Restaurant Review: Summerlicious La Societe

This was my first visit to La Societe. I have been wanting to visit this restaurant on several different occcasions but ended up not going. Last night was my first visit. My family and I decided to come here for dinner during Summerlicious. It is owned by Charles Khabouth, the man who owns like all the big clubs in Toronto and more. 

La Societe is located at 31 Bloor St W. and resembles a French Bistro. The Summerlicious menu for dinner is as follows:

 

I enjoyed this menu thoroughly. I didn't know what to expect, were the portions going to be big or is this one of those restaurants that will charge high prices for small amounts of food. No idea what to expect. However I was pleasantly surprised. I started off with the Rabbit Terrine, followed by the Salmon, and finished with the Wild Strawberry Chocolate Mousse. My mom, dad, and sister all ordered the Romaine salad, my mom ordered the salmon as well, dad ordered the Flat Iron and sister ordered the gnocchi, and both my mom and sister ordered the Tartlet and my dad ordered the mousse. 

I enjoy going out with my family to Summerlicious because they are great company and also they can order different things and I can have the chance to try it :).

This tall caucasian gentleman served us and was extremely helpful and accomodating. My mom and I ordered two glasses of pinot gregio which was a perfect wine to have with our meals.

RABBIT TERRINE
Gin, Dates, Pickled Mustard

I haven't ever tried rabbit because the opportunity was never presented so I was super happy when I saw rabbit on this menu. Rabbit has a texture that of which is similar to chicken. I feel rabbit tastes a hint sweeter than chicken. The filling was quite delicious and the dates and pickled mustard worked beautifully with this dish.

ACACIA HONEY MARINATED SALMON
Haricot Vert, Creme Fraich, Capers & Lemon

For the next course, the salmon was cooked to perfection. I enjoyed the little perfectly diced croutons with this incredibly moist and flavourful salmon. It tasted as if the salmon was poached in a flavourful broth. The haricot verts were also cooked to perfection to my liking. I love when my green beans are cooked slightly so they are a bright vibrant green and with an amazing crunch. The lemon segments were also quite delicious as they were not super sour and complimented the fish. This is a dish that I could imagine would be served at a Bistro in Paris. The flavours were very light and delicate and not overpowering or heavy...perfect for a warm sunny day in Toronto.

PARISIAN GNOCCHI
Beurre Noisette, Heirloom Tomato, Confit of Garlic & Sage

My sister ordered the gnocchi...which was absolutely delicious. Originally I thought the gnocchi were made with mashed potatoes but our server informed us that it was actually made with Choux pastry... I was mind-blown... The tomatoes were also seasoned with parmesan cheese and some parsley...again this dish was very nice and light... the little that my sister gave me :(.... One thing that did disappoint me was, when I got home I wanted to figure out how they made this dish so I looked through my cookbooks and found an almost identical dish made in Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery cookbook and the picture of Chef Keller's Gnocchi Parisienne is identical to that of La Societe's gnocchi... I thought that was interesting and worth noting....

Moving on... one of the best ways to finish a meal is that of a light and pungent tasting dessert which was provided by the restaurant.

My dad and I both ordered the Mousse. 

WILD STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Wild Meringue

The mousse on top was light and airy... and on the bottom it had a very dense texture but was again very light and delicious. I didn't understand the purpose behind using the little microgreens on top of the dessert as it did not add anything to it. I could understand using something green for colour but I thought mint would have been an ideal garnish... anyways my mom and sister ordered the Passion Fruit Tartlet which was presented beautifully.

PASSION FRUIT TARTLET
Cassis Coulis

 

 

 

The crust on the passion fruit was crumbly as a short crust pastry should be. The little meringue added a nice light texture like a marshmellow... I admired the little crumble the chef placed near the tartlet as it added a nice texture to the smoothness of the passion fruit tartlet. My sister and I came toi the conclusino that in order for the Chef to have a beautiful ruby red line such as on the plate he must have used a brush... as you can see my sister and I are very critical when eating at restuarants.

Anyways, I would definitely suggest everyone give La Societe a try if you are shopping along Bloor Street. Give them a call ahead of time to see if they are busy or not and whether or not you can make it. After having alittle peak at what this restaurant provides during Summerlicious I would definitely want to visit La Societe again during the year and experience their regular menu.

Enjoy Life & Happy Eating!

KMW

My 2013 Summerlicious Picks!

This season I have been a bit delayed on writing some recent blog posts and I apologize. I have been busy with a new job and other things in life! Due to my past post on Winterlicious picks I hope most of you readers have gone out to experience the Toronto restuarant life yourself! Just like Winterlicious there is Summerlicious and it is time to get the most bang for your buck! Here are my choices for Summerlicious 2013! The following restaurants are in no particular order!

1.  Fred's Not Here  

I have heard a lot of great things about this restaurant and I haven't been here myself and I plan to visit this spot during Summerlicious just to get a feel for the place.

Phone : 416-971-9155
Address:  321 King St W

$20 Lunch

Lobster & Crab Soup
or
Chilled Smoked Tomato Soup
or
Fred’s Caesar Salad with Grand Padano
or
Tomato, Red Onion & Feta Salad
or
Crispy Duck Wings with Honey Soy Chili Sauce


Wood Grilled Steak Lettuce Wrap
Wood Grilled New York Steak with Thai Flavour, Butter Lettuce, Fresh Cilantro, Thai Basil, Pickled Red Onions & Cucumbers (Substitute Steak Frites)
or
Seafood Risotto
Tiger Shrimps, Mussels, Salmon with Seafood Flavoured Arugula Risotto
or
Blackened Salmon
with Salad of Avocado, Black Beans, Sweet Corn, Cherry Tomato Quinoa, Chili Lime Dressing
or
Holy Basil Chicken
with Hot & Sweet Tamarind Mee Krob (Thai Crispy Noodles) with Lettuce Wrap
or
Grilled Eggplant, Zucchini, Peppers, Red Onions with Avocado, Black Beans, Sweet Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, Quinoa, Chili Lime Dressing (vegetarian)


Fresh Ontario Peach Melba
or
Chocolate Almond Cake
or
Fresh Fruit Ice

$35 Dinner plus taxes and gratuity

Our Famous Lobster & Crab Soup
or
Fred’s Caesar Salad with Grand Padano
or
Tomato, Red Onion & Feta Salad
or
Iceberg Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese & Peppercorn Dressing
or
Crispy Duck Wings with Honey Soy Chili Sauce
or
Gnocchi with Walnut Parsley Basil Pesto (vegetarian)

Wood Grilled New York Strip Steak with Duck Fat Frites & Vegetables
or
Roasted Prime Rib of Beef with Celeriac Yukon Gold Mash & Vegetables
or
Two-Way Beef, Wood Grilled Petite Filet & Slow Roasted Brisket with Baked Mac & Cheese
or
Wood Grilled Salmon & Tiger Shrimps, Clam Linguine
or
Roasted Twin Lobster Tails in Garlic Butter with Grilled Vegetables Israeli Cous Cous
or
Grilled Eggplant, Zucchini, Peppers, Red Onions with Avocado,Black Beans, Sweet Corn, Cherry Tomatoes Quinoa, Chili Lime Dressing (vegetarian)

Fresh Ontario Peach Melba
or
Chocolate Almond Cake
or
Fresh Fruit Ice

====================================================

2. Mistura

I have been a fan of Chef Massimo Capra and his well-established Italian restaurant, Mistura located right by Davenport and Avenue road. I had made a reservation this past Winterlicious but wasn't able to make it so I gave the reservation to one of my friends who I knew would enjoy it and she and her boyfriend had a spectacular time!

Phone: 

Phone:416-515-0009

Address: 265 Davenport Rd

$45 Dinner plus taxes and gratuity

Cold cucumber gazpacho soup with gorgonzola cream & prosciutto crisp
or
Summer chopped salad with marinated vegetables, oregano dressing and shaved Parmigiano
or
Layered marinated watermelon with Ontario feta cheese, watercress & aged balsamic dressing
or
Garganelli, charred tomato & roasted Italian summer sausage with fresh basil


Grilled flat iron steak with salsa verde on a warm potato salad & sautéed summer cherry tomato
or
Ricotta & zucchini cannelloni with truffle and lemon butter
or
Pan seared orata fillet served with crispy panella and pesto salad with tomato salsa
or
Slow roasted Ontario leg of lamb with caramelized onions, potato salad & local summer vegetables medley


Seasonal fruit tart with chantilly cream
or
Lemon ricotta cheese cake with macerated summer berries
or
Chocolate salami with fresh raspberries and zabaglione
or
White chocolate panna cotta with espresso sauce

==================================================== 

3. Noce

I haven't heard a lot about however the menu they have for Summerlicious looks spectacular!

Phone: 416-504-3463 

Address: 875 Queen St W

$35 Dinner plus taxes and gratuity

Grilled Mushroom Salad
Mixed mushrooms, arugula, balsamic dressing and soft goat cheese
or
Beef Carpaccio
Thinly sliced beef, arugula, parmigiano reggiano, cracked black pepper, lemon and olive oil
or
Mozzarella di Bufala
Imported fresh buffalo’s milk mozzeralla from Puglia, vine ripened cherry tomatoes, basil, olive oil and Ravida sea salt from Sicily (vegetarian)
or
Noce Seafood Salad
Shrimps, calamari and octopus marinated in olive oil from Le Marche, jullienne of market summer vegetables



Noce’s Traditional Style Mushroom Ravioli
Mixed mushroom ravioli, white truffle butter and grated parmigiano reggiano (vegetarian)
or
Grilled Certified Black Angus Beef Flat Iron Steak
Roasted fingerling potatoes, sautéed rapini in garlic and chilies, salsa verde compound butter
or
Pan Seared Ocean Trout
Quinoa salad with grilled zucchini, asparagus, roasted red peppers and cherry tomatoes
or
Roman Style Grilled Rock Cornish Hen
Shaved fennel, carrot, and arugula salad with roasted red pepper dressing and grilled lemon



Tiramisu
Traditionally prepared tiramisu (vegetarian)
or
Gelati e Sorbetti
House made sorbet and ice cream (vegetarian)
or
Valhronna Dark Chocolate Mousse
Macerated strawberries and whipped cream (vegetarian)
or
Traditional Italian Cookies (vegetarian)

 ====================================================

 4. One Restuarant

This is one of Chef Mark McEwan's restaurants at the Hazleton Hotel in Yorkville. Originally I thought he would be very arrogant and stuck up but when I had the opportunity to meet him right by school my impression was totally different. Mark McEwan was a great guy and very down to earth compared to the very truthful judge on Top Chef Canada. This is a hotspot for celebrities during the Toronto International Film Festival!

Phone: 416-962-9090  

Address: 116 Yorkville Avenue.

  

$25 Lunch plus taxes and gratuity

Sweet corn soup, pickled red onion, basil pesto, chive cream (vegetarian)
or
Iceberg salad, tomato, bacon, salted pecans, buttered croutons, ricotta, ranch dressing
or
Beef carpaccio, pickled mustard, garlic chips, watercress, parmesan



House made ricotta gnocchi, marinara, buffalo mozzarella, basil (vegetarian)
or
Atlantic salmon, celeriac and mustard puree, chilled lentil salad with apple and spinach
or
BBQ Cornish hen, bacon and mushroom spatzle, thyme, white balsamic



Classic white cake, coconut cream, lime curd (vegetarian)
or
Vanilla panna cotta, strawberry compote, brown butter crumble, basil (vegetarian)
or
Flourless chocolate cake, espresso ice cream, salted caramel sauce, almonds (vegetarian)

$45 Dinner plus taxes and gratuity

Sweet corn soup, pickled red onion, basil pesto, chive cream (vegetarian)
or
Iceberg salad, tomato, bacon, salted pecans, buttered croutons, ricotta, ranch dressing
or
Grilled prawns, couscous salad, cumin vinaigrette, pomegranate yogurt, garlic chips


House made ricotta gnocchi, marinara, buffalo mozzarella, basil (vegetarian)
or
Atlantic salmon, celeriac and mustard puree, chilled lentil salad with apple and spinach
or
Pork tenderloin, rosemary polenta, apple and cherry compote, shaved chestnuts


Classic white cake, coconut cream, lime curd (vegetarian)
or
Vanilla panna cotta, strawberry compote, brown butter crumble, basil (vegetarian)
or
Flourless chocolate cake, espresso ice cream, salted caramel sauce, almonds (vegetarian)

5. Canoe

Oliver & Bonacini's most exclusive restaurant with a spectacular view of the city. It is very difficult to get a reservation at this restaurant however you don't know unless you call them! Chef Horne is a great chef and I have heard great things about him! Don't be hesitant about visiting this restaurant!

Phone: 416-307-3322

Address: 66 Wellington St W, 54th Floor, Toronto Dominion Bank Tower  

$25 Lunch plus taxes and gratuity

Ontario Summer Greens
Ricotta, Rosemary Croûtons & Maple Cranberry Vinaigrette
or
New Farms Chilled Cucumber Soup
Orange Scented Cucumber, Hewitt’s Buttermilk & Dill
or
Whipped Sheep’s Milk Mousse
Tender Shoots & Radish Vinaigrette



Wellington County Flat Iron Steak
Gai Lan, Sarladaise Potatoes & Smoked Mustard Aïoli
or
Chicken Campanelle Pasta
Peas, Smoked Bacon & Citrus Chicken Broth
or
Olive Oil Poached Heritage Salmon
Zucchini, New Potatoes & Kabosu Mayonnaise



Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse
Coco Caramel & Devil’s Food Cake
or
Frozen Yoghurt
Raspberry Broth & Milk Crumble
or
Torched Bread Pudding
Niagara Plums & Osprey Farms Honey Sabayon

$45 Dinner plus taxes and gratuity

Whipped Sheep’s Milk Cheese
Tender Shoots, Cardamom Crisp & Radish Vinaigrette
or
New Farms Chilled Cucumber Soup
Yarmouth Lobster, Dill & Hewitt’s Buttermilk
or
Slow Cooked Heritage Salmon
Watercress, Puffed Wild Rice & Kabosu Mayonnaise



Wellington County Beef
Roasted Carrots, Steel Cut Oats & Portobello Bacon Jus
or
Rock Cornish Hen
Zucchini, Three Grain Salad & Green Tomato Chutney
or
Albacore Tuna
Succotash, Corn Jalapeño Chutney & Tomato Fennel Broth



Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse
Devil’s Food Cake, Coco Caramel & Nutella Pastry Cream
or
Frozen Yoghurt
Raspberry Soda, Milk Crumble & Vanilla Oil
or
Torched Bread Pudding
Niagara Plums & Osprey Farms Honey Sabayon 

HAPPY EATING! 

KMW 

Do it yourself Ricotta!

Whenever I go to a restaurant and I see ricotta made in house on the menu I am mind blown. I think its amazing when a restaurant cures their own sausages or barrels their own wine or even their own cheese. Little did I know you could make your own ricotta at home without needing any fancy equipment! For those of you who don't really know what ricotta is, ricotta is a soft crumbly creamy cheese that you can add to pasta or a burger or salad or like I did on a charchuterie plate with mixed cured meats and condiments and fresh bread.

Simple Homemade Ricotta

Add caption

Amount of time it will take: 2 hours

Equipment: 1 pot, 1 wooden spoon to stir, cheese cloth, fine sieve

Ingredients:

• 1 Litre of Homogenized Milk
• 473 milliliters of Heavy Cream
• 1 lemon
• salt
• fresh thyme (optional)

Steps:
1. Layer the sieve with about 5 layers of cheesecloth and set aside

2. Place the milk, cream, and salt into the pot and place it on medium-high heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure its not burning on the bottom of the pot.

3. Take it off the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. The milk will start to curdle. If it doesn't start to curdle place the pot back on the stove over a low heat and after you see it curdling then take it off the heat and let it get to room temperature.

4. After the milk mixture seems to be done curdling pour in the cheese cloth lined collander and leave for an hour. This will give time for the ricotta to drain... After the hour finishes squeeze the ricotta to make sure most of it is drained. You don't want the ricotta dry... this isn't parmesan cheese. 
 




5. Place the strained ricotta in a bowl. If you tasted it you'll notice the ricotta really tastes of nothing so at that point I added fresh lemon zest from the lemon you just used and add in some thyme and a bit more salt so you can taste salt in it. 






After you make your own ricotta I guarantee you won't want to buy store bought ricotta anymore. A quick snack you can make with  your homemade ricotta is toast some baguette, spread some ricotta on, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top, slice a tomato, place it on top of the ricotta, salt and pepper on top and add some basil....DONE  easy peasy lemon squeezy. Now you can tell your friends you made your own cheese and they will be amazed! This could be your little secret!


Enjoy! Eat well! 


KMW
 

My version of Eggs Benedict with a healthier Hollandaise

This past weekend as some of you... well all of you should know was Mother's Day. One of my mom's favourite dishes is Eggs Benedict so to celebrate Mother's Day I made my mom her favourite dish. My version is a bit unconventional as it does not use clarified butter as a traditional hollandaise recipe calls for. My alternative is using Extra Virgin Olive oil. I found that it was time consuming melting butter, removing fat, then adding it in slowly and of course its a lot of fat which is not really needed. By using extra virgin olive oil its a bit healthier and it still has the same consistency as a clarified butter hollandaise would have.

Here is the recipe for my version of Eggs Benedict:

Eggs Benedict with Grapefruit Hollandaise 

*Number of Ingredients depending on how many people you are serving. 

2 servings

 Ingredients:

4 slices of peameal bacon

2 english muffins

8 eggs (4 for poaching and 4 for the egg yolks)

3 cups of extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup of white vinegar

1 whole grapefruit

1/2 lemon

Chives (Optional) 

Poaching Eggs

Steps:

1. Get a pot and fill it about 1/4 of it with water and bring to a simmer and add in the white vinegar. By adding the white vinegar it will help the eggs form a nicer shape.. I think.. don't quote me on that. There is a reason for adding vinegar to the water though so try not to skip it. I haven't poached an egg without the vinegar before so I can't say whether or not the eggs will still poach nicely.

2. In a small bowl crack an egg into and make sure the yolk did not crack or anything. 

3. When the water starts to simmer... slowly pour in your egg. Most recipes say to whisk the water in a circular motion however I found that the egg doesn't come out as nicely. If you slowly pour the egg into one area and try to use a slotted spoon to pour the egg whites around the egg yolk. Let the egg cook in the simmering water for about 3-4 minutes (until the eggs are a bit bouncy but still has some resistance. When you cut into the egg you want the yolk to pour out slowly which means the cooking is a bit longer compared to cutting it and having it super runny so its basically raw and unsafe). I try to do at least two eggs at a time. 

4. When the egg is ready get a slotted metal spoon and take it gently out of the water and place it into a water bath (a bowl of water filled with ice). This will stop the cooking and ensure you won't have a hardboiled egg.

EGGS DONE

Hollandaise Sauce

1. After you are done cooking your eggs use the same pot and place a large stainless steel bowl ontop of the pot ( This is called a bain-marie). Make sure the water beneath it isn't directly touching the bowl; you want it to simmer. By simmering it you want the steam to heat teh bottom of your bowl. 

2. Separate 4 eggs and place the egg yolks into the metal bowl. 

TIP: The easiest way I found to separate egg yolks is to crack the egg and pour the egg into your hand and let the egg whites fall out, leaving you with a perfect egg yolk. 

3. In the same bowl  zest one grape fruit and squeeze the living juice out of it. Place your hand under the grapefruit with the juicy part in your hand and squeeze it. This will help catch any unwanted seeds.... obviously toss the seeds out when you are done juicing.... the grapefruit. You also add the juice of half a lemon which will help add more acidity.

4. Whisk the egg yolks and grapefruit juice on top of the bain marie until the mixture thickens. You want the mixture to thicken so that way the mixture is cooked and you aren't eating raw egg (approximately 5 minutes). After it is thickened, take it off the pot and slowly pour in the oil. Dribble alittle bit of it at a time until its thick.You want the consistency to be thick but not mayonnaise like. It should be able to spread out and not be stiff.

5. After you mixed all of the extra virgin olive oil in, season with salt and pepper. 

HOLLANDAISE DONE!

Toast your english muffins a bit and flash fry the peameal bacon.

Plating: Place toasted English muffins on a plate, place the peameal bacon. Paper towel the poached eggs so its not wet and pour over some of the delicious hollandaise on top! Top with some fresh chopped chives. Serve with my easy roasted potatoes! 

Eggs Benedict with a healthy hollandaise sauce... DONE

KMW

Do-it-Yourself Marshmallows! Great Activity to try out this weekend!

Tilapia crusted with roasted peanuts served with a sweet Thai chili sauce and roasted potatoes

Tilapia encrusted with roasted peanuts served with roasted baby potatoes and topped with a sweet thai chili sauce

 Hello to my readers. I know I haven't been posting anything recently so I thought I would share this great recipe that I made this past weekend. I had some baby purple potatoes in the fridge so I wanted to cook them before they went bad.  I didn't want to do a traditional mashed potato since that seems boring and would look terrible for presentation so I went with my go-to roasted potato recipe. My mom wants to eat healthier so she bought some tilapia from Costco. I wanted to make the fish exciting instead of just pan searing it and such so I decided to roast some peanuts, and crust it in the fish.

My original plan was just to shell the peanuts, then grind it and place it on the fish however I thought that roasting the peanuts a bit would add another dimension to the dish. 

This is a great recipe to make for your mom for mother's day this weekend! Here is the recipe for each component:

Roast potatoes - Refer to my other post "How to make roasted potatoes"

Thai Chili's - For those wondering what a Thai chili looks like

Sweet Thai Chili Sauce

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons of fish sauce

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 grapefruit

1/2 lemon

a handful of chopped corriander

3 baby thai chilis deseeded 

3 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar

1. In a bowl combine fish sauce, soy sauce, olive oil, squeeze the grapefruit dry, add the juice of half a lemon, chopped corriander, chop up the thai chili into very small pieces, crush garlic into a paste, and add in the rice wine vinegar. 

Tip: Whether you use a mortar and pestle or just a chef knife to mince the garlic; sprinkle a handful of salt on top. By adding the salt you are adding another element to help break down the garlic. 

2. Whisk all the ingredients together until combined.

Roasted Peanut Mixture
1 bag of peanuts

1. Take the peanuts out of their shells and grind until crumbly. Do not grind until its fine, you want the peanuts to have some texture. 

2. Get a saucepan and pour the mixture into it and turn on the heat. Stir the mixture around for about 5-8 minutes on a medium heat until you smell a nice roasting smell. ROASTING SMELL NOT BURNING.  

3. After the peanuts have been roasted pour into a container and place it to the side to cool down.

Tilapia
# of Tilapia depends on how many people you are serving - You can really use this recipe for any fish as long as there isn't any skin and bones
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
 
TIP: I cut the tilapia in half so that way the portions look nice after they are cooked. A package of Tilapia is enough for a whole lot of people. 

1. Pat the tilaipa dry and season with a bit of salt. 
In a bowl whisk together the eggs and fish sauce until fully combined. 

2. Bring the tilapia into the egg mixture and let it get wet. After you have dunked in the egg mixture put it into the peanut mixture and try to coat the tilapia in as many crushed peanuts as you can. 

3. In a heated non-stick sautee pan add in a tablespoon of olive oil until smoking and swirl around the pan. 

4. Place the peanut crusted tilapia into the pan and give about 4-5 minutes per side. Touch the tilapia from time to time to see if it is cooked or not. If the Tilapia is cooked it should be quite resistance. If it is not cooked the Tilapia will be a bit squishy.    

Use a spatula instead of tongs so that way the peanuts won't fall off of the cooked tilaipa. Place ontop of some roasted potatoes and drizzle some of that delicious sweet Thai chili sauce. 

DONE.

To any readers who are moms out there.... Happy Mothers Day and make your child or kid or husband or whoever make this dish for you!


KMW