morning glory news

I just had the best sandwich ever for breakfast. Well maybe not the best ever but pretty damn close. It was a combination of the Dubstyle, which we have just been calling a cream cheese, tomato and bacon on baguette and the Jim Davison, a new sandwich named for my granddad that’s been in “development”. The Jim Davison is crispy bacon, sliced apple, cheddar and gruyere cheese on toasted bread. So this morning I had bacon, apple and Roquefort (that’s a French bleu cheese, Tommo) on a toasted baguette. Awesome! It’s not on the menu but if you ask I might share my Roquefort and make one. Thanks Michelle’s mom for the cheese, it was a lovely gift (actually, it was meant for Heidi but she doesn’t like blue cheese).

The soup is tomato and rice. I’m making some dill potato for the weekend

The omelette is gruyere and baby spinach.

The muffins are chocolate chunk and walnut.

The special is sautéed chicken breast on a bed of green salad.

If anyone is wondering about the for sale sign out front, Jack is selling the building. We are not selling Morning Glory! Christ, we haven’t even begun to show what we’re capable of!

Go Leafs!

First off I’d like to say thank-you Mr. Mogliny, we needed that!

This could be the first summery day that MG has been open so the special is a sautéed chicken breast on a lovely green salad. For any of you that have not tried the MG salad it’s a blend of red and green leaf lettuce, raw zucchini, baby spinach, red onion and vinaigrette.

Heidi made a subtle change to the aioli today and it makes me think: “why didn’t we try that before?” I won’t say what it is you’ll have to figure it out.

Have I mentioned yet that we have wireless internet. Heidi’s brother Richard set it up for us.

Did anyone try Mrs. R’s rum cake this past weekend? Holy cow! I had a slice for afternoon tea and got all wobbly legged.

The soup today is tomato and rice.

The omelette is green onion, tomato and havarti cheese.

The muffins are blueberry.

I should have known better that to drink draft last night whilst watching the game.

Father’s day, mother’s day and a lot of birthdays are coming up. Time to lay low. If anyone needs me I’ve gone to the market…to by stuff…for the café…

I just had 2 cream cheese, bacon and tomato san'g'wiches for breakfast. You should try them, they are delicious! I think I will have pancakes for lunch because it is Tuesday and they are fresh strawberry pancakes. Elliott (the new guy) came in and got some to go. By the way Elliott if you happen to be reading this my mom thinks your handsome!!!!!!

Our omelette today is 3 cheese and arugula. The soup is potato, bean and herb and we have mango muffins.

I could tell you more stories about my adventures in Europe but James is getting sick of hearing me talk about it. So if you are absolutely dying to hear more........you'll just have to come to the restaurant!!!!

Hey Doug, thanx for the "Can I Get Asiago on That?" cd. We are listening to it right now.

Sorry for the delay with the specials. We've been having some computer problems thanks to my brother Richard!!!!! (Hopefully he won't read this.) But just in case, I'm only kidding!!!!!!!!! Heeheehee. I've had 10 hours sleep and I still feel really tired. I wonder if I will ever be able to get back into this routine I call life. (I miss Europe)

So the omelette today is sauteed zucchini, red onion and asiago. The soup is vegetable and the muffins are butterscotch. My birthday is coming up on May 3rd. So feel free to make a donation to "Heidi's Move to Europe Fund"!

Had some excitement around here yesterday. A film crew was in the alleyway shooting an episode of some TV show nobody has ever heard of. Everything seemed to be okay until Heidi’s dad tried to drive up Gilead St. to deliver our bread and was blocked by some transport guy who had decided to just park in the middle of the lane while he chatted with some dork with a headset. What the hell is with that? I think Toronto film crews need to wise up to the fact that we don’t mind you coming around and disrupting our routines, sometimes it gives us something to talk about or even get excited over. But please drop the attitudes! You’re just some jackass with a walkie-talkie, you don’t own the place and you sure as hell are not contributing to the greater good of humanity! I know people in that trade that are very nice and very professional but they need to rein in the tw*ts who make them all look bad. Please don’t come around here any more until you can say please and thank you and actually be sincere about trying your best not to inconvenience us.

Philly is not a better team, we can take them and we will despite what Sam Malkin says.

The specials today are,

Soup: coriander and chickpea

Muffins: fresh mango

Omelet: fresh baby spinach and 3 cheeses

Tuna pasta salad, yum-yum!

Did I mention that some film crews are okay but some are tw*ts? Can I use that word, tw*T?

Gary Bettman is a tw*t too! What the hell is this, no game on Saturday?

I completely forgot to blog this morning.

today we have a lovely tuna pasta salad and the omelet is three cheeses and red onion. the muffins are banana walnut (my favourite). The soup is almost gone.

Doug, thanks for running those errands for me.

For anyone interested in a boyfriend (by anyone I mean women but possibly open to new ideas) Tommo is still single and starting to look down in the mouth about it. Even ice-cream doesn't cheer him up. I tried to get him to go to the shops last night to get some ice-cream and he wouldn't becuase of the rain. I think he must really be depressed.

Heidi is here but her heart, soul and mind are still wandering the streets and canals of old Europe. We're glad she's at least partially back with us.

Hey Philly! Bit me!

GO LEAFS!

Dear Morning Glory

I am writing to complain about the flippant remarks that were made today regarding bananas. Their extinction is a very real danger and not something to be scoffed at. I remember going a whole decade in the 40's without bananas. It wasn't easy I can tell you. I also remember the rioting at Pemberton's Grocery Shop on Drury Lane in 1949 when rumours went around
about a banana delivery.

Yours Truly

Percy Nubbington


Dear Mr. Nubbington,

With regards to your complaint, balls to your bananas! Go and eat a lime. I know who you are, you're that guy that keeps coming in here on thursdays asking for fig newtons, well we don't have fig newtons and we never will.

sincerely,

Morning Glory staff

While I was in Budapest I had the chance to go to a thermal bath. This has nothing to do with today's specials, I just thought you would like to know! We stayed for 2 hours, but truthfully I think I could have spent all day! If you ever go I highly recommend that you give it a try. You leave with the softest skin that you just want to caress your arms all day!!!

So I guess I 'll get right down to business. Our omelette today is arugula and cheddar. The muffins are chocolate chip and the soup today is smokey bean. Oh yes and it is pancake tuesday so you can have your choice of banana (hurry before they go extinct! Have you heard?) or plain.

I'm glad that I came back after all the snow is gone and the mild weather is approaching. I spent one of my last days eating lunch on a sunny patio in Strasbourg. I had a local dish of sour cream, fried potato, crushed garlic, fried onion and chopped parsley. It was very tasty and of course I had a glass of one of Strasbourgs famous white wines. Ah the life! One can really get used to that lifestyle!

I had a funny dream last night. It was my first day back at work and I couldn't seem to do anything right (I just didn't feel like working)! James was getting frustrated and I couldn't take it anymore so we had to close early because I was making such a mess of things!!!!! Well so far so good. Thank goodness it hasn't been that busy this morning! Jack has been the only victim of my trying to get back into the swing of things. The americano that I made him was shit! Don't worry it's all coming back to me. I just have to keep pulling my head out of the clouds!

So I guess you really don't want to read about my silly dream or hear about how much I loooooooooooved Europe so I will tell you the specials for today!

We have an arugula and cheddar omelette. The muffins are blueberry and the soup is tomato and basil. Did I tell you how much fun I had in Europe and how good the food was? My first day back I woke up all sad that I couldn't have my fresh croissants and cheese for breakfast. It's a lovely thing when 1 in every 10 shops is a REAL bakery! Atkins diet? What's that!!!!! Bread and pastries should be a part of everyones breakfast!

Did I tell you how much I loved it there?

the southwest chicken sandwich is still on with a side of napa slaw.

the omelet is fresh baby spinach and cheddar cheese

the muffins are spiced pear streusel.

the soup remains the same.

Its been a very busy morning and a long strange winter. spring is here and not a moment too soon.

Happy birthday Mum!

Well Heidi is somewhere between Strasbourg and Berlin so I shall not be writing to her today. Judging by that comment about the green grass there and the cold gray streets here she’s still waltzing with the little green demon!

The special for today and Friday is a southwestern style chicken sandwich. Marinated chicken breast sautéed with red onions and placed on a toasted ciapatta bun with crisp lettuce and my smoky chipotle mayo. It comes with a Morning Glory napa coleslaw, all for seven bucks! The soup is Tex-Mex tomato and chili. It’s mildly spicy but nothing to worry about. The muffins are walnut banana chocolate!

Hey Tommo!

…never mind.

The Leafs are breaking my heart. At least the weather is great.

The omelet is red pepper and asiago.

Hello to everyone who reads the blog!

First of all please excuse any errors in my blog for these european keyboards like to switch the letters around. For example the q is where the a should be.

Well I`m sad to say that my stay in Europe is coming to an end. I absolutely love it here and I am thinking of a plan to come back and stay for awhile. I had the best time in Prague. Thank you Klara for putting us up for the four nights and showing us around and thank you Jiri for taking us to the Czech pubs. I had the best food and the best beer ever! In fact there wasn`t one beer that I didn't like! The absinth on the other hand is an evil thing to get involved with! I would have to agree with Michele that absinth = the devil! Or should I say Michele = the devil!!!!!!!! But that hasn't stopped me from falling in love with your country. I hope that we can pick up where we left off one day soon!

So I will see all of you who have missed me while I was gone very soon. But I'm warning you that I think I will be a little preoccupied for the next little while so please don't get upset if I should spill some coffee on you!!

I'll miss you green grass and flowers blooming, it's back to Canada I go to see the cold gray streets:(

Dear Heidi,

How was Easter in Prague? We had a little neigborhood picnic here on Gilead St.
Not much going on but you can tell Michelle that the Ottawa Senators suck! We beat them 2-0 last night, thanks to the mighty Eddie.

The soup today is roasted garlic and tomato garnished with some asiago cheese(dont worry we'll still have plenty of asiago for when you get back as I'm sure you've missed it)

The omelet is sauted red onion and cheddar, the muffins are cranberry/lemon and of course its Tuesday so we have banana muffins.

And that my dear is why you'll never be able to stay in Europe, THOSE people don't make banana pancakes. They make crepes which are nice but they aren't pancakes and maple syrup with a side of centre-cut bacon....

Well I guess they have reasons to stay but we hope you don't.

love

james

Dear Heidi,

I’m sitting on the bench by the back door. It’s about five minutes to nine in the morning and the MeMyMo girls are in having pancakes as it’s Tuesday. Toria is here too and I made her a bacon butty but instead of using a bun I put it between two pancakes. Hahahahaha!

Its’ cold out again today, but at least it’s bright and sunny. This daylight savings thing sucks and I hate having to get up in the dark to come to work, that and the cold makes me feel like I’m stuck in some time loop where its always winter. I may feel like him but at least I don’t look like Bill Murray.

So today is our last day before we close for some time off and maintenance to the restaurant, the handle fell off the cold table again so now instead of a handle I’m using duct tape. If I had a diner in Muskoka this is surely what it would be like, all I need to do is put cut outs of sunshine girls on the wall above the griddle and a picnic table out back next to the recycling bins.

The omelet is cheddar and baby spinach, and the muffins are chocolate chip and almond. Martina must have been using up what’s left of the chocolate before we close because I swear there is more chocolate than muffin, nice!

Please tell Michelle that the Leafs thrashed her Senators 6 zip on Saturday and nanananya!

I hope you two are having a wonderful time. I have managed to not miss you too much by keeping busy around here but now that I’ll have some time off I may start counting the days ‘till you get back. Maybe I should just keep busy working? Whatever!

James

Dear James,

Hallo! Hoe gaat het met u?
The brownies here are crazy! I don't think we have the quality ingredients back home to make them as good! Michele and I sat on a heated patio and watched the bicycles go by (we didn't get a chance to rent any because we weren't feeling quite like ourselves (wink wink nudge nudge!) I had a lovely mustard soup with croutons in it and some bread on the side. I must say I haven't had any bread that is as good as ours. Yesterday I had a sandwich with some rocketsalad. Rocketsalad you may ask? It's basically mesculin mix but I think the name is neat. Speaking of neat, Michele and I had a stop over in Basel, Switzerland and had the chance to check out a grocery store in the Bahnhof. The sandwich counter there was definately a site to see! As well as the desert counter, the chocolate counter, the everything counter!!!! (Hey John if you are reading this Michele noticed that they had these cool snowboard travel bags so we snagged one for you!) We take a train out tonight to Wien and say good bye to Amsterdam. I will say "Dag" now and let Michele say hello. Keep busy and I will see you very soon! Love Heidi


Just wanted to mention that we are very fortunate to be born in our day. Cannot imagine travel sans travel boggle and connect four. Hot damn that was a top bunk invention! Am excited about the next "leg" (any Amazing Race fans out there...Renee?) of our adventure as the ICE train rocks!!!!! Talk about true style in transportation. Sleek design, comfort and space aged brilliance rolled into one gazillion dollar train. Just one other reason why I love our generation, if we could just get rid of people playing Dolly Parton in Amsterdam bars life would be peachy keen. Wow that was a babble. Cannot wait to see Morning Glory in the flesh and blood, the site is incredible and rather stylish. Well done!
Signing off from just another internet cafe on the other side of the mega pond...

Dear Heidi,

Sounds like you’re having a great time in Amsterdam. I know you’ve always been a connoisseur when it comes to baked goods but those Dutch must make good brownies judging by the fact you wrote so much about them in your last email. You’ll have to bring back the recipe and we can sell them here!

Today we have a really good omelet you’d like, it’s gruyere, fresh chives and pear. The soup is carrot and the muffins are blueberry. People really like the Cesar salad and Doug still orders the bacon tomato and cream cheese sandwich but more people should too as it's really good.

Eliot the new guy started this weekend. Its been busy the last couple of weekends and I hope people remember that we are closed from Wednesday and not open again until Easter Sunday. You’ll be in Prague by then and I think they’re more known for dumplings.

I can’t wait to here what your time in Vienna is like, it’s a shame you don’t drink coffee as nobody does coffee as well as the Viennese. Have a semmelbrot for me and look for a village called Eichgraben along the railway line as you get near Vienna on your way in from Holland, that’s where Martina and I lived when we were little kids. Marvel at the amount of porn for sale at the Westbahnhof. Don’t forget to get me souvenir, not necessarily at the Westbahnhof, unless you see something I might like.

We are almost getting used to you not being here, but not quite used to it. We miss you

James

PS I cut myself again! Martina put liquid Band-Aid on it and frankly next time I’ll just cut the finger off, it’ll hurt less.

Dear Heidi,

Thank you for the terse email about French keyboards. I’ll assume from it that you got there safe and sound. We had a busy morning today and now it’s finally quiet. Martina made a Tuscan bean soup with smoked tomato (the traditional one has pancetta, but this is veggie).
Alex came by this morning for a breakfast-butty. Victoria is here visiting and Chris Roberts dropped by yesterday. Jack got a haircut, oh and I did too.

Hmmmn, I should fill you in on the rest of the specials as I’m sure Renee and Doug are reading this, and that guy at BMO Nesbitt Burns.
The muffins are extremely chocolaty and the omelet is fresh tomato, spring onion and cheddar. The club is back.
Rob and the Ecolab guys came in for lunch yesterday and made me laugh by discussing their various road-rage stories. Then Russell came in looking like he’d been dragged through a mud puddle, which he had. He’d wiped out on his bike down on Commissioner’s St. I gave him a latte and a ham and cheese sandwich.

I still can’t believe you are in the south of France. I’m trying to imagine what you are doing right now…probably eating a croissant and sipping pernod whilst taking in the sunset over the med. I’m not jealous, I’ve been spending quality time with the cats, they lounge beside the toilet these days like jaded starlets and I clean their litter box like a bitter has-been. Then they give me the most withering of looks when I go for a whiz.

Well that’s all for now, I have some prep to do before the lunch rush.

We miss you

james

Dear Heidi,

We miss you already and you've only been gone a day. The cats are acting weird so everything at home is normal. The weather here is wet and cold, I don't want to know how the weather is where you are. Today we are putting a chicken club on the special board. It's one of those days that people need comfort food. Martina baked strawberry muffins topped with shaved almonds and sugar. Remember summer? I have a vague recolection of it getting warm 'round here. Speaking of summer I made an asparagus soup which I know you'd love. The soup smells like summer and tastes like...asparagus. The omelette is mixed grilled vegetables and cheddar. How was the food on the airplane? How is Michelle? Did you have one of those pizzas in Marseillle?

We can't wait to hear back from you and I hope your trip is going well so far.

love
James

PS we are going to make mango lassis to cheer ourselves up