Good eats, eh.
Staying with friends while traveling has many advantages. It saves money, you get to spend time with people you like, it feels more secure, and they usually insist on feeding you.
On this trip, I left home later than I’d planned and it took forever to get across the USA-Canada border. So, I arrived in Ontario well after my usual dinner time, but they had just cooked a rice dish with bits of bacon in it. I was starving and it was, well, bacon, so of course I enjoyed it. Top that off with fresh fruit and a little salad and I was good to go.
The next day, when I got hungry, I noticed there were snack foods and sugary juices around, which I don’t eat, so that forced me to eat more fruit and to eat less in general. Not a bad thing. You know how it is sometimes on vacation; you overindulge because, you’re on vacation. That wasn’t a problem on this trip.
A few days later I went and bought some groceries so I’d have more of the healthy fare I was accustomed to eating and would have enough to share with others. OK…and I got more bacon (without preservatives). I had to replace what I’d eaten, right? (I did yoga and walked every day, so give me a break).
So, it wasn’t one of my foodie vacations. That is, until I went to the Art Gallery of Ontario www.ago.net in Toronto. Architect Frank Gehry, a Toronto native, redesigned the museum a few years ago and he did a masterful job. The curators decked the art out in spectacular fashion, I thought. After spending four hours wandering the beautiful art and architecture (pictures posted soon), I decided to have a late lunch at “Frank” the highly regarded restaurant on the main floor, named for my favorite architect, of course. Although reservations (416.979.6688) were required even at that late hour (2:30?) there were ample spaces at the main bar and a narrower bar that hugged a side window. I love sitting at the bar so that’s just what I did.
My waitress brought me bread…three kinds, along with some unsalted butter, and some sea salt in an oyster shell. The idea was, you butter your bread and sprinkle it with your own version of saltiness. That salty crunch really added a lot of flavor and I consequently ate more bread than I ever do.
That was served up with a Sparkling Brut Rose Cuvee Catharine from Henry of Pelham Winery in Short Hills, Niagara. It was really good…not sweet, and had a nice bite. More about the winery in a future post.
My first course was a chilled cilantro and lime marinated squid salad with fried corn tortilla chips and fresh avocado. Instead of chopping the squid up into bits like you would for ceviche, several large pieces were scored in a criss-cross pattern and each piece curled up. Wonderful.
My main course was linguini carbonara duck confit with wild leek pesto, fresh shaved and grated parmesan, topped with a poached duck egg. Yes, it tasted every bit as good as it sounds. Rich without being heavy. A perfectly cooked and huge egg. Usually carbonara is served with bits or small chunks of pancetta. Never enough, either. Well, there was enough duck and it was good; some moist, some crispy, all delicious.
When I returned to my friend’s home after that lunch I was hardly hungry for dinner, so I sat with them and watched them eat while we talked. My eating adventures were on hold for a few more days.
To be continued…….
