The backlash against Colborne Lane continues this week, as Amy Pataki in the Toronto Star follows Gina Mallet’s lead from last week and gives the popular newcomer a not-so-positive review. While she does manage to compliment of a few of the dishes, she is annoyed by chef Claudio Aprile’s tendency towards flavour element overload:

The disconnect between Colborne Lane’s casual atmosphere and its weighty food is as intentional as it is jarring. It starts with the menu, so encumbered by description – a $17 appetizer of “rare tuna + crispy nori + cucumber + wasabi foam + avocado + azumi seaweed + lake trout roe + ginger + yuzu + iced soy sauce” is just one daunting choice – that even the runners can’t recall half of what they put in front of us.

Also in The Star:

• Gordon Stimmell looks at some highlights of today’s Vintages release, with an emphasis on the Aussie entries.
• Marion Kane chats with Ina Garten during her recent visit to Toronto, and gives a recipe for Fresh Pea Soup from Garten’s latest cookbook, Barefoot Contessa At Home.
• Susan Sampson recommends using pie weights to bake a Milk Chocolate Chai Tart.

Continue reading In The Papers - Saturday, March 31st »

Strolling along Queen West this afternoon, Sheryl and I were surprised to find the original location of Amato Pizza near Queen & Bathurst was shuttered due to non-payment of rent. (Although given the pizza chain’s alleged history of non-payment, I suppose we shouldn’t have been too surprised.)

We can only imagine how happy the owners of the Pizzaiolo locations across the street and a block or so west must be…

My highly anticipated visit started rather inauspiciously with high spirits slowly dampening under a cold drizzle as I waited for the complimentary shuttle to the show. I turned up at Kipling station at 3:10pm, found no indications of the special shuttle stop and spent some time asking around for the way to the stop (being secure with the website information of the next shuttle leaving at 3:30pm). By 3:50 I was chilled to the bone waiting at the curb of the road (as advised by staff) and boy, was I not alone! I hope all these people didn’t develop heavy head colds the next morning as I did. Finally by ten past four the shuttle came and took off to our great relief. Frankly, spending an hour of any day, let alone Saturday, like this is pretty lame. And isn’t it all about propagating the “Don’t drink and drive” program? OK, rant-time over.

The queue to the entrance moves quickly but as a proud owner of a complimentary ticket (thanks, organizers!) I get into the show hall even quicker, get a complimentary glass and bag and start exploring – or trying to explore! The hall churns with people, there is a deafening babble of voices mixed with live jazz music, and there is absolutely no exhibitors’ map I could follow, so I join the random waves of people pushing by the booths for cocktails, travel agencies, ostrich and sauerkraut hot-dogs (I had some later, it was really good!) and other food joints.

Continue reading Toronto Wine and Cheese Show 2007 »

In this week’s edition of Gremolata:

• Chef Ezra Title says that the secret ingredient in all good recipes isn’t love, it’s fat.
• Malcom Jolley recommends 2004 Bottaccio Rosso Conero, a lovely sounding red.
• the news round-up in the main page includes an unexpected recommendation for Hellman’s Salad Spritzers; a mention of the weekly food & history presentations happening every Saturday at St. Lawrence Market; and the latest on the revived rivalry between Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay.

In The Star’s Health section today, Sally Squires writes that TV ads for food aimed at kids makes them fat. No offence to Sally Squires, but… d’uh! Turns out kids between the ages of 8 and 12 watch more than 51 hours of TV ads annually (that’s an hour a week!), and half of those ads are for food - mostly candy, snack food, cereal and fast food. And yeah, the ads themselves aren’t literally making the kids fat, but if they nag their parents to buy the stuff in the ads, that will certainly contribute to the overall problem.

Maybe if those kids had a more colourful diet - Nancy White interviews “nutrition guru” Sam Gracie about how a variety of colours on the plate can mean better health.

The Vice Squad looks at Chris & Tal’s Better Ground - a half beef, half soy mixture used in place of 100% ground beef. This is a good start product for anyone wanting to wean themselves off meat slowly and easily.

Susan Sampson cooks up some tea-scented sugar-free applesauce, but like so much “sugar-free” stuff, it uses artificial sweetener instead. Wouldn’t it be easier to just start with a sweet apple and omit the sweetener all together?

And Megan Oglivie examines the Big Healthy Soup Diet in Diet Decoder, and gets sick of making and eating soup “souper” fast.

Tealish
198 Walnut Avenue
416-203-3301

Tucked away down a side street south of Queen West, on a tiny, two-shop strip cleverly marketed as the “shops of Walnut Avenue” sits one of Toronto’s newest tea destinations, Tealish. With over 200 varieties of loose tea and a rather extensive menu of takeout tea options, the shop is reminiscent of the kind of place you’d get your morning cup in Hamburg or Paris, two locales where much of the world’s finest teas go down. Lucky for me it’s about 3 blocks down the street, so no passport required. At this point, like most of us, I have to admit that my morning meal usually consists of a Starbuck’s concoction. I usually save tea for the afternoon. The other morning however I decided to wrestle myself free of the stranglehold the Seattle behemoth has on my sleepy brain and decided to try one of Tealish’s creations.

I’m glad I did. Where your typical chain gang barista reminds me of a morning radio show host, Michael, co-owner and server at Tealish exudes the laid back charm of the self-employed, a big plus right off the top. After perusing the menu, I decide on something simple, an Earl Grey latte. This proved to be a difficult choice since the board at Tealish, touted as Toronto’s only tea-dedicated drink menu, offers over 130 varieties of tea, everything from semi-fermented oolongs to gunpowders, herbal blends, green and black teas from virtually all corners of the globe, South African Rooibos in a myriad of flavours, decaf, flavoured teas, the list was endless.

Continue reading A Visit with the Earl of Grey at Tealish »

TasteTO writer and rock’n'roll vegetarian chef, Howard Dubrovsky, has just re-launched his Food Cult page on MySpace. The site features a new design and content that includes the beginnings of a book club, a bit of molecular gastronomy info, and links to some of his favourite shows on the CBC.

More exciting, though, are his promises of things to come. In addition to planning forums and gatherings for “the innovators, the motivators, the thinkers, enthusiasts and pop culturists (who) live and breathe food”, Howard with soon be offering Food Cult merchandise.

And honestly, what foodie in their right mind wouldn’t love to own a t-shirt or hoodie with that kick-ass logo?

It’s restaurant guide week at NOW with pages and pages of reviews for all your dining needs. There’s also some thematic articles with suggestions for:

• upscale dining
• kid-friendly restaurants
• places with a great view
• barrier-free restaurants
• and places to get lunch under $5

Also in NOW, Graham Duncan interviews Kultura sommelier Kim Cyr, and offers up his LCBO picks for the week.

At Eye, Vernon and Douloff give us an only slightly scathing review of Six Steps:

Like so many Restaurant Makeover recipients we’ve visited, Six Steps has fallen into the same trap by focusing most of the time and effort on the ambiance without much attention given to the menu and its execution. To be fair, you should give this place some time to work out its kinks. But for now, if you want terrific food, walk six steps down and head next door to Colborne Lane.

Ouch. At least now we can stop all the griping about how it’s bloggers and their online reviews that are hurting restaurants. The traditional mainstream print media is doing a fine job of that on their own.

Continue reading Rag Round-Up - Thursday, March 29th »

The National Post is running a couple of pieces today on kids in restaurants. One is an op-ed piece by CityBites editor Dick Snyder, the other interviews a couple of folks (including TasteTO writer Paul Wernick, as well as yours truly) about our own experiences.

It looks as if they’ve cut down my “changing the poopy diaper on the restaurant table” story to one line, which is really a shame - it’s truly horrifying, and I still can’t eat Huevos Rancheros without thinking of that incident.

So what say you, TasteTO readers? Is it cool to take your kids to restaurants? What about if they’re screaming and running around and generally making a nuisance of themselves? And to the child-free - how do you react when you’re trying to have a nice meal and the folks at the table next to you are letting their kids run wild?

Rube’s Rice
St. Lawrence Market
92 Front Street East
416-368-8734

In nineteenth century Toronto, criminals were publicly whipped in Market Square - roughly the area where today’s St. Lawrence Market stands. They could also be made to languish in the stock or pillory, subjected to the scorn of our citizens. Branding on the tongue or hand was another gruesome punishment in the city’s early days. Times were harsher then and there was no cable TV.

I was reflecting on Front Street’s rich penal history as I entered the St. Lawrence Market on a blustery March day, acutely aware that this venerable building once contained Toronto’s jail; for I fully intended to purchase a forbidden substance. No, not that. It was rice I sought. And not just any rice: Forbidden Black Rice, the most expensive rice one can purchase. This rice was consumed exclusively by the Emperors of China and a select few at the imperial court. At over eight dollars a pound, you don’t throw it at weddings, you present it as a gift to the bride and groom.

And if you want rice in Toronto, forbidden or otherwise, there is no place better to buy it than at Rube’s Rice. The 86 year-old Rube Marus is one of the market’s most esteemed merchants and he offers over 34 varieties. From Bangladeshi Kalijiara to Bhutanese Red, he provides everything the rice connoisseur desires.

Continue reading Forbidden Rice at Rube’s »

Unless you’re from there, I don’t think most people consider Estonia to have a lot of distinct food, but Eric Vellend’s article in The Star today puts any doubt to rest. Having inherited his Grandmother’s cookbooks, he explores the traditional favourites and pays homage to a woman who surely shaped his love of food.

My grandmother, who grew up on the island of Hiiumaa, was so fond of pickled herring that she made us smuggle it into her nursing home against doctor’s orders. One day, she was so excited to get her shipment that she hastily ripped open the container, spraying her bedside table with fishy brine and destroying a $250 phone for the hearing-impaired. For a taste of herring, this was acceptable collateral damage.

Vellend looks at holiday favourites while reminiscing about days spent cooking with his Grandmother, and even lists local Estonian restaurants and resources in the sidebar.

Continue reading What’s Cooking - Wednesday, March 28th »

Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant
49 Baldwin Street
416-596-1913
Lunch for two, including tax, tip, and tea: $30

I personally have a great affection for Baldwin Street. Cozy and refreshing, it provides a reprieve from the noise of McCaul Street and areas east as well as the “too hip for you” atmosphere of Kensington Market and locales west.

However, not even my Baldwin-bias had yet sold me on sushi. Despite multiple visits to Konnichiwa and Kuni Sushi Ya, I remained a sushi sceptic, and somewhat lukewarm towards Japanese food in general. Prepared to give it another chance, I visited Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant accompanied by a certifiable Japanophile, fresh from two of the best months of his life in his second homeland. The third of our party was a first-time sushi diner, never having sampled the fruits of the island nation. I got to be the happy, or at least pseudo-neutral, medium.

Continue reading Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant »

C’est What?
67 Front Street East
416-867-9499
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and beer: $50

It was my intention to start this review talking about how some friends of ours have effectively boycotted C’est What? due to the restaurant’s occasionally peculiar seating rules. During busy periods, you’re not allowed to just go in and take up a table drinking beer, you must order food; and if you’re meeting someone, they’ll only seat the whole party at once, often causing the early arrivals to stand around waiting. I’ve never had this happen to me personally, but apparently it happens to local beer geeks enough that many of them won’t go near the place.

Turns out, they’ve had a change of heart recently. It wasn’t the availability of a rare and wondrous brew, or some special beer-tasting event, but a particular photo of TasteTO tech geek (and beer geek) Greg Clow doing his best Fred Flintstone impersonation with a plate of beef ribs. It seems that plates of ribs are enough to melt the constitution of the most die-hard bar boycotter.

Continue reading What You C’est? »

OK, full disclosure time: I haven’t actually tried this week’s Beer of the Week yet, at least not in cask-conditioned form. But given the timing of this week’s column, I couldn’t resist featuring Fuller’s Cask-Conditioned ESB as my pick.

For you see, today marks a very momentous occasion, as for the first time in a long time - perhaps ever - a cask ale from the UK will be available at a bar in Toronto. Fans of cask ale here are somewhat satiated by the products of a few local breweries being available at a handful of local pubs in cask-conditioned form, but tonight at 6:00 PM, Ralph at Volo (587 Yonge Street) will be tapping a cask of Fuller’s ESB (Extra Special Bitter), giving many local beer drinkers (including yours truly) their first taste of a real, traditional ale from across the pond.

Continue reading Beer of the Week - Fuller’s Cask-Conditioned ESB »

Damn, those folks at BlogTO write so many restaurant reviews, it’s hard to keep up. This week Tanja is disappointed by Burritos Mexican Food; no kick, no spice. She also checks out 7 West Cafe, a long-time night-owl favourite. Kari visits Parkdale hangout Poor John’s Cafe for one of their super breakfasts, while Frank finds Reliable Fish and Chips to be only “nice”. Megan hits Skylark, an Indian buffet in Little India and is pleasantly surprised.

Also on BlogTO, Chris checks out Sadie’s Diner for tasty vegan grub, a funky new spot at Adelaide and Bathurst, and Megan has a “meh” experience at Eggplant.

At BlogUT, Natasha covers “The Real Dirt on Food” event that took place at Hart House last weekend, with an assessment of the event and the panels as well as a list for U of T students to take action.

Suresh from Spotlight Toronto eats his way across the city again this week with reviews of MBCo@ the TD Centre where the offerings far surpass anything you’ll find in the underground food court, and Toba. He cooks up some sausage and cheese, an interesting dish made with cashews, goat cheese and… pepperettes?? He also offers a springtime food round-up with visits to Lahore Tikka House, Montreal Bagels, Cob’s Bread and a variety store in Little India where he buys a can of gulab jamun (oh, dude, those are way nasty!).

At Eye Daily, after last week’s review of Rebozos, Megan Eves digs through the Eye archives for a collection of other local Mexican joints. And Dave Morris review Wide Open, a drinkin’ spot on Spadina.

In his monthly online column, Chris Nuttall-Smith of Toronto Life waxes philosophical on spring food like rhubarb and bunny ears, and there’s also a Q&A with chef Greg Couillard.