THE BRANCH RESTAURANT AND TEXAS GRILL

Valentines Menu

2012-02-10T20:37:00.001-08:00

Valentine’s Day Menu:

As always, our Valentine’s Day menu is about sharing, finger foods, and foods that are considered to have natural aphrodisiac qualities, ‘…say what?!’ Translation: ‘Boom-chicka-wow…’ Oh yeah, you know what I mean…

First Base:

Barcelona Nights: a platter of mixed finger foods for sharing; pickled quail eggs, smoked trout, goats cheese with chilies, prosciutto stuffed dates, veggies, dips…and more!

Second Base:

choice of:

Lobster Bisque…with big chunks of lobster, crème fraiche and ice-wine

or

Mushroom pizzette: mixed grilled mushrooms, grilled flat bread, goat cheese, truffle oil and an arugula salad

Third Base:

choice of:

Chocolate Tenderloin; 6oz filet of premium beef, compound chocolate-herb ‘love’ butter, Yorkshire pudding and seasonal vegetables

or

Ménage á trois of Chicken: (…aka, chicken prepared three ways…) Lyon’s Family Farm chicken served as a thigh roulade stuffed with sheep’s milk cheese, wild grape and crab-apple; a risotto with pan seared chicken tenders; and with house-smoked barbecue drum, drumlet and wing

or

Rainbow Trout Love Letter: locally farmed trout steamed ‘en papillote’ with lobster butter, pasta, white wine, shaved vegetables and fresh herbs

Home-run:

Chocolate Fondue for two: includes fruit, cake, cookies and lots of molten, delicious, finger licking chocolate…mmmm…I wonder where this is going?

So there you have it; dinner for two is just $69…we’ll see you there…

This Week at The Branch

2012-02-07T15:10:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 8, The Exes, 8pm, $5: This week, join us on Wednesday (actually, every Wednesday…) for live Hot Country and East Coast covers with our very own fun loving Kim James and her band: The Exes. Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company is the sponsor for this ‘college night’ as we’ve been calling it; but perhaps, based on the all ages appeal we’ve seen so far, ‘pub night’ would be a more appropriate title: What does that mean? Well, a pitcher of Beau’s Lug Tread Beer comes with a free order of nachos (this month, limit one free nacho per table of four) and there are some door prizes (in case you’ve seen a few of those sweet new Beau’s toques around…) The music is swinging and fun, the atmosphere is casual (a good stop for fans of the Rubber Boots Sundays…) and dancing is encouraged!

Thursday, February 9; George Buys, 8pm, no cover: Local blues scholar, erstwhile Roosterman Blues Band member, and Beatle aficionado George Buys will be on hand with his axe and harp to help you sing those blues away. This be the first of a few George Buys Thursday night shows we hope to scatter throughout the course of the year—come on out for a while, or even just for a smile…

Friday, February 10; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western, as you may or may not know, is a pseudonym; and his real name? Elvis Aaron freakin’ Presley. You wanted to know, well THIS is where he is, PLEASE, don’t hate him for wanting his privacy. And Birdie Whyte? Norma Jean Baker, or, as you may have known her, that’s right; Marilyn Monroe. Yep. Not dead, neither one of them, just hiding out in Kemptville. Who knew that these two were timeless lovers? I mean, it makes sense, when you think about it. Well, I’m sure that you understand, but for the sake of their privacy, the world can never know. So don’t tell anyone. Really. And don’t come see for yourself either. Whatever you do, don’t come see Elvis and Marilyn at the Branch Restaurant every Friday. Please. Don’t. Really.

Saturday, February 11; Ottawa Valley Special, 9pm, $6: (Must admit, I cribbed the following from OVS’ website…) The Ottawa Valley Special serves up a tasty meal of hot bluegrass, classic country, blues and folk that’s better than Mama’s home cookin’. Acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle and bass are the mix: Mandolin/guitar player/singer and songwriter Jamie Anderson toured nationally in the states for over 20 years and has also played in Canadian venues like Rasputin’s and the Black Sheep Inn, her nine(!) albums have received airplay on mainstream TV and hundreds of radio shows. Holding down the low end on stand-up bass is Jim Bossert. His first instrument was the piano but since it’s real hard to play Old Joe Clark on one, he switched to bass a few years ago. Ottawa native Tracy Clark is a singer/guitarist who has performed and recorded with many local blues, rock and country bands for over thirty years, including Hickory Wind. Fiddler Ellen Daly (…with a Kemptville pedigree!) can crank out anything from Irish to Cape Breton to old time without even breaking a sweat. She may only be seventeen but she’s played for ten years and has won countless contests in Canada and the United States. Recently she placed second at the Canadian Open Under 18 Fiddle Championships and fourth at the 2010 Pembroke Fiddle Contest. In 2008 she was the Under 16 Eastern North American Irish Fiddle Champion.
This is good time music for folks who like good times, not to be missed!

Sunday, February 12; Love Song Open Stage, 3-6pm, free! The Sunday closest to Valentine’s Day is always our ‘Love Song Open Stage;’ no advance sign up is required. Just Love.

This Week at the Branch Texas Grill

2012-01-30T14:41:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 1: The Exes, 8pm, $5. Beau's beer has pitched in to help support this new weekly event at the Branch; Hot Country stylings with Ottawa's The Exes, featuring our own Kim James, out from behind the bar to wail out all your favourite country hits from today's top artists...Every pitcher of Beau's Lug Tread Beer comes with a free Branch 'Buenos Nachos'--piles of blue and yellow corn chips topped with cheese, queso sauce,beans, sour cream, salsa and jalapenos (if you want'em...) ...This is becoming a bit of an after dinner 'pub night' with a similar vibe to our popular Rubber Boots Buffet, it's social, fun, and yes, dancing is encouraged!

Thursday, February 2; Keith Glass, 8pm, free! Keith Glass will be performing the last of his monthly ‘First Thursday’ showcases next Thursday, February 2nd. Keith is taking a break from this monthly event to immerse himself in his next major recording project, (that’s right, a new Keith Glass album!) Let’s pull a big crowd for this living legend next Thursday to send him off in style…For those that don’t know it yet, Keith is the multiple Juno award winning guitarist and primary songwriter for the legendary Canadian Country band Prairie Oyster, as well as being the perennial sideman for Ottawa’s incredibly popular (and rightly so!) Lynn Miles, and an occasional journeyman with other local favourites, Trevor Alguire and Brock Zeman. It has been a real privilege getting to know Keith these last few months, but we are all looking forward to hearing his new material and (hopefully, hint, hint…) hosting a cd release party for him when it is ready for the light of day! Don’t miss the last of these free shows, your next chance to see him, well, let’s just say it may not be so easy to get in, if you know what I mean…That’s next Thursday, February 2nd, 8pm, and yep, it’s free!

Friday, February 3; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free! Frank Western and Birdie Whyte have come to be a symbol for all that is good and right at The Branch...Heck, the world! Sweet cover tunes that range from old time to rootsy blues, Tom Waits, John Hiatt, John Prine and Gillian Welch; and originals that are precise, crafted, funny and even beautiful. The only thing better than the music is the always warm and often hilarious stage presence of Kemptville's biggest stars!

Saturday, February 4; Trevor Alguire, 9pm, $10: We are always pleased to welcome back one of our most popular (for good reason!) Branch regulars, country-tinged singer-songwriter Trevor Alguire; (...the following biographical info was provided by the artist...) "Alguire, hailing from a small town just south of Ottawa Ontario, first drew attention in 2004 with the release of the album Narrowed Down (under the guise of his band Mercury Pickup). The album was critically acclaimed in the press with frequent comparisons to artists such as Steve Earl, Tom Petty, Blue Rodeo, Wilco and Uncle Tupelo. These comparisons said As of Yesterday his second release landed Alguire his first record deal alongside fellow songwriters such as Steve Earle and Buddy Miller proving that Alguire was only at the start of such musical depth.

Within four months of releasing As of Yesterday, Alguire went worldwide with consistent radio play across Europe, Australia and North America. Two of Alguire’s songs have since been released on Blue Rose Records compilations along side Gurf Morlix, Steve Earle & Dwight Yoakam. Multiple Juno award winner Keith Glass of Prairie Oyster (Canada’s premiere roots music ensemble) collaborated with Alguire to produce and play on Alguire’s recent album. The newly recorded second solo album was released in July opening for Martha Wainwright at Ottawa Bluesfest.

“Alguire tells tales of life on the road, his words painting pictures of his country and its people. He is a great story teller with empathy and emotional depth matched by a warm sonorous and strong voice, reminiscent of Richard Buckner, Tim Easton and Michael Hall.”

Sunday: Open Stage 3-6pm, Rubber Boots Buffet from 2-8...

This Week at the Branch Texas Grill!

2012-01-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 25; The Exes, 8pm, $5. Wednesday is our second installment of our Beau's beer sponsored 'college night' featuring Hot Country covers with The Exes, with our very own Kim James. It's gonna be a good ol' time in the little ol' town Tonight...so be sure and bring yer dancin' boots! This Wednesday, enjoy a free nachos with every pitcher of Beau's Lug Tread Beer. Door prizes, in the form of some sweet Beau's schwag will be available, and a student i.d. gets you in free: otherwise it's just five bucks!

Thursday, January 26; Songwriters Circle with Meredith Luce, Pat Moore, Ray Harris, hosted by Bruce Enloe, 7pm, free! I'd like to mention this Thursday night's Songwriter Circle again...Meredith Luce, Pat Moore and Ray Harris are each a good enough reason to come to the branch on their own, but the three of them together (and don't let me being the host scare you off) is more like, "Holy Cow! Where do I sign up?" kind of good...It's this Thursday, and believe it or not, it's free!!!

Meredith Luce was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her musical education began when she was five, as a piano student. From ages seven to ten, Meredith was involved in a children's musical theatre company, where she gained her first stage experience.
A passion for singing led her to classical voice work, which saw her complete her Grade One Royal Conservatory of Music training. Not one to settle, Meredith then moved on to dabble in cello, clarinet, recorder, drums, bass, mandolin, baritone ukulele, and guitar — her main instrument.

Pat Moore’s voice has a warm and expressive quality, as perfectly suited to a rich ballad, as it is to an up-tempo power song. She moves easily from the storytelling of the singer/songwriter genre, to the lonesome sound of traditional country and bluegrass. Born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, she grew up in a house filled with music, from show tunes to Peter, Paul, & Mary, and Gordon Lightfoot; and later jazz masters like Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles to bluegrass legends like Bill Monroe, and Flatt and Scruggs. As a young girl she would sing harmonies with her sisters while doing the supper dishes – songs from the Momas and Papas, and Simon and Garfunkel.
In the 1980’s Pat played dog-house bass and sang lead and harmony in Maple Hill, an award winning bluegrass band. Later, Pat ventured out on her own, writing, and releasing her debut solo CD, The Time’s Never Been Better. In 2003 Pat recorded her second CD, Take it to Heart, and formed her band The Vinyl Frontier. Her recordings have received praise from far and wide - Holland, Italy, Australia, the U.S. and across Canada, for her captivating storytelling, her warm strong voice, and the musicianship of the people she surounds herself with. The live show is always fun!
Pat continues to write, and performs solo, and in various combinations with members of the Vinyl Frontier – Pat McLaughlin, Ann Downey, Al Bragg, and Alistair Dennett. She has also returned to bluegrass, with the resurrected Maple Hill Bluegrass.

Ray Harris is an Ottawa based alt-country/ folk/rockabilly/Americana/whatever songwriter & musician, and the host of the Elmdale Tavern’s monthly Wednesday night songwriter’s circle.

Bruce Enloe, before he was a chef, killed some time in Austin, Texas writing and singing punk-influenced country and Beatles inspired pop songs; he took a ten year break from music to do this other thing, but 5 or 6 years ago, he got the bug back and has been writing songs that are equal parts ‘dad rock’ , James Taylor, Robert Earl Keen and indie-folk. He is currently recording a sprawling ‘Chinese Democracy’ style 2-3 year solo album project (in stores by June…2015! Probably!), performing with his pals The Burning Sensations and occasionally working and recording with Kemptville’s enigmatic Belarus Racing Team Collective.

Friday, January 27th; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free! Frank Western is no ordinary Western, he's more, well, Frank. And Birdie Whyte is no ordinary Birdie, she's more...Well, she's not a bird, for one thing, though she kind of sings like one...and although she is Whyte, I wouldn't necessarily say that that is a defining characteristic...Frank and Birdie sing songs about love life and a life of love over the dulcet tones of an almost 'John Carroll-esque' slide guitar and banjo. And fun? Yep, they got that!

Saturday, January 29th; Amanda Rheaume, 9pm, $8. This is Amanda’s first branch show, but judging by the early buzz around this one, it won’t be the last—Amanda is a beautiful Ottawa based singer-songwriter and will be bringing a band along to help her out—the following was cribbed from her website: “…Rheaume is a powerful vocalist with just a touch of grit and an instantly-accessible roots-pop-Americana sound -- has been a pillar of her local Ottawa music scene for about a decade now. A $40,000 winner in Live 88.5’s 2008 Big Money Shot competition, Rheaume is not only a regular at local festivals and joints like the Rainbow Bistro, she has also distinguished herself as one of the city’s, if not the country’s, most selflessly giving musicians. She organizes Ottawa’s Bluebird North songwriter showcases, she participated in the Babes for Breasts tour to raise money for breast cancer, she recorded a charity Christmas EP for Boys and Girls club of Ottawa – selling 6500 copies just in Ottawa, she donated a dollar from each album sold during her last tour to a fund for the families of military personnel, and she’s even performed for the troops in Afghanistan…twice.”

Chris Brown cancellation...George Buys filling in this Saturday...

2012-01-16T13:23:00.001-08:00

Chris Brown has unfortunately had to cancel this Saturday's show...George Buys has graciously agreed to fill in--or at least that's what Patsy tells me!

This Week at The Branch...and Texas Grill!

2012-01-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

As of this weekend, and evolving over the next few weeks and months, ‘The Branch Restaurant’ will become what it was probably always meant to be ‘The Branch Restaurant and Texas Grill.’ Come on out this week and help us celebrate 2012 with some of our real Texas Barbecue, or even some of your favourite Tex-Mex or even Cajun or Southern foods favourites...Don't worry, we are still the same old Branch in more ways than not with our pride in choosing local and organic foods first and our commitment to the environment and the community, but it's high time we admitted that this Texas thing we've been leaning towards as a menu theme is here to stay! Come by this wekk and check it out for yourself!

Wednesday January 18, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company presents: College Night at the Branch, featuring Hot Country with The Exes, $5, free with Student i.d.: it’s the ‘College Night’ premiere with The Exes, featuring Kim (Yes, That Kim) coming out from behind the bar to show off her singing chops, if you haven’t heard her yet at one of our open stages, you’re missing out, come out the Wednesday and prepare to be wowed…

Thursday, January 19th, Petunia, 9pm $10; Spending the early part of his career playing on every major street corner, subway station and park bench in Canada (and NY city), picking, grinning and singing for his living, Petunia has been a regular on the Canadian touring circuit for many years now. He plays 150 shows/ year all over Canada and has begun touring into the USA, with his band out of Vancouver, "The Vipers".…he has a unique, surreal style all of his own…his live performances have been likened to an Avant-Country night club scene from a David Lynch movie.

Fridays, January 20 & 27; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western and Birdie Whyte are the dynamic duo, the tune-ular twosome, the corporeal couple, the magnificent mates…they are what happen one and one are added to become not two but two times two times two….which is a number that is significantly higher than two. Obviously. Come see them.

Saturday, January 21; George Buys, 8pm, free! Local blues scholar George Buys will be on hand this Saturday to play guitar, sing and story-ize your barbecue lovin' butts off! And it's free!

Sunday, January 22, 3-6pm, free! Elvis Presley Birthday Tribute Open Stage, everyone is welcome to come out and sing their favourite Elvis songs…sideburns are not required, extreme pelvis movement is, however, highly recommended…

Oh yeah, I almost forgot!

2012-01-13T05:10:00.001-08:00

I am such a dingbat. Hours spent writing the newsletter and I neglected to mention the most exciting gig!

The Trip Back Home Part 3: 'Home-well'

2012-01-12T21:56:00.001-08:00

I used to love catering; growing up in Texas, my mom used to make wedding cakes, and many a weekend found us toting elaborately decorated tiers in the trunk of the car, then out and up the church steps, setting up the cakes—maybe serving punch or miniature quiches, my brother and I racing around on the chair dollies behind the scenes, or pigging out on devilled eggs when grown-up backs were turned. Daydreaming about those days can easily make me homesick for mom’s cooking—or for the ubiquitous presence of all those piles of smoky brisket and spicy sweet sauce that stained the white paper tablecloths at so many of those events…But maybe ‘homesick’ is the wrong word… ‘Home-happy’, maybe? ‘Home-well’ is more like it. Because, thanks to my mom teaching me how to cook, I can carry all those flavours, all those memories with me, and unlike lots of folks without that magic key in their pocket, I can pull them out whenever and wherever I am and set them up, not like photos on the nightstand, but more like the actual places and times themselves, physically present; I can cook, and because I can cook, I can taste and enjoy all of those sights, sounds and flavours whenever I want. Wherever I am.

Over the years I continued to cater from time to time; in 1996, I even did an entire wedding spread out of the kitchen of my tiny apartment that actually paid for my move from Texas to California…

When I lived in San Francisco and worked for Millennium, I became the ‘go to’ catering chef because I actually enjoyed it—every new job was a new challenge, the planning, the organization, the ordering, the staffing, the math—but most importantly, the thrill, the excitement when the job came together—happy customers—good food—a job well done. Every catering was like a little restaurant start-up: we would arrive to find a new kitchen, new tools and new customers. We would set up, prep, organize, finalize the décor, check the ovens, check the stovetops—every site was a little different; if we were lucky, we’d get a visit a month or two before the event, a chance to look around and kick the tires—if we were really lucky, we would be returning to a spot we’d been to before and we’d already know if we needed to bring an extension cord, say, or a can opener. Sometimes, we’d have to bring along a lot more than that…

Once I organized and catered food for an event for 1600 people on Treasure Island in San Francisco—the facility had no kitchen and as a historical site, it was requested that the temporary catering kitchen be set up outdoors, but by this point, I had cheffed on a number of caterings and I knew that almost anything could be rented, delivered and set up for me. I happily bit at the challenge of this massive event; we arranged for stoves and ovens, sinks and even refrigeration—but neglected one thing, a roof, and, as luck would have it, halfway through one of the largest and most challenging events of my cooking life, I found myself balancing on the wet roof of a large truck weighting down a tarp to provide a modicum of shelter for a 10 person crew cooking underneath me in the middle of a freak summer rainstorm… My memory of this event? Pure bliss. Sure, we ran out of food a little too early, and yes, our floor plan for the interior of the event was a pure disaster (note to self, never have a circular bar in center of a room with no other access points). But even after all that, it was the biggest thing that I had ever done, and, all in all? Although not unqualified, it really was a success.

I also organized a similarly sized, if not as un-coordinated a meal at a PETA event in Los Angeles; My job was to go down a week early to tool around on the Universal Studios back lot and spend lots of vegan dollars in order to organize rentals, source products and do all the prep for an event that I then jetted out of town for so that Chef Eric could swoop in on the day of and meet all the big name celebs attending the event. (It was my idea; he was the headline, after all. And if he did meet Paul McCartney, he never admitted it, graciously sparing me at least that bit of disappointment…Thanks, E…)

Some smaller events were also memorable—a wedding at the Palace of Fine Arts where the wind carried off half the chairs and tables, a private dinner in a home with a porous floor in the kitchen that would be ‘completely ruined by a single drop of oil’… My first experience in a synagogue; a wedding in a chalet where every single food item, table and piece of equipment had to be carried, by hand, up a sheer 20 foot narrow stone stairwell…also fun at that event, a cook read the words ‘salad greens’ on the list and packed a case of Swiss chard so that I got to drive nearly 30 miles to a grocery store to retrieve a suitable replacement while my crew set up and stalled the hosts long enough to put off the inevitable service of the first (salad) course… Fortunately the greens I found were pre-washed.

Once, I discovered that an oven didn’t work only minutes before the course that was supposed to be heating up in it was supposed to be served. At that event, I also discovered that a propane gas line can be temporarily repaired with duct tape and a latex glove. Another time, a cake cutting was arranged in the middle of a room full of anxious children whose tiny hands kept attempting to come between the cake and my rather large and very sharp knife; needless to say, I have always arranged a second SEPARATE space to cut the cake at every wedding since (don’t worry, to my knowledge no tiny digits were lost or harmed at that event, but certainly not for lack of effort.) Over time, I learned other tricks to ensure if not a seamless event, at least a less chaotic one. I developed a habit of putting a pot of water on to boil as a first step at any event (whether I needed it or not) just to make sure that at least one burner was working and to determine exactly how fast—if all else fails, I had discovered, I can do an awful lot with one good working burner. I learned to always pack a bowl and whisk, and an extra ladle, an astounding number of sauces can be pulled together at the last minute (should one be lost on, say, a porous floor?) with the help of those utensils. I learned to think on my feet, to get a lay of the land from the moment of arrival (you never knew when knowing where the can opener or, perhaps, the gas cut-off for the building was, you know, ‘just in case…’) I learned a lot, and I had a lot of fun learning it.

In fact, I could tell these stories for hours—each catering was a miniature world, a self-contained ‘instant restaurant’ sort of like a theatrical opening or a rock show—the object for me was never perfection so much as the perception of perfection; the players always miss a line on the first night, the question is, how well can you recover? I enjoyed the spontaneity, the excitement, but more than anything, I enjoyed being the boss.

You see, Eric, my boss and Chef, didn’t tag along for these events; in fact, it was pretty clear that they did not really interest him. He was certainly able to, and in fact he did quite well when he did, he just didn’t really seem to want to… This meant that although within the four walls of the Millennium kitchen I was second in command, that on each of these outings, these field trips, I was my own man. This was a feeling that was in no way wasted on me at that point in my career. That elusive position, that role I had sought since slinging tacos at La Taqueria when I was 19, the role of leader, the guy in charge, the boss. I was finally wearing the tallest toque which I had waited so long to don.

When we started the branch, I arrived with the attitude towards catering that I had always had—that sense of joy, excitement—that giddy feeling that anything could happen but that with planning and luck, everything would come out fine—so imagine my surprise to discover, almost immediately, that the joy that catering had once brought me was now completely gone.

This was not a gradual disenchantment. In fact, it was clear from the very first event we took on—the thrill was not fading, it was gone. The strange thing was that I had no idea, at least not at first, as to why. I mean, it didn’t help that one of the first events we took on at the restaurant was a total dog—we felt that it was such an honour to be asked, so soon into our new venture, to be the exclusive caterer for a brand new festival that we didn’t hesitate to accept; then we were given a set of numbers by the organizers of the event based on presumptions alone as to how much we should prepare, numbers that were well beyond anything I had encountered at Millennium, that were well beyond even the 1600 people I had managed to almost feed in the rain on the island… but the numbers, it turned out, were a fiction, a hope, an idea. But, if you couple that circumstance with the fear of running out of food brought on by my experience at the island event, (we had even signed a contract for this event promising that we would not,) as well as my inexperience with concession versus straight catering… Well, suffice it to say, that in the end, that single event very nearly broke the back of our fledgling business. We continued to pull items purchased for it out of our freezer for the better part of the following year, and dreamed up a whole new list of ways to redirect an almost overwhelming abundance of frozen salsa, beans and corn… We borrowed more money to right the ship and we plugged on, more careful and cautious than ever.

But even that, for all that would be an entirely rational reason, even that was not why I lost the thrill. In fact, in hindsight, the real reason is clear.

I already was the boss.

Catering in San Francisco had been a chance to expand, to experiment, to test, to grow. But…OK, here’s a simple way to describe it: it’s like dating; when you are young and single, why wouldn’t you want to go out with lots of different girls? (or boys, or whatever, I don’t judge…) And why not play the field? It’s no harm to attempt a connection with, let’s say, a few different ‘types’ to discover what works and what obviously doesn’t… But once you’ve found the right one… ‘the marryin’ kind’ as we would say back home; for me at least, I can only assume it is the same for others… the idea of going through all of those ultimately failed attempts again; it just doesn’t sound like the least bit of fun.

The branch kitchen is my kitchen. I have set it up, laid it out, tested it and measured it… I know exactly what it is and what it can do. I love this kitchen; I know it is not perfect, but I know every nook and cranny well, I know how fast water can come to a boil on every burner, and I know how to do everything through five years of practice, through good times and bad, (through sickness and health?) and more so than ever over the course of even these last two weeks, in which we have installed a badly needed new floor, cleaned and reorganized and installed new and amazing lights, a two week period that has completely re-introduced me to this, what has become not only one of my favourite places to be, but honestly? Something I can only describe as, perhaps, a reliable old friend…. These days, the thought of going to work somewhere else holds almost no appeal for me at all. And in hindsight, it is also probably why Eric was so content, back at Millennium, to just stand back and let me run off and go.
I don’t much care for catering anymore. These days I’m a solid guy, loyal and true. I appreciate my pleasures and am smart enough to realize that for all the work, for all the stress it has taken at times to build up this little kitchen—that one thing is certain, more and more, every week and every month, it has always felt, and continues to feel like home. I have not only gotten to know this kitchen, it has gotten to know me.

I love my little kitchen, my smoker out back makes barbecue that tastes just like Granddaddy’s did—sometimes better. My range helps me make chili and cornbread that tastes like Mom’s and sometimes even a chicken spaghetti that, even without the Velveeta, almost has me tucking a paper napkin into my shirt and reaching out for Mom’s hand to say the blessing.
I have a sign, made for me by a neat guy who helped us out a lot in putting this place together, and although I don’t get to see him much anymore, I hope he knows how much we all appreciate everything he helped us do… Anyway, he made a sign for me and gave it to me on my birthday one year, I put it up, way up high on the wall in the Branch kitchen; a wooden sign, hand-cut and hand-painted; red white and blue—the word ‘Texas’ is emblazoned on it in big, bold letters. When new cooks walk into the Branch kitchen for the first time, I like to point up to it and say “See that? Once you’re in here, you’re on my turf. It’s Canada out there, but in here, you’re in Texas.” In here, you’re in my home.

Home-well.

--Chef Bruce

Starting this week, the Branch Restaurant is changing its name to the Branch Restaurant and Texas Grill.

Newsletter January 2012

2012-01-12T21:35:00.000-08:00

Attention Branch Eaters! (Koalas?)

Starting this weekend, and next week, Nicole and I are officially writing the next chapter of ‘The Little Restaurant That Could’... We are, it turns out, exactly where we want to be, where we want to stay, and ready to take the reins and try something new.

It has already started to happen; the spaghetti, you may have noticed, has disappeared…as has the stir-fry. We will always stay true to our love of locally sourced and organic foods—but it is time to take the leap and to make a change that has been a long time coming official at last! As of this weekend, and evolving over the next few weeks and months, ‘The Branch Restaurant’ will become what it was probably always meant to be ‘The Branch Restaurant and Texas Grill.’

This change is not just nominal. The fact is that over the course of my career I have come to realize that no matter what food I handle; I always revert to what I call ‘Tex-nique’: applying flavour combinations and cooking methods that inevitably hail back to some delectable morsel from my mother’s table or some other favourite meal or snack from my childhood…and even from the first month at the Branch, it seems that my preparations that revisit those moments carry with them the most resonance—plates like our nachos, our ‘Austin City Limits’ which is a sort of Texas style bbq mixed grill, or other items like our authentic fajitas or enchiladas that get requested so frequently that I am forced to make them into signature items…But as of now…with a new look and a new attitude, we are ready to make it official—we are ready to make it real.

We will still be North Grenville’s (Ottawa South’s?) premiere live music venue, but even more so—in true Austin style, we will now be bringing you music 5 days a week, kicking off every Wednesday at 8pm with a Beau’s Beer sponsored ‘College Night’ (there is a $5 cover, but students with an i.d. get in free in January…) featuring ‘Hot Country’ covers with The Exes along with pitchers, specials on nachos and other munchies, and even with door prizes provided by Beau’s All Natural (don’t worry, college kids of all ages are welcome)…Thursday night shows will include regular appearance by Keith Glass (on the first Thursday of every month) and a Songwriters Circle (on the last Thursday) hosted by yours truly. Fridays will still be the domain of the two and only Frank Western and Birdie Whyte, Sundays will continue to feature our Rubber Boots buffet and Open Mike. Saturdays will be a home for some of the best music anywhere with some real marquee names like Jim Bryson, Cuff the Duke and Danny Michel already booked in before summer!

Our new menu will feature at least three types of real Texas wood-fired bbq by the sandwich, plate, or even by the pound…we will still have our famous fajitas and enchiladas, but we’ll also have some new features like jalapeno-cheese fritters and a dinner sized Fajita Salad or a big bowl of Texas style chili. Vegetarians and gluten sensitive folks have no need to worry about the new menu as we’ll still have lots of choices for you as well. Our seasonal specials will also still rotate regularly—staying in the Texan theme, sometimes, but giving us a little room to colour outside the lines as well.

As you may have noticed, the Branch has been closed for the last two weeks in anticipation of these changes and to give us a chance to do some long overdue kitchen renovations—but the good news that the renos are ahead of schedule and in fact, the crew is so excited to try out serving the new menu that we are re-opening even earlier than we had planned in order to give everyone a head start on trying out our new Texas Grill menu goodies! Reserve now for this Saturday night and come out to hear local favourites the Standby Brothers performing a pile of harmonious covers and even some choice and catchy original tunes! Barbecarmony! We will also be open Sunday for our Rubber Boots Buffet from 2-8pm and how about some Chef Bruce’e Loose and Juicy Jams for all of our Branch deprived pals? That’s happening from 3-6pm, and anyone and everyone is welcome to bring down a guitar, bassoon or marimba, pan pipes, or even just your own pipes (etc…) and to join right in with all the fun!

January Music:

Wednesdays January 18 & 25, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company presents: College Night at the Branch, featuring Hot Country with The Exes, $5, free with Student i.d.: it’s the ‘College Night’ premiere with The Exes, featuring Kim (Yes, That Kim) coming out from behind the bar to show off her singing chops, if you haven’t heard her yet at one of our open stages, you’re missing out, come out the Wednesday and prepare to be wowed…

Thursday, January 19th, Petunia, 9pm $10; Spending the early part of his career playing on every major street corner, subway station and park bench in Canada (and NY city), picking, grinning and singing for his living, Petunia has been a regular on the Canadian touring circuit for many years now. He plays 150 shows/ year all over Canada and has begun touring into the USA, with his band out of Vancouver, "The Vipers".…he has a unique, surreal style all of his own…his live performances have been likened to an Avant-Country night club scene from a David Lynch movie.

Fridays, January 20 & 27; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western and Birdie Whyte are the dynamic duo, the tune-ular twosome, the corporeal couple, the magnificent mates…they are what happen one and one are added to become not two but two times two times two….which is a number that is significantly higher than two. Obviously. Come see them.

Saturday, January 21; Chris Brown, 9pm $12: Chris Brown formerly of The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir and (briefly) the Barenaked Ladies and currently with The Open Hearts Society is back—last time he popped into town, he snuck his friend Sarah Harmer in with him and she helped him out for a brief but beautiful 3 song set… bet you wish you’d caught that! He is well worth the visit, his organ styling’s as well as his guitar based originals are catchy, soulful, complex and bear up under repeated listening’s…This guy is a true Canadian original and well worth the visit, in fact don’t believe me, listen to these folks: here’s an abbreviated list of folks with whom Chris has collaborated over the years: Sarah Harmer, Ani DiFranco, Ashley MacIsaac, Barenaked Ladies, Big Sugar, Crash Test Dummies, Christian Doscher, DJ Logic, Hermine Deurloo, Jason Collett, Rosanna Goodman, Kate Fenner, Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, Natasha Alexandra (NLX), Po' Girl, Propagandhi, The Tragically Hip, Tom Jones… and more! Chris is a legend, please don’t miss this show, did I mention that he is also, enthusiastically ‘Abigail approved’?

Sunday, January 22, 3-6pm, free! Elvis Presley Birthday Tribute Open Stage, everyone is welcome to come out and sing their favourite Elvis songs…sideburns are not required, extreme pelvis movement is, however, highly recommended…

Saturday, January 28; Amanda Rheaume, 9pm, $5; This is Amanda’s first branch show, but judging by the early buzz around this one, it won’t be the last—Amanda is a beautiful Ottawa based singer-songwriter and will be bringing a band along to help her out—the following was cribbed from her website: “…Rheaume is a powerful vocalist with just a touch of grit and an instantly-accessible roots-pop-Americana sound -- has been a pillar of her local Ottawa music scene for about a decade now. A $40,000 winner in Live 88.5’s 2008 Big Money Shot competition, Rheaume is not only a regular at local festivals and joints like the Rainbow Bistro, she has also distinguished herself as one of the city’s, if not the country’s, most selflessly giving musicians. She organizes Ottawa’s Bluebird North songwriter showcases, she participated in the Babes for Breasts tour to raise money for breast cancer, she recorded a charity Christmas EP for Boys and Girls club of Ottawa – selling 6500 copies just in Ottawa, she donated a dollar from each album sold during her last tour to a fund for the families of military personnel, and she’s even performed for the troops in Afghanistan…twice.”

Hibernation...

2012-01-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

As a reminder...the branch is closed for regular service from January 2 through January 17th.

We will re-open for lunch on Tuesday, January 17th at 11:30 am.

Six Flags

2011-12-31T03:28:00.000-08:00

Here's the working copy of tonight's menu...thought you might enjoy it!

New Year’s Eve 2011-12

Texas, my home state, like many other lands in the ‘Americas’ has spent much of its history under the flags of different sovereign nations; many of which still exist, some which do not. It began as a Spanish colony, then French, then Mexican; before becoming an independent nation in its own right; it then existed as a member of the United States, and then briefly as a member of the Confederate states before joining the United States once again. Each of these eras and peoples brought with it a culture and each culture its food. Tonight’s menu will present our take on traditional foods from each of these differing cultures in turn, all under the shadow of a seventh flag, the Maple Leaf, as we express each course using lots of Canada’s amazing local foods.

Spain:

Tapas; a mixed plate of small bites to be shared in the tradition of bar snacks served on the Spanish coastline, they are presented on small plates or tops (tapas) to keep the flies out of the wine…tonight’s selection includes dates stuffed with local goat’s cheese, white anchovies, smoked trout devilled quail eggs, spicy house-smoked chorizo sausage, prosciutto with pickled beets and beef pate in pastry.

France:

Soupe a L’oignon: (…naturally…) local leeks, yellow and red onions all sliced thin and caramelized in a rich wild mushroom broth, served with crouton, melted local Swiss cheese and a drop each of ice wine and white truffle oil.

The Confederate States:

Butter Poached Lobster ‘Shrimp and Grits’: This tribute to a favourite from the ‘low country’ cuisine of the American South actually contains neither shrimp nor grits…instead we are presenting an homage to that dish using a half of a Canadian lobster, poached in butter, and presented with a corn soufflé, an arugula salad and a green remoulade.

Mexico:

Sorbete Banderas: this palate cleansing intermezzo sorbet will be presented with not only classic Mexican flavours of avocados, cinnamon and hot peppers, the presentation itself will remind diners of the three colours of the Mexican ‘banderas’ or, in other words, flag.

The Republic of Texas:

Venison ‘Chicken Fried Steak’: This course is also a tribute, not the real thing; standing in for beef cube steak will be choice cuts of venison from Trillium Farm in a tempura style batter with a bourbon-peppercorn buerre blanc, a twice baked potato with bacon and blue cheese and an assortment of seasonal veggies.

or

Nicole’s Texas Chicken Casserole: A trio with a breast roulade stuffed with pecans, a white bean cassoulet with confit ‘dark meat’ and a bbq winglet.

The United States, aka: “‘Merica”:

Apple Pie and Cheese: (…what could be more American?) An individual pie made with McIntosh apples and a last chance to enjoy Richard and Sylvie’s famous and now retired Tomme de Gaston.

Just announced, Mark Beach this Friday for New Years Eve-eve!

2011-12-27T16:01:00.001-08:00

Local boy made good, Mark Beach, is home for the holidays and to record a solo album--and we are more than thrilled to announce that he will be in for a 'welcome home' show this Friday at 7pm...Mark, as you may remember, was the front man for local 70s, 80s and 90s rock cover band favourites, The Creeeps, but Mark is also a talented songwriter in his own right with influences ranging from indie to classic rock to folk, pop and these days; what sounds like more than just a taste of what I can only describe as experimental electronic ambient guitar music, or as he puts it: "music [that] blends the organic and the electronic into a soothing but dramatic auditory soundscape"...I am excited to see which side of Mark we'll get to enjoy on Friday, but I am sure that folks who like local favourites like David Martel, Ben Mullin and/or Barn, Mark's brother or sister Simon and Laura Beach, or even more modern, larger names like Fleet Foxes or Bon Iver will most likely love Mark's style, taste and delivery...so that's this Friday at 7pm and it's free!!

David Celia Tonight! Also, New Years' Eve, Hair of the Dog...

2011-12-27T10:23:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks, hope everyone had a merry happy! Don't forget our 'Buy One Get One Free' special is still on this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday...Just print this page, sign it, write your email address on it and hand it to your server; then buy one entree and receive a second one of equal or lesser value for free! This offer is not valid in combination with other specials and expires after Thursday.

Tuesday, December 27: David Celia, 8pm, $6. Tonight, we are pleased to host David Celia; he is '...as restorative as a cool fresh waterfall,', he displays 'excellent musicianship…elegant and melodic' (Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy) A recent German review calls Celia 'completely charmful…contemplative…wonderful atmosphere..you will like him immediately..like a warm embrace from a good friend' (rock e-zine, Berlin). 'David Celia is one of the best talents to hit Merseyside from North America' (Alex McKechnie, Cavern Club,Liverpool).

Roots-pop with hints of folk and perhaps some country vibes and a little rockin', David’s classicism manages to naturally and effortlessly, cross genres and ages. Toddlers, adults, lovers of folk music and fans of pop music are all equally charmed. Fellow ‘music heads’ are impressed by his musicianship and craftsmanship,as is evidenced by friends & guests appearing on 'This Isn’t Here' (his most recent album),including Dave Clark’s Neil Young inspired drumming (Rheostatics,Gord Downie Band), Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith), Joan Besen (Prairie Oyster), Jenny Mitchell aka, Jenny Omnichord on banjo, (Barmitzvah Brothers) and Bob Wiseman (Bob Wiseman) on Casio keyboard, the inspiration behind a track or two.

You may catch wisps of such diverse influences as Wilco, Buddy Holly, Blue Rodeo, Bob Dylan, Todd Rundgren and George Harrison, but ultimately, 'This Isn’t Here' is 100 % David Celia: charming, whimsical, hopeful and optimistic. 'Look at this world; I can’t believe that it’s still happening…we must be doing something right'. This album speaks of what matters most, to most of us: love, hope, family, friends, 'staying on your path', recognizing your blessings and heck, plain old fun.

So there's David's story (mostly cribbed from his website, I'll admit) he's a fun guy, sweet and talented, and he'll be here singing for his supper tonight...I'll be here also...how about you? Check out this video:

Fun stuff, ain't it? See you tonight!

Saturday, December 31: New Years' Eve at the branch featuring the Frank and Birdie Trio and a menu with the theme 'Six Flags of Texas' ...This event is currently sold out, call only if you'd like to be added to the waiting list.

***Please note, there will be no lunch service this Saturday!***

Sunday, January 1: 'Hair of the Dog' Open Stage hosted by John and Terry Brewer, 2-6pm, free. John and Terry, the inspiration behind and the originators of our Sunday Open Stage are back to host their annual New Years Day Open Stage from 2-6pm. These two started hosting open stages at our location a decade ago, when this place was still Amanda's Slip, the restaurant that preceded us. This is the fifth annual 'Hair of the Dog' version, held every New Years Day, even some that have required more than a shovelful of effort to get to, these 'must attend' yearly events are the perfect way to nurse that New Years Eve hangover with a bit more of the same, and are also one last chance to enjoy branch food, specifically our famous Rubber Boots Buffet before we close up shop for our annual 2 week hibernation. The music will be on from 2-6pm ('or so', as usual...)and the buffet will be served from 2-8pm; the revelry, fun and the wild, happy, official start to the New Year will be served up all day long!

the branch will be closed from January 2 until January 16 for rest, repairs and recuperation, See you on the 17th!

Merry Christmas-ness

2011-12-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

All of us at the branch would like to wish you and your families, clubs, crews, gangs or whatever a happy holiday of your choosing under the seasonal banner of Christmas and/or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Amaterasu, Beiwe, Maidyarem, Hogmanay, Montol, Saturnalia, or whatever solstice celebration your faith, creed, culture, ethnicity or choice may have bequeathed and/or require of you. Have a season! Greetings! Merry! Holiday! I have included a link to my own Christmas tune here for your listening pleasure--it is a song I wrote about three years ago and finally got around to recording last Friday with my pals Ben Mullin and Steve Pelehos, aka 'The Belarus Racing Team'. Enjoy!

The branch will be closed this Saturday, Sunday and Monday December 24th, 25th and 26th for the holiday and will re-open next Tuesday, December 27th and resume our regular hours all next week.

This week: don't forget our Buy, One Get One Free Entree (of equal or lesser value) special for our online friends on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights for this week and next...just quickly print out this page and jot down your name and email address on it somewhere and hand it to your server. Remember, it is not available with any other offer or special and it expires at the end of the month.

Thursday, December 22: Steve Parisien, Jazz Guitar, 8pm, no cover. Steve is a local talent like few others, here is a note from Steve, describing what he does:

Thank you for joining me and experiencing some of my musical ideas. Let me tell you a little about myself. I started in music by learning the piano at the age of five. My father had a music business, so I had the fortunate opportunity to learn other instruments along the way. Of those, the guitar was the instrument I enjoyed the most. After taking some formal lessons on classical guitar I pursued my love of jazz and for a short time played locally in the Ottawa area. Other pursuits in my father's business and later my own business in the music field kept me away from playing for a number of years. However, about five years ago my interest in playing was rekindled and recently after being pushed by fellow musicians, I came out with my first album 'Bright Start'. It's a collection of musical ideas that I hope you enjoy.
...Steve

Steve always puts on a good show, and I hope you'll come spend some time with him this Thursday!

Friday, December 23: Frank Western and Birdie Whyte, 7pm, no cover. It's Friday again, and this Friday is even Christmas eve-eve...to me that sounds like a good excuse to hear Kemptville's, nèe, Canada's(!) favourite playing, singing, slide guitar and banjo couple/musical duo. That live in Kemptville. I would challenge anyone to disprove that...but you would lose, and I? I would laugh at your loss, haHA! haHA! haHA! (Because that's how I laugh when other people lose...) But I wouldn't laugh too hard or too long because that would be silly. So come out on Friday, would you? It will be the best Christmas eve-eve you've ever had at a Frank and Birdie show at the branch. Unquestionably.

While we're here, don't forget about this:

Tuesday, December 27: David Celia, 8pm, $6. David Celia is '...as restorative as a cool fresh waterfall,', he displays 'excellent musicianship…elegant and melodic' (Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy) A recent German review calls Celia 'completely charmful…contemplative…wonderful atmosphere..you will like him immediately..like a warm embrace from a good friend' (rock e-zine, Berlin). 'David Celia is one of the best talents to hit Merseyside from North America' (Alex McKechnie, Cavern Club,Liverpool).

Roots-pop with hints of folk and perhaps some country vibes and a little rockin', David’s classicism manages to naturally and effortlessly, cross genres and ages. Toddlers, adults, lovers of folk music and fans of pop music are all equally charmed.
Fellow ‘music heads’ are impressed by his musiciansip and craftsmanship,as is evidenced by friends & guests appearing on 'This Isn’t Here' (his most recent album),including Dave Clark’s Neil Young inspired drumming (Rheostatics,Gord Downie Band), Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith), Joan Besen (Prairie Oyster), Jenny Mitchellaka, Jenny Omnichord on banjo, (Barmitzvah Brothers) and Bob Wiseman (Bob Wiseman) on Casio keyboard, the inspiration behind a track or two.

You may catch wisps of such diverse influences as Wilco, Buddy Holly, Blue Rodeo, Bob Dylan, Todd Rundgren and George Harrison, but ultimately, 'This Isn’t Here' is 100 % David Celia: charming, whimsical, hopeful and optimistic. 'Look at this world; I can’t believe that it’s still happening…we must be doing something right'. This album speaks of what matters most, to most of us: love, hope, family, friends, 'staying on your path', recognizing your blessings and heck, plain old fun.

So there's David's story (mostly cribbed from his website, I'll admit) he's a fun guy, sweet and talented, and he'll be here singing for his supper next Tuesday...I'll be there also...how about you?

Well Folks, Here it is...

2011-12-14T21:28:00.001-08:00

Anne DesBrisay's review of our Rubber Boots Buffet is here

Not 'Yikes', anymore...now it's 'Hooray!' Christo Graham Show this Saturday Night!

2011-12-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

As we mentioned earlier, a last minute cancellation for Saturday (December 17th) means that we are now, in fact, open for business! A private party that was planned for this Saturday just had to change plans on short notice--leaving us with a dining room to fill at the last minute... lots of spots for all you folks we've been saying no to for the last couple of weeks--Call now! Let's make it happen!

Music will be provided by branch favorite Christopher Graham who has gracefully stepped in on short notice to bring his wonderful eclectic original style to our stage for the first time as the headline act since he left for university earlier this year! Christopher is a natural talent, he's recorded and released 3 complete albums before his 20 th birthday, as well as a recent ep of Disney cover songs...he is an inspired multi-instrumentalist and singer that seems born with that rare ability to enrapture a room one minute with heartfelt emotion, before sending it off in to fits of laughter the next. Let's help him fill the room for this last minute 'week before Christmas' appearance!

The show starts at 9pm, and is just $5.

Kate Weekes and Grant Simpson, Frank and Birdie, Christmas Carol Sing-along!

2011-12-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

Thursday December 15, Grant Simpson and Kate Weekes, 9pm, $10: Who, you may be asking yourself, just who are these Yukonians playing at the branch this Thursday? Well, let me tell you: Grant Simpson is a well seasoned pro, he's been at it for over 30 years starting out by studying classical piano and guitar in his teens, (it's obvious that he really knows his way around his instruments) and nowadays leaning more towards traditional jazz (stride piano), blues and folk--he brings that upbeat style to some fun, crafty and swingin' originals, most recently on a duo record 'Beneath the Yukon Moon' with another talented musician who also happens to have some local pedigree: Kate Weekes comes by her musical chops naturally, born into a Perth area musical family, she hitchhiked across Canada in her teens and landed in the Yukon, where she has apparently also become fairly well known as a dog musher...I'm from Texas, so I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I presume it's a good thing, since folks seem to be pretty pleased about it...the point is, they are both a couple of those travelling, picking (banjo and guitar), plinking, (piano-ing?) singing, songwriting characters that always, eventually seem to find their way to the branch at some point and we couldn't be more pleased to host them this Thursday; Nicole and I booked them within a few minutes of watching this video linked below and I expect you'll book a spot for yourself once you do the same!

That's this Thursday, December 15 at 9pm, $10

Friday, December 16, Frank Western and Birdie Whyte, 7pm, free! That's right, this Friday, Frank and Birdie are back! Frank Western, as you may know, is God's gift to women. Or woman. OK, to Birdie Whyte. Possibly a gag gift. (wink...) Frank and Birdie play a sweet mix of old time, country, folk, blues, choice covers by folks like Johns Prine, Gillian Welch and Lyle Lovett, and originals by, well, Frank Western and Birdie Whyte. And maybe some by some guy named John Carroll. If yer lucky...

Saturday, December 17th, open for service, music TBA

Sunday, December 18; Fifth Annual Free Buffet and Christmas Carol Sing-along (to benefit the Salvation Army), 2-8pm: 'Pay what you can, pay with a can' is the rule of the day at this annual event where we encourage the community to come out and bring some non-perishables, eat some turkey, sing some harmonies and enjoy an afternoon at the branch on us (...cash bar excepted, naturally...) The event kicks off at 2pm and the singing starts at 3 and we'll keep it going until we run out of songs or turkey, whichever comes first. A $10 donation to the Salvation Army Food Bank is suggested, and/or some non-perishable food items, gifts or toys; the branch is accepting vegetable and dessert donations for the buffet as well, just call me (Chef Bruce) at 258-3737 if you want to pitch in...

Classic. Just Classic.

2011-12-05T11:57:00.001-08:00

PLEASE NOTE: the branch will be closed for regular dinner service this Friday, December 9; as we are fully booked for a Private Function...we are sorry for any inconvenience...

Saturday, December 10: Works by Franz Liszt, 8pm, $25...this Saturday, the branch is extremely proud to host a concert featuring works by the composer Franz Liszt; the concert, performed by mezzo soprano Lindsey Sikora and pianist Ryan Phelps, will feature both solo and vocal works by Liszt including the Massive Piano Sonata in B- often considered Liszt's greatest work.

Franz Liszt was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher who became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age. In the 1840s he was considered by some to be perhaps the greatest pianist of all time. He was also a well-known composer, piano teacher, and conductor. He was a benefactor to other composers, including Richard Wagner, Hector Berlioz, Camille Saint-Saëns, Edvard Grieg and Alexander Borodin.

As a composer, Liszt was one of the most prominent representatives of the "Neudeutsche Schule" ("New German School"). He left behind an extensive and diverse body of work in which he influenced his forward-looking contemporaries and anticipated some 20th-century ideas and trends. Some of his most notable contributions were the invention of the symphonic poem, developing the concept of thematic transformation as part of his experiments in musical form and making radical departures in harmony.

Lindsey Sikora is in the first year of her MMUs at the University of Ottawa with Professor Ingemar Korjus. She has a Performer’s Certificate from The King’s University College, where she studied with Elizabeth Raycroft, and is a graduate of the University of Alberta of Alberta. She has been the recipient of scholarships from the Johann Strauss and Anne Burrows Foundations, enabling her to travel to Austria and to participate in Opera NUOVA, and was the winner of the Northern Alberta Concerto Competition for voice (2006). She toured with Opera NUOVA with their production of Dean Burry's children's opera Isis and the Seven Scorpions. Other roles include Mrs. McLean from Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, Miss Todd from Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief and Edith from Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance.

Ryan Phelps was born in Calgary, Alberta in 1980. He began his piano studies at the age of 11 with Sue Norloos in Dutton, Ontario and immediately fell in love with the study and challenge of music. He completed his Honours Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Western Ontario studying under Tina Yanchus and then under James Hibbard in 2004. He also holds an Associate in Piano Performance from Trinity College London, U.K. He continued studies for the last 6 years with Ron Turini, a student of the late Vladimir Horowitz. Ryan has also studied with Richard Raymond and Jean Paul Seville and participated in Master Classes with Cecile Ouset and Stephane Lemelin. He has won many prizes and scholarships from the Kiwanis Music Festival and other competitions in Ontario including the Silver Tray from the Rotary Music Competition. He has represented London twice at the Provincial Piano Finals. Ryan is currently working on his Masters Degree in Piano Performance at the University of Ottawa studying under Andrew Tunis.

Ryan will also be also hosting a Classical version of the Sunday Open Stage from 3-6pm on Sunday, December 11: the Rubber Boots Buffet will be served from 2 until 8pm.

Ariana Gillis! Keith Glass! Burning Sensations! A Benefit For Luke!

2011-11-28T09:14:00.001-08:00

Thursday, December 1: Keith Glass, 8pm, free! Our favourite legendary Prairie Oyster guitarist and songsmith will be on hand to pick, grin, sing, dance (if necessary) and deliver an all around swell time, for all of y'all who are willing to come on out for his recently regular 'First Thursday' showcase. He's got a choice selection of covers, some award winning and critically acclaimed (many times over) originals and one of those warm, funny and magnetic personalities that just makes you want to hang out with him. So this, my friends, is your chance to do just that!

Friday, December 2: Chef Bruce and the Burning Sensations, 7pm, free! This week, Frank Western and Birdie Whyte are away on a mission from God to save the earth from total annihilation; So, after much deliberation, I've decided to re-assemble my team of famous avengers and to protect our home, the branch, from the possibly even more dangerous spectre of a silent, Frank and Birdie-less Friday night. We can only hope that it is not already too late--come out and lend your support, it may be our only chance to even survive! Actually, come to think of it, I think Frank just needed to get a guitar fixed in Toronto or something...but, you know, pretty much the same thing...

Saturday, December 3: Ariana Gillis, 9pm, $15.

"I'm staggered by how good she is. There is not much that impresses me these
days but after hearing her available tracks I can honestly say she's the single
most exciting thing I've heard in a very long time."
– Bernie Taupin, Elton John's lyricist

"Ariana Gillis is the best new emerging artist anywhere, PERIOD!"
– Dave Marsh, best selling author, former music critic of
Rolling Stone Magazine & Creem Magazine.

Umm...I can't really top that sales pitch...book soon, this is already close to being sold out...

Sunday, December 4: Benefit for Luke Hyland, Buffet 2-8pm, Open Stage, 3-6 1/2 of today's food sales will be donated to offset costs related to medical care for Luke Hyland, a tough little four year old who was recently diagnosed with leukemia...Jason Hyland (his pop) and Bob Hogg (his Grandpop) are the guys at Mountain Path that have kept organic pantry goods on the shelf at the branch for the last five years--now they need a hand from us--let's all pitch in and make this a big event, do it for Luke!

There will also be an open stage for music from 3 until 6pm or so...sign up at the event; first come, first served...

Groupon FYI

2011-11-22T09:43:00.001-08:00

We will honour expired Groupons at face value on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights...

Things to do on a branch this week!

2011-11-21T08:32:00.001-08:00

BBQ! Fajitas! Beer! Live Music!

Come to the branch every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night to enjoy our weeknight specials designed especially for you!

Students: Enjoy our famous 'Austin City Limits' on a bun for $9.99, that's house-smoked beef brisket, choice of BBQ sauce, slaw, beans, onion, even a house-made pickle! Take it to go or stay and wash it down with our local microbrewed beers, now available by the pitcher, and enjoy our warm, comfortable atmosphere and Eastern Ontario's best music!

Families: Fajitas for four for $44.44--enough for the whole crew and you! Piles of freshly grilled and sliced skirt steak, peppers, onions, cheese, tortillas, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, jalapenos and lettuce; even complimentary chips and salsa to start your night! Take it to go for no extra charge...

Music this Week:

Thursday, November 24: The Fred Pauze Quartet, 9pm, $8... Jazz fans, rejoice and spread the word! This Montreal based Jazz quartet joined our November schedule after a surprise email from the guitarist, Nick Di Giovanni...hmmm, why do I know that name? He’s the guy who knocked your socks off playing with David Martel, that’s why!! Nick Di Giovanni-guitar, Fred Pauze-bass, Samuel Blais-saxophone and a drummer TBA...

Friday, November 25: Frank Western and Birdie Whyte are not just another banjo and slide guitar duo burning up the stages with their unique mix of original tunes as well as select old-time, folk, roots-y blues and country covers...They also love you for who you really are and aren't afraid to show it. And they smell nice, too, most of the time, anyway...come 'n see'em! 7pm, no cover...

Saturday, November 26: PLEASE NOTE, THE BRANCH WILL BE CLOSED FOR LUNCH AND DINNER SERVICE ON SATURDAY TO HOST A VERY SPECIAL PRIVATE EVENT...SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE...

Sunday, November 27: Classic Open Stage, 3 songs each, everyone is welcome! 3-6pm; Enjoy it with our famous Rubber Boots Buffet served from 2 until 8...

tonight's specials!

2011-11-19T12:40:00.001-08:00

appetizers:

corn fritters...beer batter, sweet corn, maple-bacon vinaigrette $8.99

black bean hummus...veggies, bread, corn chips $7.99

warm spinach salad...house-smoked portobello mushrooms, goat’s cheese, red onion, garlic, cider-maple vinaigrette $7.99

entrées:

bbq pork ribs...local, natural, house seasoned & smoked, choice of spicy texas or canadian maple bbq sauce, potato salad, coleslaw, pickles, onions, beans & cornbread $22.99
includes choice of small green salad or small soup of the day

pumpkin patch chicken...morsels of herb roasted chicken, savoury bread pudding, ice-wine béchamel, sweet-hot fruit chutney, greens $23.99
includes choice of small green salad or small soup of the day

This Week at the Bee-ranch...

2011-11-14T08:36:00.001-08:00

November Artist: Henriette Savage

2011-11-09T19:30:00.001-08:00

Henriette Savage...oil on canvas; the following bio was provided by the artist:
“I came to art late in life entering art school in my 40s. After three glorious years in school experimenting to my heart's content, I graduated to find my own path.
Oil became my preferred medium. The colour, richness, viscosity, and ease of manipulation inherent in oil have given artists the tools to reflect their points of view. I have joined their company.
There is so much to see and so much to do. What I have discovered since art school is that I have only begun. In the time left to me, I want to explore the limits of both oil and canvas, realism, and abstraction. I want to study the human form from newborn through to the aged.
There is no limit to art and it is all fun!”

'sweet, happy restaurant seeks amazing landlord...'

2011-11-09T19:28:00.001-08:00

Just so everyone knows, (and in case you've heard the rumours...) yes, our beautiful heritage building at 15 Clothier Street East in Kemptville is on the market. If you or anyone you know is looking for an investment property please follow/share this link: http://www.icx.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?&PropertyId=11232331&PidKey=-299270423 . Please note: the business is not for sale - only the building...the branch would love nothing more than to be here for many, many years to come...(hear that, prospective landlord?)

A Trip Back Home Part 2: Fired Up and Fired…

2011-11-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

The way I heard the story, Donny had paid for his first restaurant by selling cocaine to professors at Texas A&M in the early 80s. It was, I’m sure, just mythology, but I was 18 at the time, a bit of a wild card myself, and, far from slanderous, it made him sound like some sort of counterculture anti-hero, like a pirate, a buccaneer, an outlaw. The job was amazing. I came there from Red Lobster and from McDonalds before that, all told, less than a year of my life, but my first year in the industry (outside of my folk’s place, which had been gone for several years at that point…). Donny’s restaurant, ’La Taqueria’ (the taco factory), was the Tex-Mex joint where I ended up spending my second. It was cheap, fast and spicy and was marketed directly to 70,000-plus college students, most of whom lived within walking distance of our tiny, walk-up window with a patio and seating for maybe 30 or 40 folks inside. We sold tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas… and margaritas and beer, LOTS of margaritas and beer. The guys and gals who worked at ‘La Taq’ (as we called it) were college kids as well; part-time, on their way somewhere else: to other jobs, other lives, the military (A&M is home to a massive ROTC program, locally referred to as ‘the corps’), maybe even to bigger and better kitchens… The restaurant was housed in a run-down old home; the kitchen was divided into four areas, a prep room, a walk-in refrigerator, a tortilla factory and ‘the hot line’. The line was in the foyer of the old house, a literal hallway filled with five or six large gas appliances, cranked up to full fire, and at peak service (this place was very busy) at least four cooks. In Texas. Without AC. It was a HOT line.

I never really knew Donny, the owner. He was more myth than man from where I stood. He hired me and interviewed me, and I saw him from time to time wandering from building to building in the neighbourhood... He had started his miniature empire with a burger place kitty-cornered across a parking lot from our location (The Deluxe), and when I worked for him, he was spending most of his time at ‘Café Eccell’ his new, somewhat nicer place across the street. Lots of the folks who worked with me had worked for Donny for years, moving freely among the three restaurants, and those that knew him well seemed afflicted with an earnest loyalty; they knew, unlike me at the time, that this thing he had created was a special sort of job. That a creative space that made everything from scratch, working with real ingredients, in a loose, casual atmosphere was a bit of a gift… It is, in fact, the exact kind of job I’ve been looking for, and more recently, looking to create, ever since he fired me. Not that I didn’t deserve it…

I was hired as a prep cook, and my first job was frying cornchips. I would stand over the fryer for two solid hours a morning, rotating quartered fresh corn tortillas through the grease, and frying them until they were crisp but intact…not burnt, not chewy, just… right. There was no timer for this, no premeasured quantity, just the learned art of the light but not too light touch… I would then turn the crisp chips out into buckets, salt them and bag them. Much of our business was selling fresh tortillas and tortilla chips in bulk for takeout and walk-up customers. I stood next to the flour tortilla maker, Steve, who would produce hundreds of tortillas from scratch every day out of what seemed like a bit of magic to me, especially after the year previous which I had spent removing pre-breaded and pre-measured frozen foods from plastic packaging and placing them into deep fryers for mechanically pre-determined periods of time. Steve weighed out each batch of ingredients on a triple beam scale, like the ones we used to use in science class, then mixed it in a giant 20 qt. mixer; he then cut, rolled and flattened each ball of dough with a series of practiced motions and a couple of purpose built machines, finishing each batch of a couple dozen flatbread masterpieces by flipping them in a precise ballet that involved attention, focus, an offset spatula and a flat-top grill. I seem to remember that the occasional ball of tortilla dough ‘fell’ into my fryer, found its way into a bowl filled with a little cinnamon sugar (kept around for precisely this purpose), and emerged as a perfect doughnut…Mmmm. The back room was populated with older Mexican ladies who mothered the rest of us and taught us the simple visceral pleasure of fresh guacamole on a warm handmade corn tortilla, food fit for a king. Maybe a god. I also remember that they would sometimes sequester a section of the flat-top to toast up a handful of ancho chilies before grinding them and sprinkling the resulting flakes onto fruit or their tacos at lunchtime. I learned how to work at each station in the back over the course of a few months, even that mystic art of scratch tortilla making under the patient instruction of my sensai, Steve. I could also never forget the incredible task of standing on a step-stool over a steam kettle filled with twenty gallons of bubbling pinto beans, armed with a 3 foot paint stirrer on a power-drill, whipping in handfuls of lard to produce enormous quantities of that Tex-Mex staple: refried beans. I remember what still seems like must have been a dream, the regular job of removing stems from a 25 pound sack of jalapenos before feeding them into a ‘buffalo chopper’; an action that literally required the use of an old-fashioned gas-mask like the ones you’d see on Hogan’s Heroes. I remember making guacamole, queso, chorizo, flautas, carne guisada, pollo asada, salsa, salsa ranchero, salsa verde and marinating pounds and pounds of chicken and beef skirt steak. Each new job was a rung on a ladder leading one place, and once I learned each station in the back, mastered each level in order, I moved up to the next, and then the next, and at the top? I eventually found my home, a place I have lived for most of my adult life since: that sweaty, noisy room, that blast furnace, the place where everything happens, the place where all of that prep ended up on its way out, through our hands and through a window, out to the rest of the world. The hot line. My first real hot line. Eventually, I found that space and I fell in love.

I think that I’ll have a hard time trying to explain the rationale for loving line cooking to someone who has never done it. It is not easy, but it is certainly fun. First I’ll explain what we do… OK, start by imagining that you are cooking supper. OK, now imagine cooking supper for 30 people or maybe 50 people. Now imagine that everyone, all 30 or 50 of those people, wants something either just slightly different and/or completely different from the person next to them. Now, imagine that they are all in a really big hurry. OK, now add to this, the people (3 or 4 of them) telling you what each of these people wants is young and attractive, yes, but also just slightly, how shall we put this? From down on the more ‘dramatic’ end of that long, wonderful spectrum of human personalities… and that those 3 or 4 ‘dramatists’ are also not necessarily emotionally prepared for the fact that when they tell you what each person wants that you may not be able, THIS INSTANT, to give each of those people exactly what they want. OK, are you starting to picture it? Now imagine that the entire event is happening in a room that would blister the skin off a bell pepper. Yeah, that’s kind of what we do. Every day. Like I said, it is not necessarily easy. But, believe it or not, it is also fun. The fun, as you can probably imagine, is not in the work, it is in the successful execution and, perhaps more accurately, it is in the buzz. There is a state that a line cook, in an ideal setting, achieves; an adrenaline high that comes on in the busy times on a well-stocked and organized line that is a feeling that is satisfying like few other experiences… I have never been a sports guy, but I imagine that ‘the zone’ described by athletes, or the ‘runner’s high’ might compare. I’ve had similar experiences jumping off rope swings or cliffs at swimming holes, racing around a sharp corner on a motorcycle, or even eating habanero chillies, and I suppose a skydiver would probably know what I mean, but I’ll probably never know that for sure (I crave adrenaline, but hey, you gotta draw the line somewhere!). Heck, maybe everyone has these moments in their work, the moment where everything is awake, alive, when you reach for something the moment it arrives, when everything is right where you put it, when everything is exactly how it is supposed to be. That is what line cooking is like when you are busy and well prepared, it is living in the moment, a pure moment; it is like living in a dream.

I’ve already mentioned Steve, my mentor and teacher who made the tortillas. He actually called me ‘grasshopper,’ a joke that was way funnier in 1989 as he taught me how to place the dough balls into the cutter, how to test the dough’s readiness by poking or with a couple of quick slaps, feeling for the give and listening for the sound of what he described as a ‘nice, firm ass’. He was also my ride to work fairly often, and my boss, sort of, along with pretty much everyone else who had worked there for longer than a year or so. But ‘the guy’, the kitchen manager, the chef (but don’t call him that, at least not back then) was a short, strong, eagle-eyed, motorcycle riding, ex-ROTC officer named Gil. This guy was one for whom the term ‘alpha male’ was invented. If no one had ever said he was the boss, most of us would have just assumed he was anyway. Gil, when I knew him, or as he explained it to me, anyway, was at low point personally. He was not in school when I met him, nor any longer in the ROTC. What he told me was that his entire life before La Taq had been on a clear path towards being a pilot; it had been his only dream, but after so many years spent in single minded pursuit of this goal, he had been blindsided by academic ineligibility. He told me in confidence that he had sometimes sacrificed his academic efforts by focusing on the harder work of mentoring the younger cadets, by throwing himself into his duties as an officer, and having known him, even ‘served under him’ as it were, I could certainly be comfortable taking him at his word. But for whatever reason, the loss of his dream had broken him down; he was drinking a lot—but we all were (it was college after all!), but he was also AWOL and officially, on the run. The way I remember it (probably a bit glorified and exaggerated), he never used his name on paperwork, he deflected strangers with obfuscation and misinformation, and he even avoided driving his unregistered motorcycle on the main roads. In the kitchen at La Taq, however, he was the confident leader he had been so rigorously trained to be, he was running the show, but outside of that world, he was a ghost. To me, he was an extension of Donny, the owner, a cipher, a man of mystery, an outlaw who, in Gil’s case, was actually even ‘on the lam’…
I don’t know if it was prescience, good delegation skills, laziness or what, but one day Gil handed me pricelists from three different purveyors and a highlighter—sat me down at a patio table and told me to go through them and find the best price for each product on the three lists. A managerial job, the kind of job I didn’t have again for years. It made me feel important, necessary. One day I was chopping tomatoes, striving for a perfect cut, he leaned in, said ‘go faster, don’t worry about perfect, that’s how they’ll know these were cut by hand instead of some machine,’ a piece of advice I have repeated a hundred times over the years and that honestly informed my entire philosophy of rustic versus fine cuisine. Every completed batch of salsa, guacamole, queso, corn tortillas, or whatever was a cause for celebration in the kitchen at La Taq; we all tasted everything, nothing went out without a passing grade—a ritual I have earnestly tried to enforce at every kitchen since. Lessons I learned from Gil still guide my hand to this day, he was a hero for me, it kills me to think that he was just a 25 or 26 year old kitchen manager at a fast food Tex-Mex joint, and yet he’s still one the very few guys whose leadership I strive to emulate some 22 years later as the owner of my own, much, much more complicated restaurant.

La Taqueria was a fun job, there were dozens of stories I heard while working there, a few of which I lived through myself, about cooks sleeping on the patio to avoid being late for a shift, about wild and crazy parties after work involving every member of the staff and stretching into the next day’s shift. Water fights that became coordinated attacks. It was a crazy place, it was fun, and it was, as I said, very, very busy, and in my mind, in my memory, it was not in spite of these antics, it was because of them. Those smiles on our faces were what those lines of people really kept coming back for, our good food, sure, it would not have worked without that, but it was our collective, infectious positivity that was what really kept us winning. And at the center of it was Gil, even as a tragic clown, he was still the clown at the center of it all that seemed to enforce that culture of smile.
I threw all in. I wanted to be like Gil; hell, I wanted to be like Donny! I wanted to settle into the space they’d created and make it my new, permanent home. I bought a motorcycle that year. I graduated from high school and moved out of my parent’s house. I had decided to ‘take a year’ before figuring out what to do about college. La Taqueria, for me, at that time, was enough. I mean, I also had the band... We were playing shows and I was enjoying it, we were starting to get a name, some of the La Taq crew had even started to come out to our gigs. I was having fun, lots of fun in fact, and, of course, I was partying a lot, (college!), but in my case, well, it showed. I was often late to work. Like many of my co-workers, my bosses even, my breaks were too long, and too, well, relaxed. Things were getting all around lax at La Taq, and I guess Donny didn’t feel like he could punish his fiercely loyal long time crew. But me he barely knew, at less than a year of employment, I was still ‘the new guy.’ That’s how slow the turnover was at La Taq. And then one day, I got called over to the office, I was handed a printout of my hours from the last few months with nary a single ‘on time’ arrival. I couldn’t argue with the proof. I found it strange that none of my managers or co-workers had not been summoned over as well; hell, my ‘manager’ had been my ride to work for much of this time… But it didn’t matter, I knew what it was really about. And I knew that he was right.

I have to admit that I was furious. Not because I didn’t deserve it. My ‘anything goes’ attitude towards the job might have been my misunderstanding of the over-casual culture but in retrospect, it wasn’t what was making the food good or what was helping Donny pay the bills… No, I knew that the reason it was me, specifically me, was for very good cause, for a moment a few days prior when Donny had been present as a buddy and I clocked back in from a slightly longer than usual ‘smoke’ break. When the redness in my eyes and the smell on my shirt told him where I’d really been. I knew he knew, (he was a pirate after all) and there was not one damn thing I could do about it. I was furious that I was fired, all right, furious at myself.
I loved that job, I still imagine it to be, no doubt glossed over by the filter of youth and time, easily one of, if not the best job I have ever had. And the fact is that I blew it.

For twenty some-odd years since that day, I have followed that passion that was sparked on that hot, sweaty line, chasing the adrenaline buzz of a busy lunch rush like the ones I learned to love there with a junkie’s fervour. I have even wrecked my body to some degree, trying to keep working at a line-cooking station that most guys my age have left behind years before. I have spent 2 decades trying to live up to an example set by Gil, the tragic clown, the young rebel, the outlaw, when, if I am honest, I should have been trying to live up to the one set by his boss.

Don made a tough call that day. I did some math when I started writing this and figured out that he was roughly the age I am now when I worked for him. Funny how that works isn’t it? Funny that it took me 20 years to realize that when he let me go, he was doing me a giant favour. I’m not saying that I grew up overnight, but I definitely never made a habit of taking my job for granted again. And though I don’t think I ever quite replicated the joyful energy that I felt working there, I think that has more to do with never getting to be 18 again than with anything that he or I did wrong. I did, at least, get to work there, and that is something that I will never, ever forget. Even through the lens of age, I don’t know how he did it. The loyalty he nurtured, the environment he fostered, even the tough calls he made, at least in my case, he was definitely right. And as to that rumour I heard? I don’t really think he was a cocaine dealer, maybe a little weed or something, (he definitely knew what it smelled like) but you gotta admit, it does make a good story.

The army caught up with Gil, as they do; he eventually did his tour and from what I hear, after that he went on to chef school and then on to run his own restaurant somewhere in Indiana. Steve, my teacher and friend, now teaches 5th graders… how cool is that? His patience and skills at teaching me the art of tortilla make me sure that he is exactly where he belongs. And Donny? He ran restaurants on that same corner in College Station corner for the next 15 years before cashing out and retiring… and I’m sure that lots of folks will never forget the worlds of joy, community, and taste that he helped to create. I should be so lucky and smart as to accomplish the same.

I mentioned last month that the story was ‘to be continued,’ and the story this month is the second part of a three part story addressing that ongoing set of changes. You see, La Taqueria was more than just the place where I fell in love with line-cooking and it was more than just the first and only time I ever got fired. It was also the place where I fell in love with artful, made from scratch, Tex-Mex cuisine. And it was not just the first and one of the best cooking jobs I ever had, it was also the place where I learned that making the tough call, the ‘not so fun’ call was not always the wrong one. The branch is on the verge, as you may have guessed, of making a couple of those tough calls, as well as some of the fun ones. But I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for part three to find out just exactly what those calls will be…

Chef Bruce

Tara Holloway! Annie Nolan! Neil Young! Frank and Birdie! BBQ!

2011-11-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

This Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night, come out to try our weeknight specials...first up, for the students; our 'Austin City Limits on a bun' for just $9.99, which is a pile of our famous house-smoked beef brisket, a choice of Spicy Texan or Canadian Maple bbq sauce, beans, slaw, a hoagie bun made with local flour in a wood fired oven, onions and even a pickle(!) all for a low, low price...add to that the fact that we are now offering pitchers of all your favourite micro-brews, have the best live music anywhere,and I honestly don't know why you'd eat anywhere else!

Next up, for the families: how about a family sized Fajitas For Four For $44.44, (...and yes, it comes with that excellent tongue twister at no extra charge!) That's 1 1/3 pounds of char-grilled and sliced fresh O'Brien Farms skirt steak, sizzling onions, peppers, and smoked portobello mushrooms, guacamole, shredded cheese, sour cream, housemade salsa, beans, rice, lettuce, jalapenos and a big ol' pile of steamed whole wheat tortillas...fun and flavour for the whole gang and it doesn't have to break the bank! Come on by, and by the way, you can also get a pitcher of beer if you like, we promise not to ask for your student i.d...

MUSIC THIS WEEK:

Wednesday, November 9: Annie Nolan, 8pm, free! Here's the lowdown from her website www.annienolan.com where you can also listen to some swell tunes from said chanteuse...

"Soulful lyrics carried on a voice evocative and expressive, Annie Nolan's music is as engaging as she is unassuming. Annie began songwriting in her teens, gathering musical influence from roots, folk, rock, punk, Franco-Ontarian, even the pop she sung out with her family on long car trips. Her metamorphosis from angst-afflicted teen to the worldly and sophisticated sound she presents today has been sped by her diligent attention to cultivating her talent and the near-daily encouragement she earns from anyone she meets or hears her sing.

Having heeded the call West to Victoria almost ten years ago from Eastern Ontario, Annie earned much local credibility with many and various solo-acoustic performances. She currently fronts her own band bursting at the seams with talented musicians in their own right, drawn to Annie's heart-on-her-sleeve performance style and potential for greatness.

Whether she is serenading an intimate café or rocking out a club with the band, Annie Nolan will move you, and you will leave wanting more."

All that, and you get to meet Heroic Mad Peasant Katie Nolan's sister!

Friday, November 11: The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free! Frank Western and Birdie Whyte are to local music what sunshine is to flowers, what water is to crops, what manure is to...OK, OK,the point is that they are really helping to nurture and grow an awesome local music scene--sorry if the metaphor was a little thin there...Frank Western is a slide guitarist with wit and soul, Birdie is a banjo picker with heart and a honey sweet voice that will move you; together, they play a selection of crafted originals and well chosen covers from the likes of Gillian Welch, Lyle Lovett and John Prine. This weekly showcase has quickly become THE thing to do in Kemptville on a Friday night...book ahead, tables fill up quick!

And that reminds me, they've also got a really special night planned for New Years Eve right here at the branch, with an upright bass player and a full show...I'm starting to plan as well, and am looking forward to presenting an awesome multi-course tasting menu to help all of us ring in the new year...It's going to be a fine evening and the perfect beginning to 2012...so start planning, this one will certainly sell out (...in fact, it is already selling out!) quick! So yes, that's Frank and Birdie, at least five courses of nothing but the best, and a champagne toast at midnight for just $75...reserve now!

Saturday, November 12: Tara Holloway and Adam III, 9pm, $5. Tara Holloway is the real deal, latest in the long, excellent line of gutsy tough-girl singer songwriters...fans of Serena Ryder, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith or even Sheryl Crow will recognize some elements of each of these heroes in her brash, emotionally charged performances...but even more brash...even more charged...She does not disappoint. Tara is an artist's artist, she writes and delivers strong and unapologetic stories that sometimes shock, sometimes seduce, but always challenge convention. Don't miss this.

Sunday, November 13: Neil Young Birthday Tribute, 3-6 pm, free! Neil Young is obviously one of the greatest products every produced by Canada, and, as has become the custom, we're going to show our love for this icon with one of our famous birthday tributes this Sunday. Neil was born in Toronto on November 12, 1945, and in the ensuing period, went on, as we all know, to conquer the world...Neil Young is synonymous with cool not only for his own generation but for darn near every generation since--he continues to produce quality and relevant material to this day and continues to be a force for good in almost every aspect of his career. He commands respect, and respect is exactly what the branch is going to give him for his birthday this year! Lots of folks have already signed up to play, I'll be your host, and a good time is guaranteed for all, we'd be Helpless to do anything else (I couldn't very well get out without at least ONE silly line, could I?) See you Sunday!

This week in branch-i-ness:

2011-10-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

Specials: Enjoy our $9.99 BBQ On a Bun Plate as well as our Family Fajitas For Four For $44.44; (say it, I don't know, four times fast? I dare you!) both specials are available every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night, but just for a limited time, so come on down!

You can also enjoy our other seasonal specials like our sweet corn fritters with maple-bacon vinaigrette, our warm autumn salad with roasted Brussels sprouts, smoked portobello mushrooms and blue cheese or our chicken fettucine with housemade noodles, seasonal veggies, exotic local mushrooms and parmesan cream... There will, of course, be lots more fun choices by the weekend, so don't miss out!

Thursday, November 3: Keith Glass, 9pm, $8 ...When you live up the road a piece from a Canadian treasure like Keith Glass; guitarist and songwriter from the popular band Prairie Oyster (6, count 'em, SIX Junos!) And when that fella stops in often enough to become a friend of the venue; sometimes on his own, sometimes as a sideman for some of our favourite performers, you know, like Lynn Miles or Trevor Alguire...Well, you have to wonder 'Shouldn't we be doing something more?' Well after Keith's last show, I proposed that we do exactly that! So starting with, I guess, his show last month, and continuing this Thursday, we are turning over the first Thursday of every month to a man who knows what to do with a stage; a seasoned pro, a talented singer, an exceptional guitarist, an award winning songwriter (did I mention SIX Junos?) Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the branch's all new First Thursday Showcase with, that's right, Keith Glass! (First Thursday of every month except January, or as his schedule allows...9pm, $8)

Friday, November 4: The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free! If you have yet to witness the awesome power of a Frank Western and Birdie Whyte performance prepare to have your black socks blown right off by harmony that transcends description, slide guitar and banjo picking that conflate the confines of your imagination, humour that defies categorization, and some really nice songs, also; really, really nice. Best part? It's every Friday night, it's at the branch and it's free! (Some charges may occur if you want to, you know, eat or drink or something...)

Saturday, November 5: Amanda Bon, 9pm, $10. What can I say? This soft-spoken singer-songwriter approached me several weeks ago about a gig at the branch (this kind of thing happens fairly often, believe it or not...) sent me a link to some her songs, her website; I gave it a listen, it was good, very good, really...Then she stopped by, turns out she's as sweet in person as she is on her recordings...then she tells me that in addition to a few other interesting musicians, Gilles LeClerc is playing with her, and what can I say? Gilles is one of the Ottawa Valley's most talented folks, whether he is speaking in his native tongue (Bluegrass) or working alongside any of a number of our favourite players (Lynne Hanson, Trevor Alguire, or as a member of one of the branch's most incredible live acts, the sadly now defunct Leaving Train) I've gotten to know Gilles well enough to know that, well, how shall I put this? He, umm, he doesn't slum it. OK, so now I'm convinced, and as of about a month ago, I book the gig...turns out, Gilles and I are not alone in being convinced about her talent...that's right, Amanda's show is already darn near sold out! Makes me wonder how I missed out on her up to now...some of you folks are keeping secrets from me, aren't you?! So anyway, if you want in for this one, you'll have to move pretty quick...so here's those details one more time, Amanda Bon and her band are playing this Saturday, November 5, the show starts at 9pm, with a $10 cover.

Sunday, November 6: Gram Parsons Birthday Tribute, 3-6pm, pay by donation for the band... I'll let your host, Ray Harris, tell it: "GRAM PARSONS 65th BIRTHDAY BASH presented by Ray Harris, The Branch & Gram InterNational

Our favourite old dead guy would have been 65 on Nov.5!!!
Please join myself and a cast of area songwriters and pickers to celebrate the music of Gram Parsons and everything he inspired...
We did this last year and the year before and had a blast, so let's do it again!

Here's who's in the lineup for performers SO FAR...
John Allaire
Pat Moore
Greg Kelly
Greg Lahey
Stephen Michael O'Grady
Bruce Enloe
Ray Harris

+ backing by a stellar cast including...

Chris Breitner
Vince Halfhide
Steve Donnelly
Jamie Guitar
Ryan Barwin
Anastasios Basiliadis
Lisa Poushinsky
Yours Truly

We still need more performers! Anyone interested in playing or singing a coupla Gram or Gram-related songs, feel free to contact me either via FB or at raymond1361@rogers.com"

There, that spells it out rather nicely doesn't it? How does that sound for a Sunday afternoon at the branch? Only thing I should add...Yes, the buffet will feature Red Hot (Flying) Burritos...

Happy Birthday to us...

2011-10-30T06:03:00.001-07:00

We opened our doors for the first time on November 1st, 2006...Today we are celebrating our five year anniversary with a free Rubber Boots Buffet, and an open stage/ jam session with my band of pals which is loosely referred to as the Burning Sensations. We opened on November 1st because it was two weeks after we got the keys, and that was how much time it took to paint, clean, set up and cook. We've kept it running by keeping running for the better part of five years, and I am proud to say that it is still, by far, the best job I have ever had. I am not saying it is the easiest, or even always the most fun, that would be disingenuous. It is hard work, but it is good work, when I look out at the community we have joined/helped to build, I am always filled with a sense of pride combined with an even bigger sense of responsibility. When we opened the branch, I promised to do my best, to serve local and organic food to a mass audience, to support our community and to try to build something that mattered. To make a job that was more than a job, a business that was also a vision, a culture. Some days, I think that may be exactly what we have accomplished here, at the branch; most days, however, I know that we still have a long way to go...cultures do not happen in five years, they happen in lifetimes, and that is exactly what I am hoping to give. Thank you for five years to all of our friends, family, customers, community...and thank you for the lifetime yet to come!

The Branch turns Five! Brock Zeman, Frank and Birdie, the Return of the Weeknight Specials!

2011-10-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

Come get your Texas on...a bun! As you may have noticed, the branch has become Kemptville's premiere destination for Texas specialties, thanks in part to my Texas heritage, and thanks, in an even larger part to the overwhelming response to our Texas-themed specials on the branch menu from day one. In honour of this, we'd like to invite everyone out to celebrate the return of our weeknight specials! Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, come try our 'Austin City Limits on a bun,' for $9.99! This filling meal includes our famous, 100% hardwood house-smoked local beef brisket; a bun made with local flour from our neighbours at Grahame's Bakery, (Canada's second oldest continuously operating wood-fired bakery!); our bbq sauce (now a choice of spicy Texas or Canadian Maple), slaw, pickles, onions and a side of black beans. Are you in the mood for pork? Try our housesmoked spicy Texas sausage on a bun for the same low weeknight price!

And, just because we can; every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night we're also bringing back the family special of Fajitas for Four for just $44.44 (honestly? It's probably even enough for five, if they're small enough honourary Texans) which includes 1 and 1/3 pounds of juicy char-grilled and sliced O'Brien farms skirt steak, grilled peppers, onions and house-smoked portabello mushrooms (all on a sizzling cast iron skillet!), guacamole, cheddar cheese, housemade salsa, sour cream, tortillas and even some lettuce and pickled jalapenos for good measure...dine in, or even call in and take it home, usually in just under 20 minutes!

So there, now you've got your weeknights planned, so what about the weekend? How about:

Friday, October 28: The Frank and Birdie Show...every Friday (or darn near...) Frank Western and his side-kicking partner, the fabulous Miss Birdie Whyte grace the branch stage with their wit, charm, charisma and at least her good looks...But he plays the slide guitar like an angel, and his mother loves him, so.....why don't you come on down and see what the fuss is all about yourselves. This is quickly becoming the best way to spend your Kemptville Friday night, and the best part? Absolutely free! Although we do recommend a dinner reservation...maybe a beverage or two...and they do accept tips...and have cds for sale...well, either way, its a heck of a bargain...Friday, at 7pm! Do it!

Saturday, October 29: Brock Zeman! October 29, we are happy to welcome back Ottawa’s finest alt-country ‘Texas Red Dirt’ singer songwriter, Brock Zeman. Somehow, almost every song he writes is better than the last, a fact that is made almost even more amazing by the fact that he has put out something north of 7 albums in under a decade… Brock is a craftsman, a master tunesmith and one of the best story tellers that you’ll ever hear. That’s Saturday, October 29 at 9pm, $5

Sunday, October 30…The Branch's Fifth Anniversary Party! Well, we are turning five. In restaurant years, that’s like 40--If we’ve made it that far, we may not be old, but we’re definitely not kids anymore. We couldn’t be more excited than to spend this amazing milestone with all of you, our friends, our family…So come on out, the buffet is on us, we’ll have a cash bar, I’ll be hosting the open stage with my full band, The Burning Sensations, along with anyone else who wants to join in—Everyone is invited, Hey! It’s a party! October 30, 2-8pm…or whatever…

Dave Martel! Graven, Green Your Home...this week at the branch...

2011-10-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

Monday: Our second Monday event became a third Monday this month as last Monday was apparently some kind of holiday or something---Gee, thanks a lot. No, really, thanks! (wink...) Anyway, second Mondays (or thirds, if you must,) are a chance for the folks from Sustainable North Grenville and you to get together and talk, eat, have a beer or a coffee, maybe watch a film, maybe just hang out...and, most importantly, to put our heads together about ideas related to local sustainability. Last month we discussed preserving the harvest; the month before, we talked about clean water and watched 'Blue Gold', an interesting documentary on the subject that featured, among its interviewees, local boy Ryan Hreljac of 'Ryan's Well' fame, who also was in attendance! This week (tonight...) the subject is information about greening your home featuring Jonathan Ham from 'Green Home Inspections': Here's the lowdown:

Sustainable North Grenville presents:
The ecoENERGY Retrofit for Homes program is back, but only until 31 March 2012. Learn about the program that gives up to $5,000 in grants to homeowners who make home improvements that reduce environmental impact, and save participants an average of 20% on their energy costs.

Please join us at the branch restaurant on Monday, October 17th to learn about the ecoENERGY program and home energy efficiency. Starting at 7PM, expert Jonathan Ham of Green Home Inspections will describe the program as well as the benefits of energy efficiency, targets to aim for and where to prioritize. The presentation will be followed by a question period.

Jonathan is a true professional in the field of home energy audits, having been conducting them since 1993. His technical knowledge and education spans carpentry, indoor air quality, heating and cooling; he instructs in many of these areas at Algonquin College. Jonathan founded Green Home Inspections in 1998 and has since conducted 3,800 ecoENERGY audits, over 5,000 blower door tests and numerous infrared heat loss studies. His experience includes work on houses both new and century old. Ask him about your own energy situation or about the interesting projects that he has undertaken, such as an audit of The Wilson House near Meech Lake.

A light buffet, coffee and sweets by donation, as well as a cash bar are available beginning at 6:45PM. Admission is free.
For more information about the ecoENERGY for Homes program please visit:
http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca/ecoenergy-ecoenergie/retrofithomes-renovationmaisons-eng.cfm
For more information about Green Home Inspections please visit:
http://www.greenhi.com/

Sustainable North Grenville www.sustainablenorthgrenville.com

Thursday: Matty McKechnie is back on Thursday, October 20—he’s been here twice before under the moniker of ‘Graven’ as an electric trio and an acoustic duo—Now he’s just Matty, and really, what else do you need? Matt is a songwriter’s songwriter—he has a knack for catching that turn of phrase right before it gets away—finding the moment that counts, reeling it in and making it stick. This will be show to listen to, to soak in and to enjoy—he’s got the Chef Bruce seal of approval. October 20, 9pm, $5

Friday: If you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, then you will probably like Frank and Birdie; come to think of it, you will probably like them even if you don't like watery, fruity cocktails. They are just plain likeable...Friday, October 21st, 7pm, no cover...

Saturday: Special Thanks and a bit of excitement goes out this month to our pal, Montreal by way of Vankleek Hill’s Dave Martel, who has stepped up to fill in an unexpected, last minute vacancy in October’s calendar…And what a fill-in it is! Dave is an indie-folk god, just check out any of his videos online, or, better yet, buy one of his cds, they will get under your skin, snuggle in and stay there for years. His last couple of branch shows have been described as, ‘Phenomenal, I can’t believe I just saw that’ and ‘It’s like a full body buzz’! He is an incomparable talent and always a pleasure to bring back for our lucky, lucky ears. Thanks, Dave. October 22, 9pm, $10...On a special side note, Saturday's show will also feature an opening set with local gal and popular visitor to our open stages and Birthday Tribute Shows, Katherine Amanda Giles...

Smokin' Banana Peels, Paul Simon, Ryan Cook...

2011-10-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, I drove the branch's trusty big, black smoker up to the Beau's brewery for a day to ~~drink~~, um, er, I mean, 'help' Kevin James smoke some malts for his contribution to the Oktoberfest line-up of Beau's beers...The result? 'Smoking Banana Peels', a Hefeweizen with hints of banana, maple, and, thanks to our contribution, bacon...So, essentially, it's like eating banana pancakes for breakfast. But in a beer. Pretty sweet, ain't it? And my payment for helping? One (the last in in existence!) 20 litre keg of said beer. It goes on tap tomorrow, bring your friends and help us drink it, it's a small keg so you'll have to move quick--'while supplies last'...

Thursday: Paul Simon Birthday Tribute. Paul Simon was born on October 13, 1941, which makes Thursday his 70th birthday! At the branch we will, as is the custom, celebrate with a musical tribute! Over the last five years we have started and built a fan-based tribute show format that has taken everyone from all four Beatles, to Leonard Cohen and even Jerry Garcia. This is our first night to fete Mr. Simon and we are pleased to invite anyone and everyone to attend!

Here's his story, as told by the interweb's good old senior librarian, the inimitable Dr. Wick E. Pedia:

"Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles charts, "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", and "Bridge Over Troubled Water". In 1970, at the height of their popularity, the duo split, and Simon began a successful solo career, recording three highly-acclaimed albums over the next five years. In 1986, he released Graceland, an album inspired by South African township music that helped fuel the anti-apartheid movement. Besides music, Simon wrote and starred in the film One-Trick Pony in 1980 and co-wrote the Broadway musical The Capeman in 1998.
Through his solo and collaborative work, Simon has earned 13 Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2001, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2006 was selected as one of the "100 People Who Shaped the World" by Time magazine. Among many other honors, Simon was named the first recipient of the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007."

Thursday's event will be a 'walk up' open mike for anyone with a Simon tune or story to share, listen to, sing along with or enjoy. The fun starts at 8pm, and the price? That's right, free!

Friday: best to start massaging your cheek muscles now to prepare them for the dangers of 'Permasmile', a condition known to be a potential side effect of attending one of our famous weekly 'Frank Western and Birdie Whyte' Friday showcases. 7pm, free!

Saturday: Ryan Cook! I’m not exaggerating when I say that this timeless country crooner is a young, vibrant talent on the scale of Willie Nelson or Glen Campbell; he is instantly accessible, seasoned, and someone you’ll want to come back for again and again. I’d highly recommend reserving for this show; he’ll be outgrowing our little room pretty soon, so if I were you, I’d catch him here while you still can! Oct. 15, 9pm, $10

A Trip Back Home, Part one

2011-10-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned in the past that my first serious cooking jobs were in the world of Italian cuisine — in retrospect, they were my second, really. My first serious cooking jobs were in the family kitchen: peeling onions, measuring out cumin or browning meat for the chili, basting granddaddy’s brisket with his rich, tomato-y bbq sauce, heating up tortillas or cubing avocadoes for the fajitas... Italy may have been my first professional home, but I’ll always come back to Texas. I learned Italian cooking, American-ized Italian cooking, anyway - at a couple of different places: Ferrari’s, a ‘meh’ place that was long past its prime, and Cenare, a great place, busy and exciting, that I’ve written about in the past... But I went on to learn a great deal more in subsequent years—at one point, sitting with Sante Losio, an Italian wine merchant who had helped to organize Millennium’s first (only?) White Truffle Dinner, I was told ‘Bruce, You must go to Italy, it is your home’.

I did, too. I visited for a month or so in 2003, and he was right... and wrong. He was right because Italian cuisine is very natural for me; my love of local, fresh and handpicked foods, care, attention to detail with traditional preparations, knowing the farmer, knowing the field... the hedonism, the sincerity... the wild mushrooms, the local cheese; even the chaos of the markets (which made it clear that my wife Nicole would probably never call Italy home) was something that was daunting at first, but then, quickly became second nature, even a kind of giddy fun... He was right, it felt very natural to me, wine with lunch and afternoon naps are just so civilized--but he was wrong too. Italians drink espresso in the morning. Espresso is fine, but seriously, don’t you just want a cup of good ol’ North American drip every once in a while? And don’t say ‘Americano,’ that watery concoction just doesn’t pack enough punch. I’m not arguing in favour of or against pasta; lord knows I love pasta, but doesn’t a potato deserve a place at the table on occasion? And how about a bowl of chili? It’s not that I don’t love Italian cuisine—I do, I really, really do—it’s just that, well, I’m Texan. I like grits more than polenta (trick question, they are pretty much the same thing)...I like okra more than eggplant (but I do love eggplant, I just like okra more...bad example...) I like tamales more than ravioli (there we go!), I like brisket more than osso bucco... It was how I was programmed, from even before I was programmed, and it is how I will always be.

Years ago, in Austin, I worked for a brief stretch in a mediocre Italian restaurant... I came there right after moving to Austin and was hired as a lead cook, essentially a ‘chef de cuisine’, right out of the gate. The sauces were boring to me, I was coming from a fast paced ‘a la minute’ kitchen; but at this place, everything was canned, pre-made, cheap, underwhelming. The owner, I’ll call him Adham, was hardworking and honest, doing his best, and (this will become relevant)... Lebanese. I tried to understand what he was doing; there were dozens and dozens of mediocre Italian restaurants in Austin, but few, if any, Lebanese ones, either mediocre or amazing. While his Italian food was just OK (if not worse), he would prepare schwarma and falafel at home and bring it in for us to snack on and it was amazing; the flavours of his home-cooking were wild, exciting, outlandish. But the sauces we were instructed to serve the customers? Tomato. Cream. Alfredo. The one exception was his diavolo—a typically spicy sauce from southern Italy; in his version, it was amped up with an almost...how can I describe it? Lebanese? Yeah, that’s it...flair. I kept asking him, ‘Why Italian? Why not serve Lebanese?’ He never really answered, but I know he was afraid; no one else served Lebanese, he was just trying to play it safe.

I didn’t last long at this place (come to think of it, neither did he...). There weren’t very many customers, and there were even less happy ones, but while I was there, in a nearby neighbourhood, a Lebanese restaurant did open—one that is still there today, some 20 or so years later. As the first of its kind in that area, it was immediately lauded, folks came from all over the city to enjoy it, and to this day I can’t help but wonder, what if Adham had just had the guts to do something that seems so simple in hindsight; to quit trying to be something that he wasn’t and, instead, to cook what he knew? Would that success have been his?

When I wrote the first branch menu, I brought all of my experience to the table. Sure, I knew fajitas and steak, but I also knew stir-fries and spaghetti. I wrote the menu from my years of line-cooking and cheffing experience, from my travels, from my reading... I wrote it with the intention to provoke, to share the food experiences that had shaped me... I carefully considered the best meals of my life and sought out how to interpret them with local ingredients. In short, I set out to cook what I knew. But over these last five years, something else has happened: it seems that the menu, with the help of my local friends, customers, and family, has taken on a life of its own.

I, as you may have noticed when I am outside of the kitchen, aspire to, at times, well...write. As such, I have often found myself seeking and reading words, advice, and wisdom from other writers. There is an anecdote I have heard from more than one novelist describing the act of writing a novel as something along the lines of ‘creating the characters and then letting them act, setting the stage, and then waiting to see what happens...’ This menu, once designed to appeal to a global palate, has obviously, over time, become its own actor. At first, by year two or three, about half of the menu had escaped my original design of its own accord and gone down to Texas. By the time of this writing? As much as three quarters has found its way south to my mesquite and bluebonnet covered home. Sometimes, much like the authors I am quoting, I don’t even feel like the author anymore, just another character on the stage that I helped to set. It is both exhilarating and terrifying...

The real thing we are talking about here, of course, is courage. Adham, my Lebanese friend, feared the rejection of his home-cooked specialties and went with what he deemed to be a ‘safe’ alternative. I have also faced those fears, even as I created a menu that I knew was provocative and hardly seemed safe at all, in the end, I realize now, I have been playing safe by sticking to meals that I knew, from my experience, would sell pretty well, would make people happy, would be easy for me to make, and would be, by those criteria, safe... Not to say that I have not ever ventured out of my comfort zone...But I have rejected any push to ‘pigeonhole’ myself, to get ‘locked into’ one type of food...but unlike my Lebanese friend, not out of fear, but out of, well, hubris.

My weakness, it seems, is not fear, but rather vanity.

In the end, Adham and I face the same demon, rejection. I fear rejection, not from my customers who by sales numbers alone have made their preferences clear, but from another more inscrutable audience; critics, compatriots...my cheffing peers...I fear rejection not for the food itself but for leaving the world of constant provocation, for letting go of that part of myself that co-authored the cookbook, that part of myself that knows that my hand can prepare a perfect hollandaise, that my mind can invent a new combination of flavours that will excite and incite, that, given the capital and the opportunity, I could foam, gel, sous-vide and flash freeze my way into any critic’s heart. Adham feared the much more tangible rejection of a business failing. I fear failure only if it is not on my own terms...

Adham’s business failed. His fear held him back and he had courage, but he had the wrong kind of courage and it killed his business. I, too, have shown a kind of courage in my convictions, a willingness to take chances, to experiment, to explore; but now, after these last few months, I have realized that it is high time for me to muster up another kind of courage. The kind of courage, and here things are going to get a little heavy, but bear with me, the kind of courage that it takes for a baseball player to hang up his glove... The courage that it takes for a player to do the right thing for his team, to stand back, to stop trying to be the star and to become the coach. I have a great crew; they are talented, capable, and nothing makes me more proud than the fact that I have helped to shape them. What they need is not to be on the same team as a star, but a job that will support them and their families; they need a restaurant that is not the success of a man, but the success of a team; a team that will go on and win championships with me as a coach, and, later, a team that will win when they become the coaches themselves.

Now that is an awful lot of sports metaphors coming from someone who may, every couple of years, catch the Superbowl, but rarely much else...(one of my ‘teams’, the crew at ASTI, used to tease me for my lack of sports knowledge by telling me stories about how a player had spiked the javelin in the end-zone, slam-dunked the field-goal and gotten a home-run...) I am getting used to the idea, that of all the meals I have prepared, the most successful moments of my cooking career were not the yuba and white truffle bresaole at Millennium’s White Truffle Dinner...or even the Tongue& Cheek entrée at last New Year’s Eve dinner at the branch...they weren’t even publishing a cookbook, cooking dinner for Alice Waters, being reviewed by Anne DesBrisay or Michael Bauer, being quoted in national magazines or even appearing, briefly, on the Food Network or any of a number of local TV morning shows...my finest moments were when Libby Goldstein called me to ask whether or not she should take the job at Chez Panisse, when CJ made it through his first full shift at ASTI without a screw-up, when Heather ran out of ketchup last weekend and knew how to make it on the fly...When Wesley ‘killed it’ on Sunday’s buffet...My biggest successes have not been what I have done, they have been what I have been able to teach other people to do...What I have helped them discover within themselves...

Courage is not writing the perfect menu, it is writing a good menu and then letting it become what it needs to be. A restaurant does not need a chef with a stack of gold medals and accolades; it needs hungry customers who are willing to buy what it sells. Success in business, I have come to realize, is not measured by how much I help myself; it is measured by how many others I am able to help.

When I wrote the first menu for the branch, I wrote the menu that I wanted to cook. I came from Texas and went far and wide, learning as I went. But I started in Texas, my first meals were there, and what I learned from cooking Texas food informed and informs everything else I have done. But when I wrote that first menu, I wrote it for me...Italian has always been prominent, of course, as has Thai food, Jamaican, Californian, French, modern, vegetarian, even ‘nose-to-tail’. I wrote a menu that was designed to challenge others but that was mainly, if I’m honest, designed to keep myself entertained. That’s a great way to get attention, but it’s not a great or an easy way to succeed...But as I have written it, and even more importantly, as it has evolved and started to write itself, it has taught me something profound... It has taught me that I need to go back to the start...

To Be Continued...

October Newsletter 2011

2011-10-06T11:42:00.001-07:00

Howdy!
Well, the seasons are definitely changing at this parallel… Leaves have turned; there is a brisk new edge to the wind… I’m even starting to think about where I put my ice-scraper and shovel last spring! At the restaurant, my walk-in refrigerator is completely full of veggies to pickle, freeze, prepare and preserve… let’s face it, the Autumn is upon us! I will start this newsletter, appropriately enough, given the week, with yet another round of thanks for everyone’s support these last two months. We are moving forward, we are seeing progress, change and growth every week and we are well aware that it is all because of folks like all of you. So, thanks.
This week (what’s left of it), is a doozie, so, if you don’t mind, I’ll just jump right in!
"Hi Bruce – Keith here. Got any spots I might fill? I just wanna get out and play, do some covers, some originals, make a noise, beat on a guitar. Any time is good. Weeknights, weekends, whatever. Lemme know what comes to mind. Thanks, Keith"
Needless to say, when 6 time Juno award winner Keith Glass of Prairie Oyster fame sends you this email, the answer is "Yes. When?" Turns out, the answer to that is today! Thursday, October 6; ...for just $8, you can be a part of an evening with one of Canada's most celebrated songwriters...having fun, hearing some "covers, originals, mak(ing) a noise, beat(ing) on a guitar..." In short? This. Will. Rule. OK, see you there?

Friday: Frank Western and Birdie Whyte and the irregular regular Friday showcase is back as if it never left...live the dream, be a part of the greatest story ever told in Kemptville! 7pm, no cover

Saturday: Fourth Annual John Lennon Birthday Tribute: Chef Bruce and Roxzilla are teaming up along with local and Ottawa area musicians to celebrate the life and music of John Lennon--'The Smart One'--Come hear Lennon's songs, both solo and Beatle as performed by Brian Simms, Christo Graham, The Heroic Mad Peasants, Katherine Amanda Giles, Lisa Poushinsky, David Wisjman, Graham Beverly, Josef and Joel Mieto and Bill Dagg...as well as Chef Bruce and Roxzilla, of course!! 3 sets, starts at 8:30pm, no cover (but buying beer for the performers is certainly encouraged!)

Sunday, October 9: Our fourth annual Thanksgiving Sally Ann Fundraiser is upon us...already, the food donations are starting to trickle in, 3 turkeys so far, some chocolate...hmmm...are you interested in volunteering? In singing some gospel tunes? Do you just want to come in and enjoy the bounty? The event, as always is free, aka 'pay what you can, pay with a can' We will be accepting donations of nonperishable items for the Salvation Army Food Pantry as well as feeding any and all comers...The meal will include turkey and all the trimmings and will be served from 11 am to 4 pm--volunteers can sign up ahead at the Salvation Army or at the branch, food can be donated for the meal by contacting Chef Bruce at the branch: 613-258-3737, everyone is welcome, so, well, come!
October Art:

Hanna Maria MacNaughtan is a self-taught artist who is always exploring. Her love for people and nature is evident in all she does. Her work as a Registered Nurse has an immense influence on her creativity. “I am thankful and feel very privileged to do the work I do as a nurse. The patients and families I meet continually humble and inspire me with their strength and courage as they face life’s challenges.” A drive for children’s portraiture painting was her initial fervor. Hanna quickly learned how to bring out her subjects emotions and personalities. She has been commissioned to paint dozens of portraits in the few years that she has been painting and it continues to be a passion for her. Recently her art has evolved beyond realistic portraiture to a discovery into veiled emotions. With this, new impressionistic and abstract creations in oil, acrylic and mixed media have emerged. As well, a new interest in carving sculptures has awakened yet another form of artistic expression. Working with soapstone and hand tools she files away the rock’s rough outer surface to reveal the hidden spirits which are bursting with colour and life. The unearthing of the secret treasure concealed inside each stone is pure delight. Hanna is a member of several art groups in the Ottawa area where her work has been accepted into numerous juried shows. She has her art for sale at various exhibits with these groups as well as at the Homestead Gallery in Kemptville and the Grotto Artworks in Merrickville. You may drop by her home gallery which is open to the public during the annual Merrickville Artists Guild Studio Tour each fall or visit anytime by appointment. For more information please call 613 258-7297, email: hmacnaughtan@cogeco.ca or visit her website at www.HannaMacNaughtan.ca
October Recipe:
Pumpkin Soup with Goat’s Cheese and Cranberry Coulis:
Try this with one of the many pumpkins or winter squash’s available darn near everywhere these days! It’s a fun addition to your Thanksgiving table or even in mugs as a warming tonic for an Autumn picnic…
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon sunflower seed oil
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
¼ cup minced fresh sage leaves (less if dried)
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice: cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, ginger, etc.
1 medium pumpkin or winter squash, about 1.5 pounds, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 litres vegetable stock or water
2 cups Hall’s or Barkley’s apple cider

Goat’s chevre from Clarmell Farms or Fifth Town Artisan Cheesemakers, enough to garnish
Cranberry Coulis:
½ cup Upper Canada cranberries
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
Pinch salt

For the Soup:
In a large soup pot, sweat the onions with the oil and salt until transparent; add the garlic and spices and sauté for one minute. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the squash is soft enough to pierce easily with a fork or paring knife (about 20-30 minutes). Blend soup with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor until smooth, adding more water or stock if necessary. Garnish with a dollop of goat’s cheese and the cranberry coulis (recipe follows). Enjoy!
Cranberry coulis:
Combine ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, blend and serve. For an interesting garnish, cool and pour into a small squirt bottle and use the squirt bottle to make designs on the soup!
October Music:
Don’t forget to come out for Keith Glass tonight, this show was fairly last minute, so we haven’t been able to promote it as well as it deserves, any help you might be able to offer is awesome! In other words: Tell your friends! Right Now! (It is tonight after all…) Most folks know him as the lead guitarist and primary songwriter from the successful and critically acclaimed band, Prairie Oyster; around here we know him for the astounding performance he gave with Lynn Miles earlier this year and for playing occasional sideman to branch favourites Trevor Alguire and Brock Zeman at other shows in years past. He is a wicked guitarist and a sweet songwriter, so come on out and enjoy this rare opportunity to hang out with a real Canadian legend… Tonight, Thursday October 6, 9pm, $8
Fridays this month, as always are hosted by our favourite eclectic electric duo of banjo and steel: Mr. Frank Western and Ms. Birdie Whyte! The George and Gracie of Kemptville music, the Gram and Emmylou, the John and Yoko, the Captain and Tennille, the…the…you get the idea, it’s a chemistry thing, OK? They got it, you want it, so come on down! 7pm, free!
This Saturday’s Fourth Annual John Lennon Tribute is nearly sold out so move quick if you’d like to reserve. 8:30pm, no cover
Next Thursday, October 13, I’ll be hosting our first annual Paul Simon Birthday Tribute—Call me or write me if you want to perform…Rhymin’ Simon is the man of the hour, but Garfunkeling is also considered acceptable. 8pm, no cover.
Saturday, October 15: Yes, you read that right, it’s Ryan Cook! I’m not exaggerating when I say that this timeless country crooner is a young, vibrant talent on the scale of Willie Nelson or Glen Campbell; he is instantly accessible, seasoned, and someone you’ll want to come back for again and again. I’d highly recommend reserving for this show; he’ll be outgrowing our little room pretty soon, so if I were you, I’d catch him here while you still can! Oct. 15, 9pm, $10
Matty McKechnie is back on Thursday, October 20—he’s been here twice before under the moniker of ‘Graven’ as an electric trio and an acoustic duo—Now he’s just Matty, and really, what else do you need? Matt is a songwriter’s songwriter—he has a knack for catching that turn of phrase right before it gets away—finding the moment that counts, reeling it in and making it stick. This will be show to listen to, to soak in and to enjoy—he’s got the Chef Bruce seal of approval. October 20, 9pm, $5
Special Thanks and a bit of excitement goes out this month to our pal, Montreal by way of Vankleek Hill’s Dave Martel, who has stepped up to fill in an unexpected, last minute vacancy in October’s calendar…And what a fill-in it is! Dave is an indie-folk god, just check out any of his videos online, or, better yet, buy one of his cds, they will get under your skin, snuggle in and stay there for years. His last couple of branch shows have been described as, ‘Phenomenal, I can’t believe I just saw that’ and ‘It’s like a full body buzz’! He is an incomparable talent and always a pleasure to bring back for our lucky, lucky ears. Thanks, Dave. October 22, 9pm, $10
Saturday, October 29, we are happy to welcome back Ottawa’s finest alt-country ‘Texas Red Dirt’ singer songwriter, Brock Zeman. Somehow, almost every song he writes is better than the last, a fact that is made almost even more amazing by the fact that he has put out something north of 7 albums in under a decade… Brock is a craftsman, a master tunesmith and one of the best story tellers that you’ll ever hear. That’s Saturday, October 29 at 9pm, $5
Sunday, October 30…Well, we turn five. In restaurant years, that’s like 40. If we’ve made it that far, we may not be old, but we’re definitely not kids anymore. We couldn’t be more excited than to spend this amazing milestone with all of you, our friends, our family…So come on out, the buffet is on us, we’ll have a cash bar, I’ll be hosting the open stage with my full band, The Burning Sensations, along with anyone else who wants to join in—Everyone is invited, Hey! It’s a party! October 30, 2-8pm…or whatever…
Thursday 6 ~ Keith Glass (Prairie Oyster, Lynne Miles) …9pm, $8
Friday 7 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 8 ~4th annual John Lennon Birthday Tribute, Roxzilla as the house band! 8:30 pm, no cover
Sunday 9 ~ Thanksgiving Fundraiser for the Salvation Army, turkey and trimmings, ‘pay what you can, pay with a can’ sing along gospel-themed jam session, everyone welcome!…11am-4pm
Thursday 13 ~ Paul Simon Birthday Tribute …8pm, free!
Friday 14 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 15 ~ Ryan Cook…9pm, $10
Thursday 20 ~ Matty McKechnie, (Graven) …9pm, $5
Friday 21 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 22 ~ Dave Martel, 9pm, $10
Friday 28 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 29 ~ Brock Zeman…9pm, $5
Sunday 30 ~ Our fifth birthday party (!), free buffet, cash bar; come jam with Chef Bruce and The Burning Sensations!

Keith Glass, Thursday Night! Also: Lennon Tribute, Thanksgiving Fundraiser

2011-10-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

"Hi Bruce – Keith here. Got any spots I might fill? I just wanna get out and play, do some covers, some originals, make a noise, beat on a guitar. Any time is good. Weeknights, weekends, whatever. Lemme know what comes to mind. Thanks, Keith"

Needless to say, when 6 time Juno award winner Keith Glass of Prairie Oyster fame sends you this email, the answer is "Yes. When?" Turns out, the answer to that is this Thursday, October 6; ...for just $8, you can be a part of an evening with one of Canada's most celebrated songwriters...having fun, hearing some "covers, originals, mak(ing) a noise, beat(ing) on a guitar..." In short? This. Will. Rule. OK, see you there?

Friday: Frank and Birdie and the irregular regular Friday showcase is back as if it never left...live the dream, be a part of the greatest story ever told in Kemptville! 7pm, no cover

Saturday: Chef Bruce and Roxzilla are teaming up along with local and Ottawa area musicians to celebrate the life and music of John Lennon--'The Smart One'--Come hear Lennon's songs, both solo and Beatle as performed by Brian Simms, Christo Graham, The Heroic Mad Peasants, Katherine Amanda Giles, Lisa Poushinsky, David Wisjman, Graham Beverly, Josef and Joel Mieto and Bill Dagg...as well as Chef Bruce and Roxzilla, of course!! 3 sets, starts at 8:30pm, no cover (but buying beer for the performers is certainly encouraged!)

Sunday, October 9: Our fourth annual Thanksgiving Sally Ann Fundraiser is upon us...already, the food donations are starting to trickle in, 2 turkeys so far, some chocolate...hmmm...are you interested in volunteering? In singing some gospel tunes? Do you just want to come in and enjoy the bounty? The event, as always is free, aka 'pay what you can, pay with a can' We will be accepting donations of nonperishable items for the Salvation Army Food Pantry as well as feeding any and all comers...The meal will include turkey and all the trimmings and will be served from 11 am to 4 pm--volunteers can sign up ahead at the Salvation Army or at the branch, food can be donated for the meal by contacting Chef Bruce at the branch 613-258-3737, everyone is welcome, so, well, come!

David Celia, Thursday, Sept 29 at the branch!

2011-09-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

The following bio was 'borrowed' from the David Celia website. He's playing this Thursday. At 9pm. It's just 6 bucks. (Wow!)

As restorative as a cool fresh waterfall, anxiously awaited and heavily anticipated, David Celia’s self -produced “This Isn’t Here”, his follow- up to 2002’s Organica, was well worth the wait. Recorded between tours, the “pure musical escapism” (on Organica, NOW Magazine) IS here, as is the “excellent musicianship…elegant and melodic” (Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy) and the beautiful harmonies, all of which characterize David Celia .

A recent German review calls Celia “completely charmful…contemplative…wonderful atmosphere...you will like him immediately..like a warm embrace from a good friend” (rock e-zine, Berlin). “David Celia is one of the best talents to hit Merseyside from North America” (Alex McKechnie, Cavern Club, Liverpool).

While “This Isn’t Here” may be categorized as “roots-pop with hints of folk “ (and perhaps some country vibes and a little rockin’), David’s classicism manages to, naturally and effortlessly, cross genre’s and ages. Toddlers and Adults alike are charmed. Lovers of Folk Music and fans of Pop Music –equally
charmed.

Fellow ‘music heads’ are impressed by his musiciansip and craftsmanship,as is evident by friends & guests appearing on “This Isn’t Here” ,including Dave Clark’s Neil Young inspired drumming (Rheostatics,Gord Downie Band), Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith), Joan Besen (Prairie Oyster),Jenny Mitchell aka. Jenny Omnichord on Banjo, (Barmitzvah Brothers) and Bob Wiseman on Casio keyboard, the inspiration behind a track or two. You may catch wisps of such diverse influences as Wilco, Buddy Holly, Blue Rodeo, Bob Dylan, Todd Rundgren and George Harrison, but ultimately, “This Isn’t Here” is 100 % David Celia-charming, whimsical, hopeful and optimistic.

“Look at this world; I can’t believe that it’s still happening…we must be doing something right”. This album speaks of what matters most, to most of us: love, hope, family, friends, “staying on your path”, recognizing your blessings and heck, plain old fun.

Other news
• performed at the Canadian Country Music Awards
conference in Calgary.
• UK tours - London, Brighton(w/Luke Doucet), Bath,
Liverpool."One of the best talents to hit Liverpool from
North America" -Alex McKechnie, The Cavern Club.
• Germany, Belgium, Ireland and France with Buck 65,
Two Minute Miracles, Barmitzvah Brothers including T.V.
apprearances and Festival RADAR at Le Grand Mix in Lille.
• The single "Best Thing Ever" in the top 40 Le Palmares, Quebec.

dave@davidcelia.com
http://www.davidcelia.com

Leonard Cohen Birthday Tribute, Wed. Sept 21

2011-09-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, September 21st is Leonard Cohen’s birthday—I can’t say for sure that he’ll be here, but we’re throwing him a party whether he shows up or not—At least eight awesome local musicians have signed up so far to play a couple of his poems, er, I mean ‘songs’ each, how about you? Would you like to just come and watch? Everyone is certainly welcome, it is a party after all! (Sept 21, 8pm, free!)

From Wikipedia:

"Leonard Norman Cohen, CC, GOQ (born 21 September 1934) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships.[1] Famously reclusive,[2] having once spent several years in a Zen Buddhist monastery, and possessing a persona frequently associated with mystique,[3][4] he is extremely well regarded by critics for his literary accomplishments, for the richness of his lyrics, and for producing an output of work of high artistic quality over a five-decade career.[5][6][7]

Musically, Cohen's earliest songs (many of which appeared on the 1967 album, Songs of Leonard Cohen) were rooted in European folk music.[8] In the 1970s, his material encompassed pop, cabaret and world music. Since the 1980s, his high baritone voice has dipped into lower registers (bass baritone and bass), with accompaniment from a wide variety of instruments and female backup singers.

Over 2,000 renditions of Cohen's songs have been recorded. Cohen has been inducted into both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and is also a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour. While giving the speech at Cohen's induction into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2008, Lou Reed described Cohen as belonging to the "highest and most influential echelon of songwriters."[9]"

Ric Denis in the house tonight!

2011-09-10T09:08:00.001-07:00

Ric Denis and his band were practically the house band for Amanda's Slip...our predecessor and the place where we liked to hang out the most when we first moved to Kemptville--Tonight, Ric and the boys are back!! If you want to have a good time, some good food, of course, and, if you were around in those days, maybe even re-live some sweet memories, then tonight, the branch is the place to be...the musical fun starts at 9pm...(dinner starts at five, as usual...)

newsletter September 2011

2011-09-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

First of all thank you to everyone for your outpouring of support in response to last month’s story. It has been humbling and moving and, yes, even fun to watch how much the dynamic of our business has shifted in just 30 days. We love people or else we wouldn’t be in this industry, and your words and actions of support have served as an important reminder of why we love you all so much. It is hard to speak my mind on this, like most people in my shoes, if they are honest, I am swinging back and forth between embarrassment and gratitude and can’t seem to settle on how to actually describe how much your support has meant to us. So I’ll just keep it simple: it means a lot. Possibly everything. And thank you. That said, don’t forget us… we still have a hard road ahead and though it certainly feels like we have turned a corner--we still need your support to continue to push forward. So thank you, and as always, we hope to see you soon!

OK, let’s move on to the news--

September has already been up and running for a few days, so it’s past time to get the word out about everything that is going to be happening—for instance, after an eleventh hour Simon Beach cancellation, branch alumni Bill Dagg, Tom MacGahey, Stevie Morotti and honourary alumnus, Connor MacFadden stepped into the breach as ‘Kansas City Shuffle’ to play a set of their original, fun and raucous brand of country, cow-punk and indie style rock—I missed the show, but heard that a good time was had by all—Thanks Bill and the gang! Last night (Wednesday, September 6) The North Grenville Photo Club had a vernissage for their photo show which will be on display this month (See the information below). Thanks to everyone who came out for that.

Preserving the Harvest:

Monday, September 12, come out and join Chef Bruce from the branch restaurant and the members of Sustainable North Grenville for a canning demonstration as well as tips on freezing, drying, pickling, and preserving the harvest. The event will be a casual discussion with questions and answers throughout. People with knowledge of preserving and recipes to pass along are especially welcome; our hope is to begin a dialogue on how to make local food preservation a viable project for folks in our busy modern lives by demystifying the techniques and offering practical methods for everyone to enjoy the fruits of our local harvest all year round. Everyone is welcome, a light, local foods buffet will be available by donation and the bar will be open before and after the talk.
From the Sustainable North Grenville website: ‘Sustainable North Grenville is a group of citizens interested in helping to make North Grenville a more sustainable community. Our mission is to foster a resilient community that meets the social, cultural, and economic needs of its residents now and for the future, while preserving the environment’s ability to support it.’

September Art:

North Grenville Photography Club presents
Snapshots: a photo essay
We all remember our elementary school days when writing an essay was one of the first assignments we got upon returning to school. You know, "What I Did on My Summer Vacation." It was an assignment most of us probably looked forward to preparing and presenting. A chance to share adventures and reminisce about the carefree days of summer.
The members of the North Grenville Photo Club have done their homework and captured the sights, colours and images that spell S-U-M-M-E-R (and maybe other seasons too!). As the kids head back to school the first week of September, the North Grenville Photo Club (NGPC) will be revealing its third exhibit at the branch restaurant in Kemptville. Snapshots: a photo essay, on display at the branch restaurant from September 7 until the end of September. Guaranteed to bring back fond memories of your great summer of 2011.
The NGPC was established in April, 2009 for photo enthusiasts from the North Grenville and surrounding area. More information about the NGPC can be obtained at: www.ngphotoclub.ca

September Music:

Fridays this month will, as has become the custom, feature those lovebirds of a feather, flocking around and making sweet music with your mind—Frank Western and Birdie Whyte are the old time radio couple that could have happened anywhen and finally did. Here. And now. On Fridays. (Fridays 2,9,16,23 & 30.) Saturday, September 10 marks a homecoming of sorts—those of us who have been around since the old good days of Amanda’s Slip cannot but help to remember the house band of all the best ‘Slip’ parties: Ric Denis and his gang were the go-to ‘get the party started’ blues-jazz-rock and original music tour de force—well, as of this Saturday, I’m pleased to report that Ric is back! So dig out your good old boogie shoes and come on down—let’s see if this old floor can still bounce the way it used to! (Saturday 10, 9pm, $10)
Next week is very exciting, if, I don’t know, you like good music? Chris Brown joins us next Tuesday, yes THAT Chris Brown (Kate Fenner? The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir? The Barenaked Ladies?) We’re incredibly excited to host this Eastern Ontario legend fresh off his recent, well received Folk Festival appearance—don’t pass up your chance to enjoy this good time rocker in our ‘great time’ listening room! Reserve now! (Tuesday 13, 8pm, $12) here’s a bite of his Wikipedia page:

Brown was one of the primary singers and songwriters for the alternative rock band Bourbon Tabernacle Choir in the 1980s and 1990s. When that band broke up, he continued performing as a duo with his Bourbon bandmate Kate Fenner. Brown has accompanied dozens of notable musicians on stage, including a six month stint as a member of Barenaked Ladies in 1998 filling in for Kevin Hearn while Hearn battled leukemia.
Brown released a solo album, Burden of Belief, in 2003. He performs this material both solo and with Tony Scherr, Anton Fier, and Teddy Kumpel as Chris Brown and the Citizens' Band. The group's album Oblivion was released in 2007.

Then, on Thursday, the sweethearts of the prairie are back—Oh My Darling are what old time wished it was, what bluegrass tries to be, and what most musicians wished they could get half-way right—pure chemistry, spontaneity and joy! (Thurs 15, 9pm, $10.) Al Tambay will be appearing on Saturday for all you blues fans out there—so come on down and dirty and prepare to get ‘Al-i-fied!’ (Saturday 17, $8)
Wednesday, September 21st is Leonard Cohen’s birthday—I can’t say for sure that he’ll be here, but we’re throwing him a party whether he shows up or not—At least eight awesome local musicians have signed up so far to play a couple of his poems, er, I mean ‘songs’ each, how about you? Would you like to just come and watch? Everyone is certainly welcome, it is a party after all! (Sept 21, 8pm, free!) that Saturday the branch is proud to host a spectacular bluegrass-country-blues and folk outfit: The Ottawa Valley Special—featuring fiddling from award winning local girl Ellen Daly—the bio on their website says that they are ‘better than Mama’s home cookin’-If they’re even half-right, I, for one, am expecting to have an awesome time! (Sept. 24, 9pm, $5)
That’s it for September, but just for the record, on October 1st, also known as ‘the next Saturday’, the branch will be hosting none other than locally grown international celebrity rock-star icon, or, ‘Kemptville’s biggest star that you’ve never heard of’ (go ahead, look him up, I’m serious!), Brad Turcotte aka ‘Brad Sucks’ will be performing on a double bill along with returning branch favourite Matthew de Zoete—start planning now—that’s gonna be a good’un! (Oct 1, 9pm, $6)

September:
Friday 9 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 10 ~ The Ric Denis 3 band...9pm, $10
Tuesday 13 ~ Chris Brown (fmr. Bourbon Tabernacle Choir) ...8pm, $12
Thursday 15 ~ Oh My Darling!...9pm, $10
Friday 16 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 17 ~ Al Tambay(duo)...9pm, $8
Wednesday 21 ~ Leonard Cohen birthday tribute ...8pm, free!
Friday 23 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 24 ~ Ottawa Valley Special(bluegrass) ...9pm, $5
Thursday 29 ~ David Celia ...9pm $6
Friday 30 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!

October:
Saturday 1 ~ Brad Sucks and Mattew de Zoete…9pm, $6
Thursday 6 ~ Keith Glass (Prairie Oyster, Lynne Miles) …9pm, $8
Friday 7 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 8 ~4th annual John Lennon Birthday Tribute, Roxzilla as the house band! Sign up with Chef Bruce, 9pm, no cover
Sunday 9 ~ Thanksgiving Fundraiser for the Salvation Army, turkey and trimmings buffet, ‘pay what you can, pay with a can’ sing along gospel-themed jam session, everyone welcome!…11am-4pm
Thursday 13 ~ Paul Simon Birthday Tribute …8pm, free!
Friday 14 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 15 ~ Ryan Cook…9pm, $10
Thursday 20 ~ Matty McKechnie, (Graven) …9pm, $5
Friday 21 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 22 ~ TBA
Friday 28 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 29 ~ Brock Zeman…9pm, $5
Sunday 30 ~ Our fifth birthday party, free buffet, cash bar; come jam with Chef Bruce and The Burning Sensations!

listen to my ratatouille!

2011-09-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

follow the link to hear a segment on the CBC Radio One show "In Town and Out" http://www.cbc.ca/intownandout/b-is-for-brunch/2011/08/27/b-is-for-brunch---ratatouille/

seasonal features menu 9-2-2011

2011-09-02T12:38:00.001-07:00

seasonal specials:
chef’s tasting menu: 3 at $33: choose 1 appetizer, 1 entrée, and 1 dessert
4 at $44: 1 appetizer, 2 entrees and 1 dessert
5 at $55: 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 1 dessert
portions will be sized appropriately to the number of courses:

appetizers:

branch caprese...a pile of ripe, peak season mixed heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, goat’s cheese, olive oil, cider-maple vinegar (a la carte $7.99)

warm summer squash salad...red onions, smoked portobello mushrooms, pumpkin seeds, bacon, olive oil and fresh lemon juice (a la carte $7.99)

or any of our house soups or salads...

entrées:

chicken ratatouille crepes...morsels of herb roasted chicken, seasonal veggies, corn crêpes, béchamel, fresh herbs (a la carte $22.99)

rainbow trout...grilled, served over rice tabouli salad with tomatoes, eggplant and fresh mint, cucumber raita, chutney, lemon and sumac onions ($22.99)

smoked beef chili relleno...fresh poblano pepper stuffed with beef, rice, veggies and cheese, beer battered and fried, salsa verde, melon pico de gallo ($23.99)

desserts:

berry parfait...fresh berries, tea cake, whipped cream, caramel $7.99

bread pudding...grateful bread, apples, bourbon caramel, whipped cream $7.99

tasting menu august 26,27

2011-08-26T14:02:00.001-07:00

august, 2011
chef’s tasting menu:

branch caprese...
a pile of ripe, peak season, heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, goat cheese, olive oil, cider-maple vinegar

mushroom pizzette...
grilled flatbread, local shiitake and button mushrooms, red onion, rosemary, béchamel, blue cheese

pollo flauta verde...
morsels of herb roasted chicken, seasonal veggies, corn crepes, tomatillo salsa verde, sour cream

fred’s ribs...
house-smoked beef ‘dino’ ribs, bbq sauce, grilled sweet corn, slaw

a berry parfait ending...
fresh berries, tea cake, whipped cream, caramel

$55 per person

a la carte pricing available on request...

on the menu tonight!

2011-08-19T12:07:00.001-07:00

enchiladas lenguas verde...
local, natural beef tongue, seasonal veggies, corn crepes, tomatillo salsa verde, sour cream

this weekend's tasting menu

2011-08-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

august 12, 13, 2011
chef’s tasting menu:

middle eastern ontario...
local lamb dolmade, hummous, raita, chutney, tomato, grilled flat bread

how you bean...
warm green bean salad, smoked portobello mushrooms, goat’s cheese, red onion, maple-cider vinaigrette

jambalaya...
pickerel, chicken, sausage, veggies, cajun tomato sauce, pickled okra, roasted tomato remoulade, rice

housesmoked ribs...
local, natural, baby back pork ribs, house bbq sauce, potato salad, slaw, pickles,
red onion

a berry parfait ending...
fresh berries, tea cake, whipped cream, caramel

$55 per person

a la carte pricing available on request...

this weekend's tasting menu...

2011-08-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

august 5 & 6, 2011
chef’s tasting menu:

this little piggy...
seed to sausage salami, housemade pâté, tomme de gaston cheese, chutney, pickles, bread, crackers

warm green bean salad...
red onions, smoked portobello mushrooms, goat’s cheese, dried cranberries, maple-cider vinaigrette

turkey flauta verde...
house smoked lyon’s turkey, crêpe,
salsa verde, sour cream

sirloin schnitzel...
breaded aubin farms sirloin cutlet, béchamel, smashed potatoes, veggies

a berry parfait ending...
fresh berries, tea cake, whipped cream, caramel

$55 per person

A complicated crisis.

2011-08-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

Recently a flurry of comments responded to the Ottawa Citizen’s Food Section editor Ron Eade’s blog about the sudden closure of Benitz’s Bistro, a chef-driven Ottawa restaurant manned by Chef Derek Benitz and his wife. I met Derek only once, at a Savour Ottawa food event—and I recognized him immediately: he had the same wild, harried look I see sometimes in my own eyes, usually right as the latest bus is barreling down the ramp towards me. I do not profess to know him and I do not write this as any sort of defense; this is just my emotional reaction to the piece as presented in the Ottawa Citizen’s ‘Omnivore’s Ottawa’ blog…But, like I mentioned, it was a Savour Ottawa event where I met him, and that means that he was on my team, a local foods guy, a guy with values, someone else who is out there trying to change the system. Turns out, we are alike in more ways than one…the fact is that I gasped as I read the article, airing out the Benitz family’s dirty laundry—knowing that my own story would read, depending on how it was written, with just as much seemingly salacious detail...the unpaid bills, the personal failures, trials and errors that seemed to err more than try...Whatever catastrophe finally pushed Derek and his business past the point of no return, I haven’t got a clue, but I do know this; ‘There, but for the grace of God, go I....’

I don’t know if my business will still be here next week. At the time of this writing there are any of a dozen different serious crises that could destroy the last four years of blood, sweat, and tears that have made the branch restaurant what it has become. Another slow week and we’ll miss one of two payments, either to HST, who will freeze our account, seize whatever they can get and prevent us from paying any other bills, or to our mortgage company...who, probably, wouldn’t do anything right away, but they could, and that would set a very bad domino at the front of a long line of other bad dominos into a forward falling motion--you know, like that HST I mentioned, or PST, source deductions...payroll, our liquor license renewal, or any of a number of other creditors including our families, our friends...purveyors, artists; all of whom expect and often need for us to pay them.... Or the walk-in refrigerator could stop working, or the stove.... The health unit could decide our grace period for putting in a new kitchen floor was over. Or I could get run over by a bus. We don’t see too many buses in Kemptville these days, but, you know, it could happen. Everyone always throws that ‘run over by a bus’ line into the string of worst case scenarios; I wonder how that started? I know why it’s there; it’s a placeholder, a reminder—‘it could be worse!’, ‘You’ve got your health!’, or more to the point...’quit complaining! Life is short, get on with it!’

My dad was an entrepreneur; that’s where I got the bug. Even before he opened ‘Samuel’s’, his namesake restaurant, the place where I fell in love with this, with my industry, (and, perhaps more importantly, his last business...) he had a string of other ventures, including, you guessed it, a bus station. That idea, getting run over by a bus, resonates in a strange way to me—Some folks, when they hear that, probably picture a bus from the outside, from a distance—I was so young and at such an exploratory age when we had the bus station that sometimes it feels like I was born on one. Like a bus is in my DNA. I don’t just picture it...I hear it rumble, belch, and hiss, I smell diesel, the sooty smoke, I remember standing next to the wheels when they were so tall that I couldn’t touch the tops. I remember crawling through the luggage compartments, unlatching the whole back end to reveal the gigantic motor; I remember the antiseptic smell of the on-board washroom, the fabric and vinyl seats, the ashtrays in the armrests at the back, the bus driver with his giant movie-screen-sized windshield. But mostly, I remember my Dad, the boss of the bus; conducting a symphony of bus; choreographing a ballet of bus. Yeah, I could get run over by a bus; in some ways, I already did.

In 2006, it occurred to me for the first time that I might actually be able to open my own business. I got run over by a bus when the first dozen attempts at financing fell through, then in October of that year I got hit by another bus when we actually opened our doors. I got run over by another one on our first busy night, during the blackout, again when the Hydro company threatened to shut us off because of a stack of mis-mailed bills, when I had to fire someone for the first time, when a cook unplugged the meat fridge overnight, when the health inspector showed up during a busy lunch, when we over-prepared for an Ottawa festival by a factor of ten and got stuck holding the bag.... When I got my first complaint, when I got my first review which implied (mistakenly) that I served grapefruit! (...it was grape chutney, Anne; the grapes were from our own vine out back!) Honestly? I’ve been hit by, knocked down with, run over by, and sent to the back of the bus in some way or another every week since we opened.

But every time, I have gotten back up. We did find financing, we survived opening, busy nights and blackouts, we passed health inspections (with flying colours, in case you’re worried...) and have paid our bills, paid our bills, and paid our bills; sometimes late, sometimes on installments, and sometimes with little more than promises and hopes. But when push has come to shove, for four and a half years, we have rolled up our sleeves, gotten back up and we have done what had to be done.

And more. We started a thriving Farmers’ Market; we host three or four charity events every year. We provide an income and stability to our employees and their families. We manage the upkeep of a piece of local history, our 160 year old stone and timber building in the heart of downtown. There is nothing farther away from staring at the grill of that oncoming Greyhound than reading our customer comment cards that say: ‘excellent, excellent, excellent, amazing, 10 out of 10, best meal ever!’ Or, ‘we love it here!’
And we have managed this entire project in line with our values. I set out to open an organic and local foods restaurant, a business that did minimal impact to an environment that is even more stressed out than me—And, four and a half years later, we still buy local and organic as much as or more than the day we opened—more than almost anyone you know—Our meats do not come from factories, our vegetables taste fresh from the field because they are, and our pantry is stocked, floor to ceiling with certified organic foods. We still use natural, biodegradable cleaners, recycled and compostable paper goods, and we don’t even have a dumpster because most of our waste is either recycled or composted...In addition to those local, small farmed and natural meats, we include lots of healthy, vegetarian and vegan options, we use mostly whole grains and we even control portions of salt and fats, easy to do when you prepare almost everything from scratch—and you don’t even have to ask us about MSG or trans-fat because there is none here. We don’t have to add veggies to our kid’s meals, they already have them.

For now. Today, we are here; tomorrow, I may get run over by a bus.

Which brings me back to Ron Eade’s blog and Benitz’s bistro. The comments on the blog were what really got to me. They ranged in scope from impassioned defense to cruel accusation, and, in all truth, having nothing more than a passing recollection of the chef in question, I cannot say where the blame should lie. But here is what I imagine: Derek had another slow week. Fewer customers came in than the week before, fewer regulars returned, fewer new people saw the sign or the ads. A bill was put off, because there wasn’t quite as much money as he thought there would be. He worked harder, he made the food better, he tried a new approach, but, whatever it was, it didn’t take. He had another slow week, he put off another bill. A piece of equipment broke, it slowed service, it made his work harder, but there was no money to fix it, so he plugged on, worked around it. The slower service turned a few people who were on the line about his restaurant around—they told a friend or two, and Derek had another slow week. Each of these things became a domino in a row, the bills, the broken equipment, the slower service, and as each one of those dominos lined up, he tried new things, he crossed his fingers and he hoped. He stuck to his guns, he worked on the delivery, on cutting costs, on keeping people happy...But one day, he put off one bill too many, or maybe something else broke that he couldn’t repair. One day the bus ran him down and he couldn’t get back up.

Was this a personal failure? Should he have fought on against all odds? Sure. I have this conversation with myself every week, and if I didn’t keep saying ‘Yes! Fight on! Find a way!’ then this adventure would have ended in defeat long before this day...But does that make him a villain? No. Fraudulent? Again, no. Our culture is littered with stories of winning against all odds, of pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps, of turning lemons into lemonade....To have quit any sooner than was absolutely necessary would have been his, and would also be my end. As long as there is a chance that this company can turn itself around, I will keep trying. As long as people keep turning up, keep encouraging us to succeed, keep thanking us for doing what we do, I will keep on fighting, I will keep on trying.
My Dad showed me how to put those buses in line. He taught me how to be not just a business owner, but a good one, a fair one—but in the end, a restaurant took him down. Restaurants are bigger than buses, and meaner; just ask Derek Benitz, or, I’m sure 99 out of 100 restaurant owners you could meet. Margins are slim, diners are fickle, trends and tastes change with the wind and season. And how many newspapers have a ‘Haircut Reviews’ section waiting to pounce on the first barber who tapers unevenly or fails to provide a perfect bob? Restaurants are hard work; they are demanding, intense and unforgiving.

My restaurant may not be here next week. It probably will, and every instinct has told me not to tell this story, this truth, to let you see behind the veil.... But I get tired when I see good guys like Derek lose the fight, like my brother, like my dad. I don’t want to be one of those guys or gals. I made it past the first hurdle; I didn’t fail, like 23% do, in my first year, and I’d like to not be one of the 60% that fail in the first five....The fact is that I love this place. I love the work, I love the response, I love the people, I love being able to effect change by the simple fact of existing and I love that I don’t have to be like McDonald’s, The Keg, or the Olive Garden to do it. I love that I can depend on local farmers and not buy from big, industrial suppliers like the others. But if I’ve learned anything, if stories like Derek’s have taught me anything, it’s that I’m not going to succeed by laying down in the ditch, waiting for the trouble to pass, I’ve got to get out in front of that bus and make the driver stop and let me on.
So here goes. Tomorrow, I really could get run over by a bus, so it’s time for me to quit complaining and to get on with it. So what, pray tell, am I trying to say? How about this: if you value your local and local foods restaurants, visit them. Frequent them. This is not an easy business; fun, yes, but not easy. Come to the branch; buy something this week or next. If you can’t come, send a friend; if you can come, bring a friend. We want to succeed. We want nothing more than to offer you a little home away from home; a friendly, smiling face, and a great meal grown and raised by the good people all around you. If you value that in us, if you value that in any restaurant, then support us. Support all of us; give us a chance to get on the bus. Honestly? Give us a chance to drive the bus.
And that is what I really want to say.

August Newsletter 2011

2011-08-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well, August is upon us, and all I can say is…wow. The fact is, I’ve written a very difficult story this month. It was difficult to write and has been even more difficult to send, but I hope you’ll take a minute (…OK, more like 15 minutes, who am I kidding?) and read it, and, maybe, if you’d like, share it, pass it along...I don’t know. You’ll see what I’m talking about. So anyway, that’s out of the way…let’s talk news….

Tonight (if you’re getting this on Tuesday August 2nd) is a Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute at the branch…Jerry was the center of the musical phenomenon, The Grateful Dead, that sprang out of the idealistic and slightly drugged up culture that was San Francisco in the 60s—I’ve lived in SF (not in the 60s, duh.), I’ve enjoyed their music for years, and I even got to see a show, in 1989, just a few short years before Jerry died and music lost his unique voice forever…His songs, ones he co-wrote or even just performed, however, live on…tonight, with the help of host, Dave Scully, we will celebrate his life and legacy with an intimate show and some jams at the branch, come on out if you are interested in good music or even, really, just good times.

August Art and August Charity Event and August Movie Night:

I’ll cover a couple more points of interest before I get to the rest of the music. August, at the branch, has become the month we set aside to support one of our finest local charities: Ryan’s Well. The following Press Release gives a pretty good run-down of the month’s clean water initiative related events: please feel free to cut and paste it in part or in total and send it around to anyone and/or everyone that you think may be interested:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thirsty? Glass of water only 25¢ during August.
Ryan’s Well won’t run dry this summer with the help of the branch restaurant and its generous customers.
For every glass of water served this month, guests are encouraged to donate 25¢ towards Ryan’s Well Foundation programs; the branch restaurant will match the donations collected and present them to the internationally recognized Kemptville-based charity.
In 1998, when local boy Ryan Hreljac was in Grade 1, he learned from his teacher that people were dying because they didn't have clean water to drink. He decided that raising money for those without access to this basic need was the right thing to do. He worked for four months doing extra chores around his house to earn his first $70. Ryan was just seven years old when his first well was built in 1999 at a school in a Ugandan village. The well continues to serve thousands of people. Ryan's vision, as a young boy in 1998 and to this day as a young man, is for every person in the world to have a simple necessity – access to safe water. Ryan and his Foundation continue to pursue this goal of clean water and sanitation for all. The Foundation has helped build 682 water projects and 821 latrines, bringing safe water and improved sanitation to 723,375 people.
Ryan’s story has made people realize that anyone, even kids in Grade 1, can make a difference.
In late February 2010, Ryan's Well representatives travelled to Uganda and were joined by professional photographer, Lesley Marino. Ms. Marino’s photos capture the incredible people, communities, struggles, impacts, and un-told stories the water and sanitation projects - her incredible photography really does prove that a picture is worth 1,000 words.
The branch restaurant is honoured to have Ms. Marino’s photos documenting the work of Ryan’s Well on display during the month of August. Don’t miss the opportunity to view them anytime this month. Come to the vernissage and meet the artist on Tuesday, August 23rdfrom 5 to 8pm.
Thirsty for more about water? Sustainable North Grenville is pleased to screen the movie 'Blue Gold’: World Water Wars' at The Branch Restaurant on Monday, August 8th, which also features Kemptville’s Ryan Hreljac.
Doors open at 6:45 with refreshments, a light buffet, coffee and sweets by donation, as well as a cash bar. The film starts at 7:00pm. $5.00 admission at the door.' For more info contact the branch restaurant , 15 Clothier Street East, Old Town Kemptville, 613-258-3737.

August Music:

As mentioned, tonight we will feature host Dave Scully leading us in a Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute and jam…bring a guitar or something, it’s gonna be fun…(Tuesday, August 2; 7pm, no cover) This Friday and for three other Fridays this month, Frank and Birdie will be back singing songs of love, redemption and hope. And meatballs (Fridays 5, 19 &26; 7pm, no cover). This Saturday, Trevor Alguire is bringing his original country rock and rootsy stylings back to the branch… not only is he the master of the soulful country rock ballad, I've also been informed that he is also the master of a triple olly on a half-pipe (...a poor attempt by this clumsy fella at a skateboard in-joke, in case you were wondering...) but Saturday, he is back for another night of magic in his 'favourite place to play',(...but I'm sure he says that to all the venues...blushes...) (Saturday, August 6; 9pm, $10)

Next Friday, come see the Heroic Mad Peasants, aka; Shawn, Katie and Doug, as they bring their strings and sings from folk to roots to harmony and back again for all ages, from all ages and, despite the name, with hardly ever a single torch and pitchfork laden march on the town square to date. You wouldn’t want to miss the first one though, would you? Just sayin…(Friday, August 12; 7pm, no cover.) And next Saturday, speaking of heroic mad people, Brandon Agnew, branch favourite and one of Ottawa’s most exciting hidden treasures is back—Brandon brings a bit of New Orleans grit to a unique, honest lyric driven style that ranges from folk to indie to a kind of outsider jazz—He is a character, a storyteller, and an excellent way to spend a Saturday night! (Saturday, August 13; 9pm, $5)

The following Thursday is the return of Christo—The young talented Mr. Graham is well known locally for his precocious talent, at the tender age of just like 17 or 18 or something, he is at the branch to release his third(!) cd…He is joined on the record by Amanda Giles and for the show will feature a band going under the moniker ‘The Men of Science’. This, my friends, is a must-see. (Thursday, August 18; 9pm, $5) But just in case you can’t make it…he’s back with his pal Alex Leggett on that Saturday…Alex is another young, vibrant spirit—a Ganonoque kid whose music has taken from our nearest shore to a number of other venues abroad, including Wakefield’s famous stage at the Black Sheep Inn. He will be joined by Christo Graham as an opener, followed by a headline set of his own original pop and indie tunes. It’s a smiley show, folks, highly recommended! (Saturday, August 20; 9pm, $5)

Come back the next Thursday for another cd release show, this time with touring songstress Sarah MacDougall, her bio says it all: “Sarah MacDougall is a rising star on the Canadian Folk Music scene with her dynamite songs, blistering guitar chops and astounding voice. She has been earning rave reviews and topping major music writers top ten album of the year lists as a songwriter with her official debut album Across the Atlantic (2009), all the while producing and engineering her own music. Born in Sweden, 24 hrs Vancouver called her ‘one of the most promising exports out of Sweden since Abba’ and Across the Atlantic got four-star reviews in such notable publications as Q magazine, the Irish Times, No Depression, and many more.” So yeah, that’s Kemptville on Thursday night, where are you gonna be? Patrick Brealey, another touring singer songwriter will be opening… (Thursday August 25; 9pm--$10 advance or $12 at the door). Then come on back that Saturday for…well…me! That’s right, I, Chef Bruce, will be taking on a Saturday night on August 27thfor a rare appearance with the latest incarnation of a bit of a band thing we’ve got happening these days…aka ‘The Burning Sensations,’ featuring Jay Williams on bass and Ben Mullin on guitar, as well as some other folks, if they’re willin’! (Saturday, August 27; 9pm, no cover!)

OK, so I came to Canada for the first time in 2003 and settled here officially in 2005…So let’s just say I missed out on the whole ‘Spirit of the West’ thing…Trust me, I am making up for lost time. The branch is honoured this month to be a host to an actual Canadian legend, John Mann, lead singer and songwriter for the popular and talented band in question: here’s and excerpt from his website: ‘Mann pens beautiful melodies with emotionally honest lyrics that capture the intimate moments of his hometown of Vancouver, its occupants, the fragile details of their dysfunctional love and the loss of a city’s innocence. If Damien Rice was Jeff Tweedy and Jeff Tweedy was Josh Ritter, you’d come away with something kindred to December Looms.’ That, my friends is the making of an exciting evening at the branch—one to tell the kids about…(Tuesday, August 30; 8pm $22) Best to reserve ahead for this one, it is already filling up!

August Calendar:

Tuesday 2 ~ Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute ...Deadheads Unite! ...7pm, free!
Friday 5 ~ Frank Westernand Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 6 ~ Trevor Alguire, he's back! ...9pm, $10
Friday 12 ~ Heroic Mad Peasants …7pm, free!
Saturday 13 ~ Brandon Agnew...9pm, $5
Thursday 18 ~ Christo Graham, CD Release Party! ...9pm, $5
Friday 19 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 20 ~ Alex Leggett...9pm, $5
Thursday 25 ~ Sarah Macdougall, 9pm, $12 ($10 advance) with Patrick Brealeyopening
Friday 26 ~ Frank Westernand Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 27 ~ Chef Bruce and the Burning Sensations …9pm, free!
Tuesday 30 ~ John Mann, former ‘Spirit of the West’ …8pm, $22

july 30th, 2011, Food Day Canada, Chef's Tasting Menu

2011-07-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

this little piggy...
house cured prosciutto from tony’s pig, seed to sausage salami, richard and sylvie’s last bit of cheese, chutney, pickles, bread, crackers

the unbearable lightness of bean...
warm salad of ernie’s green beans, red onions, smoked portobello mushrooms, goat’s cheese, dried cranberries, tim and colleen’s maple syrup in a maple-cider vinaigrette

birds of a feather, or, ‘what, the flock?’...
gary’s turkey and duck, kemptville farmers’ market veggies, crêpe, béchamel

a beef history of time...
dan’s beef striploin, grilled to your liking, pâté, blue cheese, mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, red wine gravy

a berry parfait ending...
fresh berries, ice-wine soaked tea cake, honeyed whipped cream, lemon thyme and purple basil

$55 per person

Chef

2011-06-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

Story Time:

One of the things I was looking for when I moved out to California was a mentor. I haven’t mentioned that to too many folks before now, but I did, honestly, have that exact thought. I had cooked with lots of other folks before that point, but, well, I had just never been all that impressed. I guess it was a mix of my ego, the confidence of youth, and, perhaps, bad luck...But I had never found anyone who was ‘so much better’ than me that I felt like I needed to listen all that closely to what they had to say. I have stated in other of these ‘newsletter stories’ that I was a bookworm, and that trick had allowed me the keyhole through which I could view a world of more exotic, more intellectual approaches to my chosen trade. But, to date, I had never met anyone who embodied the ideals and skills that I was seeking to absorb. I needed a chef, a real chef to bring me over that hill, to take me under their wing, to nurture my obvious talent... Instead, I met Eric Tucker. (Insert winky-face emoticon here)

I should not discount the fact that I learned much of what I know from other cooks and even chefs—John and Steve at Romeo’s, a kitschy Austin Italian joint, come to mind. John, who taught me to blacken chicken, had learned how to do it directly from Paul Prudhomme, the inventor of the technique; and Steve, who showed me the ropes on our wood fired pizza oven was a quiet, patient tutor whose first job was as an executive chef overseeing the menus of the multiple restaurants in the Comida Deluxe (Austin savvy folks will know it as the Chuy’s...) restaurant group. The consulting chefs who helped open the Brazos Brewing Company taught me how to make a hollandaise and Jason at Cenare gave me my first pair of checks and taught me how to sauté. Habib at Mother’s taught me patience and perfection as well as how to make a perfect hamburger bun (believe it or not, it involves jumping up and down...) There have been a number of generous teachers over the years who have each helped to teach me how to cook, but only one made me a chef.

When I went to San Francisco, I went to become a chef. I had some names in my pocket, not many, mostly from a (pre-internet) book of vegetarian restaurants for travelers that I had picked up at a discount book store. It was a little out of date, but accurate enough for me to know that If I wanted to work in high end vegetarian cuisine I had about three choices in the US: New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. My first thought had been, of course, cooking school, of which I could find only one that fit my (at that time) meat free agenda, The Natural Gourmet Cooking School in Manhattan. Exactly one weird, exhausting road trip later (it involves an ex-girlfriend, a night of debauchery in Washington D.C. on July the fourth, an awkward stay on the floor of an apartment on the Lower East Side, witnessing the death of a pedestrian in traffic and, finally, a conference at a school smaller than my parents house that involved graduates discussing jobs they had gotten that paid less than my current wage...) I decided that I was either not interested in cooking school, was too late for it, or, maybe, that I just wasn’t ready for New York.

San Francisco had more pages in the book than New York anyway. It had the Greens Restaurant, an institution whose cookbook stood as one of the most important textbooks in my self designed curriculum, and it contained a brief passage about a little place in San Rafael (just across the bridge from downtown) that sounded like my perfect choice: Milly’s Restaurant, a gourmet vegan destination... I was, at the time of planning that next step, a vegan, and as such, was obviously enamoured with the idea of finding myself settled into a cozy little gourmet vegan spot in the wealthy neighbourhood of downtown San Rafael...

I had also heard about Millennium from my boss at Mother’s Café in Austin; he knew a former employee who had moved out to San Francisco and found a sweet job waiting tables at a chic veggie place right downtown. Millennium wasn’t in my book, however, so I set the thought aside. I arrived in San Francisco by bus early one morning and checked into a youth hostel that became my home for the next 6 months(!) I quickly discovered that the cash in my pocket did not translate well from Texas dollars in to San Franciscan, and began schlepping my handmade single page, friendly, interesting (I hoped) resume to whoever would receive it. The Greens took a copy, but never called. Several other places did, but my big disappointment came after an hour long bus-ride into San Rafael, an ill fated trip that would have been quickly avoided by a high speed internet connection today—Milly’s was gone. The one that was my first choice, my great hope... just plain gone. No sign to mark its passing. I ended up at Herbivore, a brand new restaurant in the Mission district—Vegan, yes, which was nice, but mentor-less and too casual for what I had hoped to find. I was managing other cooks and writing recipes for this new job within weeks and found myself, yet again, unimpressed with what was on offer to be learned. Then, one day, wandering around my neighbourhood, I found Millennium by chance. Its sign made no mention of its vegetarian credentials, only my nagging memory of the name from my former boss’ mention drew the thought to mind—it was a scant three blocks from the youth hostel where my rucksack had found a semi-permanent home all while I had spent 3 or 4 months slogging vegan fast food two neighbourhoods away.

But there it was, ‘Millennium Organic Cuisine’, a sign I later found out had been a compromise borne out of a fear that even in downtown San Francisco, no-one would darken the door of a vegan restaurant unless lured in by less jarring words. The apologetic tone ended at the sign. Once inside, Margaret Mead’s famous quote adorned the mirror in the lobby “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” I ventured in, just for a look at first...and was amazed and hooked, even before I tasted my first bite. I knew as I read the menu that not only had I found my mecca at last, I had found my mentor. It was enough, all apologies omitted, words written by a chef for foodies, not compromised language for the unenlightened. It described a host of wild and exotic foods, ethnic preparations, traditional techniques that should not have been found on a vegan menu... Odd, eclectic, exciting stuff. In short, Eric Tucker’s food. Within the week I returned for a taste and decided then and there that Millennium was why I had moved to San Francisco and that I would not rest until I had a job. My resume was filed, my follow up calls made. I became a nuisance until, out of pity, I was sure, Eric finally called me in to help with a catering job. It was the foot in the door that I needed and for the next two or three weeks I would drop by or call and see if anything else had come up. It did, it turns out, within just weeks of that first visit; a lead line cook left, a perfect position for me, and it also turned out that I was not under-qualified (as I had feared) but, in fact, over... Most of the cooks in the Millennium kitchen came there through, of course, the externship program of the very same Natural Gourmet Cooking School in New York City that I had decided for many reasons not to attend—entry level positions are easy to fill if you have a long list of people who are willing to work for college credit... As the food was unconventional, in house training was almost essential to fill lower level positions; as such, most of those jobs were filled by most of these green and eager folks just moving up the food chain. My timing, it would seem, with a long resume filled with line cooking experience was kind of providential; an experienced line cook was not what most of these cooking school graduates were in any way qualified to replace.

Luck had repaid me it seems, in more ways than one: Millennium was, it turned out, a sister to Milly’s in San Rafael. Eric had moved to the Bay Area from New York after a stint at the Natural Gourmet to work for Milly’s; like me, he had come to that school with experience but, unlike me, he had decided that it was worth it and stayed to attend. On graduating and moving to San Rafael, he had quickly moved up through the ranks at Milly’s, apparently taking over the kitchen within a year or so. When the folks behind Milly’s decided to move into the city, Eric’s position as head chef of the new venture became a condition to the investors. Millennium went forward and Milly’s, along with its founders, eventually fell to the side, and the investors, Anne and Larry Wheat, took the reins instead. Basically, I had finally found what I had come out hoping to find.

At Millennium, I finally felt challenged. There was never an easy ride; every cook came to the table with ideas, every cook was qualified and competent and trained and every menu was an exercise in pushing a boundary. At the centre of this firestorm of creativity sat Eric Tucker, quiet, unassuming, childish at times, even prone to wild mood swings, but unquestionably the unmoving centre of it all.

Eric did not teach me to cook. Most of that I knew before I walked through the front door. He did not teach me how to boil a noodle or how to smoke a block of tofu, although, on occasion, he may have guided my technique or made a suggestion. Eric taught me how to taste. How to take all those techniques and ideas and to put them together in a bowl and to taste them. His method of teaching was ’no.’ Or, more often, ‘not quite.’ Like a good bandleader from my days in rock & roll, he would bring in his own ‘songs’ or recipes and teach them to us as needed, and then he would take our ideas and help us craft them. I remember bringing in an idea for a cactus gumbo, it needed another element, ‘a roux?’ I suggested...’how about toasted cormeal instead?’ he countered. Minutes later I had my best recipe to date with the aid of his one simple idea. He had that knack for taking a good idea and pushing it to the next level. Eric taught us to cook by never accepting something as being just ‘good enough.’ At times he drove me crazy; his repeated refusal to even attempt some of my ideas felt like censorship, but, in retrospect, it wasn’t my name on the menu. And, to be fair, I was getting more ideas past him (or more songs on the record, if you will) than any of my co-workers were. So much so, that within the year I made sous chef.

‘Chef’ is a funny word. I think of it like ‘poet’: it’s something that you cannot call yourself. Chef, technically, just means chief, or boss, in this instance, the boss of a professional kitchen. At one point, I, like most people, thought it was a name that was applied to someone who is a really good cook—I now know that although cooking is important, maybe even the most important part of a chef’s job, it is only the tip of the iceberg. A good chef must be an efficient manager of goods, ordering, receiving, organizing an inventory; a good chef must be a hard worker, setting an example for his or her crew; a good chef must be a good listener and a good teacher, Eric knew and, I’m sure, knows some critical piece of data about every person in his employ, a favourite song, a joke that always gets a smile, which word makes them cringe... A good chef must inspire people to try new things, to expand their horizons. Lots of people are chefs these days, ‘personal chefs’, ‘bbq chefs’, ‘top chefs’, ‘T.V. chefs’, and, I guess, by my rule of that title being one that only others can bestow on you, that they have as much right to that word as anyone else. But when you are like me, unschooled, never having gone through a formal apprenticeship, that word means much, much more. Eric, when he promoted me, gave me that title for the first time. In my mind, he literally made me a chef. For that I am forever grateful.

Eric is not perfect. He, if he’s reading this, is cringing; he’s one of those guys who doesn’t do well with praise. So, to balance, I’ll admit that he wasn’t always the best communicator (neither am I); kitchens are high stress places and we all drop the ball. He is the best cook I’ve ever worked with, but even he will admit to a baroque streak, a tendency to keep adding elements until the plate is within moments of being completely overwhelmed. He and I used to laugh with manic glee as we rushed to assemble these monstrous incredible structures of flavour, texture and form in time for dinner service. Eric is imperfect alright. And fun. There are a thousand stories of colourful histories we concocted to dupe the newer and/or more gullible members of the staff in order to keep ourselves entertained. But never (...well, almost never,) out of cruelty.

He’s also...too far away, and Nicole and I miss dropping in on him. There is not one time I can recall that he couldn’t make me laugh if he really wanted to. And these days, for reasons I’ll omit, there are days when I wish I could find some way to be there for him as well.

Eric had a successful run with Millennium’s first cookbook; so much so that they asked him to write another. Eric honoured me and showed his true colours by inviting me to not only help with the new book, but to also share a full writer’s credit, something he was in no way obligated to do. Eric not only gave me my dream of being a chef, he gave me my dream of being a published author as well.

In 1995, living in Austin, I still wanted to be a rock star, maybe a writer. At New Year’s I decided that I was tired of fighting for too small a niche in too competitive of a scene; I knew I loved cooking and that if I applied myself, I could make a go of it. A year and a half later, I was the sous chef at one of the top rated vegetarian restaurants in North America. Don’t ever let anyone tell you there is something that you cannot do.

Eric Tucker is not the world’s biggest celebrity chef. He is well known within a community, but I can assure you he is among the best. His palate is flawless, his instincts are perfect and by at least one measure, he is someone whose influence will last long past his already substantial career. a few years back, I was able to travel to Philadelphia to help Eric cook a dinner for that city’s prestigious ‘Book and the Cook’ cookbook festival...On hand, besides myself were 3 other folks who had worked with Eric and gone on to become chefs in our own kitchens...I can track at least a half dozen other folks, just from my ‘class’ who have gone on to lead kitchens, become personal chefs, open catering companies, or even to help revolutionize the industry with ‘dinner club’ style moveable restaurants. Sean Baker, a sous chef from the year after I left went on to open ‘Gather’ in Berkeley and in 2010 was named Esquire Magazine’s ‘Chef of the Year.’ And even here in Ottawa, miles away from the left coast, another of Eric’s protégé’s, Caroline Ishii of Zen Kitchen, has been garnering a number of rave reviews...Eric doesn’t just make great food, he makes great cooks...

Eric Tucker came from New Jersey; he went out to San Francisco in 1992, a few years before I got there, and within a year and half he was the chef at the restaurant where he had come to train. This year, the restaurant that he helped to start and still holds on course with his steady hand is 17 years old. I know now that in restaurant years that is the equivalent of about one million. I went out to San Francisco to find a mentor, instead I found a chef, my chef, and I found a friend. Thanks, Eric.

--Chef Bruce

branch newsletter summer 2011

2011-06-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

Greetings Summer Folk!

Well, the solstice is coming, the peak, the longest day, it is time to be outdoors, to be reveling in the full long light of the sun! Our patio is here for you, we have cast off under sail (literally...) for the summer season...For those that have not been out recently, last fall, the old wall had to come down—we all loved the old patio, but it’s state of disrepair was beyond our abilities to fix. We decided, however, that if we had to do it, that we would go all the way...Tom Lillico, John Brewer, Heather Cranek and Denise and Steve Busby (as well as many others) have all stepped up over the last few months with a bit here and a bit there and we have managed to create a new space that is not only larger (licensed for up to 40 people!) but airier (is that a word?), brighter, and more comfortable than ever—incorporating rough cedar posts, burlap, a recycled sail, shiny tables and hanging baskets of edible flowers into a cozy nook far from the cares of Kemptville or, for that matter, the world. And don’t worry, the grapevine survived and looks healthier than ever!

So, besides lounging on the patio, how shall we spend this summer? Well, if you’re around here you’ll have lots of choices...We’ve already had a pile of amazing music, with a pile more on the way—some memorable moments have included a sold out night with Ottawa’s favourite daughter, Lynn Miles (featuring Keith Glass), The Dandelion Festival, shows with Oh My Darling, Petunia, Greg Kelly, and a full house for a Bob Dylan birthday tribute night; some things coming up include a Sunday afternoon with Dave Martel (this Sunday!), the return of Folk Music Award winner Ariana Gillis (Thursday, June 30) and a personal favourite, Lynne Hanson (June 25)...We’ve also got Ontario Craft Beer week next week with a ‘six beers in three courses’ theme menu running all week long, designed to celebrate the diverse and exciting beer culture of the Ottawa Valley (3 course menu starts next Tuesday, come kick it off with a BBQ on the patio this Sunday afternoon!)

Art on the walls:

This month we are proud to feature work from ArtScene, the groovy collective from Spencerville: Although many know about events such as the Spencerville Fair, Veteran’s Memorial Highland Games, and more recently the Country Christmas Remembered festival, they may be pleasantly surprised to see how a commercial heart is also beating in the village of Spencerville.
Highway 416, while bypassing the village, makes it very reachable by anyone seeking to get off the beaten track. The village’s many heritage stone buildings tell a story of a community that grew up alongside a grist mill, the recently restored Spencerville Mill, which traces its roots back to the mid 1800’s. For six years the Mill has hosted a fine art show and sale; it is this core group of local artists and entrepreneurs who took it one step further...
A committed group of artists living in and around the scenic village of Spencerville recently combined their efforts and invested in a lifelong dream to open a Gallery they call ArtScene Spencerville. The founding artists, who have shown together annually at the nearby, historic Spencerville Mill, have a wealth of experience and involvement in this community. They wanted to not only have a place to showcase their own work on a continuing basis, but also to enrich the artistic awareness of this historic hamlet. The old Spencerville Hotel, which has been converted to apartments and retail space, is the location for this lively group. The open space is an ideal setting for the works of painters, photographers, potters, jewellers and a sculptor. Located in the centre of the village, the historic building has always attracted the interest of locals as well as travelers en route to the Nation’s Capital.

July Art:

Marguerite Boyer and her students:

During the long winter hours this past year, a group of artists, ranging from beginners to experts have been meeting once a week to paint under the tutelage of local artist, Marguerite Boyer. The studio time offers individuals an opportunity to discuss their paintings, to receive encouragement and to share their knowledge. For the first time ever, for some of them, they will be displaying their work, at the branch restaurant. They would like to thank the owners for giving them this opportunity. Please feel free to drop in and view their work.

June Music:

Starting, well, 2 Fridays ago, Frank Western, aka, ‘the man in the coonskin cap in a pigpen’, as he was so eloquently described by Dr. Robert Zimmerman in his 1968 classic, Subhonourarium Homesicle Blueperiods #12 and 35, along with his blushing bride with the banjo on her knee, the fabulous Miss Birdie Whyte, began what can only be described as an Irregular Friday Showcase, Talent Show and Wild West Revue (and Occasional Snake Oil Demonstration.) Irregular, as, it would seem, not only does it not occur every Friday, it can also be said that there is nothing regular about either the ringleader, Mr. Western, or his sidekick, Ms. Whyte. The music, however, is above reproach. Come see for yourself this Friday (June 17th) as well as on some other (...irregularly scheduled, naturally,) Fridays yet to come. Saturday features a couple of road weary veterans, John Allaire is Ottawa based and has more than a few awards and accolades under his belt after 20+ years touring and gracing stages across Canada; his co-hort in this endeavor is Bill Toms, who for over a decade played guitar in what has been described as Bruce Springsteen’s bar band, the Houserockers. With about a dozen album credits (including one produced by the Boss himself,) with them, with others and even just on his own, Bill certainly can be called a road warrior in the truest sense of the word...in short, these two gentlemen have certainly earned the label chosen for this brief tour: “Hearts of Steel,” come check it out this Saturday, June 18, 9pm, $5.

Sunday the 19th heralds the return of Canada’s closest reply to the question ‘Sufjan Stevens?’ With the words, ‘Dave Martel.’ Which is to say, indie, pop, performance, talent, skill, harmony, quality, lyricism, stage presence...all bundled together in a package, set to go, and displayed for your approval. For just $8 you get to see this world class performer, his four piece band and an opening set with Kemptville’s very own Ben and Heather Mullin, two people who seem, (to us at least,) to sing, speak and even think in perfect harmony and pitch. Come early for BBQ on the patio, paired with Kemptville’s best selection of craft brewed local beer in honour of Ontario’s official Craft Beer week. Music starts at 4pm, there will be an $8 cover for the music.
Friday June 24th is another Frank and Birdie show, followed by Ms. Lynne Hanson on June 25th. Lynne is a songwriter with a knack for a hook that keeps on reeling you in, day after day, month after month and even year after year...I’ve spent years listening to each of her three outstanding records and am still astonished to find great new bits and deeper depths with every listen. Highly recommended. This duo show (Saturday, June 25th) will be $8 and will start at 9pm.

If you missed 2009 Canadian Folk Music award winner Ariana Gillis’ last show at the branch, ask anyone who was there if it was worth seeing. I’ve heard ‘That’s the best show I’ve ever seen in this room,’ I’ve heard, ‘I can’t believe I just saw that in Kemptville,’ and, honestly, I’ve even said some fairly superlative things about it myself. But don’t take my word for it; Ariana is a star on the rise, she is young, incredibly talented, beautiful, and someday soon you’ll be saying, ‘I can’t believe I had a chance to see her at the branch...’ just don’t follow it with ‘...I wish I had...’ Thursday (...technically a Friday, since you’ll be off work on Friday...) June 30th, $10.

We are closed on Canada Day, but Saturday July 2nd we’ll be open and ready to rock with Brock Zeman, Ottawa’s hardest working country rocker. If you like barroom dust, tales of broken women and burned out honky tonk wranglers, songs about whiskey, life and a life of whiskey, then you’ll already know Brock Zeman, he’s that guy, two stools down, telling you the best story you’ve ever heard. Except this time, he’s got a guitar...9pm, $5.

Tuesday July 5th is my 40th birthday. You can do what you like on those round number birthdays, or so I’ve heard. Turns out Ringo Starr, the drummer and lead comedy actor of my favourite band (you know, the Bee-at-uls...) turns 71 just 2 days later. What do I want? I want to celebrate my 40 years so far by celebrating not only Ringo’s but all four Fabs legacy...and I want to do it singing with a bunch of my best friends...I have issued a ‘Fab 4 40th’ challenge to local music types, asking them to pay tribute to the Beatles with either a song for each Beatle or a medley, parody or even just a passing nod...We will start early and stay late and we will have fun. I hope you’ll all help me kick off my next decade in style! Tuesday, July 5th, 6pm or so...no cover...

Huntley Slim and the Suburban Cowboys are back on July 9th with their brand of what I call ‘Newgrass’ or ‘Punk Pickin’ or maybe even just ‘Twang’ music...these youngsters play original music on bluegrass instruments, they play fast and they play well...the stops that they have made at the branch in the past have always sent home lots of folks with grinning faces...that could be you! 9pm, $5...July 16th.

The week of July 10-16 is music city at the branch...the 10th is my Loose and Juicy acoustic jam, always a good reason to dust off your bazoukis, washboards, mouth-harps and castanets; Tuesday brings us the Alex Bien band from Toronto, an indie folk four piece that will feature acoustic solo sets from 2 other members (7pm, free!)...Thursday brings Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk (and Reeves) on their Cross Canada ‘Summer of Colour’ tour...Frank and Birdie perform that Friday and on Saturday...Well, the folks from River City Junction stopped in for cups of coffee and a Rubber Boots Buffet a couple of weeks back and after about 20 minutes we’d made new friends, then, after a listen online to their jammin’ hot brand of Classic Rockin’ Blues, we realized that we may have found the new fix for all you Roosterman addicts out there...Come on in Saturday, July 16 and see for yourself! 9pm, $5. Quite a week! I’ll buy a beer for anyone who makes it out to all 4 shows!

Frank and Birdie will be back the next Friday (July 22) and one of the coolest indie-roots songsmiths we’ve ever had at the branch will be back that Saturday...You may have heard him on the last trip through, when he joined local favourite John Carroll for a night of great tunes, or maybe even from the spins his buzzy new record has gotten on CBC Radio’s ‘the Vinyl Café’; Toronto’s Ron Leary, the man with the magnificent chops, sings ‘songs of love, devotion, poverty, revolution, murder and numerous odes to the highway life...’. Ron Leary (with his folk trio) plays July 23rd at 9pm, $5

July wraps up with awesome tunes by a couple of Ottawa’s brightest rising stars...they’ve been performing as Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons in ‘Grievous Angel’ a theatrical music show that has garnered rave reviews from near and far, but on Saturday, June 30th, they will be showing you that they are not just two folks who can do justice to a legend...they are, in fact, at the moment of birthing a legend of their own. Anders Drerup was the lead guitarist, a vocalist and one of the songwriters for branch favourites Silver Creek before heading out on his own, and Kelly Prescott is warming her way into all of our hearts with her catchy, groovy rock n’ rootsy country blues album that has been spinning constantly on the trusty old branch stereo ever since we got our copy...Saturday, July 30th, $8.

August, I may as well warn you, is coming on strong as well; with a Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute, as well as confirmed dates with Trevor Alguire, Brandon Agnew, Christo Graham and Alex Leggett (see below for dates) and with more names yet to come...I guess what I’m sayin’ is stick around; it just keeps getting better!

June Calendar:
Friday 17 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte ...7pm, free! Now most Fridays!
Saturday 18 ~ John Allaire and Bill Toms (Springsteen produced)...9pm, $5
Sunday 19 ~ Dave Martel... 4pm, $8 Ben and Heather Mullin opening...
Sunday 19-Saturday 24 ~ Ontario Craft Beer Week, Try our "six beers in three courses" tasting menu with a BBQ kickoff this Sunday for Father's Day featuring live music from Dave Martel (BBQ is served from 2pm, music starts at 4pm, $8 cover...)
Friday 24 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte ...7pm, free!
Saturday 25 ~ Lynne Hanson, as good as it gets!...9pm, $8
Sunday 26 ~ Open Stage 3-6pm
Thursday 30 ~ Ariana Gillis multiple folk music award winner...9pm, $10

July Calendar:
Friday 1 ~ CLOSED for firecrackers, bbq and cold cheap beer day...
Saturday 2 ~ Brock Zeman Red Dirt Country Rockin'...9pm, $5
Tuesday 5 ~ Chef Bruce (40) and Ringo's (71) Birthday Jam featuring songs of the Beatles--A 'Fab Four Fortieth Birthday' 6pm, free! Everyone is welcome, call ahead to sign up to play...also featuring wood fired Texas bbq on the patio!
Saturday 9 ~ Huntley Slim 'Newgrass'...9pm, $5
Sunday 10 ~ Chef Bruce's Loose and Juicy Acoustic Jam ...3-6pm
Tuesday 12 ~ Alex Bien Band Toronto folk-rocksters ...7pm, free!
Thursday 14 ~ Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk and Reeves ...7pm, free!
Friday 15 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte ...7pm, free!
Saturday 16 ~ River City Junction Blues and Classic Rock...9pm, $5
Friday 22 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte ...7pm, free!
Saturday 23 ~ Ron Leary ...9pm, $5
Saturday 30 ~ Kelly Prescott and Anders Drerup (aka Gram and Emmylou of Grevious Angel, appearing here as...themselves!) 9pm, $8
Sunday 31 ~ closed... for... something...maintenance?

August Calendar:
Tuesday 2 ~ Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute ...Deadheads Unite! ...7pm
Saturday 6 ~ Trevor Alguire, he's back! ...9pm, $10
Saturday 13 ~ Brandon Agnew ...9pm, $5
Thursday 18 ~ Christo Graham, CD Release Party! ...9pm, $5
Saturday 20 ~ Alex Leggett ...9pm, $5

A spring-time picnic for the family...

2011-05-12T04:40:00.000-07:00

Asparagus ‘Fries’ with Rhubarb-Maple Ketchup; Black Bean Hummus Burritos with Fresh Corn Tortillas; and Abigail’s Raspberry-Coconut Muffins

At the branch restaurant, we have found that an ever increasing proportion of our clientele are seeking out gluten free options for their families; according to at least one source, these days, as many as one in eight people is sensitive or even allergic to gluten-containing products, if you think about it, that means that almost every other family may have a gluten intolerant member! Nicole and I are no exception, in fact, our daughter Abigail is in that number. As a chef, I feel lucky, after all, coming up with new food ideas within limitations is my stock and trade, but for many folks, many of whom have always enjoyed the comforts of easy picnics like burgers, hot dogs or even just plain old ham and cheese or peanut butter sandwiches, this means scrambling for new ways to feed our kids with these issues healthy and tasty foods that are still fun and not too far out there for the more ‘skeptical’ eaters...For this feature Nicole and I thought we’d share some ideas that are good for Abigail, along with the rest of those who are gluten sensitive out there, but that are also tasty and fun foods for anyone looking for some new picnic ideas!

Asparagus ‘Fries’ and Rhubarb-Maple ‘Ketchup’;

You can’t beat local, seasonal food for flavour and colour, two thing that keep even the hardest to please happy, but when in doubt, some smoke and mirrors may help to bring a tougher sell (like green veggies) to your pickier eaters...Try presenting this fun, seasonal treat in a small paper sack like the fries from your favourite chip stand...I bet that if you can sell them on the first bite, you’ll have a brand new spring-time favourite on your hands!

serves 4

For the ketchup:

3 cups rhubarb stems, washed and sliced thin against the grain
½ small red onion, peeled and sliced
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons wheat free Tamari soy sauce

For the fries:

1 to 2 bundles of asparagus, trimmed (depending on the size of the asparagus and your appetites...)
corn starch or arrowroot powder
oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring several cups of salted water to a boil. Blanch the rhubarb and onion together for just one minute, (until soft but still brightly coloured,) then drain and cool. In a blender or small food processor, combine the cooked rhubarb and onion mixture, the maple syrup, tamari, and tomato paste and blend until smooth.

Heat about a half inch of frying oil in skillet large enough to hold the trimmed asparagus spears, dust the spears with the cornstarch or arrowroot powder and fry in batches, draining on a paper towel, season to taste, then pack the fried spears into a small paper bag to look like your kid’s favourite French fries and serve with the sweet and tart rhubarb ketchup for dipping.

Black Bean Hummus Burritos on Fresh Corn Tortillas;

This southwestern style hummus is a call back to my Texas roots. It is a both delicious and healthy filler for tacos or burritos and it travels well, which, as we all know, is an essential for any successful picnic. Serve it on fresh, homemade corn tortillas if you have the time, (Maseca brand masa is available in some local shops, the instructions for making the tortillas is on the bag..) or on your favourite gluten free (or even regular) wrap. Make your picnic a fun party by bringing a selection of different toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, cheese, onions, guacamole and fresh cilantro, and, if you are like me, a couple of minced fresh jalapenos! Best to keep those hot peppers away from the non-Texan kids, however, and yes, sadly, that is the voice of experience talking...

Black Bean Hummus:

serves 4

3 cups cooked black beans
6 tablespooons pumpkin seed butter (available in health food shops)
juice and zest of 1 large lime
2 teaspoons of cumin seed, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
4-6 tablespooons fresh cilantro (coriander), tough stems removed and roughly chopped
¼ cup salad oil, such as sunflower or canola
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or LOTS more to taste! You know, depending on the kid...or the other parent...)

Combine all ingredients in a blender or small food processor and blend until smooth, adding a bit more oil (or water, if you prefer,) if necessary.

Abigail’s Raspberry Coconut Muffins:

Our little girl is on a strict diet that limits most carbohydrates, these muffins are a fun treat that we have adapted and perfected over the last few months using coconut flour (which is available in many health food stores,) and whatever berries or fruit we have in the freezer left over from last fall’s crop...So far, the judge has given us an unqualified thumb’s up on our efforts!

(makes about one dozen regular muffins which will keep well in the fridge...if they survive the picnic that is...)

6 large eggs, separated
1 cup coconut flour, sifted
¾ cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons sunflower seed oil
½ cup honey
2 cups frozen raspberries
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a standard twelve muffin tin with spray or cupcake liners. Using a mixer with a whisk attachment; beat the egg whites until stiff (hard peaks.) In a separate bowl combine the yolks with the coconut milk, oil and honey and whisk together. Sift in the coconut flour and combine. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the egg whites, taking care not to over mix; then sprinkle on the raspberries.

Place the muffin tin, empty, into the hot oven for five minutes to preheat. Working quickly, remove the warm tin to a heat-safe surface and, using an ice cream scoop, portion the batter into the warm tin and return to the oven. Immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into one of the central muffins comes out dry.

Turn out when cool and enjoy!

Meredith Luce, on the release of her new live album...

2011-05-12T04:38:00.000-07:00

Meredith Luce is a chickadee...like that cute quirky little bird of
which she has written, her sweet, reedy and full, clear voice is the
piccolo pure solo in the concerto of any afternoon--to say nothing of
her remarkable guitar playing and her intelligent, emotionally mature
and well-crafted songs. Her music is one of our favourite sounds here
at the branch where we have had the honour of hearing it so many
times; she came to us for the first time over 4 years ago as a
teenager with a precocious talent, I'll never forget her first
show...we were having a quiet night, but she was on fire--there were
only about 5 people in the room, but after experiencing the magnetic
presence of this talented artist, at the next show, everyone who had
been to the first came back and brought friends...a trend that has
continued unabated ever since to the point that we now have to turn
people away whenever we are lucky enough to have her back. It has been
a pleasure and a thrill to be among those folks in the front row
watching her grow into that big voice and all of those incredible
stories. Meredith was an easy choice as the first artist to perform
in our new 'Listening Room' series of shows, (the show that is
documented here,) and this cd will make that apparent to anyone who
hears it for one simple reason...she is well worth listening to.'

--Bruce Enloe

A City of the Violet Crown

2011-04-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

Something about the quality of the sunlight in the spring always takes me back to Austin. In 1894, O. Henry, a poet and an Austinite, referenced what some have said was this quality of light, calling his home ‘the city of the violet crown.’ Most people think he was referring to the summer sunlight’s bright, almost violet glow; but some have speculated that he called it that as a satirization, a reference to the fact that Austinites of that day, in their desire to be a center of culture, described their budding city as the ‘Athens of the South’. Athens, Greece, as you may you may know, has long been considered the center and the origin of world culture, even the birthplace of civilization. It is also said to have a violet crown for the incredibly mundane reason of the presence of a great deal of mauve tinted marble on the Acropolis hill. But I swear, whether or not it was just hubris, honest desire, or even just willful stubbornness (...a decidedly Texan trait, I might add...) but when I think of Austin, I do think of Athens, of culture, and for whatever reason, I do recall, with startling clarity, an almost mystical purple glow hovering above it exactly like a violet crown.

Austin is a beautiful city, situated on the Balcones fault line; it has three lakes within the city limits as well as the sprawling grandeur of the Texas hill country that starts at about Lamar Avenue and rolls westward like the waves of a sandy limestone ocean all the way out to the west Texas desert. It is a green city, in both the literal and more recent definitions of the term, forethought and planning have kept it so. Laws were passed to protect trees in the old neighbourhoods, meaning that parking lots are often gerrymandered through thickets of post oak; huge tracts of land were protected and made into the broad green belt that encircles and holds up the downtown as well as forming the numerous and pleasant parks that connect throughout the city to create a second, silent Austin for pedestrians and cyclists who almost never have to fight city traffic for a bike lane. It is a city full of youth: a major University fills a large, central bit of downtown real estate, in addition to a number of smaller colleges, and, thanks in part to this, the businesses have developed a quirky, fun and creative subculture all their own, catering to that vibrant spirit. Austin’s official motto is ‘The Live Music Capital of the World’ and its unofficial one is ‘Keep Austin Weird’, a nod to that well defined culture that distinguishes the downtown core. It is also a wealthy city; the state capital is seated here, always a good source of cash flow for those lucky enough to be so geographically and politically inclined; and its youth culture and reputation for fun and quirky cool has also attracted a big, cheesy slice of the high tech business pizza pie. Though it is not perfect, (traffic congestion has always been a challenge) it is still one of the most livable cities in the world, attracting a broad spectrum of talented, creative people who come from everywhere to help keep its unique spirit alive.

I probably first saw Austin as a kid with my folks on a road trip to visit my aunt and uncle. I seem to remember the Capitol building and its unobstructed views and the exit for the LBJ library. I also remember the way that the upper and lower levels of the I-35 interstate highway split into four separate roads that run in parallels; two over and two under, through much of downtown. Driving on the lower levels is a bit like driving through a scene from a 70s sci-fi film, especially at night, where, in the eerie glow of the streetlights you feel like you’re shooting forward into some kind of giant yellow columned and starlit covered corridor. We didn’t have any highways like that back in Bryan.

The first time I really saw Austin was in high school, when a friend and I pulled the classic ‘I’ll say I’m staying at your house, you say you’re staying at mine’ ruse and, unlike in the movies, actually got away with it (...‘til now, I guess, sorry Mom...) We drove, ecstatic and slightly intoxicated by our courage, through the cool fall night to attend a Halloween party at the home of a friend who graduated the year before and had moved to Austin to live—as if someone could actually do that! I’ll never forget that night in Austin, the first of many and varied trips over the next few years to visit friends and to experience culture in that beautiful city that was just an hour and half drive east from where I lived. It seemed like so far to drive at that age, and so, so much closer now in my memory. Austin, to us, was where you went if you were a kid like me; you know, ‘different.’ I didn’t play sports, I played music. I didn’t wear boots and I didn’t rope steers, instead, I grew my hair long and, you know, got accused of being queer. I wrote poems; I liked books, not trucks. I ate vegetables; I did not ‘fit in.’ For us, for the weird kids, Austin was our light at the end of the long miserable tunnel that was the life of an oddball teenage Texan. It was our prize. The Austin of my youth felt like an entire city that was built for me, for my people; I felt that even just walking down the street I could and probably would have random encounters with strangers that would feel more meaningful than all of the polite, but ultimately frustrating, high school conversations that I’d ever had. I know it’s just nostalgia, but...

I didn’t move to Austin right away; several of my friends did, it took me a bit longer. I had a few things I had to work through first, and that’s another story. It took me a couple of years, but then one day a friend, a former bandmate, came over from Austin to visit me in Bryan. I was living alone, recently divorced (you know, the other story,) very sad and feeling very isolated. I’ll never forget the way he asked me ‘Why the f*$# are you still here? Why don’t you move to Austin? That’s where the rest of us are!’ It all came back, all the visits, the road-trips, that Halloween party, the sunny afternoons in Zilker park, the original Whole Foods market, Mother’s Café (an actual vegetarian restaurant!) Suddenly, for the first time in my, at that time, short adult life I felt like I might, just possibly, have a home...or at least a chance at one.

I spent much of the next four years in Austin, cooking by day, trying my best to survive in the competitive, glorious, and joyfully noisy music scene at night. When my car broke down, I was amazed to discover what people who grow up in cities know by instinct, that a bus pass and a bike are as good as a car for almost any need, even in the car culture ground zero of Texas. After a couple of jobs trying to build on my experience in Italian cuisine, I realized that I didn’t have to—I could cook what I actually ate (vegetarian at the time...) and even make a living at it. I lived on the flight path (...you would have had to be there...), played in a band, and even found and lost love a few more times, as youth will have us do. Like many who live in Austin, I saw so much great live music that I became stony in the face of quality that would send shivers up my spine today. I ate well in a wonderful food city: tacos and BBQ, Vietnamese and Thai, my first tastes of sushi, of Pho, of habañero chilies, of good coffee, of homebrewed and of craft beer, of finer wines, even of anything organic, were all tasted there. I became a film buff: I discovered, with the expert tutelage of the good folks at a shop fittingly called ‘I Love Video’, how to mine the depths of a director’s or an actor’s career. I became a music nerd in earnest, with the help of the folks at Sound Exchange and Waterloo Records. I learned how to dress myself, carving out a fashion sense aided and abetted by the thrift stores, secondhand shops, and the excellent examples of my many well dressed friends. In short, I became myself; I became the Bruce we all know today.

I moved away from Austin in the mid-nineties and spent a few years in San Francisco. I even travelled to Europe and, of course, Canada... Over time I found a great deal of what I started looking for all those years ago in Austin, and then, I got a chance to do something very interesting. I got a chance to move back. Nicole and I landed in Austin for a year and a half before we finally settled back here in Canada. It was and still is weird, wonderful and welcoming. It is still a place where art and culture create a magnet that pulls on the hearts of a thousand small town misfits. It is still, for me, a place that I will always feel at least a little bit at home. I got a chance to go back, and when I did, I think part of me hoped to recapture some bit of that magic, that sunshine, that taste of youth that had so sweetly seasoned my memories of Austin. But instead, I had a job. A life, you know, a bunch of things to do....

You see, for all of my spit-shine and polish on those early years in Austin, they were not the best days of my life. To be fair, the fact that they were not my best days was never Austin’s fault. Austin is a wonderful city, a beautiful city. But living for days on end in a state of hangover followed by drunk followed by hangover, with the metallic taste of bourbon, cheap cigarettes and Lone Star beer lingering like acid reflux in my sinuses; living in hovels or sleeping on couches, occasionally having to pick up extra shifts at work just for a chance at a staff meal; finding love, sure, but losing it again and again and wanting it so badly, aching for it for so long...I feel like those days, when I’m honest with myself, that even while I was being shaped and molded, that even while I tried so hard to live a full and storied life, I was almost always discontent, searching, hoping and looking for something...They were heady days, sure, ‘days of wine and roses,’ they were good days, fun days, but there were plenty of bad days too and no, when I’m honest, knowing what I know now, they were not the best days of my life.

The best days started with Nicole, the eloquent answer to that deep and anxious question posed so starkly by my heart, ‘will I ever find true love?’ The best days continued when I met Abigail, our daughter and, strangely enough, the same answer to the same question. Those Austin days were exciting, fun at times and certainly full, but these Kemptville days are surely the best.

But that is my story, not Austin’s. There was and still is something there, something important. Something tangible, something so sweet, and not just what was baked into that nostalgic batter; there is something to be found in what lies beyond and through that giant yellow columned and starlight covered corridor. As I have grown older, I’ve come to realize that the Austin that I go to on these bright spring days is no longer to be found on a map at the junction of Interstate 35 and Highway 290; it is, instead, a place in my heart, a place in my mind, a place in my spirit. It is the place where my dreams came alive and where my hopes took flight; a place where that misfit kid, where that young and lonely divorcee could go...a place to hope for, a place to belong. When the sun shines in the spring and for whatever reason, I see in its light that violet crown I feel, even if just for a fleeting moment, that sense of hope, of belonging, of peace, and that, that’s my Austin.

I’ve also been lucky enough to discover that my Austin fits in my suitcase. Austin did not become the place that it is by accident. Lots of people over lots of time built the culture that has become the magnet. People who needed a place to go, to be together, to feel included, all moved closer and closer together until something happened, something clicked, and then, after it did, they fought like hell to keep it. I guess, in a way, that is the story of any town, but it is not the story of every culture—just the good ones, just the ones worth keeping. I’ve taken a little bit of Austin with me everywhere I’ve ever gone. I’ve even, I hope, brought some of it with me here. In a way, the branch is my Austin now: smoky barbecue, enchiladas, live music—even a chance to sit outside in the sun, in the spring, on the patio. We’ve brought, I hope, a little bit of that Balcones beauty to our little town in other ways, helping with arts and culture wherever we can, be it by helping to start the Farmers’ Market, by hosting arts shows, historical society meetings, movies, charity events, or even, at times, by sitting on committees or in meetings with other folks, like-minded and otherwise, and by trying to remind them that there is more to a gathering of people in a municipality than just a momentum of years; that there is an important lesson in the hard work of creating the kind of place, the kind of culture that makes people want to not only come here, but to stay; that makes them want to come back year after year, that makes them want to call it home. Kemptville is on the precipice of a lot of growth, a lot of change, and we all have a great opportunity, and maybe it’s not as simple for us as saying: ‘Keep Kemptville Weird’ (...although, there is something to be said for that idea...). But maybe, as we grow, like those folks back in Austin who had the foresight and audacity to call their city a new Athens, maybe it’s time for us to seriously consider the kind of culture we want to create, the kind of community we want to have. We can have another Barrhaven if we want to—and we may if we aren’t careful: no downtown to stroll through, giant houses on small lots, chain restaurants and stores... Or, if we are bold, we can build on the kind of community that is already growing, that is already here; the small quirky businesses, the green space, the trails, the wealth of arts, of local foods...we can choose to support each other and we can work together and build the kind of oasis, the kind of magnet that will make us sustainable, strong, interesting and the kind of place that I think most us would like to call not just a bedroom community, but a living room and maybe even a kitchen community as well. We can, if we want, make Kemptville into our Athens, our Austin; not the physical one, but more like the one in my suitcase. Our sunshine daydream. A place to hope for. A home.

When I think of that mystical glow, that violet crown that hangs above the Austin of my memory, of my heart, I can’t help but think that the reason it exists is not just a simple flaw in my recollection or even some weird spectral phenomenon explained by a trick of the light. It is there because of people like you and me, people who needed it. It is there because we crowned her, because we decided that it should be. That crown exists, that violet crown. It is real over Austin, and it is real outside my window over Kemptville today. And it is there because we put it there.

newsletter spring 2011

2011-04-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, I know it has been quite a while since I’ve managed to send out one of these branchy newslettery things...technical issues are a big part of it, anxiety, time...the one thing has not been a lack of desire or effort. In fact I actually finished a newsletter (sans story) last month but was unable to send it! But here, I hope, is finally the news you’ve all been patiently waiting for... As a side note, you may have noticed some changes...or even that you are receiving this for the first time in a while...or, possibly, are receiving it and did not expect it as you had unsubscribed or something in times past--Well, that's probably because I am, for the first time, using a new program. Please bear with us--if you do not wish to receive this, please, just politely unsubscribe, this new program will make sure that the unsubscribe will be permanent (one of the reasons I switched)--and it will make all of our lives easier than if you mark it as spam...Well, let's all hope this works and I'd just like to say...it sure is good to be back!

I usually start these things off with a recap...but the fact is that at this point I don’t even remember all of the amazing things that have happened since last we spoke back in, I don’t know, February? Gosh, we’ve had George Harrison’s birthday tribute, Valentine’s day, Ariana Gillis, TWO Frank and Birdie shows...the list goes on...Why don’t we just agree, this one time, to let bygones be bye-gones and move on to the news? I mean, I didn’t even mention Simon Beach...or the BluegrassOpen Stage...or our new Spring and Summer Hours....

...Speaking of our new Spring and Summer Hours (did you see how I did that?) That’s right, we are bringing back the 6 evening a week hours that we had before it got all cold and stuff outside! Those new, old hours are, (for those who didn’t bother to memorize them last time around,) as follows:

Tuesday-Saturday Lunch: 11:30am-2pm
Tuesday-Wednesday Dinner: 5-8pm
Thursday-Saturday Dinner: 5-9:30pm
Sunday, Rubber Boots Buffet: 2-8pm (Open Stage 3-6pm)
Closed Mondays (and for Easter and some other stuff like that...)

So there you have it. Many more chances to let us do the cooking! (and, of course, the washing up...we know why you really dine out...)

Art!

I do feel awful that I never got to tell you about last month’s art show in this forum; The North Grenville Photography Club have shown with us before and will, I’m sure, be back again. It was a wonderful show and I do hope that many of you got a chance to see it, even if I never did pass it along in an actual newsletter...

This month, we are featuring the Merrickville Artists’ Guild, another returning favourite, who have provided the following information:

The Merrickville Artists’ Guild artists' work will be on exhibition at the restaurant from April 4 until May 1. the branch is located at 15 Clothier St. East in Kemptville.

The Merrickville Artist’s Guild (MAG) is well known to the area producing fine art and craft for over 25 years. Their popular annual studio tour attracts hundreds of people to Merrickville and the surrounding area each fall. MAG is very excited to come together under one roof at the beautiful branch restaurant and celebrate the love for art that thrives in this area.

The artists of the guild provide a diverse array of unique art. The MAG talents include painters, mixed media artists, potters, glass blowers, glass artisans, a gourd artiste, jewelers, a textile creator, wood turners and an artist who works with iron at Canada’s oldest foundry.

For more information on the Merrickville Artist’s Guild please visit our website where you can view some of the artwork: http://www.merrickvilleartists.com/studiotour.htm

Music!

Let’s start with this weekend: the recipe for a JD Edwards from Winnipeg is apparently one part Blind Melon funk and one part Black Crowes’ blues, stir in a little Van Morrison add a dash of Ben Harper and serve...You get the idea...Tom Savage from Kingston is joining him and bringing his brand of good ol’ rock 'n' roll with a bit of a country twist, he’s got a pile of well-crafted songs inspired by dudes like Neil Young and Townes Van Zandt...you know what? It all sounds pretty darn good to me! (April 23rd, 9pm, $5) We’re closed this Sunday for the egg thing, but we’ll make up for it next Wednesday with a rousing evening featuring several of our Open Stage regulars; specifically Dr. Shawn, Katie Nolan and Mr. Doug Hendry, esq. (April 27th, 7pm, no cover) I’ll be returning to the stage as well that Saturday along with newcomer Rick Ventrella in support of local master songwriter, Andy McGaw—he’s our very own local version of John Prine or Gordon Lightfoot, his songs are valuable, timeless and important...and, of course, I’ll play some stuff, too. Show starts at 8 with emerging local talent, Rick Ventrella (April 30, 8pm, no cover). That Sunday, May 1st, is an open stage hosted by me (Chef Bruce) from 3-6pm, but the real May fun starts that Thursday with the girls from the prairies, Oh, My Darling! Their website offers up a great description: ‘prairie roots mixed with bluegrass, Appalachian old time, southern twang, and Franco-folk, makes their style a melting pot of musical languages,’ you may remember them from last time, you will certainly remember them from this time. I once had the privilege of seeing the Dixie Chicks in a bar about the size of our restaurant right before they got very, very big—it was not a show I regret seeing. Just sayin’. (May 5, 9pm, $10) That Friday will be the first ‘First Friday’ showcase of the regularly scheduled ‘First Thursday’ event (catch all that?) ‘the Frank and Birdie show’ featuring Frank Western and Birdie Whyte, two locals that you know so well that you don’t even know that you know them. (May 6, 7pm, no cover) That Saturday, May 7th, will be our first show with the luminous songstress, Ms. Tara Porter...Tara has found us through members of our vibrant local Yoga community and we look forward to seeing her poses and hearing her mantras...or her tasteful and well-crafted original songs...either way, I’m sure it will be a delightful and rewarding evening among friends. (May 7, 9pm, $5)

May 8th, Sunday, is our annual Mothers’ Day Brunch at the Municipal Centre in support of the Salvation Army Food Bank. This year’s event will again feature lots of local, organic and handmade mom day goodies that she is not required to either cook or clean up after...It will also include a taste of the Farmers’ Market, Bluegrass and Gospel music (with Kim Wallace and the fellows from County Road 44) and a bunch of good people coming together for a worthy cause. That’s Sunday, May 8 from 10am to 2pm at the Municipal Centre, ALL proceeds go to benefit the local Sally Ann...Do it for mom, she’s worth it! Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, kids pay their age, volunteers welcome, and kids: one hour of volunteering buys a brunch for mom...Even you can afford that!

Wednesday May 11th brings us the dulcet, jazz influenced tones of Larra Skye, a Newmarket, Ontario native who has since travelled far on the success of her 2006 Jazz outing ‘the World Disappears’, for this tour, she will be playing and singing a new batch of acoustic, original pop inflected folk. (May 11, 7pm, no cover) That Saturday brings us Meg O’Malley Iredale all the way from Victoria, BC. I’ve been enjoying this songwriter quite a bit—follow the link below to get a taste of her indie/ethereal/thoughtful original tunes that hearken back to a an old-time folksy wonderland. (May 14th, 9pm,, $5) The following Tuesday brings back the one and only Ryan Cook for a listening room show, reserve now. ‘Nuff said. (Tuesday, May 17th, 8pm, $8) Join Ray Harris and his Bastard Sons’ of Bitches that Saturday for an evening of original as well as some well chosen country and country-rock covers! (May 21, 9pm, $5).

With yet another Tuesday night show, we will be bringing together a crew of local artists on May 24th to celebrate the birthday and the continuing story of one of the world’s all time greatest songwriters, Robert ‘Bob Dylan’ Zimmerman, the cipher, the poet, the priest...a man about who we can all agree to disagree. Show starts at 7pm, LOTS of people are performing.

CAB are back that Thursday at 8pm, no cover—this crazy two-piece old time rootsy blues band from Montreal tore up the room when they played here earlier this year as part of a 2 band show—now, on their own, we look forward to a whole evening of their magnificent Waits-y psych-blues swagger. Join the rest of K-ville for our premier event ‘The Dandelion Festival’ that weekend and see numerous bands on the main stage right outside our own front door.

I can’t tell you about everything that is coming up (yet...), but I should point out that yes, that is actually Lynn Miles (as in ‘THE Lynn Miles') playing on Saturday June 4th. We’ve already sold about half of the available seats, so if you’d like to come, the time to move is NOW!

Anyway, lots of good stuff coming up, we look forward to seeing you all!

Here’s that calendar again...

April:
Saturday 23 ~ Tom Savage from Kingston and JD Edwardsfrom Winnipeg ...9pm, $5 cover
Sunday 24 ~ closed for Egg Hunting Season
Wednesday 27 ~ Shawn Yakimovich, Katie Nolan and Doug Hendry; harmony, folk songs & lots of incredible strings ...7pm
Saturday 30 ~ Andy McGawand Chef Bruce with Rick Ventrella
May Calendar:
Sun May 1: ~ Open Stage 3-6pm
Thursday 5 ~ Oh, My Darling!Pickin' and singin with the ladies! Prairie roots mixed with bluegrass, Appalachian old time, southern twang, and Franco-folk, makes their style a melting pot of musical languages, 9pm, $10
Friday 8 ~ The Frank and Birdie Show featuring Frank Westernand Birdie Whyte... details TBA
Saturday 7 ~ Tara Porter...9pm, $5 Listening Room Show
Sunday 8 ~ Mother’s Day Brunch Salvation Army Fundraiser 10am-2pm at the Municipal Centre
Wednesday 11 ~ Larra Skye: sweet-voiced folk/pop songwriter from Toronto, singing songs from her second forthcoming album, "Wishing Tree" and unique renditions of popular tunes......7pm, no cover
Saturday 14 ~ Meg O’Mally Iredale 9pm, $5 cover
Sunday 15 ~ Open Stage 3-6pm
Tuesday 17 ~ Ryan Cook! Listening Room Show, $8, 8pm
Saturday 21 ~ Ray Harris and the Bastard Sons of Bitches, $5, 9pm
Sunday 22 ~ Closed for TWO-FOUR
Tuesday 24 ~ Bob Dylan Birthday Tribute, contact chef Bruce to sign up...8pm, free!
Thursday 26 ~ CAB, Montreal old time blues...8pm, no cover
Friday, Saturday, Sunday May 27, 28, 29: Dandelion Festival!
June Calendar:
Saturday 4 ~ Lynn Miles, Holy Smokes!...9pm, $20 cover
Friday 10 ~ Petunia!
Saturday 11 ~ Greg Kelly and the Broken Window Philharmonic...9pm, $5 cover Saturday 18 ~ John Allaireand Bill Toms...9pm, cover TBA
Sunday 19 ~ Dave Martel... (not confirmed, cross your fingers!)
Saturday 25 ~ Lynne Hanson, ...9pm, $8
Thursday 30 ~ Ariana Gillis
July Calendar:
Saturday 2 ~ Brock Zeman
Tuesday 5 ~ Bruce and Ringo's Birthday Jam featuring songs of the Beatles--sign up with your friendly neighbourhood chef if you want to play!
Saturday 9 ~ Huntley Slim
Saturday 16 ~ Brandon Agnew

Molecular Gastronomy Domine

2011-02-04T12:29:00.001-08:00

Alice Waters let me down this week. It’s not the first time, won’t be the last, I’m sure. I was listening to a riveting episode of a podcast called Freakonomics Radio entitled ‘Waiter, there’s a Physicist in My Soup!’ The podcast revolved around the no longer quite so new trend of ‘molecular gastronomy’ and the work of physicist/cookbook author Nathan Myhrvold, whose monstrous tome ‘Modernist Cuisine’ will be hitting the shelves sometime soon. Alice, it seems, was brought on to ‘balance’ the conversation but she, I must admit, left me wishing for more.

I first encountered ‘modernist cuisine’ while working in San Francisco, when I started to hear rumblings on the fringes of the culinary world about a Spanish chef, Ferran Adria, who was making waves, winning awards, changing the game. At first blush, I was enamoured, he seemed to represent a next logical step for folks like me, folks who wanted to push the creative boundaries of high end cuisine. Millennium, where I worked at the time, also relied heavily on unusual techniques to translate our vegan concepts for a mass audience. I read about Adria’s deconstructionist ideas and began to incorporate them into my own dishes—rethinking everything from tamales to bouillabaisse...I found myself asking “what is it about this dish that makes it specifically ‘this’ dish?” and in the answers, often, I found lots of room to play.

I also read about Heston Blumenthal, owner of Britain’s The Fat Duck, perennial ‘second best restaurant in the world’ (placing, for many of the last several years, just behind Adria’s ElBulli in the British magazine Restaurant’s prestigious annual poll) and another proponent of high concept technique. Other names appeared in connection with this movement, Herve Thís, Nicolas Kurti, José Andrés, and my personal favourite, Harold Mcgee, a food scientist who made a name for himself by debunking old wives tales (like the one about how searing the meat ‘seals in the juices’) with a combination of accessible writing and meticulous attention to detail as well as to the scientific method.

I liked these ideas about deconstruction, about re-imagining what was possible with food, even about pulling techniques from one discipline (like pastry or Asian) to another. Savoury ice creams and sorbets became common (at least in our world), foams and whips, intentionally broken emulsions, layering hot, cold, raw and cooked foods in new ways to achieve unusual and even incredible results. In many ways what we were doing was adding value to ingredients, providing a justification for our prices in the same way that our choice of plates, linens, décor and even our music helped to ease our patrons into a more ‘high dollar’ kind of mood.

In the next few years, I read about and was a witness to even more elaborate techniques; flash freezing with liquid nitrogen, sous-vide cooking (poaching foods for hours or days in a water bath inside vacuum sealed bags), dehydrators, vacuum infusions, using blowtorches and various chemical reactions with calcium chloride, sodium alginate and other pharmaceutical sounding ingredients to achieve new textures, new flavours, and new presentations. Edible printing on edible paper, smoking a chocolate cake in a pipe...The weirder the idea, the more likely it was that one of these molecular gastronomy types had tried it.

It was fun, but over time, I had to ask myself, “Is this real food? Is this important?” It certainly felt important, to be a part of the ‘new cuisine’, but the more closely I examined it, the less important it seemed. My chef, Eric Tucker, always kept a good head on his shoulders about that stuff. He liked to cook pretty close to the mark—he had a wild streak, for sure, that would come out at wine pairing dinners, for New Years Eve or for other special events; and he certainly indulged my whims and those of the rest of the kitchen staff, investing in foaming canisters and the like, things like agar gelatin and xanthum gum; but Eric was, at heart, a farmers’ market kind of guy. He liked the best produce around, the most unusual and fun ingredients, new varieties of basil or peppers, white asparagus from this guy, stinging nettles or wild cinnamon cap mushrooms from that. He favoured ethnic preparations, traditional dishes with a history of comfort. Where I found that I reveled in the possibilities of experimenting with various meat substitutes to replicate or expand on the meat dishes of fine cuisines, he seemed to seek out traditional recipes that had never had a meat component to begin with, or if it did, it was something we could easily replace with a minimum amount of distraction.

I also met a lot of farmers in this period, working with Eric, and as his sous chef, I found myself fielding several calls a day from various purveyors, farmers, producers, foragers, characters and even outlaws. Eric would have a line out on huitlacoche, an edible fungus that grows on ears of corn, and months later would receive a call and have to drive to a parking lot in the suburbs to trade brown paper bags of infected ears for wads of cash like some kind of mid level drug dealer. Shifty types would appear by the dumpster late at night with some weird variety of peach they had scaled a fence to secure. These farmers and foragers had no interest in molecular gastronomy, they were interested in botany, maybe a bit of biology; it was a science, to be sure, of a different sort.

I also discovered some other chefs who were adding value to their food through entirely different means. Technique, yes, but technique informed by a combination of traditional methods and the new science. Chefs like Alice Waters, Patrick O’Connell, Paul Bertolli and Thomas Keller. Chefs who added value the way Eric did, by shopping well, seeking out the best of the best, and also by honouring the generations of technicians who had gone before.

Molecular gastronomy is exciting and fun and is not going anywhere anytime soon; as long as there are people out there who are willing to pay for a value added experience, for flash and bang, for a bit of excitement. But my interest in its merits, over time, has certainly begun to fade. As it has, I feel, with the gastronomic community as a whole—this past year’s winner of Restaurant magazine’s prestigious best restaurant in the world award was a restaurant named Noma in Copenhagen that specializes in the ultra local and the pure. Noma’s Chef Rene Redzepi is an almost literal bridge between the two worlds I am attempting to describe; he has trained with both Ferran Adria and Thomas Keller. His award, in my mind, marks a fork (knife and spoon?) in the road of our collective culinary journey. His restaurant points to a path that doesn’t lead away from this new cuisine; it leads through it.

I believe that some of the techniques and approaches pioneered by molecular gastronomy will stick; some already have; food and cooking, after all, is science. In that regard, it’s just a new name for an old idea. Many of the grand techniques developed by great chefs over time were simply the best science they had to work with in their day or were the result of the same experimental techniques of trial and error (and/or happy accidents) that drive mainstream science today. Escoffier would have welcomed a physicist in his kitchen in much the same way as our top chefs do today. But I don’t think that molecular gastronomy will subvert, supplant or replace our existing cuisine as a whole, either.

So how did Alice Waters let me down? Alice, in a word, is a highly important symbol for the organic and local foods movement. Some would say that she has been the engine of change. Yet when she spoke on this show about her love of simplicity, of her annoyance with high concept technique, she honestly came across as a Luddite. And possibly even a little bit dotty. I, at first, blamed the edit—the hosts of the show have worked with Myhrvold in the past, and I can’t help but feel that this episode, while fascinating, was also a bit of a plug for his upcoming six volume widely acclaimed (even before being published) new encyclopedic treatise on all of the techniques developed so far in this new and fascinating world of high concept ‘modernist cuisine.’ Myhrvold was certainly the focus and Alice just didn’t read as well in this show. I felt annoyed that she didn’t ask (or didn’t get to ask...) what seemed to me like the most important questions, the ones that keep me up at night, the real reason that I don’t think molecular gastronomy will be changing the way we eat on the whole anytime soon. The questions that I would like to ask are these: “Is all this important? Does this really matter?”

Does tapioca starch infused seaweed caviar help to feed the hungry? Does smoking chocolate cake in a pipe help to clean up the environment? Does three-quarters of the world living on less than two dollars a day in any way benefit from seawater foam or bacon ice cream? I don’t know. Granted, those folks aren’t eating at Chez Panisse either (Alice Waters’ famous culinary Mecca), but at least some of the food science that I associate with the movement she has come to symbolize, the science of organic and sustainable farming, of biodiversity, of local foods, of clean, healthy and community building food sourcing, of finding harmony between our food choices and the things in which we believe; at least those ideals have a chance of changing something more than how exciting our expensive meal will be tonight. I guess that’s why I felt like she let me down. But that’s OK, because I can always just ask those questions myself, right?

You know what? So can you.

February 2011

2011-02-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody!

Wow, what a great month! January has been hopping; I guess you folks must have missed us while we were gone... We have especially enjoyed sharing what we do with lots of new folks who heard about us from the Citizen’s very nice little article at the top of the month (...read it here!) as well as welcoming home lots of our regulars and dear old friends. We’ve had lots of great music; I know it’s unfair to choose, but my personal favourites had to be a tie between the lightning quick bluegrass of the Dusty Drifters and the unforgettable songs of the immortal Andy McGaw (a show for which I also happened to have the best seat in the house...) But we also had lots of other great nights with Jazz-fro-Cuban-Latin maestros Mango Upstart, the Unseen Strangers and their pals in Cab, and another close contender for the top spot, Tara Holloway, a new friend we will surely be seeing a lot more of in the future (don’t believe me? Stop by this Sunday!)

Coming up we have lots of new stuff; how about a movie night? How about two literary evenings featuring well known and interesting authors? How about an art show and vernissage featuring some of Ottawa’s hippest young musicians? To find out about all these things, and, of course Valentine’s Day, read on!

Valentine’s Day:

First of all: Yes, We Will Be Open Monday, February 14th for Valentine’s Day! And yes, for those of you more inclined to get in your V day celebrating on the weekend nights prior to that Monday (you know, so can ‘sleep in’ the next day...), we will also be offering our special 3 course menu of traditional aphrodisiac foods for not just Monday, but for Friday and Saturday (February 11th and 12th) as well. Here’s a preview of the Aphrodisiac Menu:

the introduction:

choice of:

oysters on the half shell; lime, chili, mixed greens and yuzu vinaigrette

or

truffled beet and mushroom ravioli; cream sauce, local goat chevre

the seduction:

choice of:

the striptease; red wine marinated 6-ounce o’brien farms striploin, chocolate-lovage ‘magic love butter’, mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies

or

the ménage a trois; lyon’s chicken prepared three ways: barbecued wings and drumlets, a parmesan and herb stuffed thigh roulade and a breast tender risotto

or

the love letter; a filet of local trout steamed en papillotte (in parchment) with rice noodles, sweet peppers, lime, ginger and coconut milk

or

hearts on fire; a whole steamed tender artichoke, chili-tomato hollandaise, olives, roasted peppers, white bean ragout

the petit mort:

chocolate fondue for 2; cake, meringue, cookies, fresh fruit, molten dark chocolate...

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Where you go next is entirely up to you, but prepared, these traditional aphrodisiac foods may cause unexpected and completely desirable outcomes...

February Art:

The following rundown of this month’s art show and this Sunday’s vernissage was provided by the artist:

Ottawa oil painter A. James Brummel brings his "head to head" show to Kemptville! That's right, we're hitting the road and heads are going to roll. Come and see what all the fuss has been about. And stay for the branch's bountiful buffet and LIVE music!

"head to head" is a collection of portraits depicting Ottawa musicians painted on used drum skins (or heads). The drummers (Edwards, Essoudry, Guerrero, Ouimet and Sheridan) were painted on skins from their own kits. The exhibition was originally shown at the Shanghai Restaurant in Chinatown. With many of the musicians performing, and generally getting intoxicated. One of whom had a heart attack the next day. But it wasn't the art or the alcohol--most likely hockey was to blame. The important thing was that his portrait sold. And that he's doing a show at Irene's in February.

Enter "head to head.2"...

There will be eight (8) bouts featuring 16 O-town heavy weights!

1) DAVE EDWARDS VS MIKE ESSOUDRY
2) KELLYLEE EVANS VS BILL GUERRERO
3) TARA HOLLOWAY VS MEREDITH LUCE (cat fight)
4) MATT KIDD VS MARK ALEXANDER MCINTYRE
5) ASHLEY NEWALL VS DAVE NORRIS (grudge match)
6) GLENN NUOTIO VS MATT OUIMET
7) AMANDA RHEAME VS BRAD SUCKS
8) BRIAN SIMMS VS MICHAEL SHERIDAN (mud wrestling)

http://www3.sympatico.ca/a moamasam/
http://www.facebook.com/pa ges/A-James-Brummel/777389 6423

Author Events:

http://www.bcachievement.com/nonfiction/finalist.php?id=25

Join Dr. John FizGerald, acclaimed British Columbian non-fiction author, for a reading at the branch on Thursday, February 17th at 7:30pm. Half of the proceeds from the evening’s dinner will be donated to the Kemptville District Hospital Foundation.

This event is hosted by the branch and Jamie Laidlaw, a local resident and a friend of Dr. FitzGerald who has this to say about his old friend:

James and I are lifelong friends who went to UCC together and more importantly to each other's birthday parties. Even then he was an astonishing writer with skills that were far beyond the reach of the rest of us. Luckily, he has chosen the difficult and rewarding path of historical reconstruction and personal reconciliation. His immense effort rewards the reader with insight into 20th century Toronto and the evolution of health care as well as his own bold inquiry into the makeup of his own psyche. This makes, "What Disturbs Our Blood" at least two books in one. It is a both a detective story and a personal journey. Each passage and page brings a new hard won insight and the reader's attention never flags. The rewards include the appreciation of a "lost" genius, a deeper knowing of a gifted father and the rescue of his own well being. In total, the redemption of the male line of the FitzGeralds of Drayton, Ontario and Balmoral Avenue, Toronto.

Count among James's fans the distinguished historian Michael Bliss (Sir William Osler), the author and doctor Gabor Mate (The Hungry Ghosts) and recent BC Achievement Foundation winner John Valliant (Golden Spruce, The Tiger) and Noah Richler one of this year's judges, (This Is My Country, What's Yours?).

Please join us for a unique experience as well as in support of a great cause.

--Jamie Laidlaw

And then, on Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 7pm: A Kitchen Table Meeting with award-winning author Thomas Pawlick

Enjoy a kitchen table meeting with award winning author Thomas Pawlick. The event will be a casual and open discussion with Thomas, after an opening introduction by the author to set the stage. Our foodie friends will certainly recognize him as the author of the best selling The End of Food, a must read for folks interested in understanding our food choices...

Thomas will open the discussion at 7 PM - but come and enjoy the branch restaurant's famous Rubber Boots Buffet from any time after 2 PM.

About the Author: Thomas F. Pawlick has more than thirty-five years of experience as a journalist and editor, specializing in science, environmental, and agricultural reporting. He is a three-time winner of the Canadian Science Writers’ Association Award and received a National Magazine Award for his agricultural reporting. Pawlick holds a masters degree in farm journalism and is the author of ten books, including the best-selling The End of Food and War in the Country. He served six years as chief editor of Ceres magazine, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's flagship publication. He currently lives on a 150-acre farm in eastern Ontario.

Movie Night:

Food, Inc. Wednesday, February 16th, 6:45pm

The following news-bite was provided by the inimitable Mr. Douglas Hendry, esq.:

So there you sit, in front of your food...and you are about to take your next bite. But as you read this, you stop, look at the food on your plate and ask yourself some questions. What are you putting in your mouth? Where does this food come from? And what is in it, really?

The food industry is a very powerful one. It controls modern society in ways which most of us never think about. We have long ago given up the ability to feed ourselves, for the most part, and so we rely upon others to feed us but pay very little heed to either how our food is grown, how it is processed or how it gets to our table.

More and more people are beginning to ask these questions and to realize that perhaps we should be paying more attention. If you are one of them, Sustainable North Grenville invites you to a free screening of the movie Food Inc. to be held at the branch restaurant on February 16th at 7pm. This movie takes a look at how food is manufactured and what is good and bad about the process. After watching it, it's likely that you'll never look at your breakfast quite the same way again.

So come on out and savour this movie. Afterwards we'll have a free-range discussion [pun intended] while enjoying some snacks courtesy of our friends at the branch. For more information, please contact the links below:

Information about Food Inc
http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Sustainable North Grenville
http://www.sustainablenorthgrenville.ca/

February Music:

First, a note on our new ‘Listening Room Shows’

After four years of trying and sometimes succeeding (and sometimes, well, not so much...) with our grand project of being both a great venue for music and a great restaurant at the same time, we have finally decided to try something a little bit different. We will continue, of course, to do both things, but after to talking to artists, fans, and interested folks like you in order to figure out the best direction to go, we have decided that maybe it’s time to put a little space between the music and the food. Not a lot, mind you; the branch has always been and will always be a restaurant first and our commitment to local and organic foods will always be our primary mission.

But maybe it’s time to give some of the amazing artists who so regularly join us at the branch just a little more space to breathe. What does this mean? Well, first off, we will be pushing our start times back from between 7 and 8 to 9pm. Why? We’ve all come to the conclusion that dinner is a time for people to talk to each other, not necessarily to focus on the music. We feel that moving back the start time will provide a little break and allow folks to change gears between dinner and the music in order for both events to become a little more meaningful.

Second, we will be changing our policy of paying bands out of a percentage of sales and paying them, instead, with a door charge, also known as a cover. Again, why? This is for the benefit of the artist. Because we have such a small room, which, granted, is one of the things that makes a show here so special, we are also in a position of essentially paying all of our artists the same whether folks came out to see them, or to have dinner, to just have a drink, or whatever. A cover charge is a statement, on behalf of the music consumer, that “I have come to see this artist”; it is a token of respect, a chance to give directly.

Music in a small, acoustically wonderful room with stellar harmonics like ours can be magical, it can transport an audience well beyond what they are expecting from a night’s entertainment, and, for the artist, it can make playing at the branch almost like having an extra, secret band member. Unfortunately, that same room, can also have the unfortunate side effect of making our conversational speaking voices a real distraction, not only for all of the other paying customers, but also, even, for the musician we are all there to support.

Our hope is that by separating the dinner service from the music a bit, and by asking you to directly contribute to the artists, we can all benefit. Not only with better shows and better artists, but with evenings that might even change how you appreciate music for the rest of your life. There will be exceptions, of course, a blues band or a dance outfit doesn’t necessarily require or even want the same sense of decorum as a singer (well, some of them, anyway) sitting behind an acoustic guitar, but my guess is that we’ll know when it’s right, that if we’re all in this together, we’ll see by the looks on our neighbour’s faces. I guess that what we are asking, as of this month, is that when you see a show, like the one coming up this weekend and like the ones coming up throughout this and the next several months; the shows that are advertised with the later start time, with the cover charge, and with the name ‘listening room show’ attached is that we all come prepared to do just that. Listen. The benefits could change music in Kemptville for us all...Let’s just think of it as a next step in providing a venue for the next level of talent...and if that statement tweaks your interest, why don’t you stop by and ask us just exactly what it means...;-)

And now, are you ready to hear about our first ‘listening room show?’

Meredith Luce will be recorded live at the branch this Saturday (February 5th). Meredith Luce, accompanied by Eric Vieweg on lead guitar, will be performing a slew of new songs. The show will be recorded by Dean Watson of the Gallery Studio for use on Meredith's forthcoming album. Meredith has many new songs that she has written over the last couple of years, including a few co-writes with former Mandates band member David Gaudet. She is excited to showcase her new, edgier material on her next album, which she expects to release in the fall. (9pm, $5)

"These recordings will be a jumping off point, creating momentum and inspiration for the new album. I would love to include a few live tracks on the disc, or even release a bonus live CD, depending on what we get from this show! I can't wait to graduate in May and hit the ground running with this new project!"

And on to the rest of the month... I’m going to include Sunday’s (February 6th) vernissage in this section as well, for even though it is technically and art event, it is fairly likely that the Open Stage will be populated with a slightly, let’s just say, ‘above average’ talent pool. Fans of any of the folks featured on the wall for this month’s art show, might want to stop by and be a part of the fun... Coming up next weekend, (Saturday, February 12th) Ben and Heather Mullin will be performing a sweet love-song driven dinner music set to help get those Valentine’s Day juices flowing. And fans of the saccharine, the sweet and possibly the sarcastic are also welcome to join us for a Love Song Themed Open Stage that Sunday (February 13). Mark Beach, our long lost little brother, will be making the long trip down from Montreal that Monday for a special Valentine’s day show. This Creeep knows his way around more than one sexy song; in fact, I’m afraid he just might be the most powerful aphrodisiac offered on that night’s aphrodisiac themed menu—this show will be his first in the area for quite some time—I’d recommend wrangling your significant other and booking this date. I mean, unless you just don’t like things that are really, really good. Just sayin’.

Trevor Alguire will be back in town on Saturday, February 19th for our second listening room show (9pm, $10). It would be tough to pick a more listenable, amiable and likeable guy—tickets for this event are already starting to move, so let us know and soon! That Sunday (Feb 20th) is my Loose and Juicy acoustic jam for this month, so dust off yer singin’ shoes and come give me a holler!

The next Friday, February 25th, is, you guessed it, another special event; the George Harrison Birthday Tribute. George was often called the silent Beatle, but there is nothing silent about the treasure trove of songs this mild mannered, underappreciated genius left behind. When I ask a Beatle fan who their favourite Beatle was, it is invariably Paul or John; when I ask a musician, it is almost always George... If you don’t believe me, you should have seen how quickly folks signed up to be a part of this birthday tribute. We’ve got over a dozen folks from all over the area who want to perform, including Lisa Poushinsky, Christo Graham, Ray Harris, Greg Kelly, Doug Hendry, Katie Nolan, Shawn Yakimovitch, David Boschaart, David Shanahan, Jon-Laurie Beaumont and Dave Scully; the evening will be hosted by Ben Mullin and me, with a rhythm section comprised of Jay Williams on bass and Mark Ettinger on drums. Fans of the Dark Horse, of the Wilbury, of the Beatle should rejoice, here comes the sun! Or something...(p.s.,if anyone knows a sitar player, we'd love to have them along for the ride!!)

Brock Zeman will be performing that Saturday night (February 26th); this will be a fun chance to see this raucous country rocker, Carleton Place’s answer to Steve Earle, blastin out his crazy good originals for our third listening show. I recommend an extra pair of boots for this one, in case you wear out the first! (9pm, $5)

Saturday 5: live recording with Meredith Luce and Eric Vieweg--9pm $5.00 cover *listening room show

Sunday 6: vernissage for "Head to Head" featuring the art of A. James Brummels and special guests??!! 2-8pm

Saturday 12: Ben and Heather Mullin--Love Songs and Valentines...8pm

Sunday 13: Love Song Open Stage--3-6pm

Monday 14: Special Aphrodisiac Valentines Menu with the sexy music of Mark Beach....8pm

Saturday 19: Trevor Alguire; alt-country singer songwriter...special listening show starts at 9 pm; $10.00 cover *listening room show

Sunday 20: Chef Bruce's Loose and Juicy Acoustic Jam~ 3-6pm

Friday 25: George Harrison birthday tribute hosted by Ben Mullin and Chef Bruce --sign up at the restaurant if you'd like to sing a tune or 2--or talk to Ben or Bruce...starts at 8pm, ends when we say "Here Comes the Sun"

Saturday 26: Brock Zeman alt country rocker--Ottawa's most entertaining country rock original--special listening show starts at 9pm: $5.00 cover-----------

Sunday 27: Open Stage--it's open, come on in! *listening room show

January 2011

2011-02-04T12:26:00.000-08:00

Howdy Folks!

Well, We’re back...

And this is just a quickie to let you know. Really, it is. Seriously. All we've got is a couple of (small) bits of news and a music schedule and then we’ll step aside, yet again. Don't worry, we'll bring you a full fledged newsletter for February, which, honestly, is coming soon enough...

New Winter Hours:

We'll be adjusting the schedule slightly for the next couple of months so, please, plan accordingly...

LUNCH: TUESDAY-SATURDAY 11:30-2pm (*no change...)

DINNER: THURSDAY-SATURDAY 5-9:30pm (***now closed on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings)

SUNDAY: Rubber Boots Buffet 2-8pm, Open Stage 3-6pm (*no change)

CLOSED MONDAYS. (*no change)

Thanks, Citizen!

In case you missed it, we had a sweet, quick mention in the Ottawa Citizen’s Travel Section last Saturday, we were first choice out of five in a story about things to do in the area that were worth the drive, it was an honour, and a surprise, you can read it here!

January Music:

Come see the Ottawa Valley's answer to John Prine and Bob Dylan, Andy McGaw, at the branch this Saturday (January 15th) trading songs with his old pal, our own Chef Bruce (yeah, that's me...). Some harmonies, some good stories, some protest songs and some decent food are all sure to make an appearance! Paul Roberto and Gilles LeClerc will bring their Dusty, Driftin ways to the branch on Friday the 22nd, folks who have seen their weekly show at Irene's report that this is, in fact, the real deal! (In recent news, some other Drifters may also be making an appearance...) Mango Upstart is back that Saturday (the 22nd) This is a 7 piece (!!) Afro-Cuban-Salsa-Marimba-Calypso rhythm and booty shakin jazz experience...highly recomended for the musically jaded, this is guaranteed to restore your faith in the power of sweet music to help create a good time... I am definitely looking forward to the Unseen Strangers (Friday, Jan. 28th), a name which will be apt on this visit to the branch, as it is thier first--however, if the live performance is anywhere near as good as the sweet pickin and harmonies on their recorded efforts (check them out, this Toronto via the East Coast, young and energetic 'new-style' bluegrass band is definitely worth a listen) that name may not be nearly as apt in the future... Tara Holloway (Jan. 29th) last appeared for an Open Stage on my birthday last year with a few friends from Texas, about three seconds into her first song, everyone shut up and listened, yeah, she's got one of those voices. Don't, don't (OK, I just wanted one more excuse to italicize...) miss this one...

Saturday 15: Andy McGaw and Chef Bruce--protest songs, original folk, country croonin' and stories about life and love~ 8pm
Sunday 16: Chef Bruce's Loose and Juicy Acoustic Jam~ 3-6pm

Friday 21: "Dusty and the Drifter" bluegrass with Paul Roberto and Gilles LeClerc ~7pm
Saturday 22: Mango Upstart! (Samba, Afro-Cuban, Carribbean, Salsa...) ~ 8pm Sunday 23: Open Stage--all are welcome, so, well, come! 3-6pm

Friday 28: The Unseen Strangers; Toronto Bluegrass ~ 8pm-

Saturday 29: Tara Holloway; rocky folk--edgy Ottawa singer-songstress with some blues, some folk, some punk, and some soulful tough girl singin--8pm---

Sunday 30: Open Stage, put on yer singin shoes! 3-6pm

So anyway, that's all! Hope to see you soon and thanks for readin!

--Chef Bruce

december newsletter 2010

2010-12-09T19:59:00.001-08:00

Well, the buzz is buzzin’. And yes, it’s true, after 4 years with a winning team, we are changing our starting line-up. Brent and Jenn (and Jacob, of course) Kelaher, our good friends and excellent business partners, are stepping away from the branch to pursue other goals. This does not mean the branch is going anywhere. Yes, we will be closed some days around the turning of the year (more on that later, and don’t worry, we won’t be closed on New Year’s Eve—in fact we’re planning an over the top send off for our favourite Kelahers with an awesome multicourse taste-travaganza and the return of perennial musical dynamic duo of John Carroll and Mike O’Brien; nor does it mean we’ll pass up a chance at Kemptville’s favourite party at our super fun New Years Day ‘Hair of the Dog’ Open Stage hosted by John and Terry Brewer...) But it does mean, yes, there will be some changes afoot. Change can be scary, I know, but change can also be exciting; I am pleased to report that this change, although perhaps a tiny bit scary, is in fact almost entirely of the exciting variety. Exciting for us, sure, a shakeup means a chance to try new things, but exciting for you, our people, our family, our friends, as well. It’s exciting because it brings new opportunities, specifically an opportunity for some of you to play a bigger role. We’ve teased a bit about this in the past, and some of you have already stepped forward, but now, we are officially looking for investors, if you are someone who is interested in being a bigger part of the branch team, now is your chance, so come on by any time and talk to Nicole and me about how.

Whew! Big news aside, we’ve still got a restaurant to run here! So, let’s see, how was that November of yours? Ours was awesome—We had musical visits from branch favourites like The Standby Brothers, Lynne Hanson & Ryan Cook; we also had a fantastic party for Gram Parsons’ birthday hosted by Ray Harris that brought a crowd of amazing talent to the branch’s humble stage for a day no one present will soon forget...Pat Moore, Dave Norris and Al Wood also helped fill out the weekend evenings in style with sweet country, indie originals and a dose of the blues.

The branch celebrated four years last month with a ‘table d’hôte’ fixed price menu that went over so well that we’ve decided to make it a permanent feature; any regular business evening (excepting Sundays), you can now enjoy a three course menu of our seasonal specials for just 30 dollars—it’s reasonable, seasonal and delicious...

Now on to the News!

December Hours:

The holiday season, means topsy turvy schedules for everyone and the branch is no different. This month, with private parties, vacations, special events and a pinch of recovery time, will be an odd one for the branch; this, we hope, will clarify things a little bit:

This Saturday, December 11th; the branch is closed to the public to host a private party.

The branch will also be closed from Friday December 24 through Thursday December 30th, then on December 31st, we will re-open at 7 pm for our annual New Year’s Eve celebration and dinner (details below...). We will be open on Saturday, January 1st from 2-8pm for our annual ‘Hair of the Dog’ Open Stage hosted by John and Terry Brewer, and then we will close for the following week, January 2nd through the 10th, for a mix of rest, recuperation, planning and maintenance.

The branch will re-open on Tuesday, January 11th for lunch at 11:30am and will (finally...) resume our normal operating hours! Join us that Saturday, January 15th, for a grand re-opening party with an exciting musical surprise!

New Years Eve:

Well, it comes around every year, and every year I try to top last year’s menu. This year, of course, we will also be bidding adieu to one of our own as it is Brent’s last night ‘on the floor.’ As such, we have all put our heads together to make this our best menu yet. Literally. I have asked, for the first time, each of the folks in the kitchen to design a course of their own and to take ownership of that course for the evening—

This year the menu and service will change in another way from years past; instead of multiple seatings, we will all eat together, like a family. The evening will begin with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails at 7, and then everyone will be seated, together, at 8pm to enjoy several courses as a group, with optional wine pairings in between, all culminating in a champagne toast at midnight. There will be some options, of course, to accommodate our vegetarian and diet restricted friends, but the theme this year will be mostly focused on the idea of shared experience, of coming together and of being a family of friends.

The Menu:

The snacks during the cocktail hour will represent the seasons: A vegetarian asparagus (cut and frozen last spring from Amy’s patch) pâté for spring; tomatoes with pesto, local cheese and honey for summer; pumpkin chips with chili aioli and a sweet corn relish for the fall, and for winter; grilled beef on a stick with caramelized onion and maple taffy and smoked cinnamon butter

Nicole, my wife, my love and my true partner in the kitchen, will present a salad close to her heart, breakfast for dinner: housemade duck & apple sausage, cornbread French toast, and a poached quail egg over warm spinach greens with maple vinaigrette. A vegetarian version will omit the duck in place of smoked tofu.

Wesley is a fine young man who has grown with the branch to become a quick, skilled and creative first cook. For his first year as creative partner, he will be presenting a course of scallops with Asian rice noodles; a vegetarian option of spider roll sushi with crispy vegetable, sweet peppers and avocado.

Heather, my sous chef and an incredibly important behind the scenes member of the branch team will be offering the third course of a lamb chop with porcini and red wine gravy, served with a fillo beggars purse stuffed with roasted root vegetables and topped with truffle oil and fried leeks. A vegetarian version will feature grilled wild mushrooms in place of the lamb.

I will present an intermezzo of champagne and caviar: pink champagne sorbet, buckwheat tuile, crème fraiche & trout roe.

For the entrée, I will present braised beef cheek and lamb tongue roulade, yes, that’s right, tongue in cheek. This playful entrée will be served with a cauliflower and parsnip rosti, a single malt scotch béarnaise and a cranberry marmalade.

Vegetarian diners will enjoy a braised and grilled seitan cutlet with local cheese and ice wine fondue in place of the roulade and béarnaise.

In the last act of the evening, Brent will be presenting the coup de grace, a dessert of poached pear acting on a fillo pastry stage with chocolate and spice. A fine farewell indeed.

A champagne toast at midnight is included, John Carroll and Mike O’Brien will be your musical hosts, $85 per person, $20 optional wine pairing. Please note, this menu, though firm in its outline, will be subject to change based on whim, fancy and availability. I do promise, however, that any changes will only be for the better...

December Art:

Moira Law

Moira has been making photographs many years – thousands in the days of film and darkrooms. In time, discouraged by the delay from shutter to image and the extensive use of chemicals, she turned her attention to other art forms. But the potential unleashed with the advent of the digital age has brought her back. What a joy it is to make digital pictures! Cameras now are capable of so much more than in the past and digital darkrooms have many times the capacity of the old methods.

Moira is mostly self-taught, guided by the occasional course or seminar as well as on-line learning methods, she takes from whatever resources she finds, including her own experiences. Helpful colleagues have encouraged her, provided insights and suggested new techniques to try. Fully aware that “everyone has a camera” she strives to find something original to say with her images.

Moira first started sharing the results of her work on-line, under the name of her Second Life avatar, Em Larsson. Em is currently a better-known artist than her real life counterpart. (See www.emlarsson.com) Virtual success and the enthusiasm of her on-line admirers encouraged her to present her work in the “real” world.

Moira concentrates on natural subjects, especially macro (extreme close-up) images and abstracts. Her official opening at the Branch Restaurant is on Sunday, December 12 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and you are all invited. The show runs from runs from December 1 to January 31. Moira hopes you enjoy looking at her images as much as she has enjoyed creating them.

December at Beau’s:

John Carroll & The Epic Proportions: On December 18th, North Grenville’s own Mr. John Carroll is taking his band on the road to the ultimate roadhouse for beer lovers everywhere—ground zero for Ontario Craft Beer, the Beau’s All Natural brewery! This is the last chance to attend one of these events this year, and probably until next Spring—do you really want to spend all winter kicking yourself because you never made it out to one of our legendary branch at Beau’s events? I didn’t think so! Now get in gear! Plan your trip now!!!

Did we mention the Texas-style BBQ by the branch served all night long?

Tickets
$25 - Buses from Ottawa. Includes admission, brewery tour and bus ride to the brewery and back to Ottawa. Bus departs from the Black Tomato (11 George St. in the Byward Market) at 6pm and Vankleek Hill at 11:30pm

$10 - Admission at Door. 1st set starts at 8pm.

To Purchase Tickets...

Email... beausshows@gmail.com
or Call... 613-258-3737

Note: No ATM on Site, Cash Only Event

Location

Beau's All Natural Brewing Co.

10 Terry Fox Drive

Vankleek Hill, ON

Google Maps

December Music:

Afraid the pickin’s are a bit slim this month down here, we’ve already enjoyed John Carroll’s regular monthly ‘First Thursday’ appearance, as well as an amazing preview of Simon Beach’s upcoming solo release. However, with parties booked the next 2 Saturdays and the last two weekends being Christmas and New Years...well, it’s making for a short paragraph here. If I don’t stop rambling, that is... This weekend we will have an abbreviated ‘Loose and Juicy’ Open Stage starting at 4 pm after Moira Laws’ vernissage...We will then all have to look forward to an evening with one of our favourite local musical families, the Grahams, on Friday, December 17th. But all that aside, here’s a fun one: on Sunday the 19th, the branch is hosting its 4th annual Christmas Carol Sing-Along, Open Stage Free Buffet and Sally Anne Canned Food Drive and Fundraiser (how’s that for a mouthful?) Everyone is invited to come grab a free bite off the buffet, drop a non-perishable food item or few, or even a few bills for the cause, and most importantly, sing in public. That’s right, no matter who, what, or why you are, we actually want you to come and sing along! (Also of note, the word on the street is that the Mark, Simon and Laura Beach are joining us this year, and that’s a family of so much musical talent that they could easily make this a day worth attending by themselves...)

Closing out the month and the year we have John Carroll and Mike O’Brien. Chocolate and Peanut Butter. Beer and Pizza. Coffee and Donuts. You see where I’m going here? Sunday, January the 1st: the 4th annual ‘Hair of the Dog’ Open Stage with John and Terry Brewer—what the heck else are you gonna do? Get off that couch, trust me, I’ve been to a few, this one is even worth shoveling for! See you there!

Sat 11: CLOSED for a private function...

Sun 12: Open Stage ~ 4pm

Fri 17: an evening with the Grahams ~ 7pm

Sun 19: Our Christmas Caroling Open Stage Fundraiser ~ 3-6pm

Fri 31: John Carroll & Mike O'Brien play into the New Year!!!
call for details and reservations

Sun 1: ‘Hair of the Dog’ Open Stage, hosted by John and Terry Brewer ~ 2-8pm

Story Time:

Well, I ran out of time to write a story last month and this month has been pretty weird as well. A big change is upon us; Brent, Jenn and Jacob will be missed behind the scenes in a way that many of you can guess, and less of you can really understand. Running a restaurant is a lot of work, and we have all been thankful, at times beyond words, for each others help through some great times, yes, but also through, as anyone who has ever run a business will know, some incredibly stressful times as well. That is not to say that any of us really wish that it wasn’t happening, we are all well aware that it is time for a change. We all still have similar hopes and desires; deep down, we all want this restaurant to succeed, and we also all want for this wonderful community to thrive and to be sustainable and sustaining for us and for our families. But the facts are that this partnership has, in this business at this location, at this time, simply run its course. The Kelahers have some wonderful opportunities facing them and we also have some new ideas about where to take our groovy little spot next. It’s time for us to leave as friends, and as Brent puts it, to enjoy each others company on the other side of the bar. Four years ago, Brent and I had a conversation that became our mantra, especially through that rough first year “All business is a gamble, but we’ve got pocket aces...” I still feel that way, Brent, you’re an ace. Thanks and good luck.

--Chef Bruce

And now, I yield the remaining time left on this year’s Story Time and newsletter to a friend; a man I will, going forward, always continue to appreciate and respect; Brent Kelaher.

‘On the Other Side of the Bar’

After four great years it is time for Jenn, Jacob and myself to take a step away from the restaurant and seek out new adventures and challenges within North Grenville. As I spend my last month at the restaurant, I look back and I am proud of all that we, as a team, have accomplished in this great community. I met Bruce and Nicole and we became great business partners just over four years ago: the branch staff have since become great friends and, I would say, family. We have grown as a family over the years and, although we may not always agree, we always work things out for the better of the restaurant and our family. I like to think we helped in some small way with the local food movement in our community and will continue to introduce local foods and the importance of supporting your local farmers.

I am proud of what I have accomplished in helping to bring more culture and fun to North Grenville. Veg Stock was my baby and continues to be an important part of my life, as was preventing the Dandelion Festival from dying just three years ago. Since my involvement in the Dandelion Festival, and all the great work done by the volunteers, it has blossomed into what I think is North Grenville's premiere event. I am also proud of my part in helping to bring the Kemptville Kinsmen Farmers’ Market to life, and getting the Municipality involved in it. Bringing music and art to the restaurant was not always easy, but it was always worth the effort, and we have had some special musical and artistic moments over the years. Being a part of so many charity events and fundraisers, stopping to chat with folks on the street about what we were up to next - you can never slow down while in the restaurant business, I would always say.

Most of all, I am proud of my friends and family for believing in me and allowing me to pursue my dreams. Without the love and support of Jenn and Jacob from home I would not have been able to accomplish much, nor would I have been able to fully enjoy the accomplishments. Home is my rock and it allowed me to put in the crazy hours that are needed to succeed in this restaurant business. This dream started for me while I was a child falling asleep to the smells of red wine and garlic in the air while Mom and Dad hosted friends and family in the comfort of our home. That was the feeling I was hoping to bring to the branch: the feeling of warmth and comfort to all our guests and staff.
We have met some incredible people over the years, and our circle of friends has grown ten-fold, if not more. North Grenville has an unbelievable depth of kindness and friendship and we are truly blessed to have set our roots down here. I will miss working, singing and dancing with all the staff, as well as my daily chats with the 'regulars', but at the same time I look forward to sitting on the other side of the bar and singing, dancing and chatting with you all.
What is up for us next? Well, Jenn will be starting her new career in real estate, so if you’re looking to buy or sell (wink, wink).... Jacob will continue to pursue his dreams, but now he'll have his Dad around a little more to help with hockey, homework or just hanging out. I have taken on the role of Coordinator of the Dandelion Festival and will be seeking ways to get more involved with the community, so you'll still see me around, up to something as always.
the branch restaurant is an incredible place and it deserves your support. I know it has mine and I hope to see you on the other side of the bar sometime soon.

--Brent Kelaher

the branch restaurant
15 Clothier St East
Kemptville, ON
613-258-3737
Lunch Tue-Sat 11:30am-2pm

Dinner Tue-Sat 5pm, Sun 2-8pm
Live Music on Weekends
Open Stage & Rubber Boots Buffet Sunday Afternoons
Closed Mondays and most holidays
http://www.thebranchrestaurant.ca/

We love your feedback, but don’t often check this address, if you’d like to reply to this letter, please email us at: thebranchrestaurant@gmail.com

If you think this tastes more like spam than organic ham, then just reply with the word 'unsubscribe' in the subject line.

Chilihead

2010-10-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to explain. If you love chilies the way I do, there is nothing to explain, if you don’t, well, like I said, it’s hard to explain...I guess that, for me, there is familiarity, after all, my mother pulled no punches with her chili con carne (it was made with cayenne pepper-40,000 Scoville Heat Units; the measurement for how hot a pepper is, determined by how many times a pepper is diluted in water before losing its heat..., her chili also included jalapeno-6,000 SHU, and ancho chili powder-1,000 SHU...); every Mexican restaurant we ate at in my childhood (and there were many) served chips and salsa in bottomless baskets and bowls before the meal and the salsa (jalapeno) was never made any more mild for the children, nor were the enchiladas, the chilies rellenos, the huevos rancheros, or the burritos (Tex-Mex restaurants use a lot of jalapeno, poblano-1,000 SHU, serrano-20,000 SHU, pasilla-1,000 SHU...) My brother and I discovered a Thai place in our late teens that would deliver a powerful blow if you requested it (Thai finger peppers-90,000 SHU, in sufficient quantities to humble the toughest jalapeno nibbler)—The local Chinese restaurant had a hot pepper in the Kung Pao chicken that we were advised to remove before eating (Cumari-40,000 SHU) but hey, what fun is that? The Chicken Oil Company served the ‘Death Burger” (jalapenos, again, and Tabasco sauce-6,000 SHU), Loretta, our Cajun friend, made a powerful gumbo that would burn like a tire pile (she used cayenne, black and white pepper, fresh serranos and jalapenos and yes, more cayenne)...Breakfast, lunch and dinner, where I grew up, there was always a place for chilies.

But why? When my wife sees me sweating and tearing up, nose running, unable to speak, she is dumbfounded; in fact, most people who don’t share my love of the glorious pain of pepper eating seem to share this curious amazement. But the ones who do...well, lets just say that we understand. But how can I explain it? A scientist would calmly point out that when the capsaicin interacts with the taste buds, the nerves send a signal to the brain that the mouth is being burned, the brain reacts by turning on some defense mechanisms; it increases the heart rate, speeds up the blood flow, increase perspiration, and releases endorphins. Endorphins, you may know, are the gooood stuff...Endorphins are the drugs your body keeps around to make you feel good enough to keep functioning after an injury, which was probably a pretty important survival tool for our jungle dwelling predator-prone ancestors...for the modern version of us, for chili-heads, (...and skydivers, and roller coaster riders...) endorphins are also an awesome cheap (legal, easy, non-toxic...) buzz. That’s right, we’re sitting at the table with you, munching on our peppers and getting high.

My first encounter with real extreme heat was that Thai place I mentioned earlier. I grew up in Bryan/College Station, Texas, a college town and home of Texas A&M University, a large and well regarded institution that drew (and draws) a diverse international student body with its excellent engineering, agricultural, as well as many other programs. This diversity was, although not always exactly overt in our community, a small and interesting presence that brought with it some unusual perks. One of the greatest of these was Thai Taste, a hole in the wall storefront restaurant peopled by a family of Thais who had come to help support the education of a family member (or maybe members? I can’t recall...). It was hardly a conventional restaurant: décor was somewhere between sparse and non-exsistent, the 3 or 4 tables seemed to be inherited from a real estate office boardroom or a garage sale down the street, the menu was short and often patchy, depending on who was working, or the time of day, the time of year—They often even closed for a couple of months at a time to visit Thailand and, apparently, to bring back piles of dried and specialty ingredients not otherwise available in Texas. It was not a cookie cutter Thai restaurant like so many I have visited in the years since with the same tired versions of Pad Thai, Coconut Curry and Tom Yum soup, although it offered some of these things, it offered them in a vacuum, without the influence of the standard ‘Thai Restaurant Model’ that seems to define the mildly flavoured, ‘Westernized’ and homogenized Thai restaurants that I have encountered so frequently in the cities of my travels in the years since. Thai Taste, for lack of a better description, seemed more like home cooking. There was a grandmother in the kitchen, a father, a mother, possibly a sister, perhaps an aunt or an uncle or something, teenagers who wanted to be somewhere else, young children who delighted in running the food, clearing the plates and refilling the water glasses. The food was fresh and rough, large chunks of ginger and lemongrass were left in the soup for the diner to remove, bones and gristle were unapologetically not cleaned from fish or chicken, and most importantly, spice was not held back in some vague attempt at appealing to some mythical, as yet undefined to me concept of ‘the Western Palate’. Almost everything was spicy at Thai Taste, some things more than others, but the reason two teenagers would return again and again to this haven of hot, was the fact that the food could be prepared as hot as you liked, all the way up to the apex of impossibility, that’s right, five stars. My brother and I returned a number of times ordered our food at this magical heat level, asked for a pitcher of ice-water, smiled at each other and plunged in. The pain was instant and furious, but the pleasure...well, here I am 20-plus years later still basking in its glow, so you can be the judge.

When I moved to Austin, I discovered my next marker on the road to chile nirvana, it was in the form of a bottled sauce at a barbecue joint called Ruby’s. Just a bottle on the table next to the Tabasco, by that point in my chile-chomping career, I could drink Tabasco out of the bottle, and I often would, publicly, usually to prove a point, or, honestly, just to show off...This new sauce looked good, a Mexican label, a bright green colour, I was having the Jambalaya, and poured about a half cup of this new treat all over it, against the advice of my dining companion who had met this fabled pepper on the field of battle before and knew exactly what I was up against. That formidable foe was my first encounter with a family of peppers known to scientists as capsicum chinense, the family that includes all of the hottest peppers in the world. The sauce was bottled habanero hot sauce (about 100,000 SHU), and that meal was the first of many with a new and lifelong friend--I almost finished it too! Of course, over time, my tolerance has grown, and now, if I wanted to, I could probably drink that sauce out of the bottle, I wouldn’t bother, of course, but, just sayin...

So yes, chilies are hot. At some point in the 1990’s Dave’s Insanity Sauce (118,000 SHU) came along and introduced ‘capsaicin extract’ as an ingredient that pushed the boundaries of heat into the realm of weaponry; enjoying habanero sauce eventually lead to sampling raw habaneros (up to 350,000 SHU). Dave’s Insanity, upped the intensity in subsequent sauces and opened the floodgates to a host of new competitors using even more and more extract, a process that changed the whole game, but, of course, I tried each new sauce as it came around, and even though through all that heat my tolerance steadily grew, I was also humbled again and again, once, in California, by a bottle of some poison called ‘Da Bomb’, the only bottle of hot sauce which I could not finish, and once, even, by a plate of a half-dozen chicken wings at a roadside stop in Erie, New York, which required a signed release before it could be served. I ate four before tapping out. There was, until recently, always still one more challenge, the true, according to many, Holy Grail of Heat, India’s mythical Bhut (or Naga) Jolokia, the fabled ‘Ghost Pepper’ (1 million-plus(!) SHU) which I actually finally sampled here in Canada last month. It was, though astoundingly hot, surprisingly easy for me, easier than I expected, (too much extract over the years, I suppose) but I also wonder if my sample was anywhere close to as hot as they come (or if, as one observer noted, perhaps I am just the Hulk Hogan of Hot, thanks Kathy...) But either way, it leads one to wonder, is that really all there is? Will I keep trying, keep eating more and more, hotter and hotter? Will I eventually have to spray police grade pepper spray (5 million SHU) down my throat, or score some straight capsaicin extract (16 million SHU) for a weekend with the boys? Well, the short answer is...no.

My favourite pepper in the world is a chile grown and dried by Tierra Vegetables in Healdsburg, California, the variety, ‘Chilhuacle Negro.’ It is native to the Mexican regions of Oaxaca and Chiapas, and the variety is astoundingly tasty with an aroma that can only be compared to the complexity of a fine wine or a perfect cigar, and although the variety of chile is amazing, I’ve had it from other farmers, and the fact is, there is something about the soil, the care, the drying method or something else that Lee and Wayne James (the brother and sister farming team who are responsible for the chili-head Mecca that is Tierra Vegetables) do that turns this mildly spiced, aromatically overachieving chile into a piece of culinary art that, in my mind, rivals the white truffle, the saffron thread, a glass of Chateau D’Yqem, or even a perfect Malpeque oyster for its ability to produce transcendent aroma and flavour. Chihuacle Negro clocks in nowhere near 16 million Scovilles, in fact it only creeps across the Scoville finish line with a relative heat somewhere between 500-1,000 SHU. A close second, for me, in the world of favourite chilies, or even just foods in general, is the texture and warmth of a heavy walled, roasted and peeled Poblano pepper, which, stuffed with good cheese or with a sweet and tangy pork picadillo, I enjoy more than almost any other meal. That’s also only about 1,000 SHU. A freshly fire roasted Hatch chile from New Mexico at peak season is a treat that everyone should enjoy at least once in their lives and several times if possible, easy enough, again, at a measly 1000-2,500 SHU. Give me a few rings of a Hungarian wax pepper fried in olive oil with a pinch of sea salt, or a plate of flash seared pimientos di Padron, both of which are often quite mild (but which may surprise!) with Scoville Heat Units ranging from near zero to the low 1,000s. One of my favourite all time vegetarian meals includes the flesh of sweet big, meaty red bell peppers (0, that’s right, 0 SHU) roasted, peeled and layered with cream cheese, caramelized red onions and big slices of grilled portabello mushroom. Heat or no heat, I am content to dine on this equal parts notorious and nonthreatening nightshade forever. Dried, smoked, ground to any of a dozen different powders, flakes or coarse meals, reconstituted in warm water, pickled, preserved, jellied, served on popcorn, in chutney, in dessert, on breakfast or on steak, the fact is that the capsicum family, when it comes to cooking, is my family; it is as comfortable as my favourite slippers and as entertaining as an evening with an old friend.

India has spices, coffee, mangoes, tea...Thailand has fish sauce, lime leaves and galangal; Italy has white truffles and saffron; France has black truffles, stinky cheese and botrytis wines, Japan has the Ume plum and is surrounded by literal oceans of briny treasures. And in today’s world, all of us can have all of these things, all of the time. Asparagus in winter, chestnuts in the spring...Cheap oil and a fleet of planes have brought the treasures of the world into each and every one of our gourmet food stores and, for a price, we can enjoy anything that we like. For Now. But what if, or perhaps even, ‘when if’ the world shifts, when, for whatever reason, these treats from other lands are no longer around to fill our shelves or when, and even now, the price is so high that we need something else, something that is our own, easy to find and easy to grow and easy to use and store and share to delight our senses and to spur our imagination? What then? Fortunately for us, this New World, the Americas, our world, has its own trunk full of culinary treasure; our chilies, our peppers, these many capsicums which were being consumed wild in the jungles of Bolivia as long ago as 7500 BC before being cultivated in Ecuador some 6,000 years ago. Over time, these puny pods of painful pleasure travelled throughout South, Central and North America, before, finally over the recent and relatively short span of just the last 500 years or so, they fanned out in the galleys, holds, and pockets of European and other adventurers to conquer the palates and racing hearts of humans on every corner of the globe. Over time they have evolved a variety of styles, flavours, textures and aromas that span the palate as surely as they have spanned the globe. For me, chilies have followed me from Texas to California to Ontario, a magic ingredient, a family of ingredients that, in their versatility, array of flavours, ability to tease, tantalize, attack and yes, even occasionally, to get me a little bit high, has always distinguished my cuisine, opened up my taste buds to new possibilities and filled my belly with everything from astounding sweetness to astounding heat; these secret ingredients, these talismans, these tricks of the trade have become the paints whose broad rainbow of flavours, aromas, and textures are the colours that have helped me to fill out, with whatever artistry I can muster, the canvasses of plate on which I daily paint.

It’s hard to explain. If you don’t understand by now, it’s entirely possible that you never will. But let’s put it this way, sometimes it gets pretty cold up here in Canada, too cold to grow allspice, or nutmeg or mangoes or tea. And to me, it seems pretty obvious, there’s only one thing to do when it gets too cold, yeah, you know...Turn up the heat!

-Chef Bruce

The Soup Recipe You Requested...

2010-09-08T17:14:00.001-07:00

Food, but more wet.

Mom’s soup was simple. If it was in the fridge, it was fair game: maybe some cans of stuff, maybe some stuff out of the freezer, cover the whole thing with water, adjust the spices, and it was perfect, every time. Leftover chicken or turkey? Boil it for a bit and take out the bones, well, at least most of them. Bean soup? ‘Add some of that salt pork from the freezer.’ ‘How much?’ ‘Oh, you know, some.’

You start with an onion.

I first made ‘proper soups’ at Gizmo’s, a bar and grill in College Station, Texas. I worked there just after High School for about 7 or 8 months. It was owned and run by a couple of sisters who got tired of cocktailing at other bars and decided to start their own. They were Yankees, as we called them, Northerners misplaced in our Southern Town, and they were also city girls with sensibilities that set them apart from the other folks in Northgate, College Station’s bar district. Case in point, they played and allowed only Jazz music on the stereo (the other bars on the strip played only two kinds of music, yep, that’s right: country and western). They decorated with trellises and fake flowers, unlike their competition, there was not one single oil sign, hunting trophy (or, for that matter, any other creative taxidermy experiments) or even a wooden Indian to be found. It was not exactly fancy; it was, after all, a bar, and there was no shortage of neon lights, ashtrays, paper napkins or casual drunkenness. But it aspired to be a bit more. We had no fryer, no pizza oven and no chargrill; we served sandwiches, from a broiler, bread and dips, even steamed vegetables (!) with cheese sauce, and, of course, we served soup.

Laurie and Marsha were in dire need of stepping away from the bar (at least 12 steps away, one would hope) when I met them, and ran this dive-y little jazz bar as one would expect from a couple of waning moons; it was graceful and sloppy, fun and dangerous, exciting and scary. In the evenings, as a 19 year old and the ‘kid’ in the kitchen, I was a mascot of sorts—brought out and shown off, fed drinks and encouraged to entertain. In the mornings, however, it was all business. Laurie, thanks to a long and steady diet of white wine and menthol cigarettes, was creatively past her peak, but had, while ‘up North’ learned to make soups the old fashioned way. Her recipes were explicit, precise, and ‘from scratch.’ We made broth and chopped vegetables; we layered aromatics and sweat them; we made roux and used wine judiciously (at least for cooking...). We added the broth (or the stock) to the sweated vegetables and/or the translucent onions, brought it to a simmer and then added the roots, followed, in 20 minutes or so, by the softer vegetables, and then, eventually, the greens or the cabbage—with the herbs coming last, just before service. Grains were added according to their cooking times, pasta was added to the pot before service, never to the whole batch. Meat was browned just before adding the aromatics, set aside and later returned to the simmering broth. Salt and pepper were added in bits throughout and adjusted at the end to taste... Once, while waiting for Laurie to teach me how to make a roux to finish a gumbo, she spotted an older biker at the bar who was immediately hauled off of his stool and coerced into the kitchen; ‘Chopper’ was an old Cajun from the Bayou and, while stirring the flour into the oil with a long wooden spoon, he carefully explained to me that a proper roux, when finished, carried the same hue as the skin of a mulatto woman. Why, specifically a woman, I never quite understood, but the image stuck, and I think of it every time I make a roux today.

I came to work one day after a break and found the building empty. My last paycheck never came. At the time, I was, understandably, a little peeved, but in hindsight, those lessons in soup and the image of Chopper the Giant Cajun Biker stirring a proper roux in that tiny kitchen more than covered for the lost wages.

You add the broth.

I wasn’t very poor growing up, but I wasn’t very rich either. We were comfortable, but not flush. Mom says dad always came through in the pinch—the bills got paid, no-one went hungry, but, well, let’s just say that wastefulness was never an option. Food, to me, is never just simple nourishment, nor is it ever just a medium for creative expression. It is both of these things, of course, but it is also always something more. Food is life. And not metaphorically (though it is a rather tidy metaphor) food is, literally, from life, to life, through life, it is the Eucharist, the host and the wine, the body and the blood. We live only through the consumption of life, and some day, when our time comes, we will become food for something else. Food willing. This is a spiritual truth to me. Given this truth, I find it unfathomable that food, good food, is ever wasted—I feel that food, that life, is a gift and one not to be trifled with, it is something that deserves respect and that it should never, ever be wasted.

In stating this I am all but confessing to being something that we cooks call a ‘trash can’ cook. This title is a dart thrown by some who would disparage a style of cooking that creatively redirects what would otherwise be wasted into another use rather than making one of those ‘proper soups’ I learned to make at Gizmo’s. Things like Mom’s ‘end of the week vegetable soup’. Yesterday’s leftover shepherd’s pie as today’s beef chowder, last week’s stir fry as yesterday’s hot and sour soup. Well, frankly, I don’t consider that barb an insult; I will accept that badge of honour and wear it with pride. If a ‘trash can’ cook is someone who doesn’t believe in wastefulness, someone who has a creative spirit, someone who sees life and chooses not to waste it, well, then I am Oscar the Grouch and welcome to the kitchen in my can.

Add the vegetables, meats, and other foods in order of their cooking times.

Soup has always been a peasant food, a meal of thrift. The word ‘Chowder’ comes to us from ‘chaudiere’ the French name for the giant cooking pots in the village squares in coastal France where the fishermen, the working stiffs, were welcomed home with a bubbling stew to which they added the bycatch of the day. Stews, curries, hot pots, pho, every culture has a tradition of using the trimmings creatively to stretch the lifespan of a meal, to use the whole animal, to re-use what would otherwise be lost. Most ‘proper soups’ evolved from these bubbling cauldrons, these products of thrift and ingenuity, these meals that were built not from recipes but rather, from whatever there was to be found. Comforting restoratives. Restore-ants, as it were. It was a concentrated meat broth developed in France that lent its name to the storefronts where it was offered, giving us ‘restaurants’ as we know them today.

Taste and adjust.

I don’t really use a recipe for soup, but I don’t really not use one either. I start by looking around, seeing what is available, what is good, what needs to be used, and then I start with an onion, brown the meats, sweat the aromatics, add the broth, the vegetables and taste and adjust. Just before serving, I add the garnish, the herbs, the pasta... I allow it to simmer, I let the flavours mingle. And I do not waste a single drop.

my first chef checks...

2010-07-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

When Chef Jason left Cenare, he gave me a pair of chef pants - he’d outgrown them, they were still in good condition, and he didn’t need them anymore. It’s odd that I remember that, but they were my first pair...Cenare (pronounced, che-NAH-ree, in case you don't talk Italian, I think it means "to dine"), an Italian restaurant in my home town, was my first ‘real’ cooking job. Well, second actually, if you count the 3 month gig at Ferrari’s, another Italian place that qualified me for the job at Cenare. I don’t count Ferrari’s, I did my best to forget as much as I could about that sad, dirty, ominously quiet restaurant—let’s just say that it was the kind of place where an 18 year old kid with no experience could be promoted to head cook in 6 weeks. And no, that’s not a compliment to my precocious talent...What I learned there was mostly what not to do, but at least having the experience, however dubious, of working in an Italian restaurant on my resume did help when I applied to Cenare, a real restaurant: a place with a chef, a reputation, you know, a place with customers... Cenare was an “authentic” Italian fine dining restaurant. It was “authentic” to what you’d expect from an Italian joint in a medium to small Texas town in the 80’s; but we’ll just say it wasn’t exactly the cuisine I encountered when I finally travelled to Italy a few years later. It was, however, that particular, comforting, Americanized Italian food that so many of us enjoy, spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, manicotti, linguine with a clams, picatta, Marsala...Caesar salad. Food fried in breadcrumbs, layered in red sauce and smothered with cheese. It was rich, hearty, delicious and popular.

Cenare had been around for about 10 years by the time I came to work there, and in those days, the kitchen was still an old-school boy’s club. The guys who worked there were career blue collar cooks; regular guys that could hold a hot skillet without a mitt, could handle a 20 ticket rail without flinching (that’s cooking dinner for 20 tables at once...try it some time, it’s a gas!), and could throw out a banquet dinner for a crowd of 30 in the back room, all at the same time... It was tough, hot, fast work, and we took all of our cuts, burns, and screaming managers with a smile. We knew that no-one wanted our job and that knowledge was an immense source of power. Cenare was an old-school boy’s club, the kind of kitchen I haven’t seen much of in the days since—there was drinking and smoking (I still smoked back then, we’d move about three feet off the line to a spot by the back door... it’s hard to imagine smoking in a kitchen now, it’ seems like a scene from a movie...), gambling (poker nights... football pools), and all the competitive games that guys in groups always seem to create for ourselves... we would move the trash can back two feet at a time to see who could hit it from the farthest distance, we would line up to see who could cut onions fastest, mushrooms, peppers, clean shrimp—nothing was just a task, it was a game, a contest, a chance to prove ourselves. We were young, strong and invincible, and as long as the food came out fast, looked good and tasted good, no-one could tell us what to do. Well, except for chef Jason...

Until then, I had worked mostly in fast food, making sandwiches, McDonalds, a short stint at Red Lobster, a taco shack, and, of course, there had been the years in my parents’ restaurant, before I was old enough to appreciate it, as well as that 3 month thing at the other Italian place, but Cenare was, as I said, my first ‘real’ restaurant experience. It was a cooking job where I came to see cooking as not just a part time job to get me through college, but as a possible direction, a possible career. It took me a few years to finally make that decision, but Cenare was certainly the place where it began.

After I had been there about a year, the old Cenare died. Chef Jason, the source of our power and prestige, the quarterback who had carried our team to first place for a decade... left. He took a job at, I believe, a Chili’s, possibly an Olive Garden, something corporate, something with security, insurance. It was a shock. The owners were flummoxed, confused, nervous. I mean, the cooking crew was solid, good even, but the chef had been the key player, and as long as he had been running the plays, everyone knew what could be done; they knew, without question, that the food would be good, fast, consistent. When he left, all of us 2nd stringers started getting the eye; who was going to step up? Who was going to carry the ball? Who would not only be a good cook, but would also lead? Ultimately, it was no-one.

I am proud, prouder than I was about my “promotion” at Ferrari’s, to say that I was given some of his duties, some of the most fun parts, anyway. I was handed a box of indexed recipes and as a “creative” type, asked to take on the job of selecting and presenting our popular daily specials. I was moved from the pantry and pasta stations to Jason’s old station on the ‘hot’ line, where the real action was: doing sauté, the station that is still my favourite some 18 years later. I didn’t get stuck with the stuff I later came to understand was the real meat of his work: the sourcing of products, the inventories, the scheduling, the ordering, the day to day work that a true chef must master in order to enjoy his moments at the stove. It was, for me at that time, just about an ideal situation. I had a place to be creative; some, but not too much responsibility; I was stepping into the shoes (...pants? No, that sounds weird...) of a popular chef, working his old station, cooking for his regulars, some of whom had been enjoying the product of his practiced hands for as long as 10 years, all the while with none of his burdens: the stress of the bottom line, covering for the dishwashers vacation, making sure that the toilets were scrubbed. It seemed ideal, and for a young cook, it was. Ideal for me, anyway... but for the customers? For the owners? Well, these things even out over time I suppose...for me, it was year of learning in the best way I ever got to experience, learning by complaint.

Complaint might be too strong a word; constructive criticism might be more accurate. You see, when I moved to the sauté station, when I moved to Chef Jason’s old spot, the expectation game changed for me. I was no longer answering to the chef, my finished plates no longer passed by his watchful eyes; his stern (but fair and honest) voice no longer corrected my mistakes and oversights. I was instead answering to another boss, the same boss I am answering to today. You.

At some time or another, all of us who eat in restaurants are faced with a similar dilemma: whether or not to complain about a poorly executed meal. Sometimes the decision is easy: a hair, or worse; a band-aid, a bug—perhaps a little gross, but easy. These decisions make themselves for you; “I have the evidence right here, please correct this error.” But as we all also know, other situations are not nearly as easy to decide...a steak too rare or too cooked.(“do I really want to wait 20 minutes for a new one?”) or a flavour combination that doesn’t appeal or really work (“nope, I don’t actually like mussels with mangos and raspberries”). These are the times when we face the tough choice, do we complain, or even just comment? Do we spoil a cook’s night or do we let slide (“Overall, to be fair, it was still pretty good”) Do we swallow our opinion and blurt it out later in a bitter online ‘review’, or do we just say it? Say to our server, “Hey, that was good, but it wasn’t the greatest, the tart flavour just didn’t grab me.”

As a business owner, I want you to have a perfect evening, perfect service, amazing food, the music just so, the temperature in the dining room is good, the memory is pleasant, evocative... and most importantly, I want you to leave happy, plan to come back and tell everyone you meet about what a great time you had. After all, I’ve got to make a living! As a chef, in addition to these things, I want the food to be hot enough, seasoned right, presented in an appealing way, to be fresh. All good chefs also want something more; to communicate a creative ideal. For me it is that of local and organic ingredients prepared with a spirit of honesty, generosity and imagination—I want to not only feed you, but to make you think about where, how and why this particular food came to you at this moment, in this particular way. And finally, as a diner, and a hungry human like anyone else, I also want to be fed well, to feel a sense of value, but most importantly, to get the sense that someone back there really cares what just came out on that plate. So should you complain? Comment? Well, for me the answer is yes. But first, let me tell you why (and how):

I was lucky to have a crack at Chef Jason’s old customers...lucky in a way that few cooks ever get to experience. They were regulars, they were opinionated, they were comfortable and they weren’t in a hurry. When I did something that wasn’t perfect, or was ‘too creative’ or was under seasoned, over seasoned, over cooked, undercooked, they sent it back, they told the server, they might even come back and tell me themselves. They wanted things a certain way, had (rightfully) come to expect a certain level of quality and were happy to let me know when I missed the mark. I should be fair (...to myself, I mean, hey, it wasn’t all bad!), most of the food I sent out that year was approved, eaten, and complimented, but it was the food that didn’t succeed, or was even “just OK,” and the fact that the folks were willing to let me know, that made it easily my best year of school in all my years of cooking.

My taste isn’t your taste. No taste is exactly the same, but good food is like the US Supreme Court described pornography, “you know it when you see it,” –or in this case, taste it; but no chef worth his salt (or lack of it...) should be allowed to get away with serving poor food night after night without anyone saying anything. Now, often, this does tend to be a self correcting system—over time, people just stop coming back to a restaurant with bad food, but what about food that is just OK? Sometimes, price, location and service will keep mediocre food alive for years beyond its due date. What I’m saying is that I suspect that culturally (and this goes for both Canada and the US, and possibly, from my understanding, our mutual grandmother Great Britain, as well) we are too easy on bad and mediocre food; not wanting to come off as boorish or rude, we err on the side of caution and give a pass to most meals without comment.

But this is only half the story, the problem is also that when we do finally complain, we are so rude that it fosters resentment instead of dialogue. What made Cenare so positive an experience is that I was nurtured by complaint; the comments were constructive and honest and when applied became the foundation of my growth as a chef. They were never pissy and bitter, and they always came with second and even third chances. And the best part was that when I did start to hit the mark, they stopped being Chef Jason’s customers and started to become my own...

My fellow cooks (and servers, and pretty much all professional restaurant folks) are probably white knuckled and anxious reading this...Am I seriously giving a pass to complain? Am I offering permission for anyone to be ‘that customer?’ We all know the one: ”The water’s too cold...the plate has a smudge...the baseboard is dusty... my food is too, umm, flavourful...” (...that last one was an actual complaint!) We all know the one, and no, I’m not advocating for the fussy, high maintenance, impossible to please customer to become the norm. I’m just saying that if we considered food to be a dialogue, over time, if we brought more (constructive) complaint into the culture, we would all benefit with a little bit better food.

As a business owner, I want your experience to be amazing, because frankly, word of mouth is my only effective form of advertising. If you don’t tell us what is wrong, (and, I might add, before you pay the bill and get up to leave...) we have no chance of correcting it. If you leave unhappy and complain to other people instead of us, we’ll never know and we’ll never get better. As a chef, I am still learning every day, and one thing I’ve learned is that if I can bring a picky customer around, a person who (rightfully) expects quality and value...if I can please an individual palate, then I can create a loyal customer for life. As a chef who is trying to share a creative ideal, how can I ever bring you around if you don’t enjoy the experience, if you don’t let me know? And finally, as a diner, when I face that choice of whether or not to comment or complain, you might be surprised; usually, I’ll let something go, an obvious accident (things happen...) doesn’t bother me. With an experience that shows that people don’t care, with a truly awful meal? Honestly? I, like most people probably just won’t go back. But when someone is trying, even if they are failing badly, but it is obvious that they care...well, it’s only right to let them know; they deserve the chance to improve just like I did, and, I hope, still do.

Thanks, Boss.

We don't need oil.

2010-06-04T04:56:00.000-07:00

There’s a geyser in the gulf. Our unquenchable thirst for oil has lead to one the worst environmental disasters of all time. Everyday we see images of the oil spewing forth like the wrath of an angry God from the bowels of the earth into what were once unspoiled waters in the Gulf of Mexico. And every day we hope someone out there is smart enough, is able enough, that someone, that anyone, really, has the will, the means and the capability we need to stop this horrible, horrible crisis from continuing. We need a hero, a superman; we need someone who has all the answers and all the power. Well, allow me to introduce you to...you.

You can’t stop this disaster, I mean, eventually we will, someone will, but sadly, this time, it will only be after much more damage is done. But you do have the power, the will and the capability to stop it from ever happening again. You’ve known it for a while, it’s like the smoker who keeps seeing those warnings on the pack and continues to light up. You know better, it’s just so damn hard to stop. The warning signs are all here, you’ve seen them for years, not just on every other TV newscast, but in the weird storms, the too long winters, the too short winters, the too hot summers, the snows in July, all the little details that keep adding up in the backs of our minds. Gas prices keep going up, sure, they shift around too, but overall, it’s not really getting any cheaper any time soon. Oil is, and we’ve always known this, a finite resource. The nagging doubts, the understanding of the deeper truths, the facts are all there, and we’ve all known them for a long time. You don’t even have to accept the findings of the vast majority of climate scientists who agree on the concept of the greenhouse effect and its industrial origins to realize and accept that eventually cheap oil will be a memory, not a fact of the present, and that when that happens, unless we all make some serious changes, things are not going to be very pretty. The warning signs are all there, but it’s just so damn hard to quit.

I am not new to these worries and fears; I often pondered this peculiar state of the world in high school, even earlier. How was it that we could collectively ignore this obvious, glaring truth? Like many teens, my ignorant, youthful mind turned quickly to conspiracy theories—of course, it must be a plot by the state, which hates the planet and wants it to rot; it is the older generation that cares nothing for the future and is wallowing in its greed and using a gangster mentality of crushing all competition no matter what its intrinsic value to the planet, and to its, and to my future... I was right of course, and wrong. Yes, there are those who live a cynical self absorbed life of gangster-ism, but there are many more who are simply short-sighted, ignorant, non-philosophical, stuck-in-their-ways, childish, or doing harm by simply doing nothing, feeling that a problem on the scale of planetary health is simply too big to take on as an individual.

I eventually turned my fear into curiosity and made a point of educating myself on any number of environmental causes such as our consumption of meat and the impact of our industrialized food system on the environment, a fascinating, rich, possibly (in my opinion) singular set of facts at which crossroads I built my career. There was also a book by Buckminster Fuller that made me consider subjects like mass transit and off-grid housing. A science teacher opened my mind to ideas about alternative fuels and peak oil. A girlfriend’s copy of the Whole Earth Catalog sent my mind in a dozen directions considering our potential and even hopeful future. I read about ‘back-to-the-land’ experiments from the sixties like the Farm in Tennessee and Tassajara in California. And yet, it seemed that the more I learned, the less I understood—it seemed that the knowledge was ankle deep and rising all around me and yet no-one near me seemed to notice or even care.

I decided to take personal action. I became a vegetarian, eventually a vegan, and finally an organic and local foods consumer and advocate. I recycled, composted, used natural and biodegradable cleaners and bought secondhand when possible. I learned bits of knowledge about everything from foraging and organic farming to home-brewing with a long term goal of homesteading. After years of working for other folks in businesses that didn’t quite match my value system, I eventually joined with my wife and friends and opened a business of my own which is, in many ways, its own intentional community.

Over the years I have always kept ear to the ground of the larger environmental movement and have been thrilled to watch it move from the fringes into mainstream consciousness. Things like Al Gore’s ‘Inconvenient Truth’ and widely circulated ideas like the 100 mile diet, green energy, rising oil prices, climate change, ‘climate-gate’ and even security and international conflicts and wars, and most recently, even a disaster like the ongoing one in the Gulf, have all been important memes for opening discussions about environmental issues with broad cross-sections of people for whom the subject held no interest in those many years when I felt like a lonely soul on the vast and empty frontier. I welcome all discussion on the subject of environmental health, because I honestly believe that any discussion will, by the virtue of truth, eventually lead to a more sensible, sane and sustainable world and that even the naysayers do their part by keeping the subject open.

But I also, like many, fear that not enough is being done, fast enough, to change what needs to fixed before things really get worse. I wish, with all my heart that I could turn on a light switch and show the world what folks like me and the many wise souls who lit my path have seen clearly and for a very long time—that we are approaching a cliff, and that the fall will not be fun, the ride exciting, the time spent on the way down pleasant and that the sharp, sudden stop at the end will not be the comic pratfall for which we may hope, but rather a complete, utter and final end to the kind of life we have known, loved and enjoyed. I wish I could flip that switch, not because I want to take away hope, but rather, because I honestly, deeply and sincerely want to offer it. I believe that if we could all, if even just most of us could, like some comic book hero, see what absolutely needs to be done to nudge this Spaceship Earth back on to course then we could certainly do it. We could, and we certainly should.

I believe that the time has come for us to call on that hero, to call our hero back from his journey, from her quest for truth and knowledge; it is time for us to call on that hero within ourselves and say now, now we’re ready. We’re ready to do the small things that need to be done, but to do them together and on such a broad scale that they become the largest thing we’ve ever done on earth. There is a geyser in the gulf, and there is a blanket of gas on the earth, it is time for us to say “no more.” I know it’s so damn hard to quit, but just like a smoker knows he eventually must, it is time to and it is time to say I will do it for my health, for the health of everyone I love and care about, I will make changes because I want to live in a world where we don’t need mile deep offshore oil wells to support our way of life, we don’t even need twenty foot deep offshore oil wells. We don’t need oil. The fact is that we humans are simple, resilient creatures, if we have community food, and shelter, we really don’t need anything else.

You know the answers, you know the truth, and the little things become big things when lots of people do them. Change a light bulb from incandescent to fluorescent, turn up the ac, turn down the furnace, do something in town instead of travelling to the city. Walk more, watch less TV, buy local food, buy local art, garden, compost, learn to sew...You know what to do, and its easy, you’ve just been waiting for the right time to try it. Now is that time. It is time to say that we are ready to start living in a world where we all find our inner hero and for me; that world is the one where my daughter can someday be proud of herself and of all of us and say, “We saw it coming, and we did our part, we didn’t wait for anyone else to fix things. We lit our own path. We are the one we need.”

--Chef Bruce

If you are a Kemptville local, and this story resonates for you, come check out what’s up with Sustainable North Grenville ( www.sustainablenorthgrenville.ca ), a new citizen’s group that is looking for positive ways to transition our community to a more permanent, resilient and sensible future. If not, find a group like ours near you...or start one...

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
--Margaret Mead

Texas Style ‘Slow-Enloe’ Beef Short Ribs:

2010-04-12T19:08:00.001-07:00

In Texas, my home country, we do not rush the cooking of beef; our signature barbecued food is whole smoked beef brisket which spends as much as 18 hours in a smoker at about 200 to 250 degrees (Fahrenheit), a.k.a.; slow and low... This recipe (which feeds about 6 people) is for a similar cut, the ‘braising’ or ‘short’ beef rib; a cut which the butcher at a local abattoir described to me as ‘old-fashioned.’ I guess that means that it ain’t diet food. It is similar in that both the brisket and the braising rib have a lot of connective tissue and fat, the elements that make a braise or a slow smoke work so well. Over time, at low temperature, the connective tissue (or tendons) actually melt and turn into gelatin, which is that magic, mysterious ingredient that gives slow cooked meat the amazing ‘sticky’ mouth feel that we associate with everything from pork ribs at the local Chinese restaurant to the demi-glace at the finest French bistro. The fat, which is critical, works as a slow baste, melting and helping to keep the meat moist throughout the long process. Sped up, the tendons seize and become gristle, the fat melts too quickly and becomes a frying oil, either flaring up and becoming dangerous or (depending on the cooking method) actually frying the meat and creating a different product altogether. When you do take your time, however, this ‘old-fashioned’ cut really shines!

You’ll need:

A good smoker or barbecue pit and wood, charcoal, or even (in a pinch) propane and smoking chips; this chef does not recommend propane, (I don’t care for the flavour) but should you have no choice, make sure you have lots of well soaked wood chips in an aluminum pan or in a pouch of foil with holes punched in it. Much has been written on the process of smoking, so we’ll assume you have the ability to figure this part out, but the key points are indirect heat, and mostly closed heat dampers to keep in as much smoke as possible, and choosing good wood for flavour.

5 lb. Aubin Farm’s beef braising ribs
½ cup ‘Steve’s Spicy Coffee’ barbecue rub (recipe follows...)
1-2 tablespoons salt (a good sprinkle...)
Texanadian Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows...)
Root Cellar Slaw (recipe follows...)
Buns

The evening before a lunch or early in the morning before a dinner to serve these, light your barbecue pit or smoker, then, coat the meat with the rub and the salt and let sit for about an hour, while the coals burn down. If you have a thermometer, when the internal temperature of the BBQ is about 250 degrees and you have good smoke, the coals are ready; rake them all to one side of the pit. Place your ribs on the far side of the grill, away from the fire, close the lid and allow the smoke to do its magic. Make sure there is constant smoke by feeding more soaked chips or chunks for at least the first couple of hours and also watch the temperature closely, being careful to never allow it above 250 degrees. You can even switch the meat (covered) to an oven after the first few hours and get some sleep. Most Texas BBQ pit masters will remind you that a good lager in an ample, steady supply is essential to this process and I will not diverge from that philosophy in this recipe. As Lone Star is not available here, I would recommend Beau’s Lug Tread as a more than suitable substitute. The ribs will need at least 8 and as many as 12 hours of steady, slow cooking; you’ll know they are ready when the bone lifts out of the meat without effort. Serve the pulled meat on buns with barbecue sauce and Root Cellar Slaw.

A quick note on choosing wood and two stage smoking:

I learned how to smoke meat with mesquite, a resinous wood that when used judiciously is one the world’s finest seasonings, but can also result in an acrid creosote flavour after too long with too much smoke. As such, I learned a two stage smoking process, a few hours of smoke followed by either wrapping the meat in foil to finish cooking or even removing it to an oven for the last few hours. These days, in an attempt to achieve a genuine local product, I use a wood blend that includes maple, apple, white cedar and sometimes black walnut. Including some resinous woods like the walnut and cedar reminds of mesquite, in that you can get a stronger, better smoke flavour, but it can also lead to the same problems; if you are using just maple or oak, don’t worry so much about over-smoking or wrapping, but if you, like me, want that deep flavour that only a resinous wood will provide, just plan to be judicious and ease up on the smoke after the first few hours.

Steve’s Spicy Coffee:

I took a batch of this rub to the cottage a few years back for a barbecue, but early in the morning on the day of the barbecue my groggy (...hung-over...) brother-in-law mistook it for the coffee and brewed us all a big pot; ever since, we can only refer to it as Steve’s Spicy Coffee in honour of his finest hour. (Thanks for being such a good sport, Steve...)

1 cup ground, dried medium spice peppers such as ancho, guajillo, or chilhuacle.
¼ cup freshly ground coffee beans (decaf, if you must...)
¼ cup brown Sucanat or brown sugar
¼ cup ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano

--Mix together, use as needed, store excess in an airtight container and use as you would a chili powder or a Montreal Steak Spice, etc.

Texanadian BBQ Sauce:

‘It’s the Maple Syrple!’

½ yellow onion, sliced thin
2 teaspoons canola or sunflower oil
¼ cup ‘Steve’s Spicy Coffee’ or your favourite chili powder blend
2 cups canned Utopia tomatoes and juice
4 tablespoons Utopia tomato paste
1 cup maple syrup
2/3 cup Barkley’s apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup tamari soy sauce

--Caramelize the onion in the oil. Add spice, then add remaining ingredients, simmer ½ hour. Blend.

Root Cellar Slaw:

Weather-wise, we locavores in Canada are in the dip right now waiting for the first green shoots to get long enough to pluck and eat, while concurrently staring at the bottom of last year’s barrel. The weather is drawing us outdoors to barbecue, but what veggies do we eat today? Boiled turnips again? How about taking those turnips, those beets, even the cabbage, carrots and onions from the back shelf of the root cellar and making this delicious, quick slaw?

3 cups shredded mixed roots such as carrots, beets, sunchokes and turnips
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon salt
¼ cup Barkley’s apple cider vinegar
¼ cup honey or sugar
¼ cup sunflower or canola oil
2 teaspoons dried dill
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon toasted caraway seeds

--In a large bowl, mix the veggies and salt. In a small saucepan, bring the remaining ingredients to a boil, pour the hot dressing over the veggies, stir and cover for five minutes. Then uncover, stir again and enjoy!

Our Daily Bread...

2010-04-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

In three years, I’ve made every batch of brown bread at the restaurant except for one. That day, I had help from my good friend Rob Mathewson, who those of us locally know as the gentle giant genius of loaf behind Grateful Bread, the bread consortium that has anchored our local farmers’ market these past three years. He and his equally storied and infinitely interesting wife Shelley just moved on last month to the West Coast, for work, but also for family, which is also how I found myself here, so who am I to judge? Just a bit sad, that’s all...But anyway, this story is about bread, so we’ll talk about all that stuff some other time. This story is about bread, about baking, and about my favourite baker.

I guess my first experiences making bread were my grandmother’s Parker House Rolls, a recipe in which each yeasty, white ball of dough was dipped in melted butter before it was packed together in Corning ware, then risen and baked. The effect, though guilty in hindsight, was mind expanding in practice. My mom complained that her mother in law had never mentioned the second package of yeast on the recipe she wrote out, and that had she not spied that sneaky addition over her shoulder one day, no-one would have ever known. That might be why no-one else’s rolls ever came out quite as good, but I think we all suspect it was more than just that. The most critical ingredient in bread, I have come to discover, is the baker. When she baked those rolls, it was her way of showing her love.

I moved back to my home town from West Texas in ’93 or so and was lucky enough to find a job at a little scratch bakery, Brazos Blue Ribbon, that was operated by a couple of ex-hippie types who probably just wanted a place to buy whole grain fresh bread and muffins themselves and couldn’t find anyone else doing it. They had a wide selection of loaves, pastries, kolaches, and cookies and they served sandwiches and soups for lunch. I was hired as an assistant baker, which meant I never got to see lunch; lunch time, for me, was now in the middle of my night. I arrived at work every day at 2 am and left work at about ten, at least for the six short months that I managed to survive that schedule. Maybe it was as a result of these long, late hours, but the head baker there was insane, good insane, I mean; he was a hilarious, huge, jolly, loud, heavy metal singing madman, and at 2 o’clock in the morning, I was his only audience and his biggest fan. He taught me like Obi Wan taught Luke, with a pile of clichés, aphorisms, cleverly mixed metaphors and the occasional near backhand (which I probably deserved...) I was told to use my hands to mix the dough; ‘spatulas are liars!’ I was trained to taste the dough, to ‘think with my hands’, to ‘bake with my nose...’ I was no baker when I came in, I had mistakenly believed that 5 years of line cooking would qualify me for some kind of high speed ascension to that goal; but, by the time I left, I was, although not quite a baker, at least not quite as foolish as when I arrived. He was a great teacher, he loved what he did, and it showed. So why did I leave? Honestly? I wasn’t ready to give up sunlight; I don’t think I ever will be. Baking, as a profession, asks a high price from those who it calls.

Rob is not a baker by profession (...yet?). He worked here in Kemptville in some capacity for the government; he told me about it once, it was something to do with measuring water levels, analyzing drainage from wetlands, that kind of thing...I’m not really sure, the fact is, when I talk to Rob, it’s usually about bread. He loves bread, he loves baking...when he’s not at work (or practicing his clarinet), it’s likely that he’s baking. He always reminds me of that jolly baker from Brazos Blue Ribbon, he has that same big presence, the same quick smile and twinkling eye—and I don’t care what he gets paid for, the man is, and will always be, a baker. He understands, naturally, instinctually, what it took me so long to learn about bread, about why bread is not pure science or pure art, about how good bread is craft, plain and simple, about how your hands know more about baking than your head, and that your heart and nose are just as critical to the process as your mixer, your oven or your timer. Baking bread is about patience and care. It is about good humour and generosity. It is about love and, if you do it right (and he does...), it is about changing the way people think about every other bite of food they take.

Rob has given more to this community than just some tasty loaves; he is one of those good, generous people who come along and just can’t seem to help but share. He started, a couple of years ago, giving classes on baking to anyone who was interested, he dreamed up the whole idea as a charitable act...the classes, or workshops, were, I believe, actually a ruse to get a dozen or so extra hands out to roll dough for bread for a Salvation Army Food Bank fundraiser (I may have my facts wrong, but I believe it was for one of our Mother’s Day brunches here at the Municipal Center). The idea caught on, and soon, these workshops (again, not to be confused with free labour...) were given several times a year, baking bread for Christmas food baskets, again for our Mother’s Day brunch, for a free community Thanksgiving dinner, or, really for any event or even person that needed an extra bit of sustenance to be broken and shared. I noticed once that at the workshops, and with the free loaves of bread, he gave out a recipe on a little piece of onion skin paper along with an idea, a prayer really, a request that the holder of the recipe would bake it with others, and that in exchange for this loaf, in lieu of payment, that they would do this same giving again, for other food banks, for other friends, for anyone who might need a warm loaf of love. Luckily, at the very first workshop, the friendly friar of the leavened loaf won a convert, my sister-in-law, and really, one of the world’s all time greatest people, Denise Busby.

Now with all due respect to Rob, who was the reason I set out to write this story, within the first two or three lines I, and really, anyone who has bought bread at our exciting little market over the last few years, probably knew very quickly where this was going to end up. Denise is the kind of person who just seems to do well at most anything she tries; over the years that I have been lucky enough to know her, not only has she been a record breaking manager for a noted office supply company in the heart of Ottawa, she has evolved into a master hobby gardener, a photographer of immense talent, the most patient wife her incredibly lucky husband could hope for, and, on an incredibly personal note, the greatest aunt I could ever imagine for my, for all of our, little girl. She also, thanks to Rob’s workshops, and a great deal of that natural instinct like both my Grandmother’s and his, has become a phenomenal baker. The first year of the market, Rob alone was the baker, but starting in the second and continuing with the third, Rob was joined by Denise as a fellow ‘Grateful Bread’ baker. As often as Rob has been at the market of a Sunday, Denise has been there as well, at first with breads she learned to bake with Rob, but later and lately with scones, cookies, and even breads made with her own recipes. I am, I admit, a very picky person when it comes to the quality of food (hey, it’s my job!) and I can honestly say that during the market season, her Chipotle-Cheddar Bread is one of the greatest pleasures of my daily life.

Bread was one of the first things that we humans learned to make. Almost every culture has a bread of some kind, flour and water, maybe some other stuff, a leavening agent, some time of work, some time of rest. Bread is what we share, when we share. It is the most basic of sustenance, and, as a symbol, it speaks to the core of who and what we all are. It is the first thing we serve at most restaurants, because throughout our cultural memory, it has become an act of welcome so common that to not offer it would be out of place. Early on we learned that all of the bounteous harvest our farmers’ market’s amazing vegetables would bring people out once, but that it was the bread for which they returned.

I’ve learned a lot about baking over the years; I learned about tortillas, the bread of Mexico, from fellow cooks and older Mexican ladies at a taqueria in my home town, my first job outside of the stifling world of fast food. I learned about thin crust pizza dough from a skilled chef at Romeo’s in Austin where I baked in a wood fired oven, and I trained intensively through those dark nights at the Brazos Blue Ribbon, teaching my hands how to feel for when the dough was just right. I have learned that sometimes it’s about a second package of yeast that someone forgot to mention, and that sometimes it is about no yeast at all, just patience and courage. And I have learned, after all that, that all the knowledge in the world will only produce a pretty good loaf of bread.

Thanks Rob, it was always a pleasure to bake and to break bread with you, and I hope to do it again soon. You’ve given a lot to this community, more than we ever could have asked, Vancouver Island is lucky to have your big, generous heart in its midst. I understand why you moved to be close to family; that is, after all, also what brought us here.

I hope that my bread, the one I’ve made every batch of save one, is half as good as Rob’s, half as good as my grandmother’s Parker House Rolls. I’ve tried to shape it, learn it, understand it, infuse it with all the meaning, heart and soul that I can, and every time I make it I think maybe, maybe this time, maybe I’m getting close. Bread is more than just flour and water and yeast and salt. It is family, it is being together, it is sharing and it is love. And for me that means that on the last weekend in May, when the time is finally here at that first market of the season, I’ll be right there in line again, waiting anxiously for that first loaf, for that first taste of Chipotle-Cheddar from Denise, Abigail’s Aunt Denise, my favourite baker.

‘God Bless America’

2010-03-01T05:46:00.000-08:00

I couldn’t help thinking, the other day, when I saw this sign in a window in Ogdensburg, how strongly Irving Berlin must have been feeling the day he wrote it. I mean: to wish the blessings of the highest being one can imagine on an entity, on a group of people, on a landmass with non-specific boundaries, on a vision, a shared dream, a collective effort—I guess my generation is too far removed from any great revolutionary moments to fully appreciate the intensity of that kind of emotion, at least as it relates to a piece of land. But it moved me. Yes, even embarrassed me a little. I’m not one to speak of it, especially as an American living abroad, but, if I’m honest, yes, my programming is still in place.

When I was a kid, I read with interest and horror of the shortcuts my ancestors had taken to acquire the ‘right’ to the land they ‘discovered.’ I was so incensed that in my youthful agitation, I chose a quiet, but, I felt, meaningful protest; I refused to, as it was the custom, stand and recite the ‘Pledge of Allegiance’ in my school classroom. My teachers were naturally upset, rebellion of any form being seen as a disruption in a routine based system, but I was more surprised to find that my classmates were upset as well—‘Don’t you know about the Indians?’ I asked, ‘The smallpox blankets? Wounded Knee? The trail of tears?’ Some of our ancestors were definitely not the good guys. Slavery was also and still is a huge stain of on the face of my nation, and my generation, as the first desegregated one in my small southern town, was still itchy and uncomfortable in its new multicoloured clothes. Perhaps that’s why they didn’t care, ‘This is America,’ they said, ‘love it or leave it.’ Patriotism has always been a hard road for me.

I don’t understand why most folks can’t seem to see the connection between ‘patriotism’ and ‘nationalism,’ (i.e.: ‘fascism.’) All patriotism, to me, seems to be built upon the simple preconception that we are better than them, for some reason. And really, are we? Do we actually have some divine gift that puts us above our peers? By virtue of an address? A Zip Code? Seriously, American ‘exceptionalism’ as it is called these days, when examined closely, is little more than a philosophy of thinly veiled racism.

I do love much about America. My programming aside, America is my nostalgic home, I love Thomas Jefferson’s words (more than his actions, actually,) and I love that a rebellion of tax shirkers could actually produce a fairly even handed and intelligent method of self government. I like checks and balances and I like term limits, I like that even the worst of presidents can only really get away with about 8 years in office and that, if we want to, we can flip the whole card and start fresh without firing a single bullet. It seems smart; it acknowledges the pendulum of public sentiment and provides a mechanism for bloodless revolution. And when you think about it, it would take a bunch of people who’d lost so much in a bloody one to come up with and actually agree on such a radical idea. I’m sure my historians out there will want to remind me of the Magna Carta or even of ancient Greek philosophers who laid out the framework that the ‘founding fathers’ adopted long before, but, nonetheless, they could have gone a few different directions once they had the reins, and yet, at the moment, they chose democracy, for better or worse.

So, do I love it or hate it? Well, both. I’ve travelled a bit more now, and I also now live here, in Canada, a place that tells you they find patriotism distasteful, but makes exceptions for hockey, Canada day, any rendering of the anthem, or any mention or presence of any native Canadian anywhere in American popular culture. I’ve also visited Europe, in a ‘post 9-11’ world and met equal parts admiration for our exciting culture and horror at our actions on the world stage, horror that mirrored my own youthful disgust at my reading of my country’s history. I have hated the way, from a distance, America looks more and more like a selfish bully, even with ‘a new face’; it still projects willful ignorance regarding it’s own behaviour and seems to consume everything around it at an alarming rate like one of it’s famously obese children. Yet, as I say, I have travelled a bit more now and have also seen that American people are no worse at heart than the people in any of these other places either; I have met with racism and stereotypes wherever I have gone, ignorance and childish, selfish behaviour, even with boorish and criminally violent foolishness. America, it seems, has no trademark on stupidity whether you love it or leave it.

‘Democracy,’ as Winston Churchill said, ‘is the worst form of government, except for all those others that have been tried...’ A telling quote. I love much about the idea of America, and much about the idea of Canada, Norway, Denmark, even Japan and yes, even China. I love lots of ideas behind governments, I love the idealism from which they spring and I love the facets of them that seem to work for however long people put their minds to it. But in the end, it always seems to come back to our nature, our avarice, our greed, our compassion and our desire for joy, for love, for security or for safety. The same universal human emotional behaviours that make us choose between decaf and regular, between charity and big screen televisions, behind, beneath and surrounding every decision we make every day. Governments, countries, landmasses of non-specific boundaries, these collective groups of people work and don’t work because they are conceived by, made up of and belong to, of, and by people. Human, frail, weak, and beautiful people.

God Bless America. I checked the lyrics, and it didn’t say, ‘She’s gonna need it.’ But maybe it should have. And really, maybe it should say ‘God bless this planet,’ because that’s where all this patriotism, this pride in ‘our people’ is going to have to redirect itself if we want to see our grandchildren enjoying the ‘pursuit of happiness’ instead of the ‘pursuit of potable water’ like the folks in desertified swaths of Africa our carbon economies have helped to create. Woody Guthrie knew this; he hated Berlin’s heart swelling opus and responded with ‘God Blessed America for Me’ a song he eventually changed to ‘This Land is Your Land’, his most famous song and an important poem in its own right. His answer to ‘God Bless America’ did not speak of a lofty divine being whose hand could guide us through a night with a light, he spoke of America’s terrestrial beauty, of how his own two feet carried him across it, of nature’s bounty. And he spoke of a fence:

As I went walking I saw a sign there

And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."

But on the other side it didn't say nothing,

That side was made for you and me.

I’ll leave it there. This land was made for you and me.

dollars and senselessness...

2010-02-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

My granddaddy was a dentist; he worked in the Astin building in downtown Bryan, Texas, my home town. We used to watch the Christmas and July 4th parades from the windows of his upstairs office—I remember back in the 70s, when I was just a little kid, downtown Bryan was still ‘where you went’ when you needed something. You parked and walked, and within a few blocks you had the Woolworths, the Parker-Astin hardware store, a pizza parlour, shoe shops, men’s clothing shops, women’s clothing shops, hat shops, a barber shop, a library, restaurants...There was a community there, and tagging along with Dr. Enloe was a good way to meet and see every member of it. By the mid 80’s, it was a ghost town. Two out of three shops were empty, folks had moved out to bigger stores on bigger streets with bigger parking lots. Dr. Enloe had retired, the parades moved uptown and the barber looked bored. You see, that was right around the time that Wal-Mart came to town. I’m thinking about it because Wal-Mart has just announced that it is planning to begin construction, starting this spring, on its long rumoured Kemptville location.

Back in the 80s, Wal-Mart was still saturating the various media with prevarications about it’s ‘commitment’ to ‘Buy American’ a commitment which I notice it has not committed to anytime recently, especially as by about 2005, somewhere around 60% of the stuff they sold was imported, mostly from China...according to one study, in 2004 alone, Wal-Mart spent over 18 billion dollars on Chinese products. That means that if it were an individual economy; they would be China's eighth largest trading partner, bigger than Russia, Australia, and, you guessed it, Canada. According to the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations), "Wal-Mart is the single largest importer of foreign-produced goods in the United States", their biggest trading partner is China, and their trade with China alone constitutes approximately 10% of the total US trade deficit with China as of 2004.

Apparently, Wal-Mart has sent as many as 1.5 million jobs to China; you know, decent jobs, factory jobs, middle class jobs. Not the kind of ‘greeter’ or ‘cashier’ jobs they offer in their stores, jobs that pay minimum wage and lock a person into the lowest possible economic bracket for life (or at least for as long as the often brief term of employment...), especially given this company’s famous and well documented anti-union stance and what seems to be a complete and utter disdain for anything resembling a job benefit...Wal-Mart sells its stores to communities by promising jobs. Hmmm. Here are some interesting statistics: a 1994 study done by the Congressional Research Service concluded that "for every two jobs created by a Wal-Mart store, the community loses three. Jobs that are retained by a community are often merely shifted from local businesses to the giant retailer." In another study, a fella named Kenneth Stone, who is a Professor of Economics at Iowa State University, found that some small towns can lose as much as half of their retail trade within ten years of a Wal-Mart store opening. They don’t bring jobs, they just shift them around.

I used to live with a Wal-Mart employee, and her stories used to make me cringe...she said that every morning they would do cheers, even sing ‘Wal-Mart’ songs, like a cult, you know, morale building stuff...What a great place to work, right? At least until she was sent home mid shift every time she approached 28 hours in a week, the magic hour at which she would have become a full time employee, and thus been eligible (after a year!) for the modest health insurance package that such employment status required. She knew of no-one, outside of management, who was receiving any such benefit, and it’s probably just as well, with a $1000 deductible, the presence of the insurance would have been all but invisible to a person of her age, health and financial means. Wal-Mart is not a good steward of its people.

These days, I live in Kemptville, and we are not immune to the fallout of the carbon economy, the desire for bigger parking lots for our bigger trucks have already moved much of the major business from downtown to the highway, as seems to be the way of the world these days. But one of the things that attracted me to this town, one of the reasons I wanted to be a part of this community was that we still had (have...) a vibrant, beautiful, and even functional downtown area. It’s not at 100% occupancy, by any stretch, but it is still a vital, functioning core to our town. I can still shop, eat, go to the post office, the bank, I can buy books, clothes, gifts and hardware all within an easy walk from my home. The parades still loop down Clothier Street to Prescott, and we watch them from upstairs window of our Heritage building that hearkens back to a time when horses would have pulled the floats.

I realize that so far this article makes me sound like a xenophobe, like someone who doesn’t believe in the market or in competition. This is simply not the case. The fact is, I have always accepted that this concept, this thing, that we have collectively agreed to call ‘the market’, whatever it actually is, is one of, if not the most compelling forces on human behaviour that exists. I even believe that it might be something even deeper, something more intrinsic, like some kind of manifestation of our base needs in the world. People need to eat, to have shelter and clothing, and since prehistory we have hunted, we have gathered, and farmed, we have done what it has taken to survive, we have protected our own by providing for them, and even when we had enough, and when those we care for had enough, we hoarded, because eventually (we instinctively knew) that someday, we might no longer have enough. These base activities when practiced in the modern world become dollars traded for goods and services, the collection of dollars has replaced the collection of foods and firewood, the need to protect became the act of collecting and exchanging dollars through corporate and market based prophylactics that have absolved us of the direct responsibility for what we have done to collect more and to hoard. We are compelled by these base instincts and desires, and we act.

The question then becomes, is the market all that we are? Are we nothing more than slaves to our most basic motivations? I contend that we are not. There are, and have always been other factors that affect our behaviours, factors like love, compassion, empathy, free will and choice. A corporation is an excuse to behave badly, by its very definition it protects its participants from risk, and it absolves them of direct accountability, of blame. If these other instincts, these other factors exist and therefore do affect our behaviour, it stands to reason that other institutions must also exist (as the market exists to express our base desires) to embody them and that through them, we can act on those better angels in our hearts and minds. My feeling is that those institutions are exactly what we would expect them to be, things like the government and its mandate to regulate and pick up where the market leaves off, trade unions, churches, charities, service groups, even extended groups of family and friends. I don’t doubt the power of the market; I simply refuse to accept that it is the whole of who and what we are.

We don’t always do what is best for ourselves—given food we will sometimes indulge too much, given wine, we sometimes drink beyond our fill; we are humans and to be human is to accept that there is both base desire and a higher calling—when my pants get too tight, I know it is time to slow down. I hope that I will decide in time, but who knows? Wal-Mart is the grand expression of our most base desire, our need to collect, to conquer and to hoard, no matter the cost... it is the love handles of our culture, it is the desire to indulge taken to such bloated extremes that it no longer has a view of its own belt. I believe in the market, but I also believe in knowing when it is time to say no to a second serving, when it is time to temper our greed, and when to think about more than what is easiest and fastest and cheapest, and to start to think about what is best; best for me, best for my community and best for those who I love.

Kemptville has three grocery stores, a health food store, four hardware stores, and several other small retail stores and shops that will be dramatically, instantly and permanently affected by this new beast, this Godzilla that will not stop until Tokyo is burning. Many of these stores have been locally owned for generations; when you spend your dollar with these folks it stays here, in Kemptville, it doesn’t shoot off to Bentonville, Arkansas to make sure the Walton family will have even more billions of dollars to not give to charity (less than 1% in 2005!). Wal-Mart will come in with predatory pricing (a new Wal-Mart will charge as much as 17% less in a new area than in one where its act of economic devastation is complete,) it will bring unsecure and low paying jobs to replace the secure and better paying jobs that it will destroy and within a few years, our sweet little downtown will, sadly, probably look a lot like the one in my hometown did in the years after its arrival there, and it will probably look a lot like the downtowns in thousands of sweet little towns all across North America still do. That is, unless we decide not to let it.

The last time I visited Bryan, my old downtown was a sight to behold, new shops, new stores, new clubs and restaurants had sprung up to fill the empty storefronts from those years after the Wal-Mart came to town...folks in the government, folks in the neighborhood, the old businesses that didn’t want to move, lots of smart, forward thinking people had gotten together and decided to fix the place up. Incentives were used, not to bring in an instrument of destruction this time, but to rebuild and re-imagine what that downtown could be. Now it’s a beautiful, vibrant place, in many ways it reminds me of downtown I remember from tagging along with Dr. Enloe. It was a long road to recovery, but it worked, and I don’t think one person in Bryan would say it wasn’t worth it. The way it worked was through community—people getting together and deciding that it was something they wanted and then going out and doing it.

I don’t presume that I can stop Wal-Mart. No more than I can presume that I can stop myself from sometimes eating a second slice of pie. But I can, and we can, sometimes say that enough is enough. I don’t presume that I can stop Wal-Mart. Not alone. I can hope and help to curb its effects on my new home, I can warn and I can share what I have seen. We can take our energy, our ideals, our dollars and our votes and we can go downtown, pick up some trash, encourage a friend to open a shop, patronize it, send other folks there, patronize the other shops downtown even if it costs a buck or two more, we can join a community group, participate in the BIA, in a theatre group, in a church group, shop at the farmers’ market, we can build a strong community and together we can keep it alive. We can elect a mayor and a council who want to keep the heart of the community alive, who will fulfill the mandate that their institution has as a sacred duty, to think not just about the base and greedy desire to increase the tax and revenues, but rather to take the best care possible of the community that has elected them and which has given them the dollars which they already have. That means accepting that things like Wal-Mart will come, but not incentivizing it, not paying out of pocket to extend services, not giving any tax breaks or easy zoning changes...It means growing, but growing smart, not just growing for its own sake. And if you really want to be a part of real change, you can do what Nicole and I have done for the last several years, you can make the easy, quick and simple decision to shop somewhere else.

beer, a love story...

2009-12-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

I don’t drink as much as I should...well, at least not as much as I should if I still want to be considered an ‘expert’ which, I guess, at one time I sort of was. But when I do, like most folks around here, it’s usually a beer. My first beer was a Heineken, of all things, shared between at least three of us boys, stolen out from one of our parents’ stash, and furtively gulped down in the woods out behind the house. Like most folks, I didn’t quite get it at first—but, there it was—a new experience. It wasn’t terrible, but I didn’t quite get the appeal either. When I got older, drinking beer with the guys was sort of ‘something that you did’ and I latched on to Budweiser—I appreciated the red label, (red was my favorite colour!) and, of course, the cool chef at my restaurant drank it. It was my ‘favourite’ beer, because, well, everyone needs a favourite, right? Then one night, at a party, a friend produced a Guinness.

I’ll never forget that first sip—bitter...rich, intense. At first taste, I was not a fan—I thought, fleetingly, that it might have been a joke drink—you know, like you’d find a fart scented perfume at a novelty shop or something. It was too much—it reminded me of when the soda machine at work broke and you got a cup of undiluted syrup...It reminded me of a coffee from a gas station that had been stewing since yesterday morning...It reminded me of hot tar. Then I had a second sip, and I began to recognize that all those big flavours were there on purpose, and that they even fit together in a sort of weird architectural balance—a structure—by the end of the bottle, I was hooked. I still love that beer—although, I have to admit, it’s no longer quite as devastating to me as it was that first time...it’s a context thing. That bout with Guinness lead me on a long quest—It opened up a world to me, flavours that I’d never before encountered—the world of the art of the glass...

We had a pizza joint in my home town, Double Dave’s, which offered an ‘alternative degree program’ (...it was a college town...) where one could earn diplomas and degrees in the beers of the world. My brother was an employee for just long enough for the two of us to earn our doctorates , that is to say, we tried them all—an invaluable experience for a couple of youngsters and one that has shaped my tastes in the years since. Most of the beers they had were, I know now, fairly mainstream, the ‘Budweiser’ of their respective countries; but luckily, a few were good introductions to the world that was just starting to open up to the average consumer back at that time, the world of ‘craft beer’.

A few years later, I was lucky enough to work in a brewpub in my hometown. I was on the opening crew and got to work with a selection of beers made for us alone—we were encouraged to be creative and to try to use the beers in our cuisine—it was awesome, I took every opportunity to quiz the brewmaster and spent my breaks spying on the brewery and hoping for a chance to play. It was invaluable for me to see, first hand, that beer was something that could be made—it sounds silly, I know, but it’s true—when you see something done, it makes it possible, not theoretical. It makes it real, it’s the same with cooking—you can read all you want, but until you see it done, it’s just a theory. We were busy at the start, but it didn’t work out, they had a bad chef and an owner with no experience and they failed within 2 years, I was gone in just a few months. The beer (and the experience), however, was wonderful and it’s really too bad it didn’t live on...

By the time I moved to San Francisco, I had begun to flirt, even start to get serious with ‘the other beverage’. Wine, to the average male Texan in those days was generally considered a necessary evil at an event, you know, so the girls would have something sweet to drink; but in the years between that first Guinness and through my gradual ascension into finer dining, I had come to understand that it was actually quite a bit more. So much so, in fact, that it is generally accepted that culturally, wine is the only important beverage in a fine restaurant setting. Imagine that bottle of Bud on a white tablecloth; you’ll see what I mean...And accept it I did, especially once I found the ‘college with a thousand classrooms’ that is the California wine country. I learned in earnest, especially at my work, where my professors brought the class to me, and for at least an hour or two a week I was treated to tastings of some of the world’s best organic wines, the wines that made up Millennium’s incredible (and the world’s largest) exclusively organic wine list. But through it all, I never lost interest in my first bottled love—beer—in fact, I learned even more, thanks to a fella named Captain Jack Fecchal, B.L.F.

Captain Jack was an oddball when he came to work with us at Millennium; it was by way of Italy, where he had attended a cooking school, and Colorado, where he apparently attended an Ultimate Frisbee school. Colorado was, and still is, ground zero for the US homebrewing movement. In fact, just weeks after President Carter signed the bill that legalized it, a couple of guys named Charlie Papazian and Charlie Matzen launched the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) in Boulder, Colorado on December 7, 1978 (happy birthday, AHA!) with the publication of the first issue of Zymurgy magazine. Captain Jack had apparently minored in this fairly recent but grand tradition at his Frisbee school, and by the time he got to California, he brought his knowledge and the tools of homebrewing with him. I was lucky enough to brew my first few batches with him on his elaborate 10 gallon system made up of converted kegs, propane burners, plumbing supplies and recycled angle iron, all welded together into a giant contraption that brought tears to the eyes of his roommates, especially when they realized that it wasn’t going to just ‘go away’, as they had earnestly hoped. We brewed several ‘all grain’ batches, the most difficult style, which means that we actually did the serious lab work of converting starch into sugar over low heat for long periods before applying yeast to ferment. I was glad to have learned this method, but was also a little happy to later discover that there were easier methods involving extracts and partial extracts that brewed some reliably tasty batches with quite a bit less time and work; I (and my wife) was also a bit pleased to discover that giant contraptions were not, necessarily, critical to the success of the batch. Beer was fun.

Wine, however, was where my brain continued to lead me, and my ‘expertise’ in that field continued to grow; I was even invited to be a judge at a prestigious wine event in Los Angeles—I was one of many judges, granted, but I was honoured, nonetheless. Beer was still a hobby, not a serious pursuit, and though it did occasionally appear in our restaurant as a feature, or in a serious trade magazine in some article or another, it was not ever something I allowed myself to believe was ever quite as important as wine. Beer was for fun, wine was for work.

I never really understood why wine culture was so much different than beer culture, but I did (and do) think about it a lot. Wine has a reputation, among ‘regular’ folks as being a snob’s drink—something that has bothered me since day one. It is, after all, just a beverage, just a way to lubricate social interaction, to relax, to consume the same drug that beer delivers, but by way of grapes instead of grains...so why all the fuss? Why does wine get ritual where beer gets games? Why does beer get neon lights when wine is lit by candles? Why does wine require a jacket when beer gets a t-shirt and blue jeans? It really does just come down culture.

When Nicole and I travelled to Europe, I went as a wine enthusiast. I was excited to experience wine close to the source, to see the old Chateaus and vineyards, to taste and to explore. I was also fairly poor—we were not going on a wine tour, per se, we were going to experience what we could, but also what we could afford. So we bought cheap, Budweiser cheap. We bought what was on the shelf at the corner stores, and I was pleased to discover, we bought quite well. At first I thought I was just lucky—after all, I had tasted literally hundreds of wines at this point, and how cool was it that with wines that were averaging in price around 3 to 5 dollars a bottle, how lucky was it that we kept scoring with completely drinkable bottles of regular wine? Everything else around us, hotels, restaurants, coffee, was more expensive than home, but bottle after bottle presented cheap but drinkable wine! I, at first, like I said, felt lucky, but as time went on, I had to admit, I started to get a little annoyed.

You probably know what kind of wine 3 or 5 bucks would get you here. You probably also know how much it would cost you to buy an equivalent amount of cheap, yes, but also entirely drinkable beer. It didn’t take long for me to figure out why wine is a North American snob drink and why our mainstream culture prefers beer.

In 2004 and 2005, I was lucky enough to attend the Book and the Cook Festival in Philadelphia, as an author (co-author of ‘The Artful Vegan’, 2001 Ten Speed Press) and as a cook alongside my old friend and mentor (and fellow beer enthusiast) Chef Eric Tucker. We reunited those two times to prepare a five course dinner paired with the beers of Philadelphia’s treasure, The Nodding Head brewpub. The Nodding Head is co-owned by a group that also includes Monk’s Cafe, easily one of the most important bars for the true beer enthusiast in North America—and it was there that we found the beer bible, a menu including over 200 beers—some available nowhere else in the world, and it was also there, under the excellent tutelage of the owner, Tom Peters, that we attempted to taste every one of them. Or something like that; it gets a little fuzzy. The important part of the story is this—we were in a hallowed hall of beer—surrounded by the best of the best—and the most expensive bottles were still well under 50 bucks. Try finding that with wine...Try finding that with anything; the best of the best just doesn’t have a good habit of staying that far under the dollar amount of the average person’s single days paycheck.

It’s a cultural thing; I guess, when I thought about it, I started to understand. In Europe, where drinkable wine is cheap, and I do mean cheap, the ‘average, regular’ person can afford to enjoy a glass or two, without making it a special occasion. But here, for those prices, the fact is that we often get undrinkable swill (sorry, North American wine industry, but you know it’s true.) Here, the ‘average, regular,’ person is going to choose a cheap, perfectly drinkable beverage that doesn’t break the bank. I appreciate wine, good wine, and I really appreciate great wine, but the fact is, that until all those ‘average, regular’ folks come on board, the culture of North America is going to continue to prefer their beer. And , well, maybe if I drank a little more, I’d have the time to find those rare and often rumoured ‘great, cheap wines’, but since I don’t (...and since we’ve got Beau’s right here!), for now, anyway, I’ll probably just have a beer.