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.

Over in the Globe & Mail, Joanne Kates visits the other hot new spot on Colborne Street, Six Steps, and finds it about as lacking as Amy Pataki did last week, with misleading menu descriptions being a big sticking point:

Take, for example, the grilled marinated octopus. The menu describes it as being served with “tart lettuces, slivered artichokes, toasted almonds, golden raisins, capers and warm bacon vinaigrette.” On the upside, the octopus is tender/chewy precisely as it should be, and the dressing is in the splendid Italian agrodolce (sweet ‘n’ sour) tradition. On the downside, there are no artichokes, toasted almonds, golden raisins, capers or warm bacon vinaigrette anywhere to be found.

Instead, the octopus is garnished with marinated agrodolce red onions and braised endive — which taste great but aren’t what we thought we were getting.

Elsewhere in the Globe:

• Christopher Maughan speaks with some local sushi chefs to find out how they feel about the Japanese government’s plans to launch a recommendation system for Japanese restaurants outside of the country.
• Beppi Crosariol is big on the Australians in this week’s Vintages release, with Hope The Cracker Cabernet 2004 from Western Australia being flagged as his pick of the week.
• Lucy Waverman proves that Passover meals don’t have to be boring with recipes for Asparagus with Mushrooms, Moroccan Chicken, and Lemon Mousse Tart.
• Amy Verner tempts us with the only-made-once-a-year macaroons from Harbord Bakery.
• In the Globe Focus section, there’s a print-only (i.e. not on the web site) excerpt from the new book, The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating, by Vancouver’s J.B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith.

In the pages of the Nation Post, Gina Mallet has a so-so lunch at Cava, where she is frustrated by the menu:

Why make a menu deliberately unintelligible? Even the French translate these days. The business analyst wants to know what cavatelli, as in cavatelli with arugula ($7.75), looks like. A cazuelita (little clay pot) of Mexican gulf shrimp comes with capers, tomatoes and cabra feliz, sweet goat cheese ($16). I ask about lamb pozole verde Zihuatanejo style ($12). Pozole is a famous Mexican street food made from hominy grits and lamb shoulder. We say we’ll ponder something else, but the waiter says, “it’s going to get busy, so order now.” A bit put out, we agree on the papas fritas ($6) once the business analyst realizes they’re fried potatoes.

Also in the Post:

• Michael Vaughan previews Monday’s German wine fair at Roy Thomson Hall by recommending a couple of German wines from today’s Vintage release.
• Suburban diners Jon Bricker and Kate Swoger check out Madras Palace in Scarborough.
• Sarah Treleaven feels guilty about abandoning her regular brunch spot, Aunties & Uncles, in favour of the hot young newcomer in her neighbourhood, Noon.
• Jason Chow reports on some foodie drama on the Queen West strip, as newly opened restaurant The Healthy Greek is slinging sandwiches that are remarkably similar to those being served just down the block by the four year old - and very popular - Sandwich Box.
• Laura Koot investigates the problems the Rogers Centre is having finding a signature snack to serve at Blue Jays games (and a few local celebs give some suggestions), while Craig Courtice checks in to see what the players are eating in the clubhouse.
• In the Weekend Post section, A. Brouwer & A. Wilson lead a mustard tasting & rating session, and Bonnie Stern suggests a trio of recipes that work well for both Easter and Passover.