Category Restaurant

Ever since an Indian friend introduced me to dosas at Guru Lukshmi – a restaurant, she asserted, that serves the finest, authentic South Indian vegetarian cuisine in our region – I have been hooked. The food has the flavours of India that I love but without heavy sauces and rich meats it tastes bright, clean, and healthy. Fresh, quality ingredients are prepared using traditional family recipes that have been passed down – and mastered – through generations of the family who owns Guru Lukshmi.

Don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with this type of Indian cuisine; Guru Lukshmi’s menu will guide you through the many choices. South Indian cuisine is usually hotter so start out with mild choices and work your way up.

Rasam soup is a fiery blend of lentil, tamarind, and tomato juice – not for the faint of heart. I can’t handle the heat but my husband loves it.

Sambhar is a spicy soupy stew made with tamarind, vegetables, lentils, red chili peppers, and spices.  Chutneys are fresh delights: the tomato chutney seems to be the hottest, the coriander chutney is sweet and bright, and the coconut chutney is cooling.

Idly are two soft pillows of ground, fermented, and steamed rice and lentils – sponges for the wonderful sambhar and chutneys you dip them in. You can order them plain with sambhar, coconut chutney, and tomato chutney on the side for dipping (photo below);

or order them “dipped” (as Sambhar Idly) and they come soaked in spicy sambhar sauce and topped with ghee, chopped tomato, fresh coriander, sweet purple onion, and coconut chutney (photo below). Either way, they are quite filling and should be shared as an appetizer.

The dosas are absolutely addictive: traditional South Indian crepes (made of fermented rice and lentil batter) that are delicate and crispy, yet deliciously satisfying. Create your own custom dosa by selecting one of many flavourful pastes, toppings (onions, green/red peppers, coriander, ghee butter), and whether you want to include a potato filling (“aloo masala”: a mild potato stuffing with fried onions, herbs, and spices), and cheese.  You can also specify the spice level, amount of oil (cholesterol-free vegetable oil), and texture (soft, medium, or crispy). My preference is mild and crispy.

How do you eat a dosa? Tear off a piece with your fingers and dip it into your sambhar and one of the chutneys or take the messier route and pour the sambhar onto your dosa, tear off a piece and dip it into some chutney. It’s fun to double dip, mixing two or three chutney flavours with each bite.  Dosas come with sambhar and three chutneys (tomato, coriander, and coconut).

My favourites are Guru Lukshmi’s signature dosas that are so flavourful the family had them trademarked to prevent others from copying their creations. Mysore Bhaji Aloo Masala Dosa is spread with a mild mysore paste (garlic, herbs, and spices), aloo masala potato stuffing, fresh onion, coriander, green and red peppers, butter, and secret spices – it is uniquely ambrosial (photo below). Though it is rated mild on the menu, the heat is head-tickling and sinus-clearing but pleasant and not painful; a great choice for those who can handle what I think of as medium heat.

When I want something a little less filling, I order the Vegetable Spring Dosa (a.k.a. diet dosa) without the aloo masala potato stuffing but with cheese and coriander paste.  It is stuffed with shredded carrot, green cabbage, sweet purple onion, sweet green pepper, chopped tomato, and a hint of ghee (photo below). Fresh, bright, clean, and just spicy enough to warm me nicely from my ears to my toes.

Opened in 2003 by husband and wife team Kumar Gurutharan and Thana Lakshmi, Guru Lukshmi has since moved from its Erin Centre Boulevard location to Derry and McLaughlin, while steadily gaining popularity. On my latest visit, I arrived when the restaurant opened at 11:30 a.m. on Friday and easily found seating; by 12:00 p.m. the restaurant was full and shortly after, a healthy line-up formed. Apparently it is busier on the weekends – the reason why the owners have recently allowed reservations with some seating saved for walk-ins. Service is efficient, fast, and friendly. Décor is chic Indian: dark walls with silver wall decorations and pretty lights.

Reservations are welcome – read the reservation policy here: http://www.gurulukshmi.com/reservation.html

www.gurulukshmi.com

Okay, so I am not exactly Irish though I like to believe that everybody’s got a little Irish in them. When St. Patrick’s Day rolls around, here is how I love to celebrate it: Cuchulainn Crisps shared with good friends at Cuchulainn’s Irish Pub, in Streetsville. As the Irish saying goes, ‘it’s easy to halve the potato where there is love’.

These homemade Irish potato chips are a tasty tribute to the humble potato. Fresh potatoes are sliced just thick enough to have a little potato substance to them, fried up crisp, and then smothered with melted cheese and green onion. Add crumbled bacon and chopped fresh tomato, if you wish. Served with sour cream for dipping.

Now my friends have me hooked on Cuchulainn’s Hill o’Chips, a traditional Newfoundland dish known as CDG (chips, dressing, and gravy): French fries are topped with a Newfoundland-style bread dressing (stuffing) made with savoury (instead of sage) and smothered in beefy gravy. They say it is Newfoundland’s answer to poutine; I say it’s SDG (so darn good). Add chicken curry, if you like.

Cuchulainn’s is an authentic, family-owned and managed Irish pub, serving Irish whiskeys, scotches, a wide selection of draught beer, and Irish and British food. My nephew likes the Guinness Stew: beef braised in Guinness beer with potatoes, carrots, and onions and served with Irish soda bread. My son loves the Dublin Dip: a thinly sliced roast beef sandwich topped with onions, mushrooms, and mozzarella and served with beef jus for dipping.

Enjoy Irish dancers and live music on Monday March 17th 2014, from 3:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. A five dollar donation to The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC) will be accepted at the door. Check Cuchulainn’s events page for St. Patrick’s week celebrations.

It may not be spring yet but as the song goes “When Irish eyes are smiling…’tis like the morn in spring. In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing.”¹ To all of my Irish friends, and the rest of us who want to be Irish for a day, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

My BFF washed away my winter blues recently when she treated me to an afternoon at Hockley Valley Resort, a hidden gem tucked in the scenic Hills of Headwaters near Orangeville, Ontario. The kids skied to their hearts’ delight while she taught me how to knit. The best part of the afternoon was the unexpected pleasures we enjoyed while lunching in Babbo – the wine and cheese tasting lounge in this elegant resort’s lobby.

Babbo’s décor is chic modern: an under-lit white stone bar draws your eye to the floor-to-ceiling glass doors of the impressive wine cellar, pretty lighting accents like jewelry, and an atrium of windows facing the hill brings in natural light. Come off the hill into a relaxed atmosphere, thanks to the friendly staff.

The wine list features wines from around the world, focussing on Niagara and Prince Edward County. It won the 2010 VQA Restaurant Award of Excellence. Babbo’s wine list is about to become even more local: Executive Chef John Paul Adamo (president and owner of Hockley Valley Resort) has planted a vineyard on top of the hill and expects to add first wines to the list soon.

The resort boasts a two-acre fruit and vegetable garden, which supplies ninety percent of the seasonal produce served at Hockley. Preserves and quality ingredients from the best local farmers and suppliers contribute to a farm-to-table experience.

Chef Renato Ciani treated us to tastings from the resort’s open concept restaurant, cabin, which serves a full farm-to-table lunch and dinner menu (changing weekly) and is named after the first building built on the property in 1865. House-made focaccia is flavourful and chewy, strewn with caramelized onions, and served with a luxurious mascarpone butter seasoned with sea salt and chives.

The handmade tortellini is stuffed with ricotta, parmesan and a mascarpone, cauliflower purée that oozes out into the butter sauce; salty house-cured speck and peppery arugula contrast beautifully in this memorable, #lickyourplate dish.

Babbo offers a small lunch menu, including cheese and house-made charcuterie. A medley of Cerignola, Barese, Kalamata, and Colossal Green olives are marinated overnight with bay leaves, chili, and garlic and rewarmed with rosemary and citrus zest. White bean hummus is dusted with smoked paprika. Crostini is handcrafted by local 100-Acre Bakery.

The dough for the house-made Catalan flatbread – coca, Spanish-style pizza – is faintly sweetened with honey and milk, rolled out thin and crisp, and topped with a peperonata of roasted peppers and onions, house-made chorizo sausage, fresh arugula, sweet Saba balsamic reduction, and grated Manchego Reserva cheese. A lovely balance of flavours and textures.

The cabin burger is pure beef flavour of 100% pure house-ground Ontario artisan chuck, salt, and pepper (no fillers, antibiotics, or hormones). It’s topped with smoked and braised short ribs, cured tomato marmellata, oven-roasted tomato, coleslaw, house-made pickles, on a 100-Acre brioche bun. Served with Chef Renato’s house-made ketchup (containing at least nineteen ingredients) and house-cut fries. If you’ve been staving off a burger craving, give into this one.

Even the ski cafeteria is inspired by Executive Chef John Paul Adamo’s vision. The Dirty Turco is two house-made artisan burgers topped with house-smoked pulled pork, vintage cheddar, caramelized onion, Walnut Hill bacon, guacamole, and house-made barbeque sauce. Poutine offerings include house-cut Yukon Gold fries with vintage cheddar, Walnut Hill bacon, and house-made gravy or with house-smoked pulled pork, scallions, sour cream, and house-made barbeque sauce. That’s a long way from the ski cafeterias of my youth.

Hockley Valley Resort is a year-round full-service hotel, ski, golf, and special event destination. It’s close enough to the GTA West to scoot up for a special meal but once there you’ll want to stay longer and enjoy all that the resort and the region have to offer, in any season. I haven’t stayed overnight but am dreaming of a romantic get-away with my husband. Honey, are you listening? Honey?

I love the beautiful food I’ve recently discovered at Port Credit’s Raw Aura restaurant. I’ve passed by Raw Aura many times, passing it off as a raw vegan restaurant catering to diets far more regulated than what pleases my palate.  After my trainer, Joanne Klingenberg, encouraged me to “step out of my comfort zone”, I agreed to give it a try – wow, I am so glad I did! It is easy to fall in love with Raw Aura, even if you are not vegan.

My interest was piqued as soon as I stepped inside the tiny restaurant. The place was buzzing with a cool vibe. Rough wooden beams span the interior, tabletops are sliced tree trunks. The decor echoes the food: raw and organic.

Raw Aura serves familiar food that is made with sustainably-harvested and organic (where possible), gluten-free, raw, vegan ingredients (no animal products). Because none of the ingredients are heated over 105°F, the digestive enzymes, vitamins, and minerals are retained. But what I love about Raw Aura are the pure and vivid flavours, the attention to every detail, and the passion that Chef Patrick Hartt serves up on every plate.

Raw Aura’s Red Beet Ravioli is a creamy cashew stuffing tucked between thin slices of red beets, topped with more spoonfuls of cashew stuffing, and drizzled with a luscious red pepper marinara sauce. The plate is crowned with the most delicious dehydrated kale chips; the kale is perfectly crisp and robust.  The entire dish is a symphony of flavour, colour, and texture – a first visit must try.

The Burstin’ Burrito is big and bursting with the fresh flavours of crisp lettuce, ripe tomato, sweet red onion, guacamole, and refried pumpkin seed beans, all wrapped in a sun-dried tomato and carrot tortilla, drizzled with cashew sour cream, and garnished with green onion and pico de gallo salsa.

The Chocolate Mint Ganache is a rich and satiating cashew cheesecake topped with a thick chocolate ganache laced with fresh mint – a decadent but feel good dessert.

Delicious and nutritious, it’s food that loves me back. And though I’m not vegan, I’ll be a regular at Raw Aura. Mmm…next time I’ll try one of Raw Aura’s fresh juices and the Yellow Coconut Curry Noodles.

Reservations are strongly recommended.

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“Should I broadcast our secret to everyone?” I asked my husband, fearing that an increase in popularity would change our favourite little pasta place. But after bumping into a man in Montreal who raved about his recent visit to Andiamo Pasta Plus, it’s obvious the secret is already out: Andiamo Pasta Plus serves generous portions of well-priced, freshly prepared food that is downright delicious.

Located in a small commercial strip just north of the old Streetsville post office, the building’s non-descript exterior obscures the pleasures that await inside. The interior is snug and casual yet the service is polished and attentive. While chef/owner Jim Sangarapillai is busy in the kitchen, his wife and co-owner Kathy is often overseeing the front-end, ensuring that each visit is enjoyable.

Andiamo’s menu is extensive. Antipasti options include shrimp, mussels, squid, grilled vegetables with goat cheese, sautéed rapini, and bruschetta.

Andiamo’s Bruschetta is loaded with chopped fresh tomatoes.

There are a variety of soups and salads. Our favourite is Andiamo’s version of Greek salad (fresh mixed greens with ripe tomatoes, cucumber, onion, colourful peppers, olives, and crumbled feta).

Andiamo’s version of Greek salad is full of fresh vegetables.

With thirty-three pasta dishes on the menu, there is something for everyone. I’ve enjoyed everything I have tried. My favourite so far is the Fusilli alla Curry (plenty of fresh vegetables and grilled chicken in a fragrant, creamy curry sauce). My husband and my son like the Spaghetti with Meat Balls; it is so good that I am often torn over whether to order it or try something new. Whole wheat, gluten-free rice pasta, or spelt pasta are also available upon request, for a small charge.

Spaghetti with Meat Balls in Tomato Sauce

My son’s favourite entrée, the Piccata di Pollo (chicken breast with garlic and parsley in a lemon white wine sauce), never fails to render him into silent bliss. My girlfriends gushed over the Involtini di Pollo (supreme chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese, spinach, and sundried tomato in a white wine mushroom sauce). There are six chicken dishes to choose from.

The veal offerings are as abundant. I may have just lost my husband to the Osso Buco alla Milanese – he has fallen in love with the meltingly tender veal shank braised in a rich, flavourful sauce and served with saffron rice.

Osso Buco Alla Milanese

Chef Sangarapillai prepares a tender Veal Parmigiana, smothered with melted cheese, and blanketed with a well-balanced, garlicky tomato sauce; I order it frequently. Veal or chicken entrées are served with nicely seasoned roasted potatoes and a delightful medley of grilled vegetables or pasta. Daily fish and meat specials are also offered.

Veal Parmigiana

Reservations are welcome and recommended because Streetsville’s once little-known gem is quickly gaining popularity, but chances are they can still fit you in even if you haven’t called ahead. Take-out and catering are available. LLBO licensed.

www.andiamopastaplus.com

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