Looking back over the 150 or so reviews I’ve written for this site – not to mention my 2500+ ratings at RateBeer.com - I’ve given my fair share of positive thoughts on beers that are simple, well-balanced and easy to drink. What I have a problem with are beers that (A) taste of corn or rice or other mass-production adjuncts; (B) claim to be a type of beer that they don’t come even close to representing; or (C) have so little aroma and flavour that they might as well be soda water. And that fact is that most of the beers that fall into these categories tend to be from large breweries.

That said, I try to avoid having preconceived notions when approaching any new beer, regardless of who is responsible for it. But when invited to the Labatt offices for a tasting of a new light beer, as I was last week, it was hard not to feel at least mild trepidation about what was in store.

The beer in question is Alexander Keith’s Light Ale, a brand that’s been available in the Maritimes for 15 years, but which has just debuted in Ontario as a draught-only offering. To promote the launch, Keith’s brewmaster Graham Kendall flew in from Halifax to pull some pints and chat at a low-key media scrum.

At the risk of being redundant, I’ll note that I’m not a drinker of either Keith’s or light beer by nature. So I was a bit shocked to find that more than just tolerating the pint that Kendall served me, I actually finished it and considered having another.

Appearance-wise, there’s not much to differentiate it from other light beers, aside from there being a slightly larger than usual white head sitting on top of the pale gold body. But the difference starts to come through in the aroma – not only because it actually has one, but because it has a subtle and pleasant fruity character typical of a decent golden ale. The body is fuller than a typical mass-produced light beer, again reminding the drinker that this is an ale and not a lager. And the flavour, while mild, is quite pleasant, with fruity esters as suggested by the aroma, along with a wisp of licorice and actual discernible hops in the crisp finish.

Would I buy it for myself if I found it on tap at one of the select bars and restaurants where it’s been rolled out? No, not likely. Even given its level of quality relative to other beers in its style category, I’m simply not a light beer kind of guy. But if I was, Alexander Keith’s Light Ale just might be my new beer of choice.

Film Night at The Stop’s Green Barn: Old Partner
The Stop's Green Barn, Barn #4, 601 Christie Street
6:15 PM dinner - 6:45 PM screening
PWYC - email ash@thestop.org or call 416-652-7867 ext 222 to reserve
Enjoy a vegetarian dinner followed by a screening of award-winning documentary "Old Partner": In a remote, verdant valley in South Korea, old Mr. and Mrs. Lee live on a farm with their rickety ox. For forty years, the animal has served them faithfully, hauling untold firewood loads and dragging the plow through fertile fields. A gently unfolding meditation on the cycle of life, Old Partner playfully and poetically tells the story of the ineffable bond between Mr. Lee and his ox as their lives wind down in tandem. Proceeds to support The Stop Community Food Centre.
[more info]

St. Patrick's Week
The Ceili Cottage, 1301 Queen Street East
various times & prices
To celebrate St. Patrick's Day in fine style, The Ceili Cottage will be hosting fine days and nights of events including: St. Practice Day (March 13th), St. Patrick's Parade Day (March 14th), Industry Night (March 15th), Session Day (March 16th) and St. Patrick's Day Proper (March 17th). For full details, see the link below.
[more info]

Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival
Kortright Centre for Conservation, 9550 Pine Valley Drive, Vaughan (open daily)
Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area, 3291 Stouffville Road, Stouffville (open Wed-Sun, March Break & Easter Monday)
9:30 AM to 4:00 PM
$8 adults - $6 kids and seniors - free kids 4 and under
Tap into nature at the 42nd Annual Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival, the GTA’s longest running and most popular maple syrup festival. The festival celebrates the coming of spring and the sights, sounds and tastes of a Canadian heritage that sprouted from an age-old tradition of the First Nations people who first used the syrup for food and medicine. The Festival will include food and drinks, fun for all ages and lots of entertainment including daily self guided activities at both locations: maple syrup demonstrations, syrup sampling, horse drawn wagon rides, pony rides, maple syrup guided walks and more. (Continues to April 11th.)
[more info]

DINNERS

Stop For Food
various restaurants
various times
$35 & $50 prix fixe menus
Dozens of Toronto’s finest restaurants unite once again for Stop for Food, a culinary celebration that raises funds for The Stop Community Food Centre, a unique anti-poverty organization in the city’s west end. Throughout the month of March, each participating restaurant will offer a special prix fixe menu priced at either $35 or $50 per person, with $5 or $10 respectively per meal being donated directly to The Stop. These menus will be prepared in each restaurant’s distinctive style, using exclusively Ontario-grown ingredients, further strengthening the bonds between local farmers and artisanal producers, restaurants and the community. (Continues to March 31st.)
[more info]

MARKETS

The Stop's Good Food Market
Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre, 1900 Davenport Road
4:30 PM to 6:30 PM

For a comprehensive list of upcoming events in and around Toronto, check out our Events page.

70 litres of sap will get you a mere two of syrup, but Not Far From the Tree's We'd Tap That project wasn't about quantity - it was about teaching people that city trees can make syrup too. [Toronto Star]

The line-up has been announced for the Festival of Chefs at Cheese Boutique. [A Blog of Cheese]

More factory food contamination issues - but as long as the government keeps cutting inspectors, can we ever get out from under this problem? Maybe, since the US is demanding more inspections on meat shipped south, and we always do what they tell us to. [Globe and Mail] [National Post]

"He denies the vendors were overregulated and blames their troubles on last summer's pedestrian-zapping rainfall, city workers' strike and, in some cases, inexperience." Oh, John Filion, what's that old saying, "Denial isn't just a river in Egypt..." Y'all messed up the street food cart program by micromanaging it to death. Be a big boy and admit it... and then fix it. [Toronto Star]

Having recently eaten a rather stellar meal at Biff's, I whole heartedly agree with Eric Vellend's assessment of the place. Especially the duck. [Inside Toronto: Menumental]

In Jamaica, women play a huge role is keeping the local markets running. [Gremolata]

But are those extra years worth it if it means giving up cheesecake? Eat less, live longer. [Toronto Sun]

We often think that healthy food trends don't affect chain restaurants, but many of them are paying attention, intent on giving the customer what they want. [Cuisine Canada Blog]

There's been lots in the news lately about a ban of bluefin tuna, but is skipjack tuna (the stuff in cans) any better? There's plenty of it out there so it's not anywhere near endangered, but if you count the by-catch involved, then yeah, it's pretty bad. [Toronto Star]

Quick, convenient and always fresh... uh, define "fresh". [Cheap Eats Toronto]

You think you're so cool?... Try baking bread. [Well Preserved]

And in Food For Thought - femivores, balls, and the skull of regret. [Save Your Fork]

What do you know about Iceland? If your first thoughts are snow, fermented shark meat and Björk, then you're probably about on par with the typical North American. But Iceland is, in fact, a gorgeous country full of waterfalls and hot springs, unique artists and musicians, a cool underground music scene and a fair number of hip shops and restaurants, especially given that the population of the entire nation is about 300,000, less than that of metropolitan Halifax.

And while Iceland should be on everyone's travel wish list, in the meantime, it might just be easier to head down to the Drake Hotel later this week, where they're throwing a big ol' festival called A Taste of Iceland. Along with music by Icelandic musician Mugison and his band, film screenings and an art installation, there will be food. Of course.

Innovative Chef Thorarinn Eggertsson of Orange in Reykjavik will be in the house from March 17th to 20th, teaming up with the Drake's Chef Anthony Rose to offer a 4-course taste of Iceland.

Chef Thor is known for his work with molecular gastronomy, and before anyone starts rolling their eyes and throwing around the foodie attitude, know that this is some truly beautiful food featuring some of the primary flavours of Iceland. No, there is no fermented shark, singed sheep's heads or cured ram's scrotum (hey... that's what Anthony Bourdain and Wikipedia tell me are the traditional dishes there!). But there is plenty of beautiful fish and an entrée featuring reindeer.

At a recent media event we start off with a couple of specially-prepared cocktails featuring Reyka vodka. The blueberry geyser is vodka, lime juice and mint with blueberry essence (blueberry being a prominent fruit in Iceland) and the secret ingredient - a dollop of blueberry pie filling (no, really) - all mixed up with a piece of dry ice to imitate the hot spring geysers Iceland is so famous for. It's bubbly and sweet and goes down almost too quickly.

While we're watching the cocktail demo, the chefs arrive at the Drake's Sky Yard with huge orange helium balloons, trailing a take-away box of tender pieces of fried cod. It's this little wink of humour and creativity that Chef Thor adds to every dish.

Because we're upstairs in a private room and not in the main dining room, every course is brought upstairs and composed in front of us, so we get to see every element that goes into each dish. This won't happen for regular customers, unfortunately, but it's a pretty cool presentation as we watch the layers of flavours build before the dishes are set in front of us.

To start – breakfast of champions, an Icelandic langoustine with Jerusalem artichokes and pumpkin, garnished with lacy flat-bread. We're told not to start eating right away, and Chef Thor comes around, dousing the whole dish in milk, making for a porridge-like concoction with so many flavour and textural elements, from the sweet plump langoustine to the earthy artichokes, and the crispy flat-breads, softened by the creamy sauce formed by the milk.

Next up, something Chef Thor calls Decode in which he has cooked fresh cod in a hot water bath and then flakes it onto the plate. The menu says it comes with “estragon egg” which turns out to be Bearnaise sauce (estragon being French for tarragon), and pumpernickel, which turns out to be a sprinkling of dried pumpernickel crumbs, and then topped with a potato chip for a very elegant and sophisticated version of fish and chips.

The reindeer entrée (oh... uh, yeah... sorry, kids, Santa will be travelling by snowmobile this year) was my favourite dish of the night but disappointed in one way that was no fault of either Chef Thor or anyone at the Drake. Because of Ontario's regulations about serving wild game, the reindeer we ate was farmed meat from Ontario. To my palate, which was brought up on real wild game, it tasted kind of bland. The accompaniments of a potato galette, cauliflower, and root vegetables were a symphony of flavours, and the reindeer, again cooked sous vide and gorgeously rare in the centre, was sweet and tender. Just not terribly “wild” tasting. (I know, I need to make friends with some hunters...)

For dessert, Chef Thor again revealed a fun sense of humour with his duck in a tub. First, cut open a whole bunch of rubber duckies, then fill with chocolate mousse and freeze. Add pineapple, vanilla sauce mixed with liquid nitrogen to make it look and feel like popcorn (or soap bubbles), and then make the rounds with pineapple sauce squirted onto each plate from a soap dispenser for the full bathtub theme.

Okay, so now we know why Conde Naste Traveller referred to Chef Thor as a “mad genius” and said his restaurant Orange was “packed with playful surprises”. This is a far better way to experience the cuisine of Iceland than fermented shark.

A Taste of Iceland runs from March 17th to March 20th. This 4-course menu can be had for $42 per person plus tax and tip (Icelandic inspired cocktails are around $10/$11 each). Reservations are encouraged.

Green Beer From The Greenbelt
The Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen Street West
7:00 PM
free admission
Join local breweries Great Lakes, King, Nickel Brook and Mill Street, along with 86′D Mondays host Ivy Knight and guest host Kevin Brauch (The Thirsty Traveller), for a beer tasting in support of the Ontario Greenbelt.
[more info]

Lunch + Learn with Charles Mason: The Pleasure is Mine
Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park
12:00 noon to 1:30 PM
$20 - $15 for Gardiner members, seniors and full-time students
Chief Curator Charles Mason comes to lunch with one of his favorite objects from the Museum’s permanent collection. What will it be? Session includes a bag lunch by Jamie Kennedy.
[more info]

St. Patrick's Week
The Ceili Cottage, 1301 Queen Street East
various times & prices
To celebrate St. Patrick's Day in fine style, The Ceili Cottage will be hosting fine days and nights of events including: St. Practice Day (March 13th), St. Patrick's Parade Day (March 14th), Industry Night (March 15th), Session Day (March 16th) and St. Patrick's Day Proper (March 17th). For full details, see the link below.
[more info]

Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival
Kortright Centre for Conservation, 9550 Pine Valley Drive, Vaughan (open daily)
Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area, 3291 Stouffville Road, Stouffville (open Wed-Sun, March Break & Easter Monday)
9:30 AM to 4:00 PM
$8 adults - $6 kids and seniors - free kids 4 and under
Tap into nature at the 42nd Annual Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival, the GTA’s longest running and most popular maple syrup festival. The festival celebrates the coming of spring and the sights, sounds and tastes of a Canadian heritage that sprouted from an age-old tradition of the First Nations people who first used the syrup for food and medicine. The Festival will include food and drinks, fun for all ages and lots of entertainment including daily self guided activities at both locations: maple syrup demonstrations, syrup sampling, horse drawn wagon rides, pony rides, maple syrup guided walks and more. (Continues to April 11th.)
[more info]

DINNERS

Stop For Food
various restaurants
various times
$35 & $50 prix fixe menus
Dozens of Toronto’s finest restaurants unite once again for Stop for Food, a culinary celebration that raises funds for The Stop Community Food Centre, a unique anti-poverty organization in the city’s west end. Throughout the month of March, each participating restaurant will offer a special prix fixe menu priced at either $35 or $50 per person, with $5 or $10 respectively per meal being donated directly to The Stop. These menus will be prepared in each restaurant’s distinctive style, using exclusively Ontario-grown ingredients, further strengthening the bonds between local farmers and artisanal producers, restaurants and the community. (Continues to March 31st.)
[more info]

MARKETS

Sorauren Park Winter Farmers Market
Sorauren Park Fieldhouse, Sorauren Avenue south of Dundas
3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

For a comprehensive list of upcoming events in and around Toronto, check out our Events page.

Openings:

• Chuck & Co. (126 Atlantic Avenue), the new venture from Arshad Merali (Blowfish, Liberty Noodle), started serving up gourmet burgers to the Liberty Village lunch crowd last week.
• Open since March 1st, Family Dumpling House (79 Huron Street) is likely getting a lot of business from folks who aren't aware that former tenant Mother's Dumplings has moved over to Spadina.
• Prop (770 St. Clair Avenue West) is a casual Italian spot opened a couple of weeks back by Marlene Simone, previously co-owner of Olive & Lemon and several other restaurants.

Closings:

• 15 years after they introduced momos and tentuk to Toronto, Little Tibet (712 Queen Street West) will be offering their last service tomorrow.

Changes:

• Centro (2472 Yonge Street) is closed for renovations, and will be reopening on March 22nd with a new spring menu from chef Jason Carter.

Coming Up:

• The Village Cheesemonger (171 East Liberty Street, Unit 155) will be opening April 1st, and promises to offer "over 150 different varieties of gourmet cheeses from around the world" along with an assortment of oils, chutneys, crackers and other cheese-friendly accompaniments.
• Great Burger Kitchen (1056 Gerrard Street East) - "purveyor of fine poutines & burgers" - is set to open on March 22nd. And just across the street, a second location of Grinder Coffee House (1021 Gerrard Street East) will be joining them this spring.

If you have a scoop to share about the local food & restaurant scene, please let us know so we can include it in a future edition of T.O. Tidbits.

Fire on the East Side
6 Gloucester Street
416-960-FIRE
Brunch for two with all taxes, tip and coffee: $40

There's a renewed interest in southern food these days – fried chicken, collard greens and even grits are showing up on restaurant menus. But for the past few years, one restaurant just steps off the Yonge Street strip has been quietly serving up some classic southern-inspired fare. We reviewed dinner at Fire on the East Side a few years ago, back before Chef Adam Baxter took over the stoves, but figured it might be time to stop by for brunch.

Like most Torontonians, we enjoy brunch, and doing a column about brunch means we're always looking for something out of the ordinary. You can only eat so many omelettes, yanno? So we were pretty delighted to arrive and find a selection of classics with unique southern-flavoured twists.

We get off to a shaky start with some complimentary banana bread. And while I know it's probably rude to complain about the freebies, these chunks of really cold loaf manage to be dry at the top and soggy at the bottom. Plus, it's kind of bland. We spy staff pulling them out of a cooler with tongs and an exclamation of “eww!” from one of them while peering into said cooler isn't reassuring.

That seems to be the only miss though, as we peruse the regular menu to make our choices.

I'm torn between the spicy rosemary turkey hash ($12) and the crab cake Benny ($12) – one of four variations, the others are served atop cornbread – with the crab cakes ultimately winning out. They're a little spicier than I'd prefer but the orange Hollandaise sauce softens the burn. Lots of real crab in here too, which pleases me – there's nothing worse than getting crab cakes that are mostly bread crumbs. Accompanied by a hearty portion of crisp frites and a mixed green salad with candied walnuts, I now doubly regret eating the banana bread, just because there's less room for crabby goodness.

The hungry husband cannot resist the breakfast poutine ($11) which is a big ol' bowl of grease – and I mean that in the best way. The same frites are topped with pulled pork, Monterrey jack cheese, chipotle hollandaise and an egg. It is overwhelming in both quantity and cholesterol. It is awesome.

There are healthier options too, such as the healthy scramble ($11) or granola ($9), but Fire on the East Side wouldn't be true Southern food without some hearty plates, and brunchers can find everything from steak and eggs ($14) to toad in the hole ($11) here.

Service throughout is pleasant and well-timed. This is a busy joint and staff manage to keep people moving so there's never a wait for newcomers. Atmosphere too, is enjoyable. We're seated off to one side but the main room is bright and cozy and in the warmer months, the patio is the place to be.

Banana bread aside, we're pleased with the quality and quantity of the food – as well as the price – and may soon feel the need to wander back this way for dinner.

The Great Sugaring Off
Dufferin Grove Park, Dufferin Street north of College Street
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
free admission
We’d Tap That has been Not Far From the Tree’s pilot project in urban maple syrup production. Scattered around the city right now are a dozen or so trees, lovingly tapped to collect their bountiful sap. But as the weather heats up, the sap stops flowing... which means it’s time to make maple syrup! Let us bring the sugar bush to you, and join us for an afternoon of syrup tasting, fun, and learning. We’ll be serving up tiny tastes of urban maple syrup, and we'll have activities and games for all ages, and information galore about the wonderful world of maple syrup. Come on out and chat with some of our amazing volunteers about their experiences, and what they’ve learned through the process. There will also be live music (weather dependent), a warm fire, and The Zamboni Cafe will also be selling yummy maple-syrup-themed fare (pancakes, beans, and sausages!) for you to completely enjoy this experience.
[more info]

Mad Hatter Tea Party
cafe Taste, 1330 Queen Street West
6:00 PM
$15 - reserve online or call 416.536.7748
Staff member Julye is celebrating her unbirthday festivities with a Mad Hatter Tea Party! A special selection of teas and a buffet of snacks (with vegetarian options) will be available. The kitchen and bar will also be open.
[more info]

St. Patrick's Week
The Ceili Cottage, 1301 Queen Street East
various times & prices
To celebrate St. Patrick's Day in fine style, The Ceili Cottage will be hosting fine days and nights of events including: St. Practice Day (March 13th), St. Patrick's Parade Day (March 14th), Industry Night (March 15th), Session Day (March 16th) and St. Patrick's Day Proper (March 17th). For full details, see the link below. (Continues to March 17th.)
[more info]

Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival
Kortright Centre for Conservation, 9550 Pine Valley Drive, Vaughan (open daily)
Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area, 3291 Stouffville Road, Stouffville (open Wed-Sun, March Break & Easter Monday)
9:30 AM to 4:00 PM
$8 adults - $6 kids and seniors - free kids 4 and under
Tap into nature at the 42nd Annual Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival, the GTA’s longest running and most popular maple syrup festival. The festival celebrates the coming of spring and the sights, sounds and tastes of a Canadian heritage that sprouted from an age-old tradition of the First Nations people who first used the syrup for food and medicine. The Festival will include food and drinks, fun for all ages and lots of entertainment including daily self guided activities at both locations: maple syrup demonstrations, syrup sampling, horse drawn wagon rides, pony rides, maple syrup guided walks and more. (Continues to April 11th.)
[more info]

Total Health 2010
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 225 Front Street West
various times
various ticket options - see website for details
Total Health 2010, Canada's premier national health show, will celebrate 33 years of striving to make a difference in the world, bringing cutting edge knowledge to the public by the leading innovators in the natural health field. "Our Health, Our Planet" is our theme for 2010. Our stewardship of the planet influences the state of our health. We as consumers must choose foods and products which do no harm to people, animals or our planet. Our speakers will focus on traditional healing methods, traditional farming methods, promoting agricultural biodiversity, creating ecologically based communities, and preserving a healthy environment for our children. (Final day.)
[more info]

DINNERS

Stop For Food
various restaurants
various times
$35 & $50 prix fixe menus
Dozens of Toronto’s finest restaurants unite once again for Stop for Food, a culinary celebration that raises funds for The Stop Community Food Centre, a unique anti-poverty organization in the city’s west end. Throughout the month of March, each participating restaurant will offer a special prix fixe menu priced at either $35 or $50 per person, with $5 or $10 respectively per meal being donated directly to The Stop. These menus will be prepared in each restaurant’s distinctive style, using exclusively Ontario-grown ingredients, further strengthening the bonds between local farmers and artisanal producers, restaurants and the community. (Continues to March 31st.)
[more info]

MARKETS

Downsview Park Merchants & Farmers Market
Downsview Park, 40 Carl Hall Road
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

For a comprehensive list of upcoming events in and around Toronto, check out our Events page.

Globe & Mail:

• Joanne Kates falls under the meaty spell of The Hoof Cafe and gives it a rave review.
• Beppi Crosariol rates a bunch of "blue-chip reds, uncommon whites and emerald greens" - the latter referring to several Irish whiskies, trotted out in honour of St. Patrick's Day.
• Marilisa Racco tells us that while bottle service is often associated with the sort of places that attract greasy douchebags and the trashy girls that love them, a version with a bit more class is being offered at some of the city's more refined establishments.
• Deirdre Kelly hits the bar at Blowfish to try a Goldfinger 007, the gin-based cocktail that won bartender Nishan Nepulangoda top spot at Monday's "Made With Love Mixology" competition at The Drake.
• Sebastien Centner makes things sweeter with a little maple sugar.
• Lucy Waverman prepares for a March Break at home with recipes from Chile and the Caribbean.
• Leah McLaren gets so upset about over-packaged food that she pulls a Helena Guergis on an innocent check-out clerk.
• Amy Verner chats with Tourfik Sarwa, owner of Amber and Cinq 01.
• In the Travel section, Julie Besonen dines at The Wright, the restaurant at NYC's Guggenheim Museum, while Stephen Beaumont advises on ten places to tip back a few glasses of beer, wine or spirits in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
• Sasha Chapman reviews Locavore, the new book by Sarah Elton on Canada's local and artisanal food culture.

National Post:

• Gina Mallet has issues with sage, steak and service at Paramour.
• Margaret Swaine reviews three worthy wines that are all under 12 bucks a bottle.
• Sarah Musgrave interviews Darra Goldstein, founding editor of the well-respected food journal Gastronomica.
• Rod Phillips takes umbrage to wine critic Robert Parker's slamming of the "Anti-Flavour Wine Elite".
• Bonnie Stern agrees with moms everywhere that soup is good food.

Toronto Star:

• Amy Pataki is absent this week.
• Gord Stimmell reports that while the earthquake in Chile may mean a leaner 2009 vintage, most of the country's wineries thankfully avoided any major damage or injuries.
• Corey Mintz invites his neighbourhood butchers from Sanagan's Meat Locker and city councillor Adam Vaughan over for dinner, where the conversation turns to the lack of garbage cans in Kensington Market.
• Garnet Fraser is suckered in by the schtick of Vince "You're Gonna Love My Nuts" Shlomi and gets himself a Slap Chop, followed by a big ol' dose of buyer's remorse.
• Sonia Day advises home gardeners that it's about time to get tomato seedlings started for the season.
• Robert Cribb reports on the latest listeria outbreak, this one linked to deli meats made by Siena Foods.
• Laurie Monsebraaten investigates concerns that the upcoming provincial budget may cut or shrink the Special Diet Allowance which ensures that people on welfare with certain medical conditions have sufficient access to healthy food.

Red Claw Press Announces
A Writerlicious Anthology About Food:
Literal, Poetic, Imagined

Call for Contributions
We invite the submission of works about Food and Drink in all their meanings: stories, poems and art work that celebrate food, or decry it; the joy of eating, or not; foods you love or hate now, or did as a child; cooking experiences bad and good; foods you ate recently or a long time ago; cooking recipes with commentary; food for thought, recipes for disaster, recipes for love. When in doubt, query first at editors@redclawpress.com.

Formats
We want to include a variety of art forms. Contributions can be in any one or a combination of these formats: short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction (e.g. recipe, memoir, essay, travel piece), graphic essay, or comic. Other formats could be photographs, or photos of painting, sculpture, collage, or work in glass, ceramics, textiles, metal, wood or jewellery.

Details
All works must be unpublished.
Poetry: Maximum of five unpublished pages of 36 lines per page or fewer, title and stanza breaks count as lines.
Prose: Maximum 1500 words in 12 pt. font, double spaced.
Artwork: Maximum of five JPEG’s in black and white or colour at 72dpi with a maximum pixel dimension of 2000 x 2000 and a minimum pixel dimension of 500 x 500. If accepted, you must be able to send high resolution images at 300dpi. An artist’s statement, maximum 200 words, linking the art to the theme, should accompany all images.
Multi-media: Maximum of five pages total of illustration and commentary. See above.

Deadline
Submissions must be pasted into the body of an email, or in the case of artwork sent as JPEG’s, and forwarded to editors@redclawpress.com by midnight Tuesday June 1st, 2010, for publication in the spring of 2011.

The Anthology
A perfect-bound book of 150 pages, with artwork in both colour and black and white, and a dazzling cover. Payment will be one copy of the book.

St. Patrick's Week
The Ceili Cottage, 1301 Queen Street East
various times & prices
To celebrate St. Patrick's Day in fine style, The Ceili Cottage will be hosting fine days and nights of events including: St. Practice Day (March 13th), St. Patrick's Parade Day (March 14th), Industry Night (March 15th), Session Day (March 16th) and St. Patrick's Day Proper (March 17th). For full details, see the link below. (Continues to March 17th.)
[more info]

iYellow Wine School: Wine & Food 101
Reds Wine Bar, 77 Adelaide Street West
4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
$35 per class - $260 for all 8 classes - see website for enrollment details
The second term of iYellow Wine School courses for Winter 2010 will help build your confidence around the art of wine and food. Classes are led by Sommelier Taylor Thompson, with food paired by Reds Sous Chef Amira Becarevic. See the website for full details on all 8 classes in this term.
[more info]

Total Health 2010
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 225 Front Street West
various times
various ticket options - see website for details
Total Health 2010, Canada's premier national health show, will celebrate 33 years of striving to make a difference in the world, bringing cutting edge knowledge to the public by the leading innovators in the natural health field. "Our Health, Our Planet" is our theme for 2010. Our stewardship of the planet influences the state of our health. We as consumers must choose foods and products which do no harm to people, animals or our planet. Our speakers will focus on traditional healing methods, traditional farming methods, promoting agricultural biodiversity, creating ecologically based communities, and preserving a healthy environment for our children. (Continues to March 14th.)
[more info]

Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival
Kortright Centre for Conservation, 9550 Pine Valley Drive, Vaughan (open daily)
Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area, 3291 Stouffville Road, Stouffville (open Wed-Sun, March Break & Easter Monday)
9:30 AM to 4:00 PM
$8 adults - $6 kids and seniors - free kids 4 and under
Tap into nature at the 42nd Annual Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival, the GTA’s longest running and most popular maple syrup festival. The festival celebrates the coming of spring and the sights, sounds and tastes of a Canadian heritage that sprouted from an age-old tradition of the First Nations people who first used the syrup for food and medicine. The Festival will include food and drinks, fun for all ages and lots of entertainment including daily self guided activities at both locations: maple syrup demonstrations, syrup sampling, horse drawn wagon rides, pony rides, maple syrup guided walks and more. (Continues to April 11th.)
[more info]

DINNERS

Stop For Food
various restaurants
various times
$35 & $50 prix fixe menus
Dozens of Toronto’s finest restaurants unite once again for Stop for Food, a culinary celebration that raises funds for The Stop Community Food Centre, a unique anti-poverty organization in the city’s west end. Throughout the month of March, each participating restaurant will offer a special prix fixe menu priced at either $35 or $50 per person, with $5 or $10 respectively per meal being donated directly to The Stop. These menus will be prepared in each restaurant’s distinctive style, using exclusively Ontario-grown ingredients, further strengthening the bonds between local farmers and artisanal producers, restaurants and the community. (Continues to March 31st.)
[more info]

MARKETS

Downsview Park Merchants & Farmers Market
Downsview Park, 40 Carl Hall Road
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Farmers Organic Market
St. George the Martyr Church, 197 John Street
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Green Barn Farmers Market
Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie Avenue
8:00 AM to 1:00 PM

St. Lawrence Farmers Market
St. Lawrence Market (North Building), 92 Front Street East
5:00 AM to 5:00 PM

The Village Market
Toronto Waldorf School, 9100 Bathurst Street, Thornhill
8:30 AM to 1:30 PM

For a comprehensive list of upcoming events in and around Toronto, check out our Events page.

What the hell is a bitchin' kitchen anyway? The Food Network's newest show, that's what. [Roger Mooking - Soul Food]

How much do you love the veal sandwich at Mustachio on St. Lawrence Market? Enough to eat no other sodium for the rest of the day? [Toronto Star]

Which came first, the chicken or the head? [Bon Eats]

How to make a lobster roll without (hopefully) starting a fistfight. [Save Your Fork]

The shameful club that is being a Slap-Chop owner. [Toronto Star]

Chapatis - actually kind of fun and easy to make at home. [Joshna Maharaj]

Further proof that many of us in the food scene live in a local sustainable bubble - encountering people who have never heard of a CSA. [Homemakers.com: Dana McCauley's Blog]

Pretty much any root vegetable can be made into a cake. Just don't tell the hubby he's getting something healthy. [Foodie and the Everyman]

A recap of the paella party at Cava last week. mmmm...paella. [The Cookbook Store Blog]

And in Food for Thought - the future of food in retrospect, culinary xenophobia, and when are your free-run eggs not actually free of anything. [Save Your Fork]

Henry Smith was the son of a Loyalist who moved to Canada during the American Revolution. The family settled in Niagara, in the area now known as the Short Hills Bench. Later in life, Henry built his an inn near the family property. He chose to name the tavern Henry of Pelham, a jab at the English Prime Minister at the time, and a reference to Pelham Road, which ran through the land he settled.

The inn, built in 1842, was still standing in the 1980s, when The Speck family, descendants of Henry, purchased what pieces of land remained of the original Smith land claim. The Specks had put together what they could to save a few land parcels, moved into the old inn, and replaced the vines that Henry had planted 150 years ago to make room for new vineyards. This is not a story of old money with a new idea; it was the hard work of Paul Speck and his sons that built a winery. They planted 65 acres of vineyards by hand over several summers. The winery was born, named after the man who originally farmed the land: Henry of Pelham.

Today, the three boys run different aspects of the winery; Paul Jr. serves as President of the winery, and is a founding director of VQA. Matt is Vice President and Viticultural Manager. Daniel serves as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Winemaking at Henry of Pelham is overseen by Ronald Giesbrecht, a Niagara native who followed up his University of Waterloo degree in microbiology with a Masters at University of Guelph. He studied oenology academically for some time and worked for two Ontario wineries before taking the role of winemaker at Henry of Pelham in 1990.

The Short Hills Bench where fruit is grown for the wines produced by the Speck family and team is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve protecting numerous species of flora and fauna. This land was carved out by the pre-glacial Niagara river, and soils are a mix of clay and silt covered by a sparse amount of topsoil. The clay soils restrict the vines productions naturally, but means the vineyards need special drainage to make up for the water-retaining qualities of the clay. Being a stone’s throw from Lake Ontario means that the vines have some degree of protection from Ontario’s winter ravages - warm air currents come off the lake and blow through the Short Hills.

The 2008 Reserve Off-Dry Riesling from Henry of Pelham (LCBO 557165, $15.95/750mL bottle) contains residual sugars from the late harvest grapes due to a short fermentation process. The grapes were taken from vines 15 years old or older. Scents of green apple, pink grapefruit, honey and hints of grass lift from the glass. Honey and apples dominate the flavour profile, with a citrus tinge. The finish is medium length, filled with echoes of honey and lemon. There is still great acidity present in this wine which keeps the palate refreshed and ready for another glass. This is a well balanced off-dry riesling, with great aromatics and interesting flavours.

Total Health 2010
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 225 Front Street West
various times
various ticket options - see website for details
Total Health 2010, Canada's premier national health show, will celebrate 33 years of striving to make a difference in the world, bringing cutting edge knowledge to the public by the leading innovators in the natural health field. "Our Health, Our Planet" is our theme for 2010. Our stewardship of the planet influences the state of our health. We as consumers must choose foods and products which do no harm to people, animals or our planet. Our speakers will focus on traditional healing methods, traditional farming methods, promoting agricultural biodiversity, creating ecologically based communities, and preserving a healthy environment for our children. (Continues to March 14th.)
[more info]

Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival
Kortright Centre for Conservation, 9550 Pine Valley Drive, Vaughan (open daily)
Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area, 3291 Stouffville Road, Stouffville (open Wed-Sun, March Break & Easter Monday)
9:30 AM to 4:00 PM
$8 adults - $6 kids and seniors - free kids 4 and under
Tap into nature at the 42nd Annual Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival, the GTA’s longest running and most popular maple syrup festival. The festival celebrates the coming of spring and the sights, sounds and tastes of a Canadian heritage that sprouted from an age-old tradition of the First Nations people who first used the syrup for food and medicine. The Festival will include food and drinks, fun for all ages and lots of entertainment including daily self guided activities at both locations: maple syrup demonstrations, syrup sampling, horse drawn wagon rides, pony rides, maple syrup guided walks and more. (Continues to April 11th.)
[more info]

DINNERS

Fri, Mar 12, 2010
From Paris with Love with Dimitri from Paris
Roosevelt Room, 2 Drummond Place
7:30 PM dinner - 10:00 party
$49 for dinner - $20 for party - call 416.599.9000 to reserve
Internationally acclaimed DJ and Grammy Award nominated artist Dimitri from Paris will host an intimate dinner and showcase of his signature sound. The three course prix fixe menu crafted by Executive Chef Trevor Wilkinson will feature dishes made from local, market-fresh ingredients and will include a choice of appetizer, main course and dessert.
[more info]

Stop For Food
various restaurants
various times
$35 & $50 prix fixe menus
Dozens of Toronto’s finest restaurants unite once again for Stop for Food, a culinary celebration that raises funds for The Stop Community Food Centre, a unique anti-poverty organization in the city’s west end. Throughout the month of March, each participating restaurant will offer a special prix fixe menu priced at either $35 or $50 per person, with $5 or $10 respectively per meal being donated directly to The Stop. These menus will be prepared in each restaurant’s distinctive style, using exclusively Ontario-grown ingredients, further strengthening the bonds between local farmers and artisanal producers, restaurants and the community. (Continues to March 31st.)
[more info]

For a comprehensive list of upcoming events in and around Toronto, check out our Events page.

In case you mistook this week's issue of NOW for a genteel, paper version of The Wire, don't be alarmed. It's really just about celebrating the great things on either side of good ol' Yonge Street. In the food section, Steven Davey puts many miles on his bike, zipping back and forth to compare pubs, burgers, Italian restaurants and even the two Chinatowns. Something for everyone, regardless of what side of the line you live on. [NOW]

Ooh, ooh... sugaring off party - this Sunday at Dufferin Grove Park. [Not Far From the Tree]

Stylish but comfortable Italian food might just be the ticket to keeping Yorkville happy. Turns out Ciao is less about the nabe and more about the grub. [Eye]

Not sure what new wines are worth your dosh? Check out these tasting notes of some recent releases. [Gothic Epicures VinCuisine]

People will do anything for good sushi - including creating zombie fish. [Homemakers.com: Dana McCauley's Blog]

A recap of the Bring Food Home conference. [Sustain Ontario]

If you've not been following the "bake-sale" issue in New York, this post might not make sense - in a nutshell, NYC is banning school groups trying to raise money for trips and such from selling homemade "bakesale" type goods in an effort to control calories, trans-fats, sodium etc. What kids are allowed to sell is prepared foods such as Doritos and PopTarts, in calorie-restricted serving sizes. Rightfully so, a lot of people are confused as to how Doritos in any size bag trumps a homemade oatmeal cookie. Joel weighs in. [Well Preserved]

Look out Oz, Böhmer is open. [Compendium Daily]

And in Food For Thought - canning and preserving - the domain of the hipster, why bunnies are cute but cows are tasty, and would you rather diet and exercise or have a gastric bypass? [Save Your Fork]