Posted by Greg Clow in in the papers, news and media on July 26, 2008 at 3:13 pm

Amongst certain foodie factions, the "authenticity" of a meal trumps all other criteria when judging ethnic food. Sure, that stewed goat spleen with boiled roots might taste like crap, but as long as it's prepared exactly the same way as they make it in a remote mountain village in some country on the other side of the world, then it's automatically fantastic!

Others, however, are more concerned about how their food tastes, and are willing to accept some variations from tradition if it means a more delicious culinary experience. Based on his review of Bread Bar in today's Globe & Mail, it appears that Chris Nuttall-Smith falls firmly in this second camp, as he declares their Indian-with-influences cuisine to be amongst the best he's ever tasted:

[Y]ou'll find a vindaloo beef tenderloin, fork-tender and pink in the middle, served with roasted cherry tomatoes and soft, smoky pearl onions. And a watermelon and ginger shooter as an amuse bouche - a sip of summertime sublime that prods the palate and cools it all at once. And prawns rolled in lemon sole and served over a spinach sauce. And chocolate garam masala truffles.

Which is to say that Bread Bar is wildly, unapologetically inauthentic. It's also very nearly the best Indian food I've encountered in Canada, second only to Vij's, in Vancouver.

Also in the Globe:

• Beppi Crosariol returns to the paper after a several week illness, during which he developed a taste for beer (although he still reviews a few wines as well).
• Lucy Waverman cooks up a local food feast using ingredients from two of Toronto's farmers markets.
• Also on the local food tip, Cecily Ross previews Creemore's 100-Mile Store, a shop specialising in food grown and raised within 100 miles of Creemore that's set to open in the picturesque village in late August.
• Wendy Banks goes cherry picking with some folks from urban foraging crew Not Far From The Tree.
• Cinda Chavich explores the rich and varied street food culture of Malaysia.
• Taras Grescoe reviews three books about the shaky future of the world's fish population.

Over in the National Post, Gina Mallet visits one of Toronto's most acclaimed high-end dining destinations, Scaramouche, and finds that while the service and atmosphere are second to none, the food doesn't come close to living up to the place's reputation:

I love zucchini blossoms -- fried. But what's this cold treatment, the blossom squashed around a gelid shrimp mousse with only a fugitive seafood taste and lapped with tomato water so subtle that it might be mistaken for Evian water? Is prosciutto Americano cured in house? It is unexceptional, but considering the way the provenance of the beef is emphasized -- it comes from Kerr Farms -- it seems odd that we aren't told which artisan cured the ham.

Usually restaurants measure out terrine de foie gras by the teaspoon. Here, they forgo slim slices with delicate toasts for a fat slab of pate on a piece of soggy toast with a smattering of ice wine jellied cubes. The foie gras doesn't have the usual ambrosial melt on the tongue, suggesting it may have spent time in a freezer. For 26 loonies I want all the veins and nerves cut out of the liver instead of surfacing as a network of tiny black threads. Our final disappointment: a stack of Dungeness crab, avocado, cucumber, tomato mayonnaise on a garlic crouton. The crab tastes of nothing. OK, Dungeness crab does taste of almost nothing -- but that's where the art of cooking is expected to kick in.

Also in the Post:

• This week's Toronto Magazine gives ice cream the cover feature treatment, with articles including: Amy Rosen on Hamilton's ice cream history; Mark Medley and Karen Whaley's investigation of which frozen treats are most popular with 5-year-olds; a lengthy profile of lengedary ice cream parlour Dutch Dreams by Matt Simmons; and an exposé by Vanessa Farquharson on the scary crap that's used to make soft-serve.
• Margaret Swaine rates a trio of gins, along with a pair of white wines and a Peruvian pisco.
• Jason Chow has some tips on what to do with crème de cassis aside from the typical kir royale.
• Karen Whaley previews Good Egg, a cookbook and kitchen gadget store opening in Kensington Market next month; and she also treks out to the Denny's in Mississauga (we actually have Denny's in Canada?!?) for a lame Warped Tour afterparty.
• Adam McDowell reveals that the bars and restaurants in the Distillery District have booted the beers of their neighbouring Mill Street Brewery in favour of an exclusive deal with Sleeman.
• Bonnie Stern prepares three salmon dishes influenced by France, Italy and India.
• A. Brouwer & A. Wilson put a bunch of goat cheeses to the Shelf Life taste test.
• Sondra Gotlieb contributes a somewhat Andy Rooney-esque column on local food.

In the Toronto Star, Corey Mintz dines at Toshi Sushi, where the raw fish is good but plays second fiddle to the other Japanese dishes and delicacies on offer:

It's in the tapas-like dishes that the chef busts out his best moves. There is heaven in the composition of a pork and kimchi stew ($7). Slices of braised ox tongue ($7) dipped in a citrus bath, are run over the grill just long enough to lend them some marks and a touch of smoke.

There's nothing revolutionary about putting foie gras on top of rice ($6); it's just a good idea. When chef Shinji Mori lays a slab of foie over a rectangle of Tamaki Gold (a brand of koshihikari rice) and takes a blowtorch to it, my heart melts along with the fatty goose liver.

Also in the Star:

• Gord Stimmell recommends five reds that are well suited for pairing with grilled and BBQed dishes.
• Mark Bittman does up some classic lamb and figs on rosemary skewers.

Finally this week, the Toronto Sun's Anne Marie Males goes on a family outing for some old school Chinese at Spadina Garden:

The crispy ginger beef ($11.50) is probably the most popular item on the menu here. Lightly breaded, deep-fried beef is served up in a dark-red, sweet-and-spicy sauce. The ginger is nowhere to be found, but the beef is sticky and deliciously addictive in an "I'll go back on my diet tomorrow" kind of way.

The house special fried noodle ($8.95) is a big, satisfying plate of orangey, spaghetti-like noodles, packed with whole shrimp, barbecue pork, chicken and green onion. The sweet-and-sour fish consists of delicious, deep-fried pieces of tender white fish that would make any English fish-and-chips joint proud, accompanied by a big bowl of glow-in-the-dark neon orange sauce. My kids both eat this up. All good.

Also in the Sun:

• Rick Vansickle suggests a few well-priced and summery whites from Alsace.