::: a food magazine served up raw :::

Hey everyone! ACQUIRED TASTE can now be found over at...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:04:07 -0500

Hey everyone!

ACQUIRED TASTE can now be found over at www.acqtaste.com. We’re going to be doing content more in a magazine type format so the entire layout of the website had to be changed.

However, I will still use this tumblr site for more personal type blogs.

Thanks for following!

We Are Under Construction!!

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:59:56 -0500

Sean Santos.

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:46:10 -0500

Everyone, I’d like you to meet Sean Santos.

I have known Sean for the past 22 years. Sean has cooked at some of Toronto’s hottest restaurants and that is how he honed his craft. His originality and hunger for knowledge has allowed him to grow as a chef and find his style. His epicurean interests are that of good, honest food with nothing of the slightest pretentiousness.

Not only have we been friends since we were kids but we have also been business partners for the past 5 years. We started a catering business together called Blum Catering that did fairly well considering we had no prior catering experience. As of late, our approach to food has changed drastically as did our experiences, leaving us with no choice but to re-think the business.

We have put the name Blum Catering to rest and are going to re-launch the business with one major philosophy, keeping ideas “fresh & simple”. In the coming months you will hear more about what Sean is up to as well as details into the re-launch of our catering business.

Stay Tuned!

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:26:38 -0500

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! I’ve been busy working on alot of projects for ACQTASTE. I can’t go into too much detail of whats to come but I promise it will be worth the wait.

The guy at the end of the vid is Greg Washington, a very talented designer and photographer. We’ve been working on a project that will change the food game.

The Daily Grind :: Episode Two

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:13:34 -0400

In this episode we follow one of Toronto’s busiest chefs, Roger Mooking. Roger runs 2 successful restaurants and 1 local Dosa shop, hosts his own Foodtv show, and is a musician signed under Warner Music.

We also have some *bonus* footage from a concert that he performed at for this years Aids Walk for Life.

The Calm Before The Storm.

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:50:08 -0400

The first of many orders start to come in. Photo taken at Nyood Restaurant in Toronto.

Erdinger Weisbier

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:30:35 -0400

There is nothing better than having a nice cold beer to cool off during these hot summer nights. For the past couple of months I’ve made an effort to try different beers rather than sticking to the usual suspects.

This week I came across a really good beer from Germany named “Erdinger Weisbier”. I was prompted to pick this beer up because it has similar characteristics to some of my other favorites like Hoegaarden and Rickards White.

Appearance: Like other wheat beers, it is very cloudy and when poured into a glass, has a very hefty head.

Taste: This beer doesn’t have the same orange/fruity notes as Hoegaarden but still comes through with a soft fruitiness. It is similar to Hoegaarden in that it finishes with a bit of a clove flavour.

Smell: It has a soft fruit aroma. Found it to be not as pleasantly aromatic as Hoegaarden.

Overall, it is a very drinkable beer that goes down fairly smooth. Not to mention it tastes good. If you like wheat beers, you’ll enjoy the unique approach it takes but might just be a beer you’d have only once and a while.

Enjoy

Prime Cuts.

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:51:22 -0400

I’ve come to the conclusion that I might be a “Meat-atarian”. Photo taken at St.Lawrence Market.

The Daily Grind :: Episode 1

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:59:20 -0400

In the restaurant business you are only as good as your last meal. So every single day, you have to put in the work to ensure that when you are on top, you stay on top.

In this debut episode, we follow Lorenzo Loseto, executive chef at George Restaurant in Toronto, as he goes through his daily routine.

The Daily Grind Contest

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:14:00 -0400

Watch Episode One HERE

"The Daily Grind" teaser

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:27:39 -0400

The food and restaurant business is a tough one. In order to stay on top of the game one must provide a top-notch experience every single day. The second you let up is the second you go unnoticed and as the saying goes “You’re only as good as your last plate”.

Here is a little teaser of a new online show that I’ve created. As the above title suggests, the show is called “The Daily Grind”.

Reggie's Sandwiches

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:15:55 -0400

I recently stopped by Reggie’s Old Fashioned Sandwiches on King St West and I must say that I am impressed. They have enough tasty selections to keep you coming back for a new sandwich everytime, as well as classic renditions you’ll become addicted to. What got my attention was their “Deep Fried Macaroni and Cheese”, which basically is classic macaroni formed into a bar, breaded and then deep fried. Not the healthiest item on the menu but who cares, its very yummy.

Another great reason to check out Reggie’s is that it is open 24hrs. So if you just got out of the club and are craving some late night eats, you know where to go.

571 King Street West Toronto, ON M5V 1M1 - (416) 979-9992

Its that time of the year again!

Mon, 11 May 2009 04:22:48 -0400

Ladies and Gentlemen (but mostly gentlemen), its finally time to break out the grills and take part in some good ol’ fashioned cookery by fire. I’ve already begun :P

Summertime Refreshment

Mon, 11 May 2009 04:15:00 -0400

I recently was at the beaches having a bbq at a friends house when we had the sudden urge for something alcoholic to quench our thirsts. Ofcourse the obvious choice was a cold beer but I opted for something different for a change. Being that summer is just around the corner I decided to put together a simple summer cocktail with whatever they had in their fridge. Fortunately, they had just done some grocery shopping so I had access to some ingredients that would make a decent cocktail.

Enjoy.

Good Ol' Double D's

Fri, 01 May 2009 02:39:34 -0400

This past week I’ve finally had the chance to check out one of Toronto’s landmarks, Dangerous Dan’s. If you ask any Toronto foodie what spots they like to frequent for a good burger, this diner always seems to find its way onto the list. At first glance the diner comes off as a dingy garage that houses old van seats as their dining chairs. My initial first impression of the place was forgotten after my encounter with the lady behind the counter. Sometimes its not about the establishment but the good people that run it.

Now onto the food. Since they were out of their peameal bacon I opted for an 8oz bacon & cheddar burger. This burger was exactly what I had expected, a heart attack on a plate. But then again what do you expect from a burger. Overall the burger tasted great but was a bit greasy for my liking. I also decided to have a good ol poutine with my burger which had oversized cheese curds that could’ve been a little bit more melted, but nonetheless was a good eat.

Now off to the gym I go…..

714 Queen St. E. (at Broadview)

416-463-7310

http://www.dangerousdansdiner.com

Wasabi Oil

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 11:12:31 -0400

You know Japanese products have come full circle when they come out with a Wasabi flavoured olive oil. Ted Yamamoto introduced us to his new line of products which include a high end soy-sauce, a wasabi-soy sauce, sweet ginger vinger, Yuzu Ponzu and a wasabi olive oil. Though they are not as popular as yet in North American supermarkets they will surely be in months to come. However, given their price points, your probably going to have to get them at a Pusateri’s or other higher end supermarkets. Overall, they are well made products that taste authentic and that is not surprising given the fact that the japanese always create products we fall in luv with.

Daily Grind

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:23:00 -0400

Cafe Mocha; this is what gets my day started.

Rickards Taste Experience

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:56:48 -0400

Ah yes, beer and food, an obvious pairing but not necessarily a well thought out one. Even the idea of pairing beer with food seems somewhat foreign and culturally advanced for the average beer guzzler. And, unlike wine beer tends to be an after thought when paired with food, as in (these wings are waaay spicy better get a brew to douse these flames). So when our friends at Rickards invited us to attend a beer and food tasting Chuck and I gladly jumped at the opportunity to learn a little more about this underrated and often disregarded pairing.

Upon entering the Academy of spherical Arts we were greeted by our lovely hosts with two pints of Rickards white and red. Fighting the urge to immediately down the two beverages like a hyped up frat boy, I instead took my seat and exchanged pleasantries with my fellow foodies.

The first of the speakers was Rickards Draught specialist Paul Lipson who greeted the group and gave us a brief overview of why we were all here. Lisa Duizer, sensory analyst expert came next, providing the group with some insight on how to properly approach your beer by using your senses and flavor factors (temperature, carbonation and beer bud profile). After a brief question period we tasted our beers with the intent to point out the specific flavor profiles of our two pints. The white a wheat beer, was aromatic, light in carbonation with a hint of caramel and the red a full flavored lager, with well-balanced carbonation and bitterness.

The next speaker Mirella Amato, beer tasting expert and contributor to taps magazine followed her brief introduction with a tasting of mini bites to go along with our slowly disappearing brews. The white was paired with, grilled shrimp skewers, a spicy mango salad and a sweet banana bread and cream cheese mini sandwich. The red, paired withgrilled BBQ chicken skewers, balsamic and hazelnut Portobello mushrooms and a ham and Swiss roll. Of all the small bites that were consumed I found that the mango salad paired the best with its chosen beer, matching the whites subtle sweetness with the mango and providing a similar refreshing mouth feel with the cucumber and pickled onion.

The presentation ended with a Todd Fowler, Rickards’s Brewer, explaining the brewing process of the two beers, but with three pints already consumed and a fourth nearly approaching the whole spiel became a bit of a blur.

With the presentation over the lightness of the whole event became more apparent, as pints were more easily consumed and conversation and merriment followed. All in all the entire event provided a great introduction towards the pairing of beer and food. And, With many local, foreign and smaller micro breweries providing beer drinkers with a more complex flavor profile, the idea of beer and food pairings seems more likely. So to all you beer drinkers out there, a little sophistication wouldn’t hurt, and those guys and gals at Rickards sure know how to make a great beer. Wink, wink.

by Sean Santos

How to open a champagne bottle

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:31:35 -0400

This tip is great for when you have friends over and wanna break open that expensive bottle of bubbly in style. The reason this method is better than shaking the bottle and shooting the cap off is a) its safer b) you save alot more champagne from spilling out & c) makes you look like a pro.

Sushi Man

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:49:50 -0400

This photo was taken at the Drake. Its amazing watching a sushi chef carefully put together a plate of sushi amongst a busy room of loud nightgoers while remaining calm. Its truly an art.