As raw vegan dieting moves from the fringe to the mainstream (no doubt inspired by the arrival of bathing suit season) we test dishes from two of T.O.’s signature raw food restaurants to find out if they’re really as healthy as they seem.
The theme for this year’s Southern Ontario Oyster Festival is “Grit Happens.” What the shuck does that mean? Well, it’s an homage to the wild western movie True Grit, and the dirt that, at times, finds its way into a freshly shucked oyster. Hey, it happens.
I’ve always thought that Ontario could make world-class rosé, and in a couple of cases we do. Southbrook Connect Rosé 2010 is not your run-of-the-mill pink wine. This one is deep pink with an orange tint. It has a nose of strawberry compote and flavours of strawberries and redcurrants. Full in the mouth with a touch of sweetness in mid-palate, it has enough citrus acidity to finish dry and clean. Food match: serve with chicken salad or grilled ham.
Ever had a smoked hamburger before? Neither had David Neinstein over at Barque Smokehouse, until recently. “I’ve got a big-ass smoker,” he says, “so why not smoke some burgers?” He’s looking at adding hamburgers to Barque’s menu anyway, and figured Canada Day would be a good time to test them out. People are apparently digging them so far.
In Death Proof’s seedy Texan watering hole scene, Quentin Tarantino’s signature cameo character — this time a wily sleaze of a barkeep — feeds shots of mysterious green liqueur to his unwitting and saturated clientele. His response to a post-quaff barrage of gag-reflexes and slurred obscenities is an emphatic defense: “Chartreuse! The only liquor so good, they named a colour after it!”
It was a good run while it lasted. For the past eight months, pop-up restaurant Drake BBQ has been cooking up some of the best pulled pork and beef brisket in the city. Over the weekend, The Drake Hotel announced via Twitter that it will be closing its takeout barbecue shop on July 2 to focus on its Dining Roadshow. We’re also told that some significant expansions will be taking place.
It’s an exciting time for Liberty Village these days. First came Liberty Belle Bistro, then The Beer Boutique. Now, a new restaurant from the team behind South of Temperance and Joy Bistro Bar is on the horizon. Williams Landing, tentatively set for a mid-July opening, is bringing with it a fresh and local approach to food, not to mention a spacious 175-seat patio.
With the recent influx of good barbecue in the city, Torontonians have a bit less incentive to drive all the way to Whitby or Oshawa for a taste of Buster Rhino’s Southern BBQ. That’s not to say that many won’t still do it, but it’s looking like Buster Rhino’s is heading to Toronto anyway. “Everything’s looking very promising for this year,” owner Darryl Koster says of a possible move to downtown. “If I had any doubts, I wouldn’t be saying that.”
Before sampling the inaugural offering of the newly-minted Spearhead Brewing Company, the Hawaiian Style Pale Ale, at a tasting at Allen’s on the Danforth, I had never had the opportunity to sample a true Hawaiian pale ale. I had been making jokes about the beer being made with pineapple that very afternoon. Turns out I was right.
My first clue that Terroni’s long awaited and latest incarnation, Bar Centrale, was going to feature a drastically different menu than its original pizza-pasta formula was seeing carpaccio di cavallo — otherwise known as horse meat — on the menu. Is the Rosedale set really ready for horse?
Those of us who were waiting for the highly anticipated opening of Black Hoof and Company (read: all of us) are probably going to want to give up on the breath-holding: co-owner Jen Agg announced yesterday that the opening will be delayed. For an entire year.
Father’s Day weekend is shaping up to be lager than life with Ontario Craft Beer Week, starting this Sunday. The week-long, province-wide celebration of Ontario Craft Brewers (OCB) will consist of over 100 events, educating us on such essentials as which chocolate pairs best with which beer and how bacon tastes with a pint (our guess: sweet).
