As any fan of real Jewish deli food will tell you, it's hard to find the good stuff in Toronto. Last year's opening of Caplansky's helped somewhat, although some purists argue that despite being very good, Zane's smoked meat isn't "authentic" (whatever that means). And many older delis are riding on their past reputations while serving food that doesn't come close to what they offered in the old days.
One place that still gets respect from the hardcore, however, is Coleman's (3085 Bathurst Street), where they've been slinging the smoked meat and other deli favourites for over 50 years. Sadly, though, it appears that they've served their last 1/2 pound sandwich, as a notice in their window and on their website announces that they've closed for good. Deli expert David Sax has a bittersweet post about the closure on his Save The Deli blog.
Another food that has its fair share of opinionated aficionados is southern-style BBQ. As with deli, online food forums are often filled with lamentations and rants about the sorry state of ribs and pulled pork in Toronto and area. But there seems to be some optimism about a newly opened joint just north of the city called Southern Rub Smokehouse (4555 Highway 7, Unit B1, Vaughan), where they've been getting good feedback on their ribs, pulled pork, and traditional sides like mac & cheese and hush puppies.
Also out in the suburban hinterlands, the folks behind Regina Trattoria & Pizzeria on College have opened a new spot called That's Italian Ristorante (2 Tall Grass Trail, Unit 4 and 5, Woodbridge), serving up traditional pastas and pizzas. And just to make things confusing, the small downtown storefront that was known as Thai Thani until a few weeks ago has reopened under new management as a sandwich and pasta take-out counter named That's Italian! (179 Dundas Street West).
Rumours have been swirling for a while that chef Claudio Aprile (Colborne Lane) was planning on opening a new restaurant, and those rumours have finally got some facts to back them up. Located just a couple of blocks from his current kitchen, Origin (107 King Street) will reportedly be quite different from Colborne, abandoning the molecular gastronomy influences in favour of fresh and straight-forward dishes inspired by Aprile's visits to Asia and Europe. The chef has been quoted as saying that he wants to "redefine the raw bar concept with Origin" (i.e. sort of what was planned for Bar Crudo, the restaurant that he was supposed to open with Hanif Harji back in 2007 before the two had a falling out and Harji brought in Roger Mooking to re-envision it as Nyood). Watch for it to open in June.
A couple of local mini-chains are coming close to expanding their respective micro-empires. The long-planned third location of casual Italian eatery Mercatto (110 College Street) should finally be open in April in the north-east corner of the MARS Building. And also becoming a trio will be Le Gourmand (2177 Yonge Street), with their newest café and gourmet grocery opening near Eglinton in mid-February.
Over on the Danforth, Obamamania has hit the 'hood in the form of Obama Cafe (1226 Danforth Avenue). Expected to open in the next couple of weeks, the restaurant will serve a special Obama Blend coffee using beans from Kenya, and a food menu featuring various African cuisines as well as a few North American favourites. A couple of blocks east, North Africa is being represented at Walima Cafe (1450 Danforth Avenue), a new restaurant and tea room specialising in classic Moroccan dishes such as couscous, tagine and bastilla. And recently closed along that stretch is French bistro Bibiche, which is relocating to 2326 Queen Street East in the Beach.
Finally, we don't know much about the place, but we have to mention the recent opening of Opera Bob's Public House (1112 Dundas Street West) just 'cause it deserves some hype for the awesome name alone.
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.
