In 2002, before high-quality espresso had made serious inroads into Toronto, Balzac’s Coffee Roasters opened in the Distillery District as one of the first artisanal coffee shops in the city. Four years later, a new location opened in Liberty Village, and now founder Diana Olsen is set to open two new ventures in Toronto.
Last summer, we reported that Queen West’s La Palette had pulled horse from its menu after a Toronto Star article shed some light on the shadier aspects of the horse slaughter industry. Well, after months of deliberation, La Palette is bringing the controversial delicacy back.
For the few who don’t tune in to W Network (i.e. straight dudes), Heather White and Lori Joyce are Gemini-award-winning, Dragon’s-Den-triumphing, Canadian reality TV royalty right now. Their “docu-soap,” The Cupcake Girls, is the story of how the best friends build their B.C. cupcake franchise, Cupcakes by Heather and Lori. Put simply, the show rocks. But how good are the cupcakes? Torontonians will soon find out, because the girls are taking over a streetcar this Saturday.
Toronto’s midtown received some healthy culinary injections in the last year with the likes of Cuisine of India, an institution that relocated from North York, and the critically acclaimed Falasca SPQR. Now, Leslieville’s popular Lil’ Baci has chosen the neighbourhood for its second outpost.
Ask Ronen Shnaider why he got into burgers, and the answer is simple, if a little unexpected: “I got religious.” Burgers, apparently, are ideal fare for a strictly kosher restaurant. With that notion in mind, Shnaider opened Burgy’s Goldburger Burger Bar in Thornhill a few months ago.
This week, we asked Chef Alex Bruveris, Maléna’s current head chef, for his “breakthrough” recipe. Only 23 years old, Bruveris has worked in a number of notable kitchens (including Auberge du Pommier and Enoteca Sociale). His passion for his craft is undeniable: the man has vegetables tattooed on his bicep. Herewith, Bruveris shares a recipe for braised rabbit and explains the significance of this particular dish.
Robert Burns was born Jan. 25, 1759. His birthday is celebrated all over the world. Best known for having written “To a Mouse” and “Auld Lang Syne,” he also wrote “Address to a Haggis,” an ode to Scotland’s notorious national dish. Burns called it the “great chieftain o’ the pudding race,” but if you find it hard to think of haggis as a delicacy, think of it as sheep recycling. In honour of Burns, let’s consider the haggis, which he immortalized with a “grace as lang’s my arm.”
The biggest news of the day, without question, is bound to be the announcement that a $100 hot dog is now available in Vancouver. Too bad Toronto went through this whole thing last year (get with it, Vancouver) with the now-infamous and hugely unsuccessful $100 burger. The two PR stunts are pretty much exactly the same, so why not do the obvious and compare them head-to-head?
If you miss the zoot suit-wearing bad boys of the Mexican-American pachuco subculture, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find a fitting and delicious tribute on the Danforth, just east of Broadview. Bringing a bundle of new flavours to the city, sisters Eren, Jais and Mali Fernandez have teamed up to open Pachuco, a traditional Mexican restaurant with a contemporary spin.
What could pair better with food than film? Other than wine, beer, cocktails and all the other things that food pairs amazingly with? The answer: not a whole lot. So it’s fitting that TIFF Bell Lightbox is commemorating the matchup with an upcoming subscription series entitled Food on Film, hosted by chef Jason Bangerter of Luma and O&B Canteen.
No matter how mild January gets this year, Toronto’s winter weather is hardly conducive to thoughts of southern-style barbeque. For most of us, that is. But standing tall between a truck wash and a Mister Transmission at O’Connor and Sunrise, in the former Rock & Roll Heaven spot, Rally Sports Bar and Smokehouse serves up wood-smoked barbeque delights to sports-loving East Yorkers. Its grand opening is tonight.
Sometimes there’s nothing better than throwing routine out the window and preparing one of your favourite breakfast items for dessert in the evening. Get the kids and your spouse involved. Everything tastes better when all hands are on deck! Cream cheese–stuffed French toast Apple-cinnamon waffles Banana–chocolate chip loaf
