The Black Hoof

As much as I love being a lazy bum all weekend, hanging out in my workout clothes/sweats, making yummy food and watching Doctor Who, I also love getting all dolled up and going out for dinner.

Yup, I need to remember to clean my mirror.

Last week, my friend and I decided to go out for a little foodie experience with our boyfriends.  Her boyfriend is a chef in the city and has been looking up places to try.

They were both excited to try The Black Hoof so Greg and I agreed to go out with them this weekend.

Remember how I said this year was all about getting out of my comfort zone?  Yeahhhhh.  The menu for The Black Hoof was a little out of said comfort zone.  However, it was also a very paleo friendly menu.  A restaurant that focuses on good quality meats and good food, means no guilt eating out since you can pretty much guarantee they aren't using anything too funky in their cooking (like crummy oils).

It was a bit hard to see but they have their menu up on two chalkboards.  Very cool.

Our waiter noted everything was basically to share, so the four of us each ordered something that appealed to us, plus 'appetizers'.

The order looked something like this:

Bread, Olives, Charcuterie.

Salt Cod Mezzaluna, Bone Marrow, Pork Carnitas Tacos, Pork Belly and Cappuccio, Oxtail and Scallops, and the eat your veg option which was Squash.    Yes, we ordered almost the whole menu!  Everything came out about one dish at a time which added to the experience, with new plates and cutlery every few dishes.

The charcuterie board was out of this world!  I loved stuff that I wasn't really sure about.  The chicken liver terrine was spot on, and the meat at the right end was....... horse.  Yes horse.  Luckily I didn't know that before I inhaled it.  We also got warm, fresh olives, that were amazing.

 Pork Carnitas.  I made a paleo exception and ate the tortilla (corn is a no no) but it was worth every bite.  Perfectly spiced pork rinds and a squeeze of lime took these to the next level.

Bone Marrow.  Honestly, while I liked this, it wasn't my favourite.   It was buttery and really interesting, but I think it would have been better if I was able to spread it on the bread.  I just didn't want to endure bloating for the rest of the meal.

So this was the pork belly..... We realized with one bite left no one had taken a picture of it.  This went down quickly and was my personal favourite!  Pork belly on a brussel sprout sauerkraut with a creamy polenta (damn corn) and an anchovy sauce.  Wooooooow.

I didn't snap pics of the oxtail but it was a table favourite as well.  Unfortunately it was breaded, so I kinda ate around it but what I did have was delish.

The squash (unpictured) was in a coconut sauce with roasted pepitas and must be recreated in my kitchen.

Honestly, there was nothing we didn't like. it was all ridiculously tasty and the service was amazing.  Very attentive staff who knew the menu well and made suggestions.  We'd go back in a heartbeat though I think we're off to new culinary adventures next month!