As condo developers fill in the holes between Lakeshore and Eglinton, they have to take a different approach to street-level retail. At Bathurst and St. Clair, that means that Starbucks and Menchie’s have been joined with independent grocer Bari’s Fine Food.
If you swing by Oddseoul late on a Tuesday eve, don’t expect the scene to be low-key. Communal tables are rammed as patrons chow down on eats from mash-up maestros Leemo and Leeto Han (think bulgogi cheesesteak and squash poutine). Music is loud, conversation is lively and drinks are a-flowing.
After opening in Kensington Market’s El Gordo food court last November, Jamaican-Italian food stand Rasta Pasta will soon move into more permanent digs at 61 Kensington Ave., in the spot formerly occupied by the just-shuttered Hogtown Charcuterie.
Toronto has been waiting for a restaurant from chef Matt Kantor for a long time now. After his plans for a west-end Spanish-influenced restaurant called Baiko fell through last year, the man behind Secret Pickle Supper Club and Little Kitchen catering service has partnered up with the owners of The Commissary to open Bero, a new restaurant that’s set to launch in July.
This is restaurateur Franco Prevedello’s own Prosecco, grown in his hometown in the hills above Venice. Almost water-white in colour, this delightful sparkler is off-dry with white peach flavours; elegant and refreshing with good length.
The popularity of Japan’s national drink is exploding in Ontario, but how can you choose a sake out of the dozens of varieties available at the LCBO, or even from half a dozen options at a sushi bar? For those of us not fortunate enough to have a ticket for tonight’s Kampai Toronto Sake Festival at the Distillery District, here is a rundown on selecting sake.
Brace yourselves, folks, the Cuvée des Jacobins from Bockor Brewery is the sourest beer I’ve written about here. Like the other two sour ales we’ve discussed (Panil Barriquée and Rodenbach Classic), it’s a Flemish red.
Last week we reported that chef Patrick Kriss had parted ways with Acadia, and now chef Matt Blondin — also ex-Acadia — has announced that he is no longer affiliated with Momofuku Daishō. That means two of Toronto’s most talented chefs are now apparently free agents.
For those who aren’t familiar with the Don Valley, it’s easy to think of the place as a hobo-riddled wasteland, vaguely forest-like, where the wildlife — if it can be called that — subsists off the rampant urban refuse. Which is probably why, when I told people that I was going to forage for food there, a common response was, “Ugh.”
Wellington Street’s Marben is aiming to stay ahead of the curve. Earlier this month, the downtown eatery relaunched with a decor facelift and a menu revamp.
By lindsaylow
If Grant van Gameren were a one-trick pony, you would not be reading this column. Because he would have opened son of The Black Hoof, and why bother with that? After Grant, who was its founding chef, left the Hoof in 2011, he ate his way around Europe, finding most felicity in the tapas of … Continued
Grant van Gameren — chef-owner of the buzzy new Bar Isabel — tastes the offerings from the city’s top butcher shops and artisanal meat purveyors.
