Le Papillion on the Park (guest blog by Amy)

Saturday night: my husband and I met our friends at Le Papillion on the Park, a French & Quebecois restaurant on Eastern Avenue in Toronto. From the outside, the building doesn’t look any different than a regular old brick house, but inside it has been transformed into a fabulous space with dark wood, an exposed brick wall, high ceilings, funky art, and a wood-burning fireplace.

The restaurant is spacious enough that it holds over 100 people. While being taken to our seats, we noticed that the dining area was packed with people of all ages; even so, tables were far enough apart that you didn’t feel like you were eating with your neighbour. Soon after the bubbly hostess sat us, we were welcomed by a lovely waitress who brought us over a basket of fresh bread and rolls. The four of us started off sharing a delightful bottle of Syrah and each ordered an appetizer— escargot in garlic butter, french onion soup smothered with Swiss cheese, jumbo scallops in a light cream and brandy lobster sauce, and broiled tiger shrimps in garlic herb butter. YUM is all I can say! We all raved about our appys. The menu also has 3 different sizes of poutine, which I may have to try the next time I’m there.

There is a wide variety of mains on the menu, including almost 20 different crepes. I decided to go with the Crepe Francois, filled with bacon, diced tomatoes, garlic mushrooms and cheddar cheese. It was quite large, but oh so good—not wet or greasy like some other crepes I’ve tried.

The vegetarian at our table asked for no chicken in the fettuccine asparagus pasta special, which wasn’t an issue with the kitchen staff. She did, however, feel that the fettuccini was a little undercooked. The others ordered lamb shank and Steak au Poivre—the latter coated with a brandy, Dijon, and black peppercorn sauce. Both dishes received glowing reviews…especially the steak.

My hubby and friend each ordered a dessert, but we all had a little taste of the Meringue Glacee (meringue, ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream) and the Crepe Banane Royale (bananas, almonds, ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream). The Crepe was delicious, but my husband felt there was too much meringue in the meringue dish. Nonetheless, he devoured it.

This place was divine and very reasonably priced. Le Papillion has been around for 35 years. Recently the restaurant’s founding partners went their separate ways and opened their own restaurants—Le Papillion on the Park and Le Papillion on Front. I hear the one on Front is equally amazing.

I’m a small town girl who now resides in Toronto and can’t get enough of it…especially the restaurants! What can I say? I love to eat! Sometimes I wonder if I’m addicted to food. As one of Menu Maniac's roomies from university, I watched her whip up a roast leg of lamb while others ate Kraft Dinner. Her adventurous cooking has inspired me to attempt to cook, and although I try, living in Toronto is so hard when there are many tempting places to eat out. I’m an east-ender hoping to bring you some good options next time you visit Toronto.

The Ceili Cottage (guest post by Amy)

Mac 'N' Cheese

Two of my friends that I usually work out with, decided it was time we get together for a good meal instead of a good sweat. We decided to hit up The Ceili (pronounced kay-lee) Cottage in Leslieville – an Irish pub which was once an old auto shop. I started off with a Mill Street Lager and roasted and spiced Ontario peanuts – the beer was perfect, but the latter was neither roasted nor spiced. As I waited for my friends I noticed the smell of a wood burning stove that filled the air with a warm, “cottage-y” (go figure), type feel.

When my friends arrived through an entrance with virtually no signage, they sat down on wobbly chairs and ordered our mains from a not-so-friendly waitress. A sucker for a good mac and cheese I decided that I had to order just that, even though it’s not typically Irish fare. I must say, I was disappointed – it was ok – but quite bland and not rich and creamy like I was hoping for. ET had the special – a mutton burger with green tomato salsa and mixed greens and a Pinot Noir-McManis Californa 2007. The burger came with a side of some sort of dijon, horseradish spread which added a kick to the lamb and made me wish I had ordered it. SA ordered a Merlot - Tin Roof, CA 2005 and the Celtic and Canadian cheeses with Sausage Partners’ preserves and bread – the bread was delicious.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

To finish, my friends decided to split the sticky toffee pudding (note: waitress getting happier as night went on). For a girl that doesn’t like sweets, and I’m talking hasn’t eaten a birthday cake since her 4th birthday, I truly believed I wouldn’t like the dessert my friends demanded I try. Wow! I couldn’t have been more wrong, this was heavenly goodness. I even had a second bite, and a third, and ok, I even had a 4th. It was divine! I’d consider going back to this place for a few pints, but I definitely wouldn’t rush back for the service – the table beside me even commented on the waitresses’ attitude problem. The food was very reasonably priced, but it seemed to be hit and miss and that wood burning stove that cut the winter chill also made my hair & jacket stink for 2 days after!

I’m a small town girl who now resides in Toronto and can’t get enough of it…especially the restaurants! What can I say? I love to eat! Sometimes I wonder if I’m addicted to food. As one of Menu Maniac's roomies from university, I watched her whip up a roast leg of lamb while others ate Kraft Dinner. Her adventurous cooking has inspired me to attempt to cook, and although I try, living in Toronto is so hard when there are many tempting places to eat out. I’m an east-ender hoping to bring you some good options next time you visit Toronto.

Lil' Baci in Toronto (guest post by Amy)

I decided this week, after my husband suggested I pick the restaurant for our Friday date night , that we needed to start utilizing the Leslieville area after living close to the east end Toronto neighbourhood for over two years, and only ever trying one or two restaurants.

I’d made a list of six places and we decided Lil’ Baci – a small (approx 25 seats), casual, Italian restaurant - would be the first we'd check off our list. After my husband found out they didn't serve traditional liquors, he was pleasantly surprised by the wine I ordered as he doesn’t love it (at least not as much as I do). We ordered the 2006 Montepulicano d’Abruzzo, Masciarelli Doc (Marche) which went fabulously with our meal. We shared the Lil’ Baci salad which consisted of bibb lettuce, radicchio, arugula, smoked provolone, salami, chick peas, sun dried tomato, and red onion. This was followed by a pasta dish – the gnoochi alla spinachi e limone, and the beef ravoli with pomodoro sauce.

Good things about this place? It was a warm atmosphere for a chilly November night, they offer take-out, and great pasta dishes that although good for the waistlines were quite small in portion size. This could have been overcome (b/c we were warned by all the small dishes we saw being served to others) by a larger appy, but the salads and small list of antipasta they had on their menu didn’t quite cut it for our big Friday night appetites.

That being said, I enjoyed the vibe at Lil’ Baci. I’d consider going back to try their pizzas – they had a ton on the menu that all looked like the yummy traditional Italian style versions I had in Rome just a few months ago.

Next stop: Celi Cottage

I’m a small town girl who now resides in Toronto and can’t get enough of it…especially the restaurants! What can I say? I love to eat! Sometimes I wonder if I’m addicted to food. As one of Menu Maniac's roomies from university, I watched her whip up a roast leg of lamb while others ate Kraft Dinner. Her adventurous cooking has inspired me to attempt to cook, and although I try, living in Toronto is so hard when there are many tempting places to eat out. I’m an east-ender hoping to bring you some good options next time you visit Toronto.

Guest blog by Lauren: Long Weekend Vegetarian Feast

We had such beautiful weather today, my husband and I decided to make a late lunch/early dinner and eat outside on the patio. Since I'm a vegetarian and my husband isn't, it can often be difficult to make meals that appeal to both of us. All of the dishes we made today are tried and true vegetarian recipes that we both love. They're all great recipes for a meat-free Monday meal! The Best Caesar Salad Recipe
This recipe is from one of our favourite restaurants - Daiquiri Dick's in Puerto Vallarta. It's an eggless recipe (actually dairy-free if you omit the parmesan cheese) and is absolutely amazing! It's not truly vegetarian because of the anchovy fillets but you can remove them if you don't eat seafood.
1 3/4 oz Onion (roasted or caramelized)
1 clove Garlic
5 Anchovy Fillets
1/4 tsp Ground dry mustard
1/4 tsp Sugar
1 TB Worcheshire sauce
1 TB Soy Sauce (yes, soy sauce)
1 TB Lemon juice
2 oz Apple cider vinager
1 drop Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup Olive oil
1/2 cup Canola oil

In a blender combine all of the ingredients except the oil and Parmesan cheese. Allow it to spin away, adding the oil in a thin stream. Once all the oil has been assimilated, taste and if necessary, adjust seasoning. Use the nicest, crispest Romaine leaves in with the dressing and before serving, dust with Parmesan cheese, fresh ground black pepper. I also add croutons and a handful of sliced up cherry tomatoes. We typically put in about 1/2 the amount of oil but you'll need to adjust based on your preference.
Bruschetta on ACE Rosemary Focaccia Bread
4 large ripe tomatoes
Fresh basil (handful)
Olive Oil
Balsamic drizzle
Salt & Pepper to taste
Garlic (1 clove)

Slice and chop the tomatoes after removing the core. Loosely chop a handful of fresh basil and squeeze in the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil (roughly about 2 TB - enough to lightly coat the tomatoes) and season with salt and pepper. Last but not least, we've found an amazing balsamic drizzle that we use when we make bruschetta. We add a touch in the bruschetta and then top our bread with some as well. This is optional but well worth it if you're able to include it. Before serving the Focaccia we lightly grilled the bread on the BBQ. Simple pasta with cherry tomatoes

This started out as a simple pasta recipe from one of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks. I've experimented with it over the years and made some changes based on what I like best. I believe the original recipe had cherry tomatoes, arugula and squashed olives.
3-4 containers of cherry tomatoes
Fresh basil (handful)
Olive oil
Chili flakes
Garlic (2-3 cloves)
Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
Optional: I kept it simple today but you can easily add a few additional ingredients to give this pasta a bit of a twist. Arugula is great in this pasta (include at the end) or you could add in some shrimp/scallops to make it a seafood pasta - we cook them in a separate pan in butter, garlic and white wine and then add them to the pasta when it's all done. This is a great vegetarian pasta but it's yummy to add in some seafood as well.

Loosely chop up the tomatoes. In a pan on high heat, drizzle some olive oil and add in garlic, a sprinkling of chili flakes and the basil. Once it starts to sizzle add in the tomatoes and turn the heat down to medium. Stir the sauce occasionally. You can start boiling the water for the pasta at the same time that you start the sauce. We like it with linguini but you can use any pasta. By the time the pasta is ready your sauce should be done. Top the pasta with some fresh Parmesan cheese and you're ready to go.

*To read Lauren's fashion blog visit http://ladauphinestyle.blogspot.com/

eat, live, travel, write

"Off to Laos and in need of a guest blog," said Mardi from the Eat, Live, Travel, Write blog. She's asked a few fellow bloggers to fill in for her while she's traveling. I blogged about five of my favourite spots for good food -- four places in North America and one small restaurant in Lisbon. Click here to read.

Think of your memorable dining experiences (cheap or not) and share them with me.

Martha's Vineyard: The Net Result (guest post by David)

Every year my brother-in-law David meets his Uncle Fred, cousin and brother on Martha's Vineyard for a boating trip. I wish we could come along. Hope you enjoy this guest post from David...

We have a tradition of ordering steamed lobsters in advance from the awesome fish store across from the Vineyard Haven marina - The Net Result. They run a terrific business selling fresh seafood as well as take-out prepared foods including sushi, fish and chips and lobster rolls. There are picnic tables outside the store that are always full of customers eating lunch, dinner and whatever in between. We always order the lobsters which come beautifully cooked and stored hot in a paper bag so we can take them across the street to the marina's rooftop patio to enjoy with some nice swordfish that we cook up on the barbeque there. Everything is fresh and caught in local waters nearby. There is some yummy seaweed salad on the side of my plate and a bit of butter to dip with my lobster. The red cup has our traditional beverage for boating: delicious Weiser's Canadian whiskey (now made here in Windsor!) and ginger-ale.

David is a lawyer in Windsor. He enjoys the Grateful Dead, blueberry picking and spending time with his beautiful wife and two lovely daughters. Most importantly, he is a wonderful brother-in-law and friend.

better bbq (guest post by terry)

I come from a long line of terrible cooks. My grandmother could make a soft boiled egg and one hell of a chocolate chip cookie but her savvy stopped there. Worse, her daughters weren’t even graced with the egg boiling gene.

As a kid, I chewed for days on breaded, grey leather, fried-in-the-pan-for-nine-hours pork chops. If it wasn’t for the Del Monte Apple Sauce, swallowing would have been an impossible task. Things occasionally got worse. There were the lamb chops. These were cooked exactly like the pork but all we had was Sheriff’s Mint Jelly to wash those suckers down.

I learned to cook in my twenties after getting hired at a first-rate restaurant. Somehow I hosed them into thinking I knew about food.

Another bullshitting waiter was born.

Anyway, here’s what we had last Sunday. I had the day off so I decided to pull out the Weber Kettle Grill and use real hardwood charcoal. My wife thinks it’s excessive but I think it’s wicked fun! Menu:

• Swiss Chard (from the Garden) and smooth-mashed Chickpea on Bruschetta
• Baked Goat Cheese Salad, homemade croutons
• Jerk Seasoned Pork Tenderloin and Rib-eye with Mango Salsa
• Last-of-the-Rhubarb, Strawberries and Crumble
• Way too much Wine

Bruschetta:

• Heat chickpeas in pan with olive oil and warm. Add some minced fresh hot red pepper and then push through a Ricer or mash anyway you want.
• Immerse the swiss chard in boiling water for a few minutes, drain, squeeze out water, then sauté in a pan for a couple of minutes with olive oil, a clove or two of minced fresh garlic and a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
• I cut some Ace Baguette lengthwise in half and in 5-6 inch long pieces, brush with good olive oil and throw it on the grill. If you walk away from the grill I promise you it will burn! (Sourdough and Calabrese bread also work well)
• When your toasted bread comes off the grill rub it lightly with a clove of raw garlic. This makes all the difference. I like to rub both sides.
• Spread some warm chickpea mash on the toasts. Then mound the swiss chard on top, a little salt and a drizzle of your best olive oil and another quick squeeze of lemon. EAT.

Goat Cheese Salad: (for 4 people)

• Cut goat cheese into rounds (two per person) about the thickness of your finger and 3 or 4 inches diameter. But it doesn’t really matter about the size.
• Marinate, covered, in the fridge for about 4 hours with good olive oil and 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves stripped off their branch.
• Cut some baguette into ¼ inch slices, (4 per person maybe?). Paint them with melted butter then throw them into a 350F oven for about 5-7 minutes. WATCH THEM! Pull them out and rub lightly with clove of raw garlic.
• We used red leaf and new spinach and red oak leaf lettuce which was amazingly fresh from our farmer’s market but you can use any mixed greens you want. All I can say is that if you can get fresh greens from the your garden or a farmer’s market it’s way better then any bag of mixed greens from the supermarket…. organic or not.
• I mixed a dressing of this great Red Wine Vinegar and olive oil. About 4 tablespoons of vinegar and whisk in ½ cup olive oil. If you like more punch or your greens are crap, add more vinegar.
• Pull the goat cheese from the fridge and coat with bread crumbs.
• Then warm the goat cheese in a 400F preheated oven for about 6 minutes, give or take.
• Toss salad with vinaigrette, put the croutons around it and add two rounds of the warmed cheese to the middle of your salad.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Jerk Paste:
I modified Stephen Raichlen’s recipe for Jamaican Jerk Paste from The Barbecue Bible.
Note: 4 chiles are somewhat hot, 15 chiles are crazy hot. I think scotch bonnet are about the hottest fresh chiles out there. If you touch your eyes after handling these peppers, or for the guys, someplace worse, you will freak out. Wear a rubber glove if you have one.

Makes about 2 cups; enough to marinate 4 pounds meat, chicken or seafood. Use the jerk marinade to marinate pork for 6 hours, chicken breasts for 3 hours, and fish fillets or shrimp for 1 hour.

Ingredients:

• 4 to 15 scotch bonnet chiles, seeded (for a hotter marinade, leave the seeds in)
• 2 bunch scallion, both white and green parts, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• 1 onion, small, quartered
• 2 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 tbs ginger, fresh, grated
• 2 tsp thyme, fresh, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 tsp allspice, ground 3 tbs canola oil 3 tbs soy sauce
• 3 tbs lime juice, fresh, or more to taste
• 2 tbs brown sugar, dark, firmly packed
• 1 & 1/2 tbs salt, or more to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 cup water

Combine the chiles, scallions, shallots, onion, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice, canola oil, soy sauce, 3 tablespoons lime juice, brown sugar, 1 ½ tablespoon salt, pepper, and water in a blender or better, a food processor. Blend until smooth. Correct the seasoning, adding salt and lime juice as necessary. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 2 cups; enough to marinate 4 pounds meat, chicken, or seafood

Pork Tenderloin and Rib-eye: I barbecued two pork tenderloins and a 2-inch thick rib-eye from our Mennonite butcher. There was more than enough jerk paste.

• Cut the pork tenderloin lengthwise from end to end but not all the way through. Leave about an inch uncut all the way across. Your pork tenderloin should look like an open book. Sandwich it between two pieces of cling wrap and hammer it down to about 1 inch thick. Use the flat side of a meat hammer or whatever you have handy. Remove cling wrap.
• I poke a bunch of ¼ inch holes all over the pork and the rib-eye and then rub the paste all over the meat with a spatula.
• Marinate pork for 6 hours or so, and the beef for considerably less time…maybe 2 hours?
• I put the rib-eye on the grill first, since it was a full inch thicker than the pork.
• The pork should cook to 137F and no more. It will climb another 3 degrees after you take it off the grill. It may look a little pink inside but it’s done, trust me.
• Cook your rib-eye to your liking. I like medium rare.

Try a Celeriac Salad with the jerk to cool things down. Enjoy.

Terry still remembers how good his Nana's cookies were. They almost made up for when she used to call him Kenny.

Terry is an adventurous cook who doesn't flinch at the thought of cleaning a squid or trying a new semi-freddo recipe. He's committed to eating from his garden and doing what he can to support local/seasonal eating. Terry is a professional firefighter. He's married to my one of my best friends and has a cat named Tusker-du. Best of all, he taught the MenuManiac how to cook.

Violet: lamb's newest lover

Inspired by MenuManiac, my beautiful friend Violet decided to try lamb burgers. See her post below!

Violet's Open-Faced Lamb Burger

"I made the lamb burgers last night for dinner and they turned out beautifully! I loved how simple they were to prepare (Benn did the grilling), the flavour was outstanding and I love the unique ingredients, especially the pine nuts and the tapenade! The only thing I will do differently next time is use something other than pitas, as they became quite soggy. I must admit, before I tried these I fell into the "might be crazy because I don't like lamb" category, however, I am now a lamb lover and look forward to making these again in the very near future! Thanks JS!"

If you have a MenuManiac recipe photo or story that you'd like to share, please leave a comment on one of my posts. I read all comments! Enjoy the weekend!

fish cakes for the family (guest blog by sharon)

For the past few years, the Menu Maniac gave me a subscription to Bon Appetit for my birthday. It is an excellent source of inspiration. One of the tastiest and easiest main courses I discovered from the magazine is the Mahi Mahi Fish Cakes.

This is a simple, healthy dish. The only problem is that I can't always find mahi mahi at the store. A few times I was lucky enough to find the President’s Choice blue menu wild mahi mahi.
This week, I couldn’t find mahi mahi anywhere, so I used President’s Choice blue menu wild halibut instead.

Instead of the breadcrumbs, I substitute panko (Japanese) bread crumbs which I purchase at Hoa Viet (pronounced "Wa Bet") at 485 Wyandotte St. W., (519) 255.7232. Not only does Hoa Viet have a convenient parking lot, but it also carries many obscure Asian ingredients at great prices.

We had Stir Fried Sesame Asparagus as a side dish. I typically buy the no-name sesame seeds at the Superstore. I highly recommend this easy recipe, especially because local asparagus is the best!

Speaking of local, check out the Essex County Federation of Agriculture’s Buy Local map . Refer to it to find out where to buy the freshest ingredients grown close to home. It also shows where to go to pick your own, a great activity.

Speaking of pick your own, we are very excited about our strawberry crop in the backyard. If the strawberry crop survives the squirrels and my children, I promise to document the harvest on this blog soon.

(me on the left and the menu maniac)

MY BIO: Like any self-respecting Strosberg, I enjoy a good meal. Together with my husband David, I endure the daily struggle of figuring out what our young daughters will eat for dinner. I am a lawyer and an avid runner. And of course, I am the Menu Maniac’s sister-in-law and now, an occasional guest blogger.

scrambled eggs with stuff (guest blog by Harris)

Hi all you menu maniacs. This is Harris from over at sports, entertainment and smack coming at you from the menu obsessed's kitchen. We've made the pilgrimage over from St. Kitts to Windsor to provide some expertise on breakfast. No matching, just good food.

Sarah and I started out on a crazy trip through windsor to find the Zehrs. We left the house around 5 p.m. and returned near 6:30. What happened? We got lost and ended up driving all the way to the other side of windsor looking for a zehrs. Oh well, Sarah enjoyed the scenery of lovely broken down closed factories, and Italian stores.

Anyways, back to breakfast. Pretty simple meal. My omelettes are different from the real thing. All i really do is make scrambled eggs with stuff inside it. Today was no different. Chopped up some green and orange peppers. Cut up some mushrooms and tossed it all in a pan with some melted butter. Got that stuff all soft and heated up and then I poured the eggs in the pan. You still with me readers? You need me to go over those steps?

So now we got all the ingredients in the pan and we are stirring and flipping and cooking, and bam, we got scrambled eggs with stuff inside. Check the pic below.
Sarah chimed in with some toast soaked in butter and opened the plastic container of fruit.

Put all that stuff on the table with some coffee and you got a wonderful mothers day Breakfast.

That's it, thanks for reading my guest post. Check out the blog for more of what you love from your sports entertainment and smack blog master.