Eatdrink #64 March/April 2017

Issue #64 | March/April 2017
eatdrink
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
FREE
Farm-to-Fork Organics
The Root Cellar
Rooted in the Community
FEATURING
Blackfriars Catering & Bistro
Tradition with a Twist
Upper Thames Brewing Co.
Passion for Brewing
Cabernet Franc
Is this Ontario’s Red Wine?
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NEW WEBSITE!
Serving London, Stratford & Southwestern Ontario since 2007
www.eatdrink.ca

2 | March/April 2017
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
Stratford’s
delicious salute
to spring
Experience Canada’s liquid gold on the Savour Stratford Maple
Trail during March and April. Visit McCully’s Hill Maple Festival
for weekend sugar bush tours and pancake brunches. Savour
CheeseWeek menus and explore the world of wild edibles on
spring foraging adventures. Bring your family for a memorable
salute to spring at the annual Swan Parade celebrations.
MARCH
2-5 Stratford Garden Festival
4-5 McCully’s Hill Farm Maple Festival (every weekend)
18 Junction 56 Distillery Tour (every Saturday)
26 Revival House High Tea
APRIL
1-2 Swan Parade Celebrations (Parade Sun. at 2pm)
2-9 CheeseWeek, Local restaurants
5 CheeseFest, Canadian Dairy XPO
22&23 Puck’s Plenty Spring Foraging
visitstratford.ca @StratfordON StratfordON

Savour the flavour
of Elgin County...

Trust...
Taste...
Quality...
At Metzger’s,
we follow Old World
recipes to create healthy and
wholesome foods. We hand select
dry aged Ontario Prime and AAA
Beef and offer superior local Pork,
Poultry and Lamb. We are especially
proud of our own handcrafted
artisan-style meats and salamis. We
are confident that you will taste the
Metzger Meats difference.
eatdrink
inc.
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
eatdrinkmag
@eatdrinkmag
eatdrink.ca
Think Global.
Read Local.
Publisher
Chris McDonell – chris@eatdrink.ca
Managing Editor Cecilia Buy – cbuy@eatdrink.ca
Food Editor Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca
Copy Editor Kym Wolfe
Social Media Editor Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca
Advertising Sales Chris McDonell – chris@eatdrink.ca
Stacey McDonald – stacey@eatdrink.ca
Finances
Ann Cormier – finance@eatdrink.ca
Graphics
Chris McDonell, Cecilia Buy
Writers
Jane Antoniak, Gerry Blackwell,
Tanya Chopp, Darin Cook, Gary Killops,
Nicole Laidler, Bryan Lavery,
Wayne Newton, Tracy Turlin, Kym Wolfe
Photographers Bruce Fyfe, Steve Grimes
Telephone & Fax 519-434-8349
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Open six days a week.
Hensall, Ontario
Just off Hwy 4,
45 minutes north of London.
www.metzgermeats.com
519-262-3130
Available in London at
The Village Meat Shop
at Western Fair Farmers’ Market
on Saturdays!
Local Beef • Pork • Lamb • Poultry
Specialty European Meat Products
OUR COVER
Organic burgers &
fries from The Root
Cellar are a visual
and savoury treat.
Photo by Mariam
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AND FRIENDS
Join us for a six course meal, celebrating Canadian cuisine,
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Cocktails / Food Stations / Silent Auction – 5:00 PM
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TICKETS $ 200 .00 each
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Contents
Issue #64 | March/April 2017
Publisher’s Notes
When I’m 64
By CHRIS McDONELL
8
Restaurants
Tradition with a Twist
Blackfriars Catering & Bistro
By TANYA CHOPP
10
Rooted in the Community
The Root Cellar Organic Restaurant
By BRYAN LAVERY
14
Road Trips
Food, Drink, and History
Something for Everyone in Buffalo
By WAYNE NEWTON
18
Travel
Get Screeched In!
Let Newfoundland Change You
By KYM WOLFE
22
The BUZZ
Culinary Community Notes
27
Beer
Passion for Brewing
Upper Thames Brewing Co. in Woodstock
By WAYNE NEWTON
34
Wine
Cabernet Franc
Is this Ontario’s Red Wine?
By GARY KILLOPS
36
10
22
14
47
34
38
Spirits
Cheers, Canada!
Canadian Cocktails?
By JANE ANTONIAK
38
Various Musical Notes
Lions and Lambs
On the music scene this spring
By GERRY BLACKWELL
40
The Classical Beat
The Show Must Go On
Stars are stepping up, and shining
By NICOLE LAIDLER
43
Theatre
Feeling the Cold?
Here are some dramatic diversions
By JANE ANTONIAK
45
Recipes
Ocean Wise 2
Edited by Jill Mundy
Review & Recipe Selections by TRACY TURLIN
47
Books
Slice Harvester
By Colin Atrophy Hagendorf
Review by DARIN COOK
52
54
The Lighter Side
Just Eat It!
By JUDY FRANCISSEN
54

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8 | March/April 2017
Publisher’s Notes
When I’m 64
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
By CHRIS McDONELL
It’s hard to believe. No, I am not referring
to another Trumpism. We are coming up
on our tenth anniversary for Eatdrink
this summer. Where has the time gone?
Every issue is a new adventure, and this is
Number 64. As Paul McCartney wrote, in his
youth, “Will you still need me, will you still
feed me, when I’m sixty-four?” As Sir Paul has
discovered, the answer is a definite yes, and
we trust the same is true for us here.
Keeping pace with
culinary trends
can seem simple
compared to
staying current
technologically. When
we launched the magazine, having a website
had become important but Facebook was only
beginning to open up to non-students and
Twitter was just getting started. It was several
years before Eatdrink jumped into social media.
Today, it’s a critical aspect of our business.
And that website? We launched a redesigned
site a few years later, and I’m thrilled with our
latest iteration of Eatdrink online. We launched
our new site quietly, a few weeks ago, and I am
confident we have a winner. Please check it out.
You’ll find a ton of pleasant surprises, but here
are some highlights:
Responsive Design: Anticipating
continual growth of smartphone usage, all
content will scale seamlessly onto any device,
NEW WEBSITE!
for perfect resolution on desktops, laptops,
tablets and phones.
Readability: Elegant typography with a
focus on readability creates an awesome user
experience.
Faster Loading, Easier Navigation: The
slick user interface also loads faster, so stories
open immediately.
Easier Sharing: It’s a breeze to share
stories that you love,
no matter what social
media platform you
enjoy most.
Related
Content: When you
read a story you’re
interested in, suggestions for related content
follow. For example, interested in recipes?
You’ll find all of our cookbook reviews and
recipes organized together.
Improved Search: Looking for something
you read but can’t recall all of the details? Our
new Search function is brilliant. And fast.
You also may notice a refreshed design on
our printed pages in this issue. Feedback is
greatly appreciated. We know that thousands
of our loyal readers prefer to read the hard copy,
and we’re committed to that for as long as you
are, with 20,000 copies rolling out every other
month. If you find us hard to find, you’ll see a
beautifully organized list of pick-up locations on
our website under the Magazine menu.
eatdrink.ca
Oops. I made an embarrass ing error
in the last issue. We had
a new ad from one of our
favourite new restaurants,
the charming SoLo on Main in
Port Stanley. Somehow I reran the
previous holiday ad.
What our readers should have
seen, and our online readers did see
as soon as the error was brought to
my attention, was this “Hand-crafted
Indulgence” ad. Yes, it’s striking, and
so is the restaurant. Chef Lauren
Hand-crafted
indulgence
VanDixhoorn presents vibrant plates that are
as delicious as they are beautiful.
Restaurant & Bar
226 658 0999
soloportstanley.com
You’ll be glad to know both
the comfortable SoLo lounge and
dining room are open Wednesday
to Sunday for lunch and dinner.
Walk-ins are welcome but if the
weather is dodgy, be sure to call
ahead at 226-658-0999.
Here’s hoping the SoLo patio
and porch are open before long too.
Thanks for your patience, Lauren
and Paula.

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
Congratulations to Ashley Cordeiro!
Combining our regular Facebook
draw with our annual London Wine
& Food Show draw, we had a double
prize package. In addition to the Lexus of
London prize — detailing of her car and a
Lexus to drive for three days while the work
is being done! — Ashley won overnight
accommodations and breakfast, lunch and
dinner for two from Windermere Manor and
Restaurant Ninety One. Enjoy, Ashley!
There’s a new draw now open. Go to our
#eatdrinkmag Facebook page and click on the
link to our Lexus of London draw. Good luck!
We’ll select a new winner on April 24, 2017.
I
had the pleasure of meeting Chef Michael
Smith at last year’s Bethanys Hope Foundation
fundraiser, so was pleased to see he
is helping this worthy cause once again.
Coast to Coast: A Taste of Canada will take
place at the London Convention
Centre on April
27, 2017. Chef Michael,
along with four top chefs
from across Canada, will
celebrate Canada’s 150
with a culinary adventure
exploring the fieldto-fork
movement.
Cocktail hour features five “live-action” chef
stations, including the always popular P.E.I.
Oyster Bar with Chef Michael. An amazing
six-course dinner will follow, with both live
and silent auctions. www.bethanyshope.org
London’s black-tie Tastings takes place
May 4 at the London Hunt & Country
Club. Enjoy “a journey for the senses”
inspired by the McCormick Flavor
Forecast® of emerging taste trends, paired with
fabulous wines. This is a fundraiser for London
Health Sciences Foundation’s Impact Fund.
Providers of the exquisite food include
Rick Peori from Old East Village’s All ’Bout
Cheese, Chefs Scott Wesseling and Matt
Rice from Black Trumpet, Chefs Erryn
Shephard and Ben Sandwith from Grand
Bend’s F.I.N.E. A
Restaurant, Jess
Jazey-Spoelstra
and Chef Jeff Fortner from The River Room
in Museum London, and Chef Eric Boyar
from Sixthirtynine in Woodstock, and other
notable contributors. www.lhsf.ca/tastings
celebrating 122 years in stratford

10 | March/April 2017
Restaurants
Tradition with a Twist
at Blackfriars Catering & Bistro in London
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
By TANYA CHOPP
You don’t have to be in the food
business to know that keeping
a restaurant in operation can be
particularly tricky. And even harder
still when forces beyond your control suddenly
make your location hard to, well, locate.
When Blackfriars Bridge closed to vehicular
traffic in 2013, it threw a wedge between
Blackfriars Bistro and the clients who had
relied on Ridout Street for easy transit to and
from the restaurant. But while these sorts of
barriers can be the harbingers of death for
a business, Blackfriars Bistro owner, Betty
Heydon, and her strong and caring team have
proven that they have staying power.
This February marked Blackfriars Bistro’s
21st anniversary, and the little restaurant
located at 46 Blackfriars St (just southwest
of Oxford St. and Wharncliffe Rd.) is better
than ever. Things are looking up for the
neighbourhood. The other premises in the
restaurant’s building are now fully rented, and
a new loose-leaf tea shop called Teatcha has
moved in across the street.
“We just got busier and better, both with
catering and the bistro,” Betty says of the
past year. “The amount of support we’ve seen
from dedicated clients and new clients is just
overwhelming”
For those who are discovering (and
rediscovering) the bistro, putting the
restaurant’s tastes and flavours into a category
may prove to be easier said than done. What
Betty describes as “tradition with a twist,” the
Blackfriars taste is eclectic, ever evolving and
uniquely attributable to the restaurant and
the history of the people who work there.
“My philosophy has always been that we first
have a respect for tradition and then we go forward
into the future,” Betty explains. “What that
means is that you’ll always find the favourites
that people have loved and come to expect from
Blackfriars. Yet we’re constantly reinventing, to
give people what’s new and innovative.”
After 21 years in business, Blackfriars Catering
& Bistro is a well-known landmark on the London culinary landscape

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine March/April 2017 | 11
“a sundried port soaked cranberry and sage
cheesecake” will be making its way onto the
spring menu.
The Blackfriars menu changes seasonally,
and the shape of each new iteration of the
menu hinges on input from all Blackfriars
We first have a respect
for “ tradition and then we go
forward into the future.
— Betty Heydon
”
Handcrafted tables, purple walls and a large
chalkboard menu personalize the warm interior
Some of the items on the menu were
inspired by Betty’s Italian grandmother, Nona
Bridget, from Sault Ste. Marie. “We had a very
matriarchal family of 10 daughters and two of
them became nuns. When they came to visit,
Nona would make steak and eggs for them —
pan searing it really fast and flipping it. She
didn’t know it, but she was making a beurre
blanc, using white wine and butter. We, the
children, would get to dip our crusty
bread in the sauce. I’ll always remember
that dish because it was such a special
occasion when they came to visit.” (Nona
Bridget used round steak: the Blackfriars’
twist is to use sirloin instead.)
And while that recipe holds special
meaning for Betty, patrons have clear
favourites too. Some of these include
the banana rum and raisin bread
pudding, served warm with caramel
sauce and whipped cream, and the
gourmet grilled three-cheese sandwich
on multigrain, with spiced apple and
onion, and served with a cup of soup. If
you think those sound decadent, Betty
has something else for you to consider.
“Our savoury cheesecakes are definitely
a signature dish. We have a Stilton
cheesecake with grilled chicken on the
lunch salad, and at night we serve it
with prosciutto,” she says, adding that
stakeholders, from the kitchen staff to the
customers.“I like the direction to be clean,
clear taste. Fusion, but not confusion —
complexities and layers should always be
traceable back to the ingredient,” she says,
noting that the menu creation is a team
process. “That’s always my goal, to be able to
hear everybody’s voice and the customer’s
voice in there too.”
With the increasingly sunny weather, Betty
and her husband will go in search of produce,
meat and fine ingredients from local farms. She
also plans to continue to grow and harvest some
herbs and vegetables — like tomatoes, zucchini
and kale — from her own home garden.
Owner Betty Heydon with one of her own
paintings — part of the restaurant’s decor and
indicative of her artistic stamp on the bistro

12 | March/April 2017
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2
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eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
One of the most wonderful aspects of the
Blackfriars menu is that the menu serves as
a jump-off point and clients are invited to
further customize their vegan, vegetarian or
meat selection.“We try to have something for
everybody on the menu — but people can
play off of that,” she says. “If someone were to
say, ‘I see you have this selection, but I’m not
feeling that tonight,’ we can go talk to the chef
and give them another couple of choices.”
The customizability and flexibility that the kitchen staff
welcome has created a pseudo-secret menu, from which
even past menu items can be revived.“Someone could ask
for the Portuguese shrimp, which we haven’t had in 15
years, and we’ll make it for you,” says Betty.
This aspect of her business is one that Betty clearly takes
pride in — and it extends to the catering side of the business,
which is available for small groups as well as large functions,
like weddings and celebrations. Offering personalized
menu creation (Blackfriars doesn’t have a standard catering
information package), Blackfriars wants to create the perfect,
experience, tailored to each client. “I want you to just enjoy
yourself (at your event) knowing everything will be well
taken care of,” she says. “My lovely staff is truly professional.
If they come into your home they will leave your home so
clean that you wouldn’t know you had a party — and this is
what we’re known for.”
But if you’d prefer, you can always have your
event on-site at the restaurant. The whole
Blackfriars Bistro can be reserved for private
functions, provided you have a minimum of 24
guests on a weeknight, and 34 on a weekend.
For those interested in pairing their dish
with just the right drink, Blackfriars has an
answer there, too. With a wide selection of
craft brewed beer, consignment wine and a
bring-your-own-bottle licence (corkage fee of
$15), you’re sure to find the right beverage to
complement your meal.
“I always want to give a salute to all of those
people who are making beer,” Betty says. “We started about
12 years ago with small batch breweries, like Stonehammer
[formerly F&M Brewery] and Railway City. These people are
all just really great people.”
But all “food and drink” aside, there is something special
about Blackfriars that goes a step beyond. When Betty, an
arts graduate, first decided to open the eatery, she and her
husband had “nothing” — but a vision of bringing people
together.
1 Crème Brûlée French Toast with fruit and warm syrup;
2 Wild-caught Coho Salmon with grilled shrimp served over an Asian
vegetable slaw;
3 Blackfriars Soup & Sandwich: gourmet grilled three cheese with spiced
apple on house-made multigrain with the soup of the day, here a fire
roasted tomato basil soup & crispy kale;
4 Wheat-less Brownie with Grand Marnier mousse and fresh berries;

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
The restaurant’s purple walls are
adorned with large works of art,
featuring conversation-provoking
scenes that Betty herself has painted.
The square bistro tables are topped
with mosaics that she and her husband
hand-built. And even as she sits, being
interviewed for this article, Betty’s
phone continually rings with patrons
looking to reserve tables for later in
the day —and she fields each one with
warmth and mostly on a first name basis.
“Growing up in an Italian household,
food was where we talked and where we
met and worked together. We would sit at
a counter from the youngest to the oldest,
banging out
gnocchi to
put in the
freezer for
the whole
family.
You always
had that
conversation
and the
Blackfriars
Catering
competes with
the best in the
city. Here are
farm-fresh
salads for a
wedding.
Betty Heydon’s writes
out the menus — and
the chalkboard
specials — with an
artistic hand.
WIN A LEXUS FOR A WEEKEND!
Plus get your own car cleaned and detailed!
rhetoric and
it was a kind
of bonding
that would be
hard to take
place without
food.”
“I’ve always
worked in this industry because it’s
a good honest way to connect. It’s just what
you do — you genuinely take an interest in
the people that you take care of. I believe all
people deserve to eat, and to eat well.”
Blackfriars Catering & Bistro
46 Blackfriars Street. London
519-667-4930
www.blackfriarsbistro.com
lunch: monday to friday 11:30–2:30
dinner: monday to saturday 5:00–10:00
brunch: sunday 11:00–2:00
TANYA CHOPP is a storyteller and marketing
professional. Over the past decade, she has enjoyed
crafting and amplifying meaningful communications
across the arts, culture, entertainment, health, wellness,
and technology industries.
eatdrink &
Presented by
Enter at www.facebook.com/eatdrinkmag
Contest ends April 24, 2017. Complete details online.
Congratulations Ashley Cordeiro,
winner of our Jan/Feb Draw!

14 | March/April 2017
Restaurants
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
Rooted in the Community
The Root Cellar Organic Cafe, in London's Old East Village
By BRYAN LAVERY | Photography by MARIAM WALIJI
Delve into the emerging
food and cultural district
in London’s historic Old
East Village. Stop into The
Root Cellar Organic Restaurant,
with its fresh, from-scratch organic
offerings, artistic interior and
friendly workers. Since its inception
in July of 2012 as a small 20-seat
café, The Root Cellar has evolved
into a 70-seat destination café/pub
and restaurant.
On the second floor there is a
new special events venue called
Taproot. With a reclaimed aesthetic,
carpentry by Arlen Galloway and
metalwork by Wojchiech Sikorski
(the craftsmen behind The Root
Cellar’s artistry), the LCBO-licensed
space with a 55-person capacity has
been designed for special events and is also
available for rent.
The restaurant’s interior is artful and
functional with many comfortable seating
options that add to the eclecticism of
The core of The Root Cellar’s creative, co-operative structure
includes, from the left, Mariam Waliji, Ellie Cook, Melissa Harland,
Aaron Lawrence, Paul Harding and Jeff Pastorius.
the space. Monthly local art exhibits and
decorative features like the large sheet-metal
flowers suspended above the bar reflect the
café’s artisan sensibility.
The Root Cellar is in transition to a workerowned
co-operative business structure.
Known as the Forest City Worker
Co-operative and closely aligned with On
the Move Organics (OTMO) and London
Brewing Co-operative (LBC), members find
satisfaction in the community that they
live in and love, while serving up the best
organic products from the local food shed
(food consumed within 100 miles of where
it was produced). Founding members are
Jeff Pastorius (also founding partner of
OTMO), Aaron Lawrence, Joel Pastorius,
and restaurant manager Ellie Cook. What
they advocate goes way beyond local and
organic eating and drinking.
The Root Cellar’s earthy Dundas Street signage and
facade signals the restaurant’s organic ethos.

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
The business embraces the principles of
the Slow Food movement, the non-profit
educational organization dedicated to
supporting and celebrating regional culinary
identities, while encompassing the purity of
the organic movement. The concept for The
Root Cellar originated from the ambition
to bring the community together with
area organic farmers and producers as an
outgrowth of OTMO, the progenitor, supplier
and sister organization that connects people
to local certified organic food producers. This
is accomplished through its communitysupported
agriculture home delivery service
and its organic green grocer at the Farmers’ &
Artisans’ Market at Western Fair
on Saturdays.
There is also an organic juice
and smoothie bar known as the
Root Cellar Market Kitchen on
the second floor of the market.
Customers can choose from a
menu of nutritious, energizing,
detoxifying, or just plain
refreshing drinks. The staff
concoct fresh, healthful creations
every weekend to keep things
interesting. Organic cold-pressed
juices and bakery products are also
available.
Chef Paul Harding’s former TOOK (The
Only on King), with its enthusiastic support
of local farmers and producers, embodied the
farm-to-table philosophy. When TOOK ceased
operations Harding, who is credited with
helping to revolutionize the local restaurant
scene with farm-to-table ideals, became the
standout choice for Executive Chef, to give
The Root Cellar’s kitchen some recalibrating.
Sous chef Hunter Guidon and junior sous chef
Michael Schart are pivotal members of the
energetic culinary team who have helped to
Taproot, in the top photo, is The Root Cellar’s new secondfloor
event space. Above is the restaurant’s eclectic main
floor bar and main dining room. Below are two photos
showing opposite views through the restaurant’s brick
archway through the two dining areas.
fine-tune the already successful operation and
increase the dinner offerings.
The repertoire of from-scratch menu
offerings with ever-changing specials are all
organic (with minor exceptions), procured
from the local farming community. All of the
produce and ingredients in the restaurant’s

16 | March/April 2017
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eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
dishes are certified organic, with 80% local in
season. The challenge is how to compete with
less expensive, imported foods and how to
compensate organic farmers with a fair price
yet keep menu offerings accessible to patrons.
Harding has added more protein choices
(wild-caught fish, organic grass-fed beef
steak, and free-range organic poultry) while
keeping lots of plant-powered dishes on the
menu. Wild-caught Manitoulin whitefish and
potato cake with kimchi, bacon and Gingerich
Farms poached certified-organic egg is on
the current dinner menu. The ploughshares
board is exceptional and is designed for both
vegans and carnivores — there are so many
good components that it will require your
undivided attention. House-made pickle coins
are deep-fried in London Brewing Co-op beer
batter and are served with a curried BBQ
sauce. We are long-time fans of the locallysourced
Berkshire pork sausages and the freerange,
pasture-raised water buffalo burger
recommended by long-time worker Kim
Miller. Check out the sourcing blackboard in
the dining room to find out which ingredients
are sourced from each farm or producer.
There is ethically-sourced and wildcrafted
tea. Coffee beans are organic and either
Fairtrade certified or bought directly from
the growers and roasted locally by Patrick’s
Beans. Milk, cream, sugar — it’s all organic.
The house-made baked goods are made from
the historic Arva Flour Mill’s organic grains
and flours.
The wine list features VQA wines from
Pelee Island Winery, Southbrook Vineyards
(certified organic), and Frogpond Farms
Organic Winery. Our server, Raven Brown
(former TOOK manager) tells us that the
list will soon be expanded to add more wine
4
5
1 Two Poached Eggs rest atop slices of Field Gate
Organic sliced ham, roasted heirloom squash and a
crisp bed of kale, topped with Hollandaise and housemade
hot sauce, served with roasted potatoes;
2 Manitoulin Whitefish Cake on a bed of sweet potato
purée, topped with crisp greens, with kimchi aioli;
3 Patatas Bravas with crispy potato, smoked pepper
sauce, pickled red peppers and a drizzle of vegan
garlic aioli
4 Kamut Rotini pasta baked with duck confit, spicy
tomato sauce and a mix of local cheese, topped with a
poached egg;
5 Peanut Butter and Chocolate Tart, with chocolate
filling on a peanut butter and rice flour crust, finished
with a garnish of honey caramel popcorn, paired with
a Tolpuddle Porter from the London Beer Co-op.

House-made
Potato Gnocchi in
a bed of tomato,
Passmore
sausage and
collard greens
ragu, topped
with shaved aged
gouda.
LONDON ARTISTS’
STUDIO TOUR
diversity from Ontario. There is a small
curated cocktail menu that has just launched.
Think matcha, ginger Booch, basil, and
Junction 56 gin.
To be a great restaurant, you have to provide
an exceptional experience. Food enthusiasts
aren’t just going out to dine any more,
they’re looking to have a great encounter. The
Root Cellar excels as a hub for community creativity,
innovation and food-focused special
events. Be sure to keep an eye out for cooking
classes, workshops, community dinners, and
collaborative efforts. The knowledgeable workers
invite you to discover what it means to be
rooted in your community, a local economy
and a local food system.
The Root Cellar Organic Café
623 Dundas Street, London
519-675-9995
www.rootcellarorganic.ca
monday–friday: 11am–10pm
saturday: 9am–10pm
sunday: closed
Swords to
Ploughshares
Board: local
artisanal cheeses
& charcuterie,
cured duck,
spiced cashews,
crostini, housemade
pickles,
seasonal veg &
crudités, served
with house-made
dips.
BRYAN LAVERY is eatdrink’s Food Editor and Writer
at Large.
FRI April 21 7 to 9:30 p.m.
SAT April 22 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
SUN April 23 noon to 5 p.m.
Booklets with maps are available at
Museum London & Library Branches
or online at
www.londonstudiotour.ca
Contact: Beth Stewart 519 668-6743
55 George Street
Stratford, Ontario
tel. 519.272.2828
See more Easter
treats online at
chocolatebarrs.com
Holiday hours:
Open evenings ’til
8 pm all Easter
week long. Good
Friday: closed.
Open Easter Sat.
from 8am to 6pm.

18 | March/April 2017
SPONSORED BY
Road Trips
Food, Drink, & History
There’s something for everyone in Buffalo
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
Story and photography by WAYNE NEWTON
I’m craving Cheerios.
The Buffalo mill which produces
the popular breakfast cereal is
close to my hotel, and the smell
from it is locked in as I begin to explore
one of America’s most surprising cities.
Cheerios, the ready-to-eat cereal
originally called CheeriOats until a
copyright fight got in the way, have been
made here since 1941, when the city’s
waterfront was dominated by rows of
high rise grain elevators, silos, and mills.
Buffalo was North America’s most
important grain handling hub, until
construction of first the Welland Canal
and then the St. Lawrence Seaway
changed the rules.
Today Buffalo’s collection of grain
The Connecting Terminal grain silo bursts onto the Buffalo skyline
nightly with an illumination art show that flows from one colorful
scene to the next.
silos and elevators has mostly been silenced,
except for the chatter of passionate history
buffs and excited tourists like me. Silo City,
located a 10-minute drive from downtown
on Childs Street, is one of Buffalo’s — if
not the continent’s — most unusual tourist
attractions. Through Explore Buffalo, visitors
can travel around the complex of 10-storey
concrete towers by kayak, on a ground tour, or
vertically.
While most opt for the ground tour,
content to look up from inside and out at the
massive industrial structures built 100 years
ago, the fittest tourists and those with no fear
of heights or qualms about climbing narrow
ladders can join a tour to the top.
In addition to tours paying homage to
the industrial legacy of the towers, Silo City
is also being repurposed as a performance
space for theatre, summertime flea market, as
well as a craft beer and food truck festival in
September.
The former Buffalo post office was slated for demolition.
It’s now a community college and featured in walking
tours of downtown architecture.

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine March/April 2017 | 19
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BI-WEEKLY LEASE PAYMENT FROM
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LEXUS OF LONDON
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~2017 Lexus GS F shown: Complete Lexus Price of $100,273 and Delivery Credit of $2,500. ^F SPORT Credits in March are available on the purchase/lease of select new 2017 Lexus vehicles including 2017 Lexus RX
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on suffixes G & H). F SPORT credits will be deducted from the negotiated purchase/lease price after taxes. *Lease offers provided through Lexus Financial Services, on approved credit. *Representative lease example based
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20 | March/April 2017
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
Of course there’s more to discover in
Buffalo than breakfast cereal and silos. Its
downtown, best explored through organized
and informative walking tours, is home
to several spectacular examples of various
architectural styles. These include the old post
office, once slated for demolition and now a
college campus. It’s a 1901 structure made of
granite and featuring a 244-foot tower, handcarved
gargoyles and animals, and a sky-lit,
six-storey atrium.
Inside, second-year Erie Community
College culinary students operate a restaurant
open to the public called the E.M. Statler, in
honour of a famous Buffalo hotel owner.
The Ellicott Square Building, which was
the world’s largest office building when it was
erected in 1895, features a grey terracotta
exterior and interior courtyard featured in the
Larry Mruk, a docent with Explore Buffalo, adopts an
Irish persona in homage to the thousands of mostly Irish
immigrant workers who once worked in the grain elevators
on Buffalo’s waterfront.
movie The Natural. For those who wonder,
those are not Nazi swastikas comprising part
of the tile floor design — they are symbols of
luck, which pre-date the German fascists and
are the reverse of the Nazi symbol.
A must-do walking tour, entitled Masters of
American Architecture, includes stops at two
of Buffalo’s many impressive churches: the
curiously-shaped St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral,
which is tucked onto one of downtown
Buffalo’s many triangular lots, and St. Joseph’s
Roman Catholic Cathedral, which features a
“Strength, Pride, Ambition” are words to live by in
both the tap room of Big Ditch Brewing Company
and in the city of Buffalo.
Museum owner Mike Kleba is passionate about Buffalo’s
automotive manufacturing history, which includes Pierce
Arrow cars.
43-bell carillon and 3,627-pipe organ.
Such architectural gems were possible at
the turn of the 20th century because
Buffalo was the eighth largest city in
the U.S. at the time and its citizens had
the resources to hire the best architects
and craftsman.
No architect’s work in Buffalo is
more famous than that of Frank Lloyd
Wright. Many already know about the
Martin House, a 15,000-square-foot
brick-and-wood home in the city’s
Parkside neighbourhood. Built during
1903-1905, it’s considered one of
Wright’s finest works from his Prairie
House period.
Less well known is a Frank Lloyd
Wright designed gasoline station, which
has been built from the original plans
inside the Buffalo Transportation-
Pierce Arrow Museum.
Beautiful to behold, the filling station
had many practical problems, including
a waiting room fireplace located underneath a
rooftop gasoline storage tank. Still, the reason

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine March/April 2017 | 21
A flight of craft beer from Resurgence Brewing Company includes
Loganberry Wit, Autumn Saison, Vanilla Pumpkin, and Sponge
Candy Stout.
Ahi tuna salad at the AK Cafe features tuna seared rare with
cucumber noodles, red peppers and black olives.
(716) Food & Sport provides a superior experience for sports fans,
with big screens, plenty of taps and hearty pub fare.
the station was never built during Wright’s
lifetime was that the architectural fee he
demanded was too steep.
Peckish after hours of exploring, wise visitors
check out the huge Buffalo craft beer scene.
Among the standout breweries with food (but
no Cheerios) are Big Ditch downtown at
55 East Huron St., Resurgence Brewing
at 1250 Niagara, and Thin Man in trendy
Elmwood Village.
Choose one — or make time for all —
and raise a glass to a remarkable city.
Learn More
Visitor information:
visitbuffaloniagara.com
Silo City and downtown walking tours:
explorebuffalo.org
Martin House Complex:
darwinmartinhouse.org
Buffalo Transportation-Pierce Arrow
Museum: pierce-arrow.com
Buffalo Food Festivals
Taste of Buffalo, held annually during
the second weekend of July
National Buffalo Wing Festival, held
annually on Labour Day Weekend.
Additional Dine & Drink
Spots
Anchor Bar, 1047 Main St., is where
Buffalo wings got their start as a latenight
snack. The rest is history.
(716) Food & Sport, 7 Scott St., is a
two-storey sports bar featuring burgers
and beer near KeyBank Centre, home
of the NHL Buffalo Sabres.
Gene McCarthy’s, 73 Hamburg
St. A former dive bar in the Old First
Ward, it’s where working men from the
grain elevators would come to wet their
whistles after work. Famous now for
its Old First Ward craft brewery and
Friday fish fry.
Five Points Bakery, 44 Brayton
St. A farm-to-table café famous for its
toast, including apple cider with triple
cream brie.
AK Cafe, Albright-Knox Art Gallery,
1285 Elmwood Ave. Located in a gallery
famous for its Andy Warhols and
Jackson Pollocks, the gallery restaurant
is noted for its view of a sculpture
garden, and for fresh soups, salads and
sandwiches. Highly recommended is
the ahi tuna salad ($14 US).
WAYNE NEWTON is a freelance journalist in London
who enjoys writing about beer and travel.

22 | March/April 2017
Travel
Get Screeched In!
Let Newfoundland change you
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
Story and Photography by KYM WOLFE
Having met many a Newfoundlander
over the years, I’ve long had an
interest in visiting “The Rock.” I
envisioned myself immersed in
a warm and friendly culture, drinking in
amazing scenery and colourful fishing villages,
and experiencing conversation steeped in
a charming but sometimes indecipherable
accent. This past summer I was finally able
to make my way to Canada’s eastern-most
province, and I was not disappointed.
If a trip to Newfoundland is on your bucket
list, 2017 might be an ideal year to go. To
celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary visitors
to all national parks and historic sites will
enjoy free admission, and the province has a
wealth of them, as well as other interesting
things to see and do.
We started our adventure in Gros Morne
National Park, sampling the rugged beauty
and diverse terrain of Newfoundland’s
west coast. Each day of hiking revealed
breathtaking vistas, and based on the
different types of rocks that we saw there
I suspect that this part of Canada must
be a geologist’s dream. The brown, barren
Tablelands is one of the few places where a
large stretch of the earth’s mantle has been
The spectacular geography of Gros Morne
National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
includes fjords and towering mountains.
Parks Canada has placed pairs of red chairs around
Gros Morne, for visitors to enjoy some of the
country’s prime vistas. These are at Red Point.
pushed to the surface (described as “a slice
of ancient ocean floor’). Hike through and
eventually you arrive at Old Man Cove and
the lush Green Gardens along the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, which are full of volcanic rock.
Gros Morne offered a different experience
every day. We hiked through bog land and took
the boat tour in Western Brook Pond (a former
fiord carved by glaciers out of the massive
rock cliffs — absolutely gorgeous); to the base
of Gros Morne mountain (a challenging trail
that rewarded us with spectacular
views); around Lobster Cove
Lighthouse and into the family
home of the former lighthouse
keeper; to Bakers Brook Falls
(a fairly easy trail that leads to
picturesque waterfalls); and one
evening we watched the sunset
from Green Point. It became a bit
of a game to find the red chairs
that Parks Canada has placed
strategically at points where you
can have a seat and enjoy the
panorama.
We were warned not to drive
between dusk and dawn because of

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
You never know who — or what — you might meet on
the hiking trail. The author was surprised by this moose.
the danger posed by moose, but only saw one,
and that one not on the road. When a planned
afternoon of kayaking at Norris Point was
cancelled due to choppy water we decided to
climb a hill that promised scenic views. Signage
warned that there was an aggressive moose on
the trail, but locals told us that the animal was
simply responding to a tourist who invaded its
space while trying to take a selfie with it. “If
you see it, just quietly back up and walk away,”
they advised. As we rounded a bend we were
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24 | March/April 2017
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
treated to an up-close rear-view of the massive
animal. I managed to snap a picture of it before
backtracking…quickly and quietly. Our only
other encounter with moose was at meal time;
you can find moose burger on most menus.
Another highlight of our time in Gros
Morne was being “screeched in” at a pub
kitchen party in Rocky Harbour. We dutifully
kissed the cod, danced a jig, played a musical
instrument (mine was an “ugly stick’), sang
a song, recited a pledge including a promise
to “honour and respect me codfadders
and me codmudders,” and downed a shot
of Screech (40% proof rum). We walked
back to our hostel singing east coast songs
and enjoying our new status as Honorary
Newfoundlanders.
We were lucky enough to head out of town
just ahead of the rain clouds, making our way
to the northern coast’s New World Island
and the picturesque village of Twillingate. On
our first night we enjoyed fresh lobster and
entertainment at the NWI Twillingate Dinner
Theatre. It is run by a talented and hilarious
ABOVE: Auk Island Winery in Twillingate produces wines
made from local wild berries.
LEFT: Some hiking trails, like this one near Twillingate,
are more challenging than others.
BELOW: House construction on Battery Hill
group of men and women who both prepare the
meal and perform on stage. The evening was
filled with songs, skits, jokes and humourous
stories. Over the next two days we enjoyed
more hiking, more spectacular views, a shed
party (very much like a kitchen party, but held
in a garage), and our first glimpse of an iceberg.
Before leaving Twillingate we stopped for
a tour and tasting at Auk Island, one of two
Newfoundland wineries that produce unique
wines crafted with wild berries, locally grown
fruits, and some with iceberg water. We loved
Auk Island’s eye-catching labels and clever
names, from Moose Joose to 3 Sheets to the
Wind. On our way to St. John’s we stopped at
Rodrigues Winery and Distillery in Whitbourne
and sampled some award-winning wines. As
Newfoundland’s only commercial distillery,
Rodrigues also produces liqueurs, schnapps,
brandies and vodka. It’s in a former hospital,
and many of the rooms, like the nursery, still
have the original names on the doors.
By the time we got to St. John’s, we had
switched our mind-set from trekker to
“townie.” We took in tourist
staples like Signal Hill and Cape
Spear (the most eastern place in
North America), and walked past
colourful “jelly-bean” rowhouses
on our way to the shops on
Duckworth and Water Streets. We
visited Battery Hill and wondered
at the homes built into the rocks
where everything — from building
materials to appliances — would
have had to be hand-bombed.
We drove a little of the Irish
Loop when we went to Bay Bulls for
Gatherall’s puffin and whale watch
boat tour. The fog was too thick to
see any whales but we enjoyed the

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
Opening Soon!
A kitchen party at the QuidiVidi brewery.
playful puffins, and the sheer volume of birds on
Baccalieu Island was mind-boggling.
The Rooms, which houses the provincial
museum, art gallery and archives, is well
worth a visit. The exhibit about WWI and its
impact on Newfoundland, particularly the battle
of Beaumont-Hamel, was heart-wrenching.
We discovered the Newman Wine Vaults
quite by accident when we decided to take the
hop-on/hop-off trolley (just $5 for a day pass).
One of the oldest structures in St. John’s,
the massive brick and stone wine cellars were
built to age port wine — possibly the only
place outside of Portugal that has ever done
so. We enjoyed the tour and the building so
much, we returned the next night to see a play
performed there by the Shakespeare by the
Sea Festival theatre group.
Our entry fee to the wine vaults also got us
into the Commissariat, which was built in the
early 1800s as the home of the supply officer
for the British military. The clever exhibits
in the carriage house give you a good grasp
of Newfoundland’s back story as one of the
first independent dominions in the British
Empire, and of the roots of the fierce pride
that Newfoundlanders have in their history
and heritage.
There are so many good restaurants in St.
John’s, it is impossible to try them all. We
particularly enjoyed the Bernard & Stanley
Gastropub on Duckworth Street which bills
itself as the spot for rustic comfort food, and
the Yellow Belly Brewery and Public House
at the foot of George Street. The Yellow Belly
is located in a heritage building, and bills the
basement UnderBelly as one of the oldest rooms
in Canada, and St. John’s only speakeasy.
We happened to be in St. John’s during the
George Street Festival. For six nights the twoblock
street becomes a concert venue and one
big street party. We found a place to sit with
a great view of the stage on the night that the
Trews and Our Lady Peace were performing,
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Yellow Belly Brewery and Public House at the foot of
George Street.
and the weather was perfect for an outdoor
evening concert. Outside of the festival, this is
a great street to visit anytime, as it is packed
with side-by-side pubs, bars and restaurants
where you can enjoy live music every night.
We also enjoyed live music at our last
kitchen party before leaving Newfoundland,
which took place at the QuidiVidi brewery.
We had enjoyed a tour and tasting earlier in
the day, as well as a visit to the neighbouring
Quidi Vidi Village Plantation. The Plantation
houses artisan studios where you can see
artists at work creating a range of handmade
items, from woodcut prints and textiles
to unique jewellery made with Viking
wireknitting.
Far too soon we were heading to Argentia to
catch the ferry back to Nova Scotia. We made
a quick side trip to Cupids, the site of the first
English settlement in Canada dating back to
1610. Our tour guide was quite enthusiastic
about the different artefacts that she had been
involved in unearthing at the archeological dig.
Overall we felt that same enthusiasm
and friendliness wherever we went in
Newfoundland. It is a province that has
a unique sense of place and culture, and
it was lovely to immerse myself in it for a
short time. I would definitely visit again ...
although, sadly, I don’t think I’ll make it back
in 2017.
KYM WOLFE is a London-based freelance writer who
is always up for a road trip. Visit her online at www.
kymwolfe.com

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine March/April 2017 | 27
The BUZZ
Culinary Community Notes
In March, local restaurants will be bringing
their culinary creativity to a celebration of
Canada, offering a secret menu item that
explores quintessential Canadian flavours,
ingredients, and storytelling through food. Try
these special culinary twists at The Black Walnut
Bakery Cafe, The Boombox Bakeshop, Fancy Tarts,
Olive R. Twists, Plant Matter Kitchen, Shelly’s Tap
and Grill, Smoke’s Poutinerie and Twisted Toque.
In London’s charming Wortley Village, Pure Bon: A
Food Shop — with its delicious chef-prepared takehome
meals and gourmet kitchen items — closed
for repairs after a flood caused extensive damage
before the shop could even celebrate an official
grand opening. Happily, the business has re-opened
to rave reviews. www.purebon.ca
Blu Duby North, located at 745 Fanshawe Park
Road, just west of Wonderland, is now open for
lunch and dinner. The restaurant borrows much
of what has made the original Blu Duby, located
within the Hotel Metro in Downtown London, such a
popular success. www.bluduby.ca
Latino Flavours Restaurant has opened in the
premises formerly occupied by BEGOS at 129
Dundas Street. The restaurant features pupusas,
tacos, arepas and chimichangas. Try the pineapple
cobbler and coconut flan.
The Black Trumpet courtyard garden may be
the most tranquil dining location in London.
Chef Scott Wessling’s new spring menus have a
contemporary take on iconic classics, drawing
from local seasonal ingredients. New menus
also include both vegan and vegetarian features.
www.blacktrumpet.ca
One of our favourite food trailers is the organic,
Mexican-inspired Ivanopoblano in the parking lot
of Lyn-Dys Health Food at 1016 Oxford St. E. Ivan
Santana-Barnes has returned with some fresh
ideas after taking a brief winter break for some
culinary inspiration in Guadalajara, Mexico.
We are hearing positive reports about The Take Out
Fish & Chips London, at 1635 Oxford St. E. at Second
St. London does love its fish ‘n’ chips. Kipps Lane
Fish & Chips, established in 1972, is hopping, and
has added lunch service on Fridays and Saturdays.
New customers are welcomed and encouraged, but
the cozy little restaurant and take-away shop teems
with happy regulars. www.kippslanefish.com
Jess Jazey-Spoelstra of North Moore Catering
and The River Room welcomed uber chef Andrew
Wolwowicsz to the team last fall. This talented duo
are partnering in a new and exciting project. Craft
Farmacy will open in the former Custom Cuisine
Catering on Wharncliffe Rd. this spring.
Twisted Toque Social Grill, a Canadian-themed
restaurant designed as the prototype for a national
chain, has opened at 186 King St. next door to the
popular King’s Inn Diner. www.twistedtoque.com
Thomas Waite of In Home Chef opened Spruce on
Wellington at the end of January, in the premises
formerly occupied by Willie’s Café. Waite promises that
the 32-seat restaurant (with 22 more on the back patio
in season) will provide patrons with an innovative
dining experience “unlike anything that London has

eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
142 fullarton at richmond
Discover
Our New
COMFORT
MENU!
Details online
Seasonal Hours
Always Closed Monday
Reservations Recommended
519.238.6224
42 Ontario St. S., Grand Bend
www.finearestaurant.com
seen before.” Waite and Spruce’s chef de cuisine Troy
Klungel will launch a series of weekly cooking classes
in early spring. www.theinhomechef.ca
The Gourmet Deli has opened a second downtown
location for its quick-service deli and sandwich
emporium, in the space formerly occupied by
the Queens Café across from Victoria Park. www.
thegourmetdeli.ca
Longtime fans will be glad to know Ian Kennard
let us know that he has secured a new location for
Willie’s Café and Catering. He has signed a lease with
Dave Cook and the Old East London Food Incubator
and has started moving in, although he is waiting for
a city building permit to do some minor upgrades to
the space. He hopes to be up and running again in
late March, continuing to provide catering services
and a smaller version of the Willie’s Café lunch menu
for takeout, Monday to Friday , 11am–2pm. Stay
tuned! www.williescafeandcatering.com
Edgar and Joe’s Café has opened a new satellite
location inside the Innovation Works London
building at 201 King Street. It is open weekdays
from 8am–4pm. www.edgarandjoes.ca
The new Ground Up Organic Café at Richmond &
Piccadilly offers plant-based fare, from espresso
drinks to wraps like the “No-chicken Curry Wrap.”
The menu is as much of a personal statement as a
business venture for co-owners Steve Loney and
Jamie Norman. www.thegroundupcafe.com
Rebel Remedy Fresh Bar, operated by nutritionist Julie
Kortekaas and Chef Shayna Patterson (formerly
of The Root Cellar), will open shortly at 242
Dundas St. The take-away features fresh, healthful
breakfasts and nutritious lunches, including coldpress
juices, kombucha, salads, bone broth-based
soups and Pilot Coffee. www.rebelremedy.com
Kelly Gowanlock of The Littlewood Pie Co. in
Lambeth recently sold the business to Steve and
Tracy Nakonecznyj of Spicer’s Bakery and Deli. “I’m
really looking forward getting back to having time
to play in the kitchen and creating recipes,” says
Gowanlock. “It’s in my blood, I can’t escape it.”
www.spicersbakery.ca
London Brewing Co-operative now has a retail store
and taproom on Burbrook Place in Old East Village,
where visitors can purchase 4 oz. samples and 12
oz. drinks as well as beers to take home in growlers
(1.89L), Boston rounds (950mL), and 650mL bottles.
There are also t-shirts, shirts, and sweaters for those
looking to wear their beer! Down the line they hope to
offer take-home flight paddles so you can host your
own craft beer sample parties. www.londonbrewing.ca

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
Dos Tacos at 611 Richmond St. is a partnership
between two young business owners, Asaad
and Ziad, who were inspired by “gourmet” taco
restaurants they saw while on holiday. They
are currently doing renovations to the space,
and plan to keep the garage-style doors in the
storefront area.
Spuddy’s at 421 Richmond St. offers a fresh and
unique take on the traditional baked potato, and
partner Mo Kadri’s passion for his potatoes is sure
to keep customers coming back. The menu starts
with large jacket potatoes, baked to perfection.
Add a dab of butter, hot sauce, shredded cheddar
and a variety of meats, salads, condiments and
sauces according to your preferences.
Patrick’s Beans is roasting a proprietary blend
of coffee for Tourism London for Canada’s 150th
anniversary. The beans will be available at
both the Tourism London Information Centres
downtown and on Wellington Rd.
Charles and Jill Wright’s Locomotive Espresso, at
Pall Mall and Colborne, recently celebrated their
3rd anniversary. www.locomotiveespresso.com
The new 10Eighteen Coffee Bar in Old East
specializes in locally-roasted, fresh pour over
“Homemade Goodness
with a Gourmet Touch”
Since
1972
Whether you are looking for yummy comfort food ...
a delicious weeknight meal ...
or a special way to observe Lent or Passover
— we have what you need and crave!
1050 Kipps Lane, London
519-673-6606
www.kippslanefish.com
TUES–THURS: 3–7:30
FRI & SAT: 12–7:30
Closed SUN & MON
bal·sam·ic redefined
/bôlˈsamik/
1. New! The blending of fresh Italian fruits
and whole ingredients with our
Premium Condimento Tradizionale.
eg. "This balsamic is out of this world."
Explore our collection of over
60 all-natural, whole ingredient balsamic
vinegars and fresh Premium
Extra Virgin Olive Oils in store
or at thepristineolive.ca
462 Cheapside Street | London
519-433-4444
st
We’re moving on June 1 to a
new location to serve you better!
Follow us for updates.
The
Pristine
live
Tasting Bar
FRESH OLIVE OILS & BALSAMICS

30 | March/April 2017
coffee and espresso by Joe Oranato’s O’Joe in
Mount Brydges. Owners Kate Sullivan and Kirby
Collins offer butter tarts, doughnuts, sandwiches,
charcuterie and cheese boards, craft beer and
wine. www.10eighteen.ca
Squire Pub & Grill will open in the space formerly
occupied by Le Rendez-Vous at 109 Dundas Street
in March. www.squirepubandgrill.ca
The Rhino Lounge Bakery Coffee Shoppe in
Museum London offers an in-house scratch
bakery that brings decadent desserts to a
London’s Destination
for Culinary Excellence
34
Years of
Extraordinary
Service
Lunch Tuesday to Friday
Dinner 7 Nights a Week
1 York Street
519-672-0111 Free On-Site Parking
Visit www.michaelsonthethames.com
to make your reservation online
LIVE JAZZ
Thursday through Saturday
from 6pm
Gift Certificates
Make the
Perfect Gift
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
whole new level. You have to try their hybrid
doughnut, an homage to the cronut, available
only on Thursdays. It has a dedicated following!
And check out their vegan-inspired “Herbivore
Wednesdays.” www.rhinolounge.ca
After a $10-million renovation, the London Hilton
relaunched as a DoubleTree by Hilton property.
The former London Grill was transformed into
Blake’s Bistro and Bar, with a contemporary
look and updated menu catering to all tastes and
budgets. Try the signature AAA steaks, Pad Thai
and Conrad Burger.
The Museum of Ontario Archaeology will be celebrating
Maple Harvest season with demonstrations
of traditional harvesting methods used by Haudenosaunee
and Anishinaabec ancestors, informative
exhibits, cultural activities, treats and more on
March 11th and 12th. www.archaeologymuseum.ca
Nutrition Bites owner Sandra Venneri is one of six
women named as a Top Finalist for the Mompreneur
Startup Award. The local business specializes in
nutrition education services, including personalized
cooking lessons, birthday parties and mindful
eating workshops. Growing Up Healthy Seed-to-
Fork Kits are an innovative product that provides
a fun, food literacy activity making connections
between growing food, cooking and personal
nutrition while focusing on truly fresh, local,
wholesome ingredients. www.nutritionbites.ca
In just over a year, Boho Bake Shop has grown rapidly,
and now supplies a number of local retail stores and
cafes with healthy, plant-based baked goods. Products
can also be found at the Western Fair Farmer’s &
Artisan’s Market. The business is expanding into a new
production space in Old East Village to accommodate
further growth. www.bohobakeshop.com
Miki Hambalek of The Hungary Butcher (892
Dundas St. and at the Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market
at Western Fair) now offers a weekly rotating
focused on using only the freshest, local, and seasonal ingredients
A boutique, farm-to-table, custom, everything-from-scratch (even the ketchup) Caterer
serving London & Area with different and unique ideas
Corporate
Catering
www.heirloomcateringlondon.com 519-719-9030
Specialists

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
product list of 56 types of fresh, handmade
sausages, using all-natural casings with no fillers
or nitrates. There is also Halal chicken on offer.
The Harvest Pantry, located on the main floor of
the Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market at Western Fair, is a
small wares food and kitchen retailer focussing on
small batch ferments, such as sauerkraut, kimchi,
shrubs, ciders, vinegars, miso and kombucha.
Owner Val Andrews also prepares house-made
pickles and preserves like ginger-pickled golden
beets. www.theharvestpantry.com
Have you had a cruffin yet? One of Black Walnut
Bakery Café’s unique baked goods, it’s a croissantmuffin
that’s baked, rolled in sugar and piped
with seasonally-flavoured custards and creams.
Another customer favourite is the plain buttermilk
scone with ham and an egg, sunny side up. www.
blackwalnutbakerycafe.com
Pepper Tree Spice Co., Port Stanley’s artisan spice
and herb shop, is returning to its roots and has
established a booth at the Farmers’ & Artisans’
Market at Western Fair. Owner Debbie Kussmann
is excited about this, as a great adjunct to her lovely
shop in Port. Expect a wide range of Pepper Tree
spices, using only organic and natural ingredients,
gourmet foods, kitchen and bakeware, gifts and
accessories. www.peppertreespice.com
Congratulations to Andrew and Erin Jardine, owners
of The Village Meat Shop at the Farmers’ & Artisans’
Market at Western Fair, on the latest addition to your
family. The shop offers hormone- and drug-free
Ontario beef, pork, bison, lamb and chicken from
Metzger Meat Products, Lena’s Lamb, Blanbrook
Bison Farm, Little Sisters Chicken and Glengyle
Farm Organics. www.thevillagemeatshop.ca
Stratford
McCully’s Hill Farm Weekends: Sugar Bush
Tours include a wagon ride through the sugar
bush, a guided tour of the sugar shack and a visit
with the farm animals. Enjoy Pancake Brunch
served with McCully’s own maple syrup and
maple pork sausage, and maple baked beans
and fruit. Saturdays and Sundays in March. www.
visitstratford.ca/member/McCullys-Hill-Farm
Stratford salutes spring with the Swan Parade
Weekend, the quirky ritual of marching the swans
to the Avon River, April 1 & 2. www.visitstratford.
ca/swans
Cheese lovers, mark the week of April 1–9, as
Stratford restaurants present their signature cheese
dishes and the Canadian Dairy XPO welcomes
farmers and industry partners from around the
Sha
Choix
GIFTS & ACCESSORIES
JEWELLERY • CLOTHING • GIFTS
In the Heart of Wortley Village
MOTHER’S DAY SALE!
15% OFF All Jewellery
When you show this ad in the store!
Handmade Jewellery
Glam items
Shoes, bags and clutches
Unique Gifts
Luxe Free Cappuccino Service
158 Wortley Road, London
519.204.6336
shachoix.com
facebook.com/shachoix

32 | March/April 2017
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
world. Visit CheeseFest (April 5) at the Stratford
Rotary Complex to sample a wide variety of cheeses
and learn more about Canada’s important dairy
industry. www.visitstratford.ca/cheeseweek
What began as a special occasion for Mother’s
Day last year was so popular that Bradshaws and
Revival House have paired up to present High Tea
once a month on the last Sunday of the month.
www.bradshawscanada.com & www.revival.house
On April 22 & 23, join naturalist/forager Peter
Blush as he searches forest trails for wild edibles
such as wild leeks, trout lilies, saddle mushrooms,
wild ginger and more. Learn to harvest sustainably.
Recipes will be supplied. www.pucksplenty.com
Looking for a great place for crepes? Pavillion
Coffee & Crepes on Market Place is gaining rave
reviews with a large menu of savoury and sweet
crepes, waffles and more.
Opening in the spring is SAV Eatery and
Smokehouse on Wellington Street, offering a
delicious menu and cooking classes.
Stratford Chefs School is planning to offer cooking
classes during the summer in their beautiful new
Kitchens on Ontario Street. www.stratfordchef.com
Reserve Now
SUNDAY BRUNCH
11am−2pm
The Parlour Steakhouse welcomes Executive Chef
Alan Van Heerdan, originally from South Africa,
bringing global inspiration to local ingredients.
www.theparlour.ca
Around Our Region
Experience the annual Kinsmen Fanshawe Sugar
Bush Maple Event every weekend in March and
during March Break. The whole family will enjoy
the guided tours, horse-drawn hayrides through
the maple groves, sap-making demonstrations and
displays. www.kinsmenfanshawesugarbush.com
The Idlewyld Inn and Hotel Metro in London and
Stratford’s The Bruce were shortlisted in TripAdvisor
Travellers’ Choice Top 25 Small Hotels – Canada.
Congratulations to Streamliners Espresso Bar at
767 Talbot Street in St. Thomas on your opening.
Drop by and check out their hand brewed Las
Chicas Del Café coffee and fresh pastries.
Kettle Creek Inn is offering two wine pairing
dinners (March 4th and April 1st). $60 per person;
four course dinner with each course perfectly
matched with its corresponding wine. On hand will
be Chef Rob Lapman and his culinary crew, as well
as Martin Gorski of Colchester Ridge Estate Winery
HOLIDAY PARTIES
Come HOME to La Casa!
A
London
Landmark
for
23
Years!
Sun–Tues 11am–11pm, Wed/Thurs 11am–midnight, Fri/Sat 11am–1am
“2 for 20”
2-Course
Lunch
$20
117 King Street
across from Budweiser Gardens
519-434-2272 (CASA)
www.lacasaristorante.com
“Enjoy consistently
outstanding Italian and
International cuisine
enhanced by local and
seasonal ingredients.”
Perfect for Groups, Rehearsal Lunches & Dinners
and Small Weddings & Receptions!
Extensive
Scotch Bar
Open Mon–Sat
Lunch & Dinner

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
(CREW). Reservations are strongly recommended.
www.kettlecreekinn.com
Deb Benner of Heritage Line Herbs reminds us the
2017 list of potted herbs and heirloom vegetables
is now available — email heritagelineherbs2014@
gmail.com. Plants will be available at Horton Street
Market in St. Thomas in the spring. There will also be a
big supply of milkweed available. Help the butterflies
to thrive! Details on Facebook or at 519-619-2153.
The folks at Ontario’s Southwest know what people
love. The Craft Beer Cookbook has fabulous recipes
that showcase the region’s unique brews. On your next
trip to Ontario’s Southwest, visit the breweries to stock
up on the signature ingredients for these delicious
dishes. You can read the Craft Beer Cookbook online,
or download a copy at www.ontariossouthwest.com/
trip-tools/craft-beer-cookbook/
The Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance is “stoked
about Ontario seafood.” After you read Tracy
Turlin’s review of the Ocean Wise 2 cookbook in this
issue of Eatdrink, check out the Alliance’s website
for some local inspiration. www.ontarioculinary.
com/stoked-about-ontario-seafood
Cuvée Grand Tasting is Ontario’s only Grand Tasting
of local VQA wine. This year, the event returns to
the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls
on March 24. With over 50 participating wineries,
Cuvée features Ontario’s finest winemakers, each
presenting their favourite wine. In addition, top
chefs from across the province will create signature
dishes at live cooking stations. www.cuvee.ca
The King Edward in Ilderton has introduced a new
English Pale Ale to an already-strong line-up.
“Hobgoblin Gold is a crisp and dry golden ale with
a well balanced hop nose,” says owner Rich Hunter.
“It’s the perfect pairing with our latest wing flavour,
Edinburgh Nights, based on the Scottish capital’s
famous “chippy” sauce as I experienced it on an
epic 1987 pub-crawl.” Count us intrigued! www.
thekingedward.com
Cindy Taylor of Transvaal Farm and C’estbon
Cheese launched Kitchen Smidgen is St. Marys
in November. The bakery is currently open only
Friday and Saturday, but make a point to drop by.
Taylor’s cinnamon buns and scones have a bit of a
cult following already.
We want your BUZZ! Do you have culinary news
that you’d like us to share? Every issue, Eatdrink
reaches more than 50,000 readers in print, and
thousands more online. Get in touch with us at
editor@eatdrink.ca and/or with our Social Media
Editor Bryan Lavery at bryan@eatdrink.ca
Experience the
World of Tea
Healthy Light Lunches
Flight Nights
268 Piccadilly Street (beside Oxford Book Store)
519-601-TEAS (8327) • www.tealoungelondon.com
FRI & SAT 10am-9pm • MON-THURS 10am-6pm • SUN 10am-3pm
an experience to savour ...
• stunning architecture & beautiful patio
• world-inspired cuisine enhanced by
local and seasonal ingredients
Private Dining Rooms with Audiovisuals
Ideal for Groups, Weddings,
Receptions, Rehearsal Lunches & Dinners!
NEW
Spring Menus!
+ Vegan &
Vegetarian
MENUS
2 for
20
Two-Course
Lunch for $20
Big Green Egg
Features!
OPEN MON–SAT
lunch & dinner
523 Richmond St. London www.blacktrumpet.ca
RESERVATIONS: 519-850-1500 | info@blacktrumpet.ca

34 | March/April 2017
Beer
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
A Passion for Brewing
The Upper Thames Brewing Company in Woodstock
By WAYNE NEWTON
After visiting hundreds of craft
breweries, Carl Bloomfield had
just one thought: Woodstock
needed one. So the veteran city
firefighter and passionate craft beer drinker
started to brainstorm with a few of his
buddies. A year later the five partners
launched Upper Thames Brewing
Company, Woodstock’s first (and
so far only) craft brewer.
“It’s a passion of mine to visit
craft breweries and brew pubs,”
Bloomfield said. “I likely visited 80
to 85 in the past year and got some
great ideas.”
One of those ideas — apart from
brewing a spectrum of beer styles from IPA
to porter — was to give patrons a spacious
taproom in which to mix and mingle. It also
allows the brewery to host special events.
“Ours is the Cadillac of taprooms,” Bloomfield
said. It has a capacity of 70 people, which
is large for a craft brewery, and features
a handcrafted red maple bar with a canoe
suspended from the ceiling overhead.
The location at 225 Bysham Park Drive in
Woodstock is a former industrial space that
had to go through a rezoning process to allow
the brewery and tap room. The location was
chosen for its high ceilings, concrete floor,
and potential for expansion.
Beer production at Upper Thames is the
bailiwick of partner/brewmaster Josh Bowes,
who honed his skills as a member of the
London Homebrewers Guild. Brewer Drake
Merritt, a Niagara College graduate, was
hired by Upper Thames after wowing the
owners with a white stout recipe
he had developed
while at college.
Merritt’s recipe
for Dusk to Dawn
White Stout
was promptly
Selected in
TOP 10
Beer Bars
in Canada

March/April 2017 | 35
The spacious taproom at Upper Thames Brewing Co.
above. To the right, co-owner Carl Bloomfield.
brewed, and during January was on tap at
Upper Thames. It incorporated Sumatran
coffee beans roasted by Fire Roasted Coffee
Co. of London, and Ivory Coast cacao nibs
from Habitual Chocolate of Woodstock.
Five beers are always on the board:
Backpaddle Blonde Ale, Portage India Pale Ale,
Dead Reckoning American Pale Ale, Timber
Beast Brown Ale, and Mad River Farm House
Wheat.
Mad River, made with locally-sourced
Cascade hops, returned after a brief hiatus,
due to popular demand.
Backpaddle Blonde Ale has emerged as
Upper Thames’ top seller. It is sweet, not
bitter like an IPA, and uses malt from Harvest
Hop & Malt of Puslinch.
Dead Reckoning is a hopped-up version of a
classic American pale ale, with notes of cedar,
apple and pear.
Most craft brewers feel they can’t swing
open the doors without offering a hopforward,
bitter India Pale Ale. It’s often the
beer recipe by which craft brewers are judged.
Upper Thames had a hop-loving expert in
ASK for ANDERSON
Bloomfield to help in deciding what, exactly,
the Upper Thames IPA would be like: Portage
would be an “entry-level” IPA, with bitterness
obviously present but dialled back to be
accessible to newbies, while not losing the
acceptance of hopheads.
You don’t have to be part of a club to enjoy
Upper Thames beers, but it helps. The brewery
launched its Voyageur Society Club in October.
Membership in the club, which is limited,
comes with a list of perks including first dibs
on one-off beers and access to special beertasting
events throughout the year.
Upper Thames beers are available in
64-ounce growlers at the brewery or on tap at
a handful of pubs including Wilfrid Laurier
University in Waterloo. Plans are to have
Upper Thames on tap elsewhere, including
London, and in cans at the LCBO.
Upper Thames Brewing Company
225 Bysham Park Drive, Woodstock
www.upperthamesbrewing.ca
WAYNE NEWTON is a freelance journalist in London
who enjoys writing about beer and travel.
We now have 5 varieties
available in 355mL cans.
Come pick yours up
at the brewery, today!
1030 Elias Street, London
andersoncraftales.ca

36 | March/April 2017
Wine
Cabernet Franc
Is This Ontario’s Red Wine?
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
By GARY KILLOPS
South Australia has shiraz. Mendoza,
in the heart of Argentina’s wine
country, has malbec. And in
California’s Napa Valley cabernet
sauvignon is king. Most new world wine
regions are identified by a grape or
style of wine.
Half of the wine exported
from Ontario is icewine, so it is
not surprising that this style of
wine is what many identify when
Canadian wine is mentioned.
Icewine accounts for less that 5%
of the wine production in Ontario
yet many other countries remain
unaware of the world-class dry wines
being produced in the province.
The Great Lakes moderate Ontario’s
climate. About forty years ago, when
Ontario grape growers began experimenting
with vinifera grapes such as cabernets, merlot,
chardonnay, and pinot noir, they discovered
that they could grow quite well in Ontario’s
soil and produce excellent dry style wines.
Two grapes that are emerging as Ontario’s
leading red grapes are cabernet franc and
pinot noir. Both do well in the region’s cool
climate, and result in dry red wines that are
starting to get attention.
Cabernet franc grows in Italy, USA, Chile,
and South Africa and is known as a blending
grape in Bordeaux, and as a single varietal
wine when produced in France’s
Chinon and Bourgueil regions in
the Loire Valley. It is the parent
grape of cabernet sauvignon,
merlot and carménère.
In Ontario cabernet franc
produces a medium bodied wine,
lighter than cabernet sauvignon.
Common aromas are white pepper,
tobacco, raspberry, violets and bell
pepper. It’s a food-friendly wine that is
versatile enough to pair well with roast
chicken, grilled beef, sausage, lamb, and
dishes with tomato sauce and camembert or
goat cheese.
Winemakers in Ontario use cabernet franc
to produce a variety of wine styles such as
rosé, ice wine, dry red single varietal and
as part of an assemblage for a dry red wine
blend.
Here are few cabernet franc wines for
your consideration.
Pelee Island 2015 Cabernet Franc
(LCBO#433714, $12.95) — This wine is
available directly from the winery and
also from most LCBO locations year
round in the Ontario VQA wine section.
While labeled as a single varietal, a
small amount of cabernet sauvignon
(15%) has been blended in, resulting
in a bit more body than one might
expect from a cabernet franc.
Ripe red fruits, cedar, silky
tannins, and lively food-friendly
acidity for versatile food pairings.
A very good, any day wine to drink.
Well worth the price!
Pelee Island 2013 Cabernet Franc
Rosé (LCBO #398982, $12.95) —
Made from 100% cabernet franc this
rosé is extra dry. Pale salmon colour,
light strawberry and raspberry notes
with crisp acidity. An excellent sipper
as we head into the warmer season.
Pairs well with charcuterie boards.
Another excellent value from Pelee
Island Winery.
Stratus 2013 Cabernet Franc (LCBO
#412759, $38.65) — Stratus winemaker J-L
Groux is originally from France’s Loire Valley.
He is known for his blending skills, yet made

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine March/April 2017 | 37
this wine as a single varietal
cabernet franc. This full-bodied
red wine has a look and taste
similar to one from Saint-
Émilion in the Bordeaux
region. Dominating ripe
black berry fruits, spicy
black pepper and graphite.
In a blind tasting
one might be easily
convinced that they are
drinking an expensive
Château Cheval Blanc.
After fermentation
this wine spent 552 days
in French oak barrels.
The price may seem a
bit high for an Ontario
cabernet franc, but when compared
to the $1000 plus price tag of a Cheval Blanc
this wine is well worth it!
This wine offers excellent cellaring potential
and should drink well over the next decade.
Cabernet franc grapes at harvest. Photo courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
fine expression of a red blend using grapes from
Ontario’s Lake Erie North Shore wine region.
Good complexity with ripe black berry, black
cherry, tobacco, and pencil shavings and refined
tannins. A good value for a wine of this quality.
Muscedere Vineyards 2012 Meritage
(Winery only, $30) — Meritage is a blend of at
least two red or white grapes that result in a
Bordeaux style assemblage. The red grapes for
a VQA wine in Ontario
can be cabernet sauvignon,
merlot, cabernet
franc, malbec and petit
verdot.
2012 was an exceptional
year for red
wine in Ontario. Hot
summer days and cool nights, with just the
right amount of rain, resulted in an early harvest
of fully ripe red grapes.
Muscedere’s meritage is a blend of merlot,
cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. This is a
Henry of Pelham 2013 Cabernet
Icewine (LCBO# 672402, $39.95)
— Made from cabernet franc grapes
harvested from Henry of Pelham’s Short
Hills Bench vineyards in Niagara and
fermented to 9.5% alcohol/volume, this
sweet wine offers vibrant strawberry,
red cherry and raspberry notes. A
hint of spice and well-balanced acidity
provides a backbone for the sweetness.
It pairs well with dark chocolate and
soft mild cheese.
GARY KILLOPS is a CAPS Certified Sommelier who
loves to talk, taste and write about wine. He shares his
wine tasting notes on EssexWineReview.com
Your love of all things Italian begins at
OPEN SUNDAY FOR DINNER &
MON–SAT FOR LUNCH & DINNER
519-652-7659 • HWY 401 & 4 • pastosgrill.com

38 | March/April 2017
Spirits
Cheers, Canada!
Canadian Cocktails?
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
By JANE ANTONIAK
Thanks to the antics of Bob and Doug
McKenzie back in the 90’s, there’s
a stereotype of Canadians as beer
drinkers. Others might think of the
Great White North when they reach for a sip
of ice wine or a dram of Canadian Club rye
whiskey, or that great Canadian invention, the
Bloody Caesar. But with the 150th anniversary
of Confederation upon
us, maybe it’s time for
us to raise the cocktail
glasses. Ontario is home
to a number of distilleries
whose output mixologists
and chefs are putting to
use — especially this year,
with special concoctions to celebrate our
national anniversary.
At the recent London Food & Wine Show
guests were presented with some interesting
takes on mixology. The Western Fair District
hospitality services, under the guidance
of Chef Kyle Fee (who is also an instructor
at Fanshawe College’s culinary program),
brought forward a very entertaining offering.
Chef Fee combined a local treat, London
Ice Cream, with cider. Salty Caramel ice
cream is blended with apple cider (Peller
Estates No Boats on Sunday craft apple
cider is outstanding), poured into a glass
that has been rimmed with brown sugar and
cinnamon, and topped with a bit more ice
cream and beer, to create
a very Canadian float. I
wonder if the people running
the Apple Pie Trail in the
Blue Mountains around
Collingwood will have this on
the menu soon?
Icewine Martini
Local craft breweries such
as Cowbell in Blyth are mixing
up cocktails using beer and
spirits. Glassroots on Richmond Street in
London uses Cowbell’s Country Kolsch with
vodka to make a Caesar beer cocktail. It also
has a beer-topped Old Fashioned, one of the
several classic mixed drinks which have seen a
revival of late.
If you are a strawberry fan, Dillon’s Small
Batch Distillers in Beamsville sells Strawberry
Gin — delightful on the rocks, or in an appropriately
coloured gin and tonic
for your Canada Day celebrations.
Whitney Rorison has the fantastic
job of being Hospitality Manager
at Dillon’s. With that job came
the not-so-fantastic task of
cleaning, by hand, 84 flats of
strawberries last summer from
Tigchelaar Farms in Jordan.
The result is proudly called,
“strawberries locked into a
bottle to enjoy year-round.”
Dillon’s also offers cherry
and rose gins that can hold
up on their own as liqueurs
or in fruit-based cocktails. Rose Gin is made
with rose hips and petals. For those with a
tarter taste preference, Dillon’s Limoncello
is popular and also perfect with vodka for
a Lemon Drop Martini. Don’t forget to rim
the glass with sugar. All Dillon’s spirits are
made with no artificial colourings or flavours.
The tasting room is a nice stop en route to
Niagara’s wine country.
In Niagara, icewine infused cocktails are
all the rage. Warning —
these carry a wallop. The
icewine martini is equal
parts icewine and vodka,
shaken on ice and served
with frozen grapes.
Variations include the
icewine cosmopolitan,
which uses the same
ingredients plus Grand
Marnier. Sip, don’t gulp!
Two of the most patriotic drinkers in

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine March/April 2017 | 39
Canada are Scott McCallum and
Victoria Walsh. Their Field Guide
to Canadian Cocktails (Appetite by
Random House, 2015) is a wonderful
read on how they drank their way
across the country. It includes recipes
and listings of craft distilleries along
with stories on the history of spirits
in Canada.
Cheers, Canada. Here’s to a great
year of celebrations! We plan to tell
more stories of Canadian spirits in
future issues.
JANE ANTONIAK is a regular
contributor to Eatdrink, covering
a multitude of topics. She is also
Manager, Communications & Media
Relations at King’s University
College, London.
Recipes and photos excerpted
from A Field Guide to Canadian
Cocktails by Victoria Walsh and
Scott McCallum. Appetite by
Random House, 2015.
Arctic Martinez
This northern twist on a classic Martinez uses an Arctic
Rose Vermouth Reduction — which produces a beautiful
pale-pinkish hue reminiscent of a sunset over Arctic snow.
The delicate Arctic Rose (AKA Wild Rose) is a variety that
grows wild in almost every Canadian province and into the
northern territories.
Makes 1 drink
2 oz (60 ml) Arctic Rose Vermouth
1 oz (30 ml) gin
1 tsp (5 ml) Aperol
handful of ice cubes
1 edible dried rose petal, preferably Arctic rose,
for garnish
Pour all ingredients, except ice and garnish, into a mixing
glass. Add ice and stir until chilled.
Strain through a julep strainer into a chilled coupe glass.
Garnish with rose petal.
ARCTIC ROSE VERMOUTH REDUCTION
Place 4 cups (960 ml) white sweet vermouth and 12 edible
dried rose buds, preferably Arctic rose, in a large
saucepan.
Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to
medium. Gently boil until reduced to exactly 2 cups
(480 ml) including roses, about 45 minutes. Remove
from heat and let cool completely. Fine strain through
a funnel lined with several layers of cheesecloth.
Reduction will keep, sealed and refrigerated, for 1 month.
Makes 14 oz (420 ml).
Hot Buttered Rum
This riff on the classic Hot Buttered Rum is brightened by
the use of a compound butter that blends salted butter and
bakeapple. If you can’t get your hands on bakeapple, plain
butter (instead of the compound butter) will do the trick.
Makes 6 drinks
4 cups apple cider, preferably unsweetened
12 oz. Newfoundland Screech Rum or dark rum
4 tsp chilled Bakeapple Compound Butter (recipe
below) or 4 tsp chilled salted butter + 1 Tbsp
honey
6 cinnamon sticks, for garnish (optional)
Set out 6 warmed heatproof mugs or Irish coffee glasses.
Pour 2 oz (60 ml) screech into each mug.
If using compound butter, omit honey. If using regular
butter, spoon ½ tsp (2.5 ml) honey into each mug.
Pour 2⁄3 cup (160 ml) warm cider into each mug.
Thinly slice compound or regular butter.
Top each drink with a little butter. Garnish with cinnamon
sticks, if you like.
BAKEAPPLE COMPOUND BUTTER
In a small bowl, stir 1 tbsp (15 ml) room-temperature
butter, preferably lightly salted, with 1 tsp (5 ml)
bakeapple or apple jelly.
Mound on top of plastic wrap and roll into a small log.
Wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
Compound butter will keep, sealed and refrigerated, for up
to 2 weeks. Makes 4 tsp.

40 | March/April 2017
Various Musical Notes
Lions and Lambs
On the music scene this spring
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
By GERRY BLACKWELL
Spring is around the corner, London.
Truly it is. And with it comes some
great music. The Dixie Chicks are
here,The Lumineers, Tom Cochrane, the
Gypsy Kumbia
Orchestra ...
Wait, gypsy
who?
March
enters like a
lion, with latter-day
punkers
Simple
Plan playing
London Music
Hall, Saturday
the 11th (7 p.m., no prices yet). They’re
touring their fifth studio album, Taking One
For The Team, with its cool cover shot of the
lads dressed as punk athletes. Expect a highenergy
win.
If you’re craving something a little more
traditional, Clan Hannigan is at the Cuckoo’s
Nest Folk Club (Chaucer’s Pub) on Sunday,
March 12 (7:30 p.m.,$20/$25). Clan Hannigan is
Steafan Hannigan, partner Saskia Tomkins and
their three kids. The Cobourg-based outfit plays
“mostly” Celtic music, the girls Irish-dance,
they all play instruments. They have a ball.
With the London Knights out of town,
Budweiser Gardens sets up a mid-March
musical hat trick.
On Saturday, March 18, it’s country star
Chris Stapleton, on his first Canadian
tour since releasing Traveller, his Grammywinning
debut album. Stapleton was
already a songwriter (six #1 hits), bandsman
(SteelDrivers) and session musician. Now he’s
a mega solo star. Nashville-based Canadian
singer-songwriter Lindi Ortega opens (7:30
p.m., $52-$72).
Multiple-Grammy-winning Hall of Famers
Green Day play the Bud on Sunday, March
19 (8:00 p.m., $41.50-$87.50) — another
dose of punk to wake you from your winter
lethargy. They’re touring Revolution Radio,
released in October. The LA Times called it
Green Day
“a barnstormer of a new punk record,”USA
Today, “a bracing return to form.” ’Nuff said?
Finally, indie-folk trio The Lumineers
play the Knight’s barn, Wednesday, March
22 (7:00 p.m., $37.50-$74.50). Have a listen to
Chris Stapleton
The Lumineers

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
their second studio album, Cleopatra, released
last April (goo.gl/p0CfEU). It’s infectious,
poignant ... luminous.
For a dose of sweet-and-funny, catch
harmonizing folk duo Dala at Aeolian Hall on
March 24 (7 p.m./8 p.m., $25/$30). The duo —
childhood besties Amanda Walther and Sheila
Carabin from Scarborough — sing like angels
and go for the giggles between songs. They
were great fun at Home County a couple of
years ago.
Still in a folky vein, London Music Club
offers up Australian newcomer Daniel
Champagne, Friday March 24 (8 p.m./8:30
p.m., $12/$15). A songwriter and “unique
guitar virtuoso,” Champagne is a big deal
at home. Now he’s on a world tour with his
album, The Heartland Hurricanes. Your
chance to see the next Nick Cave?
www.sunfest.on.ca
Direct from Chile
NANO
STERN
Saturday, March 11
Vancouver’s Ultimate Party Band
World Music
& Jazz Series
2016 - 17
Series Sponsor
ALEJANDRA RIBERA
Thursday, March 16
acher Flyer (2016)
TD SUNFEST’S
LONDON MUSIC
(Beth) Hickey, BA(MUS)
FIVE
WEEK SHOWCASE
Friday, April 7
ced piano/theory teacher now accepting new ALARM students into professional
Jack Richardson Ballroommusic
London Music Hall of Fame, 182 Dundas St
, active musician, established in the community FUNK
Tickets at sunfest.on.ca
Friday, March 24
al instruction
London Music Hall, 185 Queens Ave
Tickets at londonmusichall.com
ounding to have gift of music for life / lifelong gift of music
World Fusion Septet
ome-based environment
VENTANAS
orth location, convenient to bus routes
ionate, kind, caring, nurturing, gentle, encouraging, understanding
nservatory Exam Preparation
y Piano Proficiency Preparation
n Street
4022
Dala
RON
SEXSMITH
Wednesday, April 26
Thurs. April 20
London Music Hall, 185 Queens Ave
Tickets at londonmusichall.com
All Concerts: Doors at 7:00 pm ~ Performances at 8:00 pm
Unless otherwise indicated, all concerts are at Aeolian
Hall , 795 Dundas St ., London
Tickets at Aeolian Box Office (519-672-7950), Centennial Hall, Long & McQuade North,
Village Idiot (Wortley Village), and online at sunfest.on.ca or aeolianhall.ca
Develop skills & a love for music
PIANO LESSONS
Daniel Champagne
Revival House in Stratford continues its
Friday-night dinner-and-concert series.
The Small Glories — Cara Luft (late of the
Wailin’ Jennies) and JD Edwards –are there
on March 24. Minstrel Craig Cardiff is in on
April 7. Then it’s American singer-songwriter
Joe Crookson, with Toronto-based husband-
Experienced Piano/Theory Teacher
now accepting new students
Individual Instruction for All Ages
Compassionate, Caring, Encouraging
Home-based Professional Music Studio
Royal Conservatory Exam Preparation
University Piano Proficiency Preparation
Beth Hickey, BA (MUS)
North London
bhickey57@hotmail.com 519-432-4022

eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
Tom Cochrane
and-wife folk duo The Young Novelists, on
April 28. ($25 concerts only, $35 with dinner.)
March does not go out like a lamb. Not with
vintage rocker Tom Cochrane and his Mad
Mad World Tour playing Kitchener’s Centre
in the Square, Tuesday March 28 (8 p.m.,
$39.50-$79.50). Cochrane released his iconic
Mad Mad World album 25 years ago. To mark
its quarter-century, he’s touring with his old
band, Red Rider, playing the entire album live.
A fan’s delight.
For jazz buffs, it’s slim pickings this spring
(so far). Except for good ol’ Jazz For The
People. It keeps chugging along with its series
of free concerts at the Wolf Performance Hall
(Central Library). London vocalist Laurraine
Segouin and The Ken Foster Quartet
appear Wednesday, March 29 at 7:15 p.m. Then
on April 26, it’s Group of Seven, another
London outfit. Did we mention it’s free?
Country fans will want to head to Brantford
on March 29 (about 70 minutes away.) The
Sanderson Centre has country darling Terri
Clark, a multiple Juno and CCMA award
winner, and the only Canadian regular at the
Grand Ol’ Opry (8:00 p.m., $46/$56). Clark,
with hits such as “Better Things To Do,” “Poor
Poor Pitiful Me,” “and “Northern Girl,” is a
certified Big Deal in country and her opening
act, Jessica Mitchell, is an exciting up-andcomer.
Definitely worth the drive.
Here’s an interesting concept: father and
son duo Bill and Joel Plaskett. Joel, the
alt-rocker familiar to CBC radio listeners and
aficionados of his band Emergency, teams
up with one of his biggest musical influences,
Dad. They’re everywhere this spring,
promoting their Solidarity CD. Catch them at
Aeolian Hall April 12 and 13, with guests the
Mayhemingways (7 p.m./8 p.m., $30/$35).
The Dixie Chicks
Or Thursday, May 4 at Dominion Telegraph
in Paris, Ontario (7:00 p.m., $45). Or May 5 at
Bayfield Town Hall (7:00 p.m., $39.55).
High-energy all-girl alt country band the
Dixie Chicks hits the Bud on Tuesday, April
18 (7:30 p.m., $71-$141). We’re wondering what
the Chicks have to say about the Donald. If
they were “ashamed” of George W. Bush, what
must they think of Trump?
Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra
And finally, yes, Gypsy Kumbia
Orchestra: Saturday, May 13 at Aeolian
Hall (7 p.m./8 p.m., $25/$30.)Who are they?
Imagine a mash-up of Afro-Caribbean,
Balkan brass and Roma fiddles, with dancing,
colourful costumes and energy overload.
That’s GKO — definitely not your average
orchestra.
Bill and Joel Plaskett
GERRY BLACKWELL is a London-based freelance
writer.

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine March/April 2017 | 43
The Classical Beat
The Show Must Go On
Stars are stepping up, and shining
By NICOLE LAIDLER
The musicians of #WePlayOn
celebrated the beginning of 2017
with a new name and a new general
manager. Violinist Andrew Chung
took over the administrative reins of the newly
named London Symphonia at the end of
January and is already looking ahead to next
season. But before then, London Symphonia
has two distinctly different musical experiences
to offer audiences this spring.
On March 15 members of the orchestra
will join Payadora Tango Ensemble for a
journey through the seductive world of tango,
at Museum London. A month later, on April 9,
Stratford Shakespeare Festival music director
Franklin Brasz leads a stellar cast of Festival
performers in an afternoon of music from
the Broadway stage at Metropolitan United
Church. Tickets for both concerts are available
online at the orchestra’s new website: www.
londonsymphonia.ca and Chung hopes to
have the details for London Symphonia’s first
full season finalized before the April matinee.
Payadora Tango Ensemble
Concerts this March. Unfortunately a
scheduling conflict meant this busy superstar
had to bow out — but all is not lost. Another
rising Canadian star, soprano Marie-Josée
Lord, has stepped in to save the day. Lord
and pianist Hugues Cloutier will present a
program of traditional spirituals and songs by
Gershwin and Bernstein at Wolf Performance
Hall, March 25. www.jefferyconcerts.com
Marie-Josée Lord
Fans of period performance are in for a treat
when Tafelmusik’s Ontario Tour: Visions
& Voyages, Canada 1663–1763, makes a
stop at Aeolian Hall, March 28. Described
by Tafelmusik marketing manager, Peter
Harte, as “a multimedia concert exploring
a fascinating century of Canadian history,”
this multi-dimensional program designed
by Alison Mackay weaves together images of
maps and works of art, diplomatic dispatches,
“Our goal is to offer six events next year,”
he says. “We won’t be performing as a fullsized
orchestra every time. We want to be
a community-centric orchestra, so we’ll be
branching into smaller formations to create
different musical experiences.”
London-born tenor Andrew Haji was to
have made his local debut with The Jefferey

44 | March/April 2017
and orchestral works by Purcell, Lully and
Handel. The evening features special guests,
narrator Brian Cunningham of Native
Performing Arts, and choreographer and
dancer Brian Solomon. www.aeolianhall.ca
The Karen Schuessler Singers are also
celebrating the sounds of Canada with a
multi-media performance, April 1 at Wesley-
Knox United Church.
Love in a Canoe: Celebrating Canada at
150 is a bit like taking a musical trip across
the country, says KSS music director Karen
Schuessler. “We’ll be performing songs
people know and love,” she says. The program
includes music inspired and composed by First
Nations artists and Canadian folk singers
like Ian and Sylvia Tyson, Stan Rogers, and
Gordon Lightfoot.
Guitarist and award-winning music
producer Paul Mills will make a special guest
appearance, and the evening will wrap up with
an audience sing-along to Leonard Cohen’s
Hallelujah. “It will be the sort of concert
to make you feel proud to be Canadian,”
promises Schuessler. www.kssingers.com
Paul Mills
Serenata Music marks the end of its
season with a long-awaited return visit by
internationally-acclaimed pianist Sara Davis
Buechner, May 6 at Wolf Performance Hall.
With a huge amount of repertoire at her
fingertips, Buechner’s program may be a
bit of an impromptu performance. “Mozart
is one of her favourite composers, and her
interpretations are scintillating in their
grasp of the composer’s wit, demand for
dexterity, and sensitivity in the poignant
moments,” notes Serenata Music director
Renée Silberman. “She will move on to a
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bravura work from the Romantic portion of
the nineteenth century, and then it is likely
that she will make a survey of some twentieth
century jazz-inflected material.”
Sara Davis Buechner
Buechner last graced the Serenata stage
in 2007, and Silberman says excitement is
already building for her return. “Sara’s playing
expresses fearlessness about life and art,” she
says. “Her performances radiate outward from
the stage and electrify her audiences.” www.
serenatamusic.com
If you, or someone you know, is a string player
in Grade 11 through university undergraduate,
Western 360 Summer Music Festival is
looking for you.
London’s newest chamber music
festival runs August 10 to 13 and will
offer 50 successful applicants coaching by
internationally-renowned faculty, workshops
on everything from The Alexander Technique
to building a professional website, and public
concerts by Ensemble Made in Canada
(August 11), Western faculty members (August
12) and festival participants (August 13).
“We are not necessarily looking for
competition winners, or even people aiming
for a professional career in music, but
students who are curious to learn about
things that aren’t necessarily covered in a
typical lesson,” says festival executive director,
Thea Boyd. The deadline for application is
March 19. www.music.uwo.ca/events/360-summerfestival/application.html
NICOLE LAIDLER is a former classical musician who
has been writing about London’s cultural scene for more
than a decade. To see what else she’s been up to visit www.
spilledink.ca

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine March/April 2017 | 45
Theatre
Feeling the Cold?
Here are some dramatic diversions
By JANE ANTONIAK
It may feel like the dead of winter, but
there are plenty of reasons to leave your
cocoon and head to see some heartwarming
theater during March and April.
Art by Yasmina Reza, presented by special
arrangement with Dramatists Play Service,
Inc., New York and Directed by Nigel Shawn
Williams, runs at the Grand Theatre until
March 11 th . A study of beauty being in the eye
of the beholder — or — there’s no accounting
for taste, this
Tony awardwinning
masterpiece
explores the
idea of what,
if anything,
defines
art, and
friendship.
Readers
will be excited to put down their latest book
and head to the Grand. The best-selling
novel, Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne
Johnston is adapted for the stage at The
Grand Theatre March 21 to April 8 th . This is
an especially timely look at Canadian history
during Canada’s 150 th anniversary year. The
play, with jazz music backup, examines the
story of Newfoundland’s former, and famous,
premier Joey Smallwood. Colin Furlong
portrays the man some called the last Father
of Confederation. The book was adapted for
the stage by Robert Chafe. The play is directed
by Jillian Keiley.
The Pacheco Theatre company, based in
London, takes to Procunier Hall at the Palace
Theatre
with
Who’s
Afraid of
Virginia
Wolf?
This production
of the
classic
discussion
of
a troubled relationship runs March 1–11 th .
Rated 18+ for language and mature subject
matter
Things lighten up at the Palace Theatre
over March Break when the London Youth
Theatre presents The Addams Family on the
main stage. This is a musical version of the
popular 1960’s television show, directed by
Ruth Noonan with music directed by Kristina
Baron-Woods.
London history comes alive at the Palace
with The Triumph of Teresa Harris. Written by
local London poet, novelist and playwright
Penn Kemp, the adventures of the youngest
member of the wealthy Harris family of Eldon
House in London is told March 22 to 25 th in
Procunier Hall at the Palace.
A busy month at the Palace winds up

46 | March/April 2017
on March 26 th with a matinee, A Forever
Frozen Story, presented by TOHU-BOHU
productions. This musical is inspired by Hans
Christian Andersen’s original fairy tale “The
Snow Queen.” The production company states
that the show “is not based in any way on
Disney’s animated motion picture Frozen.”
Still, it looks like some family fun to welcome
spring.
For those who loved it at the London Fringe
Festival (or missed it and want a chance to
see it), check out Submerged by Vivien Adler,
presented by Banished by the King at The Arts
Project March 2 to 4 th .
All you would ever want to know about
belly dancing is the interesting theme of
Best Kept Secrets presented by Rising Moon
Bellydance at The Arts Project on April
7 th . Artists from
London, Woodstock,
Kitchener, Guelph,
and Hamilton,
in a variety of
costumes, will
tell stories
through dance.
Dance and song
wraps up March at
Budweiser Gardens with the Broadway in London
series, Annie. This much-loved Broadway
blockbuster is sure to chase away the winter
blahs with sugar-coated optimism about “Tomorrow.”
Annie is on stage at Bud Gardens on
March 23 rd .
The King’s Players at King’s University
College present The Real Inspector Hound
March 29 to April 1 st . The whodunit one act
play will be performed in the historic Dante
Lenardon Hall on campus.
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
presented by
Hidden Talents,
then takes to the
Imperial Theatre
from April 19 to
22 nd .
Singing in
the Rain will be
playing at St.
Jacob’s Country
Playhouse March
22 to April 15 th .
Classic musical
theatre presented
by Drayton
Entertainment.
There are two musical theatre shows to
get your toes tapping at the Port Stanley
Festival Theatre in March and April. Patsy
Cline and the Queens of Country runs twice
on March 11 th . Bandstand Revisited with
Dick Clark (tribute) has two shows on
April 22 nd . Both are presented by Bill Culp
Productions.
You know it’s spring when previews
start at the Stratford Festival! Guy and
Dolls previews begin April 15 at The
Festival Theatre. Donna Feore directs
and choreographs this musical comedy. The
production dances its way from New York to
Havana in a battle of the sexes.
Around the region
Alfred Hitchcock fans will want to head to
Sarnia’s Imperial Theatre. The 39 Steps is
presented by Theatre Sarnia from March 31
to April 8 th . A cast of four bravely presents
150 characters in a comedic whodunit. Glee,
A new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s
Treasure Island begins previews on April 22 at
the Avon Theatre. Juan Chiroan as Long John
Silver is a much anticipated performance of the
season at Stratford. This will be a world première
of Nicolas Billon’s adaptation, commissioned by
the Stratford Festival and directed by Mitchell
Cushman.
JANE ANTONIAK is a regular contributor to Eatdrink
magazine. She is also Manager, Communications & Media
Relations, at King’s University College in London.

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine March/April 2017 | 47
Recipes
The Ocean Wise Cookbook 2
More seafood recipes that are good for the planet
Edited by Jill Mundy
Review and Recipe Selections by TRACY TURLIN
With so much
information
available about
food these days,
it’s sometimes difficult to know
which choices to make. Since
I can be finicky about fish, I
struggle to get more seafood
in my diet. Add in the larger
issue of sustainability and
it’s enough to make you
throw in the kitchen towel.
Freelance writer, editor
and photographer Jane
Mundy has made these
choices easier with the publication of The
Ocean Wise Cookbook 2; More seafood recipes
that are good for the planet. Ocean Wise is a
Vancouver Aquarium conservation initiative
that partners with restaurants and suppliers
of seafood products that commit to offering
more sustainable options to their customers.
A seafood source is deemed Ocean Wise if
it meets four criteria relating to abundance,
management and method of harvest. This
list is continually updated so a fish that is
Ocean Wise today (or at the time of writing
the book) should be checked
before purchase to ensure
that it hasn’t fallen to Not
Recommended status. This
can be done easily at www.
oceanwise.ca. There’s an
abundance of information
here; it’s worth taking the time
to explore.
Since the release of the
original Ocean Wise cookbook
in 2010, the movement
to promote sustainable,
responsibly sourced food has
grown by leaps and bounds.
More chefs across the
country are preparing
food that matters before
it hits the plate, and
customers are loving the
results.
I enjoyed the things I
learned from this book as
much as I liked the dishes.
I found information about
many types of seafood, some
that were new to me. Substitutions
are encouraged to
ensure sustainable choices.
There are even a few dishes
using canned fish. Adventurous
cooking techniques are demystified
and safety tips are offered if you prefer
your seafood raw. There are instructions for
home made condiments like Blueberry Pickle
and Black Olive Powder that are used in later
recipes but are versatile enough to become
pantry staples.
Ocean Wise 2 is truly a beginner-toadvanced
book. Mundy has taken restaurant
recipes compiled from chefs across Canada
and made them accessible to the home cook.
They are rated by difficulty,
so you can choose which
to make for a week night
dinner and which to save
for a Sunday afternoon with
lots of preparation time. I’m
including one of each here
for you.
My “gotta make this as
soon as possible” dish is
the Grilled Lingcod Tacos,
Goddess Sauce and Summer
Coleslaw. This dish is so easy
Editor Jane Mundy

48 | March/April 2017
it almost cooks itself. It also includes my
favourite hot sauce and satisfies my obsession
with tacos. I may not wait until summer to
grill this one up.
My “I’m going to pretend I’m going to
make this someday” recipe is Dungeness
Crab Ravioli. Hand made ravioli is filled with
crab meat, ricotta cheese and a perfect egg
yolk and served with a rich, creamy bisque
and garlic breadcrumbs. I may not get brave
enough to tackle this one anytime soon but I’ll
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savour every minute thinking about it.
It’s this contrast that makes Ocean Wise 2
a great book if you are looking for something
fancy to impress someone on date night or you
are simply trying to get your kids to eat a better
kind of fish stick. Take the plunge, you’ll be
hooked. (You know I had to go there.)
TRACY TURLIN is a freelance writer and dog groomer in
London. Reach her at tracyturlin@gmail.com
Recipes and photos excerpted from The Ocean Wise Cookbook 2, edited by Jane Mundy.
Grilled Lingcod Tacos, Goddess Sauce
and Summer Coleslaw
Chef Chris Mills, Joey Restaurant Group, Vancouver
Serves 4
These fish tacos are authentic, simple to make, and
a perfect summer meal. Sauces are the key to great
tacos. With this recipe you make one, the Goddess
Sauce, and buy one, the Valentina hot sauce.
TIP: I use new wooden clothes pins to keep the tacos
folded.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Pacific halibut or any firm-fleshed
fish. You can substitute your favourite hot sauce here
for the Valentina.
GODDESS SAUCE
½ cup (125 mL) Mayonnaise (p. 16)
1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped green onions
1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh Italian parsley
½ tsp (2 mL) chopped garlic
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
½ tsp (5 mL) dried tarragon
1 anchovy fillet, chopped (optional)
Salt
Black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor, blending
until smooth.
SUMMER COLESLAW
3 cups (750 mL) thinly sliced green cabbage
½ cup (125 mL) peeled and grated carrot
¼ cup (60 mL) thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup (60 mL) chopped and loosely packed
cilantro
¼ cup (60 mL) rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp (1 mL) sea salt
Place cabbage, carrots and red onions in a colander; rinse
thoroughly with cold water to crisp. Allow to drain for 5
minutes. Meanwhile, whisk cilantro, vinegar, oil and salt
in a large bowl. Add vegetables. Toss well to coat.
LINGCOD TACOS
1 lb (450 g) lingcod, cut into strips
Salt
Black pepper
Twelve 6-inch (15 cm) white corn tortillas
¼ cup (60 mL) grated cheddar cheese
2 avocados, diced
1 cup (250 mL) shredded lettuce
½ cup (125 mL) diced tomatoes
¼ cup (60 mL) diced white onions
¼ cup (60 mL) Goddess Sauce
3 Tbsp (45 mL) Valentina hot sauce
Grill fish on the barbecue with salt and pepper until it is
just cooked, about 90 seconds per side. (Or heat 1 Tbsp /
15 mL olive oil in a heavy, large skillet and panfry until
cooked through.) Meanwhile, place the tortillas spread
out on a preheated barbecue with grated cheese on them.
Spoon a teaspoon of Goddess Sauce onto the cheese
and place the cooked fish on top. Pile the remaining
ingredients on top of each individual taco and gently fold
them in half. Finish with a drizzle of Valentina hot sauce.
Indoor Winter Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 9am–1pm, through April 8
Our outdoor Farmers’ Market remains
indoors, upstairs on the Mezzanine. We grow
it, raise it, make it & bake it —
local produce, meat, cheese,
wine and more! Vendor
sampling takes place on the
main floor, Centre Court,
10am–1pm. FREE
Cooking Classes run
from 11am–noon upstairs
in the Market Kitchen. Live
music from 10am–noon.
Recipe Samples from Jill’s Table
Thursdays, 11:45am–1:15pm
The market has partnered with the expert
cooks at Jill’s Table for a weekly dish featuring
market ingredients. Great suggestions for
meals, soups, salads, desserts and more! Try
the food, pick up a recipe.
Outdoor Easter Market
Saturday, April 15, 8am–1pm
Enjoy out annual Easter
market tradition!
Free Parking
2 Hours Saturday & Sunday, ½ hour Weekdays
Outdoor Farmers’ Market
Opening Day is Saturday, May 6. Join us!
TO SERVE
Serve with a side of coleslaw and the remaining Goddess
Sauce in a small bowl. Leftover Goddess Sauce will keep
refrigerated for up to 1 week, and goes well with just about
any white fish.
PAIRING SUGGESTION
Light and just slightly spicy, these fish tacos are best
paired with crisp dry white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc,
Pinot Blanc or a lighter style Chardonnay.

50 | March/April 2017
Dungeness Crab Ravioli
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
Chef Tim Evans, The Cascade Room and Charlie’s Little
Italian, Vancouver
This dish appears on the feature sheet at Charlie’s Little
Italian in the late summer during peak crab season.
Serves 4 mains or 8 appetizers.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Lobster or shrimp meat for the crab or you can use
spinach instead for vegetarians. “00” flour is an Italian
measurement that indicates how finely ground the flour is
and how much of the bran and germ have been removed.
00 is best for making pasta but all-purpose flour will do.
the dough looks a little dry,
add a small amount of water
until it comes together. If
it looks a little wet, add a
touch more flour.
After 5 minutes the dough
should be smooth and have
elasticity. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate
for 1 hour.
RICOTTA CRAB
FILLING
2 cups (500 mL)
ricotta cheese
2 pinches of kosher
salt
Pinch of black
pepper
1 lemon, juiced and
zested
¼ cup (60 mL) fresh
chopped tarragon
1 cup (250 mL)
Dungeness crab
meat
8 free range egg
yolks
Mix all ingredients in
a mixing bowl. Make
sure texture is even and
refrigerate until ready
to use.
PASTA
2 eggs
2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra
virgin olive oil
2 pinches of kosher
salt
2 cups (500 mL) 00
flour
2 egg yolks
Mix eggs, olive oil and
salt. Pour flour into a
large mixing bowl and
create a well in the
middle with a fork. Pour
egg mixture into flour
and gently fold in sides
with the fork until dough
starts to form. Knead the
dough for 5 minutes. If

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
After pasta dough has rested, roll out in pasta machine or
with rolling pin until fingertips can be just seen through
the dough. Cut into 16 large 4-inch (10 cm) squares.
Lay out 8 pasta squares. Place 2 Tbsp (30 mL) of ricotta
mixture into the centre of each one.
Make a well in the centre of the ricotta with the back of
a spoon and place in egg yolk being very careful not to
break it. Wet edges of pasta square with a little egg yolk
or water and press the remaining squares on top to form
the raviolo.
Press gently but firmly around the edge of each raviolo to
seal and make sure water cannot enter.
Poach the ravioli in simmering salty water for 2–3 minutes
until tender.
BISQUE
1 cup (250 mL) chopped onion
1 cup (250 mL) chopped celery
1 cup (250 mL) chopped carrot
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste
1 Tbsp (15 mL) brandy
4 cups (1 L) crab or Fish Stock (p. 14)
2 cups (500 mL) whipping cream
In a saucepan, cook onion, celery, carrot and garlic
until translucent. Add tomato paste and cook out until
thickened and coating vegetables. Add brandy to deglaze.
Add stock and reduce by half then add cream and reduce
by half. Strain and keep warm.
GARLIC BREADCRUMBS
1 cup (250 mL) panko
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp (2 mL) extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Stir ingredients into breadcrumbs and toast in oven for 3
minutes or until golden brown.
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TO SERVE
Olive oil
Italian parsley
Place two raviolo in each bowl and poor over bisque.
Garnish with garlic bread crumbs, olive oil and Italian
parsley, as desired.
PAIRING SUGGESTION
Di Lenardo, Pinot Grigio.
WE ARE YOUR LONDON OUTLET FOR
• Metzger Meat Products • Lena’s Lamb
• Blanbrook Bison Farm • Little Sisters Chicken
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52 | March/April 2017
Books
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
When the Moon Hits Your Eye
Slice Harvester: A Memoir in Pizza
by Colin Atrophy Hagendorf
Review by DARIN COOK
Some people have
the guts to take on
groundbreaking
projects that become
bigger than themselves. Setting
out to eat at every pizzeria in
New York City seems to be
one of these undertakings,
but the magnitude of it did
not dissuade Colin Atrophy
Hagendorf. At first, he was
hesitant about liberating the
idea from the safety of just
being an idea, to something
for the greater good of pizza
lovers everywhere. Even
standing before the first
pizzeria for his inaugural slice, Hagendorf had
reservations about following through with
the plan. But on that first day he hit seven
pizzerias; most of them were not good, but
the last one gave him hope to carry on.
From August 2009 to November 2011,
Hagendorf became known as The Slice
Harvester, a self-proclaimed “mozzarellafueled
superhero” warning “fellow citizens
against inferior pizza” by consuming 435
different slices across the city. He documented
each visit in a notebook and published
them on his Slice
Harvester blog, along
with a quarterly
print version zine.
His book, Slice
Harvester: A Memoir
in Pizza (Simon
& Schuster, 2015,
$30.00), that came
out after the project
was completed, is
different than his
blog and zine, which
focused on each slice as
the research unfolded.
The book does have
snippets of the best
and worst slices he had,
but is more about what
he was going through
personally on his pizza
mission. Hagendorf is not a
mainstream guy: he is antiyuppie,
anti-government,
anti-Billy Joel and, since his
teen years, his punk lifestyle
has been as formative to his
character as pizza. He was
dedicated to his project like
nothing he had set his mind to
before, trying to put his unique
mark on the world, all the while fighting
hangovers, battling past demons, and dealing
with relationship commitment issues. He
writes: “All I had ever wanted as a kid was to
create something that would resonate with
people — and here I was, doing just that.”
He often attended his harvesting sessions
with other friends, mostly punk musicians
or zine artists, but also had one memorable
experience with actress Phoebe Cates and
her teenage daughter. He put in a lot of miles
during tasting days,
often hitting up
to eight or nine
pizzerias in a few
blocks. He dropped
into places with
names like Pizza
Palace, Grandpa’s
Brick Oven Pizza,
Amadeus Pizzeria,
and Hell’s Kitchen
Colin Atrophy Hagendorf

HOPE MADE DELICIOUS
WEDNESDAY APRIL 26
www.atasteforlife.org
Where will you dine?
25% of sales will be
donated to RHAC.
25% des ventes seront
reversées à RHAC.
Pizza, and reminds his readers to never judge
“a slice by its storefront.” He might have had
a nearly perfect slice in one pizzeria and one
block away had one that made him throw up
(yes, that happened once).
He ordered a plain cheese slice (or “a regular
slice” in New York parlance) at each location
to keep a consistent comparison. Each slice
was given an overall rating out of 8, based on
certain qualities: sauce flavor, dough quality,
cheese flavor, ratio of ingredients, aftertaste,
temperature (he prefers reheated, rather than
fresh out of the oven), structural integrity
(being able to eat it on the go), and value for
the price. His ideal slice could be described as
“tangy, not-too-sweet sauce, crisp crust, good
quality cheese, all working together in the
delicate balance of ratios that separates a great
slice from a mediocre one.” Even with several
of the 435 slices fitting this description, Pizza
Suprema, with such accolades from his blog as
“the ratios on this slice were superb” and “the
crust’s flavor was unstoppable”, was the only
restaurant that received a perfect 8 during his
entire pizza journey.
His project gained traction and attention
from the media. He was acknowledged for
his work by the pizzerias themselves (at least
those with glowing reviews). People started
using his reviews as a way of knowing where
to go for good pizza in certain parts of the
city. He was being taken seriously for pizza
advice, generating a following of people
interested in pizza culture. The harvesting of
pizza gave him a purpose in life that he had
been avoiding thus far.
The memoir goes beyond pizza ratings,
however, and the discipline involved in his
project caused other revelations to arise in
his life, like reconciling with his parents years
after being an unkind teenager, admitting that
his method of looking for love through online
dating may be misguided, and recognizing that
a clean and sober path might be a better way
to get his life out of a rut. After completing his
two-year project, a combination of success,
fame, and true love prompted him to come
clean with his addictions and to control his life
in a way that may not have come about if not
for his love of pizza.
DARIN COOK is a freelance writer based in Chatham
who keeps himself well-read and well-fed by visiting the
bookstores and restaurants of London.

54 | March/April 2017
The Lighter Side
Just Eat It!
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
By JUDY FRANCISSEN
Edna Staebler coined the phrase Food
That Really Schmecks, which is also
the title of her cookbook series based
on Mennonite home cooking. While
I’m not a Mennonite, my Dutch genes have
helped me to be a pretty good cook. My ex
might argue that point, but that is why he
is my ex. My current spouse shakes his head
at my ex’s opinion of my cooking, because
according to him my salads and main courses
rock! And even some of my desserts. Woo hoo!!
As you might know from previous stories,
I’m not the best baker, nor are desserts my
forte. Those Dutch dessert-making genes
went to my middle sister.
I do have a knack for putting
flavours together and coming
up with winning meals.
Only I forgot to write
down what I did and can’t
remember how I did it,
so it can’t be replicated.
As a young family
many moons ago, we
always sat down at the
kitchen table for the family
supper. My son, who had
such a good appetite when he
was a baby and toddler, turned
into a picky eater. We endured meals
punctuated with “just eat it” and “finish your
supper,” and “stop talking and eat please.” It
even got to the point where we would sing to
him Al Yankovic’s “Eat It.” We had to convince
him that every meal was chicken. It was the
only way he would eat his dinner.
As he got older and a slight bit wiser, he
asked why chicken looked different each day.
My answer, “Because your mother is a genius
in the kitchen. She knows how to make it look
and taste different, so you don’t get bored.”
As a teen he often skipped meals. Friends
and skateboarding took precedence over
family meals, but the next day, the platter of
leftovers would be gone, along with much else
from my fridge.
He refused to learn how to cook, thinking
perhaps he’d live with Mom for the rest of
his life and she would always provide. Young
adulthood soon burst that bubble.
Off to college in Toronto, where he learned
that fried eggs on toast (the only meal he
could make) could quickly get boring. He
became inventive — fried egg on toast with
lettuce, or with kale and chopped carrots. The
many variations of fried eggs on toast were
original, to say the least. Soon it was a steady
diet of Mr. Noodles — raw or cooked. To be
replaced with kale, sliced apples and peanut
butter licked off the spoon.
When his schooling took him to
Ottawa, trips home were few
and far between. His diet of
kale and sliced apples with
globs of peanut butter
continued. Soon he
learned how to make rice.
Pasta with canned sauces
became a staple and was
added to his growing
culinary arsenal.
He came home for a
visit at Christmas and I
planned all his favourite meals.
Listed them out to which days I
was making them. He never missed a
meal. Made it a priority to be home on time,
sat down with his family, and lapped up
every dish, asking for second and thirds. We
didn’t have to say, “just eat it” or “finish your
supper,” or even “Santa is watching.”
His lips smacked with murmurs of
“Mmmm” as he ate. When he was done, said,
“That was so good Mom.” I smiled benignly,
and patted myself on the back because — my
food really schmecks.
JUDY FRANCISSEN resides in London,where she
spends her time writing nature, travel, historical and
human interest articles, and working toward getting her
novels published.

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine
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56 | March/April 2017
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