sew hungry

Last Friday I attended my first Sew Hungry food truck rally in Hamilton with Seema. I was pretty surprised by how busy the event was. Food trucks lined Ottawa Street and each had a line-up, plus a crowd of people waiting for their orders. We had to skip the Dirty South truck because of its long line (and because I was trying hard to get Maxwell to sleep in his stroller and the sidewalk was jammed!) and moved on to Buster's Sea Cove for lobster rolls and fish tacos. Both were tasty, but I'm sure I could have eaten about three of those small lobster rolls (but not at the $13 a pop they were going for)!

The most surprising bite of the day was El Gastronomo Vagabundo's asparagus (perfectly cooked) topped with a battered poached egg (nice and runny), candied bacon, tarragon emulsion, ramps and dukkah. We couldn't believe there was barely a line-up. 

Another surprise came from the homemade meat pie Seema and I scarfed down from a local church mainly to get a table and chairs. When you have two babies in tow, $8 for a seat and a tasty meal seems like chump change.

We all really wanted to try the food from The Big Chief, a new Hamilton food truck that specializes in First Nations cuisine, but unfortunately, they were sold out by the time we got to them. 

It was great to see how popular Hamilton's food truck scene has become and a nice way to spend a sunny Friday afternoon.

a victorian christmas

Over the weekend, Seema and I went to Dundurn Castle to see it all decked out for a traditional Victorian Christmas.

The entire castle was decorated just as it would have been when the MacNabs lived there. My favourite part was seeing the tables set and ready for a feast.

Even the servants had a special meal (obviously not as fancy though)during Christmas. That's a pigeon pie on the corner with little talons poking out.

Next, a late lunch at Bread Bar where the focus is on local and seasonal ingredients.

We shared a potato bianca pizza (fontina cheese, fingerling potatoes, bechamel sauce and rosemary)...

...and the toasted tomato, ricotta and basil sandwich along with the loaded fries of the day (poutine-style with curds and mushroom gravy).

We ignored our full stomachs and ordered the mixed berry pie (warm!) and ice cream for dessert. Such a satisfying meal.

*Bread Bar

258 Locke St. S

Hamilton, ON.