Posted by Greg Clow in in the papers, news and media on July 12, 2008 at 5:04 pm

One of the first editorial decisions we made when we started TasteTO last year was establishing a policy of not reviewing restaurants during Summerlicious or Winterlicious. While there are always exceptions, it's rare to find a place that can remain on top of their game during these periods of prix fixe madness, so it hardly seems fair to pass judgement on a restaurant - especially in terms of their service - based on a 'licious meal.

The same policy usually tends to be followed by the city's major food journalists, so we can only assume that it was deadline pressures that forced Gina Mallet to file a review of Provence for today's National Post even after she inadvertently dined there on the opening night of Summerlicious. Thankfully, she's happy with the apps and desserts, but perhaps if she'd shown up a couple of days earlier, she would've been more satisfied with her main:

Cassoulet needs to mature to taste good. The 19th-century writer Anatole France claimed that his favourite restaurant had kept the same cassoulet pot simmering on the stove, with new ingredients periodically added, for 20 years!

Can you imagine what a Toronto health inspector would say when confronted with such an ancient stew! Still, I'd have liked a cassoulet older than, say, a day. The white beans seem a little hard, the duck confit is dry -- roasted duck would have been juicier -- the spicy sausage is good, the pork OK, but there is no deep, dark, aged taste or crunchy bread crumb crust (broken or not) so essential to full enjoyment.

Also in the Post:

• Margaret Swaine reviews a few Alsatian wines, as well as a top-notch rum.
• Jason Chow makes a chilled yoghurt soup that's a refreshing summer appetiser.
• Adam McDowell sips a few cocktails with Michelle Hunt and Laura Panter, the women behind Martini Club and next weekend's Drinks Show.
• Bonnie Stern offers some tasty summer sandwiches.
• Nathan Vanderklippe files a pair of articles on BC's apple industry, one looking at the success of the accidentally discovered Ambrosia apple, and the other investigating the adverse effect that the increasing popularity of BC wines is having on the apple industry.
• Sarah Schmidt reports on a leaked government document that reveals plans for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to start allowing the meat and animal feed industries to start self-inspecting their products, and to also end funding for BSE testing.

Over in the Toronto Star, Corey Mintz checks out the increasingly hot and happenin' Leslievile area, where new bars and restaurants continue to open at a furious pace. He has a quick bite at Pic Nic, where they don't seem to know how to slice prosciutto properly, and then visits Table 17 for pair of dinners that have a few highlights, but are ultimately pretty disappointing, especially when the owner tries to help with the serving:

A serving flourish with the polenta dish is splendid but impractical. The soft polenta is brought out on a wooden board and, on the first visit, the chef spoons veal and basil sugo over it. But kitchen staffers can't abandon their post every time someone orders polenta. The second time, Mr. Owner is doing the ladling. No one needs a PhD in saucing, but there's a way to do it with grace and there's a way to slop it like a unionized cafeteria worker.

Also in the Star:

• Mintz does double duty this week and provides a round-up of some of his favourite ice cream spots.
• Gord Stimmell explores the connections between wine and music.

In the Globe & Mail, Chris Nuttall-Smith is less than impressed with Atelier Thuet, where he receives a disappointing combination of poor service and iffy seafood:

[W]hat happens with our halibut [...] is inexcusable. My two non-foodie tablemates notice it first: the plate smells like ... fish. Memories of Kensington Market on a hot August afternoon. Not quite wretchedly bad, but not good, either. Most definitely not what a $25 piece of halibut at the restaurant of one of the city's best chefs should taste like. The kitchen cooked the kishkes out of it, but even that doesn't help. We leave half of the fillet on the plate and tell the server. (And to be fair, we didn't complain when she asked us at first - we were all too busy looking at each other's pained, polite faces and wondering, "Do you smell what I smell?") She seems concerned and promises to tell the kitchen. But what she doesn't do is take the fish off our bill. She comps a $7 dessert instead.

Also in the Globe:

• Lucy Waverman is tired of grilling and BBQing, so she turns to a menu that's richer but still summery.
• Sasha Chapman profiles this weekend's Toronto Night Market at Markham's Metro Square.
• Liz Allemang describes the highs and lows of urban allotment gardening.
• Margaret Webb wraps up her series on culinary tourism in Ontario with visits to a couple of pig farms that specialise in rare heritage breeds.

In the Toronto Sun, Anne Marie Males discovers that reservations are a must at Grace, even on usually slow nights like Tuesday and Wednesday - and when she finally gets a chance to taste chef Dustin Gallagher's food, she understands why:

Mains are tough to narrow down [...] we finally settle on the port steak with bone marrow, potato salad and French beans ($25) and the barbecued short ribs with coleslaw and roast sweet potato ($24).

Both turn out to be inspired choices. The steak is done perfectly, medium rare with plenty of delicious marrow, and the short ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender. The vegetables are all done perfectly. The roast sweet potato includes an inspired hit of fresh mint that pushes this side over the top.

Also in the Sun:

• Rick Vansickle rounds up an international selection of summer-friendly wines.