I took my seat on Segovia’s comfortable patio and then declared to D & Daughter #1, that whatever were their choices, I was happy to go along with them, because I had never tasted anything at Segovias that I was not delighted with.  But by the time we had a chance to settle in and sip on our refreshing Sangria, I was remembering all the tastes that I had experienced before.  When the server came around to take our order, I found that I was blurting out all of my “must haves” before anyone else had a chance to get a word in edge wise.  Thank heavens, I have a family who is as patient as they are, with my passion for food.

Patatas Bravas were a must.  I can not decide if it is the perfectly cooked potato slices themselves or the succulent aioli and bravas sauces. I think I may actually have to travel to Spain to get my fill of these.  I understand that there are a few subtle variations in how the dish is prepared according to the regions of Spain.

I also remembered Segovia’s aioli and really wanted more of it.  The Spanish Tortilla is topped with aioli in abundance!  The first time I tasted this dish I was surprized because ( in my ignorance), I thought that I was going to be served something in a Mexican tortilla.  But because “tortilla” actually means “little cake” in Spanish, tortillas can be made from a variety of concoctions.  The version from Spain is a little cake of eggs like an omelet or fritata.  The richness of the eggs and the aioli is countered with the grassy, freshness of the soft herbs.

D chose the sea scallops that are huge as any I’ve seen.  They sit perched upon scallop ceviche with a twist of a sweet potato crisp as the crown.  D enjoys when the scallops are just barely seared and these were perfectly cooked.

Daughter #1 added the Malfatti.  I cannot say with certainty that these are a Spanish dish, as the word actually is Italian meaning “badly made”, that is as if they were “a sloppily made gnocchi” or “ravioli without a pasta encasement”.  I do know that there is nothing “badly made” about this amazing dish. I suppose they become Spanish when made by Segovia’s recipe with Manchego cheese which is named for the La Mancha region of Spain (think: Man of La Mancha).  The pale yellow of the cheese is typical as are the small, unevenly distributed air-pockets.  The buttery cheese taste was offset by the spicy tomato sauce.

“A Friend of a Friend” came to visit at the conclusion of dinner, that being the title of a refreshing cocktail made with fresh lime juice, coconut juice and jalapeno lemon grass syrup.  The sips that Daughter #2 shared with us were such a surprize-the pepper tastes melded perfectly with sweet citrus.

In our opinion the food (and just about everything else) at Segovia Tappas Bar & Restaurant is nothing short of perfection.

Kath’s quote: “Aïoli (garlic mayonnaise) epitomizes the heat, the power, and the joy of the Provençal sun, but it has another virtue – it drives away flies.”-Frédéric Mistral

Love-that is all.

This morning on Twitter someone posted these questions:  “Are restaurant critics, still anonymous?  Does anyone know what they look like? ” I have a fairly strong opinion about this for a number of reasons: 1) I personally am not a restaurant critic nor would I ever want to be, because just the title depicts a nit-picking personality.  I do not live life this way-I try to see the good in everybody and in everything (I am otherwise known as Polyanna).  2) I believe that the time of validity for a restaurant reviewer is passe.  In today’s cyber-world where we recognize strangers from their avatars, anonymity is a thing of the past and 3) I believe that liking or disliking something comes from a different place, in all of us.

An example of the latter point is this:  I make all decisions about preference on a purely emotional basis.  I like a novel when I am happy and surrounded by my favourite things, while I am reading it.  I like certain artistic works because they evoke a positive emotion or memory for me.  I like movies that have happy endings because I like to be happy myself!  And so too with food.  I like a restaurant because of the entire package, perhaps because of little things that others might never notice.

This preamble is to explain why I love Segovia to such an extent (even though I have only dined there a small handful of times).  These are my emotional reasons: 1) it uses natural elements in its decor like bleached driftwood that reminds me of my favourite place to walk at the beach 2) I used to work in the building next door to it and so I was interested in the assembly of it, even before I knew what it was going to be. 3) I especially enjoy a tapas style of menu because this is typically the manner in which my husband and I dine in the first place, with little tastes off of each others’ plates.  Segovia (imho) brought tapas dining back into vogue in Winnipeg. 4) I know many customers when I dine at Segovia and it feels good to be surrounded by a warm community. 5) The servers at Segovia are particularly inclined towards my eldest daughter.

Daughter #1 is a person with a disability, as is her best friend.  They manage their lives very independently with the use of motorized wheelchairs.  Accommodating a single one of these machines in an intimate dining setting is not easy and because they often dine together, even more complicated.  But the staff at Segovia embrace them in the most welcoming and gracious way.  When we recently dined there with Daughter #1, they anticipated which beverage she would order and remembered what small plates she had chosen the time previous.   Our server even went so far as to consult the other staff members for the best tattoo artist in Montreal, when they learned that she was interested in getting inked on her vacation.

“It takes a village to raise a child” is an understatement when you have reared a child with a disability.  There is so must pleasure and satisfaction, when you see how the community at large respects and admires your special child.  I believe that the servers at Segovia see past the big chairs of Daughter #1 and her friend and appreciate their intelligence, wit, savvy and beauty.  This brings me much joy.

So, do you see?  The food happens to be amazing, but Segovia means much more to me than this.  But because this is a food blog, after all, I’ll report on our perfect visit in tommorrow’s post.

Kath’s quote: “With money anyone can offer succulent dishes and famous wines, but courtesy and kindness cannot be bought.”-Lucien Tendret

Love-that is all.

The little terrace courtyard, tucked in at the back of Bistrot by Basil on Osborne has always been my favourite in the city.  When the Tap and Grill had to close due to a water main break, we eagerly awaited it’s reopening.  We were not among the first to give it a try and had heard some rumblings on Urbanspoon.  In our opinion, the rustic and simply prepared food is almost exactly as we remembered and loved it.

This was a very special night for us.  The evening took a lot of co-ordination because we were dining with four couples who all have young children and whose babysitting resources overlap.  In the end, it all came together.  We were celebrating a special friendship shared amongst these folks and the bittersweet departure of one of the couples for Seattle.  I use that descriptor because our lives are all the richer for having come together, but we are sad that we will no longer see them and their gorgeous children on a weekly basis.

Dinner started with cocktails and some wine and then we got around to ordering.  Actually, one person volunteered to show our server (Vicki, I think her name was) the tapas menu and he said: “Please bring everything from this item down to the bottom of the list”.  And so it was that the small plates started to arrive.

There was such a vast variety and every item equally good as the one before, that exclamations will be difficult for each one, so I will let the pictures do the talking:

Baked Brie with an Orange Fig Compote & topped with Seasonal Berries

Grilled Prawns

Breast of a Bird on a Stick

Sweet Peppered Feta -The sweetness deriving from a drizzle of honey contrasted by a crust of black pepper.  This one might have well been my favourite.

Calamari

Eggplant and Zucchini Chips

Grilled Vegetable Medley

Grilled Pita Platter with Baba Ganuosh, Spicy Feta, Hummus and Tatziki Dips

Grilled Peppers

Classic Fresh PEI Mussels

AND when that had not proven to be enough food:

Baby Scallop (and Pancetta) Pizza,

Classic Margarita Pizza

Siciliano Pizza

For the sweet tooths (teeth?) in the crowd there was

Cinsation Cinnamon Torte

and Five Layer Chocolate Cake

It states on Basil’s menu that tapas is perfect for friends to share and we certainly regard ourselves as close, close friends.  The sharing of food in this manner at this extended table, sealed the bonds of our friendship in a special way.  Hilarity prevailed and we all remarked that our cheeks and our sides were sore from laughing.

Kath’s quote:

“Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
Can’t believe the hopes He’s granted
Means a chapter in your life is through
But we’ll keep you close as always
It won’t even seem you’ve gone
‘Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong”

-Deborah D. Smith

Love-that is all.

 

At this time every year, the fall TV line up is announced by the local stations.  In former (more prosperous) times this meant golf tournaments, steak dinners and lavish prizes of trips; or lunches catered by private chefs in glass-walled board rooms.  As media has converged and down sized for efficiency, those times are history.

But because for this media buyer, it is all about the food, I was delighted to attend the CBC luncheon event this week.  The timing overlapped with a teaching opportunity, so I arrived and hour after the event had begun, just as guests were being whisked off to the presentation room.  This meant that I had the platters of Stella’s Canapes to myself!  I very carefully made my decision of the Pickerel Cheeks which was so sensational, that I scooped up as many as I could recognize and stood at the doorway of the speaker’s room so that I could see and hear and savour my lunch at the same time.

Photos were not an option as I was trying to be discreet about my consumption.  Besides, I did not even remember to bring my camera along, as hurried as my day was.  So even though I cannot offer you the eye feast of this event, I can tell you that the canapes were sublime.

I pulled this list off of their website in hopes that the words might make up for my lack of images:

Asparagus Frittata, Prosciutto, Roast Beef, Shrimp & Egg, Blue Cheese and Walnut, Chevre & Pepper Jelly, Smoked Salmon, Vegetarian Muffaletta, Roasted Asparagus & Chevre, Mushroom and Caramelized Onion, Gravlax (Scandinavian Cured Salmon) and Bison & Saskatoon Jelly.

The artisan breads that they were served upon were equal to the fine ingredients perched on top.  The dessert trays looked just as tempting with bakery made Nanaimo slice, carrot cake, brownies and macaroons.

I highly recommend that you include Stella’s on you list of potential caterers for a casual midday event.

Kath’s quote:  Sandwiches are beautiful, sandwiches are fine.  I like sandwiches , I eat them all the time.  I eat them for my supper and I eat them for my lunch.  If I had 100 sandwiches, Id eat them all at once. -Fred Penner

Love-that is all.

We were headed to Dim Sum Garden on Rupert Ave. (the “we” being the 3 Sisters & our Mom) to have a belated birthday supper together.  Unfortunately, there was a note on the door saying that they were closed for renovations.  I had arrived first and because it is a bit of a chore to get my Mom places by car, I quickly scanned around for an alternate spot to dine.  Right across the street is a place that I knew to be formerly called Noodle Express.  Currently, there is a banner blocking the sign that indicates that they serve a Dim Sum Happy Hour where the prices are two for one!

The decor is no great shakes but it is clean and bustling with other diners awaiting their orders.  Carts are not wheeled through the dining room.  Instead you must order from their menu and if you are not familiar with the name of dim sum items, this can be a challenge.  We were in the clear because Sister #3 not only has a stellar memory regarding food items but she actually travelled to Beijing last summer.

I did not get pictures of all the items because: 1) I was too hungry 2) I was talking too much and 3) the steam from the basket was fogging up my camera lens. But I didn’t manage to capture these for you.

Their pork dumplings were very good and in my case that means that they are prepared with a minimum of fat.  Our kids called these dumplings “little brains” when they were growing up.

These were the shark-fin dumplings and we also sampled the shrimp and the shrimp & scallop-all excellent.

We were hoping that these pork dumplings would have come pan fried not deep-fried but no matter, they were fabulous!  We also sampled the barbecue pork buns which were equally delicious.

Our preference is for Dim Sum’s Garden’s sticky rice; Noodle Express’s was just okay.  The highlight was the Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)  that we saw being consumed at another table and ordered for ourselves.  The kitchen was at the end of their supply and could only produce a half order but it too, was amazing-perfectly stir fried with plenty of garlic and a butter tasting broth.

The mailing address for Noodle Express is 107-180 King St. but the entrance is on the Rupert street-side right across from Dim Sum Garden.  It may prove confusing to find but make the effort.  Our delicious dim sum feast for 4 came to $27 with Chinese tea.  What a bargain!

Kath’s quote: “I have a total irreverence for anything connected with society except that which makes the roads safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper, and the old men and old women warmer in the winter and happier in the summer.”-Brendan Behan

Love-that is all.