St. Bernardus Abt 12

St. Bernardus Abt 12 - 10.00 % alc./vol. 4 x 330ml $23.99(CAD)

"St. Bernardus Abt 12 - Abbey Ale brewed in the classic "Dubbel" style of Belgium's best Abbey Ales. Store and serve this noble, wonderfully balanced and delicious ale at 52-56 degrees F in a goblet glass to best enjoy its delicate bouquet"

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Honestly, CJ didn't know it was $23.99(CAD) until he checked his receipt when he was preparing to blog. Wow, that's a little on the pricey side for some beer. And judging from the packaging, it was clearly marketed to the American palate...but really, I doubt they would know what to do with a STRONG BEER (emphasis on the packaging, not CJ).

Well, today was the first snowfall of the fall, and all my Canadian sous-chefs know what that means...and for my international sous-chefs, here is a hint...

CJ would define this beer as a dark, strongly flavoured, ale. A lot of sediment and with 10.00% alcohol, it's a "sleepy time" beer - basically enough to help any insomniac. Not so much recommended for dinner time as a "help wind your evening down while you let your brother empty the dishwasher" kind of beer...yeah, it's pretty good.

The photographic evidence:

Look at how happy that monk is on the bottle! Why is he smiling? It's just because CJ gave his beer a solid 8.1 out of 10.0!

Highlands Platter - Highlands Kitchen

Coffee - $2.50 (CAD)
Highlands Platter - 2 cheesy scrambled eggs, ham, sauerkraut, buttermilk biscuit, preserves, choice of salad or potato hash - $15.00 (CAD)

***

Realistically, they should have had a nice big "гарне харчування" sign. It wasn't GREAT food, but it was pretty good. And you could soon see the Ukrainian influence soon after you walk in the front door...

The setting was small, wooden floors,drafty as we were near the front door, a little cramped, and busy (it was a Saturday morning). Menu was very simple, white paper with black/grey lettering with a simple description for each dish. Yes, yes! Pyrogy and cabbage rolls did make an appearance! It was like a Fall Supper (Breakfast?) dream come true!

But, CJ didn't go to fill his belly with comfort food from the motherland. Nay. It was breakfast food to induce winning picks in the weekly NFL Proline Syndicate (Fuck you, Aaron Rogers for losing to the Colts! Where's your championship belt now???...CJ has always disliked the Packers, ever since they stole Reggie White...) So eggs it must be!

The presentation of the dish was good. It wasn't a lot of food, and for $15.00 (CAD), it was a little less than I was expecting. Regardless, the dishes came out in a timely fashion.

CJ ate the eggs and ham first. They were pretty good, although the eggs were just a tad runny. Maybe they could have set for another minute or two on the stove. The potatoes, on the other hand, were very tasty, and cooked to perfection. Honestly, a grade of 8.7 for the potatoes (or should CJ say "potatoes and sweet potatoes"?). Yummy. And the preserves and biscuit finished it off. The jam seemed fresh and full of flavour, while the biscuit had that soft, warm, recently baked feeling to it. Pleasant to the palate.

Supposedly there's been some good reviews for the restaurant in the past... "Top 10 Best New Restaurants in Canada 2009"? Really? Finally, we can say that Air Canada got something right...

The photographic evidence:

Overall grade: and 8.1 out of 10.0. It would have been a little higher had it not been an expensive breakfast.

Ginger² - High Level Diner

Ginger² - Your favourite Crabbies Original alcoholic Ginger Beer with a 1 oz. shot of Skyy's Ginger Vodka, served in a 20 oz. glass over ice - $20 (CAD)

***

Hmm... I think CJ may have accidentally deleted a post on the spicy octopus salad...

So, my sous chefs of note may recall that CJ had done a review of Crabbies a little while ago, and when he had breakfast a few months ago with his ex-coworker at High Level Diner, the Ginger² was discovered.

CJ knows how Christopher Columbus must have felt when he discovered the Americas... "Damn! I need a good drink!!"

The presentation of the drink is fine: a shooter glass of vodka, the green-bottled Crabbies and a class filled with ice and a slice of lime and a slice of lemon. All very nice, yes?

The taste? Well, pretty ginger-y, if that's a word. I suppose the first half glass you could sense the vodka, but after it's been watered down a bit and you pour the rest of the beer in, it's basically just Crabbies.

The cost? A little on the high side. Mind you, Crabbies is expensive all by itself anyways, and adding the shooter was only an additional $2.50 (CAD) anyway, so you aren't going to have to sell your first-born just to get the vodka added.

The proof:

The grade: just because Ginger Spice was CJ's favourite Spice Girl doesn't mean he would give her (or this drink) a perfect score: a 7.9 out of 10.0.

Braised Veal - Ale Yard Tap & Grill

Braised Veal - ale & coffee braised veal topped with beer braised onions & mushrooms & served with grilled asparagus, roasted beet ale horseradish, Yukon gold smash & Yorkshire pudding ($21.50 CAD)

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Large portions: check!

Sub-par service: check!

Great beer selection: check!

Female staff who are easy on the eyes: check!

Another pub/grill who's competing in the same crowded space as Canadian Brew House: check!

Meat that tastes like it's old, stale and been sitting in the vegetable crisper for 7 weeks: check!

A meal whose potatoes taste better than anything else on the plate: check!

Awkward "Home Brew Ketchup": check!

Just check out the photo below: check!

No Yorkshire pudding: check!

Dinner rage that engulfed the other patrons (see fists pounded down upon the table): check!

Another satisfying evening of overpaying for a disappointing meal: check!

A restaurant that gives the word "braised" a bad name: check!

The worst veal that CJ has ever eaten: check!

Left 3/4 of the food for the waitress to take away: check!

Grade: 4.2 out of 10.0.... CHECK!

Fellow patrons who also gave the Yard a "glowing" review: check!

Pumpkin, chocolate and Cheddar muffins

2 eggs
2/3 cup (160ml) brown sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup (250ml) homemade or store-bought pumpkin purée

2/3 cup (160ml) milk
1/2 tsp (2 ml) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (250 ml) wheat bran
1 cup (250 ml) quick-cooking oat flakes (Did you know there is both Quick Oats and 1-Minute Oats?)
1 1/2 cup (375 ml) unbleached flour
2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
1/2 cup (125 ml) bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
3/4 cup (180 ml) Canadian Mild Cheddar, diced

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Note: Bolding was not CJ's. It read like that in the recipe.


Regardless, the Fall 2012 edition of the local cheese-flogging recipe rag had come out a few weeks ago, and CJ was excited at some of the cheese possibilities.

Unfortunately, some things just sound better on paper than they taste on your palate. This muffin included. It really didn't take long to make, and it smelled and looked fantastic, but the taste just wasn't anything to write home about. In fact, don't even tell your momma about it. The pumpkin taste was next to non-existent, as was the cheddar. It was only in every other bite where you'd get a chunk o' chocolate where you'd get anything other than the flavour of bran dancing on your tastebuds.

Disappointing, CJ knows...

The terrible photograph:

Damn! That Blackberry Curve 8330 needs to be replaced! Where's the fuckin' focus?

The grade: 5.7 out of 10.0. Some recommendations to improve: maybe substitute the Cheddar with some dried cranberries/craisins.

Big Rock Rye & Ginger

Big Rock Rye and Ginger 6-pack $12.99 (CAD) plus $0.60 deposit

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Greetings, humanoids.

It was back in CJ's 4th year of university, when he first heard about Big Rock Brewery. It turns out the introductory financial accounting professor was a fan of beer, and had used the (was it 1997?) annual report to help teach, well, financial accounting. The financial statements were pretty simple and basic back in the day, but the prof really like using it, as he had an acronym to help us learn about the structure of a company's balance sheet: Assets = Liabilities + Equity, or ALE for short... Pretty clever, wasn't he?

Ever since that day, CJ has either loved or hated Big Rock's beers. Grasshöpper Wheat Ale was a big favourite. Traditional, not so much, and DON'T get CJ started about their Rock Creek Cider - it's simply not fit for a Crown Float, perhaps the greatest libation of all time...

So while driving home one day from my day job, there was an add from Jason Gregor who mentioned the Big Rock Rye and Ginger Ale. As you all know, CJ likes all things "ginger" so a purchase was in order.

Very refreshing beer! Not too sweet like a ginger ale, but more of a beer with a bit of the sharpness of ginger combined with a bit o' sweetness. No question, I would buy this beer again and again.

The photograph:

The grade: 8.3 out of 10.0. A very solid score for a Canadian beer...

Steak with Parmesan Butter, Balsamic Glaze, and Arugula

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese plus Parmesan cheese shavings
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 12-ounce rib-eye steak
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 teaspoon (packed) dark brown sugar
4 cups (lightly packed) arugula
2 large lemon wedges

***

Mmm. This was the Chef's first attempt at a pan-fried steak. He had seen several episodes of Michael Smith on Foodtv.ca cooking a steak on a frying pan, so CJ decided it was best to give it the ol' college try.

This recipe comes from Bon Appetit (pardon the lack of accents today), and it is one of their "quick meal" entries. CJ would have to wholeheartedly agree with their assessment. It was a very quick and easy meal to make, and tasty enough to please your baby momma. Maybe only 20 minutes prep time, and not even 10 minutes cooking time.

The steak was still rare enough, but not too rare, no, sir! The balsamic reduction adds a nice complexity to the dish, and get some strong parmesan, for Halabuza's sake!

The proof:

The grade: 8.1 out of 10.0