i heart pig, here is a story about vegan food.

I’ve been eyeing off the new restaurant in my neighbourhood since they peeled the brown paper off the front window. Early in the summer @hogtownvegan opened its doors and has managed to keep the seats full through the season. The only thing keeping me from jumping on the tofurkey bandwagon was possibly my favourite movie quote of all time on repeat in my head. OK, who’s kidding who, I’ve been reciting it out loud at will: “What do you mean you don’t eat no meat? ... It’s ok... I make lamb.” With the hope of lamb in the back of my mind I commandeered a seat in the front window to watch the pink sunset, checked the menu and, hopes be dashed, the only animals I found were the ironic works of art on the walls.

I’m a girl who relishes her vices; from bacon to pork chops to

one drink too many, I’ll

have them all and then some, usually another bottle of wine (I’ll also accept a bacon wrapped pork chop if you’re offering). So I was really going out on a limb at a vegan restaurant with no liquor licence. Things I strongly believe you should never order in a restaurant; dishes with ingredients or overarching ethnicities opposing the establishment’s ethos. Case in point – anything entitled “vegan **insert animal protein here**”. So what to order? Unchicken and Waffles? Nope. Reuben? I don’t think so. Hot Wings? Hells no. Black Bean Tortilla Salad with cashew sour cream? Don’t mind if I do!!

Gluten-free*, dairy-free (shocking), surprisingly not nut-free, who knew? And might I mention, delicious. The dish arrives looking not overly dissimilar to a healthy portion of nachos, healthy large and healthy comes with lettuce. Atop the tasty mound is a dollop of homemade guacamole mostly likely plated with a soup ladle, I’m feeling pretty good about my decision right now. I’ve said homemade once, this is a restaurant, if it’s not homemade you are eating in the wrong place, so the rest of the ingredients I’ll list sans the obvious: fresh (also possibly redundant, but not always true!) tortilla chips, warm tomato concasse salsa with a hint of spice, black beans seasoned with the perfect amount of cumin, iceberg lettuce coated in a tangy, herbaceous dressing and as promised, the cashew sour cream that tastes more like sour cream than cashews, go figure. The only thing that stopped me from inhaling this delightful concoction without chewing, no, not common decency or social etiquette, a cold glass of @hogtownvegan’s own ice tea. A little sweeter than I appreciate, see endless mentions of my penchant for bitter in the @brocktongeneral posting, but tasty, lemony and morish.

Needless to say, this meal went down like a treat, not to mention it being a perfect pairing for my equally hippie inspired yoga practice just an hour before. Damn organic granola munchers, I think they’re on to something. Maybe I’m not a hipster after all, anyone need a pair of suspenders?

So I’ll be heading back to @hogtownvegan. The staff were friendly, the food tasty and intriguing, the dessert menu not yet explored (flourless chocolate torte!!!!!!). And if that weren’t enough to keep a girls attention... their liquor licence is pending!

*I don’t eat gluten (sober). I am not celiac, the term “gluten intolerant" has been coined for my people. However, the swollen, twisty, sharp, stabbing pain in my guts after consumed such substances is one I prefer to minimize. Thus all gluten-free products are warmly welcomed and ingested without restraint. Tips, recipes and restaurant recommendations are greatly appreciated!

@brocktongeneral

One of those inhumane, humid Toronto nights when you're not sure if an icy cocktail is going to cut the heat or elevate your internal temperate beyond breaking point...

Luckily for me I chose the sleepy, quiet, Saturday night of a long weekend for my maiden voyage to the BROCKTON GENERAL - there was one open table. Already knowing the menu for the evening, bless you wondrous social media, seated, I was still completely unable to decide where to start; on offer, an array of reds, whites and bubbles. However, what had really caught my eye were the cocktails and one very special item: a bottle of French cider, all 750ml. A close tie between the Boubonade (yes, bourbon and lemonade, together, in one glass, don't forget the light aroma of thyme) and the cider - I felt my server would be the best authority on a successful start to the meal. Her response, in my mind, came as a challenge; "if you think you can finish the entire bottle, I'd go with the cider." At it's core, this was in fact high praise for the cider, being elevated above that of the handmade, locally crafted cocktail, I paused to give it another thought as I was already leaning toward the cocktail. Having indulged in beautifully crafted German Hefe-Weissbier (Paulener) and a pint of Young's double chocolate stout earlier in the day, I decided that quality, over quantity, should prevail. It was the right choice.

For "Starters" were 2 dishes topped with cheese and the roasted cauliflower. I don't glaze over the other 2 dishes as any indication that they were inferior to the roasted cauliflower but to highlight chef Alex's restraint. My childhood favorite was cauliflower and cheese sauce, pretty much everyone I know has a similar childhood favorite that they continue to eat today; broiled cauliflower with cheddar cheese, cauliflower parmesan soup, yes, cauliflower and cheese go wonderfully together, especially after your mother has cooked the hell out of it and all you can taste is the cheese. Tonight, this would not be the case. Served perfectly al dente, tossed with toasted pine nuts, bacon and anchovy, you could conclude that the genius was in the bacon, and it was, however the real genius was the hint of basil. It brought the sweetness that elevated this creamy, nutty, salty mix from 4 delicious ingredients to the perfectly balances bite that was on my fork. I pause, I smile, deep breathe, I take another glorious bite.

It should be said early on, that I do not genuinely enjoy white wines. Some of you will stop reading right now, cast me aside as an uncultured swine and reassess any of your belief in my previous statements. For the rest of you, if this hasn't already deterred you, later on I will express my dissatisfaction with French wine, if that is cause for concern, thank me for sparing you from reading anymore of my un-indoctrinated views and switch back to twitter feed now.

Back on task, I do not genuinely enjoy white wines. More specifically, I do not genuinely enjoy white wines within my budget and I thank the generous few who have afforded me the pleasure of the well balanced whites that caused me to ask for a second glass. This evening I ordered the white fish. It is common place to order a white to accompany such a dish and to pair it with a red; uneducated, misinformed... blasphemy. For me, ordering a white would serve to ruin the chefs efforts in a form comparable to doing vinegar shots with faux gras. The next best/most appropriate pairing - Pinot Noir; subtle, delicate and open to interpretation.

Oh quinoa, tonight I judged you too soon. I am a huge quinoa fan, so I went straight for it, over the fish center piece, grilled peaches and lightly blanched swiss chard. Admittedly, I was unimpressed. The chef had boldly chosen the dark quinoa, cooked it perfectly, seasoned to taste but I felt it lacked zest, it was plain. That is until I circled the plate once and then maneuvered around collecting a piece of each ingredient for a complete bite. As a lover of all things bitter, skip to 30 minutes later when I order an espresso macchiato instead of the cinnamon, plum upsidedown cake for dessert, I am always genuinely surprised by the power of sweet matched with savory. The white fish was creamy, tasting just enough of the ocean to remind you of where it came from, the chard's bite providing independent character, the previously misunderstood quinoa brought an earthy, balancing medium and heightening all these things, the subtle accent of the not too sweet, appropriately grilled peaches. Did I mention the walnuts?! One day I'll learn to take a complete bite from the get go, but sampling does afford you the pleasure of knowing that a chef can take several simple, clean flavors and once combined, a whole new, wonderful sensation.

As previously mentioned I went with bitter, not sweet to finish my meal. A very well pulled espresso with hints of cinnamon and caramel, topped with correct amount of creamy foam. I left happy, with a short walk between the restaurant and my living room where a glass of peppery Merlot and a piece of Lindt Sea salt chocolate were waiting to serve as a fitting night cap...

The only thing that would have made this dinner better... if I hadn't eaten it with my shirt on insideout.