Earlier this month, Taste T.O. was inadvertently the first place in town to review Garden@Eleven when Amy Grigg went to check out its previous incarnation, Eleven, and found that not only had the name suddenly been changed, but chef Brad Moore was gone and replaced with Pat Riley (ex-Perigee).

A few weeks later, and former Taste T.O. contributor Corey Mintz turns in the second review of Garden@Eleven for his debut as the Toronto Star’s restaurant critic, replacing Amy Pataki for the next year while she’s on maternity leave. And it also ends up being the final review of the place, as it was shut down this past week without warning, either because the property has been sold (as Riley tells Mintz in a follow-up interview) or due to $75,000 in unpaid rent (according to a thread on Chowhound).

Despite the drama, Mintz still goes to the trouble of reviewing some of what he ate, which he finds good but not nearly up to the standards set by Riley at his previous gig:

[O]n a menu absent of surprises, each dish came with a deft little touch; like the sharp parmesan custard of almost matzo ball density lying in a bath of chilled, sweet pea soup.

Or the cool, white, poached asparagus, mildly sweet and lemony, cuddled end to end with blanched and grilled green asparagus. When a flawlessly poached egg was pierced, its gooey centre made a dash to marry with a pool of aioli (laced with a non-intrusive air of truffle).

More asparagus (Riley had a rule at Perigee that if there was an ingredient prominently featured in one dish then it was off limits to the others) accompanied a mound of pulled pork so smoky it saturated the whole body.

Generous, six-ounce portions of salmon or pickerel were well- executed, and cutely paired with elements like sautéed olives, roast purple pearl onions, artichokes, crunchy fingerlings and lemon yogurt sauce. But, really, from the guy who once served us chestnut gnocchi with crab apple sauce?

Also in the Star, Gord Stimmell suggests five New Zealand wines from the latest Vintages release.

Continue reading In the Papers - Saturday May 31st »

A is for Asparagus. I haven’t gotten around to eating much of spring’s first vegetable yet, I’ve been too busy getting my fill of fiddleheads (most notably a crab and fiddlehead quiche) and freezing batches for the winter. But it seems as if every other food blogger in Toronto is digging into the asparagus. At Closet Cooking, Kevin whips up quiche as well - an asparagus and mushroom quiche. He’s also got an asparagus souffle. Ferdzy of Seasonal Ontario Food has asparagus and black bean soup, and theres asparagus on asparagus at Brilynn’s Jumbo Empanadas. And now the word “asparagus” looks really weird because I’ve typed it too many times.

In wine posts, Ange from iYellow has info on pairing wine with Indian food, Dean reviews a book about icewine at Gothic Epicures Vincuisine, and Michael reports from the Albert Bichot Tasting at On the Road with the Grape Guy.

Pat of Breakfast in the City checks out the grub at Stratenger’s, while Kay at One Bite at a Time, makes vennpongal for breakfast.

Elsewhere:

• Eric makes espresso and cappuccino cupcakes at Do You Know the Muffin Man?
• Dana McCauley pre-plans her funeral wake, right down to the food (no, she’s not dying, she’s just organized!)
• I look at the revisions to the “Product of Canada” labelling laws at Save Your Fork
• Jen’s collecting tragic kitchen stories at The Domestic Goddess - the best could win a Food Network prize package, so head on over there if you’ve set fire to something, or given yourself a nice gouge. (As a kid, I once watched my Dad accidentally put a chef’s knife right through his palm with the tip piercing through the skin on the back of his hand between the knuckles - I bet that would win!)

Between food shortages (and their consequent price increase) around the world and local food diets that keep avocados from ever entering our dishes again, it’s a relief to find a program that lets dining out turn into a good deed. Amnesty International’s Taste for Justice, now entering its fourth year and taking place June 1st to 15th, helps raise money for the organization’s Stop Violence Against Women campaign by asking restaurants across Canada to donate a portion of their proceeds to the cause. A separate “Dine In” option encourages homeowners to host dinner parties where guests donate money.

So what is the tie in between Amnesty’s good works and eating out in restaurants? Nothing on the surface, per se, except that it does afford one’s usual dining to become part of a larger whole. And taking a look at the restaurants involved, it also gives these businesses the opportunity to put their money, as it were, where their mouth is. It’s no coincidence that many of those participating are the ones who tout a vegetarian-friendly, organically produced table setting.

Continue reading Taste for Justice »

One of the most popular and talked-about screenings at last October’s Planet In Focus film festival was “The Islands Project”, a unique, quirky and charming film about the unique, quirky and charming Chef Michael Stadtlander. Documenting the cross-country trip he took with his family and a group of apprentices in the Summer of 2006, the film is extremely entertaining, not to mention hunger-inducing.

For those who missed the festival screening, PIF is bringing it back tonight at the Gardiner Museum as part of their monthly Mixed Greens series. It’s a PWYC event with no reserved seating, so an early arrival is recommended.

(And on a somewhat related note, Taste T.O. is proud to be a media sponsor for the 2008 edition of the Planet In Focus festival, taking place October 22th to 26th, so watch this space for news about the festival as the dates draw closer.)

The full list of happenings for the next week follows below, and as always, our Events page has more information on these and many other upcoming events in Toronto and area.

Continue reading T.O. Events for May 30th-June 5th »

It bears pointing out to the powers that be at NOW that it is neither hot, nor technically summer. Yet this issue appears to be the “Hot Summer Guide”, so maybe NOW’s key demographic is full of schedule-oriented control freaks who need to plan their summer a month in advance. In any case, Adria Vasil has tips on eating locally this summer, while in the health column, Elizabeth Bromstein does a survey on cholesterol, getting opinions from health care professionals of all flavours.

In the restaurant section, Steven Davey has a whole pile of round-ups of summer treats broken down by category. Start with ice cream and then use the sidebar to check out everything from patios (wasn’t that last week?) to markets. Davey’s also got summer dish, a collection of restaurant news bits. Graham Duncan has a selection of summer suds that are not from a 2-4, all of which you can drink now - even though it’s not actually summer.

But it seems that everyone’s just impatient for summer - over at Eye, Sean Kelly Keenan has some grilling tips for BBQ season.

They’re grilling at Metro, too, where Sandy Caetano interviews grillmaster Ted Reader. Marcy Cornblum talks to Chef Rob Feenie about comfort food and there’s wire pieces about grilled cheese and the Taste For Justice dining event.

Spice Route
499 King Street West
416-849-1808
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and wine: $135

The newest venture from Liberty Group’s Nick Di Donato and Charles Khabouth of INK opened earlier this month with much hype and ballyhoo. Or perhaps, given its Asian-y everything, I should say Bali-hoo.

Appearing on the surface to be a bit more club/lounge/bar than restaurant, at 8,000 sq. ft. it’s a massive and dramatically designed space. But it’s also warm and engaging with rich natural textures, and live elements of fire and flowing water. Buddhas are placed here and there - sometimes front and centre, at other times tucked away in little wall niches. The central bar features a waterwall, a private lounging area surprises with a huge central table bedecked (yes, bedecked) with rose petals, and the booth seating (if one may call these enormous seating areas “booths”) offers a chic set-up for larger groups sharing several dishes. Overall, it’s a scene of tastefully restrained opulence – it’s smartly sexy, but very user friendly.

Case in point: We unwrap our napkin rolls and discover a pair of dark wood chopsticks and a standard knife and fork. Nice.

Continue reading It’s a Scenic Route, Too »

Dear City of Toronto, What the fuck? No, seriously… What? The? Fuck??? After all the whining and complaining and the pitiful desperation to be just like New York City and be all multi-cultural with carts selling street food representing the various nationalities that make up our city, the Toronto Star is now reporting that the street food program isn’t going to happen until next spring and then only as a pilot project. They can’t use curse words at the Star, but I can, and you know what I’m thinking? Clusterfuck. Worse, your stupid micromanagement of what should really be an easy thing to do (the province even gave you the go-ahead a year ago!) means that I actually have to agree with Case Ootes on something. And that’s just salt in the wound. Come on - I’m not saying let people start selling homemade pie on the side of the road, but why - why, why, why in the name of little green apples - does everything have to be so frustratingly complicated? Seriously.

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

Bombe Calde Corporation/ espresso expresso coffee bar
3175 Rutherford Road, Concord
905-660-3030

Cotton candy, chocolate Pocky sticks, red bean slushes - these treats bring back fond childhood memories for me. However, for Marzia Poldi, bombe caldes (a.k.a “hot bombs”) are what invokes these happy times. As owner of Bombe Calde Corporation, Poldi’s love for these Italian style donuts has translated into a flourishing business that’s been operating since 2006. With a passion for this filled pastry that she grew up with in Italy, Poldi decided to create a business to let Torontonians in on the secret of this dessert.

Continue reading Hot Hot Bombe Caldes! »

The Summer 2008 edition of the LCBO’s seasonal beer promotion series is officially under way, with thirteen warm-weather-friendly beers from around the world starting to appear on the shelves of selected outlets this week. And for the first time, local beer writers were invited to a tasting room at LCBO head office to get an advance preview of some of the brews in the line-up.

Following are some brief notes on the nine beers that were featured at the media tasting. More detailed reviews of a few of them will show up in future Beer of the Week columns.

Continue reading Summer Beers Make Me Feel Fine »

Grace
503 College Street
416-944-8884

There’s a recession coming. Gas prices are going up, the housing market looks set to crumble and everyone is preparing to tighten their belts. Inevitably, at the table, our thoughts will turn to comfort food. Hearty, healthy fare from the family recipe books will win out over expensive, exotic ingredients or dishes we can’t pronounce. The trend toward local and seasonal produce and admonishments to not eat anything our great-grandmothers wouldn’t recognize as food has us considering the delicacies of past generations, only with a more genuine attitude. The retro kitsch of “comfort food” and thirty-dollar meatloaf has been replaced by what Grace chef Dustin Gallagher refers to as “modern farmhouse”; a more elegant, timeless way of eating that honours the past and the present, using fresh, seasonal ingredients with a nod to tradition, family and the classics.

Continue reading Comfort and Grace »

Fine dining is not dead in Toronto, and Eric Vellend of Menumental proves it with his review of Amuse-Bouche. Vellend and his Dad check out a 9-course tasting menu and leave quite happy.

At Toronto Life, James Chatto tours the distilleries of Scotland, while David Lawrason features the wines of New Zealand.

Ivy Knight has a sausage party at Gremolata, and Noelle Munaretto has info on spinach, as well as an interview with tearoom owner Karen Hartwick.

And at BlogTO, Tim seems to be taking on all the restaurant reviews himself with pieces on Okay Okay, Cafe Next Door, and Rawlicious, as well as articles on Saving Gigi and Crema Coffee.

Just An Old Fashioned Butchery & Seafood
165 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville
905-842-5252

Walking through my local grocery store, I’m feeling in the mood to pick up some salmon for dinner. I weave my way through the isles of frozen seafood products to the fish counter, and browse the selection of the day. Pale salmon; whole snapper with clouded-over eyes; limp pieces of halibut; and jaundice-coloured wild sea bass. The smell, oh the smell! Standing there surrounded by that pungent aroma of rotting seafood doesn’t bode well for my appetite. It’s pasta (without seafood) for dinner.

So many people I know cringe (or at least shy away) at the mention of having fish for a meal. They are haunted by the same experience I went through, having that pungency of a day-old catch burned into their memory and are robbed of the real joys that seafood should bring us. As a cook, I’m incessantly (or annoyingly) telling people, “Seafood doesn’t stink. If it does, it’s rotten.” In today’s world of big box stores and high volume production, we all too often exchange convenience at the price of losing quality. The Europeans have the right attitude; they still have the old world lifestyle of shopping in markets and boutique-style specialty shops on a daily basis to make sure they always have fresh, high quality foods.

Continue reading The Olde Fashioned Way »

Withrow Park Farmers Market
Withrow Park (1 block south of Danforth Avenue, between Logan and Carlaw)
Saturdays, 9am - 1pm
May 24th – October 25th

A relative newcomer to the market scene, the market at Withrow Park, now in its second year has quickly become a favourite of Riverdale area residents. With 16 vendors at peak season, the focus at this market is on organic.

Continue reading The Market Basket - Withrow Park »

Gayley’s Cafe
1424 Dundas Street West
416-538-3443
brunch for two with all taxes, tip and coffee: $28 (cash only)

The choosing of this brunch review was left up to fate. We’d ride the Dufferin bus north in the drizzle than permeated the city on the Victoria Day Sunday, and if there was a streetcar coming at Dundas, we’d head as far as Ossington and try our luck at the communal table at the Dakota Tavern. If there was no streetcar in sight, we’d cross the street and head to Gayley’s. a local place that we had passed a hundred times but had never been to.

Fate saved me from communal table brunch with jam-handed toddlers (with music for the kids!), but I’m not sure we chose the less frustrating option.

Continue reading Sunday Brunch - Gayley’s »

Just over a year ago, I gave up on the mostly vegetarian diet that I had stuck to for many years previously. I had a number of reasons for doing so, but one of them was my increasing interest in the slow and local food movements, where the enjoyment of good quality meat from well-cared for animals is celebrated. Sure, slow foodies and locavores are all over seasonal fruit and veg as well, but if you go to any food event that has involvement from Slow Food Toronto, the odds are very high you’ll be served pulled pork from local Berkshire piggies, or prosciutto cured by Niagara’s Mario Pingue, or some other locally-sourced meaty delight.

With this in mind, I couldn’t help but be somewhat baffled by the assertions of the National Post’s Gina Mallet in her review of Jamie Kennedy’s Gilead Café that “Slow Food has been hijacked by vegan-type activists who want hors d’oeuvres served with guilt, entrees with accusation and dessert denied entirely because of the inherent evils of sugar”. Maybe she’s been attending the meetings of some Slow Food imposter group, as her description is so far off the mark from the experiences I’ve had with the local Slow Food folks, it’s almost laughable.

Continue reading In The Papers - Saturday May 24th »