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07/31/12
Toronto loves Yelp reviews. But sometimes they’re, well, lacking something. Is it coherence? Is it credibility? Is it proper grammar? No, the missing link we’re thinking of is emphatic passion, the kind that can only be imbued by a skilled orator. Like an actor, maybe.
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07/31/12
After Anthony Bourdain’s whirlwind tour of our fair city last week, it only seemed logical to follow in his footsteps. His first stop was St. Lawrence Market’s Carousel Bakery, where chomping on an infamous peameal bacon sandwich is akin to biting off a piece of Hogtown history.
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07/27/12
New breweries seem to be opening every couple of months in Ontario, and things are looking up for craft beer drinkers. That is unless they want to buy beer to drink at home.
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07/27/12
A year that has been tough on local, family-owned restaurants and fresh food shops appears to have claimed its latest victim. Sun Valley Fine Foods (583 Danforth Ave.), a Greektown staple for nearly three decades, is shutting its doors for good this Sunday. We were not given a specific reason for the closure, but were told that brand’s other location, the Sun Valley Market (468 Danforth Ave.), will remain open.
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07/27/12
Making its first foray into Canadian waters, American chain P.F. Chang’s has set up camp amidst the shopping and dining options at Shops at Don Mills. Serving up its signature Chinese food in an upscale casual setting, this eatery is perhaps best known for its lettuce wraps, previously only available by venturing south. We got a sneak peak inside the restaurant, which officially opened today.
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07/27/12
“Ripasso” is a term Italians use for a wine that has been fermented on the skins of grapes from a previous fermentation. This technique originated in the Veneto region and gives extra flavour and heft. Recently, Vintages released this 2009 Valpolicella. It’s a medium-bodied wine that has sweet, spicy, raisiny-plum fruit flavours and finishes dry with a dark-chocolate note.
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07/26/12
Fast friends since first working together some seven years ago, Rachel Pellett and Heather Mee had long dreamt of opening up their own eatery. The duo officially opened Emma’s Country Kitchen today as something of an ode to Pellett’s grandmother, who ran a restaurant of the same name near Caledon. Keeping things homey and simple, the kitchen serves up fresh baked goods in addition to frozen meals and a weekend brunch.
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07/26/12
This is what happens when you visit Market 707, the makeshift food court at Bathurst and Dundas where vendors hawk street food out of shipping containers: you realize that Toronto does, after all, have a remarkable street food scene. You scan the options: buffalo milk ice cream, dim sum, pork belly, camel hamburgers, bubble tea, pupusas, crêpes, ceviche, roti and wait hamburgers are not made out of camel.
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07/25/12
If there’s one thing Toronto is head over heels for these days, it’s street-style food. So we scoured the city’s restaurants, markets and food trucks for the best in hand-held cuisine. Having munched our way through countless burgers, sandwiches, wraps and tacos, we present our list of the city’s tastiest, most innovative and most unusual portable eats.
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07/25/12
At the end of June, childhood friends Robin Eley, Owais Rafiq and Eli Bach opened The Arrow, a mostly organic ice creamery and coffee shop at the corner of Dundas and Ossington. It’s an ice cream shop that’s open early or a coffee shop that’s open late, depending on how you look at it: weekday hours are 7.30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and it’s open later on weekends. The team feels that ice cream and coffee are the perfect duo for the the Ossington strip.
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07/24/12
Riverside Public House, which has taken over the Queen East space formerly occupied by Blue Moon Pub, has some impressive names behind it. Co-owners Michael Homewood (of Ossington’s Baby Huey and Leslieville’s The Curzon) and Nav Sangha (owner of west-end party hub Wrongbar) have taken on former Top Chef darling Dustin Gallagher (Grace, Susur) to give birth to the new resto-bar, currently in its soft-opening stage.
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07/24/12
Taking over an impressive corner of College Street, Caplansky’s Delicatessen is a paradise for meat lovers. Serving up Jewish soul food, the deli is chock full of meaty options that pay tribute to owner Zane Caplansky’s heritage.
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07/23/12
Born and bred on the Danforth, there’s no doubting Eleni Gountanos’ loyalty to the ’hood. So when the space at 417 Danforth Avenue freed up (which just so happens to be where Gountanos met her husband, back when it was Myth), Gountanos took it as a sign, opening up 417 Restaurant & Lounge along with her parents, Anthony and Sophie Pavlou.
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07/23/12
Toronto’s most buzz-worthy burger joint is at it again with the announcement that a new west-end location of The Burger’s Priest could possibly be open by the end of this year. Owner Shant Mardirosian tells us that he has signed a deal on a new location in the King and Spadina area, but still has to look into permit issues to make sure that the city will allow him to build a restaurant in that spot.
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07/23/12
There are few places in the city that are quite as satisfying as Restoran Malaysia, up in Richmond Hill. Serving Malaysian cuisine — a unique mix of Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Thai flavours — Restoran Malaysia offers some of the most unique, delicious and great-value food in the city. For the skeptics, don’t think twice: it is most definitely worth the drive outside of the TTC’s limits.
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07/20/12
Earlier this year, celebrity chef and television host Anthony Bourdain hinted that he’d likely be checking out Toronto as part of his new show, The Layover. Well, he’s made good on his word and has been spotted at various spots throughout the city (and also chumming with F*cked Up’s Damien Abraham).
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07/20/12
At a recent Vintages release tasting, I was mightily impressed by this Riesling from down under. It’s a fruity, medium-bodied wine the colour of straw. The bouquet is redolent of apples, minerals and honey, with a floral grace note. Ripe and full on the palate with honeyed lime and grapefruit flavours, it’s a style of wine that will go well with spicy dishes.
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07/19/12
The team behind Waffle Bar has been has peddling its gourmet Belgian waffles around Toronto for some time now. You may have noticed its distinctive Liège-style waffles at one of many farmers’ markets around the city, or spotted it on the shelves at gourmet grocers such as Pusateri’s or All the Best Fine Foods. But Toronto can now get its sweet-tooth fix at Waffle Bar’s newly-opened retail location and café in the Upper Beach.
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07/18/12
If you wear a fedora, flex your muscles for no reason, sport a chinstrap beard and have $666 to blow, then chances are you might want to try the Douche Burger: the latest sensation from New York City food truck 666 Burger. Wrapped in three Benjamins, topped with gold leaf and stuffed with caviar, lobster and champagne-smoked cheese, this creation is a jab at all the other douche burgers out there (you know the ones).
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07/18/12
You may not know it — or even like it — but Jen Agg has changed the way Toronto eats. She is the matriarch of the Black Hoof empire, which has shaken Toronto’s culinary foundations and spawned some of the city’s hippest and hottest chefs.
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07/17/12
With the king of crustaceans normally holding court as one of the most expensive menu options citywide, it’s not often you’ll find a bargain on this decadent aquatic dish. But with lobster prices tumbling, the timing is fortuitous for Lobster Love, a one-night event at the Evergreen Brick Works on July 19.
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07/17/12
Set amidst the cacophony of Chinatown East, Rose’s Vietnamese Sandwiches is the go-to place to grab a traditional banh-mi sandwich. Originally from Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), owner Rose Pham uprooted her life when times got tough in her homeland. Some 20 years later, Pham oversees a steady stream of customers seeking a taste of Vietnam at her family-run joint.
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07/16/12
King East’s eclectic new watering hole Pacific Junction Hotel, bills itself as “Coyote Ugly meets beach bar meets Storage Wars.” And believe it or not, that’s a fairly apt description. Opened by the owners of the neighbouring Betty’s, the new venture is already teeming with business after being open for less than a week in the space formerly occupied by Veritas.
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07/16/12
Sure, Hollywood Gelato may have started Toronto’s love affair with gelato over 10 years ago, but these days, my go-to spots in the Yonge and Eglinton or midtown areas are Il Gelatiere and Gelato Simply Italian, two shops offering what’s easily some of the best gelato in the city.
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07/13/12
An impressive number of breweries have opened in Ontario in the last year or so, but on top of their quantity, it’s worth marveling at their diversity. And of the new crop, Bellwoods Brewery on Ossington is possibly the best.
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07/13/12
Here’s an Australian Chardonnay that has lots of flavour at a very affordable price. It’s pale lemon in colour with a nose of apple and tobacco leaf. The sweet, spicy fruit has a whisper of vanilla oak, nicely balanced with lemony acidity. Good value, and it’s on sale at the LCBO until July 22.
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07/12/12
When former Midi Bistro owner Pascal Vernhes surveyed his Dundas and Dufferin neighbourhood, he realized there was a serious gap in the market. Aside from a few eateries scattered here and there, he saw a dearth of casual dining options available to the Dundas West crowd. So last Friday, he opened Bivy café.
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07/12/12
When Six Pints Specialty Beer Co., Molson Coors’ craft beer division, took over the Duggan’s Brewery space at 75 Victoria Street, it was renamed The Beer Academy. It’s since become Six Pints’ corporate headquarters, an event space and, as of June 20, a tasting room and retail store.
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07/11/12
Translating into ‘small hummingbird’ in French Creole, Le Ti Colibri is one of Toronto’s first eateries devoted entirely to French Caribbean cuisine. The project of boyfriend-girlfriend team Matthias Laurin (Fressen, Urban Herbivore) and Kristel Procida, Kensington Market’s newest haunt offers up food straight from the islands.
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07/11/12
Dîner en Blanc, the 25-year-old “secret dinner party” from Paris, is finally coming to Toronto on August 9. While a copycat version of the event took place last fall in the Distillery District, this marks the first time that the real deal will be touching down in Toronto. For those hoping to join in on the fun, there are a few things to know about the monochromatic pop-up event.
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07/10/12
Word has it that ex-Drake chef Anthony Rose has some big plans up his sleeve. The ambitious chef-cum-entrepreneur plans to open not one, not two, but three new Toronto eateries in the next two years under the banner of his new restaurant group Rose and Sons. While the exact concept behind the new ventures has yet to be revealed, Rose is emphatic that simple food and a good atmosphere will be the name of the game in his upcoming resto trifecta.
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07/10/12
Toronto’s penchant for pop-ups seems insatiable, and this week a new concept that’s temporarily setting up at 99 Sudbury is showcasing a cuisine that often gets overlooked in this city: Peruvian.
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07/10/12
Situated across from the iconic Lee’s Palace, the Annex location of Rowe Farms is a breath of fresh air from the street-side hustle and bustle. Local products from Kozlik’s, Toorshi Foods and Fred’s Bread line the shelves, though the main attraction is the Ontario-raised meat. Free of antibiotics, growth hormones and animal by-products, the meat comes loaded with flavour.
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07/09/12
From Guu to Don Don Izakaya to the upcoming locations of Nejibee and Kingyo, it's safe to say that izakayas are well on their way to overtaking sushi joints as Toronto's favourite Japanese culinary transplant. And soon there will soon be a new contender competing for izakaya supremacy in Toronto, with beloved Vancouver chain Hapa Izakaya set to touch down in Little Italy this August.
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07/09/12
Last month, the 43-year-old Annex stalwart Indian Rice Factory quietly started making inroads into new culinary territory with the opening of its Chai Bar café. Opened in a converted wooden barn steps away from the main restaurant, the café operates as a grab-and-go extension of Indian Rice Factory, offering Indian chai, coffee, pastries and a compact lunch menu.
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07/09/12
It wasn’t so long ago that if you were looking for some late night eats in Toronto, you’d be hard pressed to find something nutritious, delicious and cheap. Up in Koreatown at Bloor and Christie, the quick, convenient and always reliable Owl of Minerva has been a great 24-hour destination for years.
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07/06/12
As the original restaurant at Maple Leaf Gardens, the members-only Hot Stove Club is steeped in history. First opened in 1963, the venue was moved to the Air Canada Centre in 1999. It’s since lost some of the allure of its halcyon days, though, which is probably why it’s now getting a complete rebuild. Rik Ocvirk, director of restaurants and catering at the ACC, is calling it “the revitalization of a legend.”
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07/06/12
Great news for Toronto’s drunk-food fiends: our favourite artery-clogging, gravy-slathered national snack is coming soon to a street near you — probably. Smoke’s Poutinerie, the burgeoning Canadian franchise that offers 20-plus variants of the iconic dish, has announced four brand spanking new Toronto locations slated to open in the coming months.
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07/06/12
Ontario makes some tasty rosés, which are perfect for matching with food on these warm summer days. This rosé is made from Pinot Noir grapes. It’s salmon-pink in colour with a minerally, raspberry bouquet enhanced by a floral note. On the palate, it’s dry with a red-berry flavour, medium-bodied, fresh and easy-drinking.
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07/05/12
Last month we told you about Quinta, chef Leor Zimerman’s Iberian farmhouse-inspired restaurant on Dundas West. The new spot opened yesterday, and with French technique, Iberian flavours, a Canadian-centric drinks list and decorations sourced from Italy, Asia and beyond, Quinta is a fusion of influences and inspirations. And this cultural mélange is exactly what makes it so unique.
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07/05/12
When it was announced in February that European Quality Meats and Sausages would be closing its Kensington Market location, the obvious concern was that a big-box chain of some sort would open in its place. But the news has been only good since then: Sanagan’s Meat Locker is moving into European’s old spot, and now Leslieville’s much-lauded Hooked is opening a second fish store in Sanagan’s former digs.
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07/04/12
The Burger Press is more than just wordplay fodder. At this new takeout hamburger joint at Queen and Bathurst, pre-seasoned patties are literally pressed to the customers’ specifications, making this eatery a unique entry to Toronto’s flourishing burger scene. Add to that its VIP “press pass” for frequent customers and the extra-spicy “press your luck” hot sauce, and the place certainly gets mileage out of its namesake.
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07/04/12
Perhaps LL Cool J said it best: “Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years.” The sentiment holds true for Krispy Kreme, particularly regarding its position in the Toronto market. Thought to be long gone after a 2005 company restructuring took away locations throughout the city, the maker of unapologetically calorie-rich doughnuts has kept factories going throughout Ontario and has even maintained a tiny shop at Bathurst and Harbord.
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07/03/12
Dan Pantano, chef and owner of Leslieville’s newly-opened GLAS Restaurant, has lived and worked across the globe, cooking in Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and acting as personal chef for high-flyers in London. But his first solo venture diverges from that jet-setting past, finding its roots squarely in the local.
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06/29/12
After much hype, Leslieville’s Paulette’s Original Donuts and Chicken is finally open. The work of young entrepreneur Devin Connell (Delica Kitchen), this ode to chicken and doughnuts was inspired by Connell’s grandma, Paulette, whose kitchen philosophy was to enjoy happy foods.
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06/28/12
While Mexican food and tacos have seemingly become synonymous with Toronto’s restaurant scene, it’s worth remembering that our southern, southern neighbour actually has a flourishing culinary tradition of leavened bread as well. And Pancho’s Bakery, which was Toronto’s first Mexican bakery when it opened in 2009, is here to make sure we don’t forget that, having opened its third location last week next to Dufferin Station.
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06/27/12
Barley and hops sit near the top of almost every beer recipe, so the owners of King West’s newest restaurant shortened both words to make Bar Hop the name of their new craft beer venture.
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06/27/12
Anton Potvin had enough of walking the floor every night at his marvellous Niagara Street Café, and his friends, the husband-and-wife culinary team of Tobey Nemeth and Michael Caballo, were just back from four years of cooking their way around the world. They made the deal, sealed it with a tequila, and shazam, Niagara Street Café became Edulis, Nemeth and Caballo’s new baby.
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06/26/12
Making its first foray into Toronto, Ruelo Patisserie has long called Richmond Hill home. Owner Jacqueline Lo, pastry chef extraordinaire, has been in the biz now for some four years, and hopes to slowly set up camp throughout the city, gaining customers one macaron at a time. Her new Toronto location opened near Yonge and Eglinton last month
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