Posted by Greg Clow in restaurant closings, restaurant news, restaurant openings on June 18, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Casual Italian dining chain Il Fornello (various locations) may seem like an unlikely place to be championing local foods. But that's exactly what they've started doing with a new seasonal menu developed by executive chef Owen Steinberg (ex-JOV Bistro) that is created largely from Ontario-sourced ingredients, many of which have been certified by the non-profit sustainable food organisation Local Flavour Plus.
The new menu, which is available in addition to the restaurant's already existing items, will change every few weeks based on what's in season at the time. The inaugural version includes: chilled sweet potato soup with basil and sheep's yogurt; asparagus with bacon and sheep's feta; ravioli filled with wild leek, mushrooms and pecorino fresco; cheese & sausage pizza with locally-made tomato sauce; grilled beef rib-eye with sweet potato fries, asparagus & baco noir jus; and homemade strawberry shortcake. All items are available now at all Il Fornello locations except for Queen's Quay Terminal, which will be joining the program later in the year.
Nestled amongst the over-priced furniture shops on King Street East you'll find a new place to satisfy your sweet tooth. La Petite Patisserie (263 King Street East) offers up an assortment of cakes and pastries in the Parisian tradition including mille-feuilles, éclairs, brioche, croissants and more. Organic coffee is also available, and the 8 AM opening time makes it a great place for a sweet and leisurely start to your day.
Trendy trattoria Cucina (640 College Street) has opened a second location in the lower level of the building that used to house the fish house Filet of Sole (11 Duncan Street). Open from 10 AM until "late" every day but Sunday, the new spot sticks with the same formula as the original - i.e. a casual, loungy atmosphere with a reasonably priced menu of pizzas, pastas and panini.
BlogTO reports that Middle Eastern restaurant Zytoon (397 Roncesvalles Avenue) has closed just in time to avoid a protest related to the allegations of homophobic actions and comments by the owner directed towards a lesbian couple who dined there in April. If these allegations prove to be true, hopefully the Tunisian restaurant Malek that is due to open in the vacated location soon under new ownership will be more welcoming.
It's nice to see that the problems with the RSS feed on the Toronto Vegetarian Association website have been sorted out, although a review of the news posts from the last couple of weeks uncovered the bad news that one of Little India's exclusively veggie restaurants, the family run Narula's (1438 Gerrard Street East), has closed down, and the formerly vegetarian Siddhartha (1411 Gerrard Street East) is now serving meat dishes, although there are still plenty of veggie options. For the strict vegetarians, the only completely meat-free eatery on the strip is now Udupi Palace (1460 Gerrard Street East).
And on a decidedly non-vegetarian note, those who would like to pay on Tuesday for a hamburger today will be happy to know that retro-themed diner chain Wimpy's will soon be opening their latest Toronto location at 209 Dundas Street West near University, a location that most recently housed the short-lived Indian restaurant The Moghul. Since I work right around the corner from this spot, I have a feeling that my hamburger intake might be increasing considerably very soon.
