Ontario grown ingredients featured on new local harvest menu at Canyon Creek
Chophouse(R)

TORONTO , Nov. 2 /CNW/ - The eight Canyon Creek Chophouse(R) restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area have all embraced the local food movement, launching an affordable, extensive new harvest-themed menu which showcases fresh ingredients from Ontario farms.

According to SIR Corp. restaurant group President Corey Dalton , the new menu is an innovative step for Canyon Creek.

"We are always looking for new and inventive ways to raise the bar at our restaurants," says Dalton. "I am pleased to say we've had a positive impact on sustaining Ontario's growing industry by supporting so many local farms this fall. Using local Ontario farm fresh food is the right thing to do, and I'm proud to say Canyon Creek has been able to embrace the wonderful foods that grow in our own backyard."

Currently running in all restaurants until November 25, 2009 , the special Local Harvest menu is paired with wines from the Niagara region's Henry of Pelham, and will feature more than 15 ingredients from Ontario including:

    
    -   Mushrooms from Enviro Mushrooms in Milton and Ravine Mushroom farm in
        Woodbridge
    -   Yukon Gold potatoes from Cohn Produce in Bradford
    -   Cabbage from Doehn Farms in Waterloo County
    -   Parsnips, carrots and beets from Carron Farms in Holland Marsh
    -   Cranberries from Iroquois Cranberries in Muskoka
    -   Sweet pea shoots from Fresh Herbs by Daniel in Ridgeville
    -   Assorted herbs from Country Herbs in Courtland
    -   Spaghetti squash and leeks from Thames River Melons in Oxford County
    -   Purdy Fisheries Pickerel from Lake Huron
    

According to Executive Chef Mark Jachecki, the new menu was an exciting and ambitious undertaking for Canyon Creek, because of the complexity required to roll out a local menu at eight restaurants simultaneously. "Going local is more challenging when you're trying to do it for several restaurants," Jachecki says. "For example, we had to find farms that could easily provide us with ingredients to make hundreds and hundreds of each dish every week - times eight!"

Jachecki says it was well worth the effort. "The local approach has also added a fresh, delicious experience for our customers at Canyon Creek. It's an exciting new twist on our usual menu that is being very well received. Most importantly, we've been able to turn our guests on to the eat-local approach, helping them to understand that it isn't just a lofty idea, but it can be done affordably and with great-tasting results."

    
    These are the nine delicious new dishes on the Local Harvest Menu:

    Appetizers
    ----------
    Ravine and Enviro Farms Mushroom Soup
    $5.50*

    Yellow Perch and Pingue Proscuitto - local perch, filled with Atlantic
    lobster, wrapped in Ontario proscuitto on Carron farms' parsnip puree
    with Hollandaise sauce
    $14.95*

    Ravine Farms Stuffed Mushrooms with spinach, goat's cheese and sweet
    roasted garlic
    $7.95*

    Main Course Dishes
    ------------------
    Honey Garlic Angus Beef Short Ribs with Cohn Produce Yukon Gold mash, and
    roasted Carron Farms heirloom carrots
    $22.95*

    Purdy's Lake Huron Pickerel, pan-seared and walnut-crusted, served with
    Thames River spaghetti squash
    $23.95*

    Ontario Grain-Fed Chicken Supreme stuffed with goat cheese and Thames
    River leeks, served with Cohn Produce Yukon Gold mash and Carron Farms
    heirloom carrots
    $18.95*

    Wellington County Dry Aged Striploin, a 10-oz New York steak, served with
    a Cohn Produce Yukon Gold, fully loaded baked potato
    $29.95*

    Dessert
    -------
    Vanilla Pudding with Kiln-dried Iroquois Cranberries, topped with fresh
    whipped cream and sugared walnuts
    $4.95*

    Harvest Pumpkin Cheesecake, topped with Iroquois cranberry compote &
    sugared walnuts
    $6.95*
    

* Prices may vary based on restaurant location

ABOUT CANYON CREEK CHOPHOUSE

Canyon Creek Chophouse www.canyoncreekchophouse.com is a casual yet premium dining experience ideal for lunch, dinner or late night dining. Winning décor and excellent service are met with outstanding, simple cuisine, squarely focused on classic items with a twist including premium cuts like rack of lamb, sirloin steak and cedar plank salmon. Canyon Creek Chophouse first opened in 1997 and currently has eight locations across Southern Ontario including Canyon Creek Airport, Burlington , Etobicoke, Front Street, Mississauga, Niagara Falls, Scarborough and Vaughan Mills.

ABOUT SIR CORP. - SERVICE INSPIRED RESTAURANTS

SIR Corp. ("SIR") is a privately held Canadian corporation that owns and operates a portfolio of 45 casual and fine dining restaurants in Canada . The business is focused on creating, developing, and operating best-in-class restaurants. Best-in-class means SIR strives for the best people, the best food and the best atmosphere at each of its restaurants. These values are shared company-wide and the resulting high level of quality and attention to detail can be found in each restaurant. SIR's passion is reflected in its name, which stands for Service Inspired Restaurants.

SIR is about bringing people together, building lasting relationships and setting the standard for best in class. SIR has grown from five restaurants and $17 million in revenue in 1993, to 43 restaurants and over $188 million in revenue in its fiscal year ending August 31, 2008 .

Currently, SIR has approximately 3,800 employees across Canada . SIR's diverse portfolio of restaurants is designed to appeal to a broad set of consumer tastes. Concept restaurants have multiple locations, reflecting their broader demographic appeal.

SIR concept brands include: Jack Astor's(R) Bar and Grill, with 29 locations in Canada ; Alice Fazooli's!(R), with five locations; and Canyon Creek Chop House(R), with eight locations. SIR's Signature Restaurants are one-of-a-kind brands located in downtown Toronto that range in offerings from fine dining with award-winning menus to a very active sports bar. Signature Restaurants comprise the upscale reds(R), Far Niente(R), Four(TM), Petit Four(TM) and the casual Loose Moose Tap & Grill(R). All trademarks related to the concept and signature brands noted above are used by SIR under a license agreement with SIR Royalty Limited Partnership. For more information on SIR Corp. or the SIR Royalty Income Fund, please visit www.sircorp.com.

Note to Editors: Images of select dishes, and interviews with and appearances by the chef are available upon request

For further information: Karen Krugel, Michele Enhaynes, PraxisPR, [phone], ext. 233, 229, [email protected] OR [email protected]