When Yorkville's venerable Boba closed toward the end of last year, some predicted that it would be the first of many restaurant closures caused by the economic downturn. It's going to be a hard theory to prove; after all, plenty of restaurants close even in the good times for any number of reasons. But even if the recession/depression/whatever you want to call it isn't the direct cause of every shuttered eatery in the coming months, it's probably a safe bet that it will be a factor for many of them.
The latest victim appears to be Thirty-Five Elm (35 Elm Street), an often overlooked gem of a restaurant that we profiled just a couple of weeks ago. A friend of owner Chris Ross tipped us off on Boxing Day that it would be closing, and given the dependence that many restaurants along that strip have on tourists from the nearby Delta Chelsea Hotel, we won't be surprised if another Elm Street eatery or two hits the skids before the winter is out.
Rumours have also been abundant recently about changes happening at Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar (9 Church Street). Some reports have claimed that there was a split between Jamie Kennedy and partner Dan Donovan, with Donovan retaining sole ownership of the restaurant. However, a reliable source has informed us that Kennedy and Donovan remain partners, but that the management structure has changed slightly, with staff at the Wine Bar now reporting directly to Donovan, while Kennedy oversees the other JK-owned locations. Associated staff restructuring and a number of layoffs also helped fuel the rumours of a split, but these changes can mainly be chalked up to the expansion of the JK brand unfortunately coinciding with the faltering economy.
A closure that we missed when it happened back in early December was Kubo Radio (894 Queen Street East) in Leslieville. According to BlogTO, they are officially "closed for renovations", but another source says that when the space does reopen in March, it'll be a pub called The Roy Public House. No word on whether it'll still be owned by the Kubo folks, but either way, their Italian restaurant L'il Baci (892 Queen Street East) remains open next door.
One of the most notorious news stories on the restaurant scene last year was the closure of long-time Chinatown haunt Happy Seven due to a rat infestation. Presumably, the pesky rodents have been evicted (or at least trained not to hang out in front of the windows), as the address now houses Chinese seafood restaurant King Lobster (358 Spadina Avenue).
Gourmet grocery and take-out spot Le Gourmand is about to make the leap to mini-chain status with a soon-to-open third location at 2177 Yonge Street near Eglinton. Like the shops at Spadina & Richmond and in the Hudson's Bay Centre, the new place will feature a selection of sandwiches, salads and pastries as well as an assortment of gourmet pantry items, but they'll also offer more seating and full lunch/brunch and dinner menus.
Also opening soon is Isabella's Chocolate Café (147 Danforth Avenue), where fair-trade and organic chocolate and coffee will be on offer along with a small card of lunch items. Owner Giacomo Bruno has been operating the original Isabella's in Oshawa since 2006, and is a strong supporter of local community groups and charitable organizations. Watch for the doors to open later this month.
Those who would like to continue eating locally grown and sourced products even during the winter months may be interested in investigating a newly launched initiative from the folks at Ontario food emporium Culinarium (705 Mount Pleasant Road). Inspired by CSA (Community Shared Agriculture) programs where one invests up front and receives a share in the bounty a farm produces all through the harvest season, the store has developed the OAS (Ontario Artisan Share) Program. Every two weeks until the end of April, participants will receive a box containing meat, cheese, root and greenhouse vegetables, fruit, jams and preserves and other items sourced from farmers and purveyors across the province, with the contents varying depending on what's available each week. Registrations are being accepted until January 22nd, with more information available on the Culinarium website.
If you have a scoop to share about the local food & restaurant scene, please let us know so we can include it in a future edition of T.O. Tidbits.
Thirty Five Elm's voicemail box says that they will be closed for the holidays and reopen on January 12.
i'm really hoping this report is somehow wrong because i ate there twice before Christmas and the food was stellar.