Insider’s Tips - May.8

Spring is here with all of this year’s new produce available in abundance. The earliest vegetables in any year always taste the best. Chef Lorenzo Loseto has prepared a special spring menu which draws from the freshest of the fresh produce now available in our markets. The menu is three courses for $99++ per person. This promotion runs at GEORGE every night we are open during May. Come celebrate a new season!

Ontario white asparagus is expected to arrive next week. Ontario field rhubarb is here, along with Ontario ramps and wild onion flowers for garnishing. Chef bought BC fiddleheads but skipped the wild fennel and wild mustard this week.

From California, all the new crops were at the Ontario Food Terminal except for a shortage of broccolini. There were lots of good-looking berries. Chef particularly liked the organic blueberries, even though they were expensive.

Chef continued to buy mangoes from South America and found great kiwis from Greece. Morels from the West Coast had not yet arrived, so Chef bought chanterelles from Portugal to tide him over.

Nice-looking Japanese scallops arrived at GEORGE to replace the very expensive U.S. and Nova Scotia scallops. Wonderful farmed organic King salmon also arrived. Chef also bought octopus from Spain, which he sous vides and then grills, served with sticky rice.

For a change of pace, Chef substituted buttery, delicious Spanish Iberico pluma pork for the wild boar on his menu. This he grills to perfection. It melts in your mouth.

Sweetbreads have returned to the GEORGE menu.

We still have a few seats available for Mother’s Day on Sunday, when we are open for lunch and dinner. This year we have upgraded our offering and will send everyone home with a treat. In addition, you can buy gelato to take home, and we recommend you choose two of Chef’s new flavours: pecan with pear Marsala or blood orange with white chocolate chips. Alternatively, you can buy these flavours from the kitchen on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.