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Just Opened: El Almacen brings authentic yerba mate to Queen Street West

A slice of Argentina on Queen West (Photo by Catherine Hayday)

Along the still-evolving stretch of West Queen West between Dovercourt and Ossington, Silvio and Estela Rodriguez have quietly opened El Almacen—“the general store”—a café specializing in the South American infusion yerba mate. Made from an evergreen holly of the same name, the drink has a distinctly earthy, barn-ish flavour. Natural food lovers are likely familiar with prepackaged options, but this is Torontonians’ first chance to have yerba in context: served in a cured gourd, drunk through a bombilla (a filter-tipped metal straw), and passed between friends over a lazy few hours of good conversation.

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The Dish

Opening

November 12, 2009 | 12:43 pm

5 Comments

Twelve new indie cafés: Toronto’s thirst for coffee poured by hipsters proves unquenchable (for now)

(Photo by Alan Turkus)

As Starbucks attempts to boost profits with its instant coffee and Tim Hortons’ profits tumble, Toronto’s indie café craze just won’t abate. We seem to write this article every few months—and with good reason. In the past 15 weeks alone, at least nine decent new cafés have popped up, with several more scheduled to open before Christmas. We visited the new spots and learned that the only thing they have in common is that they appeal to divergent tastes. From Leslieville to the Junction, here are the 12 latest spots to keep the city buzzing.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

July 29, 2009 | 8:00 am

11 Comments

Jolt of caffeine: 13 new independent cafés open in Toronto

Brew colours: Espresso's popularity endures (Photo by Iain Farrell)

Brew colours: coffee houses are sprouting up everywhere this recession (Photo by Iain Farrell)

While McDonald’s, Tim Hortons and Starbucks duke it out across North America in their giveaway coffee war, a new batch of independent brewers has emerged in Toronto. Since our last roundup six months ago, at least 13 new cafés have opened up. Here, organized by neighbourhood, is our survey of the city’s hot new fuel-up joints.

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The Dish

Aprons & Icons

June 10, 2009 | 10:41 am

1 Comment

How does your Gardiner grow? Jamie Kennedy reveals his plans for the downtown dining destination

Gardiner gospel: Jamie Kenndy and his locavore philosophy roll with the punches

Gardiner gospel: Jamie Kennedy and his locavore philosophy roll with the punches

Having served the last à la carte meal at the Gardiner on June 7, local produce booster Jamie Kennedy invited professional foodies for a preview of the location’s new concept, which includes a weekly lunch series and Friday afternoon happy hour. In addition to the new Gardiner Café (which offers sandwiches and salads during the week), a $25 three-course lunch, available every Wednesday at noon (starting June 17), will soon be served in the formerly full-service Terrace Room. The prix-fixe meal will feature the wares of a different artisanal grower each week. Kennedy’s team will also cater events in the space, and the terrace bar will serve small plates for a scotch-soaked happy hour on Fridays, with three kinds of Balvenie single malt to keep workaholics giddy. Yet excitement about new plans (and giggles from swooning food writers) is accompanied by a sobering discussion and the news that he has decided to sell Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar.

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The Dish

Read All About It

June 5, 2009 | 8:11 am

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Topless coffee shop goes bust, poisoned chickens, speakeasies on the rise

Halt the salt: Can since reduce the use of salt in food? (Photo by Kevin Dooley)

Halt the salt: Can science reduce the use of salt in food? (Photo by Kevin Dooley)

• A Ryerson University professor is developing a time-release salt that delivers an initial burst of flavour followed by smaller doses over time. This would trick the taste buds into thinking that a food is saltier than it is, theoretically reducing the need to add the taste booster to foods. [Daily Gleaner]

• Nightclub impresario Charles Khabouth—the man behind Tattoo Rock Parlour, Ultra and the relaunch of Rain (now Ame)—talks about surviving in a crowded and broke market. In the process, he describes the first opening he organized in Toronto: the place was decorated by Canadian Tire, and the tiger he’d rented broke a window, catching the attention of cops and the humane society. [ROB]

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

March 19, 2009 | 2:07 pm

3 Comments

Coffee Culture chain to open its first Toronto location

The interior of a Coffee Culture Cafe & Eatery

The interior of a Coffee Culture Café & Eatery

Torontonians are coffee obsessed (we might even describe ourselves as snobs), but the new kid on the block is no Aunties and Uncles. The Ontario franchise Coffee Culture Café & Eatery will open its first Toronto location in mid-April at 409 College Street—a stone’s throw from bike courier favourite Manic Coffee. The company has high hopes of winning the Toronto market, with five cafés to open in the GTA this year. While a recession-friendly price point (from $1.40 for drip brew), free wireless and a sizable menu distinguish the company, it moves in at a time when indie coffee shops seem stronger (and more common) than ever.

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The Dish

Rumours & Rumblings

March 13, 2009 | 10:15 am

3 Comments

Shops with multiple identities: Creative trend or a sign of the (bad) times?

Toronto's too busy to do one thing at a time (Photo by jethros_tale)

Nothing is more Torontonian than the ability to multitask. The daily toggle between BlackBerry and iPhone is de rigueur, as is the commute-telecon- ference-breakfast. So entrenched is this poly-purpose tendency that it is emerging as a new trend in the city’s eating and drinking culture. Multi-concept spaces—bars that are also boutiques, cafés that double as galleries and triple as schools—are on the rise. Hogtown boasts an embarrassment of retail riches, which means that shoppers can afford to be choosy—even lazy. “You have to offer more these days,” explains local goldsmith Elena Ginsberg. “People want quality, and they also want to be entertained.” That’s why she’s applying the café-boutique concept to modish bar Unit, which will offer coffee and her Kvell designs, as well as full bar service at night. Starting in late April, Queen West crawlers who stumble in after dark will find that metalworks are on sale until close, and maybe discover that it is dangerous (and fun) to shop for jewellery after a couple of cocktails.

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The Dish

Read All About It

March 3, 2009 | 10:38 am

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Goodbye, foie gras; Jamie Kennedy’s latest admirer; drinking while pregnant

Goodbye, gras. (Photo by panduh)

• Foie gras has been forsaken by such luxury food magazines as Gourmet and Bon Appétit. In its stead, readers will find advice on leftovers and budget-friendly wines, and recipes for a failing economy. [New York Times]

• Some potentially good news for pregnant women: top Canadian health care practitioners plan to put together national guidelines on special sauce consumption during pregnancy. [Ottawa Citizen]

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

February 25, 2009 | 12:22 pm

3 Comments

Cooking it old school: Brad Moore’s new café introduces brunch and education puns

Brad Moore at School (Photo by Renée Suen)

Class is in session at School Bakery and Café, which served up its inaugural Saturday brunch this past weekend. Since opening mid-January, chef Brad Moore’s Liberty Village project has been attracting attention for its gimmicky take on education, complete with ruled-paper menus, school bells and trivia-covered banquettes. But collegiate accessories are for style only. Moore, who assures us that the first full weekend brunch service went off without a hitch, is very clear on the fact that “there are no rules at School.”

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The Dish

Read All About It

February 18, 2009 | 8:08 am

1 Comment

Gordon Ramsay’s unfavourable reviews, eating on $50 a week, coffee addictions justified

Eating cheap doesn't have to mean Kraft Dinner (Photo by Sharla Sava)

• Perhaps we shouldn’t be so anxious for Gordon Ramsay to open his new Toronto spot: the critics are bashing the foul-mouthed chef’s new Parisian venture, calling it boring, pompous and a producer of “Xerox food.” [Guardian]

• Trimming the weekly grocery bill doesn’t have to mean dining on Kraft Dinner. Some of Canada’s top chefs tell Chris Johns how to eat well at home for $50 a week. [Maclean’s]

• Ladies, stop feeling guilty about frequenting Toronto’s slew of new cafés. Spanish and American researchers have found that coffee drinking can lower a woman’s risk of stroke. Sorry, boys. [eCanada Now]

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

February 4, 2009 | 3:11 pm

1 Comment

The patio season battleground is outside Future Bakery’s front door

Will the Future be tamer? (Photo by ShiftOperations)

Being knee-deep in winter, we are just starting to fantasize about Toronto’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it patio season. The time for debating patio season, however, is already upon us. Last Monday marked its start, with an Annex community meeting to discuss the patios at Future Bakery and The Labyrinth. The agenda of the meeting was not as ominous as predicted. Instead of angling to shut the patios down, the meeting focused on filling some licensing gaps as the patio licences are transferred to the establishments’ new owner, Sumit Kapur (including conditions on hours and noise levels).

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The Dish

Read All About It

February 3, 2009 | 12:29 pm

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Obamamania on the Danforth, Ontario’s teen super-chef, Maple Leaf’s $27-million payout

A whole new way to do proscutto (Photo by sniffette)

• We predicted Obamamania spawning “yes we can” ad campaigns and a surge in sales of political T-shirts, but we didn’t foresee it giving the restaurant industry a boost. The Obama Café is set to open its doors at Greenwood and Danforth this week. [National Post]

• It hurt at the time, but Torontonians can now consider themselves lucky to have lost Virgin Atlantic’s direct flight to London. The inflight meals are unpalatable, at least according to one passenger’s hilariously detailed letter of complaint to Richard Branson. [The Telegraph]

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The Dish

Opening

February 2, 2009 | 3:11 pm

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White squirrels: not as uncommon as we thought

Squirrel lore is alive and well on Queen St. W.

Walking past Trinity Bellwoods Park in January, passersby may have noticed a giant print of a white squirrel filling a store window. It piqued the curiosity of nearby residents. Either an official white squirrel fan club was forming, and had enough coin to lease prime real estate (unlikely), or something new and interesting (and tapped into the local squirrel lore) was about to open in this long-dormant storefront. In mid-January, it was revealed to be the latter: the White Squirrel Coffee Shop opened for business. Co-owners David Ginsberg and David Eaglesham licensed the white squirrel silhouette from Toronto-based design collective Moimoi and had the adorable little rodent done up on red print as a window teaser for their store.

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