Bread Bar: Hamilton, Ontario

Whenever I have friends or family visiting from out of town, my frequent go-to restaurant recommendation is Earth To Table Bread Bar in Hamilton. It is well situated in a bright, open space at the South end of Locke Street. The food is consistently good, often great, and the service is always friendly and prompt. While the tables can feel a bit cramped together depending on where you are sitting, it is none the less one of my favorite places to eat and drink in the city.

Here is a breakdown of why Bread Bar is awesome:

1) In addition to their regular menu, they are always making daily specials as well as variations on their loaded fries. While there are classic go-to menu options that I always come back to, I often cannot resist trying their daily french fried creation! My two favorites so far are:

Smoked meat with sweet mustard and cheese

Homemade cheese sauce with salsa fresca and
sour cream

World's Best Mac & Cheese

2) The mac & cheese. Amazeballsing. I recommend this above all else at Bread Bar. It is honestly the most perfect mac & cheese that I have ever tasted. Perfectly cooked elbow noodles – first boiled, then baked and always al dente. The sauce is rich and thick – you can taste the roux base and the creaminess of the aged cheddar. They throw in sautéed onions and smoky bacon in big pieces, adding the perfect flavor and texture contrast to the cheese sauce. It gets baked in an individual dish and topped with only a small sprinkling of breadcrumbs. In my mind this simple version of the standard dish is ideal. The breadcrumbs add just the right amount of texture, without making the dish taste overly dry, and the richness of the sauce ensures that every bite is gooey and amazing. 

3) They have a great drink menu. With a variety of local and international wines and a decent selection of local craft beers, you’re sure to find something to wet your whistle. When I visited a couple of weeks ago, I had the rare treat of getting to taste Dillon’s gin, a fresh creation from Niagara’s newest and only craft distillery.  Served in a cocktail with sparkling Riesling and blood orange puree, the gin added a very subtle flavor kick to the drink. It was bright red, light and sweet – a very nice way to start the meal.

4) Pizza.

Vampire Slayer

I guess I should be more specific. Have you ever watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Well, I do and I am a huge fan. HUGE fan. Here at Bread Bar they have a pizza called “The Vampire Slayer” and it is necessarily loaded with roasted garlic. I love the idea of a Buffy-themed pizza (even though that show in particular may not be the inspiration to them, it is in my head) and my boyfriend and I order it often.  Their homemade pizza dough is topped with a creamy béchamel sauce, brie cheese and roasted garlic. It is finished with fresh arugula, grated lemon zest and more garlic. Since I am not a huge arugula fan, I often find it a bit overpowering to the otherwise subtle flavors of the pizza. That being said, it is none-the-less one of my favorites and I could totally go for one right now.

Butterscotch Pudding

5) Dessert! I always save room for dessert. I have a small area in my stomach (right, lower portion) which I never fill while eating, leaving it empty specifically for dessert. You definitely want to use this technique next time you are at Bread Bar because they have many tantalizing dessert options.  For example, you can enjoy their amazing monkey bread (think cinnamoney, cakey, goodness in cupcake size) or one of their daily pies. Last time we went we ordered a slice of their rhubarb pie, which was a tart, moist dessert with a crumble topping. Another option is the homemade butterscotch pudding.

Rhubarb Pie

They fill a mason jar with a very light almost cappuccino-coloured homemade butterscotch pudding. This gets topped with a layer of caramel followed by a pillow of fresh whipped cream. They finish it off with candied pecans - crunchy and salty and perfect. Eating this was one of those moments where I don't think I actually said one full word but rather uttered a series of low moans and/or animal calls.

The Bread Bar is one of those places that I’m sure will stick around for a long time. They’ve developed a significant and dedicated following in the area and they are definitely setting the bar high for local restaurants and cafes.

Who wants to grab a bite?

Bite-Sized: Culantro, Hamilton, Ontario

Pollo empanada

While Hamilton's newest (and only) Peruvian restaurant has already received a ton of well-deserved praise, I would be remiss not to include it as part of my blog on the area's best food, because who are we kidding here? Culantro is doing it right. It has quickly become a popular destination in the James North neighbourhood and though small in size, they are certainly big on flavor. 

My boyfriend is part Peruvian and having been spoiled with places like El Fogon while we were living in Toronto, we were both super anxious for the arrival of Peruvian cuisine here in Hamilton. While I have not yet tried all of their offerings, I can tell you that the empanadas, the yucca and their homemade sauces are delicious*. 

Carne empanada

I have had their carne (beef) and pollo (chicken) empanadas several times and the quality and flavor has been consistently superb. The empanadas are flaky and golden with a generous filling. The carne is stuffed with beef, black olives, raisins, egg and spices. The contrast of the flavors works very nicely and the unique mixture of ingredients is precisely what I love most about Peruvian cuisine. The chicken empanadas are equally delicious, with a light, creamy filling of chicken, sweet corn and spices.  I ordered my empanadas with yucca, a tasty, starchy root vegetable and excellent french fry alternative (note to self: make yucca poutine). They come in cubes and are fried until golden and crispy. Of the two aji sauces provided, I love the red sauce the best. When it first hits your tongue, it is sweet and light. This quickly turns into a deep, spicy flavor and is a perfect compliment to the flaky empanadas. 

Yucca and aji sauces

I look forward to many future visits to Culantro (and I am desperately awaiting for them to add Papa a la Huancaina to their menu! hint hint!)

*It should be noted that their Lomo Saltado is also incredible and will be featured in a future blog on eclectic poutine iterations! 

Anchor Bar: Hamilton, Ontario

Anchor Bar Wings

Blog prologue:

Back when I was in university, I decided to become a vegetarian. This will likely come as a shock to anyone who has been reading my previous posts and has observed my love of meat. I was a vegetarian for about 5 years and really enjoyed it; I was certain I’d never go back to eating meat. After I moved to Toronto and was between jobs, I did some waitressing at Magic Oven, a restaurant offering organic pizza, pasta and salad options. Also, wings. Yes, tasty, delicious free-range, crispy and dry rubbed in herbs and garlic. After about a month at this place, I started dreaming about wings and eventually ate one. It was amazing and they are still to this day my all-time fave wings. This post, therefore, has a special place in my meat gut heart.

The wings:

Anchor Bar, Jackson Square,
Hamilton ON

Working in the James North neighbourhood means that I have many delicious options for lunch.  With so many new and interesting places popping up, it can be hard to keep up let alone choose a place to check out! Last week my co-workers and I decided to visit the Anchor Bar; Jackson Square’s newest addition and the wing joint’s first venture in Canada.  With a fully renovated space, friendly staff and super tasty wings, it has quickly become a popular lunch spot among locals and it’s easy to see why.

Anchor Bar, Jackson Square,
Hamilton ON

We ordered 30 wings – ½ spicy and ½ medium. What can I say? They were very tasty and nothing short of what I would expect from a place known for their wings. The sauce had great flavor – tangy, spicy and bright. The wings weren’t overly battered, just nice good-sized wings coated in a messy sauce. They came with a house-made blue cheese dip which we all loved. I don’t even really like celery but had several pieces just to soak up the dip! 

Buffalo Chicken Poutine

We also ordered a poutine (Obviously. I mean, how can I go somewhere new and not try one of their poutines when they have 4 different kinds on the menu?) We opted for the “Buffalo Chicken” poutine. Although the potatoes are nice and the curds are appreciated, the gravy was overly salty. They didn’t use their signature wing sauce on the chicken, opting instead to let the flavor of the gravy coat the meat. The dish was finished with a ranch drizzle. While we still enjoyed the poutine, I think a few small changes could really make this poutine a show stealer. I would start by coating the chicken in their tasty wing sauce (which, really only makes sense when you consider the poutine is called the “Buffalo Chicken” poutine) and I would substitute the ranch drizzle with their homemade blue cheese sauce. By incorporating two things they are already doing really well, namely their sauce and their blue cheese dip, they would have a delicious and unique poutine.

Overall, the Anchor Bar is a great new spot inside Jackson Square that I would definitely recommend to anyone with a craving for chicken wings.  We left feeling satisfied - not super full or bloated - and anxious to return!

Blog epilogue:

We have all been craving wings in the office since we went. Even for breakfast!

McCartney & Son: Interview with Chef Shane McCartney

Chef Shane freshly slicing
sous-vide herb crusted
strip-loin

Located at 282 James North in Hamilton is the newly launched McCartney & Son, Hamilton's first salad bar. With a huge variety of locally sourced toppings and greens, M&S is also making homemade soups daily as well as tasty deli sandwiches. I popped in last week (as soon as I heard about them) and tried one of the salads. I immediately emailed Chef Shane McCartney for an interview!

So, are you from Hamilton?

I wasn’t born here but I’ve been living here off and on for about 10 years, maybe longer actually, 15 years.

Where were you trained?

Just in restaurants. My very first start was when I bought a restaurant in Halifax called “Café Vienna”.

A few of the delicious salad bar
options

At the time when I lived in Halifax, I had never cooked anything ever in my life. My girlfriend was a chef and the restaurant she was working at was for sale. So I bought the place thinking I wasn’t ever going to have to cook anything or do anything. But day 2 somebody didn’t show up and I was in there cooking and I realized that was what I wanted to do.

What were you doing before that?

I was a music promoter and that’s what brought me out there.

Then what?

Then I moved back here, 10 or 12 years ago, worked in a couple places around here and then worked for a high profile catering company in Toronto where I fed lots of famous people, lots from film and from rock and roll.

That’s why they call you the rock 'n' roll chef?

Yep (laughs) - I’ve fed a lot of famous people.

Food art! Bacon & poutine

Like who?

Most famous is Robert Plant.

(This comes to him instantly. He then pauses for a bit before he names the rest in quick succession.)

Jay-Z, Buck 65, P Diddy, Les Claypool and Primus. And Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson,…

(I rudely interrupt here.)

Holy Crap. Really? Samuel L. Jackson is the last person you thought to name?

(Laughs) Yeah. Well, I always think of music first.

What was the inspiration for M&S?

It’s an idea I’d been thinking about doing here in Hamilton for about 5 years, just had to find the right spot to do it. You know, there are no salad bars in this whole city.

I know! I just moved back from Toronto and love all the salad bar options they have.

(Laughs) I know, they’re everywhere in Toronto! I just wanted to do something really fresh and simple. The original idea was just a salad bar but then Reardon’s closed - I used to live above Reardon’s! So then I was like, well I’m gonna do deli sandwiches, proper deli sandwiches, which is also something that is lacking in the city.

The Big Daddy. Need I say more?

Why James North?

I’ve lived here for about 6 years so I’ve watched the neighbourhood develop. I loved Toronto but I left - I got tired of driving to Toronto. Then the guy who owns Jack and Lois -  he works in film so I used to feed him every day - he hired me to open Jack and Lois. So once I got that up and going I was like, well, next step. And then this place became available.

In conclusion, Chef Shane is the real deal and Hamilton is lucky to have him. I will definitely be coming here often and think you should too!

Neurotic Eating: Food & OCD

Spring in Hamilton, ON

Since we're winding down from the long weekend (read: getting back on track with daily exercise starting today after having eaten far too much over the weekend), I decided to make today's post slightly different. Instead of a restaurant review, I thought I would discuss the challenging, messed up, intriguing world of food and obsessive compulsive tendencies at the dinner table. After all, most of us likely just spent a whole weekend with family and experienced a first hand reminder of where we inherited all our strange eating quirks (right? or was that just me?) The way we eat and enjoy our food is a big part of the food experience and I think it's best to get it out there and in the open!

Ordering your bites: 

You pick.

I think one of the most common food routines of which all of us can relate is the order in which we eat a meal. When you get a plate of food, whether it's soup and a salad or the ol' meat, potatoes and veggie trio, most people from my experience employ a subconscious eating order. That is, they organize their bites based on some pre-conceived order which they believe to be the most satisfying. For example, if my brother orders a burger and fries, he will always eat all of the fries before even touching the burger. My mom on the other hand will make sure that the very last bite that goes in her mouth is the item she found tastiest. My grandma will ensure that the last bites (the number of bites is based on the number of varying items on the plate) include one of each item. This carefully planned, strategic meal consumption is one which I acquired while growing up and still absolutely must conform to at every meal. Depending on the number of different items on my plate, I can quickly become a pretty poor dinner date!

Location and Space:

A well-designed patio in Buenos Aires,
Argentina

For me, the feel of a restaurant and of your eating space is an important part of the dining experience. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to set up a dining room in a restaurant. Organizing the tables, the walkways and the chairs in such a way as to maximize space, without making things feel cramped or uncomfortable would be a challenge to say the least.  However, in addition to the quality of the food and the service, the space is none-the-less an important piece of this delicious puzzle. 

Super fun bike seats that face the water in Camden Market,
London

For example, whenever my mom and I go out to eat, I will always let her pick the table and her seat. Like most people, she doesn't want to sit facing a wall or with her back turned to the entire restaurant because it makes her feel confined. For me, it's not so much about which way I am facing as it is about the general atmosphere.

While a restaurant may have amazing food and drinks, no amount of craving or mental deliberation will make me go back to eat in a cramped restaurant that doesn't have a proper space for people waiting to eat to line up and therefore they end up huddled over you while you are trying to enjoy a burger... or whatever. My advice to restaurant owners: if you have an amazing product and people are lining up to get at it, give both diners and would-be diners some space. 

Tables: Paper or Cotton

Beautiful plating at the
Canadian Parliament

You know how some restaurants use craft paper in lieu of table cloths and some will even give you crayons to draw with? While many of us find this to be a fun way to fill the time between the order and the eating, paper is not for everyone. One such person is my dad. I can remember in the not so distant past, going to a restaurant with my dad where they used white paper on the tables. Before we could order we had to ask the server to please remove the paper and they kindly obliged us in our compulsive need. I personally don't mind having paper cloths and having worked in a number of restaurants, can appreciate the ease with which they add to 'flipping' the table between diners. I think for me it depends on the restaurant. If I am out enjoying ribs and/or pulled pork or anything messy like that, a paper table cloth makes sense. On the other hand, when I'm dishing out a fair bit of dough on a lunch, a nice linen seems to be to be the way to go.

Knifey Spooney:

The condition of silverware, plates and glasses is something I obsessively inspect regardless of where I am eating and there's no way I am alone on this one! Whether I am at home, at a friend's or at a restaurant, I will carefully look over the utensils for leftover bits of food and the glasses for a previous diner's lipstick. I can't help myself and it's something I've been doing forever. I've come to terms with it.

Everything All At Once:

All ready: Desperado, water, s&p,
croque monsieur in Montmartre, Paris.

Another strange neurosis I have when eating has to do with having everything in front of me when I order. Basically, I can't start eating until the glass of water I ordered has arrived to the table even if my meal arrived 5 minutes ago. When I am at home, the same thing applies. If I am waiting for last week's episode of Shameless to load on my computer when I am about to eat, I can't start my meal until everything is in order and ready to go. I'm really not sure where I got this from... 

I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend! I have some tasty dining experiences lined up and can't wait to share them with you. 

Bite-sized: Cake & Loaf

Since not all amazing eats include a whole meal and since not all drinks require food, I've decided to include in this blog "bite-sized" sample reviews. These reviews will feature either specialty, to-go or solo items that can simply be enjoyed on their own (and merit their own post!) Today's Easter eggs from Cake & Loaf were indeed such a treat.

Feast your eyes on these: homemade melt-in-your-mouth easter eggs. I had been dreaming about these (and nagging bugging my co-workers about them) since I saw a photo of them posted on Twitter last week. While we normally go to Cake & Loaf for their Molasses Oatmeal bread, I had not yet tried one of their specialty confections.

Today I popped in after work, eager to pick up their own personal take on the chocolate cream egg. While they were already sold out of their version of the "Cadbury Egg" I picked up a half dozen chocolate caramel eggs. Yum...

A quick summary: picture large chocolate eggs, with beautiful pastel icing, set inside a pretty white box. I like the idea of food gifts and according to FBI Agent Dale Cooper, you should give yourself one gift every day. 

The eggs are delicious, rich and chocolatey, not too sweet nor too bitter. The eggs are filled with a chocolate ganache and hidden in the centre is a perfect little sphere of caramel.  It's a gooey, liquid caramel and the flavor reminded me of the sugary crust of a creme-brulée. 

I have already eaten two. The night is young. 

Dani's Bistro, St. Catharines, Ontario

I really need to get something off my chest: bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese. There. I said it! I feel much better. It's been consuming my thoughts since I went to Dani's Bistro in St. Catharines. I'll explain. 

First thing's first: Why Dani's? 

I had looked at a number of places online, reviewing the menus and wine selection prior to my visit. Dani's stood out to me because of their menu and the way it is written. Under each item is a description and/or commentary:

"Pot Roast: local grass-fed Beef from Comform Farm, braised in red wine served with caramelized onion mashed potato, veggies & yorkshire pudding (This will make you happy, I promise!)" 

Risotto Balls (Arancini)

I love the personable style of writing, not too mention the wonderful options and VQA only wine selection. I was sold!

The restaurant is fairly small with deep red walls and paisley table cloths. They have a nice big bar at the back and the service is fast and friendly (read: hilarious!) We started with a bottle of Southbrook's 2007 Cabernet Merlot Shiraz, upon the server's recommendation. It was a fruity-smoky-mildly acidic bottle of deliciousness. 

They specialize in tapas with various hot & cold options to choose from. My mom and I decided to order 5 different tasty plates to share which were perfectly staggered coming to the table. What is nice is that you don't have to wait too long for the server to bring by a complimentary bread basket with a pesto spread.  Shortly after that came our first round: Mushroom ragu atop golden toasted crostini. This was a warm, woody spread with crispy crostini! 

Following this was the crunchie brie, a big ol' wedge of brie that gets coated and deep fried. I love deep fried anything cheese! It came with a cranberry compote and more crostini. 

Crunchy Brie

Now, la crème de la crème: bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese. ohmygoodness. I have never tasted something like this before. 

Happiness.

Crispy, salty bacon. Sweet, chewy dates. Tangy, creamy blue cheese. Yes. There were 4 on the plate and after they were gone, I was honestly considering ordering fifteen 4 more! My mom and I both loved them and they were easily my favorite item, despite also having ordered poutine.

The next item that came out was risotto balls (aka: arancini). While I really enjoyed the gooey cheesy centres, I would suggest adding some sharp parmesan and maybe event some fried pancetta to the risotto to really add depth of flavor. That's how I make it at home (lots of parm, pancetta and peas along with cream and one egg yolk to keep is creamy and rich). That being said, they were still a tasty addition to our Smörgåsbord of local flavor. 

The last tapas item was the pot roast poutine. A beautiful, cheesy poutine with big chunks of melt-in-your-mouth roast beef, rich gravy and stringy mozzeralla. 

Pot Roast Poutine

As an avid poutine lover/eater/maker, I would have to say that cheese curds (instead of the mozzarella they used) would really go a long way here. While I don't necessarily think that a poutine needs to have curds (see internal dialogue here) I think that the squeeky, creamy addition of a cheese curd would be pretty amazing in this dish.

Despite being super full I felt the need to order a dessert, you know, for the sake of the blog! 

I ordered the bread pudding with whiskey sauce because it had the following description: 


"#1 dessert in Niagara by Niagara Magazine so good it’ll make you say, 'I’ll have what she’s having!' "

Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

I am not normally a bread pudding person and my mom isn't normally a dessert person and we both loooved it. There is a warm puddle of whisky caramel sauce in the bottom of a shallow bowl, topped with a gallette of warm bread pudding. We paid $1 extra for the vanilla ice cream. It was a perfect ending to our meal!

Be sure to let me know your thoughts on the bacon-wrapped dates when you visit Dani's :)