FED #12: Mark Fast

FED Guests #12.1-12.5

Status: FED

-Butternut/blue cheese soufflé w/date sauce

-Stuffed zucchini w/yellow carrot sauce

-Caponata with braised brisket, chestnut & jus

-Sweet potato gnocchi w/ veal cheek ragù

Guest #12.1: Mark Fast

Occupation: Designer of eponymous lable

Sent thank you: Thanked through Amanda

Distinguishing characteristic: Quiet and shy for a dude who’s featured in every fashion magazine this month.

Guest #12.2: Amanda May

Occupation: Managing director for Mark Fast

Contributed: Espresso-chocolate cake from OMG bakery

Sent thank you: Tweeted next day, following day sent Mark’s thanks.

Food restrictions: Pregnant, can’t eat raw/rare meat, cured meats, shellfish, cured fish, unpasteurized milk or cheese, sprouts.

Guest #12.3: Tatiana Read

Occupation: Owner of Knot PR

Contributed: 2001 Il Borro (by Feragamo)

Sent thank you: Card dropped off at house.

Guest #12.4: Alexandra Palmer Ph.D

Occupation: Senior Curator at the ROM, professor of fine art history at U of T

Distinguishing characteristic: English accent and lots of degrees give air of classiness.

Guest #12.5: Derick Chetty

Occupation: Fashion Writer for Toronto Star

Contributed: Marvel postcards

Sent thank you: Email next day

Actual conversation at office:

Derick: Do I have to bring anything to this dinner?

Corey: Well you don’t HAVE TO bring anything.

Derick: The way you’re saying it makes me think that I DO have to bring something.

Corey: It would be rude of me to tell a guest they’re obligated to bring something. But it’s customary to bring a bottle of wine to dinner at someone’s house.

Derick: Wine? Where do I get THAT?

Date of publication: January 2^nd, 2010

Best and Worst of 2009

Best bite of food: Pickled and braised beef tongue, toasted brioche and tarragon aioli at Black Hoof. It melts my heart every time. It is also uncannily consistent.

Worst bite of food: Soba noodles at T Café. We had eaten an increasingly horrible series of dishes at the café with tea-infused tapas. I made a third visit in search of something nice to say. Soba, I thought, was something so impossible to mess up. My first thought, as I tasted the rubbery and stale noodles, was that this had to be some sort of practical joke. I just burst out laughing. Laura was with me and she was embarrassed. But she also added, “wow, even I can cook soba noodles.”

Biggest surprise: Stockyards. Maybe it was in the middle of a restaurant dry spell, but I did not expect to find something so special here. This is fried chicken worth going out of your way for. I hope this place makes it.

Priciest drink: $34 smoked Manhattan at Barchef. Even on the Star’s tab I couldn’t bring myself to order this.

Sweetest patio: Tie between the enclosed comfort of The Black Hoof and the garden serenity of Calico.

Funniest reader email: “What is ' Charcuterie ' ? Curiosity is killing me!” Answer: Let Me Google That For You

Friend quote of the year: Todd Ferguson at Rawlicious: “Todd suggests that I ought to be more appreciative. Remember, he says, that someone has been slaving over a cold stove all day.”

Runner up: Amy Doelmer: “Get on my fork.”

Notable mention: Sarah Polley vainly trying to make education-based puns while we ate at School Bakery & Café. Eventually she resigned to just adding “in school” to every sentence.

Patron of the year: “Your pants suck and you’re talking loudly in a small room.” Dude on cell phone at Sam James Coffee Bar.

Most slept-on: Double Deuce Saloon. I think people go there to drink, which is a shame because they have great food.

Biggest insult: Conviction, the place where you pay full price to subsidize Marc Thuet and Biana Zorich’s TV show.

Cutest room: Swirl Wine Bar. This would be my spot if I lived in the east end.

Most miles driven/free meals accepted: Jesse Brown (Tutti Matti, Le Petit Castor, Osteria, Trevor, Weezie's, The Painted Lady, Watusi, Mogette, Rebozos, Ceili Cottage, Cafe du Lac, Local, Harbord Room, Linda, Oyster Boy).

Craziest thing that happened to me: An angry chef spent several days impersonating me on Twitter.

Singe best moment of the year: Having my idol, Ruth Reichl, over for lunch on my birthday. Midway through the guanciale, lettuce and tomato sandwich she gave me the nod of approval. It was like Johnny Carson telling me to have a seat on the couch.

FED #11: Cooking from a Book

FED Guests #11.1 to 11.4

Status: FED dishes from French Feasts, by Stéphane Reynaud

page 56 marrow (served w/liver & jus)

page 172 beef tartare

page 184 braised beef with carrots

page 354 pipérade with seared tuna

page 250 salmi of duck

page 256 duck a l’orange

page 420 meringues

page 454 apple and cinnamon compote

Guest: Kathryn Borel

Occupation: writer of Corked, producer of CBC Radio’s Q

Distinguishing characteristic: Awesomeness

Contributed: Ripassa Valpolicella 2006, Bottega Gold. Washed lots of dishes. Invited all the guests
Sent thank you: Foul-mouthed “thank you so much for cramming my food hole with all of the meats.” email the next day.

Guest: Alex Hughes

Occupation: Student

Contributed: Domaine Galevan 2007 Paroles de femme (mostly Grenache), helped clear dishes.

Guest: Nick Flanagan

Occupation: Comedian

Contributed: Santa Carolina 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

Sent thank you: Tweet two days later.

Guest: Adrienne Reid

Occupation: Producer for Fashion Television (City TV/CTV)

Contributed: Chateau Timberlay 2007 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon (in exchange for my titling a show she's working on, "Lable Baby Junior".)

Date of Publication: December 26th, 2009

2010 Food Trend Predictions

What food trends can we expect in 2010? Oh wait, that's stupid.

2010 food prediction: Lamb shanks are the new cupcakes. Dodge Caravan is the new Chilean Sea Bass.

2010 food prediction: Coffee is over. It will completely disappear. People will drink warm water with lemon.

2010 food prediction: designer lolipops. Splendido will serve a $35 lolipop. In the centre will be a viable kidney donor.

2010 food prediction: Turquoise.

2010 food prediction: Takoyaki vending machines on every corner.

2010 food prediction: GIANT squid ink GIANT pasta; 12-foot pappardelle coloured by monster cephalopod.

2010 Food Trend: Seal heart. You will see this on every menu.

2010 Food Trend: 1.5 km diet (only eat what's between sofa cushions)

2010 Food Trend: Restaurants with no name, no address, no hours, no food. Just hype.

2010 food prediction: Human flesh tacos.

2010 Food Trends: Cupcakes are the new cupcakes.

2010 Food Trends: Fish tacos are the old cupcakes. Hamburgers are the new fish tacos. Everyone still hates foam.

Correction: 2010 Food Trend: 1 METRE diet

2010 Food Trend: Choking on homemade scallop chowder is the new applause.

2010 Food Trend: High-end movie tie-ins like Nota Bene Iron Man 2 combo meal.

2010 Food Trend: Restaurants charging for water, giving away wine and food.

2010 food prediction: Hypnosis-themed restaurants where they make you remember a better meal.

2010 food prediction: D-list vegan named dishes (Eric Roberts Meat-Free Loaf, Sinead-Dog, Steve-O tempeh Bourguignon)

2010 food prediction: All who call their joint's "resto-lounge" simultaneously slap foreheads and realize it's a bad idea.

Last word by Thomas Keller "true definition of a trend is something that has an end. So why would you want to be trendy?"

That was chef Keller’s response to a question about trends during a recent interview in Toronto Life by Renee Suen. He added, “Why is arugula in this year and out next year? I mean arugula’s still arugula—it’s great!”

You can read the whole interview here.

FED #10: Monkey Farm

FED Guests #10.1 to 10.20

Status: FED

-Tamarind rice pudding

-Salmon nigiri

-Caramel corn

No, they don't grow monkeys on the monkey farm. And

double-no, I didn't eat monkey. It's a sanctuary for animals

who were pets, performers or research subjects.

There are 20 monkeys in total, while not all displayed

here as they are difficult to photograph:

2 Japanese Macaques

2 Olive Baboons

2 Brown Lemurs

5 Ring-tailed Lemurs

1 Black-tufted Marmoset

2 Common Marmosets

2 Hamadryas Baboons

2 Black Spider-monkeys

1 Black-handed Spider-monkey

1 Yellow-breasted Capuchin

Guest: George

Occupation: Spider monkey

Helped with dishes: No

Sent thank you:No

Distinguishing characteristic: Constant, kissy-faced vocalizations.

Long fingers.

Guest: Smoky

Occupation: Ring-tailed lemur

Helped with dishes: No

Sent thank you: No

Distinguishing characteristic: Burglar mask around orange eyes.

Guest: Bandit

Occupation: Ring-tailed lemur

Helped with dishes: No

Sent thank you: No

Distinguishing characteristic: Post-meal, gathering tightly in a

lemur ball with his buddies.

Guest:Mickey

Occupation:Black-tufted Marmoset

Helped with dishes: No

Sent thank you:No

Distinguishing characteristic: Being little.

Guest: Mr. Jenkins

Occupation: Black-handed spider monkey

Helped with dishes: No

Sent thank you: No

Distinguishing characteristic: Long reach.

Guest: Pockets

Occupation: Yellow-breasted Capuchin

Helped with dishes: Threw cup through bars after finishing

rice pudding (see video above)

Sent thank you: No

Distinguishing characteristic: Awesomeness. White mane of hair.

Date of publication: December 19th, 2009

Champagne Saber-Style (KZA remix)

Kathryn Borel gave me my big break in the food writing business.

When she was the restaurant critic at Eye Weekly, she called me and asked "So I got this book deal and I'm taking some time off from Eye and CBC to write. How would you feel if I suggested your name to replace me?" Like, spleesh!

She is an awesome writer. While completely in love with me, she respects my wishes by keeping her distance. She knows I'm married to the sea.

Her book, Corked: A Memoir, is an extension of awesomeness. My copy is lent out to Jen. I suggest buying your own.

In the video above she is demonstrating how to saber a champagne bottle.

FED #9: The Yellow

FED Guests #9.1-9.4

Status: FED a yellow-themed meal

- Curried fingerlings with braised goat and pineapple

- Corn & parsnip soup

- Poached egg and polenta with yellow pepper sauce

- Confit chicken thigh over Israeli couscous, golden beets and raisins

- Scones, yellow carrot sauce, Baluchon cheese mustard

All the wines brought by the girls had yellow labels. They sent me a thank you card in the mail. It was in a yellow envelope.

Guest #9.1: Sarah Nicole Prickett

Occupation: Fashion writer

Blog: s-nicole.blogspot.com

Brought: Wolf Blass 2008 Reisling

Helped with dishes: Yes, while managing to keep off-shoulder sweater draped from elbows. Never seen anything like it.

Sent thank you: Card in mail (with 9.2-9.4)

Distinguishing characteristic: Always tilted at correct angle toward camera.

Guest #9.2: Paige Dzenis

Occupation: associate creative director, Espresso Marketing agency

Blog: bougybisous.wordpress.com

Brought: (with 9.3 & 9.4) Irony Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Francis Ford Coppola presents 2008 Pinot Grigio, Yellow Tail Bubbles, chocolate-frosted cupcakes from Wandas (topped with yellow ribbon icing), a bouquet of sunflowers.

Sent thank you: (see 9.1)

Guest #9.3: Natalie Petozzi

Occupation: Publicity & Promotions Assistant, Alliance

Blog: http: natalie-badalie.blogspot.com

Brought: (see 9.2)

Sent thank you: (see 9.1)

Remarks: Gave me some preview passes for A Single Man, which was really good, even though I had to sit with the hoi polloi.

Guest: Vanessa Gronowski

Occupation: DJ

Blog: www.vaneska.com

Brought: (see 9.2)

Sent thank you: (see 9.1)

They brought cupcakes.

Date of Publication: December 12th, 2009

Sanagan's: My new butcher

What's important about the new butcher shop Sanagan's Meat Locker is its role in Kensington. Melissa Yu wrote on BlogTo that owner Peter Sanagan is filling the shoes of former tenant Max & Sons. While the kosher butcher may have been viable for generations, in recent years the owner has sat in the window reading the paper. In a neighbourhood that already has the most diverse food selection in the city, Sanagan is offering a service/product previously unavailable.

Within three blocks you can find yellow dragonfruit, poblano peppers, Ontario nappa cabbage, sunday morning tacos, Hokkaido scallops, ten types of chorizo or the Momofuku Cookbook, all in different family-run shops.

European Meats and St. Andrew's Poultry have Costco-like deals on large quantities of meat. But Sanagan's now presents the neighbourhood with options for duck, pheasant, berkshire pork and nitrate-free sausages at prices that are competitive with local, organic purveyors Cumbrae's and Healthy Butchers.

There is a constant influx of crappy shops and eateries in the market; shoddy signs and loopy business plans doomed to failure. Sanagan's is an addition that makes the whole neighbourhood better.

Oh, and girls like him because he's cute.

Sanagan's Meat Locker

(416) 593-9747

peter@sanagansmeatlocker.com

206 Baldwin St.

Merguez sausage with tatsoi and carrots.

Quail with couscous and chestnuts.

Veal liver with goat jus (and chipotle)

Owen looking through the window.

Hoof Cafe: Christmas Came Early

The Hoof Café, the breakfast/lunch/cocktail/winebar offshoot of The Black Hoof, is open.

Yes, I ate there this morning. No, I’m not going to critique the food or service. What sort of troglodytic firstie criticizes a restaurant that’s been open for one day?

If you know me or have read anything I’ve written over the past year, then you know my enthusiasm for the Hoof borders on sycophancy. Occasionally it tumbles directly into the chasm of super-fandom, wearing the t-shirt to the concert, sporting an oversized novelty #1 foam Hoof. Added to which I have recently become friends with co-owner Jen Agg, which negates professional objectivity.

Who cares what I thought? What am I, a critic? What did YOU think?

Here are some photos.

Eggs benedict with suckling pig and crackling.

Tongue grilled cheese sandwich.

Rabbit pancakes with blueberries, ricotta and celery jam.

On opening morning Jen sat at the bar ostensibly having breakfast, but really watching her staff the way Batman watches Gotham city.

Chef Grant van Gameren was his usual skaterboy blasé, allowing super-talented Geoff Hopgood control of the kitchen.

Post Script: I was back at the Cafe on Saturday, then again on Sunday for pork rib nibbles, peanut butter arancini, yada yada yada. My children's savings plan has dropped from University to Con College. Good thing I don't have kids.

Hoof Cafe, 923 Dundas Street West

FED #8: The Publicists

FED Guests # 8.1-8.4

Status: FED

-Pickled shimeji mushrooms & romanesco, fried brussels sprouts with kimchi & guanciale, raw Hokkaido scallop

- Sweet edamame soup

- Nigiri sushi (hamachi, sea bream), maki (carrot, daikon, snap pea)

Guest 8.1: Debra Goldblatt

Occupation: Publicist, owner of rock-it promotions

Brought: Misterio Malbec 2008, Prosecco

Sent thank you: Email next day.

Guest 8.2: Karen Krugel

Occupation: Publicist (Praxis PR)

Brought: Merryvale Chardonnay 2005

Sent thank you: Card in the mail.

Guest 8.3: Milka Mili

Occupation: Publicist (Liberty Entertainment Group)

Brought: Mochi!

Sent thank you: Card in the mail (on recycled paper)

Guest 8.4: Jenn Godbout

Occupation: Marketing manager (Drake Hotel)

Brought: Dessert from Drake pastry chef David Chow (lemon-yuzu tarts, black sesame olive oil cake, soy caramel chocolate truffles, rice flour shortbread)

Sent thank you: Tweeted the same night.