At NOW this week, Steven Davey gets his fill of Mexican grub with visits to La Tortilliera, where they bake the tortillas onsite; and Burritos Mexican House where the burritos come with a side of fries. In his Drink Up column, Graham Duncan does a great job of describing Trafalgar Oak-Aged rye without actually telling us what it tastes like.

Handsome devil Corey Mintz scores himself the cover story at Eye with a piece about the Ontario Food Terminal. More extensive than the piece he wrote for us back in November, it’s a detailed look into a foreign place that most of us will never see. In the review section, Alan Vernon and Sean Kelly Keenan check out Terroni on Adelaide.

At Metro, Sandy Caetano reports on the coast to coast expansion of Cora’s breakfast chain, and Marcy Cornblum interviews comedienne Debra DiGiovanni about her favourite foods. Billy Munnelly looks at French wines and their new popularity. And for those who still haven’t figured out what to do for Mother’s Day, there’s a recipe for cranberry-topped pancakes. Just don’t make Mom clean up after you.

In Lauren Simmons’ piece earlier this morning, we ran what we’ll refer to as an essay from a server named Christopher Hayden. The article started out as the details of a basic restaurant service day, but one comment from the subject caught my attention as I was editing the piece. It was about how customers who order half fries/half salad make the server “cry inside”. I asked Lauren to delve further, hoping to truly find out why this order creates such a fuss at many establishments, and her piece this morning was the response she received.

When the essay arrived in my email inbox, my first thought was that it completely and utterly exemplified the rude, snotty attitude that we, as customers, fear from restaurant servers, and that has given particular areas of town a deplorable reputation in terms of restaurant service. (Okay, actually, my first thought was that it was a huge joke, because I can’t strip the little faith I have left in humanity to believe that there are people out there who think like this.)

Continue reading Would You Like Fries With That? »

We’re coming up on the busiest brunch day of the year this Sunday, when guilty families across the country try to make up for a year of talking back, dirtying up the floors, and other assorted misdemeanours that drive Moms crazy. At the Toronto Sun Rita DeMontis says Moms just want “a simple thanks”, but barring that (or perhaps in addition to), try making her a cranberry brunch parfait. More ambitious children and hubbies (those not making brunch reservations) might want to offer Mom a healthy breakfast. DeMontis also has a piece on some microwaveable Thai noodle dishes (hint - take Mom out for Thai instead), and Elizabeth Baird roasts some local asparagus.

Continue reading What’s Cooking - Wednesday, May 7th »

The warm weather we had in April means the season for local produce has already started. I came home from St. Lawrence Market this past Saturday with not only local asparagus and ramps, but peas, tomatoes, and fiddleheads.

Throughout the month of May and into June, the various farmer’s markets throughout the city will be starting up. And while we keep a very comprehensive guide of local markets on our Markets page, I know I can’t be the only one anxious to get out there and start checking out what’s available.

Here’s a list of Toronto markets based on their start dates, so market junkies can visit each one as they open for the season.

Note that we still don’t have start dates for a few places, but will continue to update our Markets page as start dates are announced.

Also, please watch for our Market Basket column, starting next Monday, where we feature a different local farmer’s market each week.

Continue reading To Market, To Market… »

This week, we start our round-up with Posted Toronto, where Rob Roberts features one of Parkdale’s favourite spots, the Good Catch General Store.

Eric Vellend of Menumental offers suggestions on where to get good vegetarian food for meat-free day, part of David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge.

At Torontoist, David reports on how the Queen West Ben & Jerry’s was the only location to not take part in free ice cream day, with the shop closed tight and bailiff notices posted in the window. Wasn’t this also the location that closed down one day last summer because it was “too hot” to open? Seeking chilly solace elsewhere, Julie compares slushies. Earning her, yet again, the award for most devoted (brave/foolish) food writer in Toronto.

Continue reading The Wide, Wide World of Web - Monday, May 5th »

It’s easy to see why people refer to California as “Wine Country”; with nearly 2300 wineries California commands 90 percent of US wine production. A new promotion at LCBO stores called California Style coincides with the Santé Wine Festival, and includes a variety of special events and in-store tastings.

“California Style” features more than 140 wines, including 65 brands in the $6.90 to $19.95 price range, from a variety of producers. In addition, the Vintages release on April 26th featured premium and super-premium wines from Napa Valley and Sonoma County.

This past Friday, I attended an event at Brookfield Place where the foods and wines of California were offered in a Malibu pool-party setting, complete with celebrity look-alikes. And while the Johnny Depp look-alike proved that only the real Depp can get away with that “Snoopy’s cousin Spike” look, complete with floppy fedora, the opportunity to try some of the featured wines paired with food such as California-style sandwich wraps and sushi was worth putting up with the kitschy stunt.

Continue reading Sunday Sips - California Style »

It seems Toronto food bloggers have a collective sweet tooth this week, as the majority of the posts we’ve selected to feature are about sweet stuff.

Starting us off, Elizabeth at Blog From Our Kitchen makes some granola, using groats, not oats! Then Ferdzy at Seasonal Ontario Food makes a croissant pudding (like bread pudding) with streusel.

Tara at Seven Spoons reviews Martha Stewart’s Cookies, and makes the peanut butter and jelly bars, while Eric at Do You Know the Muffin Man? whips up a flourless chocolate orange almond cake, and at Closet Cooking, Kevin tries his hand at maple creme brulee.

At Porkosity, Corey sings the praises of mangoes and demonstrates how to cut one. (Pssst! Corey - the Alphansos have arrived in Little India!!) And Candice of Mmm, Tasty! reviews Dolce Gelato.

Also, Dean reviews 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life at Gothic Epicures VinCuisine, and Michael recaps the Somewhereness wine event at On the Road with the Grape Guy.

Would you eat meat created in a lab? Paul Terfenko of NOW looks at the issues surrounding PETA’s support of a genetically-modified meat created from animal cells without killing the animal. It opens up a whole pile of other issues, but if the kinks can be worked out (ie. taste and texture, the questions about the safety of GM foods), if offers a lot of possibilities.

In restaurant reviews, Steven Davey checks out Waterfalls in Kensington Market and is perplexed by the menu that offers a little bit of everything. Sticking to the Indian-style tapas works out better than the mixed bag menu of Italian and Greek dishes. Graham Duncan enjoys coffee at Espresso Mi Vida in the Junction, and checks out a Portuguese brandy in his Drink Up column.

At Eye, Alan Vernon and Sean Keenan Kelly check out the Harbord Room, the new space in the Annex with a fun sense of humour and a seasonal menu.

There’s a news piece at Metro about Canada’s contribution to the UN World Food Programme (look at us, not being chintzy misers like last year), and in the food section, yet another Gordon Ramsay piece. Billy Munnelly’s got great wines to go with BBQ, Rick McGinnis head to the Bier Markt for the white asparagus festival, and Marcy Cornblum interviews Iron Chef Cat Cora, who is in town to take part in next week’s Santé wine festival.

Well, the big news this week was the Hogtown visit by potty-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay. Here doing a book tour (and checking locations for a possible new restaurant) Ramsay had a busy schedule of interviews with pretty much every major media outlet. Except us. Oh, we asked. Didn’t quite lower ourselves to begging and pleading, though, and scored a consolation prize of a review copy of his latest book instead of some face time, but we did ask. I’ll keep my ranting to a minimum about how blogs and online news sites (on any topic) ARE TOO real media, but I can’t help but be a little put out that a devoted fan like myself (who has actually seen every episode of the UK series The F Word) didn’t get to burn toast with Gordo.

At the Toronto Star, food editor Kim Honey cooks a recipe from Ramsay’s book and bungs up the toast. The accompanying video seems a little sketchily edited, and at one point Ramsay asks if he’s been punked. Honey’s a great writer, but if you can make toast and actually set fire to it in a toaster oven (is that even possible? Don’t they have smoke alarms in the Star test kitchen??? Were they spoofing the highly-scripted shenanigans of Ramsay’s shows?), maybe food writing is not so much your forte. Rita DeMontis of the Toronto Sun chose not to cook for Ramsay but instead presented him with a spread of locally made delectables. Thankfully Beppi Crosariol of the Globe and Mail spares us the coquettishness and offers a straight-up interview with info about the potential new restaurant (corner of Yonge & Bloor if he doesn’t choose Vancouver instead), and fans who are so devoted they have the Hell’s Kitchen logo tattooed on their back. Yowza.

Continue reading What’s Cooking - Wednesday, April 30th »

There’s an old cliché that goes “there are plenty of fish in the sea”. This is meant to convey options and opportunities, but nowadays, it’s not a particularly apt analogy. Because fish stocks are dwindling due to poor husbandry and overfishing, and there aren’t a lot of fish in the sea anymore.

SeaChoice is a program by Sustainable Seafood Canada designed to mobilize consumers and industry to buy sustainable seafood, which is caught or farmed with consideration for the ocean’s ecological balance and the long-term viability of the fish. SeaChoice offers guidance to restaurants and consumers on what to buy and what to avoid.

Continue reading Not So Many Fish in the Sea »

Yesterday I watched Heston Blumenthal on the Food Network figure out a way to make ice cream hot on the outside but still cold in the centre. After much experimentation and chemical intervention, he found a way to do it, and I congratulated him through the screen, pointing out that he was now qualified to run the deep-fried ice cream station at ChiChi’s.

Which is to say that I’m not a fan of molecular gastronomy, mostly because it seeks to waste time finding solutions to problems that don’t need solving. Blumenthal’s quest for the “perfect” Baked Alaska was moot. His experiments comparing the insulating properties of various types of cake against roofing insulation were amusing but unnecessary. Hundreds, even thousands of chefs before him had already done the work. So despite the write up at Torontoist, I won’t be one of the folks lining up to see Dr. Herve This discuss the wonders of foam and meat glue. However, Torontoist has a post about a more down to earth food item with some vintage ads for bread.

Continue reading The Wide, Wide World of Web - Monday, April 28th »

Irish Embassy Pub & Grill
49 Yonge Street
416-815-7562
Brunch for two with all taxes, tip and beer: $56

They call it the breakfast of champions, and there was a point when a glass of stout, such as Guinness, was touted as a healthy start to the day. I don’t know if I could do that every morning, but when settling in for brunch at the Irish Embassy, it seemed wrong not to be sipping a glass of Ireland’s favourite beer.

Normally the domain of Bay Street brokers and executives, on an early Sunday, the sun streams through the high south-facing windows of this former bank and the light bounces off the architectural details of the arched ceiling. Never having been to Ireland, I’m not sure if all the locals there are this impressive, but the Irish Embassy is surely one of the most ethereal places I’ve eaten brunch. That may be because it’s not especially busy. This is an odd state and apparently not the norm, but explains why the sharply-dressed and aproned servers outnumber the customers by about 2-to-1.

Continue reading Sunday Brunch - Irish Embassy »

In honour of Earth Day this week, Catherine of Sugar and Ink offers tips at reducing food waste. It’s good advice, especially when we’re trying to make the most out of local produce. Ferdzy of Seasonal Ontario Food explains why imported produce like berries can be cheaper than local, and it ain’t pretty.

Also not pretty is what gets fed to school kids, and the resulting backlash against fat in children’s diets. Tracy at Fear and Loathing in the Kitchen points the finger away from fat and in the direction of carbohydrates. Me. I’m more of the mind that it’s all about balance, and unless you have specific health concerns, elimination of any one food group is probably not wise, but her point that fat in food has become the scapegoat for fat on our bodies is a valid one that demonstrates society’s need for both something to blame and the desire for a quick-fix.

Continue reading Blog-A-Log - Saturday, April 25th »

There used to be a time when newcomers to Toronto added a meal at Toby’s to their list of things to do that would make them a real Torontonian. The previously ubiquitous chain is now down to one downtown location and according to Steven Davey at NOW, the “Good Eats” of Toby’s glory days are long gone. He has no better luck at Bonga Buldak (Home of Hot Taste), where the Tearful Blazing Chicken does a number on the lover of all things hot and spicy. Graham Duncan sips some Ouzo in honour of Orthodox Easter.

At Eye, the mysterious unnamed restaurant critic (again this week, there’s no byline in the online version - now there’s a way to protect a reviewer’s anonymity) visits Cibo.

Chef Massimo Capra does a Q&A with Marcy Cornblum of Metro about his favourite things to cook, there’s a recipe for Passover Chicken, Billy Munnelly suggests Gewurztraminer as a great wine to ring in summer and Sandy Caetano explores the growth of the Cora’s chain to the east and west coasts.

Must be a slow news day. The National Post is running a piece based on a “study” published yesterday (note the use of quotation marks) indicating that what pregnant women eat around the time of conception can affect the sex of the baby. Did you know it can actually hurt to roll your eyes way far back in their sockets like that? Despite all that silly ol’ science stuff that has pretty much concluded that the Y chromosome in the male’s sperm determines sex, this “study” apparently shows that munching on bananas and cereal will score expectant mothers a son. And if bananas don’t work, you can find out what you’re having by peeing in some Drano. Ow, my rolling eyes!!

In real food news at the Post, Amy Rosen has a recipe for flourless chocolate cake, Ben Kaplan writes on the social significance of Harold and Kumar, and their love of White Castle (hey - next time you down one of those fancy mini hamburgers at some chichi resto, remember, White Castle did it first). The Appetizer blog has herbs, butter and knives.

Continue reading What’s Cooking - Wednesday, April 23rd »