Category Archives: Eat & Drink

26

Mar. ’10

Kristin’s Gin Soaked Adventure

I never thought I would say this but:  Forget about vodka and George Clooney.  It’s all about gin (Hendrick’s) and Xavier Padovani (Global Gentleman Mixologist and International  Bon Vivant).  First let me preface the story by saying that gin and I have never been very good friends.  Usually the only alcohol we had in the house when I was growing up was a bottle of Beefeaters and when I was in Grade 9 I once poured some in a cup of tea, thinking it would be a good mix because of the British dandy on the bottle.  Well it wasn’t.  And I did drink the whole thing, even back then I wouldn’t waste alcohol.  But that was it for me and gin (gross!) and I would have a Pavlovian barf reaction every time I would smell it.  I wanted to like it though.  Gin drinks are sophisticated and have cool names like the Negroni.  Then last summer at the Roger’s Cup, they were pushing a gin based drink called Pimm’s and it was yum.  I like to go to the Roger’s Cup and not so much watch tennis as hang around in the tent and drink cocktails.  I developed a taste for gin sort of but it only lasted for part of the summer, I forgot about it after Labour Day.  It seems like its one of those Waspy rules where not only that you can’t wear white after Labour Day, you have to switch from gin to scotch.  Then last week,  my gym buddy Michelle Hunt invited me and my friend Lorraine to an event that featured cocktails with Hendrick’s and hosted by “the sexiest man alive”.  How could I say no to free cocktails and a hot guy?  Michelle and her partner, Laura, own the Martini Club http://www.martiniclub.com/ in the heart of the Distillery District.  They cater events and also do the recipes for the LCBO magazine, totally a dream job!  Last night they had a cocktail party featuring Hendrick’s gin http://www.hendricksgin.com/ and their mixologist , Xavier Padovani.  There is something to be said about European men, they’ve got all the mojo.  The party had a very glam 1920s vibe.  We started with what looked like tea (there’s that gin and tea thing again) but was really mulled gin with cinnamon, cloves, and pineapple juice…so gin is not just a summer drink, it was delish!  Then we went on to something called Smash….move over mojto….the Smash is similar but with gin, and replaced the mint with basil.  We also had a martini with cucumber and lemon.  Hendrick’s gin is infused with cucumber which makes it unique and interesting.  Cucumber and booze have a perfect symbiotic relationship because cukes are so watery and fibrous, they also work well in the morning as slices over the eyes to reduce puffiness.  I think I had 4 Smashes and I don’t remember the other drinks, and I am hoping the recipes will be featured in an upcoming LCBO magazine.

Here we are, The Bon Vivants: Michelle, Xavier, and me

And as all great parties do, it hopped in a cab and went across town to Barchef http://www.barcheftoronto.com/ a fantastic martini bar on Queen West at Augusta.  Now I know I blog about east end neighbourhoods but I do go outside of my box for time to time.  And speaking of my box, the mixologist (Frankie)  had his share of mojo.  Here he is in action all fired up, mixing something:

I had to sit in front of a 50 pound bar of ice to cool down.  We had more drinks made of Hendrick’s, they take their cocktails pretty seriously here.  Everything is hand squeezed and painstakingly mixed together.  By the second cocktail, Lorraine and I were so crazed we ordered a beer.  You can only consume so much exquisiteness in one evening.  And I was walking around with a giant grain of sugar stuck to my nose.  We were drunkity, drunk, drunk but you know, I woke up this morning and was clear and perky.  Must be the cucumber in the gin!!  It was the funnest night and I would like to thank our hosts. And for sure I am going get me a bottle of Hendrick’s today, but this time I won’t mix it with tea, maybe just some soda and lime.

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25

Mar. ’10

Kristin’s Quest for Organic-ness

I was watching Oprah the other day and she had Alicia Siverstone on via Skype trilling about her new book and her vegan diet.  There is so much to analyze about that sentence starting at the beginning:  I was watching Oprah the other day….Yes, I watch Oprah and I am always going on about how she has jumped the shark * but I still like to watch it, 4 o’clock is pre-cocktail cocktail hour, I’d probably even watch The View if it were on at 4….and she had Alicia Silverswtone on via Skype…what the hell, why are all her guests on via Skype nowadays?  If I were invited on Oprah you better bet yer arse I’d be there in person, why are her guests so lazy?  or is she too cheap to fly them out there and pay for their stay at the Marriot?…anyway Alicia trilling about her new book and her vegan diet…First, I am sure Alicia (Clueless) Silverstone probably didn’t actually write this book, most likely she had a ghost writer.  I’d like to be a ghost writer if anyone has a boring story that needs embellishment, call me…and she’s a vegan…ugh, vegans.  The first vegan I ever met in my life was a woman who was friends with some people I knew and she would bring her own millet burgers to their barbeques.  She would have a fit if her sawdust patties touched the grill that a steak touched. Why was her millet trying to mimic meat? I murmured to myself.  She put it in a bun and put ketchup on it.  It made no sense to me that she demonized dead animals on a grill and then eat food with the texture of cremated gym towels.  Dumbo….anyway, fast forward 15 years and  back to Alicia Silverstone on Oprah…she had some points, maybe it’s a good idea to eat less meat, and more organic produce.  Actually I think “organic” is a misused term, everything is pretty much organic, even a fruit loop.  I think they should specify “pesticide-free” but I will just say organic but just know that I am not fooled.   Anyway, she seemed happy and sparkly(my eyes are whiter! she proclaimed) and most importantly, not bloated.  She had me there.  Bloating should be tauted the new black and I will be Miss It.  So why not try to eat more mindfully? So I started at the grocery store.  Even Loblaws has a millet section as well as the option for organic dairy and meat.  I got rice that took an hour to cook and made scraping marks on the pot after I cleaned it.  I made vegetarian chili out of beans and more beans.  So far my daughter is liking it, teenage girls all seem to go through a vegetarian phase.  Not the boys though, they are always pepperoni-centric….my son’s friend came to sleep over for a few days and he brought some underwear and a baggie of luncheon meat. After a week, I have to admit I noticed some improvement, a little less bloated, clearer skin.  So I decided to finally pay a visit to the mecca of organic eating in the east end, otherwise known as The Carrot Common on Danforth near Chester.  In all my years of east end living I have never actually been in the The Big Carrot, which is the grocery store in the square.  I have heard rumours of $30 free range chickens.  I needed to see if it was true.

Thankfully there was no need to be frightened.  The store itself was like any other grocery store with aisles and checkouts and cash registers.  For some reason I was expecting the floor to be made out of dirt and hay with goats running around.  It was nice and clean and the free range chickens were all plucked and covered in plastic (and NOT $30, between $8-$12).  There was a bulk section with bins of millet (!) and other organic grains.  Organic bananas were 99 cents a pounds, which is kind of high.  I’m not really sure all things need to be organic though, bananas have peels so who cares if they are sprayed?  Eating Well website gives a list of items that are good to get organics and others that don’t matter so much http://www.eatingwell.com/.  I didn’t buy anything there though….it all seemed so beige.   I like the colourful aisles of Loblaws with boxes of poptarts, chips ahoy, and flourescent orange sports drinks.  I did like the atmosphere at The Big Carrot though.  It’s very quaint. There was a Community Board full of posts about colon cleansing…. it’s like what it would be like going into Ike Godsey’s General Store in the Walton’s.  I know when I’m old and delusional I’m going to be confusing my real life memories with episodes of the Waltons and Happy Days….and speaking of Happy Days * the term “jumping the shark” comes from that episode of HD where the Fonz water skis over some shark in a desperate attempt to keep the ratings up.  I think any time Oprah mentions or has Tom Cruise on her show, she is jumping the shark.  Anyway, this healthier eating is best done a little at a time but one thing for sure, I will never eat a millet burger!

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06

Mar. ’10

Kristin Ate Here….Again and Again

Delina

1891 Queen St East, just east of Woodbine Ave

When I was pregnant 17 years ago (!), after the the first trimester where everything smelled like freezer burn and tasted like Crayola crayons (yes, I know what they taste like, I was one of  those kids who ate weird things like cardboard lollipop sticks, Bic pens, and satin blanket trim),  I developed an insatiable hankering for falafels which ironically, was my default hangover food in Montreal because this one particular Middle Eastern restaurant was the only place opened at 4 a.m.  For 6 months as my stomach swelled,  I traveled near and far to find the perfect one and finally in my 7th month, I found the my favourite on Bloor St West near Christie.  It was quite a hike from the Beach but I had to have it!  Something about a falafel that is all about texture and taste.  As a rule, the best food seems to be crunchy and smooth at the same time.  With a bad falafel,  the chick pea balls are overcooked and become too hard  so the inside is dry.  The perfect patty is slightly crispy on the outside, and inside is grainy and moist. Anyway my pregnant craving became an obsession and because of my expansive hunting, I consider myself a connaisseur of fine falafel.  But after my daughter was born, the trek to Bloor and Christie  became too arduous and so my appetite waned. Then last November I was walking by this place after yoga class and something drew me in, probably the smell of tahini triggered some memories but whatever it was, I am grateful.  I ordered my first falafel in years, although maybe I had one at the CNE at some point, I can’t be sure… whatever  happens in that food building, stays in that food building because it’s usually a huge mistake.  Anyway, Delina’s falafel, not only is the BEST FALAFEL  I have ever had, I was able to wolf it down while I walked home….an impossibility with every other falafel I have ever had.  Delina’s falafel is wrapped and swaddled like a newborn baby, then pressed in a grill to make it even more compact.  And there is no shortage of condiments inside, tomatoes, tabouli, tahini…terrific!  I went back for 5 days in a row.  There are other things on the menu as well of course including shawarmas and vegetarian sandwiches and the service is fast and friendly.  Best of all, my falafel is $3.49, which is cheaper than the big box of Crayolas!

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