Foodies Across Borders — Get your foodie on!

Marca Pizza Pasta: Best Italian in Durham!

102 Brock Street South in Whitby is part of a building that was called Deverell’s Block when it was first built in 1878. From 1900 to 1917, it was part of a hotel called the Windsor Hotel. After many, many years housing an Ontario driver’s licence office and travel agency, it is fitting that the spot has just been restored and become home to a restaurant called Marca Trattoria.

Marca Pizza and Pasta is the new home of well known, classically Italian trained Chef, Michele Perrotto. When we saw the stunning renovation which uses historic design elements paired with a classic jazz motif, we had been excited to visit the newest eatery on the local scene. We love a great Italian meal and some of the local players are well below where they should be, so we were hoping to be blown away.
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Deep Purple Zinfandel gives a deep blast of flavour

Before we rang in the new year, I was trolling through the local LCBO and noticed a number of interesting new products on the California shelves. Given that I am a marketer’s dream, I loaded up the buggy with a bunch of new wines based on nothing more than their funky labels. The coolest label of the bunch was the Deep Purple Zinfandel from Lodi, California, which has a distinctly hippy look to it. We opened it last night and BAM, the hard core blast of black cherry just about bowled us over.

They say:
“A hedonistic fruit bomb with aromas of blackberry, cherry and plum with a sprinkling of clove spice”

Lest ye think that this is a novelty wine, it is anything but. Unlike some of the silly fruit wines that seem to be prominent in many wine stores south of the border, this zinfandel has an unexpected depth of flavour that leads with the cherry.

The Woodstock-esque label was created by artist Bob Johnson and is available as a poster.

Here’s to hoping the LickBo keeps this one in stock, as it will become a fave here in the FAB Whitby kitchen.

Le Patriarche

Peppered pineapple with butterscotch ice cream

Nestled down a narrow side street in old Quebec City, there is little to indicate the existence of a World Class restaurant save one tiny sign above the door. Built in 1827, the stone building looks like many others in the historic walled city. Inside that door however lives the utterly fantastic Le Patriarche. The [...]

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FAB Kitchen School: Knives 101

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If you’re gonna cook, eventually you’re going to have to cut something. Better to have the right tools or that something is going to be you! That doesn’t mean you need to break the bank to get some smokin’ blades. Check out our first Kitchen School video after the break.

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What to feed surprise guests part 2

When in doubt, throw together an Indian Feast!

Last week we had a bit of a social media experiment involving Twitter and Facebook. The results were so overwhelming that we had to split it into two stories. We asked our FB friends the question: Surprise guests are arriving in 30 minutes. What is your go to appetizer from items already in your pantry? [...]

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Prosciutto wrapped stuffed chicken

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It has been said before that the best food relies upon the simplicity of allowing good ingredients to speak for themselves. We’ve all seen the pretentious magazine recipes that have a half a page of ingredients. All too often, those recipes include ingredients like ground Tibetan turnip seed, only available at one market in Kathmandu. [...]

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