Duck Confit Poutine

I'm in Toronto, it's freezing out and everyone I meet tells me how lucky I am because just before I got here it was really cold. I'm staying at this adorable coach house which my dear old friend's Djanet's sister has fixed up and rents out, it's a ten minute walk from the subway and is a beautiful old neighborhood right close to everything.

Yesterday after my flight Djanet met me here, I was starving so we went around the corner to The Rosedale Diner - which has been here since 1978! Something about longevity in a restaurant that I find endearing. I used to go here way back in the day when I used to live in Toronto. The interior has gone through some changes, but the food is just as good as it always was. Djanet had what was essentially a Bison stew and I had Duck Poutine - wonderful crispy fries covered in shredded duck confit, cheese curds and just a soupcon of gravy, perfection in a bowl. Poutin is normally just cheese curds, fries and gravy, but in looking at their menu I see they do many variations.

It's the perfect food for this type of weather, full of fat and carbohydrates, filling, satisfying and insulating against the cold.

OK I need to get motivated and find me some coffee!