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Introducing: The Burger’s Priest on Yonge, the much-anticipated second location of Shant Mardirosian’s all-American roadhouse

Looking out onto Yonge Street

On the opening night at The Burger’s Priest’s eagerly anticipated second location at Yonge and Lawrence, owner Shant Mardirosian had butterflies in his stomach. “I was sweating buckets,” says the man behind what many consider to be Toronto’s best burger. But when the doors finally swung open, the eager crowd outside burst into a spontaneous cheer, leaving Mardirosian at a loss for words. “It was insanity. It brought a tear to my eye, to be honest. I’m blown away by what’s going on.”

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The Dish

From the Print Edition

January 16, 2012 | 5:00 pm

6 Comments

Where to Get Good Stuff Cheap 2012: a pimped-out sandwich, the ultimate bargain gourmet meal

Where to Get Good Stuff Cheap | Sandwiches

Waldorf chicken salad
Bannock
401 Bay St., 416-861-6996
The excellent sandwiches at Oliver and Bonacini’s new downtown Canadiana spot Bannock epitomize the high standards and unfussy elegance of big brother Canoe, at grab-and-go prices. A savoury Waldorf salad—the classiest vehicle for mayonnaise and chopped chicken—arrives on a perfectly buttery, flaky croissant.

Check out three of the city’s most pimped-out sandwiches »

The Informer

A Message from Toronto Life

December 3, 2011 | 10:30 am

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Weekend Reading List: top stories from our sister sites, from roller skaters to deep-fried taters

Every weekend we round up the highlights from the other websites in the St. Joseph Media family. Check them out, after the jump.

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The Informer

The New Normal

November 25, 2011 | 5:15 pm

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Saskatchewaners now earn more money than Ontarians (no, really)

First, Calgary’s street eats (think truffle-oiled French fries and lamb burgers) trumped Toronto’s. Now, average weekly wages in Saskatchewan have surpassed Ontario’s for the first time. Sakatchewanians earn $906.22 on average, 6.9 per cent more than last year. As for Ontario, weekly wages are falling faster than anywhere else in the country, dropping 1.3 per cent over the same period from $901.16 to $889.13. That puts Ontario’s average wages in fourth place in the country, behind Alberta, the Yukon (seriously) and the Saskies. So what’s the reason for the prairie province’s prosperity? No, the cost of canola hasn’t quadrupled: new industries and steadily rising commodity prices (including those of Saskatchewan’s abundant grains, oil, gas, uranium and potash stores) have seen the province’s status surge to “have” in recent years. Premier Brad Wall is even inviting Ontarians to head west to seek their fortune. Maybe “Saskatchewaner” doesn’t sound so bad after all. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »

The Dish

Restauran-TO

November 11, 2011 | 5:17 pm

16 Comments

The Burger’s Priest expands northward

The Burger’s Priest, Shant Mardirosian’s homage to classic California roadhouses, has had a cult following since it opened last year, so it’s no surprise that he’s already set to expand. The Grid is reporting that Mardirosian will open a new location at 3397 Yonge St., between York Mills and Lawrence, as early as this December. The northerly outpost will fit about 16 seats into its 1,200-square-foot space and will be adding milkshakes and possibly onion rings to the short menu. Should this location prove as successful as the original, Mardirosian apparently has his eye on potential expansion into the west end. Read the whole story [The Grid] »

The Dish

From the Print Edition

October 25, 2011 | 12:24 pm

31 Comments

Burger of the Year: how The Burger’s Priest makes its delicious, gut-busting Vatican City

Burger of the Year

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The Dish

Culinary Curiosities

October 18, 2011 | 12:39 pm

3 Comments

Jessica Pollack explores pljeskavica, the “Balkan burger” (now at Hrvati)

Over at the National Post, Jessica Pollack digs deep into an unlikely 2011 food trend: pljeskavica, a meat patty–based dish common to various parts of southeastern Europe. Armed with a copiously annotated graphic, Pollack deconstructs the “Balkan burger,” spending a full fifth of the article on the lepinja, its unique, spongy bun (a sample: “the doughy bun has a spongy quality that lends an unexpected lightness, the closest references that come to mind being naan or the crust on Toronto hotspot Pizzeria Libretto’s pies.”). After tasting an authentic raw onion pljeskavica in Ottawa, she turns to a more Americanized smoked-mozzarella version at Toronto’s Hrvati Bar, the new Croatian watering hole with a menu by Rodney Bowers. It’s worth a read—not only will you learn what kajmak and ajvar mean, but you’ll also know how to pronounce them when you order. Read the entire story [National Post] »

The Dish

Opening

September 19, 2011 | 11:13 am

9 Comments

Introducing: Food Cabbie, a new food truck with classic American comfort food

Toronto’s newest food truck (Image: Karolyne Ellacott)

The Food Cabbie, an unassuming yellow-and-black food truck serving American classics, popped up a couple weeks ago in a car park at the corner of Queen and Jarvis. Already, owner Spiros Drossos has gotten to know the hungry mugs from the neighbourhood: George Brown students making the trek north and office workers taking a break from their ritual Subway sandwiches (including not a few employees of St. Joseph Media, Toronto Life’s parent company).

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The Informer

Ford Focus

September 7, 2011 | 1:05 pm

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Reaction roundup: city hall reporters journeyed to Etobicoke to take in Ford Fest—then, they tweeted about it

What’s a good ol' BBQ without burgers? (Image: Neil T)

Last Friday, Jonathan Goldsbie tweeted, “When we reach the ‘1500 Royal York’ bus stop, the bus driver announces ‘Stop for Rob Ford.’ Half the passengers on the crowded bus disembark.” And so began an evening of dispatches from Ford Fest, a late summer gathering in the backyard of Doug and Rob Ford’s mother. The event attracted the mayor’s supporters, critics and people who were just there for the beer and food. Undeterred—or perhaps fuelled—by the hamburgers, Toronto’s city hall observers expressed their amazement with the Fords’ vast backyard and the treasures within. We’ve rounded up some of our favourite tweets and broken them down into categories—because here’s another case where the reporting on Twitter outdid the old-timey fare (except for maybe this piece)—after the jump.

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The Dish

From the Print Edition

July 5, 2011 | 9:01 am

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David Lawrason offers nine reasons why garnacha makes for great barbecue wine

(Illustration: Jack Dylan)

Backyard sommeliers bored with the usual summer reds (merlot, shiraz, zinfandel) should try fruity garnacha. It is more commonly known by its French name, grenache, but it originated in Spain and thrives in the hot, arid Mediterranean. Despite once being the world’s most widely planted red grape, it was usually considered unfit for fine wine on its own. Its tannin and acidity are low and its alcohol quite high, so it’s most often blended with syrah, mourvèdre and carignan, or torn out of the ground altogether to make way for merlot and cabernet vines. In recent years, however, such leading winemakers as Alvaro Palacios, Hugh Ryman and Norrel Robertson are reviving derelict garnacha vineyards in Spain. The old, gnarled, low-yielding vines make richly fruity, even creamy reds that are dense enough to match red meat textures, smooth enough to drink without aging, and ripe and peppery enough to handle any barbecue sauce yet invented. If you crave something light, garnacha is the base for dry Spanish and French rosés, and there is even a handful of whites made with garnacha blanca. It’s also affordable, so you can mix a case of different styles to keep your deck and dock guests happy all summer long.

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The Dish

Weekly Lunch Pick

May 24, 2011 | 8:30 am

10 Comments

Weekly Lunch Pick: a sweet and simple crêpe in Liberty Village

The Crêpe Québécoise at Liberty Belle Bistro (Image: Andrew Brudz)

Chef Aidan Pascoe’s Liberty Belle Bistro is a welcome reprieve from the prefab chic taking over Liberty Village. The rustic room is peppered with antiques, and the cast iron–fenced patio is a quiet spot for a cozy lunch.

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The Dish

Weekly Lunch Pick

April 11, 2011 | 8:30 am

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Weekly Lunch Pick: a bison burger that’s lean yet luscious

Brassaii’s bison burger

Furnished with black lacquered tables and barnwood accents, Brassaii’s King West dining room is an airy setting for executive chef Bruce Woods’s Mediterranean-inspired menu.

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The Dish

Neighbourhoods

April 8, 2011 | 12:02 pm

34 Comments

Rosedale-Summerhill Guide: 23 need-to-know places along Yonge Street’s poshest stretch

Yonge Street’s poshest stretch, from Ramsden Park up to the Summerhill LCBO, has two strong suits: food and decor. Locals from the tree-lined side streets keep the shops going during the week, while the weekend brings floods of shoppers from further afield. Here, our list of 23 essential restaurants, food shops, furniture stores, clothing boutiques and beauty parlours along tony Toronto’s main drag. By Laura Cameron, Carley Fortune, Matthew Hague and Renée Suen | Photography by Jamie Hogge, Emma McIntyre, Renée Suen and Jenna Marie Wakani

START THE ROSEDALE-SUMMERHILL TOUR »

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The Dish

From the Print Edition

March 30, 2011 | 10:05 am

60 Comments

Best New Restaurants 2011

Oysters from Frank's Kitchen

This year’s crop of restaurants, from a million-dollar dining room to a brazen burger joint, pushed Toronto’s culinary culture in creative, comforting and blessedly cheap directions. Here, the 10 new spots that are redefining the way we eat, drink and play in the city By Chris Nuttall-Smith | Photography by Ryan Szulc

See the list »

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The Dish

Opening

March 21, 2011 | 11:35 am

8 Comments

American chain Five Guys wades into Toronto’s burger wars

Five Guys Burger and Fries in New York’s West Village (Image: Angela N.)

Subway may have just surpassed McDonald’s as the world’s largest food chain, but that doesn’t mean the burger craze is dead. Patty pushers like M:Brgr and The Burger’s Priest have been going gangbusters since opening (the same can’t be said for Oh Boy! Burger Market; RIP), and now there’s a new kid on the block: Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a Virginia-based restaurant chain whose business is sizzling stateside (pun intended). There are already two outposts just outside the city, in Vaughan and Mississauga, and a new location is set to open at 800 Warden Avenue in Scarborough in either June or July.

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