Bytowne Cinema - Please Give

I am guessing it is mostly foodies who read the blogs of other foodies. And one might wonder if foodies 'do' anything else other than food. And, perhaps, although we like to say we aren't food snobs, to anyone watching our lives from the outside, our food snob colour may appear to be painted pretty bright.

But for even the most die-hard foodie, surely there is life beyond the end of our fork.

Well I am here to tell you that I think that this is true of me. Skeptics unite! I can tell you with faithful honesty that I do make things as 'regular and everyday' as rice krispie squares and I make them as the recipe is specifically written on the box. Well, first be wowed that I would be so 'regular and everyday' in my choice of quick lunchbox treats. But no fancy modifications? It's true. Me, who has a life beyond the end of a fork, loves plain rice krispie squares. And in fact the last time I made them, I ended my day at a lecture at Carleton University on quantum physics. The award winning documentary movie The Quantum Tamers was being premiered here in Ottawa by the University of Waterloo's Perimeter Institute. So I do have a life. Okay, I may not ever do that quantum physics thing again, because that was pretty heady, but I will make more rice krispie squares. My life beyond the end of the fork does consist of many other things and one of those is going out to see a really great movie.



This is quite a lead in just to say that if you get the chance to slip down to the Bytowne Cinema to see Please Give, I think you just might like it. I am a bit of a Rebecca Hall fan (Frost/Nixon and Vicky Cristina Barcelona), although the lead in this film is actually Oscar-nominated (Capote and Being John Malkovich) Catherine Keener. It is just a touching everyday life flick about a NYC couple and their 91-year-old neighbour and her two single granddaughters. They each have their own stories but so too do their lives intersect. The grandmother's directness (something I have learned is just part of the physiological evolution of aging) garners the most laughs. The boy population in the audience this evening was aplenty so there are many who would agree that it is not a chick flick. The 86 minutes move very quickly. The movie is in town until Thursday.

(And if this really needs to be a blog entry about food, the Bytowne has popcorn like no other.)

Have you seen any really good movies lately?

Bytowne Cinema
325 Rideau Street
Ottawa, Ontario

Fine Lunch Dining at S & G Fries

You guessed it. This is the regular-sized poutine from S & G Fries, located at 1845 Carling Avenue, right next to both the Beer Store and the Produce Depot. They claim to make the Best Poutine in Ottawa and have many testimonials around the place to substantiate this declaration.



We ended up here because this afternoon was 'get organized for the prom day' and my son had a knowledgeable friend along for consultation. The payoff to her was lunch at S & G Fries. She accepted in a heartbeat. MP claims to be pure French Canadian stock and can speak with a voice of authority on poutine, as it is the national dish of Quebec.



MP gave the poutine at S & G Fries high marks. "The fries were cooked properly." No elaboration on what that meant. I took her at her word. She was also pleased when she saw the sign for St. Albert's cheese curds. Being within 10 minutes of the St. Albert Co-op Cheese Factory, MP says she often enjoys the curds so fresh that they are extra squeaky! As early as the end of the 19th century, master cheesemakers in a charming Eastern Ontario village were already manufacturing a highly renowned Cheddar: the St-Albert. Not all native Quebecers share the praise that MP has put on the standard of curd expected in her perfect poutine but suffice it to say, I really wouldn't know any better. St. Albert is a small town close to the Quebec border, but still in Ontario, so perhaps that is where the judgment lies.

When we asked MP for her final verdict, she said she thought the outstanding poutine actually came second to the poutine she loves and has had frequently at the Blooming Onion, once situated in the Byward Market, but now relocated to a spot near Cyrville Road & Maxime St. She is supported in this pronouncement by XPress' annual reader's poll in the past.




Although I don't have the pedigree that MP carries to best judge the perfect poutine, my tastebuds alone tell me that a trip to S & G Fries for any kind of chip craving, will undoubtedly prove to be a positive experience. In the language of the Poutine Chronicles, this place is at least 4.5 curds out of 5.

Is S & G Fries the best poutine in Ottawa?

S & G Fries
1845 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
613.729.2129

Zola's - A Trip Down Memory Lane

My mother-in-law announced recently that she wanted to take the family out to dinner and could I make it so. Yesterday was one of those days when all the schedules lined up for a dinner outing that would allow us all to linger a bit and celebrate the good things from the day. Time to execute the request. I picked Zola's because MIL had been there a few years ago and quite liked it. Plus it used to be our 'go to' place when we lived WAY west and a stop in there on the way home from work seemed more appealing than labouring over decisions at the nearby Loblaws. And I mean we went there ALOT. I think our son was likely 3 at the time we started that habit. And now here we are some 15 years later and still coming back. Just no where near as often.

Inside we were greeted by 'our' waitress. She is a fixture there and it seems that she has always been our server. So pleasant. Imagine her surprise to see our son a towering 6'4" now. We had quite the reunion, as it has been a few years. In a way we felt like we had gone back home. I was disappointed to see that there were so few customers for a Thursday evening. In the good old days we were dead without a reservation. Has modern Italian cuisine gone out of favour in Bells Corners?


Their buns are a real standout. They are baked fresh every day with the finest Semolina flour and they are available in white or whole wheat.


As you can see, they went pretty quickly. I recently found a good copycat recipe on Amanda's Cookin' blog called Pull Apart Cornmeal Dinner Rolls.

Our hungry son was the only one going for an appetizer. And it is the one he always chooses. Their Caesar Salad with an eggless dressing of lemon, dijon, capers, anchovies, olive oil with croutons and freshly grated parmesan cheese. No amount of coaxing would garner me a taste, as he assumed a very guard-like posture while he ate. I remember it as tasting very 'fresh' of lemon, garlic and cheese. One of my favourite places for Caesar Salad in the city.


And predictably, I ordered my standard chicken with gorgonzola cream sauce topped with pine nuts and served with vegetables and roast potatoes. I just love that punchy cream sauce. It matches so well with the toasted pine nuts. I also like that it comes with copious vegetables to ease my guilt on the sauce. I am guessing they are partially steamed and then quickly tossed in the pan. There is not a lot of extra flavour there. And maybe naked veggies are a good thing. One thing that has changed (or so I think) is the potatoes. I recalled them being smaller and more 'roasted'. These potatoes were too heavily seasoned in a dry herb mix and I ended up leaving them after a few bites.


Our son also ordered his 'regular' dish. Penne with pan seared calabrese sausage in a spicy tomato sauce. I managed to sneak a piece of meat and it was spicy! Not a bad tasting sausage. Other than that, I can't reveal much about the penne.


And then the other two ordered the same. Whole wheat angel hair pasta with mushrooms, scallops, shrimp and spinach in a light Pernod broth. They enjoyed it well enough but no 'wow'.

Having just been to Caffé Mio a week ago, it would seem natural to compare these two places. They are so similar in their setting and menu and clientale. Caffé Mio's prices seem a bit lower if I compare similar pasta dishes. ($14 vs. $16.95). And overall, the vote for quality of food tips towards Caffé Mio as well. (Want to read about our Caffé Mio dinner?)

Zola's has expanded from doing lunch and dinner to providing a breakfast experience as well. Not a bad idea for holding a business meeting at the top of the day. They still have their takeout counter and also do catering.

We will be back again sometime when we need another trip down memory lane and with any luck we will see 'our lady' when we return.

Do you have a place that somehow became a regular spot over the years?

Zola's
194 Robertson Road
Nepean, Ontario
613.721.0227

Throwdown with @ScratchKitchen: The Challenge - Dark Chocolate Nutella Mousse Cup

Way back on April 27th @ScratchKitchen and I were professing our love for Nutella over Twitter. Well, @ScratchKitchen (aka Sean Murphy of Scratch Kitchen) as good as put out the challenge for a throwdown. Here are his words. You judge for yourself!

@AMWATERS Half Nutella, half whipping cream - WHIP, mix in handful of 1" yellow cake squares, fill into choco cups, top w strawberry! 2:57 PM Apr 27th via HootSuite in reply to AMWATERS

I know I am out of my league, but the cheerful side of me chooses not to be intimidated. Sean has been cooking for 18 years. He is a graduate of the Cordon Bleu Paris Cooking School and the Culinary Institute of America. Sean has worked in some of Canada's most prestigious restaurants, including Truffles Four Seasons in Toronto, Scaramouche Pasta Bar and Grill, and Café Henry Burger in Ottawa. My resumé is not quite as impressive and I will save all of those details for another day.

Sean is now running Scratch Kitchen. A family owned and operated gourmet food business based in Ottawa. They use fresh, natural ingredients to prepare frozen meals in family and single portions and deliver it all right to your doorstep.

Being pretty pumped for Game 7 of the Habs against the Pens, I thought it fitting to show confidence and create a celebratory dessert for the impending big win. Why not take the throwdown challenge and kill two birds with one stone.

The recipe is pretty straightforward and well laid out in 140 characters or less by @ScratchKitchen. You can see the results in the picture! I will let you know how the hockey fans respond.

The Perfect Lunch - Guacamole on RYVITA® Crispbread

Having enjoyed some great tasting meals out recently (Play and Domus Café!), I felt a certain pressure to deliver a tasty lunch today that was in no way pedestrian. Always a big deal when you are eating solo. Being a big fan of 'Move It Along Menu Planning', I hit the fridge and pantry to see what might be living its last day of freshness.

The avocado took the lead and I worked it from there. Considering there was also a quite ripe tomato on the counter, the brain quickly went to guacamole. Now for the vessel that would carry the spread to my lips. We don't stock nacho chips as regular fare so the obvious was out of the question. But I looked on the top shelf of the pantry anyway. Good thing I did since a recent purchase of RYVITA® crispbreads answered my prayers. I broke them in half for manageability and presentation.



The whole grain rye crispbread serves well as cracker and bread in so many applications. 3 slices are 120 calories, (so 40 calories each) 1 g of fat, 30 mg of sodium, 5 g of fibre. They come in close to a dozen varieties and this time I chose rye & oat bran. That keeps the gastroenterologists happy! What did you have for lunch??

GUACAMOLE

1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 avocado, mashed
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon pickled sliced jalapeño peppers, chopped
2 teaspoons lime juice
pinch of cayenne pepper

In small bowl combine all the ingredients. Do not use a blender or food processor to mash avocado. A potato masher works well. Some may want a bit of salt. Your call. Also, you can add more jalapeño peppers or cayenne if you want more heat.

Domus Café - Great Place For A Power Lunch

I think it may be hard to write about my Monday lunch at Domus Café for two reasons.

The first is that the purpose for lunch was more about my company than the food. I was the guest of out-of-town friends, visiting our distinguished capital on a mini vacation. Our grande dame at the table was my mother's maid-of-honour, a dear, dear family friend, who stood with Mom at their wee wedding in Toronto some 54 years ago. With her was her daughter, the catalyst who made the trip possible with her inspiration for a mother/daughter experience to celebrate Mother's Day. And this lady is worth celebrating.

The second reason is that Domus Café has been showered with many accolades from critics and fans alike and to add my observations to all of that just seems pale.

I do have to say, I was highly distracted from my food, and the place itself, by our steady conversation as we tried to catch up on the news since our last time together. And of course I am responsible for the tidings of ALL members of the family. I am not as sharp as I used to be when it comes to remembering the comings and goings of very busy people, so where I stumbled on facts, I probably resorted to a bit of poetic license. Always as positive as I could be!

All that to say that I hope the pictures from lunch will speak for themselves. One thing that did stand out for me was how the warmth of the natural light streaming in enveloped us. The buttercup yellow on the walls only worked to enhance this effect. The wood on the chairs is a light, warm tone. I am fond of real tablecloths and crisp napkins.

We each started with VERY tall cranberry spritzers and 2 slices of very fresh bread for dipping in oil and balsamic vinegar.


Many will warn you about eating out on Mondays and the only thing more risky is to then order seafood. Well, risky gals that we are, two of us went for the House Smoked Trout and Yukon Gold Potato Rosti with Terre a Terre greens, Vers Jus mustard crème fraiche and cranberry relish. Standouts were the potato rosti. Tender yet crisp. The greens seemed like they had just been picked at the time of plating. (I get really fussed about fresh greens. Any hint of a composting salad just sets me off.) With conversation very much in the foreground, I just didn't find the opportunity to ask what was in the cranberry relish. There was something with a kick. The trout was not heavily smoked and balanced well with the punch of the mustard crème fraiche.


The third lunch was the Berkshire chorizo sausage with polenta, mushrooms, tomato relish and greens. Not being familiar with the chorizo sausage, the spicy dryness that is its signature, ended up being a spoiler. Unfortunate, as we rushed to get our order in. I could have helped out on that one since my son is a chorizo fan and I knew of its acquired taste. The tomato relish got high praise!


I decided to go for the “Classic” Fresh Vanilla Bean Crème Brulée. It was delicious with the little blaze of rhubarb coulis decorating the plate.


The second dessert at the table was the Domus House Classic “Mini” Truffle Cake with Dark Chocolate ice cream, Niagara strawberry compote and fruit coulis.

And the 'third' dessert was tea!

Our two hours together just flew by. I suspect that happens at Domus often. Being Monday, I was a bit surprised to see the place packed. I noticed a few familiar faces from the media and the Hill, but I kept those observations to myself. I think our guests to Ottawa were more into shopping this trip than the sizzle of federal politics.

Chris Knight named Domus Café #1 in 2009 on Ottawa Magazine's Top Ten list of Best Restaurants in Ottawa (and #2 spot in 2008).

Domus Café has garnered a reputation for Canadian regional seasonal cuisine. And again they delivered. Chef/owner John Taylor and his wife Sylvia, sommelier and co-owner, have really made a name for themselves with all their hard work at Domus over the past 15 years.

Is anyone interested in trying their new, soon to open, venture in Old Ottawa South called Taylor's Genuine Food & Wine Bar? I for one, can't wait!

Domus Café
87 Murray Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Telephone: 613.241.6007

Sun: 11 am - 2:30 pm
Mon - Sat: 11:30 am - 2 pm; 5:30 pm - 10 pm

Mother's Day 'Play'

How lucky to celebrate Mother's Day at Play Food & Wine at 1 York Street in the Byward Market. All 4 of us opted for their Two Plates for $20 special. It worked perfectly! Well, except for the fact that we had no room for dessert.

Our server was very attentive, always keeping us in coffee and water. Enough to fill a bathtub! I am going to be awake until Tuesday!


Great seat by the window. (There are many great seats by windows.)


Fun wall of wine bottles dividing the foyer from the dining room.


Yummy bread from a bakery in Gatineau.

SET #1:

digby scallops / avocado / pickled onions / chorizo

BC halibut / king eryngii / grilled scallion / fiddlehead pesto [picture missing]

Verdict: "They were both fantastic dishes. This was the best Mother's Day celebration ever!" High praise from someone who has been eating for 80 years.

***

SET #2:

lemon pasta / ramps / provolone / shiitakes


chicken pot pie / curry / filo / greens

Verdict: "Loved both dishes but the pasta edged out."

***

SET #3:

eggs benedict / herb biscuits / mornay / pork belly


grilled hanger steak / mushrooms / frites / aioli

Verdict: "So filling. Barely finished. Both were great. The winner was the benedict."

***

SET #4:

buttermilk pancakes / mulled maple / rhubarb compote

grilled hanger steak / mushrooms / frites / aioli [same as pictured above]

Verdict: "Loved the rhubarb compote. Mom, I like your pancakes better. The steak was my favourite."

***

Play Food & Wine
1 York Street
Ottawa, Ontario
613.667.9207

Mon: Noon - 2 pm; 5:30 - 10 pm
Tues - Thurs: Noon - 2 pm; 5:30 - 11 pm
Fri: Noon - 2 pm; 5:30 - 11:45 pm
Sat: Noon - 5:30 pm; 5:30 - 11:45 pm
Sun: Noon - 5:30 pm; 5:30 - 10 pm

On Monday, We Just Need A Bit of John Taylor

I have two very special friends coming to town tomorrow and we are lined up for a lunch date on Monday. I was asked to pick the spot since this is my town. When I started to ponder this weighty decision a week or so ago, I had secretly hoped that Monday would see us sitting at Sunnyside and Bank, enjoying our lunch at Taylor's Genuine Food & Wine Bar. As the launch is still days away, to get our fix of chef John Taylor, we will instead be nestled in at his Byward Market establishment, Domus Café at 87 Murray Street. Ottawa is not a town my visitors come to often, so I hope that this experience will give them a taste for the depth of our culinary landscape here in the nation's capital.

As you can imagine the opening of Taylor's Genuine Food & Wine Bar is much anticipated and I too am on that list of those keenly waiting. There have been some great articles written up recently and I invite you to read more about this new additon to Old Ottawa South's food scene.

Our New Wine Bar by William Burr published in the May edition of The OSCAR. Page 9.

It's Genuine: John Taylor's Food and Wine Bar by S. Bergwerff published on May 5th.

Here's the exclusive inside look at John Taylor's new resto -- Video by Ron Eade posted on his blog Omnivore's Ottawa on May 7th.

For John Taylor, with all this interest, it must feel like a pretty nice way to start into this end of Ottawa.

Could The Simple Meatball Bring About World Peace?

A regular dish in our home is the meatball of my heritage. Frikadeller.

In Denmark, frikadeller is their national meat dish. These lightly seasoned, tender, juicy meatballs are traditionally eaten with braised red cabbage, rye bread, pickled cucumber salad and often pickled beets and gherkins. Sometimes they are served with potatoes too - boiled with a brown sauce (gravy), roasted or potato salad are quite common choices.

I also like Asier pickles with frikadeller.


When I don't have homemade on hand, I like the Beauvais brand. They also make a good pickled beet. Both can be sourced at the Hansen's Danish Pastry Shop in Toronto at 1017 Pape Avenue.



A proper meatball recipe takes time to prepare. Although it appears to be the food of peasants, there are many important culinary tricks to ensure the best texture, flavour and presentation.

My preference for the meat base is an equal combination of veal and pork.

The frikadeller is flavoured well with minced onion (I prefer minced over finely chopped), and then seasoned with salt and pepper. Although not considered traditional by some, I like to add a bit of nutmeg too.

The binding is a blend of flour, egg and whole milk. Some recipes call for water, but I enjoy the richness of milk and will use homo milk if I have it on hand.

It is important that once the ingredients have been pulled together, the mixture sits a while for the flavours to develop and marry. I usually plan on a good hour in the refrigerator.

As I laboured over making the perfect frikadeller, it dawned on me that my multicultural friends each have their own version of the meatball.

Finland - lihapullat
Albania - qofte të fërguara
Greece - keftedes
Belgium - ballekes
Austria - fleischlaibchen
Iran - kal-e gonjeshki
Indonesia - bakso
Netherlands - gehaktbal
Norway - kjøttkaker
Sweden - köttbullar
Denmark - frikadeller
United States - meatball
Lebanon - kafta
Spain - albondigas

and on and on the list goes.

My mind wanders and I am picturing the delegates sitting in the General Assembly of the United Nations. And instead of the name of their country on the front of their desks, there stands the name of their meatball. Wouldn't everyone be a bit more relaxed? Although they all have different names and are seasoned to a particular native culinary rule of law, deep down inside they are all the same.

Really, could the simple meatball bring about world peace?



FRIKADELLER

1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground veal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 small onions, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk, approximately
1/3 cup butter for frying

In bowl, combine pork, veal, flour, onions, salt, pepper and nutmeg; mix lightly. Stir in eggs and milk until well mixed. (Mixture should be quite moist; add more milk if necessary.) Let mixture stand for at least an 1 hour to let flour absorb milk.

Using a dessert spoon, shape meat to be a bit larger than an extra large egg. They flatten out a bit as they cook. In skillet, melt butter over medium heat; add meatballs and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink inside meatballs.

Serve meatballs hot or warm in chafing dish or warmed serving bowl. Makes approximately 20 meatballs.

I often make a double batch and freeze the meatballs. I find that they reheat well in my microwave laid out on a plate and covered with a sheet of wax paper to contain the spatter. My microwave has a 'Reheat' button. Works like a charm.

Caffé Mio Italian Bistro

Caffé Mio has become a bit of a 'go to' place for us when we are looking to go out for dinner, and want to still be pretty close to home and most importantly, know that where we do go, every dish will be really good. Thursday was a bit of a train wreck in that a lot happened that wasn't planned and as a result the biggest amount of brain power went into just trying to keep everything on the rails. I am not sure how you can plan for dinner when it seems that you may be hijacked at every turn. So we opted for getting help and took a very last minute reservation at Caffé Mio. My guess is that we got the last spot in the house. The place was packed! It seems a lot of people had a train wreck of a day!!

Our waitress was great. I had a terrible time concentrating that day though so I hope I have the food descriptions figured out. It may not be quite from her lips to your ears.

I couldn't pass on the soup of the day. A tomato soup with bacon and fresh herbs. Although well puréed, it was still meaty and textured and very rich in its tomato flavour. I liked the balance of herbs. Every once in a while I would spoon up bacon. To me it didn't add one way or another. The splishes at rim-side are probably an indication that the kitchen was really hopping that night!




My dinner date enjoyed the Beet Salad. Roasted beets on a bed of arugula topped with crisp pancetta & toasted pecans. The picture that they have on their website photo gallery shows a plate groaning in beets. Although this one is less sparse, the reviews were excellent. Again, lots of flavour and fresh, fresh greens.



I opted again for a special. This time the salmon. It had a topping of caramelized onions and feta and sat on a bed of fresh, fresh green beans and mushroom risotto. The portion of salmon was HUGE but I persevered to the very last bite, enjoying each lift of the fork.



Across from me, hubby picked one of his favourites, the Linguine Mio. Linguine with prosciutto, spinach & roasted red peppers in olive oil & garlic. His plate too was reduced to a shiny porcelain white. The amount of prosciutto was substantial as was the combo of vegetables. As I was quite heads down on my dish, I missed sneaking a bite.



I re-hydrated with water while hubby enjoyed a bottle of Tankhouse Ale, something he usually experiences on tap.



As usual, no room for dessert. We had to dash anyway since the family taxi service was being called back on shift.

I mentioned to a friend yesterday that we were out to Caffé Mio. Her eyes popped. It is a great favourite of theirs too and particularly their daughter's favourite place to dine. So it would appear that the full house on Thursday evening is just regular business. I suspect it is good advice to say call ahead for a reservation.

Caffé Mio Italian Bistro
1379 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 761-5510

Mon - Fri: 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sat: 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Sun: 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM

A Shout Out To Farbs Kitchen & Wine Bar

For some reason my thoughts turned to Farbs Kitchen & Wine Bar this morning. I have been once and the experience was extremely positive. I don't hear much buzz about it compared to other places in town that I consider of equal calibre and I decided I needed to do a shout out to Farbs and spread the good word.

Here are a few words that I jotted down from our experience back on that cold Wednesday evening in November.

Farbs Kitchen on Beechwood was on our 'Must Try' list and we did the deed last night. Although there wasn't much of a crowd (I always like a bit of bustle to get me in the going out mood), it was still a nice evening.

I decided to do 3 appetizers and my partner went for a main. I loved the homemade onion herb bread with homemade butter. I didn't catch the name of the amuse-bouche but I think it was a rabbit meatloaf. Just a mouth size cube and it too was delicious.

My appetizers were:
a) the soup of the day - potato and garlic with truffle oil
b) the fish cake (crispy halibut cake, Jerusalem artichoke – cauliflower puree, wilted greens and fried capers)
c) the Asian salad (Crazy Dave's Asian Greens - freshly picked, with crispy shallots, roasted peanuts, Thai spiced vinaigrette, pickled ginger, and black sesame seeds).

All perfectly prepared and a great balance of flavours. I was just wowed at how fresh (and unusual) the greens were in my salad.

My partner's main was the duck confit which came with lima bean cassoulet, cherry tomatoes, and wilted greens. He was pretty happy. And he enjoyed his duck with a Church Key beer. How do you get better than that. It was his first time experiencing Church Key beer in Ottawa and he said it probably beats Beau's. High praise indeed! He has been to Campbellford to the Church Key brewery and this just made those good memories come back. What a find.

We unfortunately had no room for dessert but they presented two wonderful homemade truffles to finish. What a delight to have such a solid and complete experience with everything done so well. I hope if you try it, you too will have the same WOW. It is definitely a restaurant worthy of a spot on the Places to Watch list.

Omnivore's Ottawa blogged about their opening in December 2008. Click here to read a bit more about the owner/chef, Michael Farber.

Ottawa XPress also spoke well of them in their October 2009 review.

Maybe it is time to give them a try! They would happily welcome you to their upcoming Mother's Day brunch. I know I want to go back.

Farbs Kitchen & Wine Bar
18 Beechwood Avenue
613-744-6509

What is so Lazy about Lazy Daisy Cake?

This weekend I was working away at cleaning out the pantry, tackling it one shelf at a time. The baking shelf had all sorts of leftover bits of ingredients tucked away in various wee bags. Expired would be an understatement. Into the green bin with those remnants. However, I did come across about 2 cups of sweetened, shredded coconut purchased in bulk that looked like it hadn't moved to its after life. A memory jog guessed that it could have been leftover supplies from Christmas baking. I tasted it and felt no revolt.

I protested at the idea of packing it back into the pantry on a now cleaner shelf. I just had to 'move it along'. Perhaps I was influenced by the weather of the day. Just an overcast, quiet, lazy Saturday. Somewhere in the depths of my memory banks came my mother's voice, "Lazy Daisy Cake". It was a baking treat that she made often when I was growing up to be served for our Sunday 'cake time' mid afternoon. The coffee table would be adorned with a beautiful handmade tablecloth. Out came the china cups for tea and coffee and the table groaned with her beautiful display of cakes and pastries. There were seven of us in total and sometimes company too. So it seemed important mom that there was a tasty selection to choose from. As young ones we might try tea with our cake. A lot of milk and not much tea. And of course a decent teaspoon of sugar. The baking was eaten on a nice plate, often china, and we were to use an appropriate fork or spoon.

Having copied the recipe out years ago, I set out on this Saturday to make Lazy Daisy Cake for Sunday 'cake time'. A tradition that has not been held in my 'now' family. Perhaps unfortunate. I decided to double the topping in the recipe to use up all the coconut. What a decadent decision!

My mother was born in Denmark and there doesn't seem to be anything Danish about this cake. She did spend time in the United States in her early 20's and finally immigrated to Canada in her late 20's. I dug up her recipe book, which I inherited, and found the recipe written out early on.



As you can see from the fading and stains, it is an old recipe that was made often. I am only guessing that she collected it when she first worked in the United States. So that puts this handwriting at some 60 years of age.



I was curious to know if others would know of Lazy Daisy Cake, its history and how it came to get its name and so I headed straight to Google University. I found such quotes and phrases as, "old-fashion cake with chewy coconut and caramel like topping", "a staple in my Grandmother's house", "Mama's 'never fail' recipe", "homestyle cooking", "vintage", "around since the 30's". I didn't feel any wiser about understanding the history of this cake but it was clear that many others had it in their genealogy as well. It had made such publications as The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, 1990 and a similar recipe has been found in Wooden Spoon Baking Book and America's Best Lost Recipes.

So for those of you who had Lazy Daisy Cake in your past, enjoy your nibble down memory lane.



LAZY DAISY CAKE

CAKE:
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
TOPPING:
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons cream
1 cup coconut

Cake: Whip eggs and sugar together well until the batter is a pale yellow. Add vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients. Heat milk and butter until butter is melted. Fold flour into batter. Pour milk into batter and beat well. Bake in greased 9" x 13" pan for 45 minutes at 350ºF.

Topping: Heat butter, brown sugar and cream in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add coconut. Spread on top of baked cake. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown.