Nostalgia and Whimsy

Sometimes I think it’s best to just let the place speak for itself. “The Flaky Tart is an old school bakeshop that marries nostalgia with whimsy.  Using only the freshest ingredients, Chef Madelaine Sperry creates and builds tasty pieces of art that both satisfy her creativity and her passion for the business.”
Madelaine comes from a baking background. Learning at the side of her mother as a child. From there she studied at George Brown College in Toronto and then it was off to Europe. Returning home she was Executive Pastry Chef at the very prestigious Rosedale Golf Club. From there she went into business for herself. 
Madelaine also offers up some of the most beautiful Wedding Cakes you can imagine.

Perhaps the best thing about The Flaky Tart is that the goodies aren’t cloyingly sweet. A lot of times these bakeries load things up with sugar. So much so that it tends to drown out the flavour of what it is that flavour is supposed to be. TFT’s goody’s flavours come through very boldly. I would also say that the lack of sugar (or perhaps I should say the use of exactly enough sugar) is really what makes this place so addictive. There's nothing to stop you from eating too much. There's no sore teeth from all the sugar. There's no DT's from all the sugar. Nope, there's just good common sense to tell you when you've had enough. Should you have any.

I should also point out that The Flaky Tart also offers up some savoury options like Meat Pies. But I’m just here for the sweets.

TFT is just one of a number of store fronts in Toronto’s Mount Pleasant Village. Inside the place just smells like a bakery. If you didn't already know that from the outside. Just last week I walked by and was drawn in like I was being beamed aboard a space ship. The smell of fresh ginger wafting out the front door was irresistible. Once inside you'll see a wide array of goodies from which to chose on either wall and a "Trophy Case" beside the cash register. All the baking is done in the back behind the magic curtain.

So let’s take a look at that baking.

The English Toffee Brownie is as you can imagine excellent. One look will tell you that. The brownie isn’t quite as dense as most brownies but certainly far from cake like. The thick fudge icing is quite nice. The English toffee is perfect and glued to the top with caramel drizzle. It’s missing a richness that keeps it from being decadent IMHO. So if you were looking for that, you may be a bit disappointed. It’s so good otherwise that it can be over looked. In fact, for most adults, it would be too much if it was knee buckling. 

The Pumpkin Spice Cake is ridiculously good. Ranking up there with some of the best non chocolate desserts. It has a very distinctive pumpkin pie spice flavour which was rich in clove. The whipped cream is nice and light and what dessert isn’t better with some caramel right??

The Butter Tarts are among the best in the city. Not my favourite (my moms are) but still awfully good. They have an incredible rich taste but are a bit runny and I’m not a big fan of the runniness. You may notice that there’s a fair bit of extra crust. That extra crust is there so you can break pieces off and dunk them in the ooey goodness. I do like that aspect. I think my friend is addicted to them. 
A special thanks to Jen of FoodPr0n for the use of this picture.

The Old Fashioned Fruit Tart is excellent. Sour cherries are cooked down to a jam like consistency but with a few whole cherries in there as well. The balance between sugar and tart is quite nice. It's just about right in the middle. Not particularly either. It really seems to let the fruit shine. While eating this I happened to bite it so perfectly that I got a great cross section of the pastry. It's beautiful. Very flaky. You could actually see the different layers of dough with a microscopic space between each layer.

Cupcakes are also available of course. This specimen is a Ginger Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream. Oh man this is good. Like a mild, soft, gingerbread man with a beautiful icing. I thought the vanilla could’ve been a bit stronger but it was fine as it was. I do love vanilla so maybe it’s just me.

Madelaine makes a pretty mean cookie as well. This Triple Chocolate Chip known as Jason’s Favourtie, is Milk, Dark and White Chocolate Chips in a nice cookie batter. For the most part the batter is just there to hold the chips together. You gotta love that. I’ve been told that the Ginger/Molasses Cookie is phenomenal but I haven’t tried it. Yet!

Mrs. Sippi loves her some macaroons and seeing these nice “To Go” bags I figured I’d have to treat her. The subdued sweetness really works well with these and seems to make the coconut flavour stand out even more. Mrs. Sippi absolutely loved them. They’re everything she could’ve wanted. 

You can find The Flaky Tart at 711 Mt. Pleasant Rd. in Toronto. 

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You can also find them on the web, facebook and Twitter.


Well that’s all for now kids. See ya next time in the food court.

Davwud

 

Secret Society

From the road it’s not much more than a worn out building. It offers very little information as to what goes on inside. For most, it wouldn’t even be noticed. Others would see Spanish merchants and not give it another glance. Within its brown and cream cloak a cabal of sorts meets. Lawyers, hair dressers and cooks, et al, offer videos, hairdos and money transfers right under the collective noses of Torontonians. They don’t advertise to the likes of me. They’re not in business to serve me. They’re there, for the most part, to serve each other.
A look around back reveals a door with basic sign saying “Food Court.” It’s as unassuming as it can be and an understatement if there ever was one. For this is no mere food court. This is an oasis. A portal to another part of the planet. A culinary vacation without ever leaving the city.
Hidden in the north west corner of the city, el Mercado Latino or Plaza Latina is a gem among jewels. Catering to the growing GTA Latin American community it’s anchor shop is Autentica Spanish Food and Empanadas. Of which I wrote earlier.
For the rest of the food court, English is an almost ignored language both written and spoken. It’s somewhat ramshackle in appearance with kiosks looking more like they were built by a local handyman rather than a licensed contractor. It can be intimidating I’ll admit. Even off putting. But muster up your courage and you’ll enjoy some genuine Latin flavour.Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, El Salvador and even Cuba are among the countries represented here. Easily identified by the flags above. If not by a little deductive reasoning. 

First and foremost, don’t let the language barrier worry you. Most vendors have pictures at which you can point and generally speak decent, broken English. In fact the younger, the more likely they are to speak it. Secondly, I’ve noticed that anywhere you go, if you show interest in another peoples food they really open up to you. 

So on with the food.

Most items are cooked to order. Generally you place your order and take a seat. They bring out your goodies when they’re ready.

Being Latin it’s no surprise most vendors have “Real Coke.” That is, Coca-Cola made with cane sugar and not that health political hot potato HFCS. I prefer the diet versions of soft drinks but every once in a while it’s nice for a change. This version from Mexico is far better than that of Canada or the US. It’s smoother, less carbonated and doesn’t have a harsh sweetness associated with HFCS. This is why we fell in love with the drink in the first place.

El Sabroson

Who knew Peruvian food was so good. Other than Peruvians of course. East meets west in Peru where conquest from Spanish and immigration from China have shaped the cuisine. The name of this place says it all; “Delicious.”
Lomo Saltado is another shining example of fusion food. A simple Chinese stir fry mixed with French fries to create this conglomeration. It came nicely presented with a mound of rice at one end but the game plan here is to get the rice to the bottom of the dish and have it soak up the oils and grease. As is pictured below. This dish was stunningly good. It’s always great when one minute you don’t even know a food exists and the next you’re eating one of the tastiest things you’ve ever had. You have to wonder how anyone could keep it a secret. It’s the type of dish that is probably better the more greasy it is. Comfort food, hangover food, fusion food. Call it what you will but ultimately it’s delicious food.
As was the Jalea. Corn meal battered and fried seafood topped with a garnish of Peruvian Creole saladAt first bite, (shrimp with no garnish) it seemed rather boring. What makes this dish is the pickled onions and tomatoes. Contrasted with the heavier fried shrimp, calamari and fish it was excellent. I found the fried yucca side to be somewhat plain. That’s what yucca is though. Like a mild, starchy potato.
A hot sauce was provided that was bordering on deadly. This seemed to be little more than pureed habaneros. I didn’t add any since it didn’t need it.

Comedor Popular Ecuatoriano

Meaning, Popular Ecuadorian Dining room this stall is tucked into the corner and serves up some great soups (sopa) and ceviche. A number of other diners had terrific smelling soup from this vendor. We opted for ceviche though.

Ceviche is seafood “Cooked” in citrus juice. Rather than heat cooking the protein, the acid in the juice cooks it. The result is a fresh tasting, tart dish that’s sweetened slightly by the sugars pulled out of the added vegetables. Most often red onion and tomato. A little cilantro for garnish and colour rounds out the dish. As one can imagine, this ceviche mixto is just terrific. A seafood medeley of shrimp, scallops, mussels and calamari tossed with the vegetation. Keep in mind that a minimum of 15 minutes is required for the citric acid to work it’s magic.

La Fuenta del Puro Sabor

Translated to mean “the source of pure flavour”, more foods hailing from Ecuador are featured in this stall. They specialize in natural fruit juices. This mango shake, more like a smoothie in consistency was fantastic. A velvety texture and sublime mango taste was fabulous.

La Costenita Colombia

Near as I can tell, this translates to “The Colombian Coast.” During a crawl around the city sampling Colombian empanadas we paid a visit. Empanadas are a meat and potato filled pocket pie. Other meats and even veggie filled empanadas are sometimes offered but here it’s the Colombian standard beef and potato.The empanadas are cornmeal breaded and have a potatoey tasting filling similar to that of a samosa. They’re quite good.

Much better are the pupusas though. Especially when paired with the shredded cabbage. The fried tortilla is stuffed with cheese and pork and is just tasty.

For desert a dulce de leche churro from Autentica was the perfect finish.

You can find the el Mercado Latino at 9 Milvan Drive in Toronto, Ontario.

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Well that’s all for now from the Latin food court. Check back in for updates as I work my way through this place.

Davwud

Unique and Exquisite Taste

In Spanish it reads “Un sabor unico y exquisito” and is the banner for Autentica Spanish Food and Empanadas. It’s also hard not to agree. The little bakery and cafe (panaderia y café) in back of the Plaza Latina (more on that later) in the north west corner of Toronto is offering up a taste of Chile. From sweets, to breads, to empanadas there’s a little something for everyone. 
While not very large right now, Toronto’s Central and South American population is growing. More and more migrant workers are heading to Canada and the GTA seeking work. Often in the fertile farm land that surrounds the city. A sub culture of Latin restaurants and bakeries is sprouting up in and around the city. Carving out it’s own niche among the many different ethnic restaurants and neighbourhoods.

Autentica’s Plaza location (there’s another in Brampton) does a bustling business. Mostly within the burgeoning Spanish speaking community but more and more North Americans are discovering the many delights Chile has to offer. The shop is clean and does have a good amount of English so it’s not nearly as intimidating as other vendors. The staff are smiling and always willing to help. I think they enjoy the fact that “Gringos” are interested in their native flavours. 
Chile’s culinary traditions are based in it’s Spanish heritage with Middle Eastern, German and Mediterranean influences. The anorexic country’s extensive coastline means seafood features prominently. As do beef, maize (corn), olives and potatoes. And that doesn’t even include the wine.

Certainly a staple of Chilean (and basically all Spanish speaking countries) are empanadas. Larger in size than most and oddly enough using wheat dough rather than the plentiful corn meal for a casing, they come in several different varieties including, of course, seafood.  
Also popular among Chileans, especially in the Patagonia region are sandwiches. Fresh breads are stuffed with a variety of meats and condiments and sometimes named after famous Chilean politicians. A prime example being the popular Barros Luco. A terrific steak and cheese sandwich named in honour of President Ramon Barros Luco.
 
But enough of this, ondele!

This visit my dining partners and I split a number of different offerings.

From the sandwich line we opted for the Chacarero. The English, translation is a farmer who works in a marsh. So roughly speaking, this is a farmers sandwich. Tender, grilled steak with fresh tomatoes, French cut green beans and mayonnaise on fresh bread. A rather unique combination that’s a meal in itself.  
In the empanada department we opted for both chorizo and seafood. Probably my favourite all time the chorizo is well stuffed, not overly spicy and just plain tasty. The rope edging to seal the pastry is a nice touch. 
The seafood was a mixture of fish and shrimp and if you’re a fish lover you’re in business. Fishy in a good way and downright tasty. Okay, it’s also my favourite. 
A couple bowls (actually, they’re called molcajete) of salsa are there for you to help yourself. Both empanadas were able to stand on their own but also benefited from the mildly spicy garnish.  
Perhaps equalling the main part of the meal is the sweets for desert.  
The pastry case has many delicious looking treats and we settled milhojas (me-low-ha's) and dulce de leche (caramel) churros.

The churros were very good. I’d like a little more cinnamon as I find it a great balance against sweet. All in all, very good.
Borrowing from the French influence milhojas are the Spanish equivilent of a Mille-feuille or Napolean. Layers of puff pastry and dulce de leche sandwiched and glazed then topped with powdered sugar. A very nice and yet not cloyingly sweet treat. 
You can find Autentica in the Plaza Latina foodcourt at 9 Milvan Ct., Toronto, On.

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Well that’s all for now from the foodcourt. ‘Til next time, adios.

Davwud

Y'all Eat Yet?

About an hour drive south east of Nashville is the small artist community of Bell Buckle, Tennessee. The old railroad town, listed in the National Register of Historic Places was once left for dead but has been resurrected. Restored into a beautiful and quaint little burg numbering less than 500 residents. It's also the home of the RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival.

Celebrating the quintessential southern staples, RC Cola and Moon Pies. For those not from the south, a Moon Pie is a layered graham cracker and marshmallow treat that's (originally) covered in chocolate. They come in over a half dozen flavours now.

Arriving in town from the west, Railroad Square is somewhat obscured. You're almost on the tracks before you get a good view. One good look though will let you know that you're in for something special. Among the single story store fronts sits Bell Buckle Cafe. A good ole down home "Meat and 3" with live country music on Friday and Saturday night.





While not the only restaurant in town, Bell Buckle Cafe is certainly the busiest. The parking lot was full to over flowing when we arrived on Sunday just before noon. We were lucky we only had a 10 minute wait. Church lets out at noon and it quickly became obvious that for locals, the Sunday morning ritual is church then lunch at the Cafe.

Waiting in line Mrs. Sippi interrogated a local on the food options. Asked to pick a favourite he couldn't. He did suggest the smothered chops that were one of the specials of the day. He went on to offer about a half dozen more things before declaring everything "Great." Seated beside us were two older couples. "Every Sunday" one told me of how often they patronize the Cafe. In her pantheon of Meat and 3's Mrs. Sippi has declared Bell Buckle Cafe one of the triumvirate. Along with Stan's and Dixie Freeze. Pretty select company. I'll go one further. It's the best I've been to.
A Meat and Three for the uninitiated is a restaurant offering a meat option with a choice of three sides. Most places give you your choice of anywhere from 3 to 6 main options. Bell Buckle has over a dozen on their menu and another half dozen on the specials board. Your sides choices number between 6 and 10. Bell Buckle has at least a dozen. There's also a half dozen desert options. More if you consider that I'm counting "Pie" and "Cobbler" as one item each. They have several options in both category.

So it's about time we got to the food.

Smothered chops with turnip greens, mac and cheese and squash casserole for me and chicken fried steak with white beans, fried corn and fried okra for Mrs. Sippi. Both came with a johnny cake.

Smothered chops are pork chops that are simmered in gravy. They were fall apart tender and very tasty. They gravy was very good and not too salty. I'd actually have liked just a bit more on mine.

The turnip greens were quite good. Not the best I've had but there was the exact right amount of pot likker. It was the perfect amount for sopping with the corn cake.

The squash casserole was fantastic although not as good as Puckett's. Not "Squashy" at all if you know what I mean. It had a nice balance of flavours.

I really liked the mac and cheese. This was a great "Side" mac and cheese. It didn't have a stand out personality but a nice creamy, cheesy taste that would play well in the sandbox with anything.

Mrs. Sippi's chicken fried steak was unbelievable. It had a well seasoned breading that the Colonel and his 11 herbs and spices would be impressed with. Again, the gravy wasn't too salty which can be a problem. This milk or sawmill gravy was excellent.

Fried corn is corn that's cut from the cob and fried in butter (or bacon grease) until it has the consistency of cream corn. I hadn't had it done right before. Now I have. Mrs. Sippi proclaimed it perfect.

The white beans had all the earmarks of being southern style. Slow simmered with hunks of pig for hours. So good.

The fried okra was also spectacular. Very crispy and delicious. Their breading is fantastic.

The desert menu is on the napkin dispenser and it says "Save room for desert." Who am I to argue??

Since I was in Bell Buckle I had to have a moon pie. One of the desert offerings was a moon pie sundae. So why not? A banana moon pie with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce. It was very good however predictable.

Mrs. Sippi couldn't get her mind off the peach cobbler. It was excellent. A nice buttery crust and warm sweet peach filling with the ice cream melting all over it. It was a text book southern cobbler.

With all the desert options we just couldn't narrow it down to two. I polled the people around our table and kept coming up with one thing. It was calling me. It was fate. I had to have it. I'd never heard of it. It sounded interesting. It said "Covered in caramel sauce." I like caramel sauce. I give you, the oatmeal cake.

It's rare that I order a desert that doesn't have chocolate in it. If I do, I generally try to figure out where to add chocolate. This desert is more proof that god wants us to be happy. It was like a moist 2" thick oatmeal cookie smothered in caramel sauce. It's impossible for me to impress upon you how much this desert impressed me. I was almost reduced to tears.

I also couldn't pass up the opportunity to have and RC Cola as well.

You can find Bell Buckle Cafe on Railroad Square in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.


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You can find them on the web or become a Facebook fan.  
 

Well that's all for now. 'Til next time.

Davwud