I also absolutely adore this: a behind-the-scenes tour at the Tim Hortons roasting plant, from Toronto Life. 10,000 bags are processed there every week. God. Read more: Ever wonder why Tim Hortons coffee tastes like that?

On the topic of coffee – this is another absolute must-read for the day: The Case for Coffee: All the Latest Research to Defend you Caffeine Addiction, in One Place.  From The Atlantic.

Good (temporary) news for pickle fiends and pickle farmers alike: the Strubs plant in Brantford, Ontario will continue to operate – for now at least. More details at The Brantford-Expositor.

Bellwoods Brewery – my love of loves – will be having its first pop-up retail bottle sale tomorrow from 1-5 at their other brewery/retail space at 126 Ossington. See all they’ll have on sale and more details here.

Wine and chips? Miss Vickies wants you to consider it.

So, have you heard about Lettuce Wraps Night at Chantecler? I hadn’t, which means they really haven’t been doing much promotion; a friend of mine who works there told me about it this week with the sad news that they’re considering dropping the event. Here’s what it is: $19 for a communal meal of lettuce wraps served with big helpings of different meats, assorted pickles and other condiments. It runs until 1 am, or until the food runs out, and sounds like a ridiculously good deal. Lots of food, lots of fun – all for $19. We’re thinking of checking it out this Sunday – possibly their last – and you should too.

This is super cool: NPR’s program Planet Money has created some infographics showing how American grocery shopping has changed in the past 30 years. It’s a bit frightening, especially when you see that only 11.6% of a shopper’s budget went to processed foods and sweets back in 1982, while today 22.9% of it is dedicated to the processed and sweet stuff.

The Social Dynamics of Coffee Shops, from The Atlantic. How customers still determine the (Wi-fi) service.

If Dad likes his wine, you might want to check out this list of “Top Wine Picks for Dad“ from The Star. It’s a misleading title – this is just a list of awesome wine, with Father’s Day used as an excuse.

 The Real Jerk has found a new location. 652 Queen Street East will be The Jerk’s new home. The opening date has yet to be announced.

The home web page of Paulette’s, an upcoming eatery in Leslieville, has one of the most brilliant marketing campaigns I’ve encountered of late. Read it and salivate: We make doughnuts. We fry chicken. Would you like coffee with that? Paulette’s doughnuts  – which comes to you from minds from Delica and Ace Bakery – will be serving cake-style doughnut and Korean-style fried chicken. Can it  please hurry up and open already? The Dish has an interview with the owners here.

David Lawrason’s Weekly Wine Pick: We sampled this Frenchie at a recent event. Very lovely. Give it a sip and a whirl this weekend.

Do you, like me, often get halfway through a bottle of wine and then pass out or get distracted by food or men? Do you then often find yourself with that same half bottle of wine a week later – totally spoiled and undrinkable? If so, you need to read this how-to from Food52: it’s a piece on how to save leftover wine in a mason jar for over a week. Basically, it involves pouring the wine into a mason jar until it overflows slightly onto a carefully placed kitchen towel and then putting the lid on tight; this process ensures no air gets into the jar – which is exactly what spoils it.

Restaurant magazine has released its list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, which are decided upon by votes from over 800 international restaurant industry experts. Noma Restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark took the number one spot for the third year in a row.

Lentils! Yay! May is lentil celebration month in Canada, so get to it. This is my favourite go-to lentil soup recipe; it’s got shallots and feta cheese and toasted almonds and olives. It’s easy and it’s delicious.

I love Fromage Fort for a variety of different reasons. First, because I can free form it and not measure very much. Second, because it consists of basically two steps. And last but not least, because it tastes a little different every single time.

To make Fromage Fort, you’ll need:

200g of  cheese (I used OKA, Camembert & Parmesan; you can use whatever is available in your fridge)
¼ cup white wine
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp of dried parsley

Put everything into the blender.

Blend it until everything is broken down and a fairly even consistency.

Spread it on bread or crackers or anything else your heart desires.

The version I made this time is amazingly strong and basically smelt like wet socks that had been in a gym bag overnight. But you know, when it comes to cheese, the stronger the smell, the more delicious the cheese.

If you make your own version, you can use different types of spices, use different kinds of cheese, or use more or less wine – this recipe was made for improvisation.