BUONANOTTE TORONTO - NEW MENU TASTING

Guest Blogger Edition

When someone says ‘Italian food’, the first thing that comes to mind for me is ‘feast’.  Well…truthfully, that comes second after ‘yum’.  Put those together – *voila* – yummy feast.  Naturally, when I was invited to a media event to sample Buonanotte Toronto’s summer menu, I was excited.

Mind you, the extent of my knowledge regarding Italian cuisine (aside from the meals I’ve had at Italian restaurants in the past) only reaches as far back as intel shared with me by my Italian friends and of course, my severe like for anything pizza and pasta.  At the end of the day, I revert back to one primal belief – food makes me happy.

Following is a visual depiction of the 13-course meal that unfolded that night.

Keeping up with the Italian norm, the dishes neatly classified into one of the following:

Antipasti

Prosciutto D’Anatra

This duck prosciutto accompanied with some fresh figs, onion jam, truffled honey, and Pecorino Romano generated the most buzz around the table.  The juxtaposition between the freshness of the figs and the cured meat proved to pair quite well.  Immediate reactions put this atop the best tasting dish list.

Carpaccio di Pesce Spada

Swordfish Carpaccio with Squid Ink Bread Crumb, Serrano Chili, Lemon and Olive Oil

Radicchio Alla Griglia

Grilled Marinated Radicchio with Orange Segments, Walnuts, Parmesan, and Balsamic Dressing

Polipo Grigliato

My favourite component of the night was this grilled octopus.  It was tender with a nearly melt-in-your mouth texture for a tentacled food.  It was served with fingerling potato, chorizo sausage, black olive, cherry tomato and saffron aioli.

Capesante al Tartufo

Seared Scallops with Truffled Cauliflower Puree, Sautéed Asparagus, and Crispy Leeks

Pizza e Pasta

‘Nduja e Rapini

Failing to read the menu prior to this dish’s arrival at our table, I assumed a bite of cheesy sundried tomato goodness awaited.  What met my mouth was this equally-as-tasty white pizza topped with fresh basil, ‘Nduja Salami, oven-roasted rapini, Fior di Latte, and EVOO D.O.P.  MVP goes to the salami.  For those unfamiliar with this Italian meat, ‘Nduja is spicy.  This fiery number is not for the gastronomically meek.

Scarola E Pomodorini

White Pizza with Fresh Basil, Escarole, Black Olives, Sundried Tomatoes, Fior di Latte and EVOO D.O.P.

Prosciutto E Funghi Bianca

Though very similar in foundation to the other two white pizzas with fresh basil, this was my personal favourite dish of the night.   The addition of Buffalo ricotta, ham, Champignon mushrooms, Parmigiano Reggiano and EVOO D.O.P. created a complete package to me.  Each slice was like a triangular piece of elevated, home sliced goodness.

 Ravioli di Aragosta e Granchio

Homemade Ravioli with Lobster, Crab and Lemon in Lobster Bisque

Fazzoletti All’uovo di Pesto Genovese

Fazzoletti Pasta with Pesto, Fresh Pine Nuts and Baby Basil

Carne e Pesce

Salmone Arrosto con Spugnole

Roasted Salmon with Morels, Fennel and White Wine Butter Sauce

Vitello alla Siciliana

Excitement on the guests’ faces was evident with this sous vide veal tenderloin dish. Supplemented with sautéed mushrooms, spinach and Marsala sauce, I swear I heard faint ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ around me.

Pollo Toscano

Roasted Chicken Breast with Grilled Panzanella and Marinated Pistachios

Don’t want to feel left out? Hurry on over to Buonanotte Toronto!

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming…

- Pedestrian Pat

*** All photos taken by Pedestrian Pat ***

LG G4 Unviel At Trump Tower

As a self proclaimed Foodie I would also like to think myself as a self proclaimed Techie as well. Even before I started taking pictures of food and journeyed into the realm of blogging, I was always at the forefront of the latest technology and gadgets I could get my hands on. I am what people call, the “Early Adopter.”

An early adopter is described as a person who starts using a product or technology as soon as it becomes available. It’s often times a role I don’t like to find myself in as other early adopters will know, it can be quite frustrating buying a brand new product that just hit the market only to find out that it has kinks and glitches galore.

Let’s see, some of the products I’ve “early adopted” in the recent past where I either pre-ordered it or purchased it the first day or week it was released were the Blackberry Torch, Samsung S4, the Blackberry Playbook, and the Pebble Steel. Some of the above products were great and gave me nothing but satisfaction and affirmation that I made the right choice in purchasing it right off the bat. Others **cough I’m looking at you Playbook cough** became painfully obvious that my role as an early adopter meant that my hard earned cash went straight down the drain. I was so excited about the first tablet that Blackberry offered that I was ready to shell out over $600 on its pre-order and the belief that everything that was promised about it worked the day I got it. Nope, after delays upon delays of false promises and pretenses, I quickly realized that I should have at least waited before I jumped in head first. As a matter of fact, I probably should have waited 6 months after the release date to find out that what I bought for $600 was now being sold for $200. Yeah, bad decision there.

Fast forward to May 2015 where my food blog is in full swing and my reliance on my smartphone is at an all time high. From keeping up to date with social media to taking food pictures at any opportunity I can find, my current smart phone (Samsung S4) is truly a tool I cannot live without.

Enter LG Corporation, a South Korean multinational conglomerate known to millions of people worldwide through their electronic, chemical, and telecom products. You probably even have one or two LG products that you own right now at home. Like any of the major international technology companies out there like Apple, Samsung, HTC, Sony, and Microsoft, LG has also made its mark in one of the most competitive industries out there right now for the battle of smart phone supremacy.

LG’s flagship smart phone line up is their G Series. The “G” was first introduced in 2012 as a branch of their old flagship LG Optimus series. The first purely “G-branded” phone, the LG G2 was unveiled in 2013 and two years later, LG is putting forth their most revolutionary smart phone yet, the LG G4. 

I was beyond thrilled when LG reached out to me (me… seriously?), and invited me to “test drive” their new flagship phone, the LG G4 before it even got released in North America! I follow many technology websites in my spare time such as Engadget and I have always wanted to be one of those people who had the opportunity to get first dibs on a new product before anyone else.

LG was holding an exclusive Toronto briefing at America Restaurant located at the highest floor of Trump International Hotel. Attendees had a chance to learn about the product directly from LG executives and were given our very own LG G4 to take home and test for a month.

When I first arrived I was immediately given my LG G4 and sat down to set everything up. The unboxing and first few moments of turning on a brand new gadget is always my favourite part. One of the LG tech experts came over to set up all of the more complicated aspects of it such as hooking up my phone to the Bell network. I have a working phone number and data to use as well! The phones we all received are unlocked phones flown from Korea since the LG G4 is still not yet released here in Canada, but I was told that the unlocked phone I have will be the exact same once it gets released in just a few short weeks here.

Once I got settled I soon realized that I was not at my usual food blogging event as I didn’t see any other food bloggers here. LG picked the select attendees from different industries where the LG G4 can be showcased in various venues and environments. I noticed there was a TV host present, businessmen, a concert goer, professional photographers, and then there’s me, the food blogger. I really felt honoured that LG chose me to represent the food blogging community! We even got ourselves some customized LG cards that were personalized to what we were each known for. For me, my LG cards were all personalized about food and restaurants! 

Throughout the night we were served some seriously delicious food from America Restaurant and we then sat through the power point briefing from the LG executives to give us a breakdown of all the new features we would find in our new LG G4 phones. The night ended with some cute little LG G4 cupcakes and chocolates that we were able to eat and take back home with us. 

I am still in the middle of testing out the LG G4 and have incorporated it with my daily life. It’s actually great to be carrying two smart phones with me all the time (one smart phone runs out of batteries, no worries I have another one!). So far the LG G4 has been nothing but positive and as a food blogger who relies on my camera, the camera on this phone is phenomenal and definitely one of the best out in the market right now.

Stay tuned for a more comprehensive review of the LG G4 after my testing is done! The LG G4 will officially be launched in Canada on June 19th, 2015. I have a few other LG events to attend this month so keep an eye out on that as well. Life’s Good. :)

Paramount Fine Foods - Yorkville Soft Opening

A little over a month ago I wrote about a new halal sandwich shop called Fresh East (read all about it here), which is a health-conscious deli that serves up Middle Eastern subs and shawarmas. This new sandwich shop is actually a new spin-off franchise from the very restaurant that I will be blogging about today, Paramount Fine Foods.

Paramount Fine Foods is renowned in Toronto for its award-winning shawarma and assorted menu of healthy halal dishes. They are also Canada’s fastest growing halal Middle Eastern restaurant chain. The company sources only the freshest products for its authentic recipes and all of their restaurants have been certified halal by the ISNA Halal Certification Agency. Last month, Paramount Fine Foods opened its newest location by bringing exotic flavours of the Middle East to one of the most trendiest and most luxurious part of the city, Yorkville.

Me and my guest were invited to its soft opening the weekend before it opened to the public where we were able to enjoy a set menu on the house. The free meals were a part of a soft launch charity initiative, allowing customers to enjoy the menu and were encouraged to tip generously. Paramount Fine Foods tallied the tips and matched each amount, donating all proceeds to the Jesse Ketchum Jr. & Sr. Public School; a culturally diverse, Yorkville institute.

I’ve actually been to their Mississauga location in the past and much like many of their other locations across the city it has a very casual and laid back atmosphere. Once you enter the restaurant you would walk up to the counter and order off the menu hanging above the cashier, much like what you would do at any fast food joint. The cashier would then give you a number to bring back to your table and once the food was prepared, the servers would come find your number and bring you your food.

As this new location is in Yorkville, filled with many high end shops and restaurants galore, the new location will feature an upscale sit-down dining experience with an open concept kitchen and a wood-burning oven unlike any of their other restaurants before. You will be greeted by a friendly hostess at the door when you walk in who will bring you to your table, and the wait staff will take your order and serve you your food and drinks where you are seated like what you would expect at any high end restaurant. This change in style will allow Paramount Fine Foods to cater to the high end clientele that will be in the area looking to grab a delicious bite to eat.

Now off to the good part. The food and drinks!

Cocktail Juice (mixture of fresh mango, strawberry, and banana, slightly sweetened with sugar); Paramount Special (layers of fresh strawberry and mango juices with mixed fruits, topped with fresh strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, almonds, crushed pistachio, ashta cream and honey)

Moutabbal (grilled eggplant, blended with tahini sauce, drizzled with virgin olive oil)

Hummus with Chicken (choice of chicken or beef, drizzled with virgin olive oil)

Chicken & Beef Shawarma (a mix of chicken and beef shawarma, served with garlic sauce and tahini, with choice of french fries or white rice, a side of lettuce, tomatoes, mixed pickles)

Mini Mixed Grill (grilled skewers of striploin beef, shish tawouk and kafta served with grilled tomatoes and onions, served with a piece of spicy bread, with a choice of french fries or white rice)

Kinafe (cheese pastry drizzled with sugar syrup and sprinkled with pistachios)

The new location in Yorkville is open right now on the corner of Bay Street and Cumberland. Paramount is the first full service halal restaurant in Yorkville so it definitely will be leaving a mark on its community, opening up tourism by catering to halal and health-conscious diners. If you are not near this Yorkville area, don’t worry as there are 15 other restaurant locations in Southern Ontario where at least 1 of them is bound to be close to where you live. However I will have to warn you, it may not be as pretty as this one.

Tea of the People - Organic Barrel Aged Tea

Ever since moving out on my own I have developed a strange addiction with teas, so at my house right now I probably have over $100 worth of different tea flavours from various companies. Even at work I have a large box of teas that I drink daily. The second I arrive at my desk I make sure that I have a hot cup of tea ready to carry me through the day. With all the tea that I consume, I thought I knew it all, but with thanks to Joshua Caplan, Founder & Chief Activist Officer of Tea of the People, he introduced me to his own tea company and its one of a kind organic barrel aged tea. 

Tea of the People is a Toronto-based loose-leaf tea company that is on a mission to drive the tea space in a healthier, more socially conscious direction. In a tea market where options are almost endless, there’s a unique opportunity to elevate both the quality and authenticity of tea. This is where Tea of the People come in as they have proudly developed Canada’s first barrel aged organic tea! 

The barrel aging process consists of hand-blending organic, single estate tea, fruits, herbs and spices together and placing the blend into charred white oak wood barrels to age in a wine cellar for 3-5 months. The result is a rich, complex tea with a hint of oak unlike any other. 

However, I think the most distinguishable part of Tea of the People from all the other tea companies out there is how they are trying to do some good in this world, to make a change and a difference in people’s lives. Tea of the People is about Joshua’s mission to demonstrate that business can be used as a tool for good. Each month Tea of the People donates 5% of its profits to a new entrepreneur or non-profit that is leveraging scalable technologies with regard to solving issues in poverty alleviation, education, public health and climate change. Notably, through Watsi, a healthcare crowd-funding platform, Tea of the People funded a 12 year-old girl’s ear surgery. Paid for with a portion of their profits, Chantha, a sweet heart of a kid from Cambodia, will keep her ability to hear. Now this is the kind of company I can get behind! 

Below are two of the teas I was very excited to try. They both have a very earthy taste to them thanks to its organic ingredients and its barrel aging process. The ingredients used are of the utmost quality resulting in a refined cup of tea every time you drink it. 

1) Organic Barrel Aged Madagascar Cocoa x Mint Rooibos

2) Organic Barrel Aged Silk Road Chai

Tea of the People has now been picked up by Loblaws at select Ontario locations (click here to find out which Loblaws location is closest to you). If you are not in Ontario or close to a Loblaws to pick these teas up, please visit their website to place your order as they currently have 8 different offerings right now for you to choose from. 

I would like to invite you all to come join this tea revolution where their innovative teas are always made with a higher purpose: to make the world a better place. When you drink Tea of the People - you empower the people! Get yours today! 

EPICURIOUS TORONTO DINING DECK

Calling all Toronto foodies! Do you like good food? How about good food while dining out at some of your favourite local restaurants? Or how about getting an incentive to try out new restaurants that you may not have heard or tasted before? Do you also like to save money? How about saving lots and lots of money, maybe somewhere in the region of $400? If you said yes to all or even some of that, this product the “Epicurious Toronto Dining Deck” is for you!

For only $20 you get access to save $400 spread over 40 restaurants across this great city! Some of these restaurants include city hot spots like Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, Parts & Labour, Geraldine, East Thirty-Six, and Cheesewerks, just to name a few. A full list of restaurants can be found here. 

How To Use:

1. Pick a card

2. Spend $25 or more (before tax and gratuities) at that restaurant

3. Receive $10 off your final bill

This deck literally pays for itself just after two uses. I can’t believe this product hasn’t blown up yet, but I’m sure it will very soon. If you are not a foodie yourself, this is a perfect gift to give to someone that is. Or better yet, give this as a gift to a person who you know will bring you out to dine at all of these restaurants. I got all your bases covered on this! 

Along with the 40 “coupons” you get in this $20 dining deck, you also receive 10 Food Tour Cards that give you a discount to various food tours organized by Culinary Adventure Co. 

Also conveniently enough, on each card has a description of the restaurant and its cuisine, their address, phone number, website, their social media accounts, and also if they serve lunch/brunch, dinner, or both. 

If $20 is out of your budget or if you think visiting 40 restaurants is too much, the $10 Mini Deck has also just been launched recently. For only $10, you will get 10 restaurant cards and one tour card all randomly selected from the standard deck. 

If you do not live in Toronto or frequent Toronto restaurants, these same great deals are coming to other cities across Ontario as well including Hamilton, London, Ottawa, Burlington, and Barrie. Visit here and enter your email address to subscribe for updates until it launches! 

Please note that these restaurant cards all expire at the end of the year so it is best to buy it as soon as possible to give yourself the most time to enjoy all the restaurant possibilities. 

Click here to place your order now for the Epicurious Toronto Standard $20 Dining Deck or the $10 Mini Deck!