KevV

Phhffaah! Half a cup? Negligible. ... But moving over to the tarte au sucre - butter tart tangent - don't tartes au sucre contain maple syrup? If so, that would distinguish them from the bts. Also the lack of raisins, as was pointed out. And are butter tarts supposed to be so 'Canadian' that they are Canada-wide? Are they enjoyed in BC and Newfoundland? I'm asking because I don't know, so maybe someone could fill us in. I'm only from Ontario, you see. However, I'll tell you this: my wife is from Quebec and earlier asked me, 'What's a butter tart?' To which I replied, 'It's supposed to be a Canadian thing.' To which she replied, 'Oh.' ... They're not part of the country there, are they?

But butter tarts never have that much raisins in them, and so it would be going too far to call them 'raisin tarts.' But then, do they have that much butter in them? My g-mother would often bake butter cookies, whose main flavour component seemed to be butter... But in this case, why 'butter tarts'? Jeez!

Jeez, those are massive onion rings... Are they good with vinegar? Probably true. But did you know that in Japanese 'nana imo' means 'seven potatoes'?Sorry - anyway... potential disagreement: I've never had a peameal bacon sandwich myself (but still chuckle a bit when it comes up in discussions of fine Canadian cuisine - surely there must be more out there?).However, you seem to be suggesting that Canadian cuisine is diverse, perhaps on the level of 'European' cuisine. If we're talking about traditional cuisine, then this just isn't so. I would say that in Canada's case geographical size and diversity hasn't translated into diversity on the table - and probably never will. The times are gone when pockets of people would stay at home, slowly developing regional specialties with locally available ingredients. To your average person in Toronto, for example, there's probably little regard for what distinguishes peameal bacon from 'non-Canadian' meat products.

I first mentioned the malt vinegar, but I didn't mean to suggest it was a Canadian invention, just to point out I think Brits like some form of vinegar on their chips too. But malt vinegar? Surely it's more flavourful than the white stuff, yet that's what people prefer. My theory is, at least in part, it's like the lager vs ale thing. Ale is darker and therefore 'must have more calories' - so people go with the lager. Anyway, people are probably wrong. (Official LCBO info claims so.) Speaking of which... low-cal white vinegar... anyone ever seen it? Now that would be Canadian!

Why not ask, and when they produce the white stuff, wince and say 'malt vinegar?.' At the same time, you must be asking everyone, 'Where's the salsa?'

My impression is that this is rare these days, what with this whole new 'ketchup' craze seemingly everywhere. But anyway, it must happen other places. Don't they put malt vinegar on their chips in Britain?

Growing up I never had any idea butter tarts were 'Canadian,' so I'm not sure where this idea of them being 'indisputably' Canadian came from. Anyway, my reaction to the recommendation question would be the same as GordieCooks: ...Yes, and then maybe the Paris crew can sip $6 LCBO sherry in City Hall Park.

I, also, know of no better TO fish place. (Although I found out about CF through this site and don't really know the rest.) Yes, the fresh stuff at City does seem fairly fresh. I'm just saying that it can't help being a bit less fresh than it would be if the shop were closer to the sea. That said, you fellow foodies probably know of Tsukiji market in Tokyo where, like, 10% of the world's seafood passes through daily. Massive place, and it really arrives ASAP from all over the globe, but yet, as you'd expect in Japan, it's still really pretty darn fresh. (Freshness is nice, in my opinion, but the effects of dredging up the ocean and then express-flying fish around the planet so that we have great seafood is a whole other issue, as I'm sure you know. Given this, maybe better that there isn't too much fresh seafood around TO.)

I very much doubt the fish is that fresh. But what I meant was, you wrote: 'most of the fish they have are called by their name of origin'. And so do the staff say, 'That's branzino' as opposed to 'that's sea bass caught near Italy'?... Anyway, forget about it. No need to sell it to me. I've been there a few times and it's alright. Toronto's not a fresh seafood mecca, however, as we know, for obvious geographical reasons.

Nope - haven't tried their vodka smoked salmon (and how do you say that in Italian?). But I think it's been mentioned here before, and so I've made a mental note. So, you're saying that their Banzino is from Italy, they have merluza from Spain, sardinhas from Portugal and so forth? ('Name of origin'?)

City Fish? Italian? I dunno, I thought they were Portuguese... (Exchange between CF staff - tradução do português: "João, what's a 'branzino' again? We've got another one here who thinks were Italian!") (The link should work.)

Exactly (although you had me googling to see what a 'branzino' was... Not everyone's been to Italy, you know.) In the past I've baked a sea bass in sea salt and it also went very well with romesco. (It's a girl!) http://www.marca.es/futbol/barcelona_campeon0506/

I'd say the corn thing makes sense, but marshmellows would strike lots of people worldwide as an exotic activity. (Call me clueless, but how widespread are marshmellow roasts? I think I've done it once, although I'm not sure why...)

Sorry, I haven't read the above posts, but noticed 'snooty staff, overpriced, ridiculous'... I'm by no means a big TO-basher, but honestly, isn't this how many things end up being here in TO?

Sorry, Saddy - my mum-in-law was sick in hospital over in Quebec and we also had a baby. Anyway, Romesco... I'm not Catalan, nor an expert on published Romesco recipes, but we lived in Catalunya for a few years and so I have first hand experience. Romesco's rich and picante, and will usually have grilled red pepper, olive oil, garlic, tomato, red wine vinegar, almond and hazlenut in it, along with paprika, salt&pep, a bit of chili, and so on, depending on your taste. Great with grilled things - white fish, pork/veal chops, asparagus... Didn't the Gremolata guy have something on it a while back? (No commissions for me yet; I just recall it.) One interesting thing - Romesco, or a variant, might also be served as a dipping sauce during 'calçotadas.' These are basically mediaeval springtime bbqs, where you go off to the country (preferably your hometown), start a smouldering fire low to the ground, and roast calçots (huge spring onions - specially grown and bigger than big leeks). You then put on a bib, peel the outer layer off from a calçot, dip in the calçot sauce, and then imbibe them - whilst drinking loads of wine of course. Make a big mess! A timeless feast, and great. Also, a well-chosen sprintime issue topic for the LCBO magazine. (Important relevant soccer note - Barcelona will play for the Liga tomorrow, Wed, at Celta Vigo. Should be two years in a row. 'Hoy toca Liga') (2nd note - for the life of me, I can't imagine a cultural event, based around bbq'ing a vegetable - in this case, monstrous spring onions - ever catching on in N.America to such a degree. Can you?)

I don't know the Zuni Cafe book, but for a reference on Catalan cuisine from what I know the best book in English is Catalan Cuisine by Coleman Andrews. More than one Romesco recipe in there.

Hello all, Hey - wasn't there something with romesco in the latest issue? Romesco: grrreat stuff. Make some! Kev

Out was out to "work" with the JK gals... so things are a wee bit... fuzzy... to say the least... I'll put my mind to work on it later this morning if I can.Okay, okay - 2nd time you've mentioned JK girls. Am I the one to ask? Forget about the wine and tell us about them. At the risk of sounding uncool (oh dear!) I still haven't the foggiest what 'molecular' is... Foams? F.Adria 'experimentation'? That's my guess, I guess. At any rate, this critique sounds pretty spot on to me - based on the pictures and description. (Poor NonDoc getting slammed merely for telling us he liked his dinner. We're a hard bunch to please. Sorry!) Finally, a worrisome quote: Sexy glass and steel? Yeesh.

You're right. It's hard to imagine the LCBO out-selling Sainsbury, certainly in volume. I've since seen the LCBO website: 'The LCBO is the largest single purchaser of beverage alcohol in the world and one of the largest retailers.' So this claim must come from somewhere. And, also, what exactly is 'beverage alcohol.' I would think it was, as I said, booze - as in any kind of alcoholic drink. But what do they mean? Ethanol? Are you sure about the SAQ outselling the LCBO in wine? I remember a news report not too long ago saying that Quebec consumers buy the most wine, Ontario the most beer, and maybe Newfoundland the most spirits. I suppose we can google this kind of thing.

One thing I just remembered... It kind of matches the title of this thread too... I've heard on several occassions the LCBO is the world's biggest single purchaser of booze. You probably already knew this, but still it's impressive. Guess that answers some of my questions above.

Yes, aside from Summerhill, QueensQuay - which I haven't been to - is a place I've heard mentioned in the same breath. So, I'm guessing these are the 2 biggies? In Toronto, and therefore the province, I would assume? How about the whole of Canada? Are there shops elsewhere that can rival Summerhill or QueensQuay? Thanks for the BC & Alberta info. Do you have any idea if the presence of private shops there, along with the provincial booze boards, means that there is a greater choice compared to in Ontario? (jay - you didn't say, but I'm assuming provincial boards do operate in each place) And what of the Maritimes, Quebec... ahh, the Yukon? I've barely visited one of the showcase SAQ stores in downtown Montreal, but the average SAQ is certainly beneath the avg LCBO in most categories. (What I know - LCBO vs SAQ - very generally: less selection in SAQs, higher beer and wine prices, cheaper spirits, shorter opening hours and more holidays.) Good tip about Crossroads - if I do have a chance, I'll be sure to go and pick up some of NonDoc's errant cargo.

NonDoc - can you recall the wines?

Sads, yet again you've ruined my day! ... Just wait, you'll still get yours... And at TO prices $230 could be just fine if it includes the wine pairings, so long as the wine was as well-matched and good value as NonDoc says. Based on the info above, though, I'd hope most of the expense was in the wine. (And I assume the tip for the kitchen was included.) Of course, I'm not saying I'd shell out $230 for same. In fact now I'm having to save up for another new avatar.

Would it be Summerhill? Also, aside from the LCBO, I've only dealt with the SAQ, which doesn't really compare. To my knowledge each Canadian province has its own liquor monopoly, but of all of them is the LCBO the biggest and best?

$230 seems a good deal with good wine pairings. I enjoyed seeing the pictures, but sort of agree with Sad (who's clearly trying to blow my cover again): Some of the combinations sound good, others not as much. They generally didn't make me too hungry though. Maybe the key in some cases was the pairings?