Cactus Club Cafe- First Toronto Location

Written by Rayanne Y. aka @goodfoodscarborough (Good Food Toronto guest writer)

I had the opportunity to get a sneak peak of the Cactus Club Cafe Toronto located at 777 Adelaide Street West during their media event this past October. Cactus Club Cafe is a well established restaurant in Western Canada so I was very excited to see what they had in store for Toronto. 

As I entered the restaurant, I was warmly welcomed by the hostesses. I was then ushered to the glass elevators that took me upstairs to the second floor. As the elevator doors opened, you can see that the area was tastefully decorated. The vibe is upscale, yet relaxed enough for a drink with friends or an after work visit with coworkers.

The friendly bartenders served the Cactus Club's signature cocktails which were thoroughly enjoyed by the guests. Their bellinis were delicious and on point. They served samples dishes from their menu that were created by Canadian Celebrity Chef Rob Feenie.

If you crave a lighter fare, the Tuna Tayaki is an excellent option. Seared Albacore Tuna, papaya slaw, pine nuts, yuzu vinaigrette and cilantro. The fresh ingredients really makes this dish very refreshing.

Rob's Crispy Chicken Sandwich was really tasty. Perfectly fried panko-crusted chicken with swiss cheese, sambal mayo, lettuce, tomato and onion. This was my favorite item I tasted that evening.

After sampling the food and drinks I went to check out the third floor of the restaurant. This floor had a rooftop restaurant feel and an amazing retractable roof which will be prefect for patio season. The lower floor had a classy sports bar feel and would be a great place to watch games with friends. I had a great evening at the Cactus Club Cafe.

My overall impression of this establishment was that it is conveniently located in the heart of the Toronto financial district and is a great place to relax, mingle and grab a few drinks and food after work or on the weekends. They offer exceptional customer service along with a great selection of food and drinks. Thanks for a great experience Cactus Club Cafe Toronto, I will be back for that chicken sandwich.

Bourbon Poached Persimon® with Finnish Pancakes Recipe

I recently had the opportunity to learn, taste and create a recipe using Persimon® brand Persimmons.  The Persimon® Rojo Brillante variety of persimmons are grown in Ribera del Xúquer Valley (Xúquer River Valley) near Valencia in Spain. They are available seasonly (October to January) in Metro and Sobey’s stores in Toronto.  I purchased a box of Persimon® Rojo Brillante Persimmons, which are different than other varieties because the fruit is firm, sweet, and immediately ready to eat.  This variety does not need ripening (ripe when firm), as opposed to other types of persimmons that need to become soft and ripe to be eaten.  I liked these persimmons because I could wash them, cut them up and eat them without any special prep.  They were mildly sweet with a little bit of crunch, kind of like a hybrid mix of a ripe mango and a crunchy apple.  Persimon®  persimmons are also rich in fiber, vitamins and only available seasonally in Toronto.

After snacking on some Persimon® persimmons, I got some help from dessert expert Jessica (@jellymean) to create a recipe for a beautiful Persimmon dessert.

RECIPE:  Bourbon Poached Persimon® Finnish Pancakes

This recipe is split into 3 parts.  Part 1 is for the bourbon poached persimmons, part 2 is for the finnish pancakes and part 3 is where the whole dessert is put together!

Part 1- Bourbon Poached Persimon® Persimmons

Ingredients (Bourbon Poached Persimon®):

2 tablespoons of Butter

¼ cup of Bourbon of your choice (we used Bulleit Bourbon)

½ tbsp of honey

2 Persimon® Persimmons Sliced (can save extras for snacking)        

Instructions:

1. Microwave 1 tablespoon of butter in a microwave safe bowl
2. Add ¼ cup of Bourbon
3. Add ½ tbsp of honey and mix
4. On medium heat, melt small amount of butter on pan
5. Fry sliced persimmons on pan and flip when one side starts to char
6. Spoon over butter/bourbon mixture on top of persimmons
7. Cook until sauce reduces and gets sticky. Remove persimmons from pan

 

Part 2- Finnish Pancakes

Ingredients (Finnish Pancakes)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 cups milk

1 cup flour

Instructions (Finnish Pancakes)

1. Combine and whisk all ingredients until smooth. Optional: Run the batter through a sieve to get out all the lumps
2.  Let the batter rest for 30 minutes (or overnight) in the fridge
3. Heat non-stick or lightly greased pan to medium
4. Pour in a thin layer of the batter just so it covers the bottom. Once it is golden brown on one side, flip and cook the other side to golden brown. These Finnish style pancakes are more similar to crepes than regular pancakes.
5. If you have a grill pan that would be a good nice grill marks on the persimmons. But if not a pan will do.  

Part 3- Plating the Bourbon Poached Persimon® Finnish Pancakes

Place the bourbon poached persimmons (Part 1) onto the completed Finnish Pancakes (Part 2).  You can have fun with this part and use more persimmons per pancake depending on your taste. Fold the pancakes however you would like and serve with vanilla ice cream for extra tastiness!

Read more about Persimon® Persimmons at persimonsays.com!

Introducing: McDonald's Mighty Angus Burger

The first item on the Mcdonald’s menu in 1967 was a hamburger and since then, McDonald’s has served over 300 billion burgers to hungry customers worldwide! I have seen McDonald’s Canada introduce new items in recent years including different wraps and salads, but it’s safe to say that burgers are their “bread and butter.” This year marks the launch of the new Mighty Angus...a big, badass, beefy burger created with beef lovers in mind. 

I was invited to attend the launch of the Mighty Angus at McDonald’s Head Office in Toronto, along with a handful of other bloggers and McDonald’s fans. The party took place at their head office’s in-house McDonald’s restaurant, where new items are created and where staff can grab food at work! A giant version of the Mighty Angus was available for guests to take pictures with and there was even a light box station with a perfectly stylized Mighty Angus for those looking for the perfect Instagram picture. 

The Mighty Angus is McDonald’s Canada’s most recent addition to the permanent menu. It consists of a third-pound 100% Angus beef patty, sourced from Canadian farms. Quality of beef was taken very seriously when creating the Mighty Angus and a Canadian Beef Grading Agency representative is on hand every time McDonald’s makes Angus patties. I had a great time learning about the new burger and jumped at the opportunity to make my own Mighty Angus in their kitchen! I tried to sneak two Angus beef patties into my burger to create the Ultimate Mighty Angus, but unfortunately, it was removed during the quality control stage.

The Mighty Angus sits in between a sesame & poppy seed bun, topped with smoky Angus aioli, smoked bacon pieces, leaf lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese and grilled onions. It’s quite a hefty burger, loaded with the taste of beefiness and smokiness in each bite. It’s one of my current favourites from McDonald’s and I’m happy to see McDonald’s sticking to what they do best...burgers.

#certifiedmighty

Cooking with Graham Elliot and Walmart

Written by Janice Choi aka @bluntfoodreview (Good Food Toronto guest writer)

On May 20^th I had the (probably once in a lifetime) opportunity to cook with chef Graham Elliot! Graham Elliot is a host on Masterchef US and Masterchef Junior, and was awarded two Michelin stars for his restaurant in Chicago – only one of fifteen in the US to have that distinction!

I arrived at Nella Cucina at 4:30pm, a stunning kitchen store with a kitchen and demonstration area in the upper level. I was quickly welcomed with a drink and found a station with 4 other ladies.

The event was hosted by Walmart to promote their fresh food offering. As the event started, we were given an introduction to Walmart and their fresh food department, which has been around for 8 years. They make all their bread in store every day, and are planning to offer fresh sushi at their stores!

Time to start cooking!! On the menu was Striploin Steak with Creamed Spinach, and Pan-Seared Salmon with Cabbage slaw and Whole-Grained Mustard. We were given beautiful Angus steaks and an assortment of pre-measured ingredients.

Graham Elliot was so friendly and down to earth. He came around to every station and chatted with us, gave a quick explanation and some tips on what we should do. Our team members were clearly not the greatest chefs so he came around and actually showed us how to shape and season our steaks.

While my other teammates worked on the creamed spinach (which was a bit of a disaster), I went up to the front to grill the steaks.

Once our steaks were almost done, we brought our creamed spinach up to plate and admired Chef Graham’s steak cutting skills. Cutting the steaks will allow your guests to see the how beautifully it’s cooked… unfortunately ours was slightly overcooked, but still very tasty!

Sadly we were nearing the end of the event and were running out of time for the salmon dish. We quickly mixed the slaw while Chef Graham pan-seared the salmon. In my opinion it was probably better that we didn’t cook this dish, it gave us the opportunity to taste Chef Graham’s cooking first hand.  No doubt it was a perfectly balanced and mouth-watering dish!

Overall a very fun event and one I’ll never forget. I think my cooking skills may have improved just a little bit! Hoping to be able to visit Chicago and pay a visit to Graham Elliot’s restaurant Graham Elliot Bistro sometime in the near future! 

New York Fries Golden Poutine Fork Giveaway

Do you like Bacon?  Do you like Poutine?  Do you like Gold? New York Fries is celebrating International Bacon Day this Saturday (Sept. 5, 2015) with the launch of the Bacon Double Cheese Poutine, their newest specialty poutine. Make sure you cover your poutine/fries with their Cajun seasoning for extra deliciousness.  In addition to adding this new poutine to the menu, New York Fries is also giving away 108, 24-carat gold plated poutine forks to the first person visiting locations across Canada this Saturday who can correctly say “Bacon Double Cheese Poutine” in Pig Latin.  Each gold poutine fork also comes with a free Bacon Double Cheese Poutine!  See below for more info.  If you didn’t know already, Bacon Double Cheese Poutine in Pig Latin is properly pronounced “aconbay oubleday eesechay outinepay.”

How to win a New York Fries 24-carat Golden Poutine Fork on International Bacon Day

To win you must be the first person to visit a participating New York Fries location on September 5, 2015 and correctly say “Bacon Double Cheese Poutine” in Pig Latin. Two chances to correctly say the phrase. If the Pig Latin fails to flow after two attempts the next participant will have the chance to win it. For more info, including participating New York Fries locations, please visit: newyorkfries.com.

Estrella Damm Tapas Journey Toronto

Between August 14-23, Estrella Damm beer is partnering with 20 awesome restaurants in downtown Toronto for the “Tapas Journey.” Each of these restaurants will be featuring a special Tapas Journey menu with 3 signature tapas dishes. For $20, you get three tapas dishes and a pint of Estrella Damm beer too! For a fun night, pick three of the restaurants that are close to each other and order the Tapas Journey deal at each restaurant.

I had the chance to check out the Tapas Journey menus at three restaurants: Los Colibris, Raca Cafe and Bar, Mata Petisco Bar. The food was creative, delicious and portions were quite generous for $20. I met up with a few of my Instagram friends (@bluntfoodreview, @doctornom, @hypebelly) at Los Colibris, an upscale Mexican restaurant at King West. We had a few extra Estrella beers there after the tapas meal and then headed over to parkdale to visit Raca Bar and Cafe for some of Chef Ivana Raca’s delicious creations. Raca had a beautiful outdoor patio in the back where we enjoyed more tapas and beer. Our final stop was the nearby Mata Petisco bar, a South American spot with the largest portions of the night! One of their tapas dishes was a plate of 4 cheese bread sliders! Check out everything we ate at these 3 spots. Beer is the perfect pairing with these small savoury dishes and a full pint of Estrella Damm Beer is included in the menu! Estrella Damm is also giving away 3 trips to Miami to attend the Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress and meet Chef Ferran Adrià.  Contest details at end of article.

Los Colibris “Tapas Journey” Menu ($20 for all three dishes + a Estrella Damm Beer) 

Jalapeno Relleno- Picadillo-stuffed pickled jalapeno made with 32 different ingredients including pork, nuts, seeds, dry fruits, aromatic spices, herbs. A dish with a crazy amount of flavour!

Camarones A La Diabla- Corn puree, guajillo/arbol adobo, avocado, shrimp, grilled corn. 

Pipian Verde- Chicken meatballs with pumpkin in based pipian verde 

Raca Cafe and Bar “Tapas Journey” Menu ($20 for all three dishes + a Estrella Damm Beer) 

Bone Marrow Arancini- Veal bone marrow stuffed arancini garnished with fresh herbs and Parmigianno Reggiano served with house-made pear jam. WOW! Bone marrow inside crispy rice balls pairs nice with the pear jam. 

Bacon Wrapped Medjool Dates- Bacon-wrapped medjool dates stuffed with stilton and aged balsamic 

Spiced Peruvian Pork Meatballs- Spiced pork meatballs covered in a Peruvian tomato pepper sauce 

Mata Petisco Bar “Tapas Journey” Menu ($20 for all three dishes + a Estrella Damm Beer)  

Coxinha Chicken Balls- Shredded chicken filling covered in milk buttered dough served with a malagueta pepper aioli 

Cheese Bread Sliders- Brazilian cheese bread bun topped with catupiry-style cheese and smoked beef cheeks. Huge portions and a totally gluten free slider as the cheese bun is made with Cassava flour! 

Tapioca Dice- Tapioca crumbles with coalho cheese served with a cumari pepper aioli 

Participating Restaurants for the Tapas Journey from Aug 14-23: Barsa Taberna, Beast, Byblos, Carmen, Cava, East Thirty-Six, El Catrin, Kanpai Snack Bar, Los Colibrís, Mamakas Taverna, Marben, Mata Petisco Bar, Nota Bene, Patria, Raca Café & Bar, Salt Wine Bar, Taverna Mercatto, The Good Son, Valdez, Weslodge

Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress Contest
Estrella Damm beer is giving away 3 trips to Miami, where winners will attend the Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress and see Chef Ferran Adrià.  For a chance to win, you need to visit any #TapasJourney restaurant between August 14th and 23rd and snap a photo of your passport stickers. You can ask your server for a Tapas Journey passport and they will give you a sticker when you order the #TapasJourney menu. Full contest details here.

Discovering Canada's Dairy Capital

Oxford County is located in Southwest Ontario, less than two hours drive from Toronto. It is home to many farms, which also means lots of fresh and delicious food! I first learned about the farms and food in this area at the Ontario's Southwest City Fare event that took place at Wychwood Barns a few months ago. This event showcased vendors from the region, including restaurants, craft brewers, vineyards, cheese farms, and even maple syrup farms! This past weekend I was able to discover more about the incredible food in Ontario’s Southwest during my trip to Oxford County! Oxford County is known as the Dairy Capital of Canada and the Oxford County Cheese Trail consists of many cheese makers, specialty shops, restaurants and farmer markets.

It took us just under two hours to drive to Woodstock, one of the main cities in Oxford County and also where we would be staying for the night. We decided to check into our hotel at the Best Western Woodstock before heading out. The hotel was a Best Western Plus and everything was very clean and modern. I was surprised to see charging stations for electric cars and all the hallways were lined with pictures of Toronto landmarks (I like to think that they did this specifically for me!). I had a very enjoyable stay with their comfy beds and I even fit a workout into my trip at their 24-hour gym during this food trip.

We went to dinner at SixThirtyNine in Woodstock, a casual fine dining restaurant that you wouldn’t expect to find in small town Ontario. SixThirtyNine has been open for 10 years and recently underwent extensive renovations, including the addition of a Chef’s Table area where you can see the farm-to-table food prepped right in front of you. We had an eight-course meal, with dishes that screamed freshness. The dinner started with an Arancini Rice Ball with Handeck Cheese from a local cheese farm, Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese. The following dish was a Buffalo Mozzarella Salad with fresh hothouse tomatoes, tomato jam, olive tapenade and tomato water to sip as you eat the salad. We also enjoyed the Dry Aged Family Farmed Beef Tartar and Spring Fed Trout Crudo that looked like museum art. The dishes were beautifully cooked and crafted, but the incredible flavours of farm-fresh ingredients that you could taste in every bite were definitely the main attraction. We were then given a spoonful of Spiced Apple Sorbet, a tasty palate cleanser I could eat all day.

For mains, we tried the Roasted Pickerel with Fresh Veggies and the Lamb Trio. Again, you could taste fresh in every bite. The Lamb Trio consisted of Lamb prepared three ways on top of Peas (Roasted Lamb Leg with Butter Snap Peas, Lamb Scotch Quail Egg with Minted Forked Peas, Braised Lamb Tortellini with Pea Puree). We finished the meal with a Strawberry Souffle and Sorbet dessert. Chef Eric Boynar is a skilled chef who has created a special place at SixThirtyNine, which is run by Eric, his wife, his mother and a team of chefs with a passion for quality and farm-to-table food.

After dinner, we stopped by the Charles Dickens Pub in downtown Woodstock for a drink. They have a big selection of local and imported beers on tap and ice-cold beer is always nice on a hot summer night. Their food menu consisted of pub food and some more unique items like the Curry Poutine with fresh cheese curds from Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese. The next morning, we woke up early and went back to downtown Woodstock to visit the Dairy Capital Cheese Shop. They sell cheese sourced from a variety of local cheese makers and also serve hot food at their deli counter. We grabbed a coffee to wake up and then stopped by the Gunn’s Hill Cheese farm, also located in Woodstock. This is the site where they make cheese daily and also have a cheese shop where you can buy fresh cheese. Grab the cheese curds if they aren’t sold out! The farm is located on a beautiful property that includes rolling green hills and endless cornfields. It’s a nice quiet place away from the city to relax, and enjoy cheese.

Our next stop was Jakeman’s Maple Farm. Jakeman’s is a family owned and operated farm that produces some of the finest maple syrup from over 1,000 taps. They have been running since 1867, and have a gift shop on site for all your maple syrup needs. Jakeman’s Maple Farm is located right next to a provincial park, the Trillium Woods Trail. The park consists of a short 1 km trail, which allows for a nice walk to enjoy the beautiful forest and its massive trees. In the spring, the floor of this forest gets covered in white trillium flowers, which is how the park got its name.

We hopped back in the car and made the short drive to the Village Cheese Mill, a small boutique cheese shop located in Salford, Ontario. They stock a variety of local (Bright Cheese, Gunn’s Hill, etc.) and imported cheeses and also run a mini museum, where you can learn more about the history of the area. We decided to take a break from the farms and made a stop at the Elm Hurst Inn & Spa, as we were told it is a nice quiet place to walk around. The property used to be the grounds for a cheese factory and is now a popular place for events, weddings, fine dining and spa vacations. They offer modern amenities and spa services right in Oxford County and also have a fine dining restaurant in an 1872 gothic revival mansion.

We had eaten a lot of cheese throughout the day, but we needed some lunch, which led us to The Olde Bakery Cafe in Ingersoll. I ordered a Reuben Sandwich and was pleasantly surprised that it was a Panini-styled pressed sandwich with a crispy bun, and gooey cheese all over the corned beef and sauerkraut. The Olde Bakery Cafe is known for their fresh baked desserts including a variety of Pies, Fruit Squares, Muffins, and more. Fresh local ingredients are the secret to their delicious desserts. I was still craving more cheese curds, so we drove to Bright, Ontario. We visited Bright Cheese and Butter, Ontario’s oldest manufacturer of cheddar cheese. They are still in the same location as when they started in 1874 and Bright Cheese continues to produce quality cheddar cheese products for Ontario. We arrived at their factory store just before it closed and were able to buy some fresh cheese curds that were made that morning. The curds were delicious and squeaked when I bit them! Bright was our last stop and after a 1.5-hour drive, we were back in Toronto for dinner. I had an awesome time exploring Oxford County and hope to be back for more cheese!

If you’re looking to plan your own foodie adventure in Ontario’s Southwest, oswculinary.com is a great place to start. You can even enter to win a four-day Dream Foodie Escape valued at over $1,500 at oswculinary.com/enter-to-win!

This article was written for The Foodie Fifteen blog at oswculinary.com