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Toronto Life - The Dish

The latest restaurant buzz, including what’s opening, what’s closing, and where to eat, drink and be seen

The Downturn

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March 31, 2010 | 3:45 pm

Wage increase press release apparently written by Mr. Burns

(Image: lisatozzi)

The province’s minimum wage goes up 75 cents today, to $10.25 an hour, meaning low-end mall and restaurant jobs just got a little more bearable. But the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association doesn’t see it that way. The group says the hike will force restaurants to cut hours and jobs: “At a time when we are trying to grow employment and rebuild our economy, dramatic minimum wage increases are entirely counterproductive,” says Stephanie Jones, vice-president of the Ontario branch of the CRFA in a press release sent out this morning.

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The Downturn

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May 22, 2009 | 12:22 pm

Prix fixe roundup: A sampling of the city’s latest recession-inspired menus

Thrifty times: Set menus help restaurants through the tough times (Photo by Sophie et Cie.)

Thrifty times: Set menus are everywhere (Photo by Mzelle Biscotte)

Bargain lunches, gimmicky pricing, tongue-in-cheek “bailout” menus—dining establishments across the city continue to find creative ways to lure diners away from stovetops and into restaurants. Here, a rundown of the latest spots to jump on the trend, offering prix fixe menus for the growing hordes of frugal diners.

• Sidecar has a $24 three-course dinner menu from Sunday to Wednesday. Lobster bisque, steak frites and black tiger shrimp with hand-cut pasta are the highlights. 577 College St., 416-536-7000, sidecarrestaurant.ca.

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The Downturn

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May 21, 2009 | 2:58 pm

Free is the new black: Harvey’s and Timmies get into the giveaway game

Come and get it: Tim Hortons hands out free iced coffee (Photo by Kanko)

Come and get it: Tim Hortons hands out free iced coffee (Photo by Kanko)

As if Tim Hortons—arguably one of the most beloved commercial symbols of Canadiana—needs more press, the coffee giant is handing out free iced coffees today until 5 p.m., less than a month after McDonald’s two-week java giveaway and a month after Starbucks’ Earth Day caffeine free-for-all. The idea of promotional freebies isn’t new, but the combination of dwindling advertising budgets and consumers cutting back on eating out seems to be responsible for its sudden surge.

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The Downturn

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May 20, 2009 | 3:02 pm

Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner to close on June 7

A place setting and the soon-to-be shuttered Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner (Photo by StudioGabe)

A place setting at the soon-to-be-shuttered Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner (Photo by StudioGabe)

Having opened two café-style eateries in the past year, the once-unstoppable Jamie Kennedy will shutter one of his original haute-cuisine headquarters, Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner. Whispers were confirmed today in a letter from the Gardiner’s chef de cuisine, Scott Vivian. After being stationed there for two years, Vivian will serve up the restaurant’s last lunch to woebegone locavores on June 7.

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The Downturn

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April 17, 2009 | 11:01 am

Wedding crashers: How caterers are dealing with budget nuptials

Wedding caterers are becoming the latest economic victims (Photo by If Winter Ends)

Wedding caterers are the latest economic victims (Photo by If Winter Ends)

When caterer Rosalind Monster had a bride-to-be who wanted to prepare her own sushi bar and tried to get out of paying tax, she walked away from the job. “That was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said the owner of Allison Cumming Gourmet Catering. “It’s like, why even bother coming to me? Just order Swiss Chalet.”

With the cost of a Canadian wedding averaging $26,000, brides and grooms are cutting the fat from their budgets but expecting the service and food of a million-dollar wedding.

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The Downturn

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April 16, 2009 | 3:42 pm

Perigee, the final review

For six years, Perigee has been one of the city’s best fine-dining restaurants. Sadly, it is the latest casualty of the recession: Victor Brown and his two sons, Christopher and Michael (owners and chefs), served their last dishes and closed their doors on April 11. We had sent a reviewer a week prior. Here is the review—a testament to the high quality of the food, right until the end.

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The Downturn

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April 7, 2009 | 9:10 am

Loss of appetite: It’s a double whammy for restaurants as their Bay Street backers go broke

The centre of the universe: Bay Street goes gastronomical (Photo by Jim U)

The centre of the universe: Bay Street goes gastronomical (Photo by Jim U)

There’s no question that investing in a restaurant is a high-risk venture. That said, many of the city’s swankiest downtown dining rooms are partially owned by investment-savvy Bay Streeters—those who should be the first to spot a bum deal. Czehoski, Centro, Six Steps and the aptly named Bottom Line are just a few of the dining establishments fed by Bay Street assets. It is no coincidence, then, that Toronto’s golden age of culinary evolution matched up with a golden age of culinary investment. In the boom times, an underperforming investment (even if it was a restaurant) was compensated by market gains. But when the TSX started to slide last year, restaurants got a double whammy: not only were expense accounts drying up, but so was investment capital. Suits who diversified into the restaurant industry suffered, too, prompting us to ask, why keep investing in restaurants?

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The Downturn

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April 1, 2009 | 7:03 am

RIP, recession-struck restaurants

Gone but not forgotten (Photo by Jasoon)

Gone but not forgotten (Photo by Jasoon)

The market may be slowly rebounding, but restaurants are still going belly-up. Diners who live by the “eat, drink and be merry” mantra—whether that means drowning sorrows in a pint of beer or a piece of chocolate truffle cake—can’t fill enough tables to keep some of the city’s eateries from shuttering. Here, a farewell to the few that fared well but have fallen.

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The Downturn

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March 18, 2009 | 3:22 pm

“We’re recession proof!”—an annual saviour comes to Toronto

Irish for a day: Patrons queue along Church St. for some St. Patrick's day fun (Photo by Davida A)

Irish for a day: Patrons queue along Church St. for some St. Patrick's day fun (Photo by Davida Aronovitch)

Several holidays have been downsized by the economic downturn: first there was Recessmas, then Valentine’s “Pay What You Can” Day. But it should come as no surprise that the holiday that’s all about beer and comfort food—two things that get a boost in bad times—is showing no signs of cramped style. Torontonians were out in full force last night for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. With all the to-do over the economy and the state of pub culture, we headed out to get the lowdown from the city’s top pint pullers. The word was unanimous: pubs were packed to the gills, and sales were way up.

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The Downturn

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March 11, 2009 | 1:20 pm

Recessionary gratuities: Is 2009 the year of lousy tips?

Thanks for the tip (Photo by Wade From Oklahoma)

Thanks for the tip (Photo by Wade from Oklahoma)

What to tip at recession time? This is the latest question in the never-ending gratuity debate; and since the market went south, it appears to be striking a nerve in Toronto and elsewhere. The New York Times‘ etiquette authority, Frank Bruni, wrote about it on his blog recently, sparking chatter about servers getting stiffed during hard times. Apparently diners are not just ordering less food, but they are then dialling down the percentage of their cheques left for gratuity. The recession effect—Bruni calls it a “double whammy”—is being felt closer to home, too. Toronto servers have been reporting paltry pourboire during the downturn. “Before the crisis, money was getting thrown around, but now people are more careful,” says France Salmon, who has been serving for over 10 years at celeb sanctuary Bistro 990. It seems even stars can be guilty of skimpy tipping (we’re looking at you, Madonna). With everyone else getting their bonuses trimmed and salaries frozen, is it all right to be less generous with the gratuity?

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The Downturn

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February 20, 2009 | 11:53 am

A dole of his own: Mystic Muffin offers its own stimulus package

Elias Makhoul stimulates as he pontificates (Photo by Chloe Ellingson)

Elias Makhoul stimulates as he pontificates (Photo by Chloe Ellingson)

We didn’t think it was possible, but Mystic Muffin just got a little quirkier. Now, in addition to doling out his famed apple cake, falafel and political opinions (muffins take a back seat), owner Elias Makhoul is giving us extra reasons to adore his Jarvis and Richmond eatery: he’s picking up the tab. Makhoul is responding to dismal sales by implementing two policies for regulars who are out of work:

1. The Stimulus Package: free meals if you’re unemployed, or free apple cake if you bring your lunch from home.

2. Recession Readiness Course: free cooking classes for those who can no longer afford to eat out.

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The Downturn

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February 5, 2009 | 11:09 am

Toronto’s recession reaction: forget Starbucks, open 10 new cafés

Hard times, great coffee (Photo by Jim U)

Hard times, great coffee (Photo by Jim U)

Is it just us, or are independent coffee shops becoming as common as month-long Boxing Day sales? We counted a minimum of 10 newbies that have opened around town in the past six months. For east enders, there’s Hank’s, Simple and Broadview Espresso, while the west is now home to Zoots, Belly, White Squirrel and Lit. Moroco Chocolat is somewhere in between, and Isabella’s is soon to open in Greektown. For Toronto’s newest kids on the block, the barista business might just be recession-proof—can’t say the same for Starbucks. No matter how bad times get, some things are sacred: we’ll forgo the Fendi and avoid the Vuitton, but we’ll still loosen our belts for a good brew and a fresh croissant. Jamie Kennedy, who opened the café Hank’s last year and is always near the top of the city’s food chain, says that it is full steam ahead for coffee houses. “Let’s face it—there’s a vibrant café culture in Toronto, and no recession is going to stop that. The big-buck dining out will take a hit, but a coffee and a croissant is a whole other ball game.”

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The Downturn

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January 29, 2009 | 3:50 pm

Scaramouche forgoes Winterlicious for Lobsterlicious

scaramouche21

Scaramouche

In order to boost business in the typically slow post-Christmas months, Keith Froggett’s fine-dining powerhouse, Scaramouche, has started serving a three-course prix fixe menu called Lobsterlicious ’09. But don’t confuse it with Winterlicious, an event in which Scaramouche has never participated. We spoke with Carl Korte, a partner at the restaurant, to find out why.

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