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Category: Food

The Taste of Tuscany

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Eureka! I may have found a neighbourhood eatery, in my own neighbourhood, that is worth the walk. Opened only three months ago, by Ned Spahic, after eight successful years as executive chef at Sette Mezzo a few blocks away, Balsamico is the latest addition to the Yonge stroll north of Davisville.

Midday meal as modern art

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Marc Thuet’s Summerhill experiment, Petite Thuet, dovetails seamlessly into the Rosedale neighbourhood — with its high-end breakfast pastries; lunches of boxed sandwiches, soup and salad; prepared dinner staples for reheating at home; and desserts.

How to cook a perfect 'mess o' crabs'

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I love the taste of crab in the morning… or evening for that matter. The sweet taste of cooked and chilled fresh crab, picked from the shell, over a glass of Sauvignon Blanc would make anyone feel better after a hard day of work. To cook a “mess-o-crab” it is best to get them cold in an ice bath first. This gets them into a hibernate state. Sometimes, if you cook them straight out of the box, the little legs will pop off. Get a salted stock (water salty enough to taste like the ocean), a few veggies to make a court bouillon, and a bottle of beer and bring it all to a rolling boil.

Sip a molecular masterpiece at barchef

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Craft breweries are one thing and wine bars another, but if you’re looking for a new adventure in alcohol, take to barchef — part science lab, part lounge and the leader of Toronto’s burgeoning molecular cocktail scene. Push through the heavy double doors on Queen West (just east of Bathurst), let your eyes adjust to the low light and pull up a stool in front of Frankie Solarik, executive barchef and owner.

On a wing and a player

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With the Bills in town Dec. 3, we asked NFL Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas to rate our city’s best Buffalo wings

It's all about local at Corktown's Gilead Café

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The Gilead Café has an obscure location, in an alley south off King Street, but what a charming and casual venue. Here Chef Jamie Kennedy is doing what he loves to do: selecting the very best local fare from farmers and food producers, crafting the products in his long established creative, minimal way, and adding culinary touches that are all about harmonious and complementary flavours and textures.

A blind wine tasting at the new Splendido

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The new Splendido has a very casual but elegant atmosphere. It’s a great place to take a first date, have a 50th anniversary, or just to meet for a business dinner. Together with a group of good friends, all who have extensive wine cellars, we gathered to taste the fruits of the wonderful 1990 vintage. The tasting was conducted with all of the wines masked and numbered by the restaurant staff. There were 12 wines in all, presented in two flights of six bottles.

These fish will make your tastebuds smelt

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Smelts are a lovely small whitefish, usually six-to-nine inches in length, with a sweet, clean flavour. The smelt is mostly fried up, but some will pickle them as well. The smelts come up river by the thousands to spawn in the early spring and folks will just stand in the river and fish them out with dip nets — like shooting fish in a barrel. There is, however, a winter smelt fishery — if you happen to find the right person willing to brave the cold. The meat is the sweetest and tastiest around. No sauce required, no lemon, just sweet, firm smelts.

The secret technique behind Toronto's best fries

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For some people, when it comes to french fries, they’ll drive across town in rush-hour traffic to get a taste of their favourite treat. If you ask my daughter, she likes McD’s. However, I quite enjoy the frites at Pastis. They’re crispy, golden, lightly salted and delightfully addictive (reminds me of the days when I worked at Le Bistingo). At Starfish, people are always asking how we make our fries. So here’s a few tips and secrets that’ll help you make a similar version at home.

Best cappuccino: Luscious java in Leslieville

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The secret has been out for a while now. That’s why there is usually a lineup out the door. It isn’t just Leslieville locals racing to get their morning pick-me-up anymore, the rest of Toronto has caught on.