BITS + BITES
NOSH Week approaches
The official NOSH Week lineup is now available online at hamilton.ca/nosh. This week-long showcase of the region’s food scene from Oct. 17 to 23 is a real smorgasbord of events.
The mealtime madness starts a few days before that, on Oct. 14, when NOSH Week guest judge chef Patrick Wiese of Twisted Kitchen will kick off a regular dining series in support of charity. Along with Twisted Kitchen, Wiese has worked in the business in Canada and the U.S. as a personal chef (including for none other than Oprah Winfrey) and was a contestant on the first season of Top Chef Canada. Wiese will also crown the best dish at NOSH.
Keep an eye out at local restaurants and bakeries for NOSH Week specials and prix fixe menus. The Westdale and Ottawa Street neighbourhoods also have special NOSH Week passports for keen diners to collect stamps and enter their names in prize draws.
There’s also a chef cook-off planned at Liuna Station and a slew of food tours, some of which will be led by Bike Appetit; a food and beer pairing tour with local bloggers from Hamilton Small Fries and Hoppily Ever After; and a tour of Balzac’s Coffee new roasting facility in Ancaster.
There are also several educational events planned.
The Hamilton Public Library has a few food-themed events lined up, including screenings of “Just Eat Me,” a documentary about food waste, at the Central and Ancaster branches. There’s also a meeting of the HPL cookbook club and a cooking workshop for teens and a workshop to learn how to make nutritious Buddha bowls ( a hearty mix of greens, vegetables, beans, nuts or seeds and a healthy grain such as rice) at the Terryberry branch.
Karam Kitchen, a local catering company established just months ago by Syrian women new to Hamilton, is hosting workshops in the Hamilton Farmers’ Market community kitchen where adults and kids can learn to bake zatar pita bread.
For details and links to all the events, specials and registration info for workshops, visit hamilton.ca/ nosh .
Learn about wine
Head to the Old Winery Restaurant at Niagara-on-the-Lake on Oct. 29 to learn about the region’s wines and how to pair them with food. The folks at WineVirgin have put together a day of seminars and tastings with wine and culinary experts focusing on Niagara-on-theLake, Niagara Escarpment and Twenty Valley wines. Packages range from $39.95 to $69.95 if you want to stay for dinner. For details, visit winevirgin.ca .
Tea in the gardens
The Royal Botanical Gardens will host its first tea festival Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at RBG Centre, 680 Plains Rd. W. in Burlington. Sample teas from around the world, experience a traditional tea ceremony and get a head start on holiday gift shopping. Admission $5 for RBG members, $16 for non-members in advance, $21 at the door, kids age 3 and under free. The ticket price includes admission to the gardens. For details and to purchase tickets visit rbg.ca/teafestival.
Opening soon: Nique
After a sneak-peek during Supercrawl, Nique Restaurant is almost ready to open up for real at 123 James St. N. Hiring is underway and they plan to open Friday, Oct. 7.
Co-owners Harrison Hennick (who is also the chef), Gabrielle Gwyn-Neumann and Ryan Tracey want to serve up what they call Canadian food — an eclectic menu of dishes influenced from around the world — that is familiar, approachable and unpretentious while still being technique-driven.
For locavores, Nique will boast a craft beer list that is 100 per cent made-in-Ontario and a wine list that is 70 per cent made-in-Ontario. For updates on the grand opening, keep an eye out on facebook.com/ niquerestaurant/ or follow them on Twitter @niquerestaurant.
Also opening soon: My Dog’s Café
You usually have to leave the dog outside when you enter a coffee shop or bar … but not at this coffee shop, set to open this month on Locke Street South in Hamilton.
My Dog’s Café is designed for dog owners and dog lovers. It includes a patio and will start operations as a café and eventually add bar service and a menu to complement the drinks. For updates, visit www.facebook.com/MyDogsCafe or follow them on Twitter @MyDogsCafe. (The owners won’t disclose the exact location until their permits are watertight.) Not a dog owner? No problem! My Dog’s Café is happy to welcome dog lovers even if they don’t have a pooch of their own.
Find Collective Arts cider at LCBO
Collective Arts’ Local Press apple cider, made with Ontario apples, will soon be available at the LCBO thanks to popular demand. Keep an eye out for the green and white cans at your local LCBO outlet.