Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Sips and Bites – Bumper Summer Crop Edition

Sips and Bites – Bumper summer crop edition

As I head off for a family holiday I thought I’d leave readers with a bumper, omnibus edition of Food for Thought, sharing some summer food and wine finds, and offering thanks to some friends and readers along the way.

I recently tried the recently-opened Amaya Express at 489 Brant St in Burlington. While it wasn’t very express when I visited (they were still working things out in the open kitchen), the service and the food were very good and dishes fairly priced. Their décor (unadorned pastel walls and barnboard) and menu are not what I’d call the traditional Indian we are all familiar with. “It is more a take on Indian street food, Indian with a twist!” said the friendly manager, Sachin, a member of the family that runs the Toronto-based Amaya food group.

My daughter – a butter chicken specialist – declared their version top notch: I loved the small pot of smoked
eggplant with fresh Naan ($5 for a starter in the restaurant, $7 for a larger, takeout portion) so much, I ordered a second to take back to my wife. Sachin said Amaya is glad to be back in Burlington: He told me the founder of the group previously operated Mantra restaurant in Burlington’s Village Square, but the rent there was prohibitive. I wish them luck and will be back, when I’m not ordering from the (takeout only) Spices, another of my Indian favourites just up the street from them at 814 Brant.

Also on Brant, I had a good Taste of Burlington dinner at Celli’s Osteria. I was graciously welcomed at the table by five wonderful lady bloggers (tasty gardener, oliveandruby, planetbyn, sweettwistoffate and thebrunettebaker), a couple of whom I had previously met at the inaugural Food Bloggers Conference. Some of them came in for the dinner from out of town and it’s wonderful that restaurants in our area are getting this kind of interest.

For an example of what one of them had to say about the dishes offered by various restaurants at the Taste of Burlington launch event, see Toronto-based Heather’s well-illustrated roundup. (Her spot on review of our dinner at Celli’s can also be found here.)

I’ve eaten a couple of times at Radius Café (151 James St. S.), most recently sampling the new Brunch menu. Chef Lance Gault, formerly led the kitchen at another of my favourite dining spots, Rapscallion (which has just extended its hours, by the way, now opening every day of the week from 5 p.m.) He’s been given his creative head and is slowly changing the menu, including a series of new dishes for the Brunch.

My daughter and wife’s Eggs Benny came in both a traditional ham version and also with a delicately house-smoked trout. The baked eggs (with leek, cream, gruyere, and double smoked bacon) I ordered were tasty, daughter #2 handily disposed of her maple waffle sandwich (including a home-made sausage patty), and all our reasonably-priced dishes (see pictures) came with a small wedge of watermelon and excellent home fries.

On the yet-to-be-tried list, I’ve heard great things from a friend who really knows his way around such things (thanks Ross) about the buttermilk-marinated southern fried chicken at the Memphis Fire Barbeque Company (1091 Hwy. 8, Winona). It is only available after 5 p.m. Monday thru Wednesday every week, and one of these days I’ll be making that road trip.

A colleague at the Hamiltonian, suggested I check out a spot called XXX Burritos (856 Lawrence Rd at the intersection of Cochrane: Call 289-389-4999 to check for hours as they don’t seem to have a web presence) noting that portions are “huge, and everything is fresh… this place will catch on fast.” Given Mexican fast food is pretty well my least favourite cuisine, I’m not likely to visit soon, but I’d be interested to hear from readers what they think of this addition to the burgeoning burrito scene in Hamilton…

And I’m hoping to finally interview Chef Matteo Paonessa of Blacktree Restaurant. He’s indubitably one of the most innovative (and locally, relatively-unsung) culinary talents west of Toronto. Don’t be fooled by the simple descriptions on Blacktree’s funky website: the dishes are far more creative, complex, flavourful and texture-laden than the menu suggests. And the restaurant has a wonderful quirky vibe. Obscurely located in the Roseland Plaza off Guelph Line, it was once called “beautifully surreal” by the Toronto Star’s Amy Pataki. To get a glimpse of what Paonessa is capable of, see this April 2011 4-Star (the highest) review by Pataki and another piece with some evocative photos written by Suresh Doss, the publisher of SpotlightToronto.com.

Mark your calendars: Dave Hanley, the impresario behind Dishcrawl Hamilton, told me he is organising a special event called “Neighbourfood” on October 27th. Given that all Dishcrawls to date have sold out watch the website for news and sign up fast. He said the event “features 8 or more restaurants and will raise money for "Tastebuds". (Readers will recall I wrote about Hamilton Tastebuds in a previous column: I’m obviously delighted to see this worthy connection.)

I’d like to draw your attention to another upcoming event, one I’ve been honoured to be invited to participate in as a judge. The first Flamborough Chili Festival, presented by Cogeco TV and local businesses, is 4 – 8 p.m., Tuesday Sept 24th at the Waterdown Legion. Hamilton (and my) Councillor Judi Partridge is a sponsor. She has been a driving force behind the Flamborough Women’s Resource Centre which provides essential assistance to women, children and families in various situations, particularly in situations of domestic violence, and which will benefit from the proceeds of the event.

You can get tickets at several local businesses including Hello Gorgeous Salon, CT&G Automotive, and Weeks Home Hardware or call 289-895-8580. Sandy Gray, Chair of the event, and former owner of Weeks, told me “a $10.00 VIP advance ticket (12$ at the door) gets you four generous samples” from what seems like every restaurant in Waterdown and Flamborough. The confirmed list as of early August included the Royal Coachman, Boston Pizza, Crepe-Alicious, Watermark Tap House and Grill , Mill Street American House, Flamboro Downs Dining, Pita Pit, Brown Dog Coffee Shoppe, Bo’s Sports Bar, Roseto Catering and Culinary Services, Dutch Mill Country Market, Jitterbug Café and Catering Angel's Diner, Cascata Bistro and Goodness Me.

Goodness me, indeed. Pity the poor judges, as by my estimation once we actually consume a fraction of a portion from each, we’ll be rolling back to our homes!

And speaking of Waterdown, there a welcome addition to the community in the form of a new bakery, something the growing village very much needs. Stepping in to fill the gap is Flourpower at 17 Main St S. They offer a promising line up of daily breads, cakes and pastries including macarons. Call 289-895-8000 to check hours (currently 11-6 Weds – Fri and 10 – 4 Saturday as they get going) since their website is not yet up and running.

On the wine side, through the aegis of a cooking buddy (greetings Gary) I purchased a mixed case of wines from Pondview Estate Winery. We’ve enjoyed a summery, relatively high alcohol (12.8%) Cabarnet Rose ($15.20), a terrific, medal-winning, lightly-oaked “Bella Terra” Chardonnay ($25.20) and two excellent reds, the 2010 Cabarnet Franc and the 2010 Meritage. We found the former (at $30.15 it is a tad beyond my usual maximum price point) better than the latter - especially given the blend’s higher price ($40.15). A fall visit to the winery is in the cards.

The Cab Franc was truly sumptuous with a bbq’d flap steak, an unusual cut I was delighted to find at the Waterdown Sobeys. Coming from the bottom part of the sirloin, it is known as “grill candy” for a reason, so ask for it at your local store.

Finally, I was alerted (thanks Cathy) to a series of short videos filmed in Newfoundland and called “All around the Table - Preserving and Celebrating Seniors’ Food Knowledge”. A lesson in sustainable living, the featured voices are powerful and authentic: there is much experience and wisdom now captured in these charming interviews.

They provide great Food for Thought: I’m almost inspired to build a root cellar before the winter sets in…

To see more pictures, click here. 

Alex (Alex can be reached at fft@thehamiltonian.info ) or on twitter @AlexBielak

Food for Thought logo, designed and kindly donated by Ninka Bielak. Ninka can be reached at ninka.bielak@gmail.com.