Posted by Sheryl Kirby in news and media, what's cooking on July 3, 2009 at 5:42 pm

Here's all the tasty bits from around Toronto today...

Wayne Roberts takes the government to task for not supporting local agriculture, a situation that has seen acreage disappear, canning facilities shut down, sheep farmers competing with super-cheap product from New Zealand, and chefs with a desire to support local food systems losing out to competition happy to serve imports. [NOW]

The city strike is hurting local restaurants. Some cannot open because they're waiting for city permits, while smaller businesses are struggling with the issue of garbage - as in, what to do with it when the city's not picking it up and you can't afford a private contractor. [Toronto Star] [Toronto Life]

On a stretch of the Danforth, Ethiopian restaurants are popping up, provoking some local residents to consider asking for a name change to "Little Ethiopia". Not sure how this would effect the existing Ethiopian strip at Bloor and Ossington but if there's enough business to support them all, we're all for it. [Posted Toronto]

Controversy is stirring over "cellared in Canada" wines - they sell exceptionally well because they're cheap, but they take away from sales of locally-grown stuff. However getting rid of them completely could also detrimentally affect the local wine industry. [Gremolata]

A recap of the first Summer Evening Tasting Series at the Gardiner - whiskey and oysters on that fabulous terrace. It runs until 9pm - you've still got time to get there! [Spotlight Toronto]

Posted by Adam Pesce in SOLE food, beverages, wine on July 3, 2009 at 1:04 pm

Toronto is doing everything it can to become the centre of the local food movement. Restaurateurs such as Anthony Rose (The Drake), Roberto Martella (Grano) and Christopher MacDonald (Cava) have all championed buying their goods close to home, but have overlooked Ontario wine as a local resource. Reinforcing an already unfortunate perception of poor quality, too many of Toronto's top restaurants have not paid enough attention to the wines we grow just down the road.

When the average consumer thinks of fine wine, the minds dart to France, Italy and, to a lesser extent, Australia and Argentina. Rarely does Ontario, or any Canadian wine for that matter, receive the respect and kudos it deserves. Marred by the cheap and unpleasant $7.45 Ontario wines sold at the LCBO, Niagara and Prince Edward County's fine wine establishments are playing at a serious disadvantage. Often filled with juice from Argentina or Chile's lesser grape growers, the cheapest Ontario wines that do not bear the Vitners' Quality Assurance (VQA) stamp of approval do measurable damage to the perception of all wines from Ontario.

This doesn't need to be the case according to some. John Gay was formerly general manager of Susur and Scaramouche, and currently a wine broker representing a wholly Ontario wine list, and doesn't think Ontario wines get their due respect around town. He notes, "we don't support our local wines like they do in BC. The poor nature of non-VQA wines does measurable damage to our perception of quality." His point is validated at any number of fine dining establishments in Toronto. Ontario wines are constantly the anomaly, not the norm, and in many cases, when they do make the list, they are among the cheapest and lowest quality.

Posted by Greg Clow in events, events upcoming, flavours of the day on July 3, 2009 at 7:00 am

EVENTS

Food!: Sink Your Teeth Into Science
Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Road
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
various admission prices
Explore the relationship between food and science in a wide variety of mini-experiments and demonstrations throughout the Centre. Learn how we digest food; how worms digest food - vermicomposting; the misconceptions around eating insects; how butter is made from cream; test your lunch box for it’s cooling effectiveness; learn about rotting foods; understand what your food labels are really saying; test real vs. fake flavours; and much more. Continues to October 12th.
[more info]

The Hot Spot
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West
various times
free admission
The Hot Spot will explore the pulse of new creative endeavors within the worlds of film, music, dance, and food and that have come from Africa with Highlife and Hiplife, South Asia with the phenomenon of Bollywood and Latin America with the rise of Garifuna culture and fusion of dance and martial art that is Capoeira. Continues to July 5th.
[more info]

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in news and media, what's cooking on July 2, 2009 at 6:59 pm

Here's what's tasty in Toronto today...

• Squeak, squeak, squeak! Poutini's simple, straight-up poutine wins Steven Davey's approval, from the homemade gravy to the super-squeaky curds. [NOW]
• Why stop at vanilla, chocolate and strawberry? Tropical Treets makes ice cream in a plethora of delightful flavours. [Metro]
• People stood in line for hours yesterday for a free meal at one of 21 Mandarin locations. Cost estimates for the day were running around $500,000, but they're sure to make that back in repeat customers and free publicity. [Toronto Star]
• Many of the ALaCarte street food vendors seem to be missing in action. [BlogTO]
• Making good use of garlic scapes. [Toronto Star]

Posted by Bronwyn Singleton in bbq, restaurant review on July 2, 2009 at 12:56 pm

Wow Rotisserie Chicken Inc.
567 King Street West
416-596-9651
Dinner for two including taxes, and pop or water: $28

Something interesting is going down on King West. A crop of un-chained fast food outlets has popped up, breaking the mono-cultural mold for this business model. Wow Rotisserie Chicken is a fine addition to this force, joining Reggie's, Lou Dawg's, and Craft Burger in the Battle at Golden Arch.

Wow is a smallish shop suitable for eating in or takeaway. The dining room is sunny yellow, and sparkling with newness - perhaps even a bit too perfect for a chicken joint - although slightly bizarre accents including French prints, a jade ship, and a lucky Chinese money-catcher cat add character.

Posted by Greg Clow in events, events upcoming, flavours of the day on July 2, 2009 at 7:00 am

EVENTS

Food!: Sink Your Teeth Into Science
Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Road
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
various admission prices
Explore the relationship between food and science in a wide variety of mini-experiments and demonstrations throughout the Centre. Learn how we digest food; how worms digest food - vermicomposting; the misconceptions around eating insects; how butter is made from cream; test your lunch box for it’s cooling effectiveness; learn about rotting foods; understand what your food labels are really saying; test real vs. fake flavours; and much more. Continues to October 12th.
[more info]

LUNCHES & DINNERS

The Local Food Movement Dinner Series
Gilead Cafe, 4 Gilead Place
6:30 PM
$60 - call 416-362-1957 ext 380 to reserve
Learn more about the local food movement from the people involved, and meet artisan food producers, wine makers and cheese makers through this informative, intimate dinner series. Enjoy a three course menu prepared by Chef Jamie Kennedy, inspired by the work of our rural partners in food and wine. For a list of participating producers and wineries, see the link below.
[more info]

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in news and media, what's cooking on July 1, 2009 at 6:06 pm

Here's what's tasty in Toronto today...

The farmers' markets run by the city (Nathan Phillip Square, Metro Hall, etc) will be back up and running as of tomorrow, albeit on a reduced level with no city support - so no electrical outlets, washrooms or garbage clean up. Still, we're happy to have them back, since the farmers shouldn't have to suffer because the city and its workers can't get along. [Posted Toronto]

"Only shortly after ordering, it becomes crystal clear that Nonna has left the building." Ouch. Alan A. Vernon and Sean Kelly Keenan don't have much good to say about Black Skirt. [Eye Weekly]

Despite being a list-maker, I'm not loving the Toronto Star's week of lists. However Corey Mintz compiles a good collection of "buyer beware" tips on how restaurants might be gouging customers. [Toronto Star]

Peas, please. Elizabeth Baird points out that while asparagus might get all the glory in terms of green spring vegetables, those little green orbs are pretty versatile and tasty. [Toronto Sun]

Posted by Renée Suen in asian, events, events upcoming, japanese on July 1, 2009 at 2:08 pm

Redefining the concept of dining in the open air, Night It Up 2009 may challenge the inner gourmand in more ways than one. The most sought after item is the stinky tofu which is worth the wait if only for a friend's reaction to its pungent odor.

With all the talk about farmers markets around the city, there's one type of market that gets me salivating more than the rest: Toronto's Night Market. Run by Power Unit Youth Organization, Markham's Metro Square and New Century Plaza (3636 Steeles Avenue East) will be transformed into a small representative of popular Taiwanese Night Markets, a.k.a. a snack-lovers paradise. Open to the public, Night It Up 2009 will be held from 7pm-1am on July 10th and from 1pm-1am on July 11th, and will feature various vendors along with live entertainment. The best part, admission is free. From fryer to grill, made to order drinks to slowly braised offal, here are just some of the wild, crazy, and incredibly delicious things you might encounter at this year's event.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in administrative, announcements on July 1, 2009 at 11:53 am

We're looking for writers for our newly-created sister site, Beer and Butter Tarts!

We are looking for writers from across Canada who have:

• an excellent knowledge of food
• strong writing skills, including spelling, punctuation and grammar
• exceptional time-management skills
• ability to work with an editor and accept criticism and edits to your work
• access to a digital camera and excellent photography skills, especially with food
• familiarity with blogging software and basic to great Internet skills and knowledge
• ability to follow written instructions

Posted by Greg Clow in events, events upcoming, flavours of the day on July 1, 2009 at 7:00 am

Welcome to the first instalment of Flavours of the Day, our new daily listing of events, markets, specials and other food-related happenings in Toronto and area. Watch for a new edition first thing every morning to help you plan your day, and for longer term planning, check out our Events and Markets pages.

EVENTS

Canada Day at Harbourfront
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West
12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight
free admission
In the spirit of history and family, this festival celebrates what Canada has to offer with live music and family events from noon until midnight. This year Amnesty International celebrates the culture of Canada's refugee communities with performances and exhibits.
[more info]

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in food for thought, news and media, on the web on June 30, 2009 at 8:54 pm

Here's some food for thought for today...

• Food deserts versus food swamps - access to fruit and veggies doesn't necessarily make people healthier. But what's the solution?
• Two new studies about soy out this week: consumption of soy is being linked to better lung function, and a review of 15 studies on soy and testosterone indicates that soy has no effect on male hormones.  And also, it doesn't make men gay.
• No, Scarlett, that cookie dough might have e.coli in it!! - Imagine if all the best scenes in your favourite movies had cookies in them.
• Like anything, that much-touted Mediterranean diet only works in moderation.
• Starbucks is modifying its food recipes to use real, fresh ingredients and cut out stuff like HFCS.
• Maybe Dambisa Moyo is right. The US seems set to restructure its foreign aid program from a focus on food aid to agricultural assistance that would allow countries to produce more of their own food.
• You'll never look at sushi the same way again after seeing these awesome sad sushi figurines.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in administrative, announcements on June 30, 2009 at 2:56 pm

Those of you who know Greg and I in person will likely shake your heads - as if we don't already have enough to do without taking on another food and drink website. But it would appear that's exactly what we've done.

Launching tomorrow, Beer and Butter Tarts will be a blog-based site where we write about food in more general terms. Our strict mandate here at TasteTO has always been to focus on the food stories of our great city - but there are many other stories that we've always had to turn down; great products, news and even politically-oriented topics that just had no Toronto connection.

Beer and Butter Tarts will have a Canadian focus, and we hope to bring on regional correspondents who can report about local restaurant news and food events across the country, as well as offer more general editorial content. The site will run in "beta" mode for the first few months so we can assess its viability, and then will switch to a more comprehensive platform where we can run ads and offer readers more bells and whistles.

Posted by Greg Clow in beer, beverages on June 30, 2009 at 7:56 am

Amongst the complaints directed towards the LCBO by craft beer drinkers, one of the most common is the poor selection of beers from elsewhere in Canada. Until very recently, the only Canadian craft brews from outside of Ontario to have regular LCBO listings were a few brands from Big Rock in Alberta and McAuslan and Unibroue in Quebec, which is a very small drop in the very large bucket that is Canada's brewing scene.

At an organization as massive as the LCBO, it takes a while for change to happen, but as with the slow increase in the number of American craft beers available in stores, the agency seems to be making a bit more of an effort to get suds from other provinces onto the shelves. Whistler Export Lager from BC has been added to the general list, with Propeller ESB from Halifax due to follow soon. And as the title of this column indicates, two beers from New Brunswick's Pump House Brewery are now in stores, one as a summer seasonal, and the other as a new year-round listing.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in food for thought, news and media, on the web on June 29, 2009 at 4:13 pm

Here's some food for thought for today...

• The US FDA still can't figure out why people got sick from eating raw cookie dough. Dudes - raw. cookie. dough. Problem is, the e.coli strain linked to the illness hasn't actually shown up in the product.
• Get ready to hear a lot more about Green Dining Best Practices - it seems that running an eco-friendly foodservice establishment can save not just the earth but the other kind of green as well.
• By now, any food lover with a conscience is familiar with Phil Howard's charts showing how many big corporations own those little crunchy granola health store brands. But here's an even scarier chart - who own the seeds.
• You'll probably never cook from them - but dusty old cookbooks can become a bit of an obsession.
• But, if meat is full of flame-retardant chemicals, how does it cook? Doesn't matter, meat seems to be the way PBDEs are getting into our bodies, as vegetarians have about around 25% less of them.
• First, don't tell them they have to eat all the spinach they harvest - tips for getting kids interested in gardening.
• A cookbook of tiny, inedible food. Making food jewelry out of polymer clay.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in events, events upcoming on June 29, 2009 at 7:24 am

It’s that time of year again. Summerlicious (July 3rd - 19th);  when diners flock to Toronto’s restaurants in search of a cheap meal, and restaurant staff groan and complain at the long hours and stiffed tips. Summer (and Winter) Licious are self-perpetuating catch-22s. Diners expect poor service and so tip poorly regardless, while servers expect poor tips and so give bad service. It’s enough to make some of us avoid the whole thing completely. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With just a few basic rules in place for both customers and restaurants, Summerlicious could be a lovely, enjoyable, even civilized event. Here’s how…