Birthday Dinner at C5 Restaurant Lounge

We had the pleasure of celebrating a Birthday dinner last Saturday night at C5, the beautiful restaurant at the Royal Ontario Museum (Link here)

One enters from Bloor Street under the towering overhang of the Chin Crystal, into a mysterious passageway & up the elevators to the 5th floor.

At the reception station, one is greeted warmly & wraps are whisked away for safe storage. Proceeding past the strange Chihuly-esque blown glass "planter box" we are escorted to our table in the beautiful dining room.

To the right in the above photo is a massive wall of canted glass that looks out over the city to the west, magnificent for sunsets. Unfortunately, last Saturday was a dark grey day & the sun slipped away in a very unceremonious manner.

The menu was, of course, very seasonal. We each started with the arugula & mushroom salad, which was assembled on a base of velvety mushroom mousse. On the mousse were layered a few slices of braised, lightly pickled endive & a handful of tender & delicate baby arugula leaves, topped with thin slices of button mushrooms & lightly sautéed baby cremini (?)

Strewn about the mousse under the greens were lardons of wild boar pancetta, a few rosemary croutons & candied walnuts. Yumm!!

Jay opted for the Dorset lamb as his main, which came with two chops & a piece of melt-in-your-mouth neck meat. (We're sure there must be a more elegant name for this cut!) It was accompanied by goat cheese mash which, challenging its menu description, arrived in the form of small cylinders looking more like sections of carrot stalk! (Sorry, no picture for this dish.)

Bee had the wild boar chop, shown below, which was delicately resting upon a different mash. This time it was actually a delectable purée of celeriac lightly flavoured with maple. Once again boar pancetta lardons graced the plate, tossed together with the oriental green gai lan (often referred to as Chinese broccoli) & a dice of bartlett pear. A sprinkle of baby arugula leaves topped it all. Those, together with the pancetta, nicely tied this particular main back to the mushroom appetizer.

Given that we both opted for fairly strongly flavoured meats, a hearty Argentinian was in store.

(And who doesn't appreciate a hearty Argentinian?!)

As you can see, Bee was a happy camper after his main.

The desert menu was well considered. Jay selected the "Lemon, Olive Oil, & Honey" which the menu describes as "Lemon Olive Oil Cake, Lemon Mascarpone Cream, Honey Gelato, & Chocolate" Have a look:

Bee was just too darn full to have anything more than ice cream. He opted for sesame, honey, and chocolate marmalade. All were custardy smooth & the chocolate delivered a cocoa wallop! And somehow the kitchen found out there was a birthday involved...

All in all, a superb meal! Excellent, elegant food; knowledgeable & professional service; all in a magical environment. A perfect birthday treat!

Above is a view looking back
from the dining room to the bar area.
(It's late & the place is starting to clear out)
BTW, we've lightened the photos a bit for clarity. The spaces actually feel more intimate than they look here.

Above, in the bar.

Sated, and back out on the street under the dynamic forms of the museum building.

This month is also anniversary month, so look forward to a visit to Canoe in a few weeks!

Happy Mothers Day

My mom,Paris 1950's
Love you...
XOXO

Vintage C.B.C.

We have recently had the opportunity of getting inside the fortress like facilities at the C.B.C.

Beside the overwhelming labyrinth of halls and studios and elevator banks,there are many wonderful tributes/collages spread around the gorgeous Barbara Frum atrium.

Past shows and personalities,(care to have a guess who these youngsters might be and what has come of them??) that brought back a great flood of memories...Some will not remember some of these photos,but for a young pup,growing up out west and desperate for some Montreal "glamour" Radio Canada provided,these two programs that were not to be missed on Saturday mornings.
Moi et L'autre and Bobino et Bobinette.
Many have varying views on the C.B.C. and it's purpose......but seeing these many tributes we felt a great sense of belonging to this big and great country of ours.

Halston:A legend that deserves better

A new documentary recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and from what we have read an incredible opportunity was missed.

Ultrasuede:In search of Halston

Eric Gaskins of The Huffinton Post reviews the documentary by Whitney Sudler-Smith,which we paraphrase here.

As children of the 70's ,Halston,to us ,was the first truly American designer.
The one who defined an era.
Halston moved to New York in 1957.First working for milliner Lilly Dache,where he became co-designer shortly there after.Soon after leaving Dache ,he became head milliner for Bergdorf Goodman where he soon became acquainted with fashion editors and publishers.In 1961,Halston achieved great fame after designing the now famous "Pill Box" hat worn by Mrs.Jacqueline Kennedy for the inauguration of her husband.
As Liza Minnelli so rightfully advises the director ,in Mr. Gaskins piece, he needed to search out the story of Halston and not the gossipy lurid stories of the 70's and Studio 54.

His designs were worn by Bianca Jagger, Lauren Bacall,Babe Paley and Elizabeth Taylor,setting a style that would be closely associated with the international set of that era. As Mr. Ralph Ricci recalls in the film,Halston could cut into a bolt of silk chiffon and in one fell swoop,cut out a bias dress that fit the body perfectly.
Halston had the ability,he recalls,of creating shapes using only one seam or spiral seams,and was able to make dresses and gowns that would"cleave" to the body in the most sensual way.
Halston was a true American designer,who designed American fashion for all women of that deliciously decadent era.
From what we understand it is truly unfortunate,as quotes Mr.Gaskins, that this"director" who didn't even know of Diana Vreeland(!), seemed to be so clueless to the fact ,that this was a true American story,where in the unbound 70's, the creative, gay elite,ruled all things related to style,fashion and the arts.
new york style(link)

We were saddened to read, that this film focused on exactly on what Ms. Minnelli cautioned the director about.
The most shocking and shameful disrespect shown Halston,in this documentary
Mr.Gaskin recalls was
by Georgette Mosbacher the owner of Borghese.When Borghese bought Halston, she received the bulk of his archives.
A 30 year career,which came in about 60 boxes and countless garment bags.Mountains of technical information,patterns,sketches were,
instead of being sent to a museum like the Metropolitain, were dumped in an unlocked closet off of a classroom at the Lipscomb Bible College.

A great opportunity has been missed.
It is our sincerest hope that Halston,the designer as well as the man, will one day, get the appropriate tribute he so rightly deserves.
If not from Hollywood and Sara Jessica Parker,than from the fashion world,
who more often than not are often viewed as,the author suggests,
"no more than gorgons that chews up and spits out all that come within it's reach" .

New on the Toronto Waterfront: Barcelona by the Lake

These new benches at Harbourfront recently caught our eye & we think they're awesome!

We're loving the riff on the iconic Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe.

The designers no doubt used Toronto's long-standing love affair with Mies as inspiration for taking this design classic & moving it outdoors.

Practical done with whimsy. It's what the public realm needs a lot more of.

Vieques: Burrito Birthday Bash

One of the reasons we visit Vieques each year when we do is that our dear friend NG has her birthday in early April. Being one who appreciates life's simply pleasures (not that she doesn't also enjoy the finer things!) she asked us if we'd make burritos for her birthday party. And of course, we were more than happy to oblige!
Our first challenge became figuring out how to stretch our recipe (which really was only committed to memory, not paper) to feed about 15 folks.
A precision sortie to Morales (yes, we know you're sick of hearing that name!) netted all that we needed. Since the tortillas come in packages of 10, and considering that in the past we've had requests we were unable to fulfill for seconds, we decided to just go ahead & make 20.
Our next challenge was our facilities. Our digs come equipped with a bar fridge & a 2 burner gas cooktop. Not exactly up to the task of supporting a small burrito factory! Fortunately, we were able to press the birthday girl's ample kitchen into service.

The operation began the day before the birthday with the preparation of the filling. First, lots of slicing & dicing.

1. chopped onion, garlic, cubanelle pepper,
and pimento- stuffed green olives.

2. dicing chorizo sausage

Next the cooking began. The ground meats were added after the chopped vegetables had sautéed briefly.

3. the big "Wolf" range gets pressed into service. Ya, Baby!!

4. The filling sauce is ready (this was about half the total made)

The filling chilled overnight and we assembled the burritos on the morning of the party.

5. a couple of generous tablespoons of sauce are placed onto the tortilla. We also added a couple of pieces of Jack cheese into each, plus some chopped fresh cilantro. Both additions are completely optional & aren't included in the recipe at the bottom of the post.

6. the assembly progresses...

7. ...and is finally complete

After the 20 tortillas had been assembled, we topped the trays with grated Jack cheese & popped them into the fridge for the rest of the day.

8. Later that evening, ready for baking

Late in the afternoon, the party prep swung into action.

9. our little assembly line

10. Jeanne prepares the hors d'oeuvres

Glen & Alex brought salad & desert

11. Can you tell these guys are in the catering business?

12. ...and Glen's pretty handy with scissors & a vase (don't worry, John, things grow back really fast on Vieques!)

13. getting the hors d'oevres table ready...

14. ...and the table set

15. the guests begin to arrive

16. salad ready to be plated

The boys whipped together their delicious salad, the burritos came out of the oven, and a frenzy of plating ensued.

17. dishin' up the main course

The evening was filled with good conversation, ample libation, & fortunately, plenty of food.

18. An animated table

19. Alex's delectable white chocolate mousse

20. sharing the many laughs

The birthday party was one fun evening! We're sure there were a few Advils popped the next morning!

*******

So, we've decided it's time to commit this dish to writing.
(Warning- this is all from memory & measures are approximate. The recipe should make six burritos)

Burrito Recipe:
Filling:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 med onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cubanelle pepper, finely chopped
1 chorizo sausage, finely chopped
half of 1- 250 ml (8 oz) jar of green olives (pimento stuffed), drained
1- 220 ml (8 oz) can of Mexican salsa roja*
half of 1- 400 ml (14 oz) can of black beans, drained & well rinsed

*Salsa Roja is a basic red salsa. In our opinion, only Mexican salsa has the balance of flavours we're looking for- smoky chile essence, cilantro, not too much tomato. American & Canadian salsas are usually too vinegary, too thick, rarely contain cilantro, and usually taste kid of "ketchup-y". Goya has a good "Pico de Gallo" which is a little chunkier than salsa roja but otherwise tastes the same. It works perfectly well. Other brands to look for are Herdez and San Marcos.

6 soft tortillas, large size (approx 10" dia)
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers (according to your tolerance for heat), very finely diced
150 g of Monterey Jack cheese, grated

For serving:
Mexican salsa roja
sour cream
fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Optional condiments:
salsa verde
pickled jalapeños
more finely diced raw jalapeño pepper

Start by preparing the filling. Sauté the onion till starting to turn golden. Add in the chorizo & cubanelle & continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground meats & brown. Throw in the garlic & sauté for a few seconds, being careful not to let it brown, then add the salsa, olives, & black beans. Cook over medium heat till the flavours are well blended, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool, then refrigerate for at least an hour. Season to taste if required. (if you prepare this a day in advance the flavours will develop really nicely)

Preheat the oven to 350.
To assemble, place a couple of tablespoons of filling off center in a tortilla (see pic 5 above), sprinkle with a small amount of the diced jalapeño, and fold. Fill & wrap all the tortillas, placing them onto a baking sheet. (Note: any "surplus" burritos can be frozen at this point). Top them with the grated Jack cheese & bake for 15- 20 minutes, till thoroughly heated through. Keep an eye on them to make sure the cheese doesn't burn. Serve immediately, topping each with a generous dollop of sour cream, a couple of tablespoons of salsa, & a "BAM" of chopped cilantro. Add other condiments as you please.

We'd serve this with a light salad, probably with an element that introduces a little crunch (like jicima). A napa cabbage slaw would work well. Take the vinaigrette in a simpatico direction by introducing a little lime or orange into the acid component.

¡Buen Provecho!

Seen...

...on our property this afternoon