A year in Canada

[danielcollins]

Hello there.

I have just moved from one London to another, and now have 12 months in your beautiful country. As I am a very greedy boy, I have decided to learn as much as I can about Canada by pretty much eating my way through it!

As eGullet members I am hoping that some of you can help kick start my journey!

Basically I am looking for anything food related, be it high end restaurants, low key cafes, food producers/suppliers, shops, writers, anything which will help me get a good picture of what Canada is all about, culinarily speaking.

I will be scouring all of the Canadian topics, so this isn't just me being lazy and trying to get all my info in one place (honest!), but i would GREATLY appreciate it if anyone could point me in the direction of things which haven't been posted about for a while/ever. Although I am based in London, Ontario I intend to make the most of the year, so location isn't much of an issue.

I'll most likely be popping up on these forums quite a bit over the next year, and if any of you get REALLY bored, I'll be updating my newlyborn bl*g as often as I can!

Thanks a million!

Edited June 24, 2008 by danielcollins (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Welcome to Canada Daniel.

I know the subject of Canadian cuisine has come up before and we seem to find ourselves at a loss to say what is 'Canadian food'. Here is a previous discussion on just this subject.

Peameal bacon (aka Canadian bacon) is usually mentioned. I know that I passed a restaurant in Hamilton just today that brags that it makes an outstanding peameal sandwich. So if you happen to wander down this way check out Rankins Bar and Grill at 1342 Main St E in Hamilton. (They serve really good perogies too.)

As far as shops go, in London you have Anne McColl's. When I lived up there for medical school, it was always a treat to wander through that shop. Wander down to Toronto and visit the 'Cookbook Store' at Yonge and Yorkville.

If you get a chance to go to Quebec, you must eat sugar pie and tourtierre. If you go down east, then you'll have to eat lots of lobster and scallops. Check out Peter the Eater's thread on Nova Scotia foods.

Just a few stream of consciousness thoughts, I'm sure others will have lots of great ideas for you.

[grayelf]

Welcome to our big, big country, Daniel, from the West Coast. Just to clarify, I take it you are looking for good places to eat/buy food, not just "Canadiana", yes?

Would be happy to ramble on about Vancouver if that is the case...

[maggiethecat]

Canada is indeed a big, big country and I applaud your decision to delve into all the regional forums, because Canadian cuisine is regional -- except for Tim Horton's!

The berries that are the glory of the Ontario June should be coming in soon. I'd plan a quick trip to Kitchener-Waterloo -- handy from London -- to check out the Amish /Mennonite farmer's market. It's regional and distinctive.

[danielcollins]

Thanks for that Kerry, I'll pay Anne McColl's a visit tomorrow...

And yes grayelf, I'm looking to explore the whole culinary landscape. While it would be silly of me to eschew the stereotypical foods of Canada on principle (I'll certainly be trying my fair share of poutine, perogies, bacon etc), I want to get a rounded view on how Canada eats and drinks today, so ramble away!

Cheers

[Synergy]

If you are in Saskatchewan, you need to try saskatoon berries, either fresh, in a jam or pie. I also love them frozen!

I can also recommend quite a few places if you happen to travel out to Regina or Calgary!

[danielcollins]

Saskatoon berries are most definitely on my to eat list, my girlfriends family are from Regina so I'm sure I'll be heading out that way at some point, will let you know when I do!

Edited June 24, 2008 by danielcollins (log)

[Dave the Cook]

. . . . I'll certainly be trying my fair share of poutine, perogies, bacon etc), I want to get a rounded view on how Canada eats and drinks today, so ramble away!

Cheers

←

Are Pirogies considered a Canadian dish?

[jenc]

There's a main topic somewhere, but if you head over to Niagara/St. Catherine's area, there's lots of fruit/food to be picked/eaten at this time of year. Not to mention the wineries!

In terms of Niagara restaurants, I very much liked Treadwell's and Hillebrand's (winery) resto. There's more but those two stand out in my mind.

In Toronto, there's a plethora. If you want to try some molecular gastronomy, there's Colborne Lane, (I've heard good and bad from it, so ymmv), Perigee is always rated highly, (I had a good time), but their chef has recently changed over. I like Torito (tapas) out in Kensington, Terroni, (various locations), for their pasta, though they're known for their pizzas, Sushi Marche out in the east end for some good value sushi, and Kaji (so I'm told) for high end raw fish. If you'd like a taste of Kaiseki, go to Hashimoto's out in the west end of Toronto, make sure you book a week ahead.

There's more, but you know, you'll have to divide the city up a little at a time. Bakeries - that's another list all together...

[danielcollins]

Are Pirogies considered a Canadian dish?

Haha, yes apologies to my East European friends, it seems that you can't move for Perogies/Pirogies wherever I've been in Canada so far, but it was a bit of a leap for me to call them 'Canadian', I stand corrected!

Cheers

[Peter Green]

Are Pirogies considered a Canadian dish?

Haha, yes apologies to my East European friends, it seems that you can't move for Perogies/Pirogies wherever I've been in Canada so far, but it was a bit of a leap for me to call them 'Canadian', I stand corrected!

Cheers

←

I, at least, consider perogies to be a staple of our Canadian family's dining. The perfect delivery system for sour cream.

[Pam R]

I, at least, consider perogies to be a staple of our Canadian family's dining.  The perfect delivery system for sour cream.

←

Yeah, I agree. If you're in Winnipeg on your way to Regina, Alycia's is famous for theirs (though we make our own). And try some smoked goldeye and some good rye bread.

Do you have an idea of which provinces/cities you'll visit while you're here?

[estufarian]

In terms of Niagara restaurants, I very much liked Treadwell's and Hillebrand's (winery) resto. There's more but those two stand out in my mind.

←

I'll second the Treadwell recommendation. Was there over the weekend and the food was fresh, local and extremely good. As their 'subtitle' says "Farm to Table Cuisine".

I'd recommend the 6-course tasting menu with accompanying wines ($125) - that way you'll get to taste a variety of different wineries and sort out which you prefer (most of the winery restaurants naturally concentrate on their own products - Treadwell has a great selection from all over). They're also open for lunch.

A little closer - you should head to Kitchener-waterloo for the Mennonite market. Certainly a taste of home-cooked food.

[camdan]

In a month or so I'll be beginning a stint in Toronto, but mine will be more like five years. I've spent a few weeks there up until now, although I haven't had much chance to sample the cuisine. The only places worth mentioning that I've been to are Sushi Kaji - brilliant, one of the finest meals I've ever had, if a little out of the way and occasionally a little overly wasabi happy, and Canoe - sensational view, a little hit and miss with the food; some (the caribou stands out) was great, some (the tartare) was not.

[middydd]

Try to find some northern Ontario wild blueberries. They're so different from the farmed blueberries you get in the grocery store. If you travel north you could pick them yourself or buy them by the side of the road later in the summer. It depends on the weather when they become available.

They're generally smaller than the cultivated ones and combine an incredible sweetness with the tang of the forests they grow in.

For a great blueberry pie, combine 4 cups blueberries, a squeeze of lemon juice, a cup of sugar, 4 tablespoons flour, a dash of salt (1/8 teaspoon) or so. Toss (not too gently, break up some of the berries a bit), pour into your favourite double crust. Bake at 450 for ten minutes and then 350 for 30 to 40 minutes. Cover the crust if it looks too brown.

[grayelf]

A few things to eat if you find yourself in Vancouver:

Salt for a late afternoon ploughman's moderne snack

Cobre for a pan-Latin dinner

Peaceful for great noodles and dim summy stuff (lunch or dinner)

Patisserie Lebeau for sweet and savoury brekky waffles (go early)

Nuba for healthy but v. tasty Lebanese in a funky setting (two locations)

One of Andrey Durbach's restos (Parkside, La Buca) for muscular Italian

Aurora for locally sourced creative dishes without blowing the bank (great weekend brunch)

Go Fish for super fresh "fish shack" offerings with a twist in a supernatural BC setting (one word: tacones, especially if the cod version is on the specials menu; ask for extra hot sauce on the side instead of the cole slaw)

Green Lettuce for Indian-Chinese food

Rangoli for a taste of Vij's minus the wait (don't know if they'll have crickets on that menu though)

Argo Cafe for a post-modern take on the diner (breakfast and lunch only -- be sure to check out the lunch specials like duck confit or seared tuna for like $12!?)

49th Parallel for coffee (either at their flagship store on 4th Avenue, or at the Edge Cafe with a great breakfast or lunch, or at Cafe Medina with yet another waffle, or at Prado if you find yourself on Commercial Drive)

Denman/Robson (West End) for an izakaya crawl -- check out the Guus, Zakkushi (for things on sticks), Kingyo, Hapa and maybe throw in a Korean joint or two for fun

If any of this sounds interesting, I can post more details...

[rgruby]

I'd check out one of Anita Stewart's books, perhaps her most recent titled Anita Stewart's Canada. haven't really had a good look at it myself yet, but she knows her stuff.

Here is her list of essential books with lots of (highlighted) Canadian content: http://www.anitastewart.ca/EssentialBooks.htm

And in a frenzy of Anita Stewartness, maybe check this out too:

http://www.flavoursofcanada.ca/

No relation to Martha that I'm aware of.

Cheers,

geoff