Posted by Greg Clow in tasting t.o. on August 16, 2007 at 7:26 am
Cass Enright is probably best known in the web world as the founder of The Bar Towel, a leading Ontario craft beer news and community site. However, Cass has taken his web savvy from Bar Towel and turned it into a career in Internet marketing, having helped some of Canada's largest brands and companies get online. He is also the co-founder and partner of Cecktor Media, a digital consultancy focusing on health and wellness. When not tied to his laptop, Cass can usually be found at his cottage in the summer, skiing in the winter and tasting great beer at the pubs of Toronto the rest of the time.
You've got $10 to buy lunch - where do you go?
As Mexican cuisine is one of my favourites, I would probably head to Rebozo's (126 Rogers Road) for some tacos. They have to be the best tacos I've found in Toronto and the closest to what they're like in Mexico. Good value, too.
The budget's unlimited, someone else is paying and the choice is yours - where do you pick for dinner?
Since I'm a beer guy, I'd probably go with beerbistro (18 King Street East). Perhaps an odd choice, but they have lots of rare beers that go for upwards of $50 per bottle - I'd have a nice dinner there and clean out their cellar.
Tell us some of the food shops you frequent when buying groceries to cook for yourself.
As I mentioned, I'm a big fan of Mexican cuisine. Two of my go-to places when I'm cooking Mexican dishes are Perola's Supermarket (247 Augusta Avenue) and Segovia Meats (218 Augusta Avenue), both in Kensington. Perola's is a great source for hot peppers (dried and fresh), Mexican canned goods, spices, cheese, tomatillos and other ingredients. Segovia, just across the street, has excellent Mexican style chorizo, which they sell uncased which is convenient for cooking. Although unrelated to Mexican cuisine, I also like making homemade poutine, so I often get cheese curds at Alex Farm Cheese (2594 Yonge Street and other locations).
When ordering in for a quiet night at home, what's your favourite place for take-out or delivery?
I'm don't usually do take out much - I'm usually out on the town or cooking a meal at home. However, I do like the sandwiches at Marvellous Edibles (120 Laird Drive) for take out - delicious!
Oh, no, relatives are coming to Toronto from out of town - where do you take them?
Probably to the Mill Street Brewpub (55 Mill Street, Building 63). Certainly the Distillery District is a great place to bring out-of-towners to see an interesting part of the city, but also to visit downtown Toronto's only brewpub. It's the only place in Toronto where someone could get up to a dozen house beers, so there's always something for all tastes to try.
Your favourite place to grab a couple of drinks and hang out where everybody knows your name?
Definitely Bar Volo (587 Yonge Street). Countless evenings have been spent here over the past couple of years. I always seem to run into people I know at Volo. It's the one place in Toronto I could just go and find someone I know to chat with.
What's coming up?
I'm hosting the 5th annual Golden Tap Awards on Saturday, August 18th at beerbistro. The event will feature an Ontario-only craft beer festival and I'm handing out awards for the best beer achievements in the province, as voted upon by the general public. Admission is free, doors are at 4pm and the awards are at 8pm. More information can be found at www.bartowel.com or www.goldentap.com.
