It’s not often that a critic shows up at a particular address to review a restaurant, only to find a different restaurant in its place. But that’s exactly what happened to our own Amy Grigg recently, as she arrived at 11 Jarvis Street to dine on the dishes of chef Brad Moore at Eleven, only to find that it had suddenly become The Garden @ Eleven, with Moore replaced by chef Pat Riley (ex-Perigee). There’s no word on why Moore left so suddenly only a few months into his stint there (which followed an equally sudden exit from Xacutti), but at least the quality of the food seems to have remained high with Riley at the helm.

As for both chefs’ previous stomping grounds, Perigee has been getting renewed attention and positive reviews under former sous chef and now head chef Chris Brown. And over where Xacutti used to be, owner Leslie Gibson has returned from LA to relaunch the space this Tuesday, May 6th as Grace (503 College Street). To oversee a menu focused on “traditional flavours inspired by family gatherings and Sunday dinners”, she’s plucked 26 year-old chef Dustin Gallagher from Susur, where he’s been sous chef for 6 years.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Monday May 5th »

In the previous edition of T.O. Tidbits, we mentioned a few scarce details about a new restaurant from the owners of Splendido, Yannick Bigourdan and David Lee, that is set to open near Queen and University. Two weeks later, and a lot more information is now available.

Named Nota Bene, the new spot is being opened by Bigourdan and Lee in partnership with Franco Prevedello, the legendary local restaurateur who was once a co-owner of Splendido himself. The concept is being described as “no tapas, no bistro, no molecular… just back to the basics”, with most mains to be in the $25 to $35 range. A bit spendy for Queen West, perhaps, but perfectly reasonable for the patrons of the nearby Four Seasons Centre that will likely make up a good chunk of their clientèle. If all goes as planned, the 160 seat restaurant will be opening in late June.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Monday, April 21st »

It probably goes without saying that the biggest news on the Toronto food scene in the last couple of weeks has been the announcement that chef Susur Lee is leaving town to take on New York City with a restaurant in the new boutique hotel Thompson LES. This story has gotten coverage in the Star, the Post, the Globe (twice), and NOW, so there’s not much to add that hasn’t already been said.

The only question remaining is whether Susur (601 King West) will be closing for good on May 31st (as some sources say), or will be remodelled and reopened as a new restaurant under current sous chef Dominic Amaral (as others claim). Either way, next-door tapas restaurant Lee (603 King West) will remain intact no matter what happens to the mothership.

Sticking with local legends for a moment, Jamie Kennedy is putting the finishing touches on his newest venture, Jamie Kennedy Gilead Café (4 Gilead Place). Located in a space formerly occupied by his company’s offices, the café will open at 8 AM each day to serve light breakfast fare, moving into simple lunches for the afternoon. There will be no dinner service, with evenings instead given over to private events, including cooking classes. Watch for a mid-April opening.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Monday, April 7th »

It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t love cupcakes. And it’s also getting hard to find a neighbourhood in Toronto that doesn’t have its own gourmet cupcake shop. The latest addition to the oh-so-sweet fray is The Cupcakery, freshly opened at 1034 St. Clair Avenue West. Some of the more interesting flavours promised on their website include Lemon Popp (”Moist Lemon Poppy Seed Cake topped with Lemon Frosting”), PB & C (”Rich Chocolate Cake smothered w/ Peanut Butter Icing”) and Goin’ Bananas (”Banana Cake loaded with Butterscotch Chips topped with creamy Caramel Frosting”). I think I’m getting a sugar rush just from reading those…

On the more savoury side of things, the long-anticipated arrival of Belgian bakery-café chain Le Pain Quotidien is finally almost upon us, with the first Toronto location opening on Wednesday, March 26th at 508 Eglinton Avenue West. Three more locations are planned to open throughout the city before the end of the year, including a spot in Thornhill near Bathurst and Centre, and a downtown location in the PATH near Union Station.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Sunday, March 16th »

As the lack of a mid-month T.O. Tidbits post will attest, February was fairly quiet on the restaurant front, with not much action in terms of openings and closures. But there were still a few changes, especially in the last week or two, with several things to report from both sides of the ledger.

On the list of new arrivals, the high-concept Nyood (1096 Queen Street West) and Four (187 Bay Street) have both opened their doors. Nyood was once-upon-a-time supposed to be called Bar Crudo, and opened by Colborne Lane partners Hanif Harji and chef Claudio Aprile, but when that business relationship crashed and burned, chef Roger Mooking took Aprile’s place, and the raw food theme was shifted to small plates (surprise, surprise!) with a Mediterranean influence. As for Four, we profiled them earlier this week just before they opened, so check out that article for the full scoop.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Sunday, March 2nd »

They’ve done it with fast food at Petit Four, and now SIR Corp. is looking to combine healthy eating with high-end cuisine at Four (187 Bay Street). Set to open on February 27th in the location of the recently closed Soul of the Vine (below Far Niente in Commerce Court), Four will feature a seasonal menu with options for vegetarians, celiacs and others with restricted diets, and prices will be very reasonable for the area, with appetizers priced from $3.50 to $11 and main courses from $16.50 to $24. Most notably, all dishes will have less than 650 calories, with executive chef Gord Mackie promising no “diet food”, just meals that are healthy, balanced and flavourful.

In Little Italy, the short-lived lounge Versace’s Driveway has been replaced by Sidecar Bar & Grill (577 College Street), a causal dining restaurant that promises made-from-scratch Italian classics, and cocktails made with fresh juices and infused liquors. And down in the Entertainment District, Trinity Supper Club (11 Duncan Street) will soon be opening with one floor for dining and a second for dancing.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Sunday, February 3rd »

January is generally a pretty quiet time in the restaurant world, but there is still a bit of activity to report, such as the recent low-key opening of Delux (92 Ossington Avenue), the new restaurant from owner-chef Corinna Mozo that takes over the space formerly held by The Swallow. Early reports on the food have been positive, although some are disappointed that the promised Cuban influence has been downplayed somewhat in deference to a more traditional French bistro feel. Still, it’s a welcome addition to the ever-evolving Ossington strip.

Bistro fare is also the focus at Coquine (2075 Yonge Street), a new restaurant and bar operating in the former home of the Manor Arms Pub. Chef Alejandro Bustamante (ex-Gooderham House) has put together a menu that balances French and Belgian bistro classics (steak frites, moules frites, cassoulet) with a bit of Italian flair (Caprese salad, figs with prosciutto, various pastas), all for reasonable prices ($7-$25).

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Sunday, January 20th »

One of the biggest stories in the local restaurant scene in 2007 was the falling out between restaurateur Hanif Harji and chef Claudio Aprile. After success working as partners at Colborne Lane, the pair planned to open the hotly anticipated Bar Crudo in a large space along the Drake-ified region of Queen Street West, but a disagreement of some sort put the kibosh on that venture.

Aprile remained at Colborne Lane and is planning to open another restaurant without Harji’s involvement in the spring, while Harji retained the lease on the new location and will be opening Nyood (1096 Queen Street West) there later this month along with new partner Terry Tsianos (Palais Royale, The Miller Tavern). According to an employment listing for the place, the menu will “focus on fresh and simple food prepared for a tapas style food service. Flatbreads, ceviches, grilled fish, charcuterie, cured meats, and broiled meats fill the menu. Menu will change seasonally and will be driven by our well recognized chef.” (Just who that “well recognized chef” might be has yet to be revealed.)

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Sunday, January 6th »

We mentioned it a while ago - and they’ve been promising it even longer - but the day has finally arrived: today, the doors are opening at the long-awaited historic courthouse location of Terroni (57 Adelaide Street East). As we noted previously, the new spot has ample dinner seating, with the 10,000 square foot space split into a 98-seat dining room, a 60-seat atrium, a 50-to-70-seat cantina, and a 70-seat patio. And at the entrance, you’ll find a 50-seat enoteca, a traditional Italian wine bar perfect for a light lunch or an after-work drink and snack of cheese, prosciutto and olives.

A couple of blocks east of Terroni’s original Queen Street location, Mexican cantina Johny Banana (181 Bathurst Street) has undergone a pretty drastic overhaul. According to owner John Martin, they weren’t happy with the business they were doing as a full-service restaurant-lounge, so they’ve tranformed into a more casual joint serving freshly made burritos and quesadillas at scaled back prices. On the drinks menu, all of the hard stuff is gone, but you can still choose from an assortment of beer, soft drinks and juices, as well as their renowned Aztec-style hot chocolate.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Monday December 3rd »

There are lots of changes a-comin’ to the Queen West strip between Bathurst and Dufferin, with some empty locations being filled again, and one former hot-spot undergoing a sudden change.

The fun starts a bit west of Bathurst, where Habitat has closed rather suddenly. Signs in the window promise that Satori Supper Club (735 Queen Street West) will soon be rising in its place, with reopening set for either Thursday or Friday of this week depending on which sign you read. The word on the street (or more accurately, ChefDB) says that there’s been a change in ownership, and chef Martin Warnick has been replaced by Scott McDonough (ex-The Fifth). But based on the remarkably similar websites, it looks like the menu will be undergoing just a few minor tweaks, and strangely enough, some lowered prices.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Monday November 19th »

From a humble launch as a single location in Cambridge, Ontario in 1980, M&M Meat Shops have grown to become a fixture in small towns and suburbs across the country, offering a wide variety of frozen, family-friendly foods. This market has done very well for them, but now they’re aiming to cater to more gourmet-minded urbanites with M&M Meat Shops Uptown (although somewhat ironically, the first location under this new “brand concept” is at 340 Front Street West, in the heart of Toronto’s downtown).

While M&M Uptown sticks with the same “everything you need in one aisle” counter-service concept as the regular M&M locations, there’s a bigger emphasis on single-serving meals, as well as a selection of gourmet sauces, oils and other specialty items, and longer hours of operation. And in keeping with the ever-popular green trend, customers can purchase reusable shopping bags for $1, with proceeds going to the Daily Bread Food Bank.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Monday November 5th »

As the success of places like Cerealicious and NYC’s Peanut Butter & Co. proves, there’s money to be made in selling adult versions of children’s food. So I’m surprised that it’s taken so long for a place like Picnic (2411 Yonge Street) to appear in Toronto. Open for just over 2 weeks in the Yonge & Eg spot formerly held by MEATing, Picnic takes the “kids food for adults” theme to new extremes, with a card of childhood faves like alphabet soup, grilled PB&J, mac & cheese, and Sloppy Joes, all served up on picnic tables by waitstaff in jeans and checked bandanas. No word on whether they’ll honour requests to cut the crusts off your sandwiches or blow on your soup for you to cool it down.

As for MEATing, it’s made a move to 22 Front Street West where it’s been merged with The Bottom Line - self-described as “Toronto’s Classiest Sports Bar” - to become MEATing at The Bottom Line. Must’ve taken them ages to come up with that name.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Monday October 15th »

Anyone old enough to remember Queen Street West before it was overrun with chain stores was likely shedding a tear or two this past weekend, as Mimi Braidberg closed the doors for good at her eponymous diner, Mimi’s (218 Bathurst Street), after 22 years of slinging coffee, eggs, waffles, and her famous Blue Rodeo Chili (named after the local alt-country band well before they broke through to the musical mainstream). Bob Blumer - former manager of singer Jane Siberry, current Food Network star, and a long-time Mimi’s regular - provided a great eulogy in last week’s issue of NOW.

Also closing up shop this weekend were Sugar Café (942 Queen Street West), a friendly and cozy room near Trinity-Bellwoods known for fantastic brunches; and Bo De Duyen (254 Spadina Avenue), one of the city’s best - and cheapest - spots for Chinese vegetarian cuisine. Those with a taste for the Bo’s faux-meat specialities needn’t worry, however, as they will soon be reopening in a new location at 1999 Dundas Street West near Sorauren.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Monday, October 1st »

It’s always been a bit of a mystery where Middle Eastern restaurant Kensington Kitchen (124 Harbord Street) got it’s name, considering that it’s not in Kensington Market. And now they’re not anywhere at all, as the Harbord Street mainstay has closed up shop. A posting the window promises that they’ll be reopening in a new location, but no information was given on where or when.

Also recently closed is mediocre sushi joint Red Fuji Sushi (930 King Street West), which was quickly replaced with a much better sushi joint dubbed 930 Sushi. Run by a friendly Japanese couple, 930 features remarkably fresh and well-prepared fish, especially given their moderate prices.

Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Monday, September 17th »

Just in time for the Film Festival, Mark McEwan’s long awaited One (5 Hazelton Avenue) at the new Hazelton Hotel has opened its doors. With a $29 burger and $14 cocktails on the menu, it should be popular with the Hollywood types, as they’ll be able to hide out from the hoi polloi who would barely be able to afford the tip on an average bill at the place.

Stargazers with slightly shallower pockets will be happy to know that ubiquitous celeb hangout Sassafraz (100 Cumberland Street) is looking to be on-target to reopen in time for TIFF. Meanwhile, Festival insiders will be allowed entrance to new high-end steakhouse Jacob’s & Co. (12 Brant Street) starting September 6th, but us little people will have to wait a week or so before being allowed in to see what they’ve done to the space that once housed nightclub Roxy Blu and the remarkably short-lived Fumetti.
Continue reading T.O. Tidbits - Monday, September 3rd »