Category Lunch

Pane Fresco is an Italian bakery and café in downtown Burlington, owned and operated by artisanal baker Marc Albanese and his wife, Felicia. It’s my sister’s favourite local spot for breakfast or lunch. She took my dad to Pane Fresco recently. After he told me that the Slow Braised Beef Brisket Panini was the best sandwich he has ever had, I knew I had to check it out.

So, I treated my sister to a birthday lunch at Pane Fresco. It was a little early for her birthday but because the Toronto International Film Festival was in full swing, I thought perhaps we might spot George Clooney amongst the baguettes. A girl can dream! During the 2009 TIFF, Pane Fresco was asked to prepare lunch for George Clooney to eat on his jet trip back to Los Angeles.

Pane Fresco’s spacious outdoor patio offers a pretty view of Lake Ontario at the end of Locust Street. The interior of Pane Fresco is tiny but charming. Its black and white tiled floor and dark wood paneling reminds my sister and me of the little French bistros or breakfast cafés we love to frequent when we’re in Montreal. There is additional seating in the lobby of the adjoining office tower (though not quite as charming).

And here is my lovely and charming sister.

While ordering at the cash, you will be enticed by the myriad of pleasures that Pane Fresco has to offer: the aroma of fresh bread baking in the oven or the daily special (such as weekday Daily Quiche, Slow Roasted Prime Rib on Saturdays, or Chicken Parmigiana on Wednesdays). Freshly baked pizza in a variety of irresistible flavours is carried out of the oven on wood paddles and laid out beside you. Biscotti and baked treats line the counter. The chalkboard menu is full of temptations.

Pane Fresco offers traditional favourites, as well as a variety of interesting artisanal breads, such as 9-Grain Loaf, Guinness Beer Sour Dough Rye and Fig, Raisin & Walnut Filone. Dough is made from preservative-free, natural ingredients, shaped and molded by hand using old world techniques, and then baked in a European oven, right in front of you.

My sister’s favourite sandwich is the Francese: a generous sandwich of shaved Virginia ham piled high on rustic baguette, spread with Dijon mustard and mayonnaise, and topped with brie cheese and baby greens.

I ordered the Slow Braised Beef Brisket Panini that my father raved about. The chef’s focus on flavour and quality ingredients makes the Slow Braised Beef Brisket a showstopper. Chewy, rustic baguette with a pleasing mouth-feel is loaded with thinly shaved, tender beef moistened with a flavourful jus and then topped with crispy onions, brie cheese, horseradish aioli, and baby greens.  It’s definitely the most delectable shaved beef sandwich I have ever had!

It looked so good when it was delivered to my table that I rushed to take the photos, anxious to take the first bite – and I blew the photos. So here is a cell-phone photo I took of a second Slow Braised Beef Brisket Panini that, on another day, I ordered to-go for my son and his monster-sized after-school appetite. What I may be lacking in photography skills, I make up for in the mom department. Ah, but think of the hungry boys we left drooling in our dust at the kiss’n’ride. Sorry guys!

But I digress, back to the birthday lunch. My sister and I also shared the seasonally available Panzanella Salad. Beautiful heirloom tomatoes (red, yellow, and green) were perfectly ripe, sweet, and juicy. Light and crunchy garlic parmesan croutons, crisp cucumbers, red onion, and baby arugula were dressed in a well-balanced vinaigrette. It is a sparkling salad.

Mr. Albanese’s artisanal-bread-making talent shines through again in his pizzas. Varieties range from traditional to innovative. In the Brie and Prosciutto pizza, the salty prosciutto plays against the sweetness of the fig jam, caramelized onions, and light balsamic glaze. Baby arugula adds a punch of pepper. Just a touch of mozzarella and brie cheese keeps things light so that the crust can play the lead role: a crunchy outer layer, sprinkled lightly with a touch of sea salt, sets the stage for the chewy, flavourful interior.

Breakfast is served seven days a week. Oh, wouldn’t I love to spread out a newspaper, sip an Italian coffee, and enjoy a leisurely breakfast of two fresh eggs, extra-thick maple bacon, roasted asparagus, chef’s home fries, toasted baguette, and a fresh fruit garnish that is plated up when you order The Classic. Pain Perdu is the breakfast special on Saturdays. Belgian Waffles with mixed berries, real whipped cream and maple syrup are served on Sundays.

It’s the perfect spot for a quiet breakfast on your own or a nice lunch with someone you care about. I think I may need to celebrate my sister’s birthday more often, say once a month? George, olive ya’ but it’s Pane Fresco’s star-quality Italian home cooking that will keep me coming back for more.

www.pane-fresco.ca

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Olive local field asparagus. I have eaten so much of it this season that it’s practically growing out of my ears. I have been longing to taste asparagus raw, the moment after it is freshly picked. I really wanted to make it out to Andrews’ Scenic Acres to pick my own asparagus this season but it was raining every day that was available to me to make the trip. I even thought of delaying this post by one day so I could get out there today. Guess what it’s doing this morning? Raining! Thankfully, there has been plenty of local field asparagus available at our local farmers’ markets.

Olive asparagus prepared in many different ways but my go-to recipe is a healthy, simple oven-roasted asparagus that once cooked, needs little (if any) adornment – perhaps just a squeeze of lemon.

I prefer to eat my asparagus the day I buy it but it will keep in your fridge okay for 2 to 3 days if you stand the stem ends in a jug of water or wrap them in a damp paper towel and cover the bunch in plastic wrap.

Simple Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Serves 3 to 4

You could also grill the asparagus on your barbeque, instead of roasting it in the oven.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Hold asparagus loosely near the end and snap off the tough end where it breaks naturally. Wash asparagus carefully in cold, running water, paying special attention to the head where sand and grit get trapped. Drain well and pat dry.

Pile the asparagus on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with  salt. Toss until evenly coated with oil. Spread the asparagus out in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure that stalks are not touching each other. Roast on the middle rack for about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears, until asparagus is tender but still slightly firm. Asparagus will have acquired lovely little caramelized spots here and there. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

My Simple Oven-Roasted Asparagus is lovely as a vegetable on your dinner plate but just as nice in a salad.

I once saw this idea on the pages of one of my beloved Gourmet magazines and have been smitten with it ever since. Olive to top my Simple Oven-Roasted Asparagus with a soft poached egg, then squeeze on some fresh lemon juice, sprinkle on a few shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano, some fleur du sel, and a cracking of freshly ground black pepper. The lemon and egg yolk mix together and make a bright, rich sauce that compliments the robust asparagus beautifully. Simple perfection. Guilt-free breakfast or lunch. One happy Olive.

www.andrewsscenicacres.com

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If you don’t know about Bistro Narra, you should. It is a gem of a restaurant in the Churchill Meadows community of Mississauga. Olive it because the chef’s classic European training shines through in the consistently delicious food. Olive it because I can enjoy this lovely dining experience at very reasonable prices. Owned and operated by Austrian-trained chef Franz Hochholdinger and his wife, Esther, it opened in December 2010 as a sister restaurant to the Apricot Tree Café.  I have been lucky enough to dine at Bistro Narra on several occasions recently.

The Chicken Crêpe (available at both restaurants) has long been a favourite of mine. Plump morsels of juicy chicken breasts, mushrooms, tender zucchini, and sweet peas in an exquisite cream sauce (subtly laced with tarragon) are wrapped up in a dainty crêpe and served with a mixed greens salad. Perfectly portioned and pleasingly priced at $11.00 at brunch.

My father said that his Norwegian Crêpe was excellent. Smoked Norwegian salmon, bocconcini cheese, purple onion and roasted peppers are wrapped in a crêpe and blanketed with a rosé dill sauce. $12 at brunch.

Our friend enjoyed the Narra Breakfast which was an elegantly plated healthy breakfast of delicious Gravad Lax (dill-cured salmon), poached eggs, citrus dressed spinach salad with strawberries, feta and almonds and toast at $8.50.

On another occasion, when I dug my fork into the two poached eggs that were perched atop peameal bacon and  English muffin halves, their sunny yokes spilled out happily over my plate and ran into the homemade Béarnaise sauce in a delicious embrace. The al dente asparagus and house frites were the perfect vehicle to deliver the yummy sauce to my lips. At $8.50 I would have to say the Narra Benedict is the one of the most delightful versions of Eggs Benedict in my little corner of the world.  Oh, and there was fresh fruit on the plate.

My son swooned when he ate his plate of flat iron steak cooked to perfection, bright green asparagus, homemade Hollandaise sauce and house frites all for the incredible price of $12 (sadly, it’s no longer on the menu). I love to see my son swoon.

Even the regular coffee comes to the table with a bit of a creamy head on it – a small detail that is enough to keep a coffee lovin’ gal coming back for more. A couple of my friends decided Bistro Narra was the perfect spot to commit to a monthly girlfriends’ brunch date. Bravo Chefs Franz and Esther Hochholdinger!

www.bistronarra.com

Bistro Narra is the sister restaurant of the Apricot Tree (opened in 1993).  The Apricot Tree is a casual café that serves European pastries, as well as delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most people who have dined at the Apricot Tree quickly become loyal customers, including me!

Check their website for details on giveaways and special offers throughout the year, in celebration of its 20^th anniversary.

www.apricottreecafe.com

While Chris Hadfield (Canadian astronaut now circling the earth on the International Space Station) was dining amongst the stars on a breakfast of orange juice, Cornflakes and coffee, my Dad and I were enjoying a yummy breakfast down here on planet Earth at Bobby’s Hideaway in Streetsville, Ontario.

If you know Streetsville, you probably already know that Bobby’s Hideaway is famous for breakfast. But what olive the most about Bobby’s is their delicious House Vinaigrette – a perfectly balanced, well-blended dressing with a taste that leaves you wanting more, more, more! I must have more! It is divine on their Analyse This Greek Salad (a pleasing twist on the traditional Greek salad consisting of the usual fixings along with shredded carrot on top of mixed baby greens). Olive it on their Bob Cobb Salad – a satisfying salad of flavorfully marinated char-grilled chicken breast, perfectly ripe avocado, egg, Blue cheese and crumbled bacon adorning fresh salad greens.

Olive it so much that I decided I would try to recreate the recipe at home. I googled recipe after recipe to see if I could get any hints. I even feigned food allergies to try to trick the waitresses at Bobby’s into giving up the secret recipe but their lips were sealed and alas, the recipe remains secret.

Thankfully, Bobby’s sells their delicious House Vinaigrette in take-home bottles at $5 per bottle. There aren’t any labels on the bottle, no ingredients lists either (to keep it secret) but you need to know that it must be refrigerated quickly, even before opening, so get it right home and into the fridge. Make up a batch of Olive’s Salade Maison, throw in some kalamata olives and crumbled Bulgarian feta cheese, dress it with Bobby’s House Vinaigrette and you will have my version of Bobby’s Analyse This Greek Salad on your own table.

All Bobby’s sauces are homemade and well-crafted. Bobby’s serves quality all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s home-style comfort food in a casual setting.