July 02, 2005
Real Sushi
Yuka, Cedo and I went out to Sushi Kaji tonight. If you like sushi, and you've never had top of the line tokyo fare, go. But save your millions in advance. Wow.
Posted by jason at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2005
Alchemy Baking
Alchemy Baking in Kensington Market has the best bread I've ever had.
"It's not work. It's a religious experience," is Kirk's mantra.
Posted by jason at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)
April 24, 2005
Dinner a la Pod
Muddy (of the no blog), Bernie, jacqueline, KAT!, Rochelle, and Arun all came over for dinner with Yuka and I, and norman the cat, last friday. Rochelle took the bus all the way from Guelph to get here. No mean feat. JuliaD sent her regrets.
Dinner was varied. Almost everyone brought wine or port, though there was none left after dinner. I can't remember all the different cheeses either. Which is a good thing. Mostly it was chicken pesto pizza with sauteed shallots and peppers. On the side, we had frog's legs provencal... a recipe that someone taught me a while back, and I've wanted to try. I think I'll dip them in milk and flower next time, but still... it worked. Got some very cool pictures... especially of our iPod collection (from left to right: Yuka, KAT!, Rochelle, Bernie, Jason) from newest to oldest.
Posted by jason at 11:00 AM | Comments (2)
March 13, 2005
Gluten Free Beer... only in Canada?
Kenny tracked down LaMessagere, a gluten free beer. I want to try it. I've been going off beer for the past couple of years, and wondered why. Perhaps... something new?
Posted by jason at 09:09 AM | Comments (0)
September 23, 2004
Fine White Powder
While I was cooking last night, Yuka commented that I was producing a lot of smoke. Our apartment has no smoke vent over the oven, so that sometimes happens. But it doesn't happen when I'm boiling water for pasta. It was stranger than usual too, because when I went out of the kitchen the smoke got a bit thicker.
We'd heard fire trucks outside about 10 minutes before, but that's usual, seeing that there are 7 apartment buildings on our street and Ontario College of Art & Design across the road. If the alarm doesn't go off, you know it is something in another building.
Yuka opens the door to the hallway, just enough to engage the safety lock, letting in fresh air, and I continue cooking. Neither of us are perplexed.
I finish cooking and go to wipe off the oily film on my glasses. That happens when I'm frying things. But the haze is there when I take my glasses off. And things finally reach conscious level. I go to the door and open it, and the entire hallway is filled with white powder and dust. just as I do it, a security guard with a couple of fire men shout at me to close the door and keep it closed. But they don't look too freaked out. There are white foot prints up and down the hall. I go back in the apartment, open the balcony door, crank up the air conditioning and we have dinner, admiring the fine white powder on the table.
After dinner I go to have a look again, and there's a security guard still there. Yuka is on the balcony and says that the fire trucks have gone. I ask the guard what's up. "Someone set off fire extinguisher(s). We have called to have it cleaned up, and people are coming." I couldn't be sure how many extinguishers, but one was enough. I could still see it laying at his feet, though I assume he didn't do it. And the evening continued.
Posted by jason at 08:12 AM | Comments (1)
September 05, 2004
How dinners should be run...
KAT! outdid herself. And outdid all who have desserted at my house, I think. She made "Snacky S'Mores". In one of her Flash Movies there is the line "Eat Snaky S'mores" in the final credits. [Actually it is "Eat Snacky Smores" at http://insanecats.com/flash/curtain.swf at the end.] And I've been asking her for some for a long time. So long that I don't even thing of it any more. Well, this time she said, upon arrival, I have the dessert you asked for, but not what you're expecting... and voila. "Snacky S'Mores"! Megan took photos of the insanity. And if she ever shares, then you'll see.
So, as mentioned, Jenny and Megan came by, along with KAT!, and at the last minute I got a phone call from sMom Cheryl, asking if I could babysit my sister. She's 15, but can't run around toronto unescorted all night. Unfortunately I got ripped off. I had to take care of her for 4 hours, and I demanded to be paid. Only got $20. She gets $7.50/hr for babysitting our other sister, Emmers. Emmers was showing at the CNE all week... and didnt' require babysitting. She's 12, I guess. Oh, and the main point, my sister's name is Cat. So we had KAT! and Cat over for dinner. Thank god for the exclamation point, or we'd not be able to tell them apart. Oh, and we took the $20 and went over the top with a really nice Amarone. Well, you can't get an Amarone for $20, but it contributed a lot. Of course, CAT couldn't drink it, cause she's 15. KAT! doesn't drink around me, though I've seen her once. Jenny was on call at work. So yuka, megan and I did the wine damage.
Kat! and Cat came early, and helped with the cooking. Cat made the raspberry vinegarette for the warm goatcheese salad, Yuka put the rest of it together leaving it to me to warm the cheese. KAT! cut most of the veggies for the pizza, and made all the pesto by hand. She's getting good at that. All I did was make dough for the Za, sautee the shallots, garlic and wild boar, and cook the pizza. KAT! actually made 2 of the pizza's up by herself. I guess I can retire, and just make dough. The pizzas were great, being a group effort. No one let me burn them like I usually do. Salad was good too... only second time, but the vinegarette is developing nicely.
Then snacky smores! Followed by grapes (including the first concord grapes of the summer), and some nice cheeses (manchego cruda and some raw sheepmilk gouda like thing.).
Jenny played some songs on the guitar. And the evening was done. Fun? Wow!
Posted by jason at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)