The Best Thing I Ate This Month

The best thing I ate this month – July 2015

Day-tripping to Upstate New York recently led me to the grocery store where I spotted this gem: Bacon Horseradish Heluva Good dip. It has that creamy texture and addictive qualities that we’ve come to expect from Heluva Good dips. Best of all, it has an authentic bacon taste. You’ll want to dip again, and again, and again. When reached, a company representative said that there were no immediate plans to produce Bacon Horseradish Heluva Good dip in Canada. Too bad. Hopefully they’ll have a change of heart. The mouth-watering temptation of bacon and the zesty heat of horseradish blended together with real sour cream make for one unbelievably great tasting dip. It earned high marks in my eyes and was definitely the best thing I ate this month.

The best thing I ate this month – June 2015

I’ve never brimmed with excitement at the thought of onion rings. But when the server enthusiastically praised this usually humdrum starter, I thought I’d give it a go. Who knew that onion rings would become an object of my obsession for weeks to come?

These ‘Playful Onion Rings’ are coated in chickpea batter and puffed quinoa which lend them their crunchy texture. I found myself ingesting one and then succumbing to the temptation of another and yet another. Crispy, airy and never greasy, this is a superstar dish all on its own. Sauced with a refreshing chipotle avocado dip as well as a spicy mayo dip, these vegan and gluten-free onion rings transformed into something unmistakably scrumptious.

This dream inducing and divine creation is courtesy of Pure Kitchen Ottawa. And it was the best thing I ate this month.

The best thing I ate this month – May 2015

“People who love to eat are always the best people.” – Julia Child

Behold the feast placed before me. Sticky-sweet finger-licking ribs. Perfectly grilled smokey eggplant and zucchini. Home-made capicola with the just right balance of fat, salt, fresh seasonings and meaty texture. Flavourful roasted eggplant and peppers itching to be topped on fresh bread. Chicken kebabs, juicy and tender. Freshly steamed lobster, oh so succulent and sweet. And enough wine and alcohol to subsist us for days.

These friends o’ mine are kind, cool and definitely ‘the best people.’ The spread was scrumptious and exquisite, mouth-watering and heavenly. It was fun and it was satisfying. And it was definitely the best thing I ate this month.

The best thing I ate this month – April 2015

How do you elevate sweet potatoes from a homely supporting role to a empyrean star-making turn? Yotam Ottolenghi. He is one of the world’s most beloved culinary talents with a wholly original approach to vegetarian cooking. With his Jerusalem cookbook to guide me during my last dinner party, I attempted his recipe of Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Fresh Figs. This is a simple dish (sweet potatoes, green onions, figs and balsamic reduction) yet it duped my taste buds. The figs were sweet, moist and ripe. The balsamic reduction was very effective, both for the look and for rounding up the flavours. The unusual combination of fresh fruit and roasted vegetables was delicious and left me wanting more. And it was by far the best thing I ate this month.

The best thing I ate this month – March 2015

Restaurant 18 spring salad

I stared at it like I would an expressionist painting. What was his vision? His Motivation? Was he in pain? Troubled? Inebriated? No. Just “Inspired by spring,” I was told. As a visual, it was bright and uplifting, expressive and assured. It pained me to take the first bite and unravel the masterpiece but this canvas was made for savouring.

Layered on a brushstroke of pesto were little diamonds of young yellow beets. The earthy quality of the beets were a perfect match for the refreshingly tender peas, served alongside their shoots. Crisp little domes of pastry hid luxuriously rich duck pâté. The honeycomb gem was a treasure and provided sweetness and unique texture.

There was nothing not to like about this salad. Within a flash I had devoured it. I was sad yet ever so thankful to have enjoyed a wild-fully original gustatory chef-d’oeuvre. Bring on Spring.

This bright jewel of a dish was created by Chef Kirk Morrison for his tasting menu at Restaurant 18. And it was the best thing I ate this month.

The best thing I ate this month – February 2015

I was cross-border day-tripping to Watertown, NY when I spotted the heavenly sign. Chipotle, Mexican Grill. That-a-way left to the promised land. This is where the magic happens. Each ingredient is laid out in front of you so you can customize your perfect meal. For me, it’s the Burrito Bowl. It’s a burrito, in a bowl and filled with dreams, so the slogan goes. Served in a bowl, built on a foundation of brown rice and black beans, topped with zesty adobo-marinated steak, bathed in fresh tomato salsa, adorned with creamy guacamole, and garnished with crisp romaine lettuce and aged white cheddar and jack cheese. This perfect meal is hearty, filling, zesty, refreshing, savoury, fresh and comforting. It will make you obsess for more. And it was the best thing I ate this month.

The best thing I ate this month – January 2015

I received more than a few puzzled stares when I announced that I had just dined on chicken and waffles at Hooch Bourbon House restaurant. For hardcore obsessives of Southern cuisine, there is nothing more heroic than these two combinations. Where today, most chicken is served devoid of bones or skin, this Cornish hen is proudly dished-up bone-in, skin-on and artfully displayed on its cutting board canvas. A perfect tribute embodying the soul of the south in the dead of winter. The smokey-sweet chipotle maple emulsion provides a compelling counter to the soft, chewy buttermilk waffles and tender crispy chicken. This is a stunner of a dish. A simple, good thing elevated to symphonic heights. And it was the best thing I ate this month.

Hooch Bourbon House restaurant is located at 180 Rideau Street in Ottawa.