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Culinary Curiosities

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May 10, 2012 | 3:13 pm

Why whiskey could be the new bacon (parental discretion advised)

Remember your last bourbon sour? Well, we hope you savoured it, because the surge of brown spirit–based drinks might well be on its last legs. Why? Because that sometimes-smoky, slightly sweet flavour of whiskey has now been made into a sexual lubricant. It seems like only yesterday that people were gabbing about bacon lube, and now no one seems to be talking about those fatty strips of smoked pork with quite the same reverence. We fear the same may happen for the city’s bourbon intake. Should there be a dearth of whiskey in the city, don’t fret—you can purchase this ridiculous product in a six-pack for a $12 discount.

All Mixed Up

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May 10, 2012 | 1:02 pm

All Mixed Up: Watch Cold Tea’s Sarah Parniak make a Lucky Peach, her twist on a bourbon sour

Cold Tea is tucked away in the back of the Kensington Mall, down a long hallway and behind a door with a small window and a single red bulb above it. Visitors are greeted by a small (and operational) dim sum cart when they enter, but around the corner there is indeed a suitably laid-back bar, with a large patio out back. Here, Sarah Parniak, one of the bartenders, shows us how she makes a Lucky Peach ($10), a twist on the classic bourbon sour, one of her favourites.

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Deathwatch

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May 10, 2012 | 11:38 am

Prince Edward County cheesemaker Fifth Town suspends operations

Fifth Town’s retail shop (Image: Sutha Kamal)

Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company, the much-loved artisanal Prince Edward County cheese company, has wound down its operations—for now at least. Founder Petra Kassun-Mutch made the announcement on Facebook:

“Over the past two years, I watched the colour slowly drain out of something that was special [and] innovative and [that] pushed the envelope on several important environmental and social fronts–and something I felt was possible because of all the things others had taught me along the way. Now [there’s] nothing left to drain. The doors have closed on FT. My gratitude to all the staff, present and former, and the community who participated in making it happen over the past four years, and a special thanks to those who tried to tough it out in hopes of a better next phase. Even with doors closed, and whether you loved it or were of the ‘Told you so’ crowd, we together created something positive that will, in spite of its physical closing, endure for years to come.”

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TV Diner

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May 9, 2012 | 4:34 pm

Top Chef Canada exit interview, episode 9: whose palate is it anyway?

This season, we’ll be chatting with each week’s eliminated chef after they get the boot (or, rather, after their boot-getting episode airs—this stuff was recorded months ago). Find out who got eliminated, after the jump »

Deathwatch

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May 9, 2012 | 3:47 pm

The Real Jerk’s days in its Queen Street shop are numbered (22, to be precise)

(Image: Dominic Bugatto from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)

It looks like the Real Jerk’s long, drawn-out tenancy saga is about to come to an end—the last chance to grab a roti at the Riverside institution will be May 31. The Caribbean restaurant, which fought an eviction notice earlier this year and won a reprieve in February, will be out of its Queen Street East location by the end of the month, according to a report in the National Post. In March, owners Ed and Lily Pottinger were ordered to pay the courts an extra $5,700, the difference between what the Pottingers were paying in rent and the amount the building’s erstwhile new tenants had agreed to hand over to the building’s owner, Bill Mandelbaum (there were rumours an Irish pub was going to open on the site). Ed assured the Post that they had reached an “amicable solution with the landlord” and that they’d announce a new location soon. The Pottingers say they’ve been checking out nearby properties, so perhaps the Real Jerk’s sunny mural will once again beam down on customers on Queen East. [National Post]

Opening

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May 9, 2012 | 11:32 am

Introducing: Windows by Jamie Kennedy, the locavore chef’s new Niagara Falls venture

The man with his name on the place (Image: Karolyne Ellacott)

Jamie Kennedy (Gilead Café, formerly of Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar and JK Rom, etc.), describes his new venture, Windows by Jamie Kennedy, as “a taste of Niagara and a feast for the eyes.” Given his commitment to local and seasonal food, it’s fitting that dining at Kennedy’s latest restaurant will require a journey to one of the world’s natural wonders. We took a trip down to Niagara Falls to check the place out.

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Deathwatch

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May 9, 2012 | 10:12 am

Brad Long to shutter Veritas; Betty’s owners to move in

Brad Long at last year’s Toronto Taste (Image: Renée Suen)

After almost five years, chef Brad Long is quietly handing over Veritas, his “local fare” restaurant on King Street East, to the owners of neighbouring bar Betty’s. Noting the lack of drama in the restaurant’s closing, Long tells us, “It’s not a very sexy story, sorry. But my landlord and partner asked me to sell so they can do something else, and they’ve always been great to me, so I said, ‘Sure, no problem.’ ” Long was quick to add, “It’s not like I don’t have enough to do.” By which he means, of course, his bustling Café Belong at the Evergreen Brick Works. “I’ll definitely be concentrating on the café—it’s going crazy, and as far as I’m concerned, it still needs my full attention.” But it seems one business is not enough for Long: “There are certainly other projects going on but I don’t think any will be ready for quite a while.”

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Bottoms Up

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May 8, 2012 | 5:12 pm

Police charge that guy who (allegedly) ripped off the LCBO—(allegedly) big time

On Monday, the Ontario Provincial Police charged former LCBO employee and noted (alleged) scammer Francois Agostini with a litany of offences: breach of trust, fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, two counts of uttering forged documents, two counts of falsifying books, possession of stolen property over $5,000 and money laundering. The story goes that from 2005 to 2011, Agostini (allegedly) exploited a liquor board program that provides booze to diplomats without tax or duty at a savings of up to 40 per cent. Agostini’s scheme, according to the LCBO’s affidavit, allowed him to make off with somewhere in the neighbourhood of $1.6 million by conjuring fake sales for imaginary diplomats. The LCBO has since followed up with a $2-million lawsuit against Agostini (and the bouncy castle operator he was in cahoots with). The obvious losers in all this, of course, were the LCBO and the suckers who shell out for its overpriced booze. The winners, on the other hand, were clearly diplomats—real or imagined. [Toronto Star]

Foodie Follies

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May 8, 2012 | 3:44 pm

One woman’s harrowing tale of trying to get a table at Sydney’s Momofuku Seiōbo

Janne Apelgren wrote an entertaining column for Melbourne’s The Age that outlines just how hard it can be to book a table at Momofuku Seiōbo, Sydney’s new David Chang restaurant and the first international outpost for the chain. As at Chang’s tiny Momofuku Ko in New York, spots at Seiōbo are booked online. In Apelgren’s experience, they kept getting snapped up right under her nose within the first minute of appearing—in the end, it took six months and 10 tries before she managed to snag a reservation. What’s more, once you’re in, there’s no phone calls or flash photography, and if you’re more than 15 minutes late and don’t notify the restaurant (via emergency hotline), there’s a $175-per-head charge. Still, Apelgren writes that she thoroughly enjoyed the experience and finished the 14 courses “elated.” A taste of things to come in Toronto? Who knows! It’s a fun read nonetheless. Read the entire story [The Age] »

Foodie Follies

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May 8, 2012 | 12:57 pm

Enter the Banana Mafia: new posse of chefs to throw Asian Street Market party

While Nick Liu’s fans wait for the opening of his new Asian brasserie GwaiLo, the former Niagara Street Café chef has been showing up at various pop-ups and one-offs. Next up: an Asian Street Market at the Amsterdam Brewery featuring a crew of young Asian chefs calling themselves the Banana Mafia (the name likely does not refer to the fruit). The team is made up of Liu, Robbie Hojilla (Ursa), Jeff Claudio (Yours Truly), Jonathan Poon (Chantecler) and Leemo Han (Swish by Han and Oddseoul, which is presumably the name of the Han brothers’ new Ossington place). The event, which is almost sold out, takes place this coming Monday, May 14, with tickets going for $60 each. Check out the party’s event page for more info.

TV Diner

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May 8, 2012 | 12:08 pm

Top Chef Canada recap, episode 9: roughin’ it

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (Image: Top Chef Canada)

Last night’s episode featured two guest judges (Spencer Rice, a.k.a. Spenny, and Roger Mooking, a.k.a. MC Mystic), one topless chef (David Chrystian) and a whack of inept camping from city folk stranded out in the country. In other words, it was one of the novelty episodes—and with only six chefs standing at the end, we hope it’s the last. Of course, it featured its share of hijinks, so we’re not complaining. A rundown of what happened, including the shocking revelation of which folksy instrument Mark McEwan plays in his spare time, below.

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Opening

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May 8, 2012 | 9:25 am

Introducing: The Fuzz Box, a new Danforth restaurant serving classic East Coast donairs

The view from the Danforth (Image: Karolyne Ellacott)

What, exactly, is it about Haligonian donairs that always has Maritimers waxing rhapsodic? “The trick,” says Neil Dominey, owner of The Fuzz Box, “is that there should be so much sauce that it runs down your elbows!” After being disappointed time and time again by this city’s ubiquitous shawarmas, Dominey decided to take on the problem himself with his new eatery on the Danforth—home, he says, to a surprising number of Nova Scotians.

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Read All About It

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May 7, 2012 | 4:20 pm

Reaction Roundup: what keeps Canadian restaurants out of the world’s top 50?

The idyllic Langdon Hall made the top 100 list back in 2010 (Image: Gabriel Li from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)

Last week, we told you about Restaurant magazine’s annual list of the world’s best restaurants, which, once again, featured no representation from Canada, either in the top 50 list or in the consolation prize territory of numbers 51 to 100. Amid the usual status anxiety and self-flagellation that broke out on Twitter (along with a few yawns), we found some fairly insightful commentary on What It All Means.

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From the Print Edition

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May 7, 2012 | 3:22 pm

Must-Try: An offbeat dessert (it has foie gras) that’s worth its $25 price tag, from The Black Hoof

Photography by Sian Richards

Must-Try: Two Toast Toppers

Two toast toppers—one lowbrow, one luxurious—come together in the Foie and Nutella, The Black Hoof’s most inventive dessert to date. A seared, darkly caramelized three-ounce slab of duck liver arrives sparkling with Maldon salt. The liver is perched on a slice of banana bread that’s been baked in rich buttermilk custard until it’s as dense and creamy as bread pudding. The plate is streaked with Nutella, sprinkled with crumbled hazelnut shortbread cookies, dotted with sherry-rosemary gastrique and finished with peppery lovage cress. Rich, sweet, salty, sour, creamy and crunchy, the bizarre combination of ingredients is a revelation. $25. The Black Hoof, 928 Dundas St. W., 416-551-8854.

Foodie Follies

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May 7, 2012 | 1:10 pm

Street Food Block Party recap: a night of food trucks, lobster rolls and very enthusiastic eaters

(Image: Caroline Aksich)

In a line that snaked around the Evergreen Brick Works, well over 3,000 street food enthusiasts waited patiently for the first ever mash-up of Food Truck Eats and the Toronto Underground Market: the Street Food Block Party. The keeners at the front of the line counted down, and at five on the nose they raced into the venue trying to hit crowd favourites such as La Carnita, which has been known to draw lines with hour-long waits.

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