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TRAVEL Q and A with LAURA ROBIN, MAY/09

WHERE DID YOU GO?

To Mariposa Farms.

WHY?

Well, it’s been on my list of places to visit with fork and pen for eight years. I have tried. But clearly not hard enough. I’ve learned that calling a day before won’t cut it. They open only for Sunday lunch, and it’s well-liked.

WHERE IS MARIPOSA?

The farm’s in Plantagenet, about 45 minutes east of downtown Ottawa, spread over hills and dips of some very pretty countryside.

AREN’T THEY THE DUCK PEOPLE?

Yup. Mariposa’s best known for their free range Barbarie ducks, but they also raise geese and pigs, grow vegetables for Ottawa chefs, and sell fresh and frozen treats – foie gras, whole ducks, magrets, sausages, confit, rillettes, patés, cheeses, jellies, pickles and more.

SO YOU WENT OUT THERE TO BUY SAUSAGES?

No, I went out there to have lunch. Mariposa converted a barn into a restaurant about ten years ago, and they serve Sunday lunches in a room wrapped in window.

JUST SUNDAYS?

Well, they’ll also open for a variety of private functions, but the public is invited to dine only on Sundays.

IS THIS AN ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET STYLE LUNCH?

No, let me tell you how it works. Once you’ve manoeuvred your way past the stately, greying Bouviers lounging on a well lounged-on Persian carpet on the front porch, you travel through what I would call (enviously) the mud room to the dining room and a second greeting from the owners of the dogs.

WHO ARE THEY?

Mariposa Farms owners Ian Walker and Suzanne Lavoie – he at the door in a plaid shirt with an armful of plates, she in chef whites in the open kitchen, behind a display of dishes – and that’s when I’m told how the whole Sunday lunch business at Mariposa works.

HOW’S THAT?

There is no menu, there is no buffet. You examine the edible models displayed and make a choice, then you sit and it comes to you. There are nine such model plates. Suzanne briefs you. On this Sunday, you may start with a turnip soup, a foie gras sandwich or a plate of house made charcuterie. Then there are three main dishes – based on duck, goose and venison. And finally, there’s a choice of a cheese plate, a raspberry panna cotta or a fantastic looking apple tart.

HOW DO YOU CHOSE?

There seem to be no rules.  You can have one, or two, or three, or nine dishes, I suppose, or you can create a table d’hote from door A, B and C. That’s the $35 option I opt for.

WHAT DID YOU EAT?

Well, I started with foie gras. Not sure I’ve ever had foie gras before noon, but it worked for me. The foie gras is luscious and fantastically rich, and the pickled onions cut the fat. The bread is baked in the wood fired oven, and has a great crust and a gentle fennel flavour.  Next course, slices of pink duck with a thin layer of lovely fat and a bronzed skin, fanned over a white bean purée, served with braised carrots that taste like carrots.  Very good. And finally, I had the cheese plate – a chevre, a Mamirolle, and a gentle blue, all local, served with homemade strawberry preserves.  I washed it down with water and coffee, aching for a glass of wine.

SO WHAT STOPPED YOU?

Me. I stopped me by not doing my research. This is a BYOB establishment – licensed to pour, not to serve. Everyone around me was much cleverer. They all had brought wine and beer from home. Next time, I’ll come prepared.

WILL THERE BE A NEXT TIME?

Absolutely. The food is hearty and real, the atmosphere rustic and charming. This is a working farm, and the food is prepared and served by the owners with help from house chef Nick Johnston. It’s a rare treat for a city girl to mingle with those who raised the animals on which she sups.

WHAT IF YOU’RE NOT INTO MEAT?

I wouldn’t suggest this a great place for vegans, although I should think the vegetables that will soon be ready to harvest could be fashioned into something suitable. Best call.

WHAT ELSE DID YOU DO?

I read old Harrowsmith magazines (did you know llamas all give birth between 9 and noon in the morning?) chatted with chef Nick about a tenth anniversary celebration being planned for the fall, and had the pleasure of an Ian Walker guided tour of the barn.

WHAT’S IN THE BARN?

Hissing geese, ducks in various phases of life, baby pigs and their mums. Eggs. Some beneath ducks, some buried in hay, some just waiting to be walked on. The incubator. The greenhouse. The buckets of kitchen waste ready for slopping pigs.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

To look non-plussed and cool walking past hip level hissing geese, and not to step on their precious eggs. Also, that ‘wild’ boar are a pain. That it’s never easy to bid adieu to an old sow you’re fond of. That Whalesbone’s new chef Charlotte Langley just picked up two baby pigs. That allium chef Arup Jana is – according to Ian Walker – ‘the new John Taylor’ (of Domus Café.)

ANYTHING ELSE

That Ian Walker bought this land when he was 19 years old. That he did all the carpentry himself. That he likes to spend holidays working on farms in Spain through WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and that Mariposa Farms takes on WWs too.

NICE TO HAVE A WILLING WORKER.

Indeed. And nice for the willing worker to be on a farm with chefs in residence.

DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING ELSE?

Well yes, actually. I saw first hand the symbiotic relationship Mariposa Farms has with some of our finest local restaurants.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

There was a crew of chefs from Beckta Dining and Wine getting down and dirty, creating a garden in the back forty on land ‘lent’ to them from Mariposa. They grow vegetables for the restaurant, they buy beasts from Mariposa. There was also a table of chefs having lunch – Steve Wall and Chris Lord, most recently of Whalesbone Oyster House, Arup Jana of allium and others – all of whom use Mariposa products on their menus.

SO WHERE EXACTLY IS MARIPOSA?

The mailing address is 6488 County Rd. 17. Plantagenet. Once you’re past Rockland, Clarence and Wendover, you cross the Nation River on a green bridge and 2 kms after the bridge, look hard to the left for the sign welcoming you to Mariposa Farms. As they say on their web site, if you come to the village of Plantagenet, turn around.

Reservations can be made by calling 613-673-5881. Lunch is served from 11am to 1pm. The store is accessible from 9 am to 4 pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. You can find all this information on their web site www.mariposa-duck.on.ca

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It was early Saturday morning late last fall. I was on one of my twice-annual trips to Halifax, visiting my eldest son, a second year poli-sci student at Dalhousie University. To be sure, I love the lad, and miss him, but truth be, there are other reasons for visits. I have a deep weakness for the city of Halifax, its rich history, its colourful architecture, and increasingly, its welcoming restaurants and other fertile grazing spots.   

On this particular morning I was wandering the Halifax Farmers’ Market looking for breakfast options. A crepe? A pain au chocolat? A three-inch thick waffle smothered with strawberry sauce?  No, no and no. I venture deeper into the maze of tunnels and stalls. Garlic sausage on a bun? Now we’re getting somewhere. And then I see it. Like a lighthouse in a sea of jagged rocks. The oyster stand.  Philip Docker’s ShanDaph oysters, caught in the waters off Big Island in Docker’s self-designed suspended cages. I used the first ShanDagh in sacrificial fashion, to purge the flavour of harsh coffee. Which freed up the second oyster to taste purely of itself – creamy, briny, salty.  Docker shucked me a third and final, before I moved on to sausages courtesy of Bill Wood of Wood ‘N Hart Farms, whose handmade stall sign reads encouragingly: “Eat More Lamb. 50,000 Coyotes Can’t Be Wrong.”  Final Market stop, Boulangérie La Vendeénne, for the best croissant this side of the Atlantic. 

But it was those oysters that lingered with me longest, their supple delicacy, their fleshy sea-sweetness, bobbing to mind all day.

It had been a happy morning.

Waddling up the steep hill from the Farmers’ Market to my hotel, in search of a good cappuccino, I discover The Smiling Goat Organic Espresso Bar, conveniently located next door to The Lord Nelson.  It became a twice-daily pleasure.

I ended the day at a big, raucous, Greek eatery. Opa is an excellent place to be hungry. It is impossible to imagine sitting down here for a meal and rising at the end of it with a shred of appetite left.  (This news may not surprise you – Greek restaurants are not known for dainty portions.) But it’s not the quantity of food that impresses at Opa; it is the quality. 

I dropped a small fortune there, feeding my son and his roommates, all ravenous and permanently broke blokes. But I went alone to Fid.

I’d had enough of hungry college kids and Fid was my favourite of Halifax’s high-end restaurants. By way of amuse bouche, a sea urchin, harvested 25 minutes up the coast I’m told, served in its shell, splashed with sake. And then scallops, five perfect beauts, coral roe attached, deeply bronzed, on a smoky bed of roasted tomatillo. They haunt me still. Squash ice cream and a Parmigiano tuile were the escorts for a tarte Tatin.

The ten-year-old Fid is owned by chef Dennis Johnston and maitre d’ Monica Bauch. Named for the wooden, cone-shaped tool used by mariners to splice lines, Fid the restaurant is all about splicing flavours, weaving the local, sustainable products of the region with the British and Asian inclinations of its chef. 

Now, I must tell you, Fid shut its doors a few months ago, for a renovation and a re-think. It reopened in April, as Fid Resto. Word is the white linen has been stripped off the tables, prices have been slashed and the new menu is filled with comfort food – fish cakes, gnocchi, lamb pie, steak and mash, cider-braised rabbit, scallops. Those gorgeous scallops I re-eat in my memory? University is four years. Gives me lots of time to check out the Fid changes and report back.

A Halifax visit is not complete without brunch at Jane’s on the Common. Jane Wright’s seven-year old project has been a resounding success, judging by the noon queue for a Sunday table. Food is hearty and homey: ricotta pancakes, poached eggs and fish cakes, beet and fennel salad with maple sesame dressing, and a very fine bowl of seafood chowder.

Memorable meals can also be found in a pizza joint. In an Italian oven fired with fruitwood from the Annapolis Valley, Morris East is a newish restaurant for Halifax, serving thin crust pizzas, soups, small plates and yummy desserts. And what pizza!  As well as traditional sorts, with tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil, there are more unusual varieties. The poached pear pizza with maple and sage aioli, blue cheese and roasted shallots is surprisingly very good. They also offer an endearing lunch deal of a half pizza with a bowl of soup or a salad, for about $10, and have an admirable wine list.

TAKE A DRIVE…

My son had a significant hole in his travel resumé. Having lived in Halifax for over a year, he had never toured the serpentine Lighthouse Route that hugs the South Shore, never leaped the rocks at Peggy’s Cove, or had a meal at Fleur de Sel in the lovely Lunenburg.

So I rent a car and take the boy west. It’s November, and the road seems almost untravelled. We arrive at Peggy’s Cove at dusk. The light is glorious, slicing through the clouds in stunning rays. We have the place pretty much to ourselves. It is utterly, eerily lovely and whipped with a shockingly cold wind. We landlubbers always forget to bring a tuque.

We might have felt alone at Peggy’s Cove, but Fleur de Sel restaurant was packed. Housed in a yellow clapboard, Arts and Crafts-style house, smack in the centre of Lunenburg’s historic district, this French restaurant draws deliciously from the sea and local farms for inspiration. The dish that best warmed me was a seafood risotto of stunning flavour and freshness.

We take our time on the way home. Stopping at the Kiwi Café, an emerald green restaurant and coffee shop in the Village of Chester, owned by transplanted New Zealander Lynda Flinn.  Toys and books for visiting kids, water bowls for visiting dogs and solidly good home-baking keeps the place crowded and the crowd happy. 

The fire greets you more cheerily at the Biscuit Eater Café in Mahone Bay than does the donkey sign that demands you “Get your Ass in Here” – though this turns out to be good advice.  We order biscuits and as we sink our teeth through the salty, cheesy crust to the crumbly hearted inside, there is a moment not just of mouth-pleasure, but also of relief – the relief of knowing that this little café-bookstore with its sunny walls and bulging shelves, is perfectly named.  That good cheese biscuit came with a thick bowl of black bean soup and a pulled pork and blue cheese sandwich, and ended with a strong espresso and a slab of chocolate cake – like the old fashioned, from-scratch birthday cake your mother made. Only considerably better.

“You’ve saved the best for last, Mum,” I’m told on my final night in Halifax.

I am to dine at my son’s home – the purple house on Robie Street, the top floor of which he shares with four other guys. “Just pasta,” he warns me, “But we make our own sauce.”  (One of the guy’s has an Italian girlfriend. I take heart.) They make their own wine. (God have mercy.)

I climb the stairs, littered with bikes and shoes and backpacks. Candles are lit. The table is set.

Of a home cooked meal by the first to leave my home, I’m probably not the most objective critic.

WHERE TO EAT…

Halifax Farmers’ Market, 1496 Lower Water St., www.halifaxfarmersmarket.com

Open Saturdays from 7am to 1pm

 The Smiling Goat, 1551 South Park St., Halifax, 902-446-3366 www.smilinggoat.ca

 Opa! Greek Taverna, 1565 Argyle St., Halifax, 902-492-7999 www.opataverna.com

 Fid Resto, The Courtyard, 1569 Dresden Row, Halifax, 902-422-9162 www.fidresto.ca

 Jane’s on the Common, 2394 Robie St., Halifax, 902- www.janesonthecommon.com

 Morris East 5212 Morris St., Halifax, 902-444-7663, www.morriseast.com

 Kiwi Café, 15 Pleasant St., Chester, 902-275-2570 www.kiwicafechester.com

 The Biscuit Eater, 16 Orchard St., Mahone Bay, 902-624-2665 www.biscuiteater.ca

 Fleur de Sel, 52 Montague Street, Lunenburg, 902-640-2121 or 1-877-723-7258  www.fleurdesel.net

 WHERE TO STAY…

 In Halifax: The Lord Nelson Hotel was closest to the Dalhousie campus, which is why I selected it. It also offers reduced rates to families associated with any of the area’s universities. (2009-2010 rates, $145 November to April; $169 May to October) www.lordnelsonhotel.com

 In Lunenburg: The Kaubach House, 75 Pelham Street, Lunenburg, NS, 902-634-8818 Toll Free: 1-800-568-8818 www.kaulbachhouse.com

Innkeepers: David and Jenny Hook

Circa 1880, this heritage Victorian offers 6 guest rooms with en-suite bath. Breakfast included. Open May 1 to October 31, off season by reservation only. Room rates vary from $99 to $169, depending on room and season.

 

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I’ve been eating and drinking in the Rockies – very much and very well – as the Ottawa member of an 8-strong panel of judges plucked from across the country, and led by Gold Medal Plates culinary advisor James Chatto, and I want to give you the results and a bit of the flavour. 

The Gold Medal Plates Canadian Culinary Championship just wrapped up at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel this past weekend, and the winner was Hayato Okamitsu, of Catch Restaurant and Oyster Bar in Calgary. He had turned heads (and won gold) at Calgary’s Gold Medal Pates Competition with a dish that was ambitious and complex, to be sure, but also vegetarian (imagine!) So you can add bold and brave to that honour. 

Our own Charles Part, from Les Fougeres in Chelsea competed masterfully but ended up just shy of the podium in fourth place.   

The three day gruelling event began with the Wine Pairing Challenge. Each of the six chefs (Montreal’s Deff Haupt, Ottawa-Gatineau’s Charles Part, Toronto’s Patrick Lin, Calgary’s Hayato Okamitsu, Edmonton’s David Cruz, and Vancouver’s Frank Pabst) was given a mystery wine (later revealed as Inniskillin Okanagan Malbec 2005) and the paltry sum of $350 with which to created 250 small plates (for the assembled fans) of a dish that would marry beautifully with the wine. Charles Part sourced some lamb shoulder from a farm outside Calgary, cooking it sous vide with black currants and roasted garlic, pairing it with a minted pea risotto, and an even darker green salsa verde, and his dish won the “People’s Choice” award by a landslide. 

Saturday morning was the Black Box competition, where each chef, in turn, was given the same six ingredients with which to create two dishes, plating each dish for each judge, in precisely 60 minutes. Madness and mayhem. Again, borrowing from a stocked pantry, Part did well with what he was given – a loin of pork, tank raised rainbow trout, 2 lbs of Sylvian Lake Gouda cheese, some rolled oats, a bottle of Saskatoon berry syrup and a bag of organic carrots – Alberta products all (yes, even the Gouda!) His treatment of the pork was wonderful – he sandwiched gouda between escalopes of panko-crusted pork, crowned it with a softly poached egg, and made a wonderful Branston-style pickle heady with basil and rosemary to serve with it.  

For Part’s final dish, at the final event on the Saturday night, he chose to go with a firing squad at dawn sort of last supper dish. It was a delicious bistro-style plate of Quebec Moulard Duck confit, which he balanced on a disc of roasted pear layered with goat cheese from Floralpe Farms anchored on a crunchy bed of rosti potato. He finished the dish with a pile of wilted spinach and a zippy sauce of ground Tellicherry peppercorns, thyme and Niagara wood aged vinegar. The judges were unanimous that, in terms of taste, texture, and wine match, it was brilliant. Where he lost marks (and others gained) was in the categories of “originality” and that slippery “Wow! factor”    

The silver medal went to Frank Pabst, of Blue Water Cafe in Vancouver. Bronze was taken by Chef Deff Haupt of Le Renoir in Montreal. 

 

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