What is good about having friends who are big fans of beer is that you get to find out places that serve the most beers on tap. You start to get an understanding the little differences in taste. I am yet to order a dark ale and with all my recent trips to beer loving places, I might get to that point soon :)
Recently my friend Natalia suggested we visit the Bier Market by The Esplanade. Strategically located at the back of St. Lawrence Market, Bier Market gets a lot of traffic. Offering more than a hundred varieties of beer, the pub also showcases a long list of popular pub fare meant to complement the perfect beer. After perusing the menu for a while, my eye stopped at a decent list of pot of moules. I figured if a restaurant dares to have a whole section in their menu for just mussels, the mussels should be fresh and good. I go for the Espana version, pot of moules with smoked chorizo, roasted bell peppers, leeks and sherry with a side of frites. Reading the description, it gives me a melancholy of the food I love from Spain. Ah well, I figured that pot of moules should do for the moment. Meanwhile, Valerie chose Spicy Sausage Flammekueches, a French savoury thin- crusted pie baked in a flame, generously topped with
Breton Pork spicy sausage, Quebec cheese curds, caramelized onions, mushrooms and garlic. Natalia goes for the night’s feature, a slowly braised pork boneless spare rib. As we wait, we go for different beers. I ordered their feature pale ale, Jupiter. Natalia goes for The Palm and Valerie chose Paulaner. Looking at our choices of beers, I am most notably the newb in the group, having the palest beer on hand.
After a few minutes of trading work stories, our food arrived and the size of the half kilo pot of moules overwhelmed me. Presented on an iron cast pot, the sheer size of the serving was impressive. I excitedly dig in and was pleased that the mussels were cooked to perfection. Tender and moist, with a right hint of spicy and smokiness from the chunks of chorizo added to the dish. Valerie was equally happy with her flammekueche and Natalia insisted I should try a sliver of her tender spare rib. After the drone of the work week, the dinner at Bier Market surely makes all the work toiling worthwhile. Good food and the company of good friends always me thankful. The next time family visits me, I think this would be part of my Toronto tour. I am sure, just the selection of beer would make my cousin, Dexter and my little sister, Ishy, really really happy they visited me in Toronto.
Food Trippin' 
Posted on February 25, 2012
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