Preparing for Halloween

Last weekend was spent in anticipation of one of our most loved holidays: Halloween. How does one prepare for Halloween? In our case we took a ghost tour and went pumpkin picking.

I ain't afraid of no ghost

David has been itching to take a ghost tour of the city since the summer. The other thing that he's been wanting to do is visit the Necropolis Cemetery (the ghoulish interests of a horror writer). So it was a great disappointment when we missed out on last week's haunted tour of the cemetery. It apparently only takes place once a year (organized by Mackenzie House) and we waited too long to get our tickets. A mistake we won't make next year.

Fortunately, this Halloween season had almost too many ghost tours to choose from and we had no problem find something else to get us in the mood. Jen found the "I Ain't Afraid of No Ghost!" tour from Tour Guys. Tour Guys offers many seasonal and year-round tours around the city, most are of a historic nature and some are even free. This one, named after the line from the Ghostbuster's theme song, only runs in the autumn and just until Halloween (but there is still time to get it in before next year). It promised to be a gimmick free tour, offering possible scientific explanations for the sightings and an explanation of ghost hunting techniques. We were sold.

Faces carved into pillar at Old City Hall

We met up on the steps of Old City Hall on a blustery Friday night (read: cold), where a group of about twelve of us joined our guide Steven for an exploration of Toronto's haunted sites. Being recent arrivals to the city, the in-depth history  was fascinating and gave us a new perspective on some of the places we passed that went far beyond the spiritual realm. For example, even though we got many ghost stories about it, the most intreguing tale of The Winter Garden theatre was of how it was sealed up in the late 1920's and lost from memory until it was rediscoverwd during a renovation nearly sixty years later.

Mackenzie House

The tour took us to several sites but the haunted highlight was Mackenzie House. Home to William Lyon Mackenzie, Toronto's first mayor, it is reputed to be the most haunted building in the city. And it must be a well earned reputation if the traffic-jam of ghost tours was any indication. It was a hot spot that night and we had to wait to get our turn on the small patch of lawn in front of the building. The tour in front of us was a the traditional style with caped guides carrying lanterns. Having been on similar tours before, we had nothing against them, but it made ours feel a little more special. The lack of theatrics lent an air of authenticity to the evening, and the note of skepticism made the stories without explanation seem all the more real.

We ended up at The Keg Mansion or  Euclid Hall as it was called when it was a home. By this time it was late and we were tired and anxious to get somewhere warm. And here the genius of the tour's plan came in: the bar being only a few feet away. We didn't make that stop, favoring a nightcap at home instead, but the tales of dining room haunting has put this steakhouse on our list of plaxes to eat.

Pumpkin picker

On Sunday, we went with the family pumpkin picking to stock up on jack-o-lanterns for the big day. We ended up driving to Coopers Farm in Zephyr. Coopers is a Community Supported Agriculture enterprise and boasts a ten acre corn maze. Having a four year-old with a short attention span with us (and Jen who was traumatized by Children of the Corn when she was a youngster), we gave it a skip and concentrated on getting our pumpkins and some locally raised meat, which is sold along with vegetables and preserves in their shop.

Halloween

Now Halloween is just a few days away and we're all set. Being away from so many of our friends, this will be the first Halloween Saturday in years where we won't be hosting a huge costume party. So we will be off in search of other entertainment, which will include a fine dinner, an airing of Psycho accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and maybe some surprises. Who knows, maybe we will encounter our own ghost story while out on the town. Whatever happens, be sure to check back in next week for a full recap.

A Feast at Montecito

Last Friday evening, as the Jays' game let out and throngs of blue jersey wearing fans hit the street, we were making our way to a favorite dinning spot, Montecito.

Located on Adelaide and  John Street, Montecito is the lovechild of film icon Ivan Reitman and chef Jonathon Waxman, bringing California flair to Toronto. The space is large, elegant, and comfortable. Many of the tables have sofa-like benches to add to that comfort. One wall projects moving images of the California country side, and another displays photos from behind the scenes at Reitman's films. In the bar lurks a miniature Stay Puft Marshmallow Man of Ghostbusters fame.

Among the wonderful, ever changing daily menu, Montescito has a section dedicated to meals for two (or more), and the last time we dined here with friends, David looked down at their Tomahawk steak for two and said, "That's what we're having for my birthday." So it was with this mission in mind that we booked our reservations.

Although dinning out is one of our great pleasures and an activity we seem to do a lot, Resident Tourist Toronto is not a restaurant review blog. But we couldn't resist sharing this special meal.

A special touch

One of the things that makes this restaurant one of our top picks and one we keep coming back to is the way the staff never fails to make you feel special. After we settled into the luxurious sofa benches, we noticed that the chat with the hostess concerning the special occasion we were celebrating had resulted in personalized menus being printed up. Although a small touch, it helped set the tone for evening ahead and assure us we were in good hands.

Another way they make the experience special is by frequently featuring rare and hard to find culinary items that are sure to delight foodies. That night percebes (or gooseneck barnacles), a Spanish delicacy, was featured as an appetizer. Jen ordered these and declared them to look "prehistoric" when the landed in front of her. Not put off be appearances, she polished them off, comparing them to a milder, sweeter razor clam.

David feeling the chill of the fall air and a little less adventurous (that night) ordered the onion soup. As someone who frequently makes onion soup from the Thomas Keller recipe, he is not easily satisfied by restaurant versions. But this one was perfection, showing the time and care the kitchen had put into it developing the deep, rich flavors of the caramelized onions.

The Main feast

With anticipation and awe, our main course arrived. When they say for two or more they aren't joking. It wouldn't have been hard to imagine this massive platter serving four. Not that we minded having it all to ourselves. The forty-eight day aged rib steak was cooked to an ideal state of rareness. The meat was tender and earthy. The flavors heightened by the aging process to a carnivore's delight.

The meal came with two sides. We ordered the brussel sprouts and the must-have JW Potatoes. These have become something of a legend in our house and here's why: first, the potatoes are baked, then they're broken up into small chunks, then they're deep fried and coated in pecorino cheese. The process delivers what might be the absolute best roasted potato, even though they aren't actually roasted.

This meal also came with an option to get the house labeled Cabernet Sauvignon at a discount and we did just that. It was well worth it! It not only paired beautifully with the steak but was a smooth and mellow sipper after the steak was done. Or at least, after we could it no more of it.

Finale

While sipping on our wine, we waved away the dessert menus, tempted but too stuffed to contemplate more food. Determined to end the meal in a classic celebratory way, our waiter brought out a complimentary plate of ice-cream and sorbet with a birthday candle (did I mention they make you feel special?).

It is the attention to detail in both service and the food that make Montecito one of our favorites in the city. It's where we bring our friends when they're in town.  And where we go to celebrate. The memory of this meal is still fresh in our minds, but it will be slow to fade and we'll be telling people about it for years to come.

Going to the Country

Sorry for the lack of a post this week. We were in Montreal for a few days visiting family and friends and had so much to catch up on when we got back we ran out of time.

This coming weekend is a long one and we'll be spending part of it in the Kawartha Lakes area enjoying some country air and the fall foliage. We will be back next week with a new article about our adventures. Until, then we wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving!

A Day in Stratford

Last spring, we saw our first ad for the Stratford Festival's new season and we knew we would be heading out at some point to catch a play. Spring passed and then summer, and here we were in autumn and the time was running out for the year.

So even with all kinds of events we would have loved to do in the city, we headed out on the 401 West on a bright, clear Saturday morning. 

We arrived early and were surprised by the amount of available parking by the Festival Theatre.  Certainly, it wouldn’t be like this during the summer, when the season was at its height. It was great getting there before the crowds that would show up just a little later and not just because of parking. We were able to spend some quiet time, surveying the surround gardens without anyone else around.

When do we eat?

From there, we headed into town in search of a place to have lunch. This turned out to be a longer walk than we had anticipated but the weather was so beautiful that it was impossible to mind the time outside. We took a meandering route through the side streets, walking passed picturesque old homes and staying away from the busy main street for as long as we could.

We decided on Mercer Hall for lunch because of the many positive reviews it has received. It was a beautiful and surprisingly large dining room.  It was just the place we love to go for lunch: well-made casual fare and a good selection of Ontario craft beers on tap.

We started off with an amazing Thai chili chicken wings, they were more sweet than spicy, but good and crispy as wings should be. Then Jen had their excellent burger and David had the curry chicken salad off the specials menu.  The burger was good and classic and you could see the care the kitchen took in the way the stacked the fries on the plate. The salad with watermelon and feta was fresh and flavourful. Everything tasted great but there seemed to be an odd disparity in portion sizes as the appetizers we saw going out were huge and the mains tended to be smaller than average. Not that we left hungry.

Take me to the River

Heading back to catch our play, we followed the Avon River. Since its inception in the early nineteenth century, the town of Stratford has paid homage to its namesake. Every year swans are released on the river to add to Shakespeares birthplace. In addition to the swans, numerous species of ducks and geese flock to the banks.

In the wonderful autumn weather both people and birds filled the river's shores and the lovely green-space that flanks it. The water fowl brazenly claimed the shore, and in some instances the path as they awaited handouts.

But as warm and enjoyable as the weather was, there were signs that summer was quickly fading and fall colours were occasionally spotted.

It was impossible to stroll along there and not wish to have a picnic. We vowed next year, we would plan one.

The play's the thing

The town may have been honoring Shakespeare since it was founded but the festival has only been there for a little more than sixty years, but in that time the Festival has built a world-class theatrical destination.

We attended Love’s Labour’s Lost, one of Shakespeare’s earliest and perhaps least conventional comedies.  The cast and direction was amazing and proved that even after four hundred years, the play was still funny and a joy to watch.

If Shakespeare is not your thing, they perform a wide variety of plays. One of the big productions of the 2015 season is Sound of Music.  We would have loved to see just about everyone of their shows, if we had enough time to do so.

Stratford is at a distance that makes it unlikely that our visits will be often, but the quality of the Festival’s plays and the charming town has earned it a place in our plans for next summer.

Stratford Bound

After two hectic weekends, we will be taking things a bit slower on this one. But not too slow. Before the Startford Festival ends its season, we're heading out there and catch Love's Labours Lost. Jen has never been to Stratford, and David was last there fifteen years ago. So we couldn't let our first year in the area go by without making a visit. Aside from the play, we're hoping for a good meal, some fun sightseeing, and some interesting stops along the way. Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for live coverage. And we'll have the full account next week.

The weather forecast looks great, so make sure you get out and take advantage. There are still tonnes of things happening in and around the city.

Food and Wine... and Tequila

Coming into the grounds of The Evergreen Brick Works we felt like we were entering a relic lost to nature. The historic site of redbrick buildings and towers is nestled in the Lower Don Valley green space. Surrounded by lush foliage and with a bright sun overhead, we couldn't have asked for a better setting for the day's event. The event being, the much anticipated Toronto FOOD & Wine Festival.

Foodie Heaven

A major attraction of the show were the many demonstrations by celebrity chefs, some requiring a fee but mostly offered for free. Food Network has created a paradigm shift in our culture. We now know chefs by face and name and they create a draw that goes beyond their food. As we over heard a woman say at one of these event,s just before getting her photo taken with the chef, “He’s my kind of celebrity. This is foodie heaven: getting my picture taken with a chef.”

Arriving a little late to the Brickworks, we went straight in to see Rick Moonen’s demonstration, which was just getting underway. He cooked up a barbecued salmon dinner and spoke about the importance of sustainable fish. He was a dynamic speaker and smells coming from the stove were amazing. Sadly, there were no samples, but there were cards with the recipes, so we will be making this meal at home.

A little later in the day, we caught Marc Murphy making ricotta fritters and zucchini salad. Chef Murphy was a last minute addition to the schedule and to be honest, we didn’t know him beyond his role as a judge on Chopped Canada. He was at the festival to promote his new Cookbook, Season With Authority. We were really taken with his personality and his ability to relate to the audience, which made the demonstration a truly worthwhile experience. And best of all at the end of his show, he invited everyone up onstage for a taste and happily took photos with an excited audience

Overwhelmed

But as big a draw as the celebrity chefs were, the real star was the food. Set up in rows of stalls inside the Brickworks Pavilion, it was overwhelming at first. But after we had made our first leisurely circuit, it felt more manageable. I might even call it pleasantly cozy compared with some other food festivals we’ve been to that either had fewer vendors spread out over a wider space or had venues that felt cramped and crowded. One of the things we enjoyed most about FOOD & WINE was the feeling that it wasn’t crowded. Not being there on Saturday, we can’t compare, but on Sunday, despite the constant bustle, lines were short, it was easy to get around, and you could always find a place to put your plate and glass down if needed. The other benefit of these rows of booths was that they facilitated grazing and you were only a few steps from the next offering. 

Another thing we liked about this festival were the prices. The tastes were very reasonably priced, with the most expensive item we purchased being six dollars and some as low as two. This is a big contrast to Taste of Toronto where six dollars was the rare, rock-bottom price. It really allowed us to taste so much more than we have at other fests. But even with the prices and our enthusiasm, we couldn’t taste it all. That is definitely where coming for more than one day would have benefited us. 

We couldn’t possibly describe everything we ate, so we’ll keep to our best bites. 

Jen: My best bite was Uncle Smoke’s pulled pork ribs and potato buckshot. This was some succulent barbecue, smoky and sweet, decadently tender, but still with enough texture to get your teeth into. And the potatoes were a revelation. I can't wait until the open a restaurant.

Runner up: Carver's porchetta sandwich. This was the first thing I tasted and I still remembered it after the end of the show. That says something.

David: My best bite was Rasa Bar’s Shawarma slider. It wasn’t much to look at but the taste was phenomenal. It had everything you could want in good Middle Eastern food, all the spice and garlic, the reach creaminess from a trinity of feta, hummus, and tzatziki, and the fresh herbaceousness of the tabouli all packed into a sandwich.

Runner up: Lisa Marie's pork and sriracha grits. This only confirmed to me that we have to go to Lisa Marie for dinner one night soon.


With two dollar tasting for some of the drinks and free tasting at the David Rocco Wines table, we were getting tipsy fast and had to slow down, so we didn’t taste as much in that department as we would have liked. The wine tasting was very enjoyable and not just because it was free. Celebrity chef David Rocco has released three Italian wines under the banner Dolce Vita Wines. They’re available in the LCBO and are offered at an incredibly reasonable price point for their smooth, easy everyday drinking quality. Some other stand outs were Walter’s bloody Caesar, and Split Tree's Rhubarb and Elderflower margarita. And we also got to taste our first pumpkin ale of the season with Nightmare on Mill Street.

Tequila and Tacos

After eating our fill, naturally we left and went for dinner. Yes, in perhaps a misguided attempt to take full advantage of the event, we purchased tickets to the after party dinner at El Catrin, that vibrant, always packed, Mexican restaurant in the Distillery District. It was a beautiful night to be out on their patio by the fire pit, but by the third course of the five course tasting menus the food was beginning to come out of our ears. Although that didn’t stop us from seeing it all the way through to the Tres Leches dessert.

On our way out we had a treat with a tequila tasting that was set up by the entryway. Herradura, which was a sponsor of the dinner (not to mention David’s favorite tequila) had set up a tasting table alongside some extremely fine brands that have recently or will be arriving soon in the LCBO. It provided the perfect, if entirely unnecessary, nightcap. 

At the end of the day

Walking back to King Station on our way home, trying to work off a little of the days calories, we once again discussed how amazing it was to be living in Toronto and to be able to spend the day like this. There are other cities also with wonderful events, but here feels like something special is always happening and each weekend is chance to discover it. The day at Toronto FOOD  & WINE is only the most recent in the collection of magical memories we have built since coming here.

Too Much to do in T.O.

There is officially too much to do in Toronto this weekend. In festivals alone, we have the second weekend of The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Toronto FOOD & WINE festival, the Toronto Urban Roots Festival (TURF), Riot Fest, the kick off of Toronto Beer Week, and at least four Oktoberfests (that I counted) including the Toronto Oktoberfest and the Steam Whistle Oktoberfest

If you're willing to go a little further afield, there's also the Niagara Wine Festival and the Pioneer Harvest Festival to check out.

Plus, the Jays are playing every day this weekend.

And that's just the short list of what's on!

With so much happening what are two urban explorers to do? Already our schedule is jam packed. We have TIFF tickets to see The Family Fang Friday night with dinner reservations at Gaberdine afterwards.More tickets Saturday night to see Anomalesa from the master of strange cinema, Charles Kaufman, and The Witch (reputed to be one of the most chilling horror films in years). After what will likely be some very bizarre dreams, we will be spending all Sunday at FOOD & WINE—we even have tickets to their closing Tequila and Tacos party at El Catrin to make it a true all day event. So that just leaves Saturday afternoon to do everything else. Although we might be spending it resting because this is going to be a busy one.

If your in or around the city, we absolutely urge you to get out and enjoy this cornucopia—this embarrassment of riches our region has to offer. But if you can't, you can still share in the fun vicariously by following us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or even Pintrest (see those pretty icons on the top right of your screen).

Next week, we will be posting a full report on our day at Toronto FOOD & WINE.