Chloe Ellingson | torontolife.com

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A special Coke for Passover, the biology of bacon’s appeal, the perfect pad Thai

It's not me, it's you: Why bacon tempts (Photo by Greg Ma)

It's not me, it's you: Why bacon consumption is not our fault (Photo by Greg Ma)

• It’s not just breakfast tradition that attracts humans to bacon; there is a biological reason for its allure (and omnipresence). A British expert explains the attraction, and why the meat is the perfect hangover cure. [Telegraph]

• We’ve all tried to detect the difference between Coke and Pepsi, but who can tell the difference between Coke and “Passover Coke”? A Toronto Star food editor hit the streets to put pop drinkers to the test. [Toronto Star]

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The Dish

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April 4, 2009 | 9:48 am

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A pierogi debate dies, Inniskillin’s Italian glory, bacon cocktails

Chinatown: The target of racist press? (Photo by Neil Ta)

Has Chinatown been covered unfairly by Toronto media? (Photo by Neil Ta)

• The media coverage of the alleged rat infestations in Chinatown has to do with a lot more than health concerns, argues Trinity-Spadina Councillor Adam Vaughan. He claims that the press is showing a “tinge of racism.” [National Post]

• The long Roncesvalles pierogi rivalry between The Straropolska and Café Polonez is over—and the latter wins by default. Straropolska recently unveiled its new interior, menu and name (Bistro 299). According to BlogTO, this disqualifies it from the Polish category altogether. [BlogTO]

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The Dish

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March 31, 2009 | 7:05 am

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Sushi on Bloor shut down, lax meat import rules, advice for recession-weary restaurants

• Long-standing speculation about the quality of the fare at Sushi on Bloor has been officially validated: Toronto Public Health has temporarily shut down the Annex restaurant due to “improper maintenance of food” and “inadequate pest control.” [BlogTO]

• U.S. federal health investigators have found that most food producers can’t identify the suppliers of their products. But that’s not the worst of it: many of them were unaware that they were even expected to. [New York Times]

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The Dish

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March 26, 2009 | 10:45 am

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More poisoned dogs, Comfort Zone’s $11-million lawsuit, maple syrup everywhere

A bad year for Hogtown pooches (Photo by Ruth Ellison)

• It’s a trying time for Toronto’s dogs. First there were the toxic wieners in High Park; then pooches were zapped by stray electricity in Liberty Village. This week, three more were poisoned by tainted cupcakes in Port Perry. [Globe and Mail]

• Chinatown’s Comfort Zone has launched an $11-million lawsuit against the city, claiming business losses following Councillor Adam Vaughan’s accusation that the restaurant is associated with organized crime. [365]

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The Dish

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March 25, 2009 | 11:52 am

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Dispelling sugar myths, organics stay afloat, a new alcohol-cancer link

Debunking the myths about sugar in food (Photo by Kima)

• A New York Times blog attempts to debunk food myths related to sugar, which is increasingly being viewed as a health food, compared with such high-fructose sweeteners as corn syrup. Six experts and researchers evaluate the white stuff’s new-found popularity. [New York Times]

• The Toronto Wine and Cheese Show wasn’t true to its name this year, argues one food blogger. It took place in the suburbs, served too little food, and favoured mass-produced imposters over genuine Canadian cheese. [BlogTO]

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The Dish

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March 24, 2009 | 12:18 pm

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Praising peameal, Canadian wines go abroad, Marché Movenpick rises again

One and only and internationally acclaimed (Photo by Sun Brockie)

• The recession is hitting gimmicky joints hard, but “Insatiable” columnist Sasha Chapman sees few consequences for Scaramouche, the Black Hoof and certain other Toronto restaurants. [Globe & Mail]

• Another testament to the continuing avalanche of comfort food in Toronto: the Marché will be relaunching its flagship Toronto restaurant. Movenpick, the company that owns the chain, reports plans to simultaneously open 10 new Marché-branded locations throughout the GTA. [Newswire]

• Canadian wines are not always appreciated in their homeland, but they may be making it big abroad. Canadian distributors have been eyeing the Hong Kong market since the region scrapped its 40 per cent tariff on wine and beer in early 2008. [National Post]

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The Dish

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March 20, 2009 | 12:03 pm

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Obama Café’s competition, a trip to Carrot City, trimming the restaurant bill

The art of service at 5 km/h (Photo by Raul Arrieta)

• Talk of gratuities is in the air. Reminding us of the supposed origin of the acronym “TIPS” (the grammatically dubious phrase “to insure prompt service”), four veteran servers share their restaurant service philosophies. [LA Times]

• A feud has erupted on the Danforth after United Cybernet, located just two stores down from the Obama Café, changed its name to Obama Cybernet. The café’s owner is demanding that the copycat change his sign. [Globe & Mail]

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The Dish

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March 18, 2009 | 1:20 pm

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Maple Leaf’s make-over, McDonald’s mini-burger, Canada’s best food blog

The hidden dangers of drinking (Photo by Mandie)

• Easy on the booze, boys. A study has found that men who consume 14 drinks a week or more are 20 per cent more likely than teetotallers to develop prostate cancer. [City News]

• Unfortunately for McDonald’s, which just introduced a Big Mac–infused mini-burger snack wrap, it takes a lot more than a pita to signify nutrition. [Burgerbusiness]

• Despite Maple Leaf’s battered reputation, the company insists its business make-over was not driven by last year’s listeria outbreak at its Toronto plant. [ItWorldCanada]

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The Dish

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March 16, 2009 | 9:37 am

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Taxing chocolate, banning bottled water, reinstating trans fats

Delicious, but taxable? (Photo Renée Suen)

Delicious? Yes. Taxable? Maybe. (Photo Renée Suen)

• Researchers at Brock University looked at the age of candy bars in eight major retail stores, and the findings weren’t good: the average bar was 140 days old. [Financial Post]

• One British GP is determined to dispel the notion that chocolate is healthful; he proposes that it be taxed like alcohol and cigarettes (no matter how old it is). [BBC]

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The Dish

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March 12, 2009 | 12:18 pm

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Guy Fieri tells all, Gordon Ramsay is re-imagined, David Lee wants kids to cook

Chef David Lee wants kids in the kitchen (Photo by Renee Suen)

• Splendido–Nota Bene chef David Lee regales us with childhood cooking stories and urges parents to show their kids around the kitchen. Here’s his suggestion of an easy yet sophisticated recipe that’s perfect for a March break cook-off with rug rats. [Globe and Mail]

• Karen Hawthorne chews the fat with the Food Network’s peroxided chef Guy Fieri, host of Guy’s Big Bite; Diners, Drive-ins and Dives; and the new contest show Ultimate Recipe Showdown, which premiered last night. [National Post]

• Hungarian food critic Egon Ronay envisions a better-behaved Gordon Ramsay, suggesting that he take a few cues from the iconic French chef Auguste Escoffier. [Guardian]

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The Dish

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March 10, 2009 | 12:50 pm

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Toronto sewage is farm-bound, meat is stolen, Hillary Duff is pro-lunch

Soup: Get some, get better (Photo by Robert Couse-Baker)

• Spurred by research supported by the American College of Chest Physicians regarding the health benefits of soup, chef Bonnie Stern offers three recipes, just in time for the end of flu season. They don’t call it “Jewish penicillin” for nothing. [National Post]

• School board studies show that 68 per cent of students at north Toronto’s Emery Collegiate don’t eat breakfast and 54 per cent don’t eat lunch. The Toronto District School Board is trying to change that, with a little help from Hillary Duff. [National Post]

• A truck full of meat stolen from a Paris, Ontario, business was recently found in Toronto, and it looks like this was not a one-off robbery. Another vehicle was nabbed from the same business on Sunday—this time carrying $80,000 in frozen meat. [CD989fm]

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The Dish

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March 6, 2009 | 11:23 am

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Fake food inspectors, some gifts for Toronto, a solution to insane restaurant queues

Should Yonge Street be for pedestrians only? (Photo by Scott Snider)

• On the eve of Hogtown’s 175th birthday, Star urban affairs columnist Christopher Hume has a few gift suggestions for the city to give itself: new street food, 24-hour restaurants, a car-free Yonge Street and a unique Toronto cuisine. [Toronto Star]

• Fleecing the foodies: dozens of store and restaurant owners in the GTA have reported visits from fake health inspectors selling “safety tests” for $30 and $40. [Metro]

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The Dish

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March 4, 2009 | 9:24 am

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Parkdale’s new festival, Beerbistro’s free meal giveaway, Starbucks’ breakfast deals

What goes into ethical meat? (Photo by Luis Ramirez)

• Consumers are willing to pay much more for ethically produced meat, but who really knows what the label means? Here, a look at what goes on before the meat hits the counter. [Toronto Star]

• Two thousand people attended the funeral of George Koutroubis, the owner of Six Steps restaurant, who was found dead on February 22. [CTV]

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The Dish

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February 27, 2009 | 5:02 pm

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Suburban food festivals, the Ritz bites the dust, Ottawa chefs come to Toronto

The Ritz that never was

• David Rocco and Jamie Oliver taught us the importance of nutritious meals for kids, but obsessing over their diets could in fact be detrimental to their health. [National Post]

• Plans have been nixed for the construction of Vancouver’s Ritz-Carlton skyscraper. Toronto’s Wellington Street location—complete with high-end restaurant—is progressing toward its 2010 opening. [Globe & Mail]

• Winter prix-fixes aren’t just available to downtowners this year. Two Vaughan foodie festivals—SavourVaughan and Beyond Restaurant Week—are underway. [YorkRegion.com]

• Unpaid overtime, late nights and unpredictable shifts—few customers know what happens on the other side of restaurants’ kitchen doors. [Toronto Star]

• Ottawa isn’t regarded as a major player on the country’s food scene, but its chefs are trying to change that. Next week they’ll be heading to Toronto en masse to show off their culinary talent. [Ottawa Citizen]

The Dish

Pantry Raid

February 26, 2009 | 2:14 pm

16 Comments

Mark McEwan predicts that Torontonians will “get” his North York version of Dean & Deluca

Mark McEwan, shopkeep (Photo by Nikki Leigh McKean)

We’ve been hearing about McEwan—Mark McEwan’s proposed gourmet grocery store—for what seems like eons now. News about it broke in late 2007, with an opening date set for January 2009. But then we were told we’d have to wait another five months. Now, even though controversy is brewing over the store’s gentrifying effects, we are told that the suspense is almost over. Come June, the Bymark chef will open the doors to his supermarket at Lawrence and Don Mills. He envisions the size of his store as somewhere between Pusateri’s and Whole Foods, with aisles of gourmet ingredients and prepared foods tended by employees offering restaurant-style service.

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