Streetsville tagged posts

Olive is on a mission. I would love to see a small-scale independent grocery store open up in the downtown core of the Village of Streetsville.

When I was growing up in Streetsville, there used to be two grocery stores downtown. One was the IGA (which is now Shoppers’ Drug Mart at Centre Plaza) and the other was Dominion (later Foodport, which is now the Portuguese Community Centre at Britannia and Queen).

I lived in Montréal for a period, where I could walk to a great fresh fruit and vegetable store,

a gourmet butcher, a baker, a full-service grocery store, and an ethnic grocery store (not to mention a handful of great restaurants!). And that was all within 4 blocks of my apartment. Streetsville villagers need a grocery store that we can walk or cycle to, on a short jaunt, to pick up fresh produce without making a car trip outside of the village.

I am so envious of the Mineola neighborhood in Port Credit, which has the fabulous, small-scale gourmet grocery store Cousin’s right in their neighborhood.

Todd Ladner, Chairman of the Streetsville Business Improvement Association would like to start a movement. He thinks the building currently occupied by the post office (at the southeast corner of Queen Street South and Kerr Street) would make a great location for a small-scale gourmet grocery store or co-op farmers’ market.  The post office at this location will be closing and then re-opening on a smaller scale in the former location of JOE LAD (on Queen Street South between Thomas Street and Pearl Street). So, this building will soon be vacant. The property will be sold by the federal government to a private owner. It has parking, a loading dock, and lots of space.

Imagine turning this

into something more like this,

or this,

or maybe even this. Olive The Apple Factory!

Todd would like to hear what you think. What kind of grocery store would you like to see in the Village of Streetsville? Please share your thoughts with us by commenting on this post. And forward this post to as many Streetsvillites as possible, so we can hear the voice of Streetsville loud and clear.

Long on my wish list, olive the idea of riding my bike (scarf in the wind) to a village gourmet grocery store to pick up a warm baguette, a block of fine cheese, some fresh produce, and some gourmet goodies. Let’s make it happen Streetsville! Cousins and The Apple Factory, I hope you are listening.

Great news for the Erin Mills area! On Saturday June 8, a new farmers’ market will be opening across from Erin Mills Town Centre and Credit Valley Hospital. The Backyard Farm & Market at Erin Mills will be bringing chemical-free, fresh produce from local farmers and delicacies from local artisanal producers right to our own backyard. According to Garden Coach and Project Lead, Deanna Berry, the market has sought out only organic or chemical-free farmers and producers and will host 17 vendors to start.

Located on 1.5 acres of land, the site will also include an urban educational farm, boasting a straw bale vegetable micro-farm, herb spiral, and compost demonstration site.  Kids will enjoy fun food education programs, a story telling circle, a picnic area, and play spaces (including straw bale forts and a labyrinth)! Wow, that sounds like fun! Olive labyrinths!

The project was initiated by The Daniels Corporation, who has donated the land and remain active partners with The Cutting Veg and Garden Jane in a collaborative effort to increase urban agriculture in the community. Their hope is that the site will become a community food hub that will encourage area residents to “grow, learn and enjoy local and sustainably sourced food in a fun community space”.

Oh how happy I will be on Saturday mornings this summer, getting up early to visit the Streetsville Farmers’ Market and then The Backyard Farm & Market at Erin Mills.

The Backyard Farm & Market at Erin Mills

Every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., June 8th to October 12th, 2013.

Located at the northeast corner of Eglinton Avenue West & Erin Mills Parkway, just outside of Streetsville.

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Hallelujah! Brick House Pizza Company has finally opened in Streetsville. We’ve been waiting eagerly since they posted the sign “Saucy presents Brick House Pizza. Get ready Streetsville.” Saucy’s flavour-packed food had us at hello, since the moment the restaurant opened in November 2000. They are delivering big flavours again with artisanal, wood-fired, take-out pizza from Brick House Pizza Company. You can smell the wood burning in the brick oven from the parking lot. They don’t offer delivery yet, but olive that it is so easy to park right in front and pick up yourself.

The wood-fired crust on the Mama Roni that my son ordered was brushed with an herb-flecked tomato sauce made from puréed San Marzanno tomatoes (grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvio in Napoli, Italy – the birthplace of pizza), then covered with plenty of Mozzarella cheese and scattered with lots of crispy, spicy, dry cured pepperoni. It was pepperoni pizza done the way it should be.

I have been pining for a good pizza Margherita ever since I enviously watched Julia Roberts fall head over heals into a steamy affair with the Margherita pizza she ate in Napoli, Italy, in the movie Eat, Pray, Love. Brick House Pizza’s version satisfied my urge with a thin and chewy crust spread with olive oil and chunks of stewed San Marzanno tomatoes.  It was perfumed with strips of fresh basil, topped with gooey Mozzarella cheese and dotted with melted globs of Bocconcini cheese (fresh mozzarella balls).

Olived my husband’s own creation the best. Our teeth crunched salty prosciutto then sunk down through oozing mozzarella into sweet tomato sauce and chewy crust. The highlight was the tang of the creamy blue cheese as it hit our tongues (just the right amount of dabs here and there without overpowering you). My husband asked “How can I ever go back to chain store pizza when I can have this?” And thus begins our love affair with Brick House Pizza.

Not only is the pizza delicious but olive that they offer good, freshly made salad. The Caesar salad was full of crisp romaine leaves dressed in creamy vinaigrette with a kick of garlic and sprinkled with airy croutons, bits of shaved parmesan and chunks of real bacon that is cooked in the wood burning oven. One Caesar salad could feed 2-3 people if you are eating it with pizza.

I don’t know how I will find the strength to pull myself away from the pizza to try the rest of the menu but the sandwiches sound mouthwatering. Check out the link to their site below to see all of the alluring items offered on the menu.

www.brickhousepizza.ca

Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza is opening tonight! Read my latest post here: Hot Off The Olive Press SPECIAL EDITION Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza is Opening October 23, 2013

Latest News on Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza Streetsville: Updated October 20, 2013

Stay glued to my blog Streetsville…there will be a big announcement coming this week.

Latest News on Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza Streetsville: Updated August 2, 2013

Don’t worry Streetsville. Though the front sign has been taken down from Goodfellas, word is that it is being replaced with a better sign. And while the Streetsville Main Street Square is being redesigned, the planter boxes from Goodfellas’ patio have been moved to safer locations. Meanwhile, I frequently see workers inside Goodfellas. Can’t wait for the opening of Goodfellas and the redesigned Streetsville Main Street Square.

Latest News on Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza Streetsville: Updated June 20, 2013

“Good things come to those who wait”. And when Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza opens up its first flagship restaurant in Streetsville, it’s going to be fabulous. I recently had a conversation with one of the owners of Goodfellas, Rocco Giovannelli, who confirmed the partners’ commitment to doing things right, from the start, so that when they do open everything will be in place to bring you an enjoyable restaurant experience.

The partners have already sponsored two chefs from Italy. But the experience will go beyond the food. Goodfellas is working on setting up an impressive entertainment line-up that Rocco promised will be wonderful.

All of this will take place in a beautifully renovated space. The process has involved a lot of determined hard work, including removing 14 truckloads of dirt from the basement to build a wine cellar, that will include a harvest table and reclaimed chandelier – the perfect room for a private dinner party. It has included opening up the windows along two sides of the building, so light can pour in and the restaurant can spill out onto the sidewalk. If you have driven by recently, you may have noticed the lovely patio that is taking shape. There will be a separate party room in the back of the building that will hold 30 to 40 people. All of the millwork, using stunning reclaimed wood pieces, has been done off-site and is ready.

When you open up an 1836 circa building, unexpected challenges are bound to pop up, resulting in lots of paperwork submitted to the City of Mississauga to bring the building up to current standards. Support beams were installed, gas lines replaced, and electrical brought up to current codes. The renovations are in their final phase.

So as much as we all are anxious for Goodfellas Streetsville to open, we need to give them a little more time to get things just right.  One day, in the not-so-distant future, we will be sitting on their outdoor patio, watching the happenings at Queen and Main Streets – and eventually in the newly redesigned Streetsville Main Street Square. Goodfellas is going to be great for Streetsville.

Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza in Streetsville: Update Posted February 20, 2013

Just got word this morning from Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza that their Streetsville location will hopefully be opening in 6-8 weeks from now. Perfect! Just in time for a wood oven pizza dinner and a glass of wine on a warm spring evening, hopefully on their sidewalk patio. I have never tried Goodfellas but olive the location in the heart of Streetsville, at the corner of Queen Street South and Main Street. After dinner stroll through the village shops, wander down along the Credit River trail to Streetsville Memorial Park, then loop back and treat your kids or yourself to a Murphy’s ice cream cone back on Main Street. I am looking forward to the days getting longer and the pizza coming hot from the wood burning oven to my sidewalk table. I can’t wait to try out Goodfellas’ southern Italian cuisine and if olive it, I will tell you all about it. Stay tuned.

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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.