Made from the Pais grape — the grape first planted by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century — this light pink sparkler has flavours of sour cherry and blood orange. It’s beautifully dry and refreshing. Makes an excellent aperitif.
During the first week of December in 1837, William Lyon Mackenzie led a ragtag gang of rebels down Yonge Street in an attempt to overthrow the government and capture Toronto. The insurrection was quickly and easily put down by colonial authorities.
The weather was flawless last night as The Stop once again set up shop in the alley and parking lot behind Honest Ed’s for its annual Night Market. With tickets for the two-night event selling out in just two hours, you would have expected the usual pandemonium from a city food event, but instead, the crowd was calm as it weaved its way through 40-plus vendors serving everything from beef tartare to custom cocktails.
By lindsaylow
The restaurant space on Winchester Street has been a killer forever. Whoever goes in there sinks like stone. There have been some dogs in that space … and some good ones that also died. What do foodies have against Cabbagetown, other than it isn’t Dundas West? As the days lengthen, a stroll around Cabbagetown’s mannered … Continued
Bar Isabel is one of the city’s hottest eateries. Chef Grant van Gameren’s ode to the Barcelonan tapas bar comes gussied up with mismatched tiles and multicoloured pendant lamps, which act as a charming backdrop to the murmur of folks tucking into their grub. Noteworthy eats include the whole fish ceviche and a dish of porcini, scallop and oh-so-tender blood sausage.
Since opening his first coffee shop on Harbord Street in 2009, Sam James has tweaked his product relentlessly. He’s pimped out his espresso machines, added high-tech water filtration systems and undergone sommelier training to refine his palate. And now he’s taken one of his biggest steps yet: he’s roasting his own coffee.
Produced from the fruit of 80-year-old Assyrtiko vines, this wine is pale straw in colour. You can smell the volcanic soil in which the grapes were grown, giving it a minerally, smoky, melon nose; it’s medium-bodied with a crisply dry, crab apple flavour carried on lively acidity.
“Beer with fruit; German tradition; premixed beer cocktail; refreshing; juice beer; official drink of cyclists.” Such was the seesaw stream of thoughts that tormented me this week while preparing to write about the Stiegl Grapefruit Radler. This grapefruit version of the radler — a premixed beer cocktail — is currently available at the LCBO.
Summer’s almost here, and that means that heavy desserts are the last thing Torontonians crave to round off a meal. Sorbet may be the easy go-to choice, but panna cotta — the traditional Italian dessert — is perfect for sweltering summer days: it’s light, and it even has a JLo-worthy jiggle. Here are six Hogtown joints that are putting their own spin on panna cotta.
In Montreal, Buonanotte has been a nightlife staple for over 20 years. A shining example of bacchanalian fun, the swanky Italian joint is the kind of place where, come a certain hour, tabletop dancing is seen as de rigueur. The Toronto chapter, which opened earlier this year, is slightly more demure, though it has been bringing in ready-to-party crowds since day one.
Made from a field blend of old vines destined for port, this rugged red table wine is dense purple in colour with a nose of spicy blackberries; it’s a full-bodied, powerful wine — dry and fruity with earthy notes, firmly structured with ripe tannins. Ideal to accompany barbecued meats.
Spearhead Brewing Company, which is one of Ontario’s most inventive contract brewers, has established a knack for making delicious beer with oddball ingredients. For its first release, the Hawaiian Pale Ale, it used pineapple, and now the brewery has spiked its second creation, the Moroccan Brown Ale, with figs, raisins, dates and cinnamon.
