghetti with Ramps, couldn't be simpler or a better way to use them. | La Segreta Bianco Back in November of 2004 Gremolata gave top marks to Planeta's La Segreta (see Gremolata 003), the good news is the bianco is back with last Saturday's release with the fruits of the 2004 vintage at a very reasonable $15.95. La Segreta means "the secret", and the maker, Planeta won't reveal the mix of regional and "international" grapes in the blend. Luckily on their website, they're more open: its made from 50% Grecanico, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Viognier, 10% Fiano. There's lots in the larger Vintages stores. Check here for a location carrying it. | ||||||||||
Cheap Put Down! Cahors used to be cheap, but not anymore, so it's great to see the 2002 Ch. Haut-Monplaisir in the LCBO (#673590) for a very reasonable $13.95. Of course there's a catch: the critics all agree it could use another two years or more of aging. This is the perfect risk free wine to put down, and you don't need a fancy cellar ...[more]. | Quarterly Review: what we've published lately that you might have missed... | ||||||||||
People: Ruth Klaussen, Anthony Walsh, Norman Hardie, Ivy Knight (Tasting Menu Hater) and More. | |||||||||||
Ingredients: HP Sauce, Sandwiches, Asparagus, Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli), Chefs' Dinner, Cabbage and More. | |||||||||||
Lamb of Good: New Zealand lamb is fantastic, if you’re in New Zealand. Closer to home Gremolata prefers the meat of local animals. But we do owe the Kiwi shepherds a debt of pleasure: the influx of cheap antipodean lamb to super markets in this part of the world in the last 20 years helped rekindle a taste for the other red meat ...[more at Gremoblog]. | Booze: PEI Moonshine, South African Chardonnay, Spanish Wine at the LCBO and More. | ||||||||||
Books: Susur vs. Stadtländer, Taras Grescoe's Devil's Picnic, Mangoes and Curry Leaves and More. | |||||||||||
Other Stuff: The Thermomix, Eric Vellend's Vancouver and his New York City gastronomic adventures and More. | |||||||||||
In Gremolata's exclusive new interview with Taras Grescoe, we ask the author of The Devil's Picnic what it was like to eat and drink his way through the world's prohibited pleasures and how his attitude toward regulation has been shaped by his gonzo research. Grescoe waxes on everything from Norwegian moonshine to his hometown of Montréal's upcoming smoking ban ...[more]. | (Special Promotion) | ||||||||||
FRESH FOOD ALERT: The first great seasonal food of spring is on its way: Asparagus. Believe it or not the spiky green is actually a member of the lily family, thought to have been domesticated by the Romans. Click here for a springtime asparagus collection of recipes at Gremoblog. |
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The Ontario "fresh produce season" has officially arrived with the first batches of pure maple syrup! This year is turning out to be a banner one, especially for Grade #1, the lighter more subtle syrup that's tapped first ...[more]. | April Fool's Day Special: why should big multinational concerns be the only ones to adulterate and add flavours to wine? Dean Tudor shows how you too can fool your palate and play with the flavours of your very own plonk ...[more]. | ||||||||||
The Easter long-weekend is coming up and Gremolata readers looking for a gourmet getaway could do worse than New York City. Gallivanting gastronome Eric Vellend eats his way through 24 hours in the Big Apple ...[more]. | Cheese guru Andy Shay asks if there are more than five Italian cheeses: Parmesan, Mozzarella, Provolone, Gorgonzola and Romano? Then he answers his question with a survey of some of the better fromaggi only now being brought into Canada ...[more]. | ||||||||||
Nearly a year after Jamie Maw gave us our first Vancouver restaurant survey, Eric Vellend heads west to see what's cooking in Lotus Land and filed a mouth watering report for Gremolata. Eric finds much to eat at Tojo, Cru, West, Nu and ...[more]. | Check your attic and basement and keep an eye out a the next garage sale for Time Life Book's two great cooking series: Foods of the World and The Good Cook. Brought out approximately a decade a part, both series harnessed some of the top food writers of the day ...[more]. | ||||||||||
| -Ad- Five all new cheeses ![]() for March. Click here. | Ryerson University Journalism Professor Emeritus and publisher of World Wide Wine Watch, Dean Tudor returns this week with a new batch of food and wine book reviews for March. Including: Susur's cookbook, a volume on noble rot, and much else ...[more]. | ||||||||||
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| From Gremolata's Archives... | |||||||||||
Gina MalletThe James Beard Award winning author tells us why McDonald's isn't really so bad, what she'd have for her "perfect meal", who wrote her favourite cookbooks and whatever else Gremolata could think of to ask. Then, in an essay exclusively published on Gremolata, she tells us what drove her to write her international best-seller, Last Chance to Eat. Click here to read it all. | Toronto's Little IndiaDo you know where to get the best barfi in Toronto? Gremolata's Michele Chandler found out when Arvinda Chauhaun took her on a tour of Gerrard Street East, also known as Little India. From patra to jalebi Arvinda took Michele through all the shops on the strip ...[more] | ||||||||||
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