Black Hoof @ 928 Dundas ST. W.

Upon my first visit to the Black Hoof my expectations were extremely high. Were they met? No…They were crushed! A note to vegetarians: This establishment is a carnivore’s utopia, it should be renamed Jurassic Hoof, it is a meat lover orgy that will be the venue for my wedding ceremony.

We started with olives, bread and andouille spread. The spread was truly exceptional, we savoured it throughout our entire meal and when one of the waiters tried to remove it from our table when it was 80% finished he received scolding cut eye and my outreached hand.  He was startled, but soon realized the power of the spread. In addition to the starters came a bowl of pickled vegetables containing artichoke, broccoflower and pickles. The tartness from the contents of this bowl helped to cut and compliment a lot of the sweet and salty flavours that were to come ahead.

Our wooden plank of love, aka large charcuterie board was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen/tasted in my life. The neatly laid out meat rested so gracefully in front of me I almost did not want to tamper with it, it looked so perfect and best of all it is mostly made in house. It consisted of: Guanciale (unsmoked Italian bacon, pig’s cheek or jowls) – delicious, Duck Liver Mousse – 1st time for everything, nice spread in subtle portions, Foie Gras – delectably rich & silky smooth texture, Duck Prosciutto – typically darker and tougher than your avg prosciutto, my rule of thumb which never fails is any prosciutto is amazing prosciutto, Angus Sausage – darker and tougher meat, bold flavour, Venison Bresaola – air dried salted, deep woody flavour, there were a few more items on the board but towards the end of the waiter explaining the contents I had drifted off into a foodgasm. This charcuterie board was the most diverse and best tasting example of charcuterie I have had yet.

We had a follow up plank of sheer prosciutto. It was the same sized plank just covered with carefully shaved neatly trimmed layers of sciutto. This was a nice change for me because I am so used to Parma style sciutto and this was house made, so it had a distinct flavour that I can confidently claim I had never had before. The overall flavour had a hint of nuttiness to it and it was lighter in flavour compared to the sciutto I am used to which is very bold very salty. An additional large order or bread and olives accompanied this item.

Next we had the critically acclaimed Raw Horse Sammy sandwich. I knew this would be a knockout because everyone who previously told me to eat at the Hoof made me swear to try this sandwich. Even when I ordered it our waitress’s eyes perked up and she smiled. I could tell she was thinking “These dudes are gonna lose it when they try this”.

The sandwich arrived open faced on rye bread. One side has the rich, velvety, purplish/red meat mixed with onions, olive oil, some herbs topped with capers and an egg yolk. The other side has the signature hot sauce compliments of G-Mo, the Hoof’s Peruvian sous-chef. Ideally you want to spread the yolk all over the meat and get it right into and around the meat, this will prevent the yolk from dripping out of the sandwich when you eat it. This also helps to seal in and fuse all the love in this sandwich and believe me, there’s a whole lotta love. One of the major highlights of this dish was that I had never had anything like it before, the texture, taste and whole vibe of the sandwich was new to me, and as I sit here typing I am borderline losing it recounting this experience. Truly a magical dish worthy of its own restaurant.

I simply can not wait to go back to this restaurant. I have yet to try the duck confit sandwiches, cheeses, roasted bone marrow, tongue on brioche, deserts, wine, and daily delights. For the record I could care less about the décor because I don’t take my eyes off the food.

Thurs-Mon 6pm-2am, Sun (midnight)
patio
cash/d

EAT IT

Elgin Street Diner @ 374 Elgin St. (Ottawa)

Many argue the best poutine is in Montreal. I do not doubt this, however all the poutine I have tried from Montreal has come up short in comparison to my life changing experience at Elgin Street Diner. I am however still attempting to attend Drummondville’s Poutine festival out in QC and will keep you posted.

The legendary ESD  is well known in Ottawa for its sizeable  menu of deliciousness, 24 hour service and high success rate of hangover treatment. The décor is well cozy and what you’d expect to see when you step into a classic style diner. In the diner you will find a wide array of breakfasts dishes, salads, sandwiches, burgers, platters, mains, POUTINE and shakes. 

Believe me when I say I used to plan my Ottawa trips around going to the Elgin Street Diner. Their house special ESD Poutine changed my life for good. The poutine fries are shoestring style and browned well through. Their gravy is comfortingly rich, savory and delicious, I could drink it straight out of a glass. The St. Albert cheese curds est. 1894 melt and fuse so well with the fries, gravy and all additional toppings available.

ESD offers 8 different styles of poutine as follows:  

My beloved ESD poutine consists of a standard poutine topped with caramelized onions and strips of bacon. It is crucial to note that when I say caramelized onions, I mean onions caramelized for so long they are litreally black, not burnt but caramelized to sh!t. I feel the caramelizing process must include brown sugar, and I’m also quite confident the cooks deglaze the pan with Love. The bacon either comes in strips or chopped up in to bits, a win-win either way every time.

I dodge in and out of  la la land each time the fork hits my mouth. Picture the perfectly browned crispy fries, covered with St. Albert’s curds, swamped in the unicorn sweat infused gravy, covered with the sweetest onions you will ever have topped with bacon ios;2aohf;o6sh0kflkw3;hflkasdl335u5wyq4422222222222222222222222

Sorry!! After recounting that last bit I was so overwhelmed with raging emotions I temporarily lost consciousness. Now I am SO hurting because best case scenario I’m 4ish hours away from eating the ESD poutine. It really gets to me.

The only downfall I’ve experienced with the poutine has been the price. Over the years I have seen it increase from $7.99 to $8.99, and now it’s at $9.99. Come to think of it, I don’t even care. My receipt should read: PRICELESS.

The rest of the items on the menu are also all bang-on. From the omellettes to the clubs (Dagwood) to the burgers you will find something to eat at this diner. Did I mention ESD offers Creamsicle Milkshakes?

THE END.

EAT IT

Ginger & Onion @ 7131 Kennedy Rd.

Ginger & Onion offers one of the finest dim sum experiences in the GTA. Below I will recount my experiences at G & O while providing you with a synopsis as to what dim sum is all about.  

In a nutshell, dim sum refers to a collection of light dishes served typically in steamer baskets or small plates. It is typically served in the morning time until early afternoon and the dishes are cheaper then they are at dinner, similar concept to a “happy hour”. Dim sum may also be referred to as “yum cha” which directly translates to “drinking tea”, this term can be used instead of “dim sum” to describe the entire dining experience. Standard teas offered are fermented black tea, chrysanthemum, oolong or green tea.

All of the dishes that I have tried at G & O have always been fresh and delicious. I have listed 10 of my staples below but there are dozens and dozens and dozens of others, so a typical dim sum order is by no means limited to the items below.

“chau siu baau” –  a steamed BBQ pork bun. The texture of the white bun is uniquely fluffy and the BBQ pork filling is sweet and savoury. This item goes great with the house hot sauce.

“siu mai” – refers to a steamed dumpling. The version I am a custom to consists of pork, shrimp, mushroom and a series of other ingredients topped with roe. This item is delicious in flavour, unique in texture and is complimented well with house hot sauce, red rice vinegar, soy sauce or a combination of each.  

“cheong fun” – is a steamed rice noodle roll. It is similar in shape to manicotti, however it is made from a wide sheet of rice noodle. My favourite renditions contain shrimp, pork or beef. These rolls are topped with soy sauce when served and have that standard rice noodle jelly-like texture. There is also a version of this roll which contains a donut like substance and is outstanding, it is served with a mixture of hoisin and peanut sauce and is to die for.  

“chicken feet” – a major staple in dim sum, is literally chicken feet and can be referred to as phoenix talons. It is steamed or deep fried prior to being simmered in a sauce consisting of fermented beans and sugar. Eating these feet takes practice as there are a lot of bones to maneuver around but the ROI is worth it.  

“crispy fried octopus” – the octopus tentacles are deep fried in a batter that tastes like that of a funnel cake?!? It is served with a sweet and sour sauce along with a mixture of salt and pepper, a dish similar to calamari.

“spare ribs” – pork spare ribs steamed along with fermented black beans. These ribs are served piping hot and sweet in flavour.

“ginger scallion beef tripe” – this particular tripe is derived from the stomach lining of a cow. It is lightly seasoned with ginger, scallions and garlic. Due to the unique texture and flavour it needs little seasoning and the whiter the tripe the better.

“har gao” – a steamed dumpling stuffed with shrimp either whole or chopped and may contain other ingredients such as bamboo, ginger, pepper and sesame oil. The wrap or outer layer of this dumpling is thin, translucent and chewy. In my experiences this item is one of the most popular dishes and pairs great with hot sauce, soy sauce or red rice vinegar.

“turnip cake” – a patty like cake made of shredded daikon, rice flour and water. Some versions contain dried shrimp, Chinese sausage and shitake mushrooms. The cake boasts great texture as the inside is very soft and chewy and the outside slightly crispy.  

In addition to the items above there are dozens and dozens of other delectable dim sum items available at G & O. One of the major highlights for me at this restaurant is their peking duck. It is not available as a dim sum item but we order it off the dinner menu because it is so good. The skin is perfectly crisp and mostly separated from the meat. We eat the duck as is and also with the pancakes (similar to mini tortillas), scallions, carrots, cucumber and hoisin sauce.

The dim sum is made available to you by trolleys passing between tables, however if you arrive in the heart of lunchtime or have a big group at the table who knows what they need, I highly recommend requesting a menu and filling in an order sheet.

Overall I always have a great experience at this restaurant. The menu is well priced, staff are very courteous and the restaurant is clean and well kept. If you decide to partake in some sum on a Sunday morning, I suggest you show up well early or be prepared to wait in line.