October 2012

After bouncing the idea around for the past seven years, Diana Sideris and Rony Goraichy have decided to expand Tabülè, their popular Yonge Street Middle Eastern restaurant, to the east end. Having secured a space at 810 Queen Street East, near Bonjour Brioche, they hope to open by February of next year.

Sandy De Almeida may only have been at The Drake Hotel for around a month, but she’s already put her mark on the menu. Slinging drinks behind the Lounge bar, the west-end bartender says that in addition to her duties at the hotel, she still pours at Churchill and Reposado — though it’s only here that one can toss back a Deliverance ($14).

There’s no shortage of trendy new restaurants opening in Little Italy these days, but now good old-fashioned pho is making its way to the neighborhood too. Popular Junction restaurant Pho Huong is bringing its Vietnamese cuisine to the site of the short-lived Adam’s Sushi at 598 College Street.

The Grilled Cheese, Kensington Market’s go-to joint for melted cheese goodness, originally brought in the Apple Crisp sandwich ($8) as a special. When it started outselling everything else, the eatery decided to let patrons chow down on it whenever they so desired.

Opened in 2001 in Toronto’s Little India neighbourhood, Udupi Palace specializes in south Indian vegetarian cuisine but also offers northern Indian fare as well as fusion dishes, incorporating Asian flavours.

Friday Restaurant Recap rounds up the week’s Toronto restaurant news. In this edition: a new Italian joint for Dundas West, a mobile pizzeria, a makeover for Reds Bistro and more.

Over at Bloor and Clinton in Koreatown, Japas opened in the old Camto corner lot on Wednesday. The concept: a Japanese tapas and oyster bar with plenty of Japanese beer and cocktails flowing. It’s also meant to be distinctly un-izakaya in nature (read: no yelling and no gongs) while offering a fun, casual space for people to meet and share a few bites over drinks.  

This is a copybook introductory white Burgundy at an affordable price. It’s straw in colour, with a bouquet of fennel, peanut and apple notes; on the palate, expect a crisp yellow apple flavour. The wine is medium-bodied with good length. A versatile food wine.

Good fruit beers can go in one of two directions. The special ingredient is either buried deep in the background, faintly whistling a quiet but distinctive tune, or the flavour is unmistakable and right at the front, like the horns section of an orchestra. Spearhead's Hawaiian Pale Ale, with its gentle hint of pineapple, is a good example of the former, while this week's beer, Cannery Brewing Company’s Blackberry Porter, is definitely the latter.

With enRoute’s 2012 edition of Canada’s best new restaurants list, the magazine has confirmed what Torontonians already knew: “The city’s dining scene is on fire.” Six of the 10 restaurants on the list are from Toronto, including Niagara Street’s Edulis, which snagged the number one spot.