 |
07/28/11
What do you get when you team up two local bagel shop owners with a South African barbecue chef? In this case, you get Boneyard Grill, which opened at the beginning of July. Owners Ephraim Dloomy and Michael Sherkin are the team behind Bagel World, while chef-owner David Badler comes from Al’s Grillhouse in South Africa. The three of them teamed up to bring barbecued meals to Thornhill, something they thought the area was missing.
|
 |
07/28/11
Toronto city dwellers are always making excuses to head up north, and now, Orangeville's Hockley Valley Resort is giving them a new one. The golf and ski getaway, located about an hour outside of the city, will be introducing a luxurious fourth restaurant to it’s current trio of eateries this winter.
|
 |
07/27/11
Toronto's Annie Sibonney brings her love affair with Spain to the Food Network in a new 13-episode miniseries, From Spain With Love. Airing on Thursdays, the show profiles different traditions, recipes and restaurants from all across Spain. From brains to balls, Sibonney shares with us the details of her Spanish inquisition.
|
 |
07/27/11
In these times of extreme heat and humidity, we all have our own coping methods. My survival strategy revolves around building a water work station with my newly purchased kiddie pool and lady bug sprinkler. Currently, I’m still in the process of figuring out how not to get electrocuted should my large and hyperactive dog accidentally knock the umbrella taped to the side of the pool into my computer, knocking it off the stool and into the water.
|
 |
07/27/11
Toronto’s mean midsummer heat wave bares sparse semblance to the first, sweet-breezed weekend in May that heralds the arrival of spring and, south of the border, gives way to the famous Kentucky Derby. But there’s no reason why we can’t inwardly escape to the Bluegrass State by wrapping our sweaty paws around a tall, frosty cup of minted bourbon.
|
 |
07/26/11
Amanda Mizen’s website is, quite frankly, food porn for fans of baked goods. And, after selling those baked goods online for about a year, she recently opened up Desmond and Beatrice Bakeshop and Cupcakery in Leslieville, expanding on her wholesale line.
|
 |
07/25/11
This flavourful Pinot from New Zealand’s Central Otago region is red Burgundy on steroids. Light purple in colour with a nose of raspberries, tomato leaf and rust, the wine is medium-bodied, elegant and dry with dense flavours of raspberry and dark chocolate. And a long, lingering finish. Food match: duck breast or grilled portobello mushrooms. (Vintages #61242)
|
 |
07/22/11
It took east-enders Colin Reed and Brittany Peglar several months to find the right spot for their first restaurant, Hammersmith’s, a British-inspired brunch destination in Riverdale. But landing the former Logan Grill space at the corner of Logan and Gerrard has proven to be a smart move for the couple. Local residents have been frequenting the restaurant since its opening earlier this month.
|
 |
07/21/11
Toronto's Lit Espresso Bar is no stranger to the fact that one man's waste is often another man's gold. Last year, it donated used coffee grinds to Urban Productions, a local design company, which used the grinds for a tile project. These days, though, the cafe throws out around one and a half green bins worth of coffee grind per week. But who knows, maybe brown will become the new green. A Taiwanese textile company has found a way to transform used coffee grinds into fabric fibers.
|
 |
07/20/11
Caplansky’s Delicatessen is about to go mobile with the launch of its new food truck tomorrow at the Beaches Jazz Festival. Thundering Thelma, as the truck is known — named after owner Zane Caplansky’s Nana — will be available for private functions and corporate events. Caplansky is looking to license his truck to sell on public property soon. We caught up with him to find out just what it takes to make a meals-on-wheels deli work.
|
 |
07/20/11
Andreas Antoniou spent many of his formative years working in restaurants. Such is bound to happen when one’s father owns Toronto stalwarts like Anthony’s, Little Anthony’s and Mediterra. Now, all grown up — having spent a good chunk of time in the corporate world, dining out at some of the best restaurants in North America — he’s transformed his father’s Mediterra into his own Estiatorio Volos, a new high-end Greek restaurant in the financial district.
|
 |
07/19/11
After months of delays, chef Brad Long (of Restaurant Makeover fame) says he will be opening his much-anticipated restaurant, Cafe Belong, at the Evergreen Brick Works by the end of the month. And he really means it this time.
|
 |
07/19/11
Simplicity is often overlooked as a means of exciting the eager restaurant patron. With a name such as Fishbar, owners and working partners William Tavares — of Salt (two doors down) — and chef David Friedman have declared that their restaurant will feature a bar that will serve fish, pretty simple. Okay, fair enough. Now comes the hard part — getting us excited about it.
|
 |
07/18/11
While popular Belgian bakery Le Pain Quotidien may be an international success, it failed to make a go of it in Toronto, shuttering its doors less than three years after opening here. Still, a local cake company thinks it can make a success out of the European brasserie experience in the spot once claimed by Quotidien. Patisserie Cocoa is set to open up an eatery as early as this month.
|
 |
07/18/11
Trust me, this wine is really worth searching out. You can only get it from Magnotta stores around the city. You don’t find many varietal Semillons in Ontario, and this one had the distinction of winning a regional trophy at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London in April. Golden straw in colour with a waxy, honey and peach bouquet, it's medium-bodied on the palate, offering spicy peach and Bartlett pear flavours riding on lively acidity. Great value here.
|
 |
07/15/11
A hot, used shipping-container-turned-street-food-stall at the corner of Bathurst and Dundas might not be where one would expect to find Tony Sabherwal, owner of the successful Magic Oven organic pizza chain. And yet, there he is, selling street food on a completely pizza-free menu at Scadding Court Community Centre’s Live Local Marketplace.
|
 |
07/15/11
It’s shaping up to be a good year for Toronto’s beer scene. A slew of new breweries like Spearhead Brewing Company and Kensington Brewing Company have already taken root, and now Bellwoods Brewery is set to join the fray later this year.
|
 |
07/14/11
Ever since the opening of Pizzeria Libretto, Toronto has seen the rise of a completely welcome and completely delicious Neapolitan epidemic. Queen Margherita opened in the east end last year; then came Pizza e Pazzi. Just last month, Viva Napoli opened on Mount Pleasant by first time restaurateur and long-time pizza aficionado Giustino Iorio. He admits that he was inspired by Libretto, but for him, Da Michele, the legendary pizzeria from Naples, is the true standard.
|
 |
07/13/11
Winnie Yip is attempting to give street food a makeunder. Tired of forking over five (or even ten) dollars for streetside nosh, Yip banded together a group of rogue street food enthusiasts (conveniently, her friends) — and started making, and selling, toast. Yes, toast.
|
 |
07/13/11
One thing that makes Gill Fine Japanese Fusion Cuisine different from many Japanese restaurants in Toronto is that the chef and wait staff are Japanese. Co-owner and chef Akihiro Kitao is from Hokkaido, Japan’s northern island. Gill, opened last month, offers Japanese cuisine in a North American context, but it's not North American-style Japanese food. This is Japanese cuisine with a spicy twist.
|
 |
07/13/11
After being punched in the face by my first whiff of Brazil’s national dram, cachaca, I was mystified as to why anyone would want to ingest something that bore such an intense olfactory parallel to rubbing alcohol; something that once, according to legend, powered up an automobile (a Ford Fairlane, to be exact). Then, I was taught how to make a caipirinha — a strong and simple mixture of muddled limes, sugar and cachaca — and everything started to make sense.
|
 |
07/12/11
Most people are oblivious to the intricacies of Japanese knives, but chef Ivan Fonseca (of Messis) and Olivia Go intend to change that with their upcoming store, Tosho Knife Arts. Japanese knives are considered an art form; traditionally, there is a knife for every task — like peeling chestnuts, say — unlike European knives, which are less specialized. Tosho, currently an online store, sells samurai-sword quality knives from Blacksmith Takeda and Konosuke-Sakai.
|
 |
07/12/11
Although I don’t know who Mad Tom is, or why he’s got his dander up, I do enjoy Muskoka Brewery’s new India Pale Ale named in his honour. Mad Tom is billed as a traditional India Pale Ale, meaning a full-flavoured, lip-smacking romp through hop-ville. In this case, a dry hopping with Cascade and Centennial varieties is used to help complement the citrus and floral notes.
|
 |
07/12/11
This Saturday, Relish Yo’ Mama is kicking off a series of canning workshops at the St. Lawrence Market Kitchen, including a tutorial conducted by chef Luis Valenzuela of Torito. We caught up with the tapas master — who learned about canning while seeking to preserve Canada’s various seasonal delicacies — to chat about canning, cold weather and Canadiana.
|
 |
07/11/11
Wasn’t everything better in the ‘50s? Actually, having seen Midnight in Paris, we know that we’re just inherently dissatisfied with the present. Still, we’re intrigued by the latest project from Table 17’s Erik Joyal and John Sinopoli: an upcoming restaurant and wine bar in Leslieville that’ll offer up lots of house-made pasta while paying homage to a bygone Italian era.
|
 |
07/11/11
The east end’s newest boutique, Olive & Olives, pays homage to the many facets of olive oil. We’re not talking about a tribute to Popeye’s lanky leading lady, but the fine liquid drizzled over plump tomatoes and fresh bocconcini on a warm summer’s day. Olive oil guru Claudia Pharand and partner Danièle Beauchamp traveled the globe to search for oils of the highest grade. The result is the Montreal-based store, which opened its first Toronto location last month.
|
 |
07/11/11
In the Rheinhessen region, winemaker Fritz Hasselbach has fashioned a bargain-priced Riesling without sacrificing quality. Deeply coloured with a spicy peach bouquet, the wine is medium-bodied, off-dry with flavours of honey, peach and lime. It really fills the palate and is a delicious summer drink. Food match: pork chops or Thai dishes. (Vintages #216366)
|
 |
07/08/11
Le Canard Mort came to life at the end of June without much of a quack, as it were. Owner Richard Henry, who also owns nearby bistro Le Rossignol (the nightingale), wanted to open “as quietly as possible” to have all his ducks in a row by the time the media showed up. But good news travels fast, and he says the first reviews are already coming out. Henry’s second French bird isn’t so much of a dead duck, but it is an odd one with its designation as a “French gastropub.”
|
 |
07/08/11
When the newest addition of the Terroni family opened in Rosedale earlier this year, we couldn’t help but wonder if the area was prepared for carpaccio di cavallo (a.k.a. horse meat). The answer is neigh, apparently. Terroni Bar Centrale has decided to quit horsing around and has pulled horse meat items from its menu. Talk about an epic foal-ure (we just can’t help it with the horse puns).
|
 |
07/07/11
Toronto is no stranger to gelato, but shops that have the authentic Italian feel that all gelato lovers crave are a bit harder to find. That's why Mario Gimigliano Jr. intends to bring a scoop of Italy to Yonge-Lawrence Village. And having undergone dessert-related training in southern Belgium and central Italy, few are better suited for the job. The family-oriented VentiSette, set to open near the end of the month, will be sure to bring a much coveted taste of authenticity to Toronto's gelato scene.
|
 |
07/07/11
China House, an Eglinton West fixture since 1958, has announced that its vintage dining room will be closing on July 18. With the site slated for condo development, owner Jonathan Wise is currently searching for a new home for one of Toronto's last upscale Chinese restaurants.
|
 |
07/06/11
Dark Horse Espresso Bar opened its third location just last year, but owners have apparently been deliberating a fourth location to be housed in the Toronto Eaton Centre. Yes, that Eaton Centre. Co-owner Deanna Zunde tells us that plans have been in the works since around March for a fourth Dark Horse to emerge on the ground floor of Sears, but says those plans may be changing in light of Sears’ recent CEO changeover.
|
 |
07/06/11
As raw vegan dieting moves from the fringe to the mainstream (no doubt inspired by the arrival of bathing suit season) we test dishes from two of T.O.’s signature raw food restaurants to find out if they’re really as healthy as they seem.
|
 |
07/05/11
The theme for this year’s Southern Ontario Oyster Festival is “Grit Happens.” What the shuck does that mean? Well, it’s an homage to the wild western movie True Grit, and the dirt that, at times, finds its way into a freshly shucked oyster. Hey, it happens.
|
 |
07/04/11
I’ve always thought that Ontario could make world-class rosé, and in a couple of cases we do. Southbrook Connect Rosé 2010 is not your run-of-the-mill pink wine. This one is deep pink with an orange tint. It has a nose of strawberry compote and flavours of strawberries and redcurrants. Full in the mouth with a touch of sweetness in mid-palate, it has enough citrus acidity to finish dry and clean. Food match: serve with chicken salad or grilled ham.
|
 |
07/01/11
Ever had a smoked hamburger before? Neither had David Neinstein over at Barque Smokehouse, until recently. “I’ve got a big-ass smoker,” he says, “so why not smoke some burgers?” He’s looking at adding hamburgers to Barque’s menu anyway, and figured Canada Day would be a good time to test them out. People are apparently digging them so far.
|
 |
06/30/11
Sadie’s is coming to Kensington Market. Well, kind of. Anyone seeking the vegetarian lunch/brunch menu from the popular Adelaide Street diner won’t find it at the upcoming Sadie’s Juice Bar, but what they will find is a similar retro vibe, the well-known juices and smoothies and a selection of house-made vegan ice creams.
|
