One of my favourite cookbooks is “Jerusalem”. The book is as much an intriguing story about the people who dwell together in the ancient city as it is a catalogue of excellent recipes. The book is where I first came to know the egg and tomato sauce dish known as Shakshuka. The authors of “Jerusalem” state that the dish is actually Tunisian in origin.

I first tasted the dish prepared by a French trained, Italian chef in a little café called “The Fat Hen” in Seattle. I have also enjoyed it at a couple of spots in Winnipeg. The Bermax Café and Bistro is a kosher Italian Café that does a very good job with their version of Shakshuka.

I would have preferred my egg to have been slightly less firm so that I could have allowed the piping hot sauce to finish cooking the egg. This is not a complaint as the tomato sauce was out of this world with the unusual inclusion a smoky paprika and cumin. I plan on returning so that I can enjoy that sauce on a pasta dish.

My breakfast date chose a pineapple pancake when her request of a granola pancake was not available. Sweet chunks of pineapple were mixed into the batter as well as being served on top of the pancake. The cake also came garnished with cottage cheese. Was the dish a breakfast or a decadent dessert? At home we often enjoy pancakes with a generous scoop of cottage cheese, sliced bananas and maple syrup. My family has inherited my sweet and salty addiction!

I am actually surprised that I have resisted Bermax for as long as I have. The bistro is walking distance from my home and all my favourite foods are contained on one menu: black truffle, eggplant, artichokes, gnocchi and pizza. They even have a Shakshuka pizza!

The Bermax Caffe + Bistro is located at 1800 Corydon Ave. They have an extensive all day breakfast, lunch and dinner menu available. They are open Monday- Thursday 8 am until 9 pm. They close at 3 pm on Friday and are closed Saturday. The are open Sundays from 9 am until 9:00 pm and are wheelchair accessible.

Kath’s quote: With reference to shakshuka- “It sounds like the name of a comic book hero. Or some kind of fierce, long-forgotten martial art. Or perhaps something that said comic book hero would yell as they practiced this elaborate martial art, mid-leap with their fist in the air“.-Smitten Kitchen

Love never fails.

 

 

There have been years when we have travelled to Europe in September/October. In the years that we have not, my husband gets itchy feet. He feels the need to get away in the fall even if it is for a long weekend. On Remembrance Day 2016 we “discovered” Duluth Minnesota, enjoyed ourselves so much, that we decided on an encore trip this past weekend.

We were accompanied by our son-in-law (known in this space as the Frenchman) and our youngest daughter Boo.

Since Boo (and her brother) works in the local craft beer business, our family is very beer oriented. Along with the Frenchman’s objective of hitting up all of the trading companies, my wanting to get started on Christmas shopping and D and Boo wanting to check out as many tasting rooms and brew pubs as possible, we were in for a full weekend. What we did have consensus on, was that it was the last weekend of Restaurant Week for the Downtown Duluth Restaurants and we were determined to visit as many of these on that list too.

We were delighted with our Air B n B, a two bedroom house perched high on Observation Hill in Duluth. We did have a tricky time finding it and accessed the home from a back lane that was not in the greatest shape. D and the Frenchman headed out for some breakfast supplies while Boo and I got ready for the evening. Once the fellas returned home we made the decision to let someone else do the driving.

There was snow in the forecast and taking on the vertical streets was no easy fete even on bare concrete. Besides fare to downtown was only $10!

I zoomed in on the drawbridge that is the symbol of the city from our bedroom window (hence the grid of the screen).

We started with some shopping in the Canal Park area and then scooched over for dinner at Bellisio Restaurant & Wine Bar.

Since the majority of the weekend was to be devoted to beer, we decided to try Bellisio’s wine flights. D chose a Tuscan flight and I a Merlot one.

Last year the Downtown Restaurant offers included soup, salad and an entrée at Bellisio’s. This year it was limited to the entrée and a dessert.

D chose the pan-fried pickerel (called walleye in Minnesota)

and I the chicken pancetta which was lovely and light with a broth sauce.

I had a taste of the delicious tiramisu but knew that it would put me over the top.

We stopped first at the Hoops Brewery, but the service was lacking and no one ever greeted us or took our order so we meandered instead to the Canal Park Brewery. They had a restaurant license and the food being delivered to surrounding tables looked exceptional. There were some interesting beer tastes, particularly the IPAs which were very distinctive.

The next morning the guys walked down the hill to fetch Starbucks coffee. We could hear them when they arrived back as they were really huffing and puffing from the exertion of the vertical terrain.

We split up to do more shopping on Saturday morning but reconvened at lunch time taking in another featured restaurant-Toasty’s. The restaurant space was kind of dark and not terribly inspiring but the food was terrific. We started with French onion soup made with one of the local beers and then moved onto cheesy BLTs.

For dessert we enjoyed an interesting take on bread pudding.

Bent Paddle was our afternoon destination. D had taking their beer tour the year prior. If recollected accurately, Bent Paddle was the brewery that kick started the craft beer industry in Duluth.  The rather large facility was absolutely packed on a Saturday afternoon with many tables playing board games. The number of craft breweries matched Winnipeg’s number but remember that Duluth is 1/10th the size of our fair city!

We took a breather over snacks at our Air B n B, deciding that a house instead of a hotel room was the way to go, especially at a time when you want to gather together. The living room was so comfortable and preferable to sitting on beds in a hotel.

We had one last brewery to check out so we determined our supper destination based on walking distance to The Blacklist, as we were cabbing it again. The Black Water Lounge was dark and cozy but we thought that the servers wearing bustiers deserved a change in uniforms. The low lighting made photographs impossible. We were quite delighted with lobster bites, blue cheese stuffed shrimp and a huge filet of smoked salmon. These we complemented by signature martinis.

The Blacklist is Duluth’s newest brewery and was also packed. Unfortunately the live band was not conducive to visiting, so we stayed long enough for another couple of flights and headed “home”. In spite of tasting some very distinctive beer, we concluded that Winnipeg’s local brews were just as fine, if not more so.

Back at the house, D watched the Phoenix vs Jets game and filled me in on the score in the morning. After another jaunt to Starbucks on foot, we completed another round of shopping.

Since we were no longer downtown we were just looking for a spot with wholesome food. Grandma’s Saloon and Grill  on Miller Hill did the trick.

D selected the chicken pot pie that was so huge, he requested a to go container and we finished it later in the car.

I decided to get back to my regular eating habits and chose this chicken and wild rice salad (besides I knew that there would be kettle chips in the car for the journey home). D was able to catch the first 1/4 of the Vikings game on TV and then the rest of it on the radio in the car home. Duluth was such a distance though that we also had the time to listen to the Bomber play off game too. Calculating the tally of our favourite teams: Jets win, Vikings win and Bomber lost. Two out of three ain’t bad.

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

Love never fails.

 

 

 

 

 

When I was first married I received a cookbook as a gift. It was entitled “Mix Butter with Love”. I am wondering if the owners of Caked with Love found inspiration in that book too. Their delightful bakery and café is a joy to be in and those were my thoughts even before I tasted their exceptionally made food.

I ordered a regular soup of the day which on that occasion was wonton soup. The broth contained ribbons of green onion and Chinese cabbage and was delicious on its own, even before one of the silky wontons was tasted. Laced with fresh ginger and perhaps sesame oil, the soup was savoury and satisfying. It was accompanied by a garlic biscuit which was d-i-v-i-n-e! The flaky biscuit had been generously brushed with garlic butter and made the soup a full meal.

Unfortunately I did not predict this in advance, and had also ordered a chicken salad sandwich. Flecked with cranberries, green apple and walnuts, served on toasted multi-grain bread and accompanied by a whole dill pickle, it too was a meal in itself so I slurped the soup for lunch and had the sandwich for a light supper.

The piece de resistance was the red velvet cupcake which was selected as an afterthought. After all I was visiting a cakery; I couldn’t leave without tasting one. The delicate cake was so fresh; I predicted that it had been baked that very morning. The rosette of cream cheese icing which adorned the top was fluffy and cloud-like.  This too was consumed at a separate time, with a cup of coffee mid-afternoon.

The café is bright and cheerful and I would describe the staff in the same manner. They knew almost every one of their customers by name and made you feel welcomed and included from the very moment you walk in.

Caked with Love is located at A-1459 Corydon Ave. Eileen Manalo and Marvic Abarra are the café and cakery owners. They are open from Tuesday to Friday from 10 am until 8 pm, on Saturday from 9 until 8 and on Sunday from 1 -5 pm. They are closed for special occasions and the last Sunday of the month. Check their website in advance. Their changing menu appears on chalk boards and they are wheelchair accessible.

Kath’s quote: “Cooking is love made visible.”-Unknown author

Love never fails.

 

 

On our final afternoon in Ottawa, we walked to the ByWard market and strolled around there. In spite of pledging to myself that I would get my eating back on track, I had to order my very first Beaver Tail: one of those Canadian food items that takes their place with Nanaimo Bars from BC and butter tarts from the prairies. As I approached the kiosk I got wafts of a cinnamony sugar aroma and knew that whatever I was about to eat, could not be a bad thing. Beaver Tails come in a variety of enhanced versions, but since it was my first foray, I wanted to try the authentic deal.

It turns out that a Beaver Tail is a flat, rounded item made from a donut-like batter that is deep friend and then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. The taste reminded me of mini-donuts that are a favourite of D’s and can be purchased at Manitoba’s Red River Exhibition or in our own version of the ByWard Market at the Forks in Winnipeg.

In spite of taking the time to photograph beautiful raw products

and seeing a number of taverns and pubs offering classic fare, we were not certain where in the market to have lunch.

At my suggestion, we pranced over to the Chateau Laurier. Reminding me of Winnipeg’s Hotel Fort Garry or Saskatoon’s Bessborough Hotel, it was a lovely treat to walk through the grand lobby en route to the dining room. We took on an air of importance in spite of both being in blue jeans and comfortable walking shoes and me sporting a full leg brace as my torn meniscus had been acting up. Across from us were a couple of very sophisticated and well dressed women, I felt like a bit like a bumpkin in their presence. I don’t think my friend Marlene even noticed.

But to the food! My lunch date chose a salmon burger and even before she took a bite we were duly impressed. The bun had been branded with a “W” for Wilfred Laurier, I presumed and then when I viewed the insignia from another angle I realised that it was an “F” as the Chateau Laurier is a Fairmont hotel.

Marlene actually did not eat the bun but tucked into the juicy looking salmon patty with relish. (Meaning she was enthusiastic about tasting it not that it was served with the relish condiment). In fact, the burger had a Mexican twist and was accompanied by guacamole, pico de gallo and crème fresh.

I

I in turn was very impressed with my chickpea fritters appetizer. They were beautifully presented on baby greens with a lovely splotch of parsley lemon puree, tahini emulsion, crumbled feta and pita chips (also crumbled). I couldn’t make out the dressing on the greens but it was satisfyingly pungent and complex.

We washed everything down with a couple of Blanche Chamblays which I was certain was a locally produced craft beer. I was showing off to my son who is a brewer by sending him a picture of our beer choice. He set me straight on the origins of the beer which was delicious (wherever it was from).

Since I had my dessert before lunch, we set out again, seeing the last lovely vistas of Parliament Hill.

Kath’s quote: “True patriot love in all thy sons command.”

Love never fails.

 

 

The Sunday evening after the conclusion of the FBC Conference was a poignant one. It was like being at a family reunion and feeling so uplifted from seeing all your family but emotionally tired (from seeing all your family).

My old FBC friend Marlene had moved into my room for the night and we were like old slippers: cozy, comfortable and very, very relaxed. We chatted, spent some time on line, chatted some more and then we were faced with the most daunting decision….where to go out for dinner?  I had gotten some advice from Ottawa resident Vanessa and we got the choices down to a short list. Since we had certainly taken in more than our daily caloric content for the past couple of days, we decided on Mexican food at El Camino which included a nice long walk up and down Elgin to bookend the evening.

A small group had gathered in front of the restaurant’s front door and we were initially concerned that there was going to be a long wait for dinner. It turned out that they were waiting on a single table to sit them all, so we were able to snag the last deuce available.

Our server had a jaunty accent and I enquired which part of Australia he came from. He replied: “New Zealand”? Oops, my mistake. He was definitely not offended and we were impressed by his jovial service style.

We were surprised that they did not have a full array of Mexican beer available and settled for Tercate, forgoing the salted edge, but requesting lime wedges. The beverages turned out to be lovely foils to the salty chips and avocado salsa we were enjoying by that time.

Considering ourselves food aficionados, we wanted to sample as many tastes as possible so we each ordered two tacos, creating four messy, slurp able tastes each. I chose the Japanese eggplant (I choose eggplant every single chance I get) and the cochina pibil. The latter being a favourite while travelling to Isla Mujeres as my husband and I do each year. Because the authentic Yucatan dish takes time to marinate and slow roast, the Isla locales typically share this tasty dish with island visitors on Sunday afternoons. Our server pointed out that the choice meat nuggets were taken from the face of the hog, i.e. cheeks and jowls and I knew that we were in for a treat indeed.

By my reckoning, the eggplant had been lightly dusted in flour and a pinch of sugar, producing a crunchy, moist, sweet surprise. The garnishes sealed the deal.

The meat of the cochinita pibil was packed with flavour from the marinade and the slow melting of the fat, which penetrated the meat to make every bite a delight. In Mexico they go to great lengths to produce the flavour.

Cochinita is a classic example of the fusion of early European Influences with the local Maya foods and cooking techniques. The Mayan name cochinita pibil means baby pig roasted underground. The pork was marinated with sour oranges and achiote, wrapped in banana leaves and roasted on hot stones underground. It is shredded and can be served in corn tortillas as tacos or on bolillos or rolls as sandwiches. Excerpt from the cookbook entitled: Cochina Islena

We also ordered a crispy fish taco and one other which I cannot for the life of me remember the name of. That was because Marlene and I were having such a wonderful visit, like two sisters that lived in different cities.

When I spotted Churros on the dessert menu, I ordered them as well. One year when we spent Christmas on Isla Mujeres, we had the donut-like churros for dessert. Since they originate in Spain and Portugal, I look forward to tasting them again in an upcoming trip to Algarve in Portugal.

Kath’s quote: “Churros is the answer. Who cares what the question is.” -writer unknown

Love never fails.