Taste - It  Food Tours

My Mom had the great idea that for my birthday she would take me on one of the Taste It Food Tours which originated last summer in Moose Jaw and have since expanded to Regina, Saskatoon, and Cypress Hills.  So, last week we took the Queen City Downtown Tour and although I do not claim to be qualified to do a "review", as I am fairly content anytime anyone brings me food, I thought I would share our experience anyway.  Let me begin by saying that this was not the original date we had booked, but Mom got a stomach virus the day of the tour and we were graciously allowed to change our date.  It turns out that the original day also brought terrible weather, and monsoon conditions around the time of the tour, and we later found out they wisely rebooked all the guests.  For these reasons, I was impressed from the start with the customer service we received.  The Queen City Downtown tour meets every second Tuesday throughout the summer in Victoria Park, and the day we attended was a beautiful evening, although very hot!  We had four stops on the tour, which lasted approximately 3 hours in total.  Of the four stops, I had been to three of them before, but I don't get out very much so I don't frequent any of them.

Hotel Saskatchewan Radisson Plaza

The Hotel was our first stop on the tour, and one of my favourite places in the city, although it is currently under much needed renovations.  The lounge and tea room are now behind a wall which decreases the grandeur of the lobby, but all in all was not terribly imposing.  There was a lot of noise going on but that is just something we will have to put up with for a little while.  I know the Hotel will be better for it in the end!  We were seated at an elegant table in the dining room and received a glass of Ravenswood Zinfandel which was lovely.  We were served a plate which had a perfect portion size, great flavours, and the classy finesse that one would expect from the Hotel.  We were told the Chef would come out and explain the dish which I appreciated as he was the only Chef who did speak to us, however we were all shocked by the young man who emerged.  Unfortunately, I was at the far end of the table, and could not read his name, but I am pretty sure I have pyjamas older than him.  The dish was described as (something to the effect of): arugula with white balsamic vinaigrette, crostini with foie butter, sliced AAA beef, truffled mushrooms, and fried onions.  It was absolutely delicious and an elegant start to the evening.

Beer Bros.

From there we walked the couple of blocks to Beer Bros. where we were seated in a private room.  We were given a small, although adequate, glass of beer and it was described as a cross with a pear cider.  No one at the table claimed to be able to taste any pear notes, but I know I am NOT a beer connoisseur, so perhaps they were in there somewhere.  As many know, the Beer Bros. and Willow on Wascana restaurants share partners and the quality and class of the Willow definitely translates to the more "pub-like" atmosphere of Beer Bros.  This was upscale "bar food" and we were served a pair of house-made beerogies, cabbage roll sausage, garlic smashed potatoes, and a demi glace.  Again, these are my quick-jotted notes of what the wait staff explained, so I could be wrong on any of these details.  It was a generous portion and I started to think that perhaps I would get very full on this tour.  I love the idea of the beerogies to make use of whatever ingredients may be on hand and in season, and my understanding is they make various kinds.  They were really delicious with a nice thin dough, and make me consider rolling my perogie dough out more.  I believe my favourite element, out of the four restaurants, were the smashed potatoes.  I don't get overly excited over potatoes, but these were awesome!  The presentation of the dish was very nice and overall Beer Bros. was a very impressive stop and I am anxious to get back there!

Victoria's Tavern

It was another couple of blocks walk to Vic's.  I know we were all appreciating the walk breaks.  Of the four spots we visited, I think Victoria's Tavern had the best "theme" and I can't describe it, so just go and see it for yourself.  We were seated in the vault private room which is a very cool, but small, space.  This was great for a while and we got a terrific group picture, but it got very hot in there very quickly.  We were provided a very tall glass of their house lager.  When someone mentioned how much larger it was than the Beer Bros. glass, the waitress responded "Well, we're NOT Beer Bros!" which cracked us all up.  I appreciate the generosity of the glass, but really didn't need two beer in a row.  I would have much preferred a cocktail, and to their credit we were offered a soda or coffee to replace the beer, but no additional liquor.  Therefore I sucked it up and drank the beer.  I will always take the free booze.  Vic's is known for their grilled cheese and we were all served their sandwich of the day which was made with in-house fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, basil and served on fresh focaccia.  It was excellent.  Honestly, it could have been half the size it was at this point of the tour, but I can appreciate them wanting to give everyone a generous portion.  However, the weird part was that all the sandwiches came out with different side dishes (lager chips, french fries, tossed salad, caesar salad), and we were asked to just call dibs the one we wanted.  This is okay with your family or very good friends, but for a group of people who have just met, it was a bit awkward determining who wanted to eat what.  By the time the meal came out, the vault was really hot and uncomfortable (and I don't complain about heat very often).  In general, I'm sure this is probably a prized private room and just didn't work out for a group of ten on such a hot day.  Everyone was happy to get out of there and by this time, the longer walk to the last stop was much appreciated.

Fireside Bistro

Although we definitely needed the exercise, it seemed kind of strange that Fireside was so far away when the other locations were so close together.  Thankfully, it was very cool, roomy, and a comfortable last stop.  We arrived to a glass of Kahlua, Bailey's and Milk.  Cue angels singing!  It was very refreshing and a welcome change after the beer.  We were served a S'mores Cheesecake.  The cake itself was really good and the plating was fine although I am still unsure about that grape.  It still kind of bothers me...like it should have been a berry, but they ran out of berries.  But all in all, I don't complain about cheesecake, so it was a great ending!

As usual, I have gone on too long so I will conclude here as quickly as I can.  At $89 per person, it is a hefty price point, however I believe it was worth it (or course, it was a gift so I didn't actually pay for it).  It was a substantial amount of food, included four alcoholic beverages, and when else do you get to go to four restaurants in one evening?  It would normally take me a full year to hit all of them.  The restaurants worked well around a guest food allergy (even though the rescheduling of the original date led to some confusion and therefore last minute accommodations).  I believe that at all four restaurants we received a representative meal to showcase that location and the tours are a great way to get to experience different locations, for tourists and locals alike.  I should note that the menu offerings change nightly so if you are on the Queen City Downtown Tour, you will not necessarily end up with the dishes and beverages described above.

My only "criticism" about the tour itself is that I think I would have liked a bit more information, but I am a nerd that way.  Our tour guide did give us some history about the city and restaurants, but there was a decent amount of time after we were seated, and before our food came, that there could have been more details from either our tour guide, or preferably a Chef or staff person of the restaurant.  Our group got along very well, and made great conversation, and perhaps our tour guide was watching for that and would have interjected more information if there was a lull.  And it's very possible that most people would rather just sit and drink their beer than be bombarded with history, so I'm not sure others would consider this a criticism.

I would love to do all three tours in Regina (Cathedral and Wascana are the others) so will plan to do another one next summer and I think the Taste It Tours would be a great way to experience the other cities as well.  Most tours run until the end of September so there is still time for you to book yourself on one this year!  Thanks so much to Mom for the treat and to the staff at Taste It Food Tours as well as the Hotel Saskatchewan Radisson Plaza, Beer Bros., Victoria's Tavern, and Fireside Bistro for a lovely night out in the Queen City!

Queen City Marathon Preview

We are now exactly a month away from the Queen City Marathon.  Does this thought terrify anyone else, or are you all just way more prepared than I am?  Last month, I had a bit extra time around Regina one day and decided I would take a run/walk around the new half marathon course.  So, I parked at Conexus Arts Centre and embarked on the route with map in hand.  I also had points plotted out where I could bail on the idea and get back to my car in a fairly timely manner.  I was successful in completing the whole route (albeit at a snail’s pace), despite the city NOT shutting traffic down for my journey.  I guess I didn’t put my request in in time.

I had a few thoughts of the new course that I’d like to share with you as we get closer to race day.  Keep in mind, this is with regards to the half marathon, not the full, because I am not THAT crazy.  Wait, I AM that crazy…just not until January.  I am really excited about it and I can see why organizers were able to add so many more bibs because the route is much wider than it was before (for example, there are no narrow pathways through Wascana Park).  I think this wide course is going to be very comfortable and we will see some really good times come from it as there will be less “jockeying” around other runners.  So, this is really great news!  

I love the loop through Downtown Regina and overall we are going to run past some really great Regina landmarks: Conexus Arts Centre, Wascana and Victoria Parks, the Downtown Plaza, Legislative Building (scrims and all), Science Centre, etc.  I am also super excited about the ease of access and parking that we are going to find at Conexus Arts Centre!  In fact, it will be so easy that I think spectators will be able to see their runner off, drive to another route location, and drive back in time to see them finish (without any fear of losing a prized parking space).  Speaking of Conexus, I have tried to obtain insider information about what may replace the Pasta Party Saturday night but have been unsuccessful.  I hope we will have an event of some sort since, as I have mentioned previously, a lot of useful information can be gained by listening to the speakers.

I am very excited for the people who live along Quinn Drive. as they are going to have one heck of an exciting parade to watch Sunday morning.  I wish I lived in one of those houses so I could sit on the lawn, drink coffee, and cheer as people run by.  I am counting on that street to have the great, inspirational signs which we all look forward to, so it’s all on you, Quinn Drive!  Speaking of spectators, I think a great spot to watch will be around Candy Cane Park.  Runners will make a pass on either side of it so spectators would get to see their runner twice in that area, and then could still drive back to the finish line!

My 8 year old girl has decided she would like to run the 3K again but my 13 year old boy has decided he is far too lazy.  Unfortunately, I missed both of their runs last year as I was at MasterChef Canada during QCM weekend.  I love that the mini-marathon is now on Saturday so that I will get to run with her (or I will coerce someone else into running with her and will relax around the finish line).  If you’re looking for me, I will also be volunteering during parcel pickup on Friday from 11:00 to 5:00 so please come by and say “Hello”!  In the meantime, take care and best of luck to everyone as the days tick down!

Food Day Canada

There are only 16 of us on the planet who know the feeling of coming face to face with this amazing pantry.  It is a moment I will never forget.  I had several thoughts and feelings at the time, and although "scared" should have been the first one, I felt pride.  I think as Canadians we are all moved by the flag, and as foodies, what is better than the flag made out of food?!?  Absolutely nothing!  My second thought was "Who the heck did all that??"  It was absolutely incredible.  And when we were told to run to it and grab our ingredients, I thought "Oh no, I am NOT wrecking that masterpiece!!"  But it was inevitable, and after just a few moments of admiring its beauty, it was torn apart by the MasterChef Canada Season 2 home cooks.

I was reminded of this image this past weekend, as people all across the country celebrated "Food Day Canada" by shopping locally, dining at their favourite restaurant, cooking with home-grown ingredients, and sharing their love of their regional foods via social media.  Tweets flew from coast to coast and it was really fun to play along and see how Canadians were celebrating.  Everyone was so proud of their regions and traditions which also reminded me of all the friends I made at MasterChef Canada and how cooks from various provinces held different sets of skills and familiarity with ingredients.

Food Day Canada really got me thinking about the amazing ingredients that we have right around us.  In Saskatchewan, we are known for grain, but when you think about it, there is very little that we do NOT have here.  We are a little shy on seafood, I will admit that, but we have beautiful fresh water fish!  Many of us have gardens and the ability to grow an array of our own produce.  For anything we cannot grow, we probably know a farmer who can, or the local farmers markets have no shortage of talented producers and artisans.  Our Regina Farmers Market is an absolute gem and has been bursting with growth over the last several years.  Every time I attend, I am blown away by the quality of the selections, passion of the vendors, and the masses of people out to shop healthy, local ingredients, grab an amazing bite to eat, or just stroll around and listen to music and visit with friends.

All in all, I think Canadians do a great job of celebrating their food throughout the year, but it was terrific to have one day set aside to really stop and think about it.  The power of social media was very evident as we were able to connect across the country and I am happy that so many people were able to get together with friends and eat amazing food.  I was truly blessed to get to spend it with Regina's very top chefs and some incredible cooks at arguably the most beautiful location in the city.  It was a practically perfect Food Day.  Until next year, keep supporting local producers when you can, cook with all the incredible ingredients Canada has to offer, and share your recipes and food stories with your family and friends.  Let's make Canadian Cuisine and Food Culture bigger and better than ever!

but not a real green dress, that’s cruel

Friday, I will return to the location where I disrobed my MasterChef Canada green dress, never to wear it again.  So I thought it was as good a time as any to tell you more about it.  

When I was invited to Toronto, I was asked to think about my “Signature Style”.  Anyone who knows me in real life knows I do not have a style, other than yoga pants from Costco and sweatshirts from Disney World.  So this was difficult.  After my dull outfit choice at my Calgary audition, I knew that I needed something colourful and although pink is probably the colour that I would prefer, I decided to try and represent Saskatchewan.  And there is no better colour to do that, than green.  Rider Green.  I only have one shirt in that colour, and that is reserved for the one time a year I may attend a Rider game so I was wondering if a dress could even be found in it.  Apparently, it can.  

And then I had a completely genius idea…Hillberg & Berk Sparkle Ball earrings!  Of course!  Everyone in Saskatchewan would know exactly what those earrings were, and who I was representing.  So, I bought a few pairs to match whatever I may have to wear on the show.  I still wear them every day…with my yoga pants and Mickey shirts.  I love my Hillberg & Berk, but I hate the green dress, for many reasons:

For any of you who move on to do reality TV, pay attention to this paragraph.  If you wear a dress (as opposed to a skirt and blouse), it is much harder for the sound technicians to put on your microphone battery pack, which goes on a belt around your waist.  Translation: to put on your battery pack, your dress has to go up over your head so the sound guys can access that area! And in my case, this occurred every day, in a parking lot outside a warehouse in Mississauga, Ontario, surrounded by dozens of people.  If that is not enough, during a long day of shooting, the battery pack is changed every few hours so they do not lose audio during a cook or interview, etc.  In summary: dress over head, several times a day, middle of a parking lot.

What you likely don’t realize is even though on television it appears that everything happens in one day, it does not.  And therefore, we had to wear the same thing multiple days in a row.  To top that off, we were told NOT to wash our clothes in the hotel laundry room because if a machine were to wreck a garment, we would have big continuity problems.  That made sense to me, but after a couple of days, you kind of get to wondering what you smell like.  My genius roommate, Debra, ran out at one point and bought a bottle of Febreze so every night we would spray our outfits, and I think we managed pretty well.  After we taped all the top 50 auditions, I assumed we were done with those outfits, but when we were told to put them on again the next day of shooting, I couldn’t take it any more and decided to hand wash the dress in the hotel room sink.  That had to be safe, right?  It took all of about 5 seconds for the water to turn Rider Green and I knew a pale green dress would not be what wardrobe would want to see the next day, so that dress got pulled out of the sink very, very quickly.

I mentioned that I am returning to the place where I took it off for the final time so here is one last secret for you.  While shooting, if there is a chance you will be eliminated on that day, you pack your bags and all your luggage goes to set.  So, if you are eliminated, you go directly to the airport.  There is no going back to the hotel to change.  And so, when I was eliminated from the “competition”, I was sent to the airport in that green dress.  Anticipating this, I had packed a change of clothes in my carry-on bag and as soon as I got checked in at the airport, I went directly to the bathroom to change.  I would have hated to look crazy going through security after all.  I’m sure my television makeup was suspicious enough.  I don't know why I didn't just leave it in the bathroom garbage actually.  I had full intentions to burn it when I got home, but it does hang in a closet in the basement because I thought the day may come again that someone would want to see it.  Certainly not me…but maybe one of the children.

Wascana Wanderings

This past week was my annual “Week of Awesomeness in Regina” where the kids are at camp so I get to do what I want to do around the city, and it always includes lots of time in Wascana Centre.  In past years, I have also gone to the movies by myself and enjoyed ice cream at Milky Way without any children chattering in my ear.  Unfortunately, my pants are entirely too tight this year to be rewarded with any Milky Way.  However, I did get a few good runs in around Wascana which is always a treat for me as I’m used to running between crops, with nothing particularly interesting to look at (but don't tell the farmers their crops are not interesting to look at...I've learned this the hard way).  I love seeing every age and level of athletic ability in the park, appreciate the challenge of playing sprinkler roulette, and my mind is allowed to wander in a whole new set of ways...

Does anyone else think the geese may be pooping less now that we can’t feed them bread crumbs?  I spend a lot of time trying not to step in droppings (yes, it is a hopeless battle) and I feel like perhaps there is a bit less of it out there this year.  I think the geese may be generally in the way less this year as well.  Perhaps because they’re not looking for bread.  Or, are there just less geese because they are peeved about not getting the bread that I was saving for them all winter??  Maybe they have moved to another park.  That one goose who decides he/she does not want to move out of my way is still there though.  What it doesn’t know is that I play “chicken” with large farm implements, so I am not afraid to steamroll it.  

I noticed that not everyone runs clockwise.  Why is this?  Isn’t everyone crazy like me?  Or are they just backwards crazy?  In any case, clockwise is the way to go!  However, I do like to meet the "counter-clockwise people" and see who’s out for a stroll.  Last year, I swore I saw Mr. Dressup and then I had an extra jump in my step trying to quickly make my way around to meet him again for a better look.  Never saw him again…of course.

I often find myself cursing the people who walk right down the middle of the path so you can’t get around them, but this week I noticed myself right in the middle as well.  I realized that I am prone to run down the middle the more tired I get, to avoid rolling right into the lake.  So, my apologies in advance if you have to take the grass to get around me because I’m weaving and staggering.  

All in all, I love Wascana Centre…just love it!  You are so lucky to have such a gem, Regina, and I hope that everyone takes advantage of it this summer!  Just hold onto your keys.  Because when you drop them in the park, it’s really, really NOT fun to try and track them down.  Trust me on this one.

Saskatoon Berry Butter Tart Bars

 I have become known for working with Saskatoon Berries (aren’t we all on the Prairies?).  I can’t even imagine how many pounds I went through testing recipes in the last year.  I considered them my lucky charm during MasterChef Canada as I used them in both of my successful audition dishes, as well as the “Signature Dish” I pitched to them in my original application.  Come to think of it, the first time I didn’t use Saskatoons was the dish I was eliminated on!  And here we are, on the Eve of their reappearance at the Regina Farmer’s Market, and I suspect orchards and markets throughout the Prairies!  Everyone shout with me, 

“The Saskatoons are here!!  The Saskatoons are here!!”

In celebration, I have created for you a new recipe to highlight our beloved berry:  Saskatoon Berry Butter Tart Bars.

Elbows up, everyone!  It’s Saskatoon Berry time!!

The Buttery Base

2 C. flour

3/4 C. icing sugar

1 C. butter

Mix together until smooth and press into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until slightly golden along the edges.

The Buttery Berry Topping

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 C. corn syrup

1 tsp. lemon juice

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1/3 C. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. flour

3 Tbsp. melted butter

2 C. Saskatoon Berries

Whisk together eggs, corn syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, flour and butter, and then add into egg mixture and mix well.  Fold in the Saskatoons.  Pour mixture over top of the crust, evening out the berries.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until topping is set and lightly golden.  Let cool (as long as you can...it’s hard to wait) and then slice into 24 bars.

MasterChef Canada Audition  Secrets

MasterChef Canada Season 3 Auditions are now happening across the country.  These are the auditions that you do NOT see on TV which take place in various cities throughout the summer, and by which the Top 50 home cooks are chosen.  I have a few friends auditioning this weekend so thought I would pass along some of the things I learned from my own audition last summer.  I am pretty sure I did not sign a confidentiality clause on this portion of the process, but if this blog post is suddenly deleted, you will know I was wrong.  

1.  Wear something that makes you stand out.  I wore black and grey which I immediately regretted.  How boring is that?  So, I immediately pledged that if I made it through to Toronto, I would wear a bright colour, and hence the birth of that (also regrettable) green dress!  More on the dress in a later blog post...I have much, much to say about it!
2. Think about your “story”.  What makes you interesting?  There is nothing interesting about me so I still cannot figure why I was chosen.  Actually, no, I am pretty sure I know why I was chosen (see point #7).  Keep in mind, this is television!!  They need memorable, engaging personalities and fascinating stories (a comeback story or personal triumph is particularly good!).  So think about what your story is and what is engaging about you and your life.  And if you are boring like me, but really want to be on television (unlike me), dig deep and “embellish” a little bit ;)
3. Be prepared to tell them (a hundred times over) what your food dream is.  This was hard for me as my real food dream is “To be able to eat whatever I want and not gain any weight” but this did not seem to be the answer they were looking for!  I didn’t want to say the standard “I want to open my own restaurant!!” and then have the entire town waiting for it to happen!  I have had my own food truck since before food trucks were cool called “My Car Going to the Field at Harvest Time” so I couldn’t say that either.  So be prepared for this one…know what your food dream is.  And if you don’t have one…dig deep and “embellish” a little bit ;)
4. You need to present a dish and a professional chef will be judging it.  He or she will also be asking you questions about the ingredients and processes you used.  I was listening in on this questioning and quickly learned that the correct answers to the following questions are:  “Did you make this mayonnaise yourself?” YES “Did you make this bread?” YES “Where did you get this produce?” THE FARMER’S MARKET “Where did you source the beef?” MY LOCAL BUTCHER  Another thing that really seemed to trip applicants up is the preparation of seafoods and other high risk foods.  It can be hours from the time you cook your dish to when the chef tastes it, so you need to make sure everything is prepared and held properly, or he or she may not take the risk of tasting it.
5. Think about what you call your dish.  Mine had an ice cream component but when I got there, I realized that I had no idea how long it would be sitting at room temperature.  I quickly listed that portion of the dish as “Popcorn Cream” to be on the safe side.  Truthfully, by the time the chef and producers got around to me, it was nothing more than a cream with a slightly firm centre, so that was a very smart decision.  I think I would have been challenged on it had I called it an "ice cream".  
6. Everyone plates their dishes at the same time.  Last year, and I was told it happened the same way for Season 1, applicants were then seen in alphabetical order by first name.  So, that may help you prepare for how long you will be there.  I think with my “D” name I was about 13th in the process.  If your name is Xavier, your food is going to be sitting for potentially a few hours at room temperature.  So keep that in mind too.  All in all, there were about 35 of us who auditioned on the first of two days in Calgary.  I am proud to say that only myself and Kenya emerged from that audition day and were invited to Toronto.
7. So, how did I do it?  Honestly, I think my biggest edge came from being from this Province.  And maybe that is my chronic lack of confidence talking, but the show needs someone to represent the various demographics and geographic regions so I know they were looking for someone from Saskatchewan.  Maybe there weren’t many applicants from here?  I will never know.  But that is my biggest piece of advice to the Saskatchewan applicants:  Do NOT sell yourselves short!  They are looking for one of us (or more) and you may have a better shot than many from the bigger centres with a larger pool of applicants.  So get out there and cook your heart out, sell your story and food dream, and let’s have someone from Saskatchewan win Season 3!!