D and I would like to publicly say in this space, that we are lousy at keeping in touch with friends that have moved away.  We declare that we are going to try harder and change our ways but then, time keeps slipping, slipping, slipping into the future…  I suppose it could be considered a good thing that we live in the moment and do not try to hold onto or recreate times gone by.  Happily, many of our out of town friends do a better job of staying connected with us, than we do of them.  Other times, we encounter loved ones who are just as inadequate in this area as we are.  This creates major regret on our part.  The last two points are absolutely true of our friend Perry Johnston who owns the Stone Road Grille in Niagara on the Lake with his wife Heidi.

We had been recently informed by mutual acquaintances about Perry’s stellar success in the restaurant business.  The food, as you will learn is assembled from the best ingredients that the community has to offer but even more so, the hospitality was big and boisterous like we are familiar with on the prairies.  Perry spies his guests from behind the bar where he is helping out, then he bounds for the door to embrace you with bear hugs and kisses.  We thought that this greeting was reserved for us being old friends, but oh no, everyone familiar to him and almost everyone was on this evening, received the same warmth.

We read the accolades that are posted in the hallway of his establishment, to see that the rumours were absolutely true.  Perry and Heidi loved to spend weekends in Niagara-on-the Lake and when Heidi called it quits to her career as a flight attendant, they made their dream, a reality.  I absolutely know that D and I are especially intrigued by our friends’ story because we have talked about doing exactly this, many, many times and have never had the guts to take the big step.

The food was exquisite, I mean absolutely sublime. Unfortunately, I had taken so many photos of the vineyards of wine country that afternoon that my battery had run down and then catastrophe struck (for a travelling food blogger at any rate), when I realized that my charger was on the fritz as well.  We made due with an IPhone but these photos absolutely do not do the food justice.  Post script, the next morning I was on my way to St. Catharine’s to pick up a brand new charger.

We started with a charcuterie of in house prepared and cured meats including saucisson sec, chicken liver mousse, pistachio mortadella, maple smoked ham , pimento espalette pork crackling and wild boar croquette.  Every bite was complex and satisfying.  We especially enjoyed the melt in your mouth ham and the slightly gamey croquette offset by a delicate crispy coating.

I had carried a hankering for pasta with me from home and wanted a smaller entrée so that I could keep pace with the pleasures yet to come, so I selected the house-made linguini, tossed with pepperoncini, basil and Stone Road’s own pancetta.  The dish perfectly heralded the oncoming fall with husky and deep spicy tones.

D neglected to share a taste of his pan-seared halibut because it was consumed too quickly.  I do recall his exclamations as he did so.  Also on Stone Road’s autumn menu were a local farm’s pasteurized chicken with roasted cashew and zucchini curry in addition to a local lamb in the form of braised lamb ravioli offset by a spicy North African Merquez sausage.

By this time we had switched gears towards dessert: a chocolate tart topped with marshmallow and ice cream, both made in house.

The last of the Niagara fruit harvest was lovingly crafted into sorbets of blackberry, blueberry, golden plum and raspberry.  The perfect way to end a perfect evening.  But, we were far from done.  First we got a tour of the kitchen so that we could congratulate the chef in person for our wonderful fare.  We witnessed how every conceivable space is utilized for in-house preparations in a self-sustaining manner.  The fresh scraps are even collected to be become feed for the pigs that will eventually “pull their last shift” as Perry puts it, in their restaurant.

We were so impressed with the camaraderie amongst the staff, fostered I am sure by Perry and Heidi themselves.  Perry has included a special opportunity on the bottom of his Niagara only wine list so that you can thank his staff in a meaningful way, by purchasing a six-pack for the kitchen. When the staff had made their way home, we lingered, listening to Sinatra tunes and absorbing every nuance we could about Perry’s passion for the vinters, produce growers and farmers of his little corner of paradise.

Perry is definitely a person that you want to spend time with and we were reticent to leave, not knowing when we would be together again.  Perry gave us a special salute as we drove out of the parking lot.  If you are ever in Niagara-on-the-Lake and I absolutely encourage you to go, visit the Grille marked by the name “Rest” on the outside of the building and ask Perry about it.

Kath’s quote: “To make people who have no appetite eat, to make the wit of those who have it sparkle, to enable those who want these qualities to find them — this is the supreme science of a gastronome-host.” Lucien Tendret (1825-1896)

To you Perry, we wish you love-that is all.

I was once asked after we had survived a life-changing crisis in our family, how I managed to stay so optimistic, so full of hope and faith, so joyful? At that particular time, I did not even know that this was what I was projecting to the world and so I pondered their perceptions and this is what I can pass along in wisdom:

1. Bottle up inspiration moments, intentionally allow them to enter your consciousness.  Then remember what shelf you have placed them on in your mind and spirit, because you may have to take them down from that place and open the bottle again to get you through an unpleasant time and inspire you anew.
2. Teach yourself to find pleasure in very simple things.  As I write this, there is a mauve and peach sunrise outside my window, the last of the robins in my yard are singing, my big old dog is asleep at my feet, I am drinking a hot cup of fine coffee and I am warm in my old fuzzy housecoat in my cozy little house.  I am always aware of the little blessings in my life and when I fill my thoughts with these, I do not have any room left for doubts and negativity.
3. Make your life about acquiring a string of deep and rich experiences, not bigger and faster and shinier things.  Celebrate something every single day, for me the celebration usually surrounds food. Today we will celebrate the last day of October with a fire in our front yard.  We will invite our neighbours to warm up with a mug of hot chocolate and encourage them to linger.
4. Carve out time to be alone and quiet every day.  Use that time to pray, meditate, listen to  a favourite piece of music, read inspiring thoughts, it really doesn’t matter but be STILL.
5. Surround yourself with non self-indulged people who are engaged and concerned about you and ooze positivism!

All this pre-amble is about this 5th point.  Yesterday I attended my third We Day and now I have a plethora of positive stories from inspiring people to focus upon.  I am sure that you have seen the tweets and coverage on last evening’s news and the front page of the papers today.  Martin Sheen was impressive as was the former President of Mexico but I was equally moved by locals: Wab Kinew, Megan Fultz, Maria Aragon and ten-year old Hannah Alper who gave me goose-bumps of excitement.

Lastly, a positive association that you likely already know about: many decades ago I started working with The Keg Steakhouse and Bar and my affiliation with the company has continued until this day.  When I am with my fellow Keggers, I am surrounded by intelligent and hospitable people who have big dreams and know that working 2-3 shifts per week, will help them obtain those dreams.  The Keg teaches their staff about the importance of philanthropy and giving back to the local community.  Many years ago The Keg Spirit Foundation was formed and since that time they have raised and distributed millions.  They too support We Day, not just here in Winnipeg but in every Canadian city and with ongoing efforts for Free The Children.  Yesterday Carolyn Torhjelm, the Executive Director of the Keg Spirit Foundation spoke to the assembly of 16,000 of her time in Kenya and then introduced Spencer West.

If there was ever a person to keep in your consciousness for inspiration, it is this humble man.  Spencer West lost his legs at the age of five but has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.  Imagine!

In closing, I could leave you with one of the many inspiring thoughts that I retweeted and scribbled down at yesterday’s We Day event, but I will leave you with this simple phrase, with which I conclude every single one of my blog posts:

Love-that is all.

I was once instructed that the healthiest way to shop at a grocery store, is to purchase and consume as many products as possible that are placed at the periphery of the building.  This statement appropriately describes the newly built Sobey’s store that I visited this morning.  Their fresh market and bakery are at one edge of the store and I understand that Sage Creek is the first Sobey’s in Canada to do this.

I absolutely loved strolling through the fresh market.  It reminded me of our local farmer’s market or the outdoor markets that I love to explore in Europe.

The fruit and vegetable displays are gorgeous and beautifully showcase the bounty of fresh produce at this time of year.

I came across a little stand that was offering tastes of three different kinds of Gouda cheese.  My favourite was the smoked Gouda.  I have only tasted it once previously and it was an excellent reminder to purchase it again for holiday entertaining.

Speaking of cheese, Bothwell cheese is made right here in Manitoba and Sobey’s proudly supports as many local suppliers as possible.  Sobey’s has a special cooler placed at the end of a row, chock full of all the Bothwell varieties.  Bothwell’s Black Truffle cheese is my favourite-what is yours?  I also saw Pioneer Farmer Sausage and Winnipeg Old County deli meats on display.  My Dad would have been so happy, he used to go directly to Winnipeg Old Country in the north end to pick up our fresh meat every Saturday morning.

I had a very difficult time walking through the bakery section without making too many purchases.  In spite of my temptation to pick up one of their exquisitely designed fruit flans, I opted instead for a loaf of artisan bread.

I decided to tear off a chunk of the Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Bread on the way home.  The traffic was slower that I had anticipated, so I tore off another, and then another….  Suffice it to say, I can highly recommend this particular artisan loaf.  They are all baked in store throughout the day using naturally fermented ingredients and no preservatives.

There is a huge section of the store dubbed the “Natural Source” section.  The shelves were full of all those ingredients that you typically find at a health food store.  I was blown away by the number of quinoa based foods that were contained here as well as gluten free products.

In addition, there were mini sections on almost every aisle which bowed out from the flat shelves and were marked: “Better food means better ingredients”.  These special shelves contained items that I would usually have to travel to a specialty store to purchase; brands like Garafalo pasta and Ghiradelli chocolate.  I was super impressed with their extensive ethnic sections: Italian, Asian and Mexican.  We love to dine out at ethnic restaurants but even more, we love to travel to foreign places.  With Sobey’s extensive line of ingredients, we can cook at home and save up for our next travel adventure.

Although I could not linger and order lunch to sit down with, there were many other shoppers taking advantage of this opportunity at the little cafe there.  I had my eye on the chicken stone oven pizza, so next time, I will plan accordingly.

I have always preferred Shopping at Sobey’s, from the moment that I get out of the car in their spacious parking lots, not having to fish for a coin for a cart, having more than enough cashiers open and staffed and not having to bag my own groceries!

In addition, I spied that there was a spacious customer service counter that was not being used as an overflow check out.  There were two family style washrooms and even special motorized carts for persons with disabilities.  I have concluded that when Sobey’s claims that their goal is “Better food for all”, they don’t just mean that they offer fresher, purer food, it means that they are doing everything possible to make access to that food easier and affordable to every walk of life.

Kath’s quote:

Love-that is all.

Stratford, ON boasts quaint, historic, charming architecture, reminiscent of our time in the UK.

The city is well planned in a beautiful natural setting, so you are always a moments walk to green space.

We were very fortunate to get tickets to two plays for the Stratford Festival: Fiddler on the Roof and The Merchant of Venice.  Both works highlighted the brilliant talent of Scott Wentworth and to see him perform in such diverse pieces in the same day, left us over stimulated and quite frankly, exhausted.  We could only imagine how the renowned actor must have felt himself.  We have seen Fiddler many times before and consider it one of our top five favourite musicals.  We declared that the Stratford rendition was the most spectacular and moving rendition that we have ever experienced.

In spite of the fact that I studied Shakespeare while at university, I had never read, nor seen The Merchant before.  I dutifully studied the synopsis many times over, so as to be able to follow the intricate plot lines.  In the end, I was still shaken by the story and Stratford’s decision to set the tale between the 20th century world wars in Italy, rattled me even more so.  The topic was in no way pleasant for me to absorb, but I admire and respect that the Festival had the courage to stage it.

When you are next in the Toronto GTA, do yourself a favour and make the trek to Stratford.  The culinary scene, artistic community, architecture and natural surroundings, make you proud to be a Canadian and you will save yourself thousands by not having to travel over an ocean, to get a sense of the United Kingdom.

Kath’s quote: “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.” –William Shakespeare

Love-that is all.

I am often sent invitations to events where the details are on the mysterious side.  Such was the case, with the recent event hosted by Scotiabank.  There was no mention that food would be offered and yet I should have known with Deseo Bistro being the venue.  With D out of town and my wanting to get caught up on some culinary visits, I asked Sister #3 to join me for the evening.  Our first destination was a new restaurant in the neighbourhood for one writing assignment and then desert at another place for a different writing commitment.  By the time we arrived at Deseo, we had already enjoyed a wonderful evening filled with delightful tastes and good fun.  Little did we know that there was considerably more of both to come.

The cross Canada bloggers meet up was to engage us with a new travel rewards card from the Scotia Amex folks.  I am definitely going to explore applying for the card.  The food theme for the evening was regional tastes from all the participating provinces.

First up was BC smoked salmon topped with creme fresh and caviar (although it looks as if the caviar was not present on this later offering).  The salty smokiness and richness of the salmon was beautifully offset by the buttery cream and caviar.  The latter was lightly applied which was appreciated because although I enjoy the intense taste of caviar, too much could have overpowered the star of the appetizer-the salmon.

Lobster croquettes topped with blueberries, representing Nova Scotia came around next.  I adore the taste of lobster and found that the fieriness of the ingredients which were intended to enhance the sweet shellfish, may have actual masked the delicate taste.  I will happily eat lobster at every opportunity and this is certainly not a criticism, just my preference.

The Alberta beef tenderloin took on a Korean influence with a topping reminiscent of kim chee.  The treat took two bites to eat and was wonderfully messy.

Two delicacies were appointed from Quebec-poutine and foie gras.  Fingerling potatoes contained a scoop of delicate duck liver.  Oh my!

My two favourite tastes are pictured here: from Ontario and Manitoba.

Representing Ontario: baby cobs of corn were wrapped in prosciutto and then grilled.  There were so much fun and equally delicious.

From Manitoba: Omgoodness-the pork belly was sublime!  The strip of natural fat stayed firm until it entered your mouth and then it just melted way into sheer loveliness.  Chokecherries provided that salty/sweet taste that I constantly crave.  Heaven, I’m in heaven…..

We were hosted with other lovely treats besides food, including a cocktail dubbed the Lumberjack which was like a whiskey sour made with a maple infusion.  One lucky attendee walked away with a $400. Travel Voucher!

Thanks Ben from Scotiabank for hosting us for this fun and delicious evening.

Kath’s quote: “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill.

Love-that is all.