Weekly Tips: August Edition
Ontario dill flowers, watermelon, nectarine, raspberries, parsley root, fava beans, spinach, & Californian Figs
Executive Chef Lorenzo Loseto has now made the shift to sourcing almost all of his food ingredients from Ontario. He tells us that the 2026 crop is a great one and most produce is plump and sweet. He particularly loves Ontario fruit, citing the blackberry crop, peaches and nectarines as fantastic this year.
Most vegetables were available in abundance and the sweet corn crop has started.
Excessive heat and heavy rain did damage some Ontario crops and there is a shortage of leafy greens, particularly spinach, as well as favas and long beans. The Ontario cherry crop is a poor one (as it usually is), but this year there were hardly any sour cherries, which we always love. As one of the few exceptions to buying local, the Chef did buy Washington State cherries, whose season is about to end.
Despite reports in the New York Times that lettuce was in short supply in North America because of possible Mexican-origin cyclosporiasis contamination, the Chef reports that Ontario lettuce is readily available. The kitchen removes outer lettuce leaves and washes them carefully. The Chef insists that the water used is changed after each wash.
The Chef has found a source in Ontario for wild chanterelles. He is also buying button chanterelles from Saskatchewan. These were wiped out two years ago in a fire, but they have unexpectedly started returning.
Nova Scotia fish comprising tuna, swordfish, scallops and lobster are featured at the moment. We also recommend Atlantic Spanish mackerel, which is delicious. For some reason, Fogo Island crab is not being caught, and we are offering crab from other areas in Newfoundland.
The Chef recommends veal tenderloin with romano beans and caponata. Also, Ontario wild boar, which comes with potato pierogies, and Ontario artichokes, which have started. The Chef likes our sweetbread dish.
New for a summer dessert is a chocolate chess tart. It is a sort of ganache using condensed milk with raspberries and a raspberry gelato, which on its own is outstanding.
Replacing Summerlicious, GEORGE offers its three-course Summer Encore program for lunch at $55 and dinner at $85. We also have a special courtyard menu with seasonal cocktails and sharing plates for a lighter and affordable offering.
Le Patron