Balance of Food

Ottawa's Byward Market: more than just a building

The Byward Market is near the top of the list of food destinations in Canada, and a definite must when you visit Canada's capital. But how does Byward Market stack up against some great Canadian food destinations?

Byward Market, the building, is a lot smaller than you would imagine. You realize that Byward Market is more than just a building. The shops on either side tie into the market in a similar fashion to Montréal's Marche Jean-Talon. Seafood, meats, cheese, fruit and vegetable stands, and lots of bakeries surround the building.

Add in the shops, cafes, and restaurants in the area and you have a wonderful neighborhood worth walking around.

For example, I scored 50g of a marvelous roquefort société that made for a nice protein snack before hitting the museum.

You can also find lots of restaurants and cafes in the surrounding neighbourhood. Focus on just the Marche By building and you will miss most of the "market."

As an example, there is an Italian grocery store called La Bottega. Unless you go inside and check the place out, you wouldn't know that you can get freshly made sandwiches with an amazing array of condiments options.

You might remember when President Barack Obama made his first foreign trip to Canada (per tradition), he got some maple leaf cookies from a bakery in Byward Market. Well, Moulin de Provence will never let us forget that moment.

Since most of the fresh food is outside, the enjoyment of the market depends on the weather. Marche Jean-Talon has more covering for the seasonal stands. The market at Granville Island is completely covered, protecting you from the many rainstorms out west.

Unlike the St. Lawrence Market, which closes Sundays and Mondays, the Byward Market is open for business. Individual stores have their own policies. But you don't have to go elsewhere for a couple of days.

Byward Market is close enough for politicians and government workers to enjoy a long lunch. The market is more for people to find food to take home with them, perhaps after a long day of Question Period or legislative meetings.

At night, the scene is more about partying than shopping. Several establishments cater to that audience (there is a "gentleman's club" in the middle of the market area). But there are a few surprises in the area, like a great jerk place on the way back to where I was staying.

The jerk pulled chicken was true to form as was the jerk seasoned fries. I needed more water than usual, but in a good way.

I strategically stayed in the Byward Market area and didn't regret that for a second. Great walking and eating and strategically close by to Parliament and the rest of downtown.

You can't approach Byward Market like Granville Island in Vancouver or St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. The neighborhood is the destination. And I would definitely go back.

photos credit: me

Condiments heaven and hell, CFL style

A sports stadium isn't designed to be a place for gourmet food. Traditionally, dressing hot dogs is rather simple: a few basic ingredients is typically what you would find.

As we'll learn, there is an ideal way to dress a hot dog and, well, an attempt that needs a lot of improvement.

Let's start with how to dress a hot dog.

Toronto has a tradition of hot dog carts. The city's food truck scene isn't as developed as comparable other cities, but the hot dog is more definitely king, especially in the downtown core. So when Torontoians get a hot dog, they have plentiful options for dressing a hot dog.

So when fans of the MLB Toronto Blue Jays and CFL Toronto Argonauts fans go to Rogers Centre, they get great options for dressing a hot dog.

Hot peppers, jalapeno peppers, onions, relish, sauerkraut, greens, black olives, pickled red onions, salsa, and a few sauces.

Fancy mustards and relishes as well.

The classics are included as well.

The options at Rogers Centre rise above the level of the vendor carts. High praise given the great options on the hot dog carts.

Even at these hot dog vendor carts in the downtown area, you see onions, relish, sauerkraut, hot peppers, as well as ketchup, mustard, and other sauces.

On the other side of the glass is TD Place, brand new home of the CFL Ottawa RedBlacks, the league's newest franchise. The stadium is very nice looking, but as we'll see, they missed a step or two.

Ottawa's new TD Place is a beautiful stadium in a city that needed a great place to play Canadian football. The place is new, so there are some kinks to work out.

You might be excited by a relish container. I would have done too if you could get any relish from them. To be fair, I tried two different condiments areas at TD Place. Same results.

Ketchup, mustard, and relish were available in packets, the same packets you would find at fast food places and some high school football stadiums.

Ketchup and mustard are bad enough in packets, but they are liquid. Relish out of a packet is messier than it sounds.

No onions or any kind to be found. For those who don't put ketchup on hot dogs, your 2 choices are mustard and relish. Just hope your $4 hot dog is still hot by the time you get your hot dog dressed.

photos credit: me

Chicago converts newsstands into healthy food kiosks

"I would have eaten better but [insert name of fast food restaurant] was closer and more convenient."

We hear that excuse a lot. We've even heard that from ourselves.

These e.a.t. kiosks that sell salads, fruits, and wraps. Chicago plans to have 4 by the end of the calendar year, and expand beyond downtown next year.

e.a.t., (education, agriculture, technology) is a nonprofit to "create better access to healthier foods for more people in the city of Chicago." The kiosks will operate weekdays from 7 am to 6:30 pm.

This one is in the heart of downtown Chicago near where people are going to catch a suburban train or just coming from one.

They take up very little space — these are converted newsstands … but with healthier food.

You can still have excuses to not eat healthier on the go, but with food structures such as this one, those excuses aren't nearly as strong.

photos credit: me

What's Tempting: Distinctively Canadian foods

When I travel to Canada, I get to eat foods that are difficult to impossible to find at home.

Yes, poutine is on the list, though we are finding somewhat decent options at home.

The poutine version (above) contained double smoked bacon, an ingredient you see often in Canada but not the States, and pulled pork, which is everywhere.

Butter tarts are invisible once you cross into U.S. airspace. Wild blueberries might be found in the U.S. northeast, but not where I live. Peameal bacon, all-dressed chips, ketchup chips, smoked meat — easy to find in Canada.

I even tried maple bacon potato chips, though they were much more maple than bacon.

We haven't talked much about peameal bacon. This is true "Canadian" bacon. They don't use peameal anymore, shifting to corn meal, but they still call it peameal bacon.

I find peameal bacon to be more like pork but tender pork with a somewhat mild flavor. My only critique of the peameal bacon sandwich at St. Lawrence Market is that the sandwich needed mustard.

Ontario and mustard go hand in hand. The mustard place in the market offered samples of peameal bacon to be dipped in a huge variety of mustards.

I first noticed maple mustard at the Saturday morning Charlottetown farmers market last fall. Yes, this would be the Canadian equivalent of honey mustard. As much as I dislike honey mustard, I do like maple mustard.

The tastes go together well, and while sweetness isn't my thing, the taste was too good, especially with peameal bacon.

I did not think I would be eating a maple bacon butter tart I found in Toronto's financial district. This pastry was huge and breakfast was not the time to be indulging in a maple bacon butter tart. On this vacation, sweets ruled in the morning.

Unlike the potato chips, I could taste the bacon in the maple bacon combination. I'll eat almost anything in a tart shell, but this was near the top of the heap.

Elephant ears and fried dough are definitely "American" treats but there was something definitely Canadian about the maple butter Beaver Tail I ordered in the Byward Market in Ottawa.

I actually ordered the first Beaver Tail of the day, and it tasted so warm and fresh.

This was the same Beaver Tails location that came up with the Barack Obama "O" Beaver Tail when the newly inaugurated U.S. president made his first foreign trip to Canada in February 2009. Canada is traditionally the first foreign destination of a U.S. president, and Obama was greeted with open arms by Canadians.

Obama also stopped by Moulin de Provence to pick up maple leaf cookies for his daughters. The bakery inside the market won't let you forget that Obama was there. The television runs CTV footage from that day in Ottawa (ironically, CTV's Ottawa headquarters is in the Byward Market neighbourhood).

Tempting as the cookies would be, I didn't indulge. A local guide didn't recommend the cookies and I was getting plenty to eat elsewhere (not in a Rob Ford kind of way). The cookies did look pretty.

Wild blueberries were all over the place. I've had Quebec wild blueberries on previous trips, and got Quebec wild blueberries in Ottawa and Ontario wild blueberries in Toronto.

They are much less tart than their more well-known cousins. Not quite like candy, but very easy to eat in bunches. I got a chuckle out of some of the signs I saw from "tame" blueberries i.e., the ones you typically find in the States. Compared to wild blueberries, regular ones would be tame. Though based on taste, the tart in regular blueberries would be wild and the wild blueberries taste more tame. You have to applaud the marketing, especially when the two are sold side-by-side at the farmers market.

Potato chips does not normally constitute a meal, even on vacation. However, a couple of times on the run, potato chips complemented wild blueberries to tie me over until having a more substantial dinner.

We mentioned the maple bacon potato chips, but in another instance, a bag of all-dressed chips made a difference.

All-dressed potato chips is very common in Canada while being met with blank stares on this side of the border. They look like barbecue chips but taste like vinegar onion pepper chips. And that doesn't completely describe the all-dressed chips.

The idea behind all-dressed chips is that you don't need dip — the flavor is on the chip.

Even retelling the stories allows me to taste this food once again. The food that you find appealing may not be that far away from you, or may be an ocean away. Travel allows us to enjoy food we may not find at home. And when you're there, the food tastes better knowing that it's local where you are.

photos credit: me

Canada takes beef labeling to new unusual level

I love Canada. I love beef. I'm confused as hell about Canada and beef.

Canada had an e-coli scare in 2012 over mechanically tenderized steaks not being labeled properly. So the Harper Government passed new laws requiring mechanically tenderized steaks to be labeled properly.

That portion is good news. An oversight that should have been obvious.

The odd part comes in that Health Canada is requiring that packaged mechanically tenderized steaks must also have a sticker with instructions to cook the meat to an internal temperature of 63°C, turning it over at least twice. For those who don't speak Celsius, 63°C is medium.

The instructions are specifically specific. How many #%$&% steaks did Health Canada cook to figure out to flip the steak at least twice. "They should flip the steak as many times as they desire as long as it is at least 2," you could imagine them say.

Unlike the burgers situation, Health Canada isn't requiring Canadians to flip their steak at least twice. But you'll know those instructions as you are buying the meat.

Steak connoisseurs know that flipping the steak over and over is not ideal. Lay the steak down, cook that side, flip it once, finish cooking the steak — all you need to do.

There is no reason for your steak to be mechanically tenderized in the process. We have recommended and still recommend you run away from any mechanically tenderized steaks.

In Canada, you now will know what you are getting, but you should look for something better.

While Canada requires restaurants to cook the burgers to death, individual citizens and those visiting Canada still have the freedom to pursue a medium-rare burger.

You also have the freedom to buy mechanically tenderized steaks, but you would be smart to buy steaks that have not gone through that process. If you absolutely need to do so, tenderize the steak yourself.

What's Tempting: 7 weeks of pasta for $100

I ate a bit of pasta in my recent Toronto trip. Mostly good pasta with one bad pasta night. Paid about $100 for 5 meals, including tax and tip.

Earlier this week, Olive Garden was offering a chance at 7 weeks of pasta for $100. The restaurant chain handed out 1,000 "never ending pasta passes" to use between September 22 and November 9.

Since the restaurant offers a $9.99 never ending pasta day pass (available during the same time period), one media outlet's reasoning was that you would have to eat there at least 11 times to get a bargain. The 7-week pass includes Coca-Cola soft drinks, so the number would be smaller than 11. But 11 trips in 7 weeks seems pretty mild.

After all, if you enjoy Olive Garden pasta, you could be there 49 times for dinner. Add unlimited breadsticks, salad, soup, and the Coca-Cola brand drinks, and you would do quite well.

Feel like you need to save even more money? Skip lunch for 7 weeks. Eat a hearty breakfast, snack on fruit and lean protein at lunch, and make up for a lack of carbohydrates at dinner.

49 dinners for $100 (plus tips) is a bargain. And you do get vegetables. Add more fruit for dessert when you get home, and you could do a lot worse.

If you took advantage of the deal 20 times in 7 weeks (about 3x/week), you would be paying $5 per meal. 40 times would be $2.50 per meal.

For $2.50, you could put together a really nice spaghetti dinner with a salad. Soup might fit in the budget, but maybe not breadsticks. Still, Olive Garden gives you multiple choices.

Sometimes in this role, being a food snob is pretty easy to pull off. The pasta day pass might not be worth $9.99 to you, but a decent plate of pasta with unlimited breadsticks, salad, and soup for that kind of money is a good deal.

As much as we love cooking, sometimes you want someone else to do the work.

Duplicating the feat at home for that low a margin would be rather difficult. White flour pasta is pretty cheap in the store and you could make your own sauce, or find a cheap jarred sauce. But 49 dinners of breadsticks, salad, and soup for $100 would still be a great bargain.

The food is supposed to be OK. I don't live close to an Olive Garden, haven't been to one in years, and couldn't remember what I ordered or whether I enjoyed the meal.

If I had a chance to buy a pass, I would have done so. I contemplated on Twitter about using the pass to allow homeless people to get a good meal. I also would have eaten a few times myself.

Americans worry more about the cost of food, yet among First World countries, they pay the least for their food. They also entail, according to food snobs, the path of least resistance when it comes to food.

The "never ending pasta pass" is a reminder for us to think about the true cost of food. Olive Garden is buying a lot of publicity for these $100 passes. Honestly, when was the last time you thought about an Olive Garden?

Good food at good prices: this is what most people strive for. Sometimes at a cost to money, sometimes as a cost to food. Save money where you can, but splurge on what is important.

If I lived near an Olive Garden, and bought a pass for $100, I would go a lot just to break up the routine. I cook a lot and get great satisfaction. Taking 7 weeks to have someone cook for me would be a nice change of pace. I could try different pastas and soups. I could find out which soups taste good with the breadsticks. I could be tempted by new sauces.

I wouldn't get tired of 7 weeks of pasta, but others might. Or for the price, people might not care as long as they are eating food.

7 weeks isn't forever. If you are stuck in a rut, try something different for 7 weeks. Sure it may cost more than $100, but what you'll learn about yourself could be priceless. Buono appetito!!

photo credit: Olive Garden

Toronto gets an In-N-Out Burger for a day

The following article is courtesy of our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com. It has been reproduced here with complete permissions.

In-N-Out Burger is legendary in the United States, but mostly because of its scarcity. In 2011, the chain expanded outside the U.S. southwest to Texas.

However, for one day, In-N-Out Burger comes to Canada.

Today from 11 am to 3 pm, the heralded burger chain will pop up at the Italian restaurant Ganzi Osteria at 504 Jarvis in Toronto.

At the pop-up version, you can get double-double burgers (two patties and two slices of cheese), animal-style burgers (mustard-grilled patty with lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions and extra spread), and a protein-style version (served in a lettuce wrap instead of a bun).

As you can see from the Google map above, you can get off at the Wellesley station at Yonge Street. Or you can get off at the Sherbourne station on the Bloor-Danforth line. If you are strolling through St. Lawrence Market this morning, it's a decent walk north on Jarvis.

The 1-day popup can only do so much to embrace what makes the fast food chain special.

-- In-N-Out Burger treats their employees better than typical fast-food chains. For one day in Toronto, you can't see that in action.

-- You can order your In-N-Out Burger medium rare or rare in the United States. Can't do that legally in Canada.

-- We don't know about fries or milkshakes. If fries are an option, you can order them animal style. All part of the secret menu that is the charm of In-N-Out Burger.

-- In-N-Out Burger is normally a leisurely experience, but for 4 hours for a pop-up, the fine print notes "First come, first served. Limited quantities available" and there will be a huge line.

-- The only palm trees you will see in Toronto is on the wrappers and signage.

Toronto joins other major world cities that have hosted a In-N-Out Burger popup, including Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore, London, and Auckland.

We don't know why Toronto or Canada for In-N-Out Burger, but the timing is during the Toronto International Film Festival, so if you go, you might see a celebrity or two (or their assistants) in line with you. Movie stars come from Southern California and so does In-N-Out Burger … for a limited time.

map credit: Google/logo credit: In-N-Out Burger/photo credit: Twitter @shaortega

What's Tempting: Mushrooms in your burger

The idea of beef just being beef isn't good enough for some people. They have this insatiable idea of putting other foods inside a hamburger.

We're not talking stuffed burgers — an odd phenomena of its own — but mixing other ingredients within the hamburger meat.

We're also not talking meatloaf, with eggs and bread crumbs. A startling number of Canadian restaurants, based on a cursory look at "You Gotta Eat Here," put eggs and bread crumbs and other ingredients in their beef and present them as "burgers."

Classically, burgers should have salt and pepper and meat: no added filler.

If you have to put something in the beef to make a burger, there is one filler ingredient that won't remind you of meatloaf.

Mushrooms and beef go together extremely well, and might make me crawl out of my shell.

Using mushrooms allows the home cook to use less meat, involving fewer calories with less fat and sodium as well as fewer greenhouse gases.

Putting mushrooms in a burger requires you to mince the mushrooms and cook them first. Since mushrooms retain moisture, that could make for a juicier burger, though you need to make sure there isn't too much moisture. You would also have to be careful with what flavors you add to the mushrooms. Since butter goes well with beef, you should use butter to saute the minced mushrooms if you allow butter in your diet.

As for the ratio, the general consensus is 20%. In a 5 oz. burger, you only lose 1 oz. of meat, but in a ½ pound burger, you would use 1.6 oz. of mushrooms. Your mushroom mileage may vary.

The ideal amount might be as much as you can put into the burger mixture before you and your friends and loved ones would notice.

The more practical use of mushrooms is in complex dishes, such as taco fillings and chili. Hiding mushrooms is almost too easy for those dishes, making its use more prevalent in complex dishes to make an impact without sacrificing texture and flavor.

There is another way to add mushrooms to burgers that doesn't involve trickery or sacrifice. Slice mushrooms thin, saute them (again, ideally in butter), and then place them on the bottom bun. Place burger on top of the sliced mushrooms. Add top bun and serve.

Sauteed mushrooms fit nicer at the bottom of a burger because they can more easily slip out from the top.

Want to use less meat and add more mushrooms? Cook a smaller burger, add mushrooms to the bottom. You get beef and mushroom in every bite. You don't have to worry about ratios and seasonings and anything other than making sure your burger is at the temperature you desire.

If you are going to put food in your burger besides meat, you can't get a better partner than mushrooms.