New Year, New Menu

Paramount Fine Foods 

1441 Upper James St,

Hamilton, ON

It’s a new year, full of new beginnings, and Paramount Fine Foods is on top of it with their new menu additions!

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We had visited previously (see our original review HERE) and enjoyed their classic menu. But every restaurant needs to embrace change to keep customers interested.

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Our friends at Hamilton Gastronomy were in the know about the menu change and graciously invited us for a tasting, along with a couple other #HamOnt foodies.

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The new menu inclusions are:

Saj Bread

“Saj bread is a thin crust wrap with all the flavour and less the calories. The dough is authentically made, flattened by hand then placed on a domed hot clay oven called the Saj. The Saj is a very popular method of cooking in the Middle East and can be found in most homes and restaurants. It is not commonly found in Canada as the process can be labour intensive but the authentic flavour wins out which is why Paramount is the first restaurant chain to offer it.”

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Sujuk Shawarma

“Sujuk Shawarma is a grilled spiced minced beef sausage which is available in the Saj Bread, pita or plate. It is traditionally made as a dry spicy sausage using various seasonings including cumin, sumac, garlic, salt and red pepper. The sausage is typically sliced and fried as a side or on a sandwich but also found on a rotating skewer and shaved as shawarma.”

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Paramount also has a crazy large dessert bar, which in our opinion, is the highlight of the visit there every time.

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Have you tried anything off of Paramount Fine Foods’ new menu? Review it with us in the comments below! 

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Holiday Entertaining

Happy New Year!

Well, my food-loving friends… the Holidays have come and gone. I was so blessed this year to spend lots of time with family & friends, which in my world also means…food events!

I’m going to share a couple of my favourite things I enjoyed over the Holidays. Consider these as some ideas for future entertaining! I know I will.

Cheese

What’s a holiday party without a cheese tray? Still a Holiday party…but a more…lame version….

Okay bad joke.

What i’m really trying to say is If you don’t have a cheese platter at your party, please don’t expect me to come….

Okay, maybe a bit harsh.

Just make a cheese tray for cripe sakes. Udder Way Artisan Cheese can help you out.

Udder Way Artisan Cheese Co Hamilton Ontario Hamilton Small Fries Food Reviews
A couple weeks ago I was invited out to check out the new factory of Udder Way Artisan Cheese.

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Tor Krueger, co-owner of Cheese Shoppe on Locke, opened this new venture in the old Gos and Gris factory on the Stoney Creek Mountain (380 Highway 20 East).

It’s a new space for him to make artisan cheeses (including their specialty, Snow Peak Goat Cheese Pyramids).

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At Udder Way, you can expect to find a gift shop/cheese store (think compact version of Cheese Shoppe on Locke), plus a small factory where you can get local, freshly-made delicious cheese.

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I picked up some Snow Peak Goat Cheese (Udder Way) and Jalapeno Cheddar (Blyth’s)- I’d recommend both! They’re at either ends of the cheese spectrum (honestly, I just made this up) which makes them ideal for creating a balanced cheese tray (true though).

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Turducken

Echelon Foods was kind enough to reach out and contact me to see if I would be willing to try out their Turducken. Seriously, if there’s meat involved, you don’t even need to ask. I was finally able to check this bad boy off of my foodie bucket list.

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If you’ve never heard of a Turducken – you are missing out. It’s a large-size turkey, deboned and stuffed with chicken, duck, and stuffing. Meaty, meaty goodness.

Echelon makes an Original Turducken with Chicken Apple Stuffing or Italian Sausage Stuffing, a Premium Turducken (no drumsticks or wings, just the roast) with stuffing and – get this – a Bacon Wrapped Turducken! As much as I would have loved to try the Bacon-Wrapped version, my family is not as meat-crazy as I am (boo-urns), so we went with the Original Turducken.

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I ordered it online, easy peasy. It came within 3 business days…just in time for Christmas Eve! There was literally no prep on this. It just needed to be defrosted over 24 hours, then it was plopped into a roaster and was good to go.

This was the best-looking roast I have ever made. And it tasted perfect. Thanks Echelon Foods for making me look like a Food Network superstar in front of all my fam. *flips hair*

Crantini Jelly

Now, the Turducken was already beautifully flavoured (especially the stuffing), but I’m a creative lass and can’t help putting my own spin on things. SO I picked up some Wandering Locavore Crantini Jelly from my workplace, Christy’s Gourmet Gifts.

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You can have the Crantini Jelly just on it’s own with crackers, but I ended up mixing it up with some olive oil and basting the Turducken with it. I mixed cranberries with root veggies and roasted them around the Turducken. It gave great additional flavour to this already mouth-watering meal.

Now that all the Holiday entertaining is over, we can move on to think about the new year – 2016!! 2015 was my best foodie year yet, and I expect 2016 to be even better!

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Do you have a food goal for 2016? Perhaps to experiment with a new recipe ingredient or try a new restaurant?

Please share it in the comments below – I’d love to hear from you! 

Novemburger 2015

http://novemburger.ca/

November is officially half-way through. For some, that might mean the start of Christmas decorations, the end of Pumpkin Spice everything + the beginning of Gingerbread Spice everything, cooler weather and warmer clothes. What’s it mean for me? Only 15 days left to try Novemburgers. (32 of them to be exact.)

Novemburger Hamilton by Urbanicity

Novemburger Hamilton by Urbanicity

For those of you that haven’t heard of Novemburger yet…..where have you been? Have you been living under a rock? Kidding. But not really.

Novemburger Hamilton - Hambrgr: #HamOnt Burger

Hambrgr: #HamOnt Burger

Novemburger is a seriously awesome campaign put on by the people at Urbanicity. The basics of the campaign are: restaurants all over the Hamilton area come out with a special burger for the month of November. For each Novemburger sold, $1 goes to raising funds for United Way. As you hit the Novemburger trail, you can visit their website and rate each burger you try. At the end, two winners get chosen; one for most burgers sold and one for best burger.

Novemburger Hamilton - Collins Brewhouse: Wild Boar Gets WIld

Collins Brewhouse: Wild Boar Gets Wild

I wasn’t a huge fan of how the website worked for burger info – especially on mobile (sorry guys!), so I put together this checklist below, which shows all the Novemburgers available this year. *As a side note, all of these are listed in the printed copy of Urbanicity along with photos*

Novemburger Hamilton: Jonny Blonde - Blonde Boca Burger

Jonny Blonde – Blonde Boca Burger

Get out there and get rating! (By the way they have photos of all these burgs on their website as well if you want to see some #FoodPorn before you decide what to eat!)


SquareHambrgr – #HamOnt Brgr– $13; Double patty (3.5oz each), grilled onions, American cheese, mustard glazed bacon, brgr sauce, iceberg lettuce on a classic grill bun.

Thirsty Cactus Cantina and GrillSquare – The Big Jerk – $14; Beef patty, jerk rub, pulled jerk chicken, jalapenos, Monterey Jack and house smoked chipotle mayo, mango.

Square Snooty Fox The Big Reub – $13; All beef burger patty, carved corned beef, white wine sauerkraut, melted swiss cheese, thousand islands dressing served on a pretzel bun with a pickle.

SquareCoach and LanternThe Sweet Burger – $16; 6oz Wild Boar patty on a Rustic kaiser with Spinach, Apple Berry Compote and Goat Cheese.

SquareAcclamation Bar & GrillSurf ‘N Turf – $16; Juicy AAA ground beef with house seasonings, lobster butter, creamy gouda, and a citrus caper aioli on grilled brioche.

FSquareisher’s Eatery and Sports LoungeAloha Burger – $15; Beef patty, smoked ham, melted Swiss, grilled pineapple, lettuce, tomato, red onion, honey mustard.

SquareOne DukeDuke Ukranian Burger – $14; Two fresh ground sirloin patties, potato cheese stuffed perogie, applewood smoked bacon, sauteed onions, sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese, sauerkraut, sliced kielbasa, arugula, field fresh tomato, diced green onion on a potato scallion bun.

SquareJet CafeEggs Benny Burger – $10.99; 8oz all-beef patty, Canadian cheddar, a fried egg, peameal bacon, bacon strips, hollandaise sauce on a kaiser roll.

SquareJack & Lois Easy Rider – $16; A 7oz lean ground chicken & lean ground turkey patty mixed with a house-blend of secret spices, double cream brie, house-made apple bacon chutney on a bed of Crunch.

SquareFool and Flagon The Firestation – $13.25; Fresh ground chuck burger dredged in dehydrated chili peppers, topped with dusted and lightly fried jalapeno peppers, bacon and crispy fried onion straws, jalapeno havarti cheese on an Ace Bakery roll.

SquareCeili HouseSpicy Pear Truffle Hunter – $14; 1/2lb beef patty, melted aged brie, bacon-chilli candied pear, crisp arugula, candied bacon chilli aioli, served on a warm sesame bun.

SquareThe MuleThe Big Macasada – $12; 4oz beef patty stacked between fried and grilled tortillas, queso fundido, spicy mayo, mules special sauce, pickles, lettuce, onion and sesame seeds.

SquareThe Works The Big Popper – $14.81; 8oz 100% Canadian Hormone Free Beef Patty, deep fried jalapenos, cream cheese, deep fried onion strings, 2 slices bacon, sour cream, green onion slivers.

SquareTavern on GeorgeThe Tavernac – $16; Hand-formed beef patty, peameal bacon, cheese curd, maple ketchup, mayonnaise, and fried egg on a daily-baked brioche bun.

SquareGown and Gavel Misteak’n Burger – $14; 8oz local beef patty, sauteed onions and mushrooms, swiss cheese, steak sauce, a sunny-side up egg, and mustard on a challah bun.

SquareStonewalls Hamilton’s “Best” Dirty South Chicken Burger – $13.99; Free range chicken breast soaked in butter milk, coated in a secret seasoned breading and deep fried, bacon, cheddar, house made dirty southern heat sauce, lettuce, and tomato on a split kaiser.

SquarePapa Leo’s The Morning Thai Burger – $16; All beef patty, back bacon, fried egg, pickled carrots, onion, cilantro, house peanut sauce on a sesame challah bun.

SquareMezcal TNT aPORKalypse NOW – $12; Pork patty, bacon aioli, smoked cheddar chipotle ketchup, double smoked bacon.

SquareJohn St DinerPopeye Burger – $10.99; 8oz all-beef patty, spinach, feta cheese, mushrooms and onions.

SquareServe PingPongGood Morning Burger – $12; 6oz Angus ground beef patty, aged white cheddar, whiskey candied bacon, confit cherry tomatoes, a fried egg, house-made dill Hollandaise sauce, on a fried brioche bun.

SquareNellie James Too The Duck Burger (Open Face) – $16; Handmade uck burger, savoury bread “bun” with bacon Hollandaise and pickled kale salad. *Vegetarian version also available!*

SquareUnion BurgerSriracha Smash – $8.99; Sriracha cheese balls, sriracha sauce and ranch smashed between two beef patties, lettuce and tomatoes.

SquarePub FictionJack Daniels BBQ Burger – $12; 8oz Ground Chuck patty, provolone, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, Panko onion rings and house made Jack Daniels BBQ sauce.

SquareBean Bar Marauder Burger – $14; 8oz Beef Patty, BBQ pulled pork, aged white cheddar, sweet pickled onions, lettuce, tomato, pickle and red onion.

SquareState and MainGrilled Cheese Burger – $13; Burger on grilled french bread, american, swiss and provolone cheese, peppered bacon, shredded lettuce, tomato, and a stack of crisp fried onions.

SquareAugusta HouseThe Conquistador – $15; 5oz certified Angus patty, chorizo sausage, crisp chicharrones, spicy Piri Piri sauce between a soft potato scallion bun.

SquarePheasant Plucker The Plucker – $20; Bison burger, 40 Creek BBQ sauce, beer braised onions, mushrooms, house-cured peameal bacon, smoked cheddar.

SquareCollins BrewhouseWild Boar Gets Wild! – $17.99; 7oz home made wild boar patty on a bed of Mac N Cheese, pulled pork, pineapple mustard, split between a potato and chive bun.

SquareNaromaNaRoma Burger (Novemburger-inspired Pizza) – $20 (serves 2 to 3); Lean ground beef, home made bbq peperoncino spread, cherry tomatoes, red onion, pickles, romaine hearts and aged cheddar.

SquareJonny BlondeBlonde Boca Burger – $12; 100% handcut beef blade burger, local Mountain oak Gouda, caramelized onions, baby spinach, grape tomato, crisp proscuitto, chopped sage, roasted garlic aioli, beef demi glaze, topped with hickory sticks.

SquareRadius Smoked Surf Burger – $24; AAA beef patty topped with braised smoked beef short rib, onion ring, shrimp and arugula on a brioche bun.

SquareDowntown BistroTriple Play – $13; Hand-formed 8oz ground sirloin grilled with maple smoked bacon, bourbon pulled pork, aged Jensen cheddar, on a toasted brioche bun.


So far I have only tried four. In foodie terms, that would mean I get a fail. But I promise I’ll be eating more Novemburgers (and writing about them!). Follow along with the #Novemburger hashtag or my twitter feed!

Have you tried any #Novemburgers yet? What was your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!

Visit Buffalo – Frozen Parody!

We had the AMAZING opportunity to explore Buffalo a few weeks ago and we cannot wait to share our blog with you! Visit Buffalo invited your Hamilton Small Fries out to explore the food scene, shopping and amazing attractions!

This week we will be sharing two different blog posts – Where to Go and Where to Eat!

We loved Buffalo because we really saw it as the “American Hamilton!” The love of local was very evident to us during our 2 day stay. We enjoyed delicious food, AMAZING architecture and of course – shopping!

Our hearts go out to the families of New York that are experiencing some heavy snow. But don’t let that scare you away from this amazing city! They are loving the snow and so will you!

The Holiday Season is upon us so NOW is the time to head on over for Black Friday Sales and Holiday shopping!

In the meantime, check out this Frozen Parody! We know it will put a smile on your face #HamOnt.

Let it Snow – A Buffalo “Frozen” Parody is dedicated to the strong and resilient people of Buffalo and Western New York. We are #OneBuffalo. Concept and additional lyrics by Karen Healy. Vocals by Michele Marie Roberts. Produced by Visit Buffalo Niagara and Paget Films.