Thomas Bachelder used to make wine for Ontario’s Le Clos Jordanne winery. Two years ago he struck out on his own to make Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in three different regions — Ontario, Oregon and Burgundy — under his own label. All three Chardonnays have just been released at Vintages. The one that’s drinking best at the moment is Bachelder Niagara Chardonnay 2009. Food match: salmon or pheasant.
The Caesar salad has been around since the 1920s and is still made with similar ingredients — but I’ve added my lighter twist in three delicious takes on the classic. Hail Caesar!
The area around Dundas and Dufferin is seeing a flurry of action these days, with several new restaurants and bars having opened or opening soon: Midfield Wine Bar & Tavern, Nono’s and This End Up. Earlier this month, The Federal opened up for daytime service in the old Zoots Café space, with plans to expand to dinners in the near future.
Smock, which calls itself a “café and wonder workshop,” is a work in progress. In around six weeks, the large, airy location on Roncesvalles will be transformed into a family-friendly café-cum-creative space, but for now the wooden counter is still rough and the unfinished floor is littered with paint and tools.
Little Italy has been on the upswing as of late, with restaurants like Acadia, Woodlot and Frank’s Kitchen having set up shop in the area over the last few years. Still, College Street appears to have just lost one of its more interesting options: Live and Breathe.
This week, we asked Chris Kalisperas, executive chef at Brassaii, to tell us about his breakthrough dish. While Kalisperas calls Toronto home, he spent a few formative years (cooking-wise, at least) in Cyprus. After returning to Toronto, Kalisperas spent time in the kitchens at Flow and Centro before settling at Brasaii. Here, Kalisperas shares a recipe from his childhood.
There are few things I remember dreading more in life than participating in “breakfast and tell” while in kindergarten. After Suzy, in her OshKosh B’gosh overalls, finished sharing the details of drowning her Frosted Flakes in chocolate milk, it was my turn to stand up and tell the class that my mom made me some sort of soupy rice (congee) to go with an a.m. helping of wooly, dried, shredded pork (rousong), sardines in tomato sauce and pickled bok choy.
The world’s first Harvey’s restaurant, which was built in Richmond Hill in 1959, has been torn down to make way for condos. And according to the National Post, not too many people were up in arms at the prospect of losing the place.
Walking into Parkdale’s Chantecler, the new Canadiana-fusion joint that’s opened up in the old Mangez space, you’d think it had been there forever. Named after a chicken breed native to Canada, the 26-seat Parkdale bistro has a warm, comfortable feel that’s accentuated with sophisticated attention to detail.
It’s fair to say there’s been some major buzz in the Toronto blogosphere about Ursa, the new restaurant on Queen West that’s opened in the old Bar One space. Much of the ado surrounds the fact that the super-healthy menu, which includes probiotic delights such as homemade kefir, Kombucha fermented tea and house-cultured walnut yogurt, also happens to be super-tasty.
Don’t confuse the Montepulciano grape with the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano produced from Sangiovese grapes in Tuscany. It’s more on the rustic side. Dense purple-black in colour, this wine has an earthy, blackcurrant nose and a chunky mouth feel. There’s good concentration of black fruit flavours here and an intriguing spicy note. Terrific value. Food match: spaghetti puttanesca or fresh Parmesan cheese.
The bartender is in at The Drake Hotel. At least that’s what the new sign in the dining room says. The perpetually hip venue has just opened a cocktail bar in the corner of its dining room, which boasts an extensive lineup of drinks, like the Hanky Panky (gin, sweet vermouth and Fernet Branca, $14) and the Boulevardier (bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth, $14).
