who is J. Mahoney?

I must give a great deal of credit to Ni Chrome (go ahead and follow @ni_chrome) for the initial inspiration for this post which ultimately led me on a fascinating trail of restaurant review sites, which in turn led me to a curious profile on the dinosaur that is restaurantica.com.  I certainly have my opinion regarding the answer to the question asked in the title of this post. But I could be wrong so I will let you make the deductions for yourselves.

Here I am getting carried away though, I've gotten ahead of myself completely.  To understand what in the world I'm talking about you must first take a little time and read the reviews posted by one J. Mahoney.  The following link will take you to his/her profile.

If I may direct your gaze to some points of interest:

1. First, the dates of the reviews are interesting.  They are all done on February 10th/11th.  Now if you have any knowledge of the restaurants being reviewed you will know that none of them would have been open for quite a number of months by February of each year.

2. In the first two reviews, after scathingly insulting both The Prune and Bijou, J. Mahoney directs readers to "my favourite spot in town: Rundles"

3. JM became a member of Restaurantica on Feb 10th, promptly reviewed restaurants that were closed for the season in Stratford but has nothing to say about restaurants in his/her supposed 'home town' New York?  Because there are certainly no good restaurants in that city, right?

4. If you still have questions regarding J. Mahoney's identity: compare the photos on the Restaurantica profile to those on the Urbanspoon profile; such striking similarities.

I like to think Stratford is a community of food.  Many restaurants share suppliers, they share ideals and though there are some less-than-spectacular ones in town I don't think it's nice of one restauranteur to stage a falsified profile to slander his prime competitors.  Especially considering how sensitive that person gets when their own restaurant is placed under scrutiny.

Yes, yes, I'm sure someone will comment 'but you're anonymous and you say mean things about some restaurants, isn't that the same thing?'

It isn't.  The main difference is, I'm not lying and I'm not over-exaggerating the negative points just to undermine one restaurant in favour of another.  I'm being honest!

We recently were quite upset with Breen Bentley for placing an add that slagged a competitor, but at least he had some humour and was willing to put his name on the thing.  J. Mahoney, tsk tsk to you, I believe the jig is up!

foie gras - beyond the controversy

I'm going to set aside the great debate over the process used to create foie gras and focus on the fact that it is somewhat irresistible.  When prepared properly foie gras is unbelievably delicious (though a low grade can taste/smell musty - kind of like wet dog).  The buttery richness of it remains somehow delicate and when paired with the right flavours it can be one of the most exhilarating things for your mouth.

Basically this is a comparison of foie available in the city, which basically consists of only two examples, so to round the list I have included some presentations from other cities: so in no particular order...


Foie Gras Torchon Brulee w/ stone fruits and brioche toast points $30
~This was a gorgeous (and generous) example of foie gras torchon, delicately creamy with a slight hint of nuttiness.  The top of the foie was dusted with sugar and bruleed to create a sweet/crunchy element to the dish.  Simple accompaniments of perfectly ripe peaches and cherries allowed the foie to shine through. (One Restaurant - Toronto)

Quebec Duck Foie Gras w/ duck confit cakes, barley and banyuls vinegar sauce $40
~The foie in this dish was served in two pieces, scored and perfectly prepared and this precise execution carried throughout the dish in every element.  Unfortunately, though each individual element was technically perfect the dish as a whole was a let down.  The consistency of the duck confit and mashed potato cakes was too mushy to contrast the foie properly, as was the barley.  All the elements were very rich, which ultimately made the foie gras itself seem lacking - I feel this would have been better as a winter dish. (Rundles Restaurant - Stratford)

Quebec Foie Gras w/ black pudding and mango $29
~At first, the description of black pudding ('boudin noir' was the French version they were using) was rather disconcerting, certainly not for the faint of heart.  But as a dedicated foodie, I will try anything (and am often pleasantly surprised).  This surprise was very pleasant.  The foie was scored, seared and placed precariously on top of the boudin in the centre of the plate, surrounded by cubes of mango prepared in different ways.  The flavours balanced each other perfectly!  The richness of the pudding complimented that of the foie and the mango was there to be the sweet/tangy contrast.  Exquisite.  (The Church Restaurant - Stratford)

Foie Gras Croquettes $4 ea
~A simple delicacy, Chef Nick has taken the famous Chef Picard's foie gras bites and made them his own.  The pastry that envelops the decadent little nub of foie is perfectly soft/light/crispy.  These are dangerous little morsels, you could easily sit down with a bowl of them and pop them in your mouth one after another!  Perfect as an amuse or perhaps an additional course somewhere in the middle of dinner. (Nick & Nat's Uptown 21 Restaurant - Waterloo)

I love foie!  Rarely do I pass it up when I find it on a menu.  It can be prepared in a plethora of different ways, from poutine to a simple slab placed atop your beef tenderloin.  It adds a certain decadence to things that is hard to find in any other food.  I can only hope that more restaurants in the Stratford area will put foie on their menus more often.