Here’s a round-up of the food & drink articles in Toronto’s papers today…
Toronto Star:
- Amy Pataki takes a contrary stance to the numerous rave reviews of Buca and gives it a so-so assessment, with the sprawling menu and spotty service being her main complaints.
- Gord Stimmell finds many good value wines to recommend from the latest Vintages release.
- Corey Mintz feeds artist Vivian Reiss and her daughter Ariel Garten this week, using ingredients sourced from Reiss's bountiful urban garden.
- Jennifer Bain gets a lesson in Malbari cooking at Maroli with chef-owner Naveen Polapady.
- Shauna Remple is in Banff and enjoys a Blonde Bison, the signature cocktail of Bison Restaurant & Lounge.
- Emily Mathieu has a touching obituary for Harlan Clark who passed away from a stroke this past week after selling eggs at the St. Lawrence Farmers Market every Saturday for more than 60 years.
- Carol Perehudoff travels through cottage country enjoying all things apple.
Globe & Mail:
- Joanne Kates has some reservations about the "no reservations" policy at Local Kitchen & Wine Bar, but it thankfully doesn't get in the way of her really enjoying the food.
- Beppi Crosariol suggests some wines that will go down well at pre-holiday gatherings.
- Chris Johns saddles up to the bar at the Double Deuce Saloon and sips a sazerac, one of many classic cocktails being poured there.
- Kate Hammer heads to St. Clair to visit Sushi Sugar where owner Chris Chen is packing the place with hungry high school students by offering tasty and healthy lunch combos for $4.50.
- Lucy Waverman creates a wonderful brunch buffet for a friend's birthday, with help from caterer Dinah Koo of Koo & Co.
National Post:
- Gina Mallet joins the chorus of negative notices that have been piled upon Liberty Noodle with a scathing review of her own.
- Margaret Swaine recommends three well-priced and tasty wines that are also widely available.
- Adam McDowell has some tips for chef Brad Long and partners on how they might improve their recently opened Bloor West Village gastropub My Place.
- Chris Nuttall-Smith goes hunting for contraband eggs in an excerpt from the new anthology book Edible City: Toronto's Food from Farm to Fork.
- The Weekend Post section puts the focus on drinks both alcoholic and non, including: Adam McDowell's guide to matching books with booze; Amy Rosen on the pros and cons of Strut, Girl's Night Own, and other mass-produced wines that are marketed towards women; Margaret Swaine's explanation of how wine judging competitions really work, along with a list of the gold medal winners from the recent InterVin Wine Awards; an excerpt from Cheers: An Intemperate History of Beer in Canada by Nicholas Pashley; Barrett Tyler Jones on why we should stop comparing quality coffee to wine; and several recipes from Bonnie Stern that use tea as a primary ingredient.
