As one of the most active areas on Chowhound, there’s a lot of thread churn in the “Ontario (including Toronto)” forum, with some discussions disappearing from the first page before they’ve had a chance to elicit more than a couple of responses. Always popular, though, are threads lamenting the sad state of particular foods in Toronto. According to local foodies (or a least the ones that have the most time on their hands to post to Chowhound), sandwiches of the smoked meat and pulled pork varieties are especially ill-served in our fair city.

In today’s Toronto Star, Amy Pataki tries to prove at least one of these assertions wrong as she visits five eateries - beerbistro, Black Camel, Cluck, Grunt & Low, Mill Street Brewpub, and Phil’s Original BBQ - in search of some proper pulled pork. While none of them are likely to stack up against a roadside stand in the Deep South in terms of authenticity, she still finds three of the five to be enjoyable, with beerbistro coming out on top with their unique version:

The lunchtime pulled pork sandwich ($13.95) is, hands down, the messiest of the bunch. With each bite of the towering construction - shredded Berkshire pork shoulder, cold fries, oniony coleslaw and a thick slab of gouda on a homemade wholewheat buttermilk bun - sauce gushes out in a red waterfall. Eventually, most of the juices transfer to my plate, lap, hands and face.

It’s also the least conventional. A good ol’ boy would never add french fries and gouda to his sandwich. Hungry kitchen staff looking to maximize calories during five-minute meal breaks came up with these additions. Nor is it common to make a vinegar-forward barbecue sauce with one-third Blanche de Chambly wheat beer. But it works, especially with more wheat beer to wash it down.

Also in the Star:

• Gord Stimmell runs though a few highlights from today’s Vintages release.
• Mark Bittman cooks up some octopus.

Over in the Globe & Mail, Joanne Kates cuts through the buzz about the recently reopened Senses, and finds that despite some flashes of brilliance, the food of chef Patrick Lin doesn’t quite live up to the hype:

The only stellar app is lobster bolognaise, wherein lobster-studded pasta is sauced with an erotically intense sauce that tastes as if a great quantity of lobster shells has been boiled down to build a sauce that is pure, strong essence of lobster. Chef loves lobster: His best main course is a big, fat wok-fried lobster tail of impeccable texture zinged with chili, ginger, shallot, garlic and black bean, then gentled with a touch of cream for a delectable East/West fusion.

But are we in the presence of greatness? Is this Susur food? Stadtlander food? Not a chance. Duck breast has been marinated in five-spice powder, its skin crisped, but the pea green and mushroom accompaniment is merely pleasant. Kobe rib-eye steak is impeccably tender; its garnishes are good but not inventive. Nor is slightly overcooked steamed barramundi with soggy Chinese veg anything to crow over.

Also in the Globe:

• Lucy Waverman cooks with beer.
• Sasha Chapman raves about free-range eggs.
• In the Travel section, Doug Saunders suggests the best places to eat alone in Paris, and Janet Forman remembers the times spent in the kitchen of Harry Forman’s Manor, the Catskills hotel owned by her grandparents during the heyday of the Borscht Belt.

In the National Post, Gina Mallet is not impressed by either the service or the food at Four, the new health-oriented restaurant that recently replaced Soul of the Vine:

I don’t mind a wait between courses but if we weren’t having a good time gossiping we would grumble more about the uncomfortable seats, the occasional drip from the pipes above, the fact that we’re sitting at a high table so our knees knock — and that the next course takes almost an hour to come.

When it does arrive, the bison burger is cold. The ocean perch has a salty crust and comes with an anemic accompaniment of shredded lettuce, lentils and little peas. The grilled breast of chicken is coated with a hot tikka-masala/yogourt sauce but the chicken itself is dry.

Our verdict: So little attention paid to making the food enticing.

Also in the Post:

• Margaret Swaine rates a few bottles from winerytohome.com and wineonline.ca, Ontario’s two fine wine delivery services.
• Jon Bricker and Kate Swoger enjoy some eats from El Salvador at El Pulgarcito in Scarborough.
• A. Brouwer & A. Wilson lead their Shelf Life panel in a mint jelly tasting.
• Bonnie Stern whips up a St. Paddy’s Day dinner of lamb stew, potatoes and cabbage.
• In the Financial Post Weekend section, Michael Vaughan looks at the skyrocketing prices of Bordeaux vintages, and Amy Rosen checks out the unique wine list at Vancouver’s Yew Restaurant + Bar.