The Grove is located at the corner or Stafford St. and Grosvenor Ave. and the  name is a short form of the latter.  We stopped in at this time last fall for a cider on the way out for dinner but I have never had a chance to taste their offerings.  In spite of repeated encouragement from our son who lives just steps away and thinks of the stools at the bar top as a home away from home.

In fact, I had to park just beside my son’s apartment so he knew that I was in the vicinity and met me for a little visit before my lunch date arrived.  He loves the offering of half pints and ordered one for himself and a Bramble for me.  The light and refreshing cocktail is made with creme de casis to sweeten the gin base. 

He also endulged me by ordering the Grove Burger which he claims is the best burger in the city. 

Based on my bite, I would have to agree and the fries were mighty fine too.  I opted for the Chevre and Pequillo Pepper Croquettes and was really disappointed to hear that they were out. 

Instead, I had a cucumber salad which was not quite so decadent but was satisfying with dollops of green olive oil lining the bowl. 

My lunch date decided upon the the chicken sarnie and was equally impressed. 

When my boy moved to the bar top and was joined by a friend, I also got to sample the fish bites which are made from salmon and halibut trim, lightly crusted in panko flakes and fried-oh my!

The room is fresh and light-filled and attracts many local business people and neighbours alike.  Service is attentive and accommodating.  If you live in walking distance, you have a gem of a neighbourhood pub.

Kath’s quote: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”-Benjamin Franklin

When I was a Weight Watcher I was thrilled to discover this awesome soup was worth 0 points, so I could eat it whenever I was hungry. Here are some of the great things this soup has going for it.

1. Most importantly, it is delicious!
2. It takes about 5 minutes to prepare and only another 20 minutes to cook.
3. It contains things I almost always have in my cupboard and fridge. 
4. It’s full of nutritious veggies.
5. If I am missing any of the veggies, I can substitute with another or leave it out all together and it still turns out great.
6. It only has 61 calories a cup.

Garden Vegetable Soup
3 cups beef broth
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 cooking onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup green beans (I use frozen)
1/2 cup chopped zuchini
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt & pepper to taste

Spray pot with non stick cooking spray saute onions carrots and garlic for 5 minutes.
Add broth, Tomato paste, cabbage, green beans, basil, oregano and Salt & Pepper to taste.
Simmer for a about 10 – 15 minutes until all vegetables are tender then add the zucchini and simmer for another 5 or so minutes.  Enjoy!

Kath’s quote: “An old-fashioned vegetable soup, without any enhancement, is a more powerful anticarcinogen than any known medicine.”-James Duke

We have been a fan of Olivier and his Frenchway Bakery and Cafe at his first location on west Academy and watched with interest as his new locale, mid-Academy was being assembled.  Then, we heard through the grapevine that he was also going into the former Bread and Circus location.  Having been involved in single restaurant openings ourselves, we knew what an under taking this would turn out to be.  Olivier needed to call in for reinforcements and as a result Raphael has transplanted himself from Nice and Antibes (the prompt for my digression yesterday).

D arrived to pick me up for our anniversary lunch with an armful of white lillies.  I gave him an NFL magazine, so you can tell who is the romatic in this marriage.  I plunked them into the bread-maker cylinder that was soaking in the sink, so that we could savour the little piece of time that we had eked out of our day.

I let D chose for us because I could have easily ordered one of everything but even with his decision-making powers we did not make it past the Appetizer selections.  And so three “little plates’ arrived at our table to share. 

The Tarte Tomate was a flaky and tender puff pastry filled with pesto and ricotta cheese and topped with grilled tomato and fresh herbs. The creamy cheese was the perfect balance to the sparkling tomato taste.

Next up were grilled vegetables with a fresh mozzarella and prosciutto (which was optional if you wanted a meatless item).  Even though we appreciate hot vegetables with a hot entree, these were served at room temperature which is the perfect manner to detect the nuances of taste variations.  The first time we sampled a plate of vegetables served in this way was at Cumpa Cossimo our world favourite restaurant located in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.  Raphael’s preparation was equal to the very best.

Influenced by the “Frenchman” who is close to our family, we had to try the Petite Tourtiere Maison.  As compared to a Canadian Tortiere, this was more like a giant meatball surrounded by a flaky pastry.  Different and delicious!

We finished off with a tart filled with a sublime custard and a variety of fresh fruit.  The pastry had a cookie quality and made the use of a fork rather challenging.  Who were we kidding, we should have just picked it up with our fingers?  This selection had a “circle of life” feel to it as it look just like the cake that we had for our wedding 27 years ago. 

Kath’s quote: “Light, refined, learned and noble, harmonious and orderly, clear and logical, the cooking of France is, in some strange manner, intimately linked to the genius of her greatest men.”-Rouff Marcel

I was going to write about a recent lunch at the Frenchway Cafe and got out my travel journal about France for reference.  But I have now been swept away with memories of Nice as we were there exactly at this time, two years ago.  When I open my journal, it is as if it were last weekend.

In celebration of a milestone wedding anniversary, D and I travelled to Italy and France (very much motivated by the food offerings of the regions).  En route from the Italian Riviera to Paris was a glorious stop in Nice.  D wanted me to experience his favourite hostel from his backpacking adventure with our son, a couple of years prior.

Can you see me under the palm fronds on our balcony?

Villa Saint Exupery was everything he promised and more.  He had booked us a “suite” which in hostel terms, meant that we had our own bathroom and did not  have to sleep with strangers

The view from our 5th floor window was of the city below us, all the way to the Mediteranean and from our 180 degree balcony of another cityscape, the hills and the sunset.

There was a delay in the preparation of our room because the hostel staff had run down to the Marche aux Fleurs to ensure that flowers were waiting in our room (as D had arranged in every city we arrived in on this second honeymoon).  The lilies were absolutely glorious and I can remember their scent even now.  No wait, those are fresh lilies I smell, a gift from D marking this year’s wedding anniversary.

I digress.  I am supposed to be musings about food, so back to the culinary adventure.  At the Villa, a glass of French wine was a single euro but if you bought the entire bottle, it was only 4 euros-duh.   The hostel’s chef prepares a pizza each evening in addition to one other dish.  So D and I shared an amazing sausage, red pepper and artichoke pizza and a grilled chicken breast, turnip puree, sauteed green beans and roasted baby potatoes-all for 12 euros! 

We sat in the garden and chatted with travellers from all over the world.  Truly, an unforgettable time for us.  

Kath’s quote: “Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me.”-Sarah Bernhardt

Today we grilled our very first pumchini on the BBQ. There were a couple of things that made this a very special part of our last meal of the summer. The pumchini is a vegetable that is a crossing of the pumpkin and zucchini. Two of my favorite vegetables. The treasured vegetable was cultivated, harvested, and gifted to us by our dear friends Cliff and Daphne Seruntine. They have an enchanted homestead- the Hollow- 45 min away from us. Cliff and Daphne are true Eco-Organic Farmers. In fact Cliff and Daphne have become such experts at raising organic livestock, and cultivating organic produce, that they are regarded by many in these parts as ‘the go to people’ for inquiries and advice in this field.

As we sat at the table for our last summer meal, we gave thanks for our present of the pumchini. I found a fantastic, very simple recipe for bbq zucchini and gave it a try. The large wedges, accompanied by tomatoes, were grilled to perfection. But this was not the foundation for my gratitude.

As I looked around the table and observed the family enjoying the pumchini, I thought about our dear friends Cliff & Daphne, who had spent the better part of spring and summer cultivating, and encouraging this amazing vegetable. I thought about how incredibly exhausted Cliff looked after spending the day harvesting, and tending to the farm. I thought about the unabashed love and respect that Daphne and Cliff have for the land, and Mother Nature in all her glory. Then I thought how they Blessed us by sharing their Spirit and Friendship with us, by giving us the prized harvest of the day.

Kath’s quote: “The first zucchini I ever saw I killed it with a hoe.”-John Gould