La Grande Epicerie

It's no secret that I've got a weakness for upscale markets - one stop shops for superior local artisanal products and hard to find imports. New York is a haven for these, and Toronto's got a few good ones too. 

In France, the prevailing culinary dogma is one of quality and local freshness - something North Americans are willing to pay extra for. For the most part, 'farm to table' isn't anything special, it's just the way it's done.

That being said, the French love American culture (though they'll never tell you that). Therefore, it goes without saying that in the wealthiest areas of Paris, you're bound to find some pretty amazing shops.

Le Bon Marché, or 'The Good Market', is known as the World's first department store. Officially starting around 1850, today it's a main attraction for shoppers looking for a little something by Louis Vuitton or Chanel. Obviously that can work up quite an appetite, so the natural thing to do is to go next door to the Grande Epicerie.

La Grande Epicerie is the very definition of the upscale market. Being so very French, everything is about image. The store features beautiful displays, which often mirror the theme of the window displays at Le Bon Marché. Special products are one of a kind and often very whimsical - Coca-Cola bottles featuring the silhouette of Karl Lagerfeld, Orangina bottles sold in limited edition bags by Antik Batik, a range of condiments made to look like hair products, Eiffel tower noodles, and Swarovski-encrusted water bottles are not uncommon. Part of the store is dedicated to products of the World, and the American section is comprised of molasses, maple syrup, chocolate chips, barbecue sauce, popcorn, peanut butter, and marshmallow fluff.

Karl Lagerfeld Coca-Cola

Got water?

Selection of jams

Balsamic vinegar - I snapped this after being told to put the camera away or leave

While you're not likely to be doing your weekly grocery shopping there, as many normal products are available elsewhere for a fraction of the price, it's a great place to get gifts for the foodies in your life. To me, the value lies in their mouth-watering prepared foods, beautiful pastries, hard to find ingredients for your dinner parties, and not to mention the browsing potential of the place. After all, who doesn't get some sick pleasure out of checking out bottles of champagne worth thousands of euros and bags of dried morel mushrooms that cost as much as a normal shopping trip.

GG

La Grande Epicerie de Paris

38 Rue de Sèvres

Paris, 75007
01 44 39 81 00

Roti (Almost) Worthy of a Mahatma

Since The Global Gourmand has become my altar of sorts, from which I pontificate on all sorts of culinary matters to my church of no one, I figured that I would continue with my Toronto-based restaurant/take-out recommendations while still in this great city - to no objections.

Gandhi Cuisine is a hole in the wall that is definitely one of my favorite little spots in Toronto. In my last life as a corporate ladder climber (really, that was my job), I would make regular noontime pilgrimages to Gandhi. On a good day I might even credit the place for showing me the light and putting me on the path to spiritual (read: gourmand) enlightenment.

Those familiar with Caribbean rotis will note that as the name suggests, these are not your standard rotis. I like to think of them as East Indian food wrapped up the island way, in a roti more resembling a thin naan than a traditional West Indian roti with dhal puri. Can you tell that I like my rotis?

First of all, if sufficient lunchtime manna is all you seek, you will not leave unsatisfied. You may not even have to eat again for the rest of the day for that matter. These grail-sized entities are like pouches of holiness filled with delicious Indian curries. No creature need be harmed either, as there are lots of veggie options, such as the saag paneer and chana masala rotis. For me however, since I'd rather spend my next incarnation as a feeder worm than give up meat, I go straight for the butter chicken or chicken tikka rotis. The brave souls ask for lots of pepper, but if you're new on your journey to chili Bodhi, you may want to say a quick prayer before you adopt that dogma. You're in an Indian restaurant afterall.

Heed my words - always call ahead to put in your order - the Great Ones reward foresight with prompt roti conveyance. I highly recommend checking this place out. It will fill the empty spot in your soul that you didn't know you had.

GG

Gandhi Cuisine

554 Queen St. West

Toronto, Ontario

416.504.8155

Wanted: Good Hummus, $$$ Reward

Detective Case Journal #24601 

Yesterday, Jimmy 'The Snake' Skibowski got handed 25-life thanks to my big lead. The station was pretty quiet so Sarge gave me the day, and for once I decided to take it.

Now I've never been one to relax for all that long, so I went over to Mel's diner to grab a bite with the boys.

Mel's been losing it since his old lady left. He started making this hummus platter and Susie gave us one to try. After one bite I nearly drank my weight in water. It was dry, grainy, and just not good eats. Good thing it was on the house. You could also build a house out of it.

This got me sleuthing for good hummus; one that was everything I wanted it to be - garlicky, smooth, good chickpea flavor, and just the right moisture content.

Me Va Me's. What made theirs so good? I got the owner into interrogation on unpaid parking tickets but he wasn't talking. One thing was clear, he had a soft spot for the joint. After a little carefully placed flattery, he finally slipped up. The secret, as I suspected, was all in the blender.

- 1 large can of chickpeas (approx. 2 cups, retain the liquid)

- Juice of 1 lemon

- 3 or 4 cloves of garlic (roasted, if you like)

- 1/4 - 1/3 cup of tahini

- 1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

- Sea salt to taste

- Olive oil

- Paprika

* In a blender, combine the lemon juice and tahini until smooth and frothy

* Add the garlic cloves, pinch of salt and continue to blend

* Add the chickpeas, about 1/3 at a time - try to get as few skins in as possible

* Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, add the sour cream, and continue to blend

* If the hummus is dry, add a little bit of the chickpea liquid/oil until the consistency is smooth and moist

* Sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with olive oil for serving

I could now get my first good night's sleep in a month, knowing that I had done my part to help get bad hummus off the streets and the good stuff into the recipe books, where it belongs. Sorry Mel, stick to the liver and onions.

Bright Lights, Big Portions

Hold on travelers, GG is coming to you 'live' from NYC! Leave your belts at home because there will be no big apples here.

I've only been to New York a handful of times, so I'm still pretty excited to go. Anytime I'm there I make a conscious effort to act local and not look like the country mouse, but what's great about this city is that no one cares. You could literally dance down the street in a polka-dot dress with matching poodle, and no one would look twice. I know because I saw it.

Allow me to nerd-out for a moment...

Manhattan itself is not exactly a huge place. It's under 22 km long and just over 2 km wide. In that relatively small space though, it has a resident population of 1.7 million. Include the 5 boroughs and what you get is the most densely populated city in the US, with a resident population of between 8 and 9 million. With a population of that size and diversity, both culturally and economically, you end up with a city where anything you could possibly want (and just as many things you don't want) are readily available.

So just how many restaurants could there be in NYC? Well, according to New York's tourism board, the number is 18,696, but the NYC Department of Health lists more than 20,000 on their restaurant inspection web site. So 20,000 restaurants... that's enough to eat at a different restaurant each day for almost 55 years... sorry, I couldn't resist. I was aiming to hit at least 1,000 this weekend, but I think I only got about halfway there.

What were the highlights? 

Shake Shack - Do you remember the place where you had the best hamburger of your life? Well if that place doesn't happen to be Shake Shack, then fuhgeddaboudit! I couldn't possibly explain how good these things are in words but 'gourmet McDonalds' comes to mind. Maybe it's their deliciously high fat proprietary beef mixture, but even the bun is magical. Good enough that Jon Stewart used one to try to bribe King James to come to the Knicks. How good is it exactly? Check the live CCTV 'Shake Cam' to see the line outside the place.

Beard Papa's - Mochi ice cream. Japanese rice cake with ice cream filling. Am I the last one to find out about these things? It's a good thing they let me buy just one.

Jean Claude - Even though I'll be back in France in 2 months, I just can't stay away from French restaurants. I also forgot just what a pat of garlic butter does to a steak. My friend Carl from Guadeloupe and I both ordered the steak frites, and our first bite (which just happened to be in unison) was followed by a good 15 seconds of silence.

Katz's Delicatessen - An NYC institution, where Harry met Sally, and my Mecca. Is it as good as Sally Albright says? Depends how much you like pastrami.

Union Square Market - We had the good fortune of some great weather, so we took advantage of some great outdoor markets.

The Westside Market - I always have a soft spot for gourmet grocery stores.

Rocco's Pizza Joint - Classic New York style Italian spot. The eggplant parmesan is phenomenal, and it's easily enough food for 2 meals.

Zabar's - More gourmet catering on Broadway. Some of the best rugelach I've had anywhere.

Joe's Shanghai - Delicious soup dumplings. Whoever spills first buys them.

Sadly I didn't make it to the Food Network offices in the Chelsea Market (though I tried) or to one of Sir Flay's restaurants, but I have a feeling that I'll be back soon!

Salad this week for sure.

GG

Shawarma Showdown

So, as I'm in Toronto now for a couple months before heading back to Paris, I'm going on a bit of a mission to cover as many secret (or not so secret) spots as possible before leaving. This one is take-out top brass.

In my last year of university, I was living on Brunswick Avenue in the Annex. Needless to say, I was a regular at a lot of the establishments along Bloor and College, many of which were alcohol-serving. My diagonal walks home usually took me to one of a number of pizza places, but there was also no shortage of falafel and shawarma joints along the way.

I first had Sarah's shawarma in my first year of school, and it was one of those places that was still good when I was walking normally. Most of the folks that inhabit that area of town will favor one of the several shawarma places between Spadina and Bathurst on Bloor, but trust me, Sarah's is best - I've done the research. I used to be a little unfaithful and frequent two other spots as well, but they've both since then changed their product and made Sarah's the clear winner. Both the falafel and shawarma are good. I like them spicy without too much parsley. Wrapped and bagged for easy, drip-free consumption.

If you're planning on taking any diagonal walks, they're open until 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

GG

Sarah's Shawarma and Falafel Ltd. 
487 Bloor St. West

Toronto, Ontario  
416.975.9986

The Great Bagel Debate (Part 1?)

Bagels are synonymous with the Jewish community and they also always played a starring role at any of our family brunches.

Ask any bagel connoisseur and they'll have their favorite style: soft, fluffy, crusty, or chewy. Some like them plain or with poppy or sesame seeds (and no, onions, cheese, grains, or any other North American addition doesn't count!). They come in all sizes from the smaller Montreal style to the mammoth twister bagel.

Any bagel connoisseur will also likely have more than a few things to say about their favorite type and why the others just aren't up to par. The one other Toronto-Montreal rivalry as old as the original six is the Montreal bagel vs. the 'normal' bagel debate. For those who don't know the difference, a Montreal bagel is smaller, denser and sweeter. Montreal bagels are unsalted and boiled in honey water before being baked in a wood oven. Personally, I like them both but my 'desert island' bagel would definitely be from Toronto.

Gryfe's bagels are a Toronto institution, around since 1957. They are the donut of bagels - soft and chewy with the perfect crust. They HAVE to be eaten fresh and warm. Go soon and go early!

GG

Gryfe's Bagel Bakery
3421 Bathurst St.

Toronto, Ontario

416.783.1552