Posted by Greg Clow in in the papers, news and media on October 4, 2008 at 5:14 pm

Here’s a round-up of the food & drink articles in Toronto’s papers today…

Toronto Star:

• Corey Mintz finds that the food is fine at The Kitchen, but the work of new chef Jefferson Alvarez is sadly overshadowed by the lackadaisical service and bar-room atmosphere.
• Gord Stimmell sends the new NHL Alumni wines from California's Ironstone Vineyards to the penalty box, and also reports on three speciality wine ordering services available to Ontarians.
• Roberta Avery asks chef and restaurateur Michael Bonacini about some of his favourite places to eat in Collingwood.
• Richard Ouzounian enjoys six meals in Victoria, BC.

National Post:

• Gina Mallet spends some time in Yorkville, where she enjoys MoRoCo Chocolat despite her misgivings about the somewhat gimmicky menu, but is completely disappointed by Le Pain Quotidien.
• Margaret Swaine is kinder then Stimmell to the NHL Alumni wines (the Darryl Sittler one, specifically), but she's still not wowed by them.
• Malcolm Jolley proclaims sugarcane vinegar to be an excellent, and much cheaper, alternative to sherry vinegar.
• Alison Broverman gets schooled by chef Shashi Jain, who offers Indian cooking lessons out of her condo.
• Rebecca Tucker previews this weekend's Gates Open Savour Durham festival, which celebrates the best fall food throughout Durham County.
• A. Brouwer & A. Wilson convene a Shelf Life tasting panel to put several brands of penne pasta to the taste test.
• Bonnie Stern shares several recipes from farms featured in the recent book Fields of Plenty: A Farmer's Journey in Search of Real Food and the People who Grow It.

Globe & Mail:

• Joanne Kates cuts through the hype surrounding Pizzeria Libretto, and declares that their pizzas aren't worth the 30-minutes-or-more line-up that's been the norm since they opened.
• Beppi Crosariol ignores the hockey wines entirely, and insteads looks at many eco-friendly initiatives being undertaken by wineries around the world.
• Also on the eco front, Amy Verner reports on the increasing trend towards environmently concious entertaining, and Cecily Ross adds a sidebar with tips on how to put together tasty party snacks using local and sustainable ingredients.
• Lucy Waverman moves beyond dry turkey and stodgy side dishes with recipes for a more sophisticated Thanksgiving dinner.
• And finally, I'd like to have a chat with the Globe editor who thought it would be a good idea to send Cherie Delory to write about breweries in Belgium, given that she doesn't even like beer, as she reminds us many times in her article. (It's not online, so if you want to suffer through it as I did, you'll have to find a paper copy. But seriously, don't bother.)