The charcuterie cone or "meat cone" is a fun way to sample several of the house specialties
With so much charcuterie under one roof, you know you’re gonna be thirsty. So it’s a relief to see a large water dispenser front and centre (atop a stunning antique stove) when you walk into Murray’s Market, the new-but-looks-like-it’s-always-been-there shop on Dalhousie Street. And it’s not just water — it’s water with floating sliced strawberries and mint leaves. Nice touch.
Now, back to the meat. It’s the raison d’être of this Murray Street off-shoot located just around the corner from the restaurant that shares its surname. It’s impossible to miss the ethics-driven message — see recycled materials, locavore maps — behind said meat. This is pure Canadian farm product, much of it local to the Ottawa area. Steve Mitton, the man behind the counter with the meat-crazed look in his eyes, is on a first-named basis with the farmers, which gives customers, by extension, the feeling that they know Dan (the beef farmer) and Barb (who raises the heirloom breed piggies).
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Shawna Wagman | July 11, 2011 at 10:32 am
Terroir, the annual hospitality industry symposium drew 500 foodies together to contemplate the pleasure of dining and the future of food in the digital age. Photo Credit: Alexa Clark and Ger Olsen
On Tuesday, I spent the day gabbing and noshing with the who’s-who of Toronto’s foodie world — chefs, farmers, food writers, and wine folk — nearly 500 people who gathered at U of T’s Hart House to participate in the 5th annual hospitality industry symposium, Terroir. One of the subtle but reoccurring themes was this nagging issue of what to do next with the local food movement. Or as Globe & Mail columnist Mark Schatzer, asked in the newspaper yesterday: Has eating local become annoying?
It’s a provocative question. But it’s one that was barely touched upon during the breakout sessions and keynote talk that I attended.
So-called “eating local” — the term, alone, drives a farmer friend of mine batty — is undeniably the single strongest and most-enduring food trend of the last decade. And it is Terroir’s attendees who are driving the local food movement in this province. So when it comes to local, organic, seasonal, and sustainable food, who could be more keenly aware (and loathe to admit) that these words are getting tired, watered-down, and even abused. As UK Chef Fergus Henderson, the godfather of nose to tail eating, put it in his keynote speech, The Pleasure of Dining (a self-described quiet rant): “It’s the stuff we’re all trying to strive for…The ambitions are right, but it’s all gone very wrong.”
I was disappointed that the symposium didn’t delve more deeply into this conundrum, but the organizers are no doubt aiming to keep the tenor positive. The purpose of this gathering, after all, is to inspire industry insiders and to share ideas about where things are going. So here is what I gleaned about what restaurant patrons can look forward to in the future:
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Shawna Wagman | March 3, 2011 at 9:10 am
If ever there was a time for rib-sticking fare to warm our bellies and thaw out our frost-bitten digits, it is now. On one particularly frigid day last week, I set out in search of quintessential comfort food: macaroni & cheese.
The Place: After one limp and lacklustre cup of cheesy ridged noodles scraped out of a cafeteria-style stainless steel pan (sorry Serious Cheese, not serious enough), I made my way to Murray Street in the Byward Market. A few minutes after being seated at the bar at I overheard a woman, who was also dining solo, placing an order for mac ‘n’ cheese. “It’s the same thing I had last time,” she tells her server with a sly grin, “I’ve been dreaming about it.”
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Shawna Wagman | January 17, 2011 at 9:10 am
Don’t know your Butternut from your Buttercup? Your Acorn from your Delicata? Check out the newsletter from a family of farmers in the Gatineau Hills for a handy little index of “funky-shaped winter cucurbits.” The Ferme Lève-Tôt CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) provides fresh local organic vegetables to Susan Jessup of 42 Fine Foods, a gourmet take-out joint in New Edinburgh. Jessup is now busy preserving, pickling, pureeing, and baking various kinds of squash and pumpkin to make the most of the bright orange-fleshed bounty. “It’s how our ancestors survived,” she says.
We asked Jessup and a few other local-food loving chefs around town to tell us how they are wading into squash season this year.
42 Fine Foods
In addition to combining squash with a root like Jerusalem artichoke for an earthy autumn soup, Jessup says the beautiful colour and flavour of squash and pumpkin pair perfectly with her Indian lamb curry. She is also turning squash into a quick pickle for sandwiches, which she recommends eating with pâtés and meat pies. Stop into her shop over the next few weeks and you’re likely to find pumpkin muffins with toasted pumpkin seed or dried cranberries as well as Chai spice pumpkin or gingered pumpkin scones. 42 Crichton St., 613-741-0099, www.42finefoods.ca
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Shawna Wagman | November 4, 2010 at 9:58 am
Beau's is preparing to welcome 7000 visitors to Vankleek Hill for its 2nd annual Oktoberfest
There’s still a month to go before busloads of beer-loving revelers will descend upon the Vankleek Hill fairgrounds for the 2nd annual Beau’s Oktoberfest. Tim Beauchesne and his son Steve, along with the boisterous bunch behind Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co., were in full Bavarian spirit (Alpine hats, lederhosen, live oompah music, platters of flammekuchen…) at Murray Street Kitchen today for the official launch of the upcoming fundraising event.
The folks at Beau’s promise some huge improvements over last year’s celebration which, by all accounts, got a little out of hand. Suffice it to say, the turnout surpassed all expectations, lineups were long, and the food and beer actually ran out! They say they have spent the better part of the year since then carefully organizing the 2010 bash with the benefit of hindsight.
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Shawna Wagman | September 2, 2010 at 4:02 pm
FARBS: Prosciutto-wrapped rabbit loin stuffed with five-spiced mushrooms and corn. Fingerling potatoes, baby carrots, yellow and green beans, and star anise jus (Photograph by photoluxstudio.com/Christian Lalonde)
Black Cat Bistro
Back from temporary exile on The Rock, chef Steve “The Illustrated Man” Vardy slam-dunks the nosh at Richard Urquhart’s reincarnation of his long-standing uber brand. Ask for a banquette.
428 Preston St., 613-569-9998, blackcatbistro.ca
Le Café
In possibly the best resto location in Ottawa, Le Café has long suffered from the malaise of government-run, unionized, how-do-you-spell-average indifference. In comes innovative, ball-busting super-chef Michael Blackie, who must reconcile tired, bored, and indifferent service staff with his smart, innovative cuisine. When you and I go to the NAC and not to a show, Blackie will have succeeded.
53 Elgin St., 613-594-5127, nac-cna.ca/en/lecafe
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Chris Knight | May 9, 2010 at 10:41 am
The dining-out biz in Ottawa has grown to the wonderful point that not every place fits the standard definition/structure we usually assign to restaurants. Here’s a bunch of places that don’t fit the strict ligature of restaurant classification, but that you really should check out.
LE CAFÉ: Chioggia and golden beet root (Photograph by photoluxstudio.com/Christian Lalonde)
107 Fourth Avenue Wine Bar
Situated in the middle of the tame and predictable Glebe, bursting with mediocre pubs and Indian restaurants, Fourth Ave. is a great place to go for a cocktail or an exceptional glass of wine in a chill environment. Food? Go for lunch; go for a light dinner. The small steak frites is the best deal in town, and the daily specials are imaginative. 107 Fourth Ave., 613-236-0040, 107, 107fourthavenue.com
Murray Street Kitchen Charcuterie Wine
The best charcuterie in town awaits, paired with smash cheeses and excellent pickled sides. Awesome patio and crazy mojitos. 110 Murray St., 613-562-7244, murraystreet.ca
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Chris Knight | May 8, 2010 at 9:27 am
