Gusto 101

Situated at 101 Portland St. just off King West, Gusto 101 is definitely my new favorite spot in the area. I was planning where to go out for drinks and dinner before heading for a night out with friends, and stumbled on a tweet about this newly opened restaurant. I decided to search for it on Google street view and this is what I found: an old garage for sale. I did not give up however.

I called to make reservations ahead as it was Sunday night, and Monday was a holiday, but they do not take reservations.

We headed over around 9 pm and the restaurant was completely full, with a 15 minute wait for a table of 4. I heard great things about their Vini di Gusto (Malbec and a Sauvignon Blanc) which are made on site in their basement winery, so I headed over to the bar right away. Unfortunately they sold out of it just a week after their opening, so we opted for a bottle of Megalomaniac’s 2009 Narcissist Riesling which is always a great choice!

The décor is very rustic with gorgeous brick and wood accents contrasted by more modern light fixtures and furniture. My favourite was the open concept kitchen with a huge Tuscan wood-fire grill.

I was eager to try everything on the menu, but we decided to just share 3 different dishes followed by dessert and another bottle of wine.

I had the Moroccan “brick chicken,” which is cooked sous-vide then finished on the grill and served with Swiss chard and garlic smashed potatoes ($17)

. My friends shared the Beef tartare, topped with figs, ricotta, arugula and truffle oil ($14.50 )

and Mozzarelola di Bufala- roasted tomatoes, basil oil, parmigiano crisp, smoked paprika ($15)

which were all amazing dishes!

The portions aren’t very big so don’t count on a big filling dinner, but I personally prefer tapas bars so these portions were perfect for sharing along with some drinks.

The service was fantastic and despite the crowded restaurant and Gusto being open for only 2 weeks, the server was very attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. He recommended we try the dessert trio and I am glad we did!

Desserts come in mini-portions and include mascarpone tiramisu, dark chocolate mousse with caramel, olive oil and sea salt, and wild lemon air, which was my personal favourite: aerated limoncello with fizzy candy, candied celery and a sprinkle of ground coffee ($3 each or $8.50 for a combo of all three).

We also got a little home made biscotti to go with it

There is nothing negative that I could say about Gusto 101, the staff are friendly and attentive, food was amazing, wine selection was great and the atmosphere is very warm and inviting. Will definitely come back to try that malbec!

Simple lunch

Just a couple healthy lunch ideas.

1. Poached salmon with a garden salad in raspberry vinaigrette.

2. Baked prosciutto-wrapped asparagus with grated Parmesan.

Filling and delicious!
Bon appetit!

Easy Guacomole

Here's a fact for you: over 45 million pounds of avocado will be consumed on Super Bowl Sunday this year!

Guacomole competes with wings and pizza as a Super Bowl food thanks to numerous marketing campaigns by avocado growers over that past 2 decades....

But rather than serving store bought guac, why not just make it yourself?

All you will need is:

4(or more) ripe avocados

2 likes

2 tomatoes

Half a Spanish onion

Cilantro

Salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste

Halve the avocados and scoop out the inside into a medium bowl. Keep one of the bones in the bowl and squeeze both limes into the mixture to prevent browning.

Dice the tomato and onion and add to the bowl along with finely chopped cilantro.

Mix everything with your hands or a wooden spoon, adding more lime juice and the spices to taste.

Enjoy!!

Breakfast in colour

Who said breakfast is boring? Well,I always did because my breakfast used to consist of a coffee and whatever else I could grab on my way to work. Now I try to come up with nutritious and easy dishes to make in the morning. Here is one of them:

Fried egg in a red pepper ring and some bread and hummus on the side. Yum!

Baked Salmon with Grated Carrots

This is another salmon favourite of mine.

In addition to this being healthy and delicious, it is also easy to make. The hardest part is peeling and shredding all 5 carrots!

For this recipe I used about 8 portions of salmon but same recipe applies to any amount:

- 8 salmon fillets

- 6 shredded carrots

-4 onions (chopped)

- salt and pepper to taste

-a handful of flour (all purpose)

- 3 tbsp mayonnaise

- 3 tbsp sour cream

Season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides, then dredge with flour lightly and shake off any excess flour

Heat up a large frying pan with some oil and sear the salmon on both sides about 1 minute on each side.

Set the salmon into an oven proof dish and season with more salt and pepper.

Sautee the onions on the same pan until golden brown and then add the carrots and cook for 5 more minutes.

Pile on the carrots and onion

Mix the mayonnaise and sour cream and spread over the salmon and cook in the oven for 50 minutes on 440 degrees

You can eat this dish hot or cold, and can add a side of rice to it as well.

Perfect Baked Potato

I am not a big fan of potatoes-mashed/baked/fried.. they just seem so boring!

NOT THIS ONE!!!!!!!!

Best baked potato I've ever made actually. It even got compliments from other, more experienced, potato bakers and eaters.

I guess it could even be just a snack, instead of a side..it was a bit much with this dinner.

You can use any toppings you like: chives, bacon, cheese, olives, corn, beans and even tuna or shredded chicken.

I used what I had- chives, cheddar cheese and some sour cream to top it off.

I like it when the skin is crisp, and I think most people prefer it cooked that way too. In that case, NEVER wrap it in aluminium foil! Just stick it in the oven as is.

I used 3 medium-large potatoes and cooked them for 45 mins at 400 F on the middle oven rack.

Prepping them is easy:

-clean the potatoes

-rub salt and olive oil or butter on them

-poke holes all over it with a fork

Then after baking, take out the fluffy insides and mix them in a bowl with some cheese and chives and put everything back into the "shells". Top them off with more cheese and bake some more until it melts.

They are now ready to eat! garnish with extra chives and sour cream.

Better in Bacon

I was making some steaks for dinner the other day, and totally forgot to make a side- I usually make garlic mashed potatoes or sweet potato fries and a few veggies.

Luckily, I found some asparagus and pears in the fridge... well that wasn't enough for me so I decided to experiment a little and add some bacon to the mix.

I know this doesn't sound like a very healthy or vegetarian option- but was it ever delicious!

I ate so many bacon-wrapped pear slices that my dog had to finish half of my 12 dollar steak.

They can also be quick and simple appetizers- just leave the toothpicks in.

Here is what I used:

1 Bunch of asparagus

2 Pears

1 pack of Bacon

Brown sugar to taste

Salt and Pepper

Cut the Pear into medium slices

Now, start wrapping! To keep the bacon in tact- secure with a toothpick on each end.

season with salt and pepper and sprinkle some brown sugar before baking...the sweetness complements the saltiness of the bacon.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees.

Serve right away while the bacon is hot. These make for a great side as well!