restos are shut down for dine-in from december 13
Retail stores including grocery stores will be allowed 15 per cent capacity only. Remember that most restaurants, coffee shops, grocery, local butchers, kitchenware shops and other small businesses remain open for phone orders, online orders, curbside pick-up, take-out (depending on their business model). This is usually the busiest time of year, the quarter that gets restos and independent retail through the slow period of winter. There will be additional supports for businesses and staff. Let’s hope so—hospitality is out of pivots. Show them some love. And wear your mask.
dalla tavola zenari and you
The beloved Zenari’s in Manulife closed last March but that was not the end of the Zenari story. Elisa Zenari, along with her brother Giancarlo and husband Ran Huget have opened Dalla Tavola Zenari (10166 – 100A Street, 780-540-8920, dalla.ca). The breakfast bagel, spinach risotto and the crostoni (sourdough flatbreads) may look familiar and are joined by many new items on the extensive menu of pasta, risotto, salads, large and small plates and panini sandwiches. For now, take-out only.
ukrainian food at the glass monkey
The Glass Monkey offers delicious Ukrainian food to go this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Think pyrohy, cabbage rolls, nasysnyky, perizhky and borscht. Curb-side pick-up is 3:30pm-7:30 pm. Delivery from 5pm-7pm. Call 780-760-2228 or visit theglassmonkey.ca (click order online).
awn kitchen gift shop for those who love to cook
Awn Kitchen is the spot for wonderful cooking classes (online only, for now) you can still get a taste of Awn under the tree via the Gift Shop. Find gift baskets and kits such the Good Morning Basket—Highwood Crossing oat cereal mix, Awn Kitchen jam and backyard honey, NRG coffee and Northern Table Tea—Herbologie spices and botanicals; salt kits and kitchen wares, such as the beautiful Adrian Martinus rolling pin. Check out the gift sets and kits at awnkitchen.com
holiday menus to go
Maybe you hate cooking a turkey, maybe you need help with the sides. Or, maybe it’s all different this year, so why not do something new? Check out these options:
Kitchen by Brad’s holiday menu is all about the sides. They call it Bob Cratchit’s Kitchen Helper—a package for four people with toothsome sausage and herb bread stuffing, rich poultry gravy, rosemary roasted potatoes, gratin of green bean and blistered tomatoes, pomegranate marinated beets and cranberry pear mustarda, $99/pkg. Yum. That would make hot dogs taste great. Order by December 18 for December 24 pick-up. Check out the annual Christmas sale (which has moved online) for edible gifts and two delicious Christmas or Boxing Day Morning packages: kitchenbybrad.ca. Kitchen by Brad have added a Cratchit Kitchen Helper for two people, $50.
Meuwly’s is taking orders for smoked half-turkeys (ideal for this year’s smaller dinners) and two sizes of ham They typically sell out by December 15, order soon: meuwlys.com.
Culina to Go offers holiday dinner; roast turkey with Dot’s stuffing and all the fixins, $26/person, or a mushroom, chickpea and Edam cheese loaf with miso gravy that serves two-four, $29. They have a special add on—Eleanor et Laurent’s exquisite chocolate and hazelnut Buche de Noel: culinafamily.com
A Cappella Catering offers a holiday take and bake; roast turkey with cranberry sauce and gravy, savoury stuffing, choice of potato, maple-glazed veg and spinach salad for four-six people, $115, and optional add-ons such as rouladen, cabbage rolls, dessert, The Growlery Beer Co. beers. Orders must be placed 48 hours in advance: acappellacatering.com
Sorrentino’s is offering a whole turkey ($200) with stuffing, cranberry/blueberry sauce, gravy and dessert squares or a carved rendition ($250) with parmesan mashed potatoes, vegetables, cabbage rolls, cranberry/blueberry sauce, gravy and assorted squares, serving six-eight people. Order by 3pm, Thursday December 17:
sorrentinos.com.
The Butternut Tree offers a Christmas week menu for curbside pick-up, December 23 or 24—cheese and charcuterie boards, canapés, sturgeon caviar and dinners for two (turkey roulade and beef wellington). Order by Monday, December 14. exploretock.com.
german christmas feast
This past weekend, we made a German Christmas menu—knödeln (bread dumplings with speck) sauerbraten (braised spiced beef), braised red cabbage with onion and apple and roasted Brussels sprouts—and shared the story on Instagram. The menu was inspired by a wine trip to the Mosel a few years back where we met many fine winemakers and ate a lot of roast goose (twas the season). Braised beef is so homey and delicious on a cold winter’s night. We used chuck eye roll, as suggested by Mike Popowich at Popowich Meats. If beef isn’t your thing, the sides (and the wines) would be delicious with roast pork or bird. Find the recipes here.
question of the week
Each week we will ask a food and drink related question and publish the most interesting answers.
We asked whether or not you would dine out with the news restrictions limiting parties to households only. The results were split right down the middle. Here are some of the comments:
“We are less likely to dine-in over the next three weeks but will up our frequency of take out to help support restaurants.”
“Will NOT be dining in until there is a vaccine. But we do takeout of a different restaurant every week.”
“No change in our dining habits…we will still go out several times a week.”
“We are a household of 2 and quite frankly we would go stark raving bonkers if we could not go out to eat in a restaurant. We need a break from our kitchen, the pressure of deciding what to cook and each other! We go out about once every two weeks, to a sit down, dine-in meal, about the same as before the pandemic. We have our favourite places and have been impressed with the attention to details, sanitizing and social distancing.”
This week’s Q: Turkey this Christmas? Or something else?