Blog

Boudin is to Louisiana what Wine is to Niagara

June 15, 2014Blog, cuisine, culinary tourism, lynn ogryzloLeave a comment

Boudin (pronounced Boo-dan) is a rice-based sausage that comes from the blending of Cajun, German and Creole culinary traditions. And because Cajun is a slang evolution of the word Acadians (French Canadians), one can trace its history back to Canada by way of France. My first taste of Boudin was at Hackett’s Cajun Kitchen on Gerstner Memorial Boulevard in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It’s a simple little shack and the most unlikely place to inspire anyone to stand in line for hours, but the people of Lake Charles, Louisiana do. They all come looking for boudin made fresh every morning […]

Strawberry Spaghetti – No Way!

June 11, 2014Blog, farm fresh food, local food, lynn ogryzlo, The Ontario TableLeave a comment

Yea!!!!! It’s strawberry season! Italian’s call it Fragola, German’s, Erdbeere and French, Fraise, strawberry by any name is the most celebrated spring berry around the world. Just last night I was out to dinner and I noticed the garnish on my dessert plate was a tiny strawberry. Now since we’re in the thick of strawberry season I wondered if it was actually a Niagara strawberry or a strawberry bought for convenience sake. I popped it into my mouth and sure enough, it was a super sweet, fresh, soft, spring strawberry. The flavour filled my mouth – yup! – this […]

Happy Escargot Day!

May 24, 2014BlogLeave a comment

My favourite place in the world to enjoy escargot is in the little café across from Comedie Francaise in Paris. I always sit outside facing the theatre and the fountain. For me, it’s a place of memories combined with good wine and even better escargot. They’re the traditional escargot stuffed with garlic butter. The French baguette comes already sliced; I tear bits from it and dip it into the butter that inevitably runs all over the dimpled plate. My tall champagne flute gets greasy from buttery fingers and crumbs end up all over the plate and my lap. Anyone […]

Food Truck Eats

May 19, 2014Blog, cuisine, culinary tourism, local food, lynn ogryzlo, The Ontario TableLeave a comment

I love a good wine event and a great glass of bubbly. One of my favourite bubblies is Peller Estates Ice Cuvee so when I heard there was a food truck rally at Peller Estate Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, I was there! It’s the 3rd year for Peller’s Food Truck Eats where almost 20 gourmet food trucks from far and wide are sandwiched between the lush, corduroy vineyards and the posh, high-end restaurant, Peller Winery Restaurant. With glass of bubbly in hand I surveyed the grounds, the trucks, the wine stations, music area and tables that were scattered around the […]

Eating My Way Through Paris

May 2, 2014Blog, cuisine, culinary tourism, lynn ogryzloLeave a comment

Ah Paris, a city of gourmet sights where baguettes walk through the streets in the hands, baskets and bags of almost every Parisian, where markets spill out onto the streets tempting those who walk by and pastry shops never put inches on your hips. The French capital is awash with wine; wine that is sold in plenty at every grocery store, corner store and farmers market. Yes, unlabelled wine bottles stand naked at markets in baskets in the hot sun, their hand written tags flapping in the breeze. Wine can be found for 2 Euros in the grocery store […]

An Evening In Paris

April 27, 2014BlogLeave a comment

It was an evening in Paris. Sultry jazz with piano and accordion playing to the crooning of Juliet Dunn. In a softly lit room with posters of the Toulleries and Moulin Rouge, we ate foie gras, escargot, Bouillabaisse, and profiteroles. All around us were silhouettes of diners enjoying their meal to the contrasting noises of clanking silverware and toasting wine glasses. The only thing missing was the cigarette smoke wafting through the air. If you’ve ever been to Paris, you were there. I think you know the place. Downtown Niagara Falls there’s a giant Eiffel Tower on the front […]

« Prev12 3 4 Next »