The imported Neapolitan pizza oven at Fabbrica (Image: Karon Liu)
Now in its ninth season, the city-run ’Licious phenomenon (there are both summer and winter incarnations, in case you’ve been living under a pizza stone all this time) shows no signs of tiring, even if every year it seems to enrage more and more curmudgeonly downtown diners who don’t much like sharing their favorite restaurants with the plebes. Summerlicious succeeds precisely because it makes inaccessible restaurants accessible, even if it’s only for two weeks each July. The big list (there are 150 participating restaurants this year) will never include the hottest, newest, most interesting restaurants in the city—those places don’t typically need the help. It typically does include more than its share of dogs. But there are plenty of places in between: proven, well-run, inviting rooms with committed kitchens. We’ve picked a few of the best.
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A couple weeks back, 
The experience of eating at The Bay is about to get a whole lot snazzier. Canada’s oldest corporation is bringing in restaurateurs Peter Oliver and Michael Bonacini to open new in-store eateries at various locations (the Bay’s existing restaurants will get revamped by another food services company). Much like she did by re-opening The Room last year, HBC CEO Bonnie Brooks is bringing in the proprietors of Biff’s and Canoe as a part of her efforts to nudge the retailer upmarket. 
