Coming soon: Downtown Localicious 2009 - Hamilton's Fresh-tival of Flavour!

Join us for the LOCALICIOUS LAUNCH PARTY: Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 7 - 10 p.m.

Lincoln Alexander Centre at the Crowne Plaza Hotel

150 King St. E.

Hamilton, Ontario

Guests will enjoy local samples from the best downtown Hamilton restaurants, a local winery and brewery, local music from Mike Trebilcock's CHOIR DEETS, and a chance to see and hear rising culinary superstar and region's leading localvores Executive Chef JEFF CRUMP and Pastry Chef BETTINA SCHORMANN of the Ancaster Old Mill.  Jeff and Bettina will perform a culinary demonstration from their new book "EARTH TO TABLE", which is being launched next week and guests can pre-order their copy of this exceptional book at a discount and have both sign their copy personally at the Downtown Localicious 2009 Launch Event.

Proceeds from this event will in part support HAMILTON PARTNERS IN NUTRITION (HPIN), a partnership of community agencies and community members that supports and facilitates local student nutrition programs for children in Hamilton.  A portion of books sales will help support SLOW FOOD HAMILTON, a convivium of Slow Food celebrating the pleasures of the table and promoting the value of food that is ”good clean and fair”.

Tickets are $20 plus applicable taxes and can be purchased by visiting http://tickets.lincolnalexanderlive.com/ ; there will be tickets at the box office starting at 6pm on the night of the event, and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis.

Downtown Localicious 2009 is a 10-day celebration of Hamilton’s downtown restaurants and Hamilton’s remarkable agricultural heritage. From Friday, September 18th to Sunday, September 27th, restaurant-lovers can taste their favorite local foods prepared by some of Hamilton’s finest restaurants.

A lunchtime special and a 3-course dinner menu will be offered at the 12 participating restaurants at the following rates:

$10, $15 or $20 lunch specials

$20, $30 or $40 prix fixe dinner menus

For more information please visit http://www.localicious.info/  or call the Downtown Hamilton BIA at 905-523-1646.

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Visit "The Delicious Dozen", our Downtown Localicious 2009 Restaurants
Reservations for dinner are recommended!

Acclamation - 191 James North 905 523-7269

al Centro Paninoteca & Pizzeria - 24 King St. E. 905 524-2444

Boo's Bistro & Wine Bar - 164 James St. S. 905 296-7598

Bread & Roses Cafe - 27 King William 905 777-8102

Brownies Downtown - 275 King St. E. 905 526-6047

Capri Ristorante Italiano - 25 John St. N. 905 525-7811

Dalina's Egyptian & Mediterranean Cuisine - 49 King William 905 522-6252

Incognito Restaurant &Wine Bar - 93 John St. S 905 296-5832

La Piazza Allegra - 180 James St. S. 905 777-8970

Saffron Mediterranean Restaurant & Wine Bar at Crowne Plaza Hotel -

150 King St. E. 905 528-3451

Slainte's Irish Pub 33 Bowen St 905 528-8000

The London Tap House - 31 John St. N 289 396-8779

*** visit www.localicious.info for information and tickets ***

Tapestry Bistro Summer Beerfest

Personally, I cannot think of better things summer brings us than crisp beer and succulent fruits. And I know I’m not the only one because Tapestry Bistro’s first-ever Summer Beerfest is featuring FRUIT BEERS!!

The event is happening on this Saturday, August 15^th, 4-8pm. There will be food pairings for the beers on hand as well as live acoustic music during the event! And if that is not tempting enough, this beerfest will feature some beers crafted solely for this event.

Tickets are $50 plus tax and is available at the door or by reservation (905-481-2166). Last Bistro Beerfest was sold out so reservation might be the method to go.

And finally the part you’ve all been waiting for—this list of Ontario Craft Beers participating in the 1^st Bistro Summer Beerfest:

-Churchkey

-Cameron’s

-F&M

-Grand River

-Great Lakes

-Amsterdam

Hope to see everyone there,

Sarah

Preserving the Art of Preservation

If we want to capture a sight, we take pictures.

If we want to capture a sound, we record it.

But what happens when we want to capture a taste?

We preserve it of course! Preserving foods has been an essential technique for good eating for countless centuries and it's an especially good way to be sure that you can 'eat local' all year 'round. But at the same time, food preservation skills are something that we’ve recently begun to lose. Perhaps it is because we have no time, perhaps it is because of all the imports and convenience foods available, or perhaps, it is simply that we cannot remember how or never learned in the first place.

Hamilton Eat Local believes than now more than ever we’ve come to a complete disconnect with our food – not knowing how it should actually taste or how to obtain food that is good for both us and the environment. Amidst such melancholy though, there is hope: we can re-learn, if we so please.

Like any other skill, learning the art of preservation takes time, but once you learn the basics it gets easier, and more interesting. Start with making jam or canning tomatoes; these are simple to ways to start that do not require much equipment. Opening up a homemade jar of strawberry jam in January is like a tasty trip back in time to last June. When you’ve put up your year’s stock of assorted jams and tomato sauce, move on to pickling. Who doesn’t crave the texture and tang of pickled beets mid-winter?

The next progression is towards pressure canning, a technique used in preserving low-acid foods, such as meats, seafood, and vegetables. Low-acid foods such as these require specialized equipment which allows processing to reach temperatures and sterilizing capabilities far beyond the simpler boiling-water bath method used for more acidic foods.

At last, the final step in 'preserving the art of preservation' is to spread it! Let your children get involved, share jam recipes with your friends, invite neighbors to can with you, organize workshops, become a part of food advocacy groups such as Hamilton Eat Local and Slow Food Hamilton—do your part in re-establishing our connection with locally grown food and all its glory.