Five food trends we have a love-hate relationship with

Five food trends we have a love-hate relationship with

Every year, Toronto Life’s April edition names the current food and restaurant trends we love, hate and those with which we have a love-hate relationship. Here are the 2010 trends for which we have mixed feelings

Fancy sandwiches.
We’re not contesting the fact Petite Thuet’s lobster roll, Reggie’s Philly cheese steak and Delica’s mushroom on multigrain raised the bar on the lunch staple. It’s the price—even a ham and cheese can set you back almost $10—that has us crying into our homemade PB&Js.

Extreme comfort food.
We’ve got nothing against artery-clogging indulgences, but deep-fried mac-and-cheese sticks, poutine pierogies and deep-fried Mars bars are not to die for.

Artisanal marshmallows.
They’re pretty and soft and only cost a few quarters, but are they worth the sugar hangover? The cold, hard truth is they’re cuter than they taste. Ditto those devilishly charming French-style macaroons.

Firepits.
The blazing outdoor fires at the Ceili Cottage and the Drake offer a cozy backdrop for public snogging. The fact that you reek like a firefighter when you leave is a little less appealing.

Mason jar decor.
We get why walls of preserves are multiply­ing across the city (Splendido, Wine Bar, Buca, Gilead Bistro). They glow like stained glass and have become decorative shorthand for the slow food movement. That said, flaccid asparagus and fuzzy cherries—not particularly appetizing.

• See the seven food trends we love »
• See the six food trends we hate »

(Illustration: Jack Dylan)