The Gilead Café has an obscure location, in an alley south off King Street, but what a charming and casual venue. Here Chef Jamie Kennedy is doing what he loves to do: selecting the very best local fare from farmers and food producers, crafting the products in his long established creative, minimal way, and adding culinary touches that are all about harmonious and complementary flavours and textures. I loved watching Chef Kennedy work, moving like a conductor leading a slow symphony — each of his long-practiced fluid and efficient movements assembling the ingredients on the plate as he regularly assesses and adjusts the esthetics of the presentation.
This night, Chef Kennedy worked with Ontario’s own Rosehall Run Winery, featuring the best Rosehall wines for each course. The beef was supplied by the noteworthy beef purveyor, Cumbrae Farms. Steve Alexander, the owner of Cumbraes, has a remarkable husbandry program that he closely supervises with his own farmers, making sure the cattle are raised humanely on a specially selected diet. This, and his wonderful aging program, are the secrets to the great taste of his beef.
To begin, a refreshing, pale 2008 Rosehall Run Sullyzwicker rose was enjoyed with the passed hors d’oevres: a wonderfully sweet scallop with a sauce of spinach, shallots and white wine, more remarkable because the roe sack was left attached (My favourite part!! Scallops are rarely served this way in Toronto); smoked white fish canapes and crab and green pea arancini.
Our first course was a slice of seared rare Cumbrae’s hanger steak with Kennedy’s own pickled vegetables of cauliflower and heirloom red carrot. The wine served was the 2007 Rosehall Sullyzwicker red. This wine had enough body and acidity to work with the meat and pickled vegetables. More importantly, I loved how the tarte taste of the crunchy pickled vegetables offset the nutty, full flavour and texture of the soft beef.
A light course followed, an intensely beefy double consommé made with beef shank and tendons, a complex flavourful clear broth with wild mushrooms that woke up my palate.
Smoky, crispy, belly and mildly spicy back ribs of whey-fed pork were served with apple, carrot and red cabbage slaw. For an interesting pairing, this dish was served with a tarte 2007 Rosehall Jamie Kennedy Chardonnay, a wine well matched to the smoky and rich spiciness of the pork.
Our last course before dessert was rare roast prime rib of beef with celery root puree, whole-roasted garlic cloves and chopped leeks. This course was served with 2007 Rosehall Jamie Kennedy Pinot Noir.
Ah, dessert!! As my partner Elaine remarked: she could have started with dessert! Bread and butter pudding with maple black walnut ice cream — a noteworthy finish to a truly fine dinner.
Word has it that Chef Kennedy will be opening the Gilead café on a regular basis for dinners. We shall await that opportunity to continue to experience Chef Kennedy’s wonderful craftsmanship with his local selection of the finest tasting produce of Ontario.
Gilead Café — 4 Gilead Place, Toronto. 647-288-0680
Dr. Josh Josephson is the owner of The Cookbook Store and Josephson Opticians. He is a chevalier of Les Chevalier du Tastevin and the Le Chaine des Rotisseurs, a member of L’ordre Mondiale and a member and former president of the International Wine and Food Society, Toronto chapter.