weekends
The final installment of Porzia's 4suppers is on Sunday, September 22nd at 7pm. Every one of the past three have been incredible. This one featuring a collaboration between Porzia's chef and owner, Basilio Pesce and Chef Jason Carter will be no exception. Contact Melissa Clemente at 4suppers@porzia.ca or call the restaurant at 647-342-5776 to book tickets.
There are only a couple of tickets left!
Toronto, be ready for the next 4suppers this Sunday, August 25th when the charismatic Matty Matheson of Parts & Labour Restaurant will be teaming up with Porzia's chef and owner, Basilio Pesce. Chef Matheson is much celebrated in Toronto and known for his spectacular, farm-to-table-meets-modern-bistro dishes. Prepare yourselves for over-the-top goodness this Sunday!
If you haven't booked your spot, I highly recommend doing so asap by emailing us at 4suppers@porzia.ca or calling 647-342-5776.
See you there :)
SUPPER 3:
featuring Chef Matty Matheson of Parts & Labour
----- MENU*-----
AMUSE
pork rind, avocado, watermelon
~
BREAD & BUTTER / SALAD
rye crisp with smoked goat butter
baby lettuce
buttermilk sesame
house mustard
~
PORK
smoked belly, ‘nduja, figs & mostardo
~
MUSHROOM
king oyster, scallop, 62 degree egg & dulce
~
OFFAL
lamb sweetbreads, clams & celery broth
~
FRUIT
marinated ontario fruit & ice cream
*subject to last minute changes
One of my oldest and dearest friends in New York, Sparrow Hall, recently launched a fantastic digital experience dedicated to travel, culture, and design in Upstate New York: An Upstate of Mind. I've written a roadtrip diary about one of many wonderful weekends spent upstate. Check it out :)
Follow him on Twitter · Facebook · Pinterest · Tumblr · Flickr
Toronto, get ready for the second of the 4suppers series: It's happening on Sunday, July 28th @ 7pm. Chef Rudy Boquila from Lamesa will be teaming up with Porzia's chef and owner, Basilio Pesce, for what is going to be an incredible night. The evening's menu as well as wine and cocktail pairings will be revealed in the next couple of weeks. I highly recommend booking your reservation asap – the spots are already filling up fast. This Filipino-Italian mashup is going to be insanely good (not to mention, close to my dining heart and roots).
Contact me, Catherine Mangosing (your co-host) or Melissa Clemente at 4suppers@porzia.ca or call 647-342-5776 to book your tickets or have any questions. Otherwise, feel free to drop by Porzia located on 1314 Queen Street West. Let us know if you'd like to be seated with other parties making reservations on this night. Each table can seat up to 6 people together.
See you there :)
SUPPER 2:
featuring Chef Rudy Boquila of Lamesa
----- MENU*-----
SNACKS
+ Welcome Beer Cocktail
chicken chicaron
pork and fig empanada
horse mortadella
~
MERIENDA/ANTIPASTI
+ Champalou Vouvray FRANCE
salted duck egg with tomato
crispy pigs ears with tofu
roasted cauliflower with corn bagna cauda
~
ISDA/PESCE
+ Copain Steel Fermented Chardonnay CALIFORNIA
oyster kinilaw
‘nduja stuffed squid with salsa verde
~
PASTA
+ COS Rami Inzolia Grecanico ITALY
cavatelli di sangue , bacala crema & cocoa
~
BABOY/MAIALE
+ Bellwoods Bottled Beer Selection - LOCAL
“kaldereta”
pork shoulder, liver sausage & romesco
~
MATAMIS/DOLCE
+ Sparkling Malvasia with Cherry infused Brandy ITALY
halo halo with semolina barquillo
*subject to last minute changes
I'd like to officially invite everyone in Toronto (+ anyone planning a visit this weekend) to a dinner series I am co-hosting at Porzia called 4Suppers. This Sunday, June 23rd will be the first of four monthly dinners at Porzia Restaurant. Porzia's chef & owner, Basilio Pesce, will be collaborating with Rob Rossi of Bestellen this weekend. It promises to be an exceptional evening. The menu is below and we'll be announcing wine and cocktail pairings later this week.
Contact me, Catherine Mangosing, or Melissa Clemente at 4suppers@porzia.ca or call 647-342-5776 to book your tickets or have any questions. You can also drop by Porzia located on 1314 Queen Street West.
Do invite your friends and come dine with us this Sunday :)
We're all very excited and hope to see you there!
SUPPER 1:
featuring Rob Rossi of Bestellen
----- MENU-----
CROSTINI
Fava bean & botarga
BESTELLEN CHARCUTERIE
with pickles & mustard
RADISH
with smoked ricotta, arugala &poppy seed sour dough
GARGANELLI CACCIO PEPE
green garlic ash & lemon
BASS
cinnamon caps, snap peas & marrow
CAPPICOLA
socca & caponatta
~
CHOCOLATE “BROWNIE”
with caramelized banana, coconut gelato and earl grey infused ganache
+small cookie give aways for the end of the meal
Hello, Toronto + anyone planning a visit this summer. I'm very excited to co-host 4Suppers with Melissa Clemente at Porzia starting on June 23rd. Here's the 411 below. Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks. Please spread the word and we hope to see you this summer! :)
~ Catherine Mangosing
--------------------------
Porzia announces 4Suppers
A summer dinner series in collaboration with local Toronto chefs
TORONTO, ON — Porzia is pleased to announce a new collaborative dinner series with local Toronto chefs, 4Suppers. Taking place at its Parkdale location (1314 Queen Street West), 4Suppers will feature a four-course dinner with wine pairings and cocktails for $70 in advance and $85 at the door.
Happening one Sunday a month from June to September, Porzia will welcome popular chefs into its kitchen starting on June 23 with Rob Rossi of Bestellen. Also joining Basilio Pesce—Porzia’s head chef and owner—will be Rudy Boquila of Lamesa on July 28, Matty Matheson of Parts & Labour on August 25, and Jason Carter previously of Centro on September 22.
“4Suppers allows us to showcase local chefs that we’re not only friends with but respect and who are doing great things with food in the city,” said Basilio Pesce. “I’m excited to mess around in the kitchen with my friends and create completely one-of-a-kind menus for the event.”
Porzia looks forward to hosting unique events all summer long in collaboration with well-known Toronto chefs that will bring guests. Tickets are available for purchase at Porzia: 1314 Queen Street West or via email at 4suppers@porzia.ca. For media inquiries or high-res images please contact:
Melissa Clemente or Catherine Mangosing,
4suppers@porzia.ca or 647-342-5776
Follow Porzia on Twitter: twitter.com/porziaparkdale
“4Suppers allows us to showcase local chefs that we’re not only friends with but respect and who are doing great things with food in the city,” said Basilio Pesce. “I’m excited to mess around in the kitchen with my friends and create completely one-of-a-kind menus for the event.”
This image captures how I feel today. The grey outside is determined to slow everything down. But I plan to resist hibernation. I will power through a workout and go from there.
Who's with me?
left photo from Toronto Life magazine, right photo is one of my own
Last night, I finally got to try Woodlot, a much-hyped Toronto restaurant that's been open nearly a year. I wanted to see what the hype was all about. I instantly realized all of it is well-deserved. The food is described as "comfort food" but it was not all what I would expect based on that description. The dishes weren't platefuls of deep-fried everything. I would describe it as very fresh, innovative, thoughtful, back-to-the-land type food. It is very flavourful, inventive but not gimmicky. As we ate all the tastiest plates (including a few surprise ones – courtesy of the chef, David Haman), the word EARTHY just kept coming up. It's earthy in the best sense of the word.
I was definitely wowed by all of the food. But if I had to choose, my absolute favourite dish would be the Farm Fresh Chitarrini with corn, ham hock, zucchini, tomato petals and saffron. It was a great balance of creamy, savoury and just enough sweet from the corn. Delicious! Woodlot is perfect place to dine, especially in the fall. The coziness of the food is punctuated by this very warm, unpretentious, lofty space that, at one point, was a garage. At the heart of it is this large wood burning stove (where beautiful bread is made). Interesting fact about Woodlot: their sommelier is also their baker. During the day, the place is actually a bakery and cafe. I also loved that there is an equally well-considered menu of vegetarian dishes and cocktails are also available.
All around an exquisite meal accompanied by wine that also came with impassioned back stories. Even more beautiful that it was an evening shared with like-minded company. What could be lovelier?
Some of the other Woodlot dishes on Foodspotting:
Ember Grilled Hen O Woods Mushrooms
Marinated Grilled Haloumi Crostini with Spiced Chick Pea, Apple Preserve and Basil
Heirloom Tomatoes & Sheep's Milk Ricotta Tart with Tomato Hibiscus Jam and Arugala
Amazing pond experience aside, last Sunday was really about the food. Two great chefs came together: one Panamanian (Rossy) and the other Portuguese (Paula). Together they lovingly prepared one fabulous "Portumanian" feast. Just looking at these photos makes me hungry all over again.
Here was the menu for the day:
ROSSY
Empanaditas de Pollo
Chicken stuffed mini Pastry Pockets
Ceviche Mixto
Lime marinated Mixed Seafood
Mariscos al Ajillo
Shrimp & Scallops in Butter & Olive Oil Garlic Sauce
with Grilled Fennel & Smoked Tomatoes
Arroz con Guandu y Coco
Coconut & Pigeon Pea Rice
Ensalada de Palmito y Vegetales
Hearts of Palm & Vegetable Salad
Escabeche de Pescado
Pickled Fish
Crema de Mango, Gengibre & Lima
Mango Ginger & Lime Mousse
PAULA
Rissois de Camarão
Shrimp in pastry
Bolinhos de Bacalau
Codfish Puff Balls
Cataplana de Amêijoas
Clams in Cataplana
Asas de Galinha PiriPiri
Chicken Wings in Piri Piri Sauce
Porco Bêbado
Roast Drunken Pork
ChocoFlan
Chocolate Cake with Baked Custard
& Dulce de Leche
Bolos de Mel
Portuguese Honey Cakes
Thank you to Rossy and Paula for preparing such a gorgeous, delicious meal. And big hugs to our lovely host, Rossy Earle (above) for a beautiful day. I can't wait for the next one!!
When my friend Rossy told me she had a pond in her backyard, this was not what I expected. I finally got to see said pond this past weekend. It was part of a big feast prepared by two chefs. Rossy Earle, a Panamanian chef and, Paula Costa, a Portuguese chef joined forces to cook a huge Portumanian hybrid feast. I will blog about the food separately. I felt that this pond was worthy of it's own post.
How beautiful is this?! This is where a big group of my foodie friends (and a few with dogs) came together and spent the day. I was stunned when we first drove into the sprawling property – approximately 45 minutes outside of Toronto. According to my friend Rossy, this is a natural pond that has had sand poured into it. It is aerated underwater via a windmill hidden behind the trees. On the property also sits a 6 bedroom house. I understood why Rossy chooses to live here and not in downtown Toronto. The temparature of the water was absolutely perfect and not too cold for this tropical baby. The colour of the water really does look this way in real life. I was in heaven floating peacefully in it – face to the sky.
It was the best day of my entire summer so far. It was a much needed day of relaxation, sunshine, good friends (around 20 of us in attendance), great food, lots of laughs and even some good bubbly. What a beautiful day. I hope I get a chance to come back and do it again before the summer ends.
Stay tuned for the upcoming post on this day's Portumanian menu :)
It's all about simple pleasures. Taking cues from my dog, Lexie. Happy Canada Day and July 4th long weekend everyone!