Yours Truly

Maegan and I decided we would head over to Yours Truly for our anniversary dinner.  The place has gotten rave reviews from locals and was recommended to us by a friend.  We opted for the 'Yours Truly' (4 course) menu over the 'Carte Blanche' (15 - 20 course) menu as the chef is as of yet unable to accommodate dietary restrictions on the latter (which is totally understandable).  The restaurant is dimly lit and dressed in shades, monochrome pictures of Canadian landscape dot the otherwise barren walls.

We were sat at the bar, which seems like an odd place for a high end dinner, but it was large and comfortable.  I am not generally a cocktail drinker, but the list looked very interesting.  We asked the bartender for two drinks, something sweet and fruity for her and something dry and earthy for me.  The man behind the bar worked his magic and brought forth two wonderful beverages.  For Maegan there was a drink with an absinthe washed glass, ruby port, star anise and egg white (of which I can find no trace of on their website's cocktail list), and for myself a Penicillin, a tantalizing concoction of blended scotch, ginger syrup, lemon juice and honey, floated with an uber-peated single malt.  The four course dinner is offered with two options per course (one being vegetarian), as well as a 'supplement', an additional available item to add to the menu if you like. Our server recommended we each order one side of the menu and share all 8 dishes.  We obliged, and took him up on the supplement (a cheese plate), and the wine pairings.  Our meal commenced quickly thereafter.

The meal began with a few amuse bouche; a cone of kombu dusted popcorn, oysters with a salsa verde and salmon tartar topped with a horseradish cream and served with nori sheets.  The popcorn was a fun way to start the meal, and the flavor was clean and uncomplicated, the oysters crisp and fresh, and the salmon tartar the same, the horseradish a lightly textured but richly flavored preparation with a mildly spicy edge. We also received wine pairings, however our server didn't seem to be too educated in this regard and was barely able to tell us the regions and varietals. Consequently there are no notes, but I don't remember finding the pairings particularly inspiring, rather run of the mill.

Afterwards we moved on to our first course. In place of traditional bread, lightly fried and garlicky bread knots were brought to the table.  Maegan opted for the chirashi, a traditional Japanese preparation of sushi rice, marinated and topped with seafood.  Her dish featured pickled mackerel and hamachi sashimi-style.  I had 'variations', a vegetable medley that featured seasonal vegetables in several different preparations, I can't list them all but i distinctly remember a beet puree, a butternut squash cream, at least three kinds of stewed beans, as well as roasted carrots, parsnips and beets.

In between our first and second courses, a snack of crunchy house potato chips topped with savory and traditional greek taramosalata.

Next up was our second course, Maegan had a piece of sea bass with preparations of turnip, as well as a brown butter jus.  I got what I thought was the star dish of the night, a slow poached egg with Parmesan foam, kale powder, truffle chips and onion and vegemite consomme.  Super rich and earthy, this luxurious dish was loaded with umami.

Following that Maegan was presented with a duck duo, roasted breast and confit leg, garnished with apple puree, roasted baby parsnip and maltose syrup.  I had a dish composed of various kinds of carrots in different cuts and cooked in different methods, chickpea curry, yogurt and cilantro.  Both dishes were very satisfying.

We were advised that our supplement would be best enjoyed after the meal, and our last(ish) course arrived.  Maegan was given a dessert of chocolate in textures, white chocolate ice cream, dark chocolate ganache, chocolate crumble and meringue.  I was presented with a buttermilk panna cotta garnished with fresh raspberries, rosewater granita and sorrel.  We agreed that while the chocolate was tasty (when is it not?), it was overwhelming in a sense, the panna cotta on the other hand displayed a layered complexity that proved it both the more difficult to execute, and tastier dish.

Lastly, we enjoyed our cheese plate, garnished with candied figs, marmelade and pine nut butter.  After dinner we opted for coffee and the bill.

A great meal to be had here, and at the low end of the price spectrum for luxury dining.  Dinner for two with cocktails, wine pairings and the supplement came to somewhere around $350.  The food was creative and excellently prepared, the service prompt.  Wine pairings were a little lacking, so I would recommend selecting a bottle you can count on instead.  All in all an enjoyable experience, I would love to try out the Carte Blanche if given the chance.

Yours Truly
yours-truly.ca
229 Ossington Ave
Toronto

Bellwoods Brewery

Took a trip to the lovely Bellwoods Brewery, what a spot! We were promptly greeted by a friendly server, Mallory, who asked us what we were up to tonight and invited us in for a drink as though she lived here.  A rustic farmhouse atmosphere; mismatched tables and chairs and reclaimed wood adorned the dining room, the beer menu displayed on an intricately decorated chalk board, the food on card stock menus on miniature clipboards.  We ordered ourselves some beverages (even gluten free beer for Maegan, my girlfriend, who is a celiac) and some food as well.  Well seared duck hearts were tender and flavorful, the olive selection fresh, the salad of brussels sprouts and bacon refreshing and rich at the same time.  We also dug into goat braised in tomato sauce, served on a bed of polenta (pictured above), which was obscenely tasty.  Beer taps were from the house selection, and ranged greatly, the bottles were mostly rare premium Belgian brews.  I enjoyed a few of the house beers, White Picket Fence (a Belgian styled Wit), Monogamy Nelson Sauvin (a APA series from the brewery that uses the same grain bill but a different kind of hop for each beer, this one featuring exotic and fruity Nelson Sauvin), Roman Candle IPA and the Witchshark IIPA.  Bill came to a staggeringly low $80 with tip.

A great place to go catch a beer, or a bite, and be sure to visit their bottle shop next door that sells their beer in take home formats!  Bombers and growlers!

Check back soon for some bottle reviews!

Bellwoods Brewery

www.bellwoodsbrewery.com
twitter.com/bellwoodsbeer

124 Ossington Ave
Toronto

5 Beers

Here are some fresh ratings! A German Dunkel Weizenbock (that's a strong beer brewed with heavily roasted wheat malts), a Belgian strong ale named after a famous prophet, Orval (one of the seven official Trappist beers), a true porter from New Zealand and what was once the strongest beer in the world, the gigantic Samichlaus from Austria.

Erdinger Pikantus
500 mL. Pours a dark cola color with a thick brown head and lots of lacing. Dessert like on the nose, chocolate cream and coffee, yeast, cherry and banana. Fairly sweet; no hops here but a souring finish. Smooth with medium carbonation.

La Caracole Nostradamus
330 mL. Pours a deep mahogany with a thick off white head. Aromas of bittersweet caramel malt, Belgian yeast, alcohol, apple, clove and ginger. Sweet and medium bodied, a medium high carbonation and a pleasantly sour finish. Needs a hearty meal.

Orval
330 mL bottle. Pours an orange tinged amber with a huge white head. Aromas of spicy yeast, lemon zest, candle wax, green herb and hop. Surprisingly light on the palate, good carbonation and very refreshing. Dry and flavorful, a great brew.

Renaissance Elemental Porter
500 mL bottle. Pours black with an orange tan head. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, licorice. Full bodied with medium carbonation and a sticky mouth feel. Bitter on the finish. A great porter.

Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus
330 mL bottle. Pours a clear medium copper color with no head. Notes of toffee, buttered biscuit, raisin, apricot, fig, and a punchy alcohol note. A huge beer, sweet and heady with a thick coating mouthfeel and an oxidized, oloroso sherry like finish. A good one, strong and different but damn tasty.

Today I am taking a trip to Bellwoods Brewery in Toronto, rated #3 of 1900 new breweries worldwide this year by ratebeer.com, keep your eyes open for a location review, as well as some notes on their beers.  Also on the docket, Yours Truly restaurant and the Sky Yard at the Drake Hotel.

As per usual:
http://www.ratebeer.com/user/169526/ratings/

Two Wines!

Had a chance to indulge in a few good wines this week!  Picked up a special bottle while I was in Spain, locally produced just outside Toledo, and at home I found an exceptional and complex California Pinot Noir.

Marques de Grinon Dominio de Valdepusa D.O. Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
The first of its D.O. according to the bottle, this Cab is wonderfully masculine.  Fleshy and muscular, it has a chewy texture with softening, but still grippy tannin.  A dark ruby color with notes of blueberry, blackberry and date.  A distinct earthy salinity with typical old world hints of lead and leather with a touch of oak.  A great finish.  May continue to develop. Worth it, but don't bother to look for this in Canada, you won't find it.

Marimar Estates Don Miguel Vineyard la Masia Pinot Noir 2007
This California based winery is owned and operated by Spanish wine family Torres, who originate from the Penedes region.  Everything they touch is worth buying!  Pours a medium garnet with the slightest hint of bricking.  Beautifully complex with layers of cherry and light oak, a hint of cola on the nose, sweet spices and a touch of smoke.  Silky smooth and medium bodied.

Home + A Shipload of Spaniards

Great to be home, check out these Spanish beer reviews; don't expect to taste any of them outside of Spain however!

Domus Aurea
Tercio. Pours a cloudy pale straw with a thick white head. True to the European IPA style, all the pine, grapefruit and lanolin without the crushing sugar or body of it’s American counterpart. Clean, crisp and pleasantly bitter.

Domus Europa
Tercio. Pours honey coloured and hazy with a thick white head. Citrus, wax, yeast and honey, and something unpleasantly soapy. Mildly sweet with a hoppy punch, refreshing and little aftertaste. Tainted bottle? Not terrible.

Domus Regia
Tercio. Light auburn with a very thick white head. Anise, caramel, almond and years. A touch of sugar here and mild hop bite. A flavourful light beer with a slick mouth feel.

Domus Summa
Tercio. Pours a reddish walnut color with a medium white head. Cola, black cherry and nutty malt. A touch sweet, not much hop and a medium thick mouth feel with high carbonation. Well made but boring.

Domus Greco
750 mL. Pours a beautiful orange brown with a thick beige head. Massive aroma of citrusy hop, amaretto, coffee malt, spice and a custard note. Fairly sweet but balanced by saffron tinged hop bitterness. Flavored, but not overwhelming. Medium bodied and creamy on the palate with high carbonation. Fantastic! Far superior to the regular Domus range.

Sagra Premium (Verde)
Tercio. Pours golden with a thin white head. The abbey malts and yeasts stand out strong in this lager, fruit esters on the nose, yeast, pineapple, mango and spice. Mildly sweet with a medium to full mouthfeel and high carbonation.

Sagra Roja
Tercio. Pours a rich red tinged mahogany with a thin white head. Yeast, nuts, dry red fruit and toffee on the nose. Dry and minimally carbonated, with a moderate yet well hidden alcohol. Sessionable.

Sagra Bohio Triple Especial
Tercio. Pours black with a medium tan head. Aromas of coffee, cocoa, raisin, banana and deep spice. Sweet, but drier than I anticipated. Medium bodied with full carbonation. Surprised!

As always:
http://www.ratebeer.com/user/169526/ratings/