Joanne Kates once said that nothing changes at Romagna Mia restaurant, and until recently, she was right. For the past 13 years, patrons have been packing themselves in for chef Gabriele Paganelli’s famed house-made salumi, decadent risotto and other Italian fare. But sometimes change is necessary – and big changes are on the horizon.
Harbour no illusions about the perils of Twinkies: new studies indicate that the over-consumption of junk food not only makes you fat, it makes you stupid. Results gleaned from a study by the Avon Longitudinal Institute of Parents and Children indicate that young kids who consume a diet high in sugars, fats and processed foods mature with a lower IQ. Conversely, those kiddies who are fed a nutrient-rich diet laden with vitamins grow up to exhibit higher levels of intelligence.
What’s refreshing, electric orange in hue, and popping up all over Toronto’s cocktail lists? Aperol, an herb-laced Italian aperitif originated in 1919 by the Barbieri company of Padua. It’s like Campari’s sweeter, less alcoholic cousin.
Not too long ago, Patrick McMurray of Starfish looked into the wild-versus-farmed seafood debate for PostCity.com. That debate has just gotten even more pertinent. According to a new study published in BioScience, wild oysters are “functionally extinct” in many parts of the world.
First it was board games, then it was bowling. Now, ping pong is coming to Toronto. The team that first brought ping pong social club SPiN to New York in 2009 is in the midst of opening a 12,000 square foot branch near King and Spadina, set to open this summer.
Bar Salumi may have started as an overflow spot where waiting patrons of Local Kitchen & Wine Bar could have a drink and maybe a quick snack, but it’s branching out and building its own identity on the Queen West strip. And that’s a good thing for Parkdale residents, because Bar Salumi will soon be adding pizza to its menu.
Move over, old Red Eye, there’s a new brew in town. Although beer has been used as a cocktail ingredient in old faithfuls like Black Velvets and Boilermakers, as well as the lesser known Bière Flambée mixtures from Europe, only now is it starting to shine on Toronto’s cocktail lists. Attributed partly to both a broadening public interest in mixology and the diversity of flavours now available from a myriad of craft breweries, beer is making quite a splash with the city’s cocktail enthusiasts.
For anyone who hasn’t tried Sense Appeal, a recently opened indie café on Spadina, tomorrow would be a good time. The café is giving away free Americanos all day in celebration of 100 Facebook “likes.” They’ll be doing the same thing, with a different menu item, for every 100 “likes” to follow.
These days, Google is the king of on-the-fly recipe searches, but deciding which website and recipe to go with still requires a bit of legwork. For something more instant-gratification friendly, Foodily was launched yesterday by a couple of former Yahoo execs. The new site compiles recipe search results side by side, like recipe cards, and also integrates Facebook. Because what is cooking without social networking, anyway?
Dundas West is the carnivore’s gift that keeps on giving. This time, the insanely popular Black Hoof brand is set to expand in April, when The Hoof Café – originally a brunch-centric sister to The Black Hoof – will become Black Hoof & Company, a full-fledged dinner restaurant with two tasting menus (no a-la-carte). Contrary to previous Black Hoof ethos, tables at BHCO will be available for reservation.
This Valentine’s Day, try one of my decadent, yet lighter chocolate desserts. These recipes contain at least half the fat and calories of store-bought or restaurant versions. And don’t forget that there is more evidence to suggest that dark chocolate may be good for you.
As Veguary descends upon Toronto (for the uninitiated, it’s kind of like Movember, but for aspiring vegetarians), we find this news from Reuters: scientists in South Carolina are trying to figure out how to grow meat from scratch. Picture a steak that’s grown in a lab with the latest bioengineering technology. Sounds gross, but it could come in handy when the world runs out of food in 2050.
