We were kind of hoping it was less of a “trend” and more of a “this-is-how-we-do-things-from-now-on,” but apparently locally produced food is once again at the forefront Canada’s top 10 restaurant trends. The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association surveyed over 500 chefs to reveal what’s making waves in Canada’s restaurants this year. The full list is below.
New York’s celebrated culinary master David Chang, chef and owner of the popular Momofuku restaurant group, including the Michelin-starred Momofuku Ko, may be coming to Toronto. The Twitterverse was rife with rumours this morning, ignited by a forum posting that claimed Toronto’s upcoming Shangri-La Hotel had “landed” David Chang. This morning, Chang tweeted the following cryptic, though optimism-inducing, message: “hello southern ontario … late late 2012ish?”
Earlier this month, fans of Harbord Street’s Pizza Gigi probably thought they’d never see the place open again. Its legacy would be comprised of an endless tirade of oregano jokes, with some pizza nostalgia on the side. Well, Pizza Gigi is back and ready to serve. Apparently, the place wasn’t closed down due to the now-infamous police raid, but because of renovations, which are now complete.
Get ready to start paying more for coffee. According to The Wall Street Journal, increased demand for high-quality coffee combined with some poor harvests has meant that coffee prices are skyrocketing. The price of Arabica coffee, for example, has increased 48 per cent in the last six months alone. It’s a trend that’s almost certain to affect prices at coffee shops in Toronto and elsewhere.
A groundbreaking new shot glass known as the Can-Pour looks exactly like a standard shot glass. A drink poured with it tastes exactly the same as any other drink. It feels the same and works in the same way. But it could save Canadian bars and restaurants thousands of dollars per year.
Ever since the word got out that Victory Cafe changed ownership earlier this month, fans of the Mirvish Village stalwart have been a little jittery that impending changes would mean the end of their favourite pub. We even caught wind of a rumour on Twitter that the new owner planned to transform it into a sports bar. The reality isn’t quite so drastic – at least for now.
There are currently around 180 master sommeliers in the entire world, just three of which are from Canada. Toronto’s Jennifer Huether is the latest addition. She earned the distinction earlier this month, becoming the first female in the country – and one of the very few in the world – to do so.
It’s not uncommon to find espressos served with chocolate at many of Toronto’s craft coffee bars, but how about pure cacao beans? Starting Monday, espressos at Sense Appeal Coffee Roasters will be served with roasted cacao beans that have been flavour-paired with the coffee blend. “I used to be a sommelier,” says co-owner Peter Adamo. “I’ve never seen a pairing as dramatic as what I’ve seen with cacao and coffee.”
James Chatto, beloved Toronto food critic and native Englishman, knows his shepherd’s pies. When Post City had a hankering to find the city’s finest rendition of the pub classic, we knew whom to call.
We’re pretty sure that April hasn’t arrived, so we were surprised to find what seemed to be a prank making its rounds on the webosphere today: a story about Rogers Cable’s new “Rotisserie Channel,” starting Feb. 28. Well, it’s not a prank, and the channel features (you guessed it) chickens roasting on a spit over the fire, 24/7 (for ambience, of course).
Pregnant women, alcohol abstainers and under-aged diners rejoice! No longer shall you be slated into the same, lackluster beverage categories when you go out to eat: fresh, tasty non-alcoholic options that don’t contain alarmingly high levels of sugar or aspartame are sprouting up citywide in the form of mocktails, The Globe reports.
Get ready to start eating lots of sardines. According to an American Association for the Advancement of Science panel meeting, predatory fish like tuna and grouper will be virtually non-existent by 2050, while smaller fish like sardines and anchovies will be in abundance. The news isn’t all bad: at least something’s going to survive the apocalypse of 2012.
