More Marrow at Frank's Kitchen!

Another Toronto institution that was highly recommended was Frank's Kitchen. So off we went to give this place a try.
I don't usually post the menu in my post, but since this one actually turned out, I will! The first picture is of the appies, and they sure to have a lot of them. I rarely see and Antipasto Plate for one, so it's a nice that they offer this option. The pastas are all rolled in house and they also have a lot of meat on the menu. What is lacking is more seafood dishes, other than the lobster and a catch of the day, there's not a lot of alternatives if you don't eat meat. Upon being seated, they bring you an amazing Bread Plate. There is a brioche with figs as well as a foccacia with sausage and garlic. Oh, and the obligatory French bread. All this is paired with olives and hummus too. They also served an amuse bouche to everyone, not just to the "cool kids". On the plate today is a Spanish Veloutte with corn as well as as goat cheese croquette on top of a cucumber salad. The goat cheese croquette was crispy as you would expect, and the veloutte was smooth and rich. A great starter.

 

Friends of mine raved about the Oysters Rockefeller so we gave it a try. You get half a dozen with an order and it comes on a tray reminiscent to high tea. I liked it, a little bit of fancy that was unexpected. Here's a close up of the Oysters. With just a simple topping of spinach, bacon and hollandaise sauce, and then all baked into a gooey mess. This was a good blend of textures and flavours. You get a bit of crunch from the crumbled topping and the creamy oyster, and then a bit of saltiness with the bacon. No wonder this is a fan favourite.  The other appetizer that we ordered was the Marrow, with a Foie Gras Tornchon and Venison Tartare on the side. The dish is so rich with all the decadent ingredients, it was nice that they also served some pickled veggies on the side. The cauliflower was a hit for me. The little toast points were perfect to pair with everything. Not sure why the marrow was on a napkin, that was the only odd thing for me.

 

Another nice touch is the Sorbet course that they serve before your main course. The spoon of Kalamansi sorbet with a hint of basil is just perfect. Not too tart but a perfect palate cleanser.   For main courses, the first one was the Rack of Lamb. It comes with Rack, Loin, Shoulder and Marguez Sausage in a syrah reduction. The lamb is very good, all the variations of it. I liked the rack and loin, both cooked to a nice medium rare. The sausage is tucked in the back and it shared the same crusting as the loin. I liked the assembly of the veggies that accompanied the dish, especially the brussel sprouts.   The other entree was the Pork Loin, Belly and Chop. The fact that they serve the same meat in a few different ways is really novel, and something not commonly done in Vancouver. I really enjoyed the juiciness of the pork, which can be dry at times. The belly had a nice crispy skin too, which really is the whole point.
I'm glad I gave this place a try and would recommend it to friends travelling to Toronto.

Black Hoof - we tried almost everything!

While in Toronto in April, I decided to check out The Black Hoof. I had meant to check it out last year on my annual visit to the city, but alas, I ran out of time. But whenever I ask ex-416-ers where I should go, the answer is always the same, The Black Hoof. The only downside? No reservations!

 

We went fairly early on a Thursday night and lucked out with a table right in the back. Starting off the night, we ordered some cocktails...the one on the left is the Lavender Pisco Sour, made the traditional way with egg white and all. Love the little lavender on top. On the right is the Blood & Sand, a concoction of scotch, cherry liqueur, antica (a type of sambuca), pink grapefruit. Not a regular choice for me, but I really wanted to try something different.

Here is the menu - lots of things on this ever changing board. Take a peek below to see what we tried. 
So the first thing we tried was their House Cured Meats. Before us were suckling pig, beef heart, sopressata, summer sausage, spicy pork heart, capicola, chorizo and mortadella. What an assortment and such a great variety. I think my favourite was the pork heart, I know I love the Chinese style of braised chicken hearts, but the pork being sliced so thinly is another way to appreciate the organ. 
Here is another shot of the platter, without the flash. I cannot decide which was a better photo, so you get to decide for yourself.
The next platter to arrive was the Terrine. The three you see here are Horse liver, Headcheese and Beef Cheek. Served with delicious cornichons, this was really good. My favourite was the horse liver, something about the texture really worked, creamy but not mushy, this was well executed. 
And again, due to my miserable camera, you can decide between the first (with flash) shot and the second. Leave your preferences in the comments and I will delete the least liked image. 

 

To pair with the cured meats and the terrines, we got a large order of their bread. Hearty, nutty and dense, this was a perfect foil for all the meats. 
Because a chef friend in town asked me to say "hi" to Brandon, the head chef, he graciously gifted us the Blood Custard. Our group had debated on ordering this dish, so it's arrival was a blessing in disguise. The pudding was sweet and creamy with shaved fennel on top. This went well with the bread too. 
There isn't a "flash" version of this photo, but the next this is the amazing Bone Marrow. I am a sucker for this dish and will order it whenever it is on the menu. Served with Maldon sea salt and a very delightful chimichurri. I love the little spoons they supply to scoop up the rich and butter marrow. 
This is their Smoked Sweet Breads. The sweet breads are lightly batter and then deep fried, and served with some greens and deep fried shallots. No bread needed here, and we loved the crunchiness of this dish after all the cured meats, creamy pudding and marrow we had so far. 
The Pork Carnitas Tacos were great and there was lots of pork on the tacos. The little bit of guacamole and the lime wedge served to lighten up the dish quite a bit. What really made me fall in love with this dish was the crackling. And yes, it was fatty and crunchy, just as crackling should be. 
So here we are coming to the end of the meal, what you see here is their Duck and Black Bean. It sounds so simple, but the duck was amazing. Crispy skin and meaty, the four of us had fun divvying this up. The cabbage on top was a little odd, but did help to cut the black bean sauce a bit. 
The final savory dish we ordered is the Horse Tartare. With some hollandaise dollops and hickory sticks, this dish made up in texture for what it lacked in flavour. I think our plate was under seasoned but otherwise solid in terms of texture. 
Somehow, when it's done up in chalk, it seems like a good idea. I really had to sell this to my friends, but in the end, they agreed to try this. 
Truth be told, I have never spent more on dessert than an entree, but we did here. This dessert was $25! I am hesitant to order foie gras but I had to give it a shot. The richness of the seared foie gras does work with the nutella, both are creamy and in a way, sweet. I loved this and I think most of the others did too. I mean, how often can you say you had foie for dessert! 
To toast a great meal, we finished off with Negroni shots. First and last time I will eat an orange peel.
I now can see why people rave about this place. We spent about 3 hours here and our bill was over $300, but we left full, satiated and had some foods that we would never have tried otherwise. 

Pied de Terre with the family!

I first visited this place several times when they first opened many years ago, but I didn't a food blog then. I revisited recently and to my delight, things were still amazing!

First things first...wine! And with the wine, they swiftly brought the warmed skewered bread.

For an appetizer, we decided to all share an appetizer, their special of the day, the Salade Parisienne. It's made with duck liver, shredded duck confit with some fingerling potatoes. The liver had a medium sear on it, and confit was very juicy. The overall gamey-ness might overwhelm some people, but I enjoyed it. 

So this is the start to our dinner...we each got some creamed spinach well as a broiled tomato with buttered bread crumbs and parsley. Nothing earth shattering here...I appreciate that it's more than just a wilted greens & a grilled tomato but it's still the obligatory veggies you'd expect.

Oh wait, there's more. I like the baby carrots and the broccolini was a nice touch. A little to heavy with the butter for everyday, but on occasion it does make eating veggies better.

And instead of mashed or baked potato that you would expect in a steakhouse, you are treated to frites here! Nothing else on the table makes my mom happier. They didn't really standout for me but I was sort of distracted by... 

And can you blame me? This was their Cote de beouf. It is served for two and is meant for sharing...it could probably feed three to be honest, along with all the sides.

Served bone in and medium rare, this was really very good. The meat was just fatty enough to be juicy, and the char from the grill gave the outside a nice crust. And that bone, seeing that bone made me want a dog to bring it home to! I did my best to gnaw on it, but probably not as aggressively as I would have were we in a different setting.

And last to arrive were the sauces, one was the roquefort sauce and the other was a spicier peppercorn mustard sauce. The roquefort sauce isn't really that dark, I think my flash failed me. It is definitely much richer and decadent than the peppercorn mustard one. I preferred the peppercorn though, but with an occasional dunk in the other one.

Others at the table tried the Halibut, served with a vegetable ragout, some rock prawns and gnocchi. The halibut was a good portion and fish was cooked to a nice sear on the outside. The vegetable ragout was a mix of carrots, beans and asparagus. I really liked this combination but I am a huge fan of asparagus, so that definitely sold me. The gnocchi were larger pillows than expected but still soft and tender on the inside as you would expect. The one let down was the aforementioned prawns. We had two servings of this entree at the table and one plate had six or eight pieces and the other had about four. And they really small for rock prawns. Like I said, that was the most disappointing part of the meal.
The have Table d'hôte with three courses for just $38. If you are planning a date night, try their $99 dinner for two, featuring two Table d'hôte, a bottle of wine and coffee afterwards.

Raincity Grill - Bison & Duck Confit

It's a Vancouver staple and I really don't go as often as I should, but the Raincity Grill is well worth a visit. With the summer coming, book a table at this place and catch a lovely Vancouver sunset.

 

Starting the night off with a cocktail and a glass of vino...pretty and tasty!   Some warm fresh bread with Vancouver Island butter and sea salt. You really can tast the freshness in the salt. It's almost a touch moist. Just a small pat of butter and then a light sprinkling of salt. How simple but delightful. We tried their starter, simply called Spoons. We couldn't decide which to try so we got them all. So pretty, let me show you how nicely executed each item is.  The first item we tried was the Deep Fried Oyster, with their housemade tartar sauce. This was really crispy and very crunchy. This was a very fun way to start the meal. The serving is big enough to share, considering you have four more!   Next was the Albacore tuna with a purple potato (see it there up on the top?) with a hearty dollop of grainy mustard. Thickly sliced and very moist. I think the sear was a touch light, but I know many people who love their fish this way. I really liked the purple potato...such a nice rich colour. Sitting atop an endive and some shaved fennel is the Duck Prosciutto. Loving the rich colour of this and the curing only makes the meat even more flavourful. It loses some of the gamey-ness but the texture is moist, more so than you would expect.   Ah, the tri-coloured Beet Salad. Not a lot of beets but with the creamy goat cheese, a little goes a long way. Beets are not one of my favourite vegetables, something about the texture rubs me the wrong way. But when it's sliced this thin and in such vibrant colours, what's not to love? Also on the spoon are some crushed hazelnuts, and lends another layer of texture to the dish. (oh, and there is a better shot of the purple potato, again near the top). The last one was the Beer Battered Ling Cod, again with their tartar sauce. This time, there are some crispy capers to accompany it. There is just a light coating of batter with some very juicy fish on the inside. If you are only going to try one spoon, I'd probably go for this one. We had their special of the night, their Fraser Valley Duck Confit - it was Crispy, as promised. There are medallions of chicken mousse done in a roulade style. There are also lots of yummy lentils as well as some kale for good measure. It's not a big serving, but it's a tasty one. If you like confit, this was a great execution of it, crispy on the outside and fork tender on the inside.  The other entree we tried was the Ridgeway Bison. The promised fondant potato became more of a baby potato, but other than that, the other sides of mixed red cabbage, swiss chard, brussel sprouts and parsnips were as promised. And the bison was cooked to a rare, which is really how I prefer most of my meats.   With all the appies and the main, we really didn't have time for dessert, but we wholly agree with this quote. What I have found with restaurants of who primarily (or exclusively) use local ingredients, you can't go wrong with getting the "specials". These chefs know what's good, what's fresh and is often better than what is "usually" on the menu. 

House Guest Clam Bake

Last week, I was invited to a Clam Bake at House Guest. Never having been to House Guest or a Clam Bake before, I headed to the venue without any expectations. When I got there, just 20 minutes after the party started, it was already quite busy. The lineup to the bar about 3 people deep and the people kept pouring in!
After we got our drinks, we sat down and to our delight, food started appearing! First thing I tried were their PMC, Pimento Macaroni and Cheese balls. What kicks this up a notch for me wasn't the Red Eye Ketchup, but it was what was inside...the Pimento. That addition gave the mac and cheese a new depth, not really spicy, but just added a good amount of heat.
We also tried their Prawn Guac, served on a blue corn chip. One of the best guacamole I've had in a long time. I'm not a fan of avocado, but I am a fan of guacamole. Add some shrimp to that, make it bite sized by placing it on the chip and you've got a winner. This was rich and creamy, and you could actually taste the sweetness of the prawns. Also, I apprecaited that it wasn't overly garlicky, we were at a party afterall.

 

Everyone has tried the famous Ivar's Clam Chowder in a bread bowl, and I am no exception.But no matter how hard I try, I never actually finish the bowl. The folks at House Guest have taken care of this problem. Check out the soup to bun ratio on these babies. A tablespoon of creamy soup in a hollowed out and airy profiterole. It's hard to stop at just one!   My favourite of the night were these Lobster Rolls. Not really a roll, but not really a sandwich either. This came out and I was smitten. Generous chunks of lobster, with a creamy dressing in a super soft bun. I really liked how cool the lobster salad was, and how the bun was just lightly toasted so that it was still soft enough to bit through, without having to fight through a hard crust.
The Crab Tater Tots are what everyone should be having for breakfast, in my opinion. Bits of crab and mashed potato all rolled into a crispy crunchy crust. A bit smaller than the PMC, these are way more addictive! There was tarragon remoulade that accompanied the dish and while it was nice, it didn’t seem necessary.
I would say that the best bites of the night was the Lobster Roll and the Clam Chowder. If either are on the menu when you go (some menu items change), be sure to try at least one of them. You won't regret it!

New Spinning Plates Article for May

The latest issue of Vancouver View is out.

Check out my column called Spinning Plates for a roundup of the latest happenings in Vancouver's vibrant food scene. This month, we look at Fable, Fat Dragon, a new Q4 on West Broadway and welcome Minami to Yaletown, amongst others!

Photo courtesy of Foodology.ca

Also, don't miss my feature on Pink Elephant Thai and their one year anniversary. Pink Elephant is the newest baby in the iconic Thai House Restaurant Group, which celebrated their own 25th anniversary last year. Read about the restaurant's all Thai staff as well as their New World tastes and Classic dishes.