Le Baron Rouge - Oysters & Wine ...what a pair!

If you want the perfect parisian Saturday, I have a suggestion. You must start with 'un café et un croissant' at your neighborhood brasserie. Make sure you have your walking shoes, as now you will start a stroll over to the 12th arrondissement to the Marche D'aligre. Make sure you get there before 2 (it closes). Grab as many vegetables as you can possibly carry and perhaps take a look at the vintage clothing selection.

You are now in need of a refreshment (or two) so head over to the infamous Baron Rouge for some wine, oysters, and charcuterie.

Relish: On market days, the people (shown above) are here for the Oysters. On a busy day, it's a free for all with little room inside, so the people crowd where they can, down the street using both the building and the neighboring cars as tables. It's a spectacle to be had. Many choices of oysters abound (last time I was here I counted 7) -- they are fresh and come in a range of sizes. The oyster lady (as I call her) chucks them right in front of you with a neat chucking contraption I have never seen before (it's permanently afixed to the oyster table).  If Oysters aren't your thang, then head inside for one of the best charcuterie plates I've had in Paris. They also have a selection of cheeses, specifically a plate with varieties from Corsica which I found delectable.
Quaff: It's a wine bar and you're in Paris. Behold:

I think the picture speaks for itself, but needless to say there are a range of choices. A tip -- they start at the top with the lightest wines and get stronger as you go down the list. ALSO, if you bring an empty bottle (like say a 1L Evian bottle) they have barrels that you can fill yourselves. A cheap alternative, or an awesome take-home option.

Feel: It's an incredibly typical Parisian feel -- old tile floors, an ancient wine barrel as a table, a huge bar, strange paintings (one is Marijuana themed, not sure what that is about). It's a mixed crowd of local and tourists, but in general it feels authentic. And it's right on the corner next to the market which is packed with Parisians so you definitely feel like a local. The men working there look straight out of another era, which also adds to its appeal.

If you're in Paris, Le Baron Rouge and Marche D'aligre are a must see. A toute à l'heure!

~Lindsay

The Gabardine

photo: www.hipurbangirl.com

I have now had the chance to visit the Gabardine a few times...mostly because it is the best option outside of Mercado and Blowfish for a lunch with colleagues that is less that 2 minutes from the entrance of our office tower.

The last time I stopped in to grab a quick take-away coffee en route back to the office from a meeting. The second to last time I was there a few weeks ago for lunch.

• Relish: A few things to note. During the lunch I had here, I had massive food envy over my lunch-partners pulled pork sandwich. I will have that if I go back. I had a great pressed cuban pork sandwich, not quite spicy enough, but still very satisfying, and it came with salad and potato salad that was just scrumptious. When I stopped by for coffee, I was convinced (to put it lightly) to try the cinnamon rolls - apparently they are the best baked good they do. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if they are: cinnamon deliciousness, without the goo and fake sugar taste of most buns, with just the right combination of cinnamon-y crust to dunk in the coffee, and soft, warm cinnamon bun center. It now requires a fair amount of restraint to not go in every morning en route to work and pick one of these up.   
• Quaff: Coffee was excellent. A tad bit on the bitter side, but my latte was scrumptious. They have a decent wine selection at lunch, and apparently are also a great place for a cocktail after work, although we were warned to try and avoid the 5pm rush!
• Feel: 'A light and airy pub' would probably be the way I would best describe it, given the light paint, natural wood tables and chairs, but old-school English pub features. The clientele is bay street, but I think mostly the bay street-ers who would rather not be on bay street and are trying to escape.

Overall, a great and convenient place for a business lunch and morning coffee break. I think it's still a little bit undiscovered as the front of the building is covered in scaffolding - I'm worried that it will be near impossible to get in for lunch (it already is as they don't do reservations...) when the scaffolding is gone. Enjoy!

Rua Vang Golden Turtle

I  heard about this little gem about a year ago...and unfortunately it has taken me just that long to make it to Ossington to enjoy the scrumptious Vietnamese food of the Golden Turtle.

• Relish: Vietnamese Pho and Bun. I'm not sure that I saw anyone eating anything else. It is by far the best Bun that I have ever had. I had number 74 - rice noodles with grilled pork and a spring roll, served with lots of cilantro, slivered carrots, lettuce and rice noodles. My dining partner had number 90 - the Bun with grilled spicy lemongrass chicken, that he swore was the best Bun he's had outside of Vietnam. A pretty high bar to have hit! Writing this makes me want some right now, and since eating it last night, I have about twice hourly cravings for it. Amazing. 
• Quaff: Nothing much to report on here (I had water), but you can opt for one of the creative milkshakes (avocado? lychee?). An entire back page of the menu is dedicated to these and they look very interesting. I am a little bit sad that I wasn't adventurous enough to try one...next time.
• Feel: It's exactly what you expect from a un-fussy, un-fancy vietnamese restaurant on ossington. A tiny patio with plastic chairs and metal tables, and a packed main restaurant, it's small and crowded and perfect for a cheap and delicious meal.

I love it. If only it wasn't so far away on Ossington...that being said, maybe it's a good thing it's that far away - otherwise I would have trouble eating anything else!

First Parisian Post! Le Taxi Jaune

I had a friend in town from New York last night, a former Pariesenne, and without even thinking we went to a restaurant called the Le Taxi Jaune en francais, or The Yellow Taxi. You can take the girl out of NY, but apparently not NY out of the girl. No matter, it was a lovely restaurant in the Marais and marks our first official Parisian post!

Relish: According to the reviews -- don't go here unless you like to eat the strange insides of animals, or perhaps horse. We began with the Tarama with toast, which apparently is a greek dish. I liken it to hummus, but more silky, and a nice thing to spread on toast (it's made of eggs and salmon, but I didn't think it was too fishy). Solid start. Next, although there definitely were some innards and 'cheval' on the menu, we opted for the more tame 'agneau' and 'canard'. Both were delicious. Mine was in the form of a 'gateau' (cake) which really was more like a stew which was amazingly savory on a fall type day. Elena's duck was perfectly cooked, with a hint of sweetness. Overall, classic french food with good service.
Quaff: The wine list was extensive and they even had these cute chalkboards of France pointing out the different regions. However, the 'by the glass' option was limited to red, white, and rose. No matter, my white wine was crisp and not too sweet and I believe it came from the south of France (I heard a sud). You'll have to forgive my very basic descriptions of wine as compared to Andrea -- she promises we'll take a class once she joins me in France.
Feel: It's a casual atmosphere, very authentic, with stone walls and chalk boards of both the wine regions of France and different animals and their parts (hence the innards). It felt cozy, although we got there early (8:30?) and it was a bit deserted. Things started to pick up around 10. It was also a tad too bright, but nothing to shake a stick at. The servers were very nice and even tolerated my awful french :-) It's also on an adorable back street that's not too crowded, so you really feel like you're finding a diamond in the rough.

If you are in the Marais, I recommend checking out this adorable resto! Au Revoir!

Bar Centrale

A blustery and cold Monday night. The tail end of the last long weekend of the summer. Where do you find me? Tucked inside a bustling wine bar in Summerhill, enjoying a fantastic 'tapas style' dinner, a delicious wine and a phenomenal friend.  

Photos: the foodiefotog & iPhone...amazing

• Relish: mmmm. The amount of eye rolling as we tasted each dish was fantastic. There were even pauses in conversation as we savoured some of the bites.  The menu here is built around little sharing plates - and we shared!  We started off with some arancini balls, filled with fontina and veal, a crostini (think bruschetta but with other toppings) topped with beef tenderloin tartare, truffle shavings and zabayone - unbelievable. A second crostini stole the show... Nduja sausage combined with some sort of tapenade and topped with smokey ricotta - spice and smoke and sausage. We followed this with a plate of sliced porchetta - basically slow cooked ham filled with herbs - and a ravioli filled with lobster and mascarpone. My perfect evening - lots of small bites of very different tastes, and all was incredibly succulent. The only downside was the dessert. A combination of dark chocolate flourless, warm cake (all good so far)...combined with gorgonzola in the middle. Somehow that completely missed the mark.
• Quaff: mmmm. This was a most pleasant surprise. I actually didn't even see the wine list, but given it's a wine bar, there are many selections lining the shelves behind the bar. Our very helpful server asked me what we were looking for and my price point. My response? A fruit forward, medium bodied, but not too tanic red, for around $50. What did he deliver? An incredibly juicy and delicious red from calabria, light on the tannins, and medium body. Perfect. And the price point? 50 on the nose (as we only discovered once we got the bill). It was called Mutro' Melissa - a wine from Calabria (the bottom of the boot in Italy, more specifically, the 'toe' of the boot), made up primarily of  Gaglioppo and Greco Nero grapes, and had a picture of a boar on the label (which I figured because of my love for wild boar tasty-ness, this must be a good sign). It was. 
• Feel: Bustling and busy, a great atmosphere of friends enjoying wine and good food and good conversation. Servers were super friendly and very helpful with choices. As the night progressed there was a bit of a line with people waiting for tables - and all selected a glass of wine to better pass the time. They've nailed the atmosphere here - nice work terroni!

The Whalesbone Oyster House

There are some restaurants that have a special combination of creative, consistently delicious food, fantastic atmosphere and great finishing touches. When you find them, it's hard not to want to go anywhere else! I had the pleasure of visiting The Whalesbone in Ottawa...for a third time...and it wowed me just as much as the first time.
Accompanied by a worldly, handsome and suave gentleman who also happened to be in ottawa on business at the same time -  we sat at the chef's table and had a great time watching the cooks in action, listening to the great music and having scintillating conversations...(hehe - thanks dad :) 

photos: www.thewhalesbone.com

Now to the food:

• Relish: It might be blasphemous to go to an Oyster bar and not have oysters...so we did. Shared 12 to start, 4 from BC, 4 from New Brunswick and 4 from Ireland. These come with 7 sauces, 3 of which are homemade (a seafood sauce, vinaigrette and spicy sauce, a few types of tobasco, and then whisky...which I stayed away from). We then shared a starter of seared swordfish: three beautifully put together mounds of swordfish, home-grown cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes and fresh cheese...delicious. I then had the scallops, soft and juicy, accompanied with radish, some fritters, blue benedictin cheese and tiny tomatoes - a sublime and beautifully balanced combination of tastes, all displayed with precision on a wooden board. Dad had the haddock - I stole a taste, and it was cooked to just-flaky - yet moist and savoury. Oh, I almost forgot - we also started with a few slices of fresh bread, filled with poppyseeds, nuts and seeds, and paired with a lovely melted-butter that tasted like a gourmet buttered popcorn. Wow. Sitting perched at the chef's table we saw a lot of food pass by en route to tables, and so I have to mention the lobster...a trio of lobster mac and cheese, a lobster tail, and a lobster bun...oh my goodness - that might be what I have to try next time.
• Quaff: a great wine list for pairing with seafood, about 10 whites and 8-10 reds. We were given a quick taste of our white before ordering, a server recommendation that paired perfectly with the oysters - a Sokol Blosser 'Evolution: Luck' from Oregon. 
• Feel: Hip-checking and laughing chefs in the tiny open kitchen, an oyster shucker working hard at the bar, great tunes, humming conversations, packed tables - this place has tons of character, with a fun, food and drink loving vibe, super friendly, smiling staff, and happy customers. The bathrooms deserve a special mention here - framed love letters in the ladies are a beautiful touch (and I've heard the men's has some creative decorations as well). 

My Dad summed up the take-away on Whalesbone quite nicely: "the food is amazing - but the best thing is the personality!".

w: The Whalesbone Oyster House

Scarpetta

I had heard many great things about Scarpetta - both for the food and the fun atmosphere. I finally had the opportunity to check it out last week, and despite being a little bit skeptical given its location in the uuber 'king-west hotspot' thompson hotel, it was an excellent meal, and a unique patio experience. Very worth checking out.

• Relish: the food lived up to the hype - an Italian menu, with chef Scott Conant not disappointing on the pasta (that according to the waitress is his specialty).  We shared a bison short rib on a corn and vegetable risotto, a delicious handmade pasta with wild boar sausage, rapini and summer beans (broad beans and peas) - it was gorgeously yummy, every bite packed with flavour, and a hint of mint or fennel added a bit of summer to it. That was followed by a sliced duck breast, served with greens and duck sausage, cranberries and a house made couscous. Everything was enjoyable, but the duck and wild boar pasta stole the show hands down! What I really loved was that they happily plated each dish, split into two for us - and the presentation was beautiful. Oh, and I almost forgot the bread. A basket of bread arrived that included 4 different types of bread, one of which was a house-made focaccia style with cheese and salami and spices throughout the dough - delicious when paired with the lemon infused olive oil or the tomato antipasti that accompanied it.
• Quaff: the wine menu was good - focused primarily on Italian whites and reds, with decent pricing (roughly 45 and up, but quite a few options between 45 - 50). We quaffed a bottle of the 2008 Barbera D'Alba, Rocca Giovino. Cassis, some earthy tones and healthy acidity combined to make it a fantastic pairing for the duck and wild boar. Delicious! This place also looks like it knows its cocktails.
• Feel: this is where Scarpetta both won and lost for me, so I'm a bit conflicted. We sat outside, in the most gorgeous patio - a long table that could probably could sit about 60 people at varying heights (chair height, bar stool height, mid-bar height) in groups of 4-6. The table has been enclosed in a funky metal lattice that allows you to feel as though you're in your own little candle-lit room, but also as part of the surroundings; you look across the street to a park from one side, and at a reflecting pool and park by the thompson condo on the other side.  The part I wasn't thrilled about was the feel inside....very 'see and be seen'-esque, and the washrooms were messy and bland (I know washrooms don't need to be fancy, but at a place like this, you at least expect a slight step up from hospital-style soap dispensers)! 

Overall, I would definitely go back for a dinner on the patio, and maybe even inside for a night when I felt like getting a bit done up and making a night of the king-west scene!


web: Scarpetta Toronto