In today’s National Post, Gina Mallet comes out swinging in her second week on the job and rips into Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner:

Bill has winter vegetable and wild rice soup, which tastes of herbal water. I go out on a limb with hopper with curried lentils and carrots. A hopper is a Sinhalese mother food. I don’t think I’ll be taking a culinary tour of Sri Lanka soon. Can’t taste a trace of curry in the lentils, chopped carrots or Brussels sprouts. The sambals are delectable, crispy shallots, mango pickle, raita, roasted eggplant are delectable — on their own. I tried the fiery pickle with a Brussels sprout — excruciating! Bitter and sour, one of the most unpleasant taste combinations I’ve ever experienced.

Also in the Post’s Toronto Magazine:

• Sumaira Shaikh reports on the problems being faced by local pizza chain Amato, including yellow-carded food inspections and disgruntled ex-employees.
• Sarah Treleaven feels the guilt at Karma Co-op.
• Jason Chow recommends that you try karela (aka Indian bitter melon).
• Michael Vaughan previews next weekend’s Cuvee Gala in Niagara Falls, where Ontario winemakers judge the work of their peers.

And on the Food pages of the Weekend Post section, there’s a he vs. she kitchen battle; a bit about popcorn; and some ubiquitous Oscar-themed recipes from Bonnie Stern.

Over in the Globe & Mail, Joanne Kates isn’t completely wowed by the food at Eduardo’s (known as Latitude before it was recently Restaurant Makeover-ed), but she says that the hospitality of owner Eduardo Barillo makes up for the gastronomic shortcomings:

It’s a dinner party and we are Barillo’s cherished guests: Such is the tone he creates.

Which is why I hardly care that the Caesar dressing is bland, and the grilled calamari are undercooked and hence rubbery and translucent, and their supposed lime sauce has no citric bite. Barillo is such a wonderful host that we instead celebrate his kitchen’s successes — starting with the clever, tiny tuna tacos of barely seared tuna in crisped taro slices topped with fab pico de gallo sauce (homemade salsa), impeccable micro greens, and a hot/cold splendour of tiny shredded radishes.

Also in The Globe:

• Beppi Crosariol congratulates Southbrook Winery for their showing in a tasting last month where their Cabernet/Merlot Triomphus 2002 beat out the much better known (not mention much more expensive) Château Lafite Rothschild 2001 and Châteaux Margaux 2001.
• Lucy Waverman is as predictable as The Post’s Bonnie Stern with her five Oscar-themed recipes.
• And look, they’re talking about popcorn here as well!

Finally, in the Toronto Star, Amy Pataki has a flashback to junior high and checks out Mr. Greenjeans. Unsurprisingly, the food doesn’t agree with her palate quite as well 20 years on, with one notable exception:

No complaints about the Buffalo chips. They are exactly as remembered: thin and twisted, perfectly salted, instantly addictive. They leak yellow oil onto the plate (the butcher paper was retired during last year’s makeover). The chips taste purely of the unpeeled white potatoes they are shaved from. With each bite, memories flood back: throbbing crushes, flavoured Bonne Bell Lip Smackers, sleepless sleepovers. It’s, like, totally awesome.

Also in the Star:

• Marion Kane bakes up some tasty treats from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours
• Sarah Sampson gets strangely excited about apple corers/wedgers.
• A syndicated article from the Washington Post covers the health effects of olive oil.
• In the Shopping section, David Graham gives glowing coverage to Noka, a Texas company started by two Canadian-born accountants that has become known for making the world’s most expensive chocolates. Mentioned in passing is the fact that they have also been accused of being scam artists in a well-researched 10 part exposé posted late last year on DallasFood.org. Oh, snap!