Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: McEwan at 38 Karl Fraser Road
Website: http://mcewan.mcewangroup.ca/
My first stop was the Makaron station tantalized by the pretty coloured macarons
all waiting. After trying three of the flavours I really couldn’t decipher
a favourite. Luckily, our gift bags had a box for us to try at home
complete with pistachio, raspberry, passion fruit with chocolate,
blackberry and coconut. From those, the pistachio was the one for me – light as
air, not too moist, not overly sweet and had a subtle nuttiness to it.
Making my way towards the back of the supermarket, the olive oil display caught my eye. McEwan’s private label bottle, actually produced by Rallis Olive Oil, boasts that it’s the only raw cold pressed oil available. The representative explained that an olive, like any other fruit, loses the purity of its taste as it’s heated, so ice pressing the olive allows it retain more of its natural fragrance and flavour. Another addition to our gift bag, I used it for lunch one day (as a dip and drizzled on bocconcini) and found the taste lighter and without any bitter after taste, while the colour a vivid golden hue.
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Address: McEwan at 38 Karl Fraser Road
Website: http://mcewan.mcewangroup.ca/
When AbbySharp informed me I was selected to attend the McEwan
All Access 3.0 event I was ecstatic! The news made my week. To think, not only
would I be sampling some delicious food and get to meet Mark McEwan himself but
I would do all of this with 29 other people who talk about and love food as
much as myself.
To say I
enjoy food would be an understatement. You can ask my husband, vacations
generally are centered on eating - after all, the Michelin guide even says
there are some restaurants offering “exceptional cuisine and worth a special
journey”. I reflected back to see when this obsession started. Sure as a kid I
enjoyed eating out and having good meals but it didn't consume that much of my
thoughts. And then it hit me, this all really started after university when I landed
my first role in the Financial District and was suddenly surrounded by some of
the best restaurants in Toronto.
Over the
course of the first few years of my career I began to eat some really nice
meals. Mark McEwan's restaurants were not an exception and helped to introduce
me to the joys of simple but professionally cooked food using quality
ingredients. At Bymark, I had the most perfectly cooked salmon for the first
time in my life. Prepared to a 70% doneness with crispy skin it was everything
salmon should be – tender, moist and with enough fat to flavour the fish but
not feel overwhelming. At North 44, I discovered what dry aging a steak for 60
days could do for flavour, it wasn’t disgusting but rather brought a good cut
of meat up to another level. And lastly, at One found that delicious fries can
become orgasmic when freshly prepared and paired with a flavorful truffle aoili.
When the day finally arrived I rode up in a cab,
compliments of Hailo, in front of McEwan at the Shops on Don Mills. Despite being ten minutes early, the party was already
in full swing with tasting stations pumping out food and participants snapping
pictures & eating to their heart’s content.
Making my way towards the back of the supermarket, the olive oil display caught my eye. McEwan’s private label bottle, actually produced by Rallis Olive Oil, boasts that it’s the only raw cold pressed oil available. The representative explained that an olive, like any other fruit, loses the purity of its taste as it’s heated, so ice pressing the olive allows it retain more of its natural fragrance and flavour. Another addition to our gift bag, I used it for lunch one day (as a dip and drizzled on bocconcini) and found the taste lighter and without any bitter after taste, while the colour a vivid golden hue.
Seeing a swarm of people at the Hot Bunzz oven, I made
my way there next where they offered a choice of three flavours – St.
Lucia jerk wild boar, Brazilian red eye BBQ beef and king mushroom ragout.
Based on the vendor’s suggestion, I went with the BBQ beef and really enjoyed
it. The bun is a soft egg brioche and packed on top and inside with slices of
tender beef, corn and mushrooms. Despite being packed with ingredients it wasn’t
too messy to eat and there’s an extra kick from a horseradish sauce that hits
you at the end. Although I didn’t have a chance to try the jerk wild boar, many
other bloggers were raving about it so I sense it will be another crowd
favourite when these are sold at McEwan soon.
Stopping off for some drinks we had a choice of Vineland
Estate wines from Mark’s restaurants and beer from Beau’s Brewery. Generally I enjoy wine
with food but was pleasantly surprised with the beer. Not being a huge fan, I
asked for something lighter and if I remember correctly tried the Lug
Tread lagered ale. This organic beer was remarkably crisp and smooth
tasting. Best of all there was no bitter aftertaste at all. With the summer
months coming soon, it will be a perfect choice for enjoying at a BBQ.
Next, I tried some of their crostini (sorry the
salami and Itaca prosciutto picture didn’t come out well) where I
sampled a thinly sliced salami and great smooth parmigiano reggiano drizzled
with a balsamic reduction. Unfortunately, the crostini were too hard
to bite through and had to be discarded but that meant I could just save room
for all the other food to come.
One of my favourite stations of the evening was
the Island Beef offering beautifully cooked striploin steak. With only a simple rub and
expertly charred cooking the meat simply melted on the tongue leaving a light
beef flavour behind. I was surprised to hear the beef came from PEI
where they are raised outside drawing upon the unique environmental properties
of the sea, soil and pastures that the land has to offer. Whatever it was, the
striploin was one of the most tender ones I’ve ever had despite being so lean.
I can’t say for sure I’ll give up bone-in ribeye anytime soon, but
could be tempted to eat striploin if it tastes this good.
Chef Shen Ousmand, the Executive Chef for McEwan,
was on hand to cook pots of Fabbrica’s gnocchi for us. Simply stewed with
san marzano tomatoes and topped with shaved parmesan and
dollops of house made ricotta, they were soft and flavourful. Chef McEwan had
tons to say about his appreciation for this dish – although admits to loving
the octopus salad at Fabbrica even more.
Oysters and olives are two items I hated in the past but
are slowly acquiring a taste for. McEwan was offering freshly shucked oysters
during the event with a selection of varieties. I stuck with the smaller ones
and with the addition of some shallot or onion vinaigrette and fresh
horseradish they went down very easily.
To end, I had about six doughnuts from Von Doughnuts,
I couldn’t help it there were just so many flavours to try!
My favourite was the margarita (a nice sweet citrus with a blast
of salt like you just licked the rim of a glass) and the lemon curd (where the
donut is piped with a tart lemon cream and glazed). So what made them different from your regular Tim Horten’s variety? I found the dough less
oily and the toppings plentiful and weren’t too sweet to allow other flavours (citrus,
salt, bacon, toffee) to shine through. All in all, they weren’t too heavy,
which could have accounted for how I had six of them!
But, the stations were not the only food items available.
Plates of passed food were also offered all night including lobster tacos,
grilled cheese, curry chicken salad and smoked chicken spring rolls. The tacos
were delicious but that’s generally expected from anything containing lobster.
The grilled cheese a pleasure filled with gooey brie and a sweet pear compote.
But it’s the smoked chicken spring rolls I want to highlight; they were so
packed with ingredients and wonderfully flavoured that I didn’t even need any
of the tamarind dipping sauce.
Included with our $60 ticket was a take home bag filled
with various items offered at McEwan. Some of the items, such as the macarons
and olive oil, we were able to also sample at the event itself.
Others I was able to enjoy throughout the week to come.
To date, I’ve also tried Nomz pecan energy bites. These little nuggets look
like a truffle but are actually made with various gluten-free and
paleo-friendly ingredients. Despite containing no refined sugar, the bites were
decadent and almost like a Ferrero Rocher except without the crispy layer,
less sweet and moister.
McEwan All Access 3.0 was my first visit to the upscale
McEwan supermarket. Taking a tour around at the end of the evening the shelves
and displays were just so beautifully put together.
From teas…
Oils …
Spices ...
To even bags of chips!
Plenty of ready-made food is available and when the
second McEwan location opens at the TD Centre in March 2015 it will certainly
draw in the Bay Street crowd for lunch and dinner.
So, what did I learn about the man of the hour? Other
than his crush being Michelle Pfeiffer, his favourite dish from Top Chef Canada
the chicken noodle soup terrine and one of his earliest attempts at cooking
being goulash (he burnt the bottom). Well, that he is friendly and personable –
he truly made us feel welcomed and hung out with us all evening. Alas, what a
great night! Hopefully, I’ll be invited back to 4.0 next year?
