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All stories relating to Bakeries
Coco Rogue to bring stylish chocolates and desserts to Yonge and Eglinton
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Yonge and Eglinton is a neighbourhood that loves its cafés and bakeries (witness the Cupcake Shoppe, La Bohème, the Designer Cookie Boutique and Bakeshop, Dufflet, La Bamboche and Jedd’s Frozen Custard). So it’s no surprise that the ’hood is about to be home to Coco Rogue, an haute chocolate and dessert shop with decor to match (think chandeliers and a grand piano).
The Weekender: Harlem Globetrotters, Bugs Bunny and six more distractions
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1. HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS
This long-running exhibition team—they celebrate their 85th anniversary this year—may have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves (think ball-handling skills and buckets of confetti), but they play to win. And win they do; according to their records, they’ve lost only 345 of their 25,000-plus games. One can only hope their three-game stint in the city this weekend inspires the Raptors to strive for a 98 per cent success rate. April 8 and 9. $15–$195. Rogers Centre, 1 Blue Jays Way, 416-870-8000, ticketmaster.ca.
Open Window may be closed for good
Challah at the Open Window Bakery (Image: grongar)
Even delivery truck drivers were surprised to find that Open Window Bakery, one of Toronto’s most venerable family-run bakeries, had suddenly closed its doors earlier this week. According to the CBC, trucks were still making their way to Open Window’s flagship on Finch Avenue Tuesday morning, but were unable to unload.
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A total epiphany: the 12th day of Christmas wouldn’t be complete without traditional galette des rois. Here’s where to get them in Toronto
One size fits all: The leaf-etched galette des rois from Petite Thuet features flaky puff pastry, almond cream, fève and a golden crown (Image: Renée Suen)
Today is Epiphany—the 12th and final day of Christmas—which celebrates the day when the biblical three kings arrived to honour baby Jesus with gifts. What better way to mark the occasion than with carefully crafted forms of butter, flour and sugar? The galette des rois (the kings’ cake) is a puff pastry cake that’s associated with the festival in France. Traditional versions are filled with frangipane, but variations exist; some may be familiar with its garish sugar-embellished brioche cousin served at Mardi Gras and Carnival. In either form, a fève (traditionally a bean, but most bakeries use a ceramic figurine) is hidden within the buttery cake. The person who finds the trinket becomes “king for the day,” receiving various privileges, obligations (such as buying the cake for the next celebration) and a paper crown.
Here, our list of local bakeries carrying the seasonal specialty.
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The Dundas West Guide: our 21 favourite places between Ossington and Lansdowne
The strip of Dundas West between Ossington and Lansdowne has not been immune to the wild gentrification going on directly south of it. New restaurants, stores and bars have been cropping up for the past couple of years (Red Canoe, a swank Canadiana shop, opened two weeks ago), but there is a hesitation in the ’hood to turn Little Portugal and Brockton Village into the next Ossington. Incoming business owners make a point of blending in with the long-standing family-owned bakeries, soccer bars and pho stops. Even in new establishments, the decor has a thrift shop feel, and the prices cater to locals rather than destination diners. From east to west, here are our 21 favourite Dundas West spots for cheap eats, good music and authentic Portuguese cuisine.
Where to eat lunch this week: Bonjour Brioche
Say “hello” to one of the city’s best bakeries, which also happens to serve a pretty fantastic lunch.
The place: The best French bakery west of Leslieville is as famous for its pastries as it is for its weekend brunch (and lineups), but on a weekday afternoon, we’re seated in no time on the cozy, shaded patio. The small interior, cluttered with baker’s racks, is charmingly no frills.
The crowd: From Riverdale families to work-at-home freelancers to shoppers taking a break from antiquing, everyone on this sunny Wednesday seems to be moving at a languid, mid-summer pace.
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The Roncesvalles Guide: Our 25 favourite eating and shopping destinations along Parkdale’s Polish drag
Referred to as Little Poland by long-time residents and Roncey by the younger crowd, the Roncesvalles strip is one of the few neighbourhoods in the city that has earned its “hip” label without been invaded by raucous nightlifers. Progress keeps marching forward here, despite an ongoing road rehabilitation project that has claimed a few business causalities. We recommend spending a spring Saturday visiting these 25 spots.
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Liberty Village to stop smelling like fresh-baked bread by 2013
Trucks load up at Canada Bread's Fraser Street plant in Liberty Village (Photo by Google)
Canada Bread, the company that pumps out Dempster’s baked products, will be closing three of its plants in the GTA over the next three years, including the massive bakery located incongruously among Liberty Village’s art and design firms. Production at the Toronto locations is shifting to a new $100-million state-of-the-art factory—expected to be the largest bakery in the country—located in an as-yet undecided southwestern Ontario location. The decision will affect 435 employees, who will be given the opportunity to move to the new location or work at 13 plants remaining in the city. As for filling the void left by the soon-to-be-emptied Liberty Village plant, we have a radical suggestion: condos.
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