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The latest addition to the spate of Internet-based foodie happenings in Toronto is Dish Duel (not to be confused with Dishcrawl), a bracket-style tournament pitting signature dishes from Toronto restaurants against each other. The project is the invention of Restos in TO blogger Jacob Younan, who has managed to convince the likes of Acadia, Cava, George and Cowbell (among 12 others) to gird their (tender)loins and head into battle beginning February 18.
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Top Toronto restaurants to go head to head in Dish Duel, a new foodie tournament
12 delicious days of Christmas, from candy cane ice pops to yule logs filled with mousse cake
Bannock’s holiday tourtière
This time of year, it takes a strong will not to indulge, whether it be in the beautiful pastries and cakes spilling out of patisserie windows or the drinks at a holiday party. We say, why even try? We’ve rounded up some of our favourites, along with a few other gifts that your food-obsessed friends are sure to love (including one salve for those who’ve indulged just a little too much).
Today’s mini Food Truck Eats: Cava’s Chris McDonald and Doug Penfold join El Gastrónomo Vagabundo
UPDATE: Organizer Suresh Doss has just tweeted that today’s event was just shut down part way through service. El Gastrónomo Vagabundo confirms it was due to a bylaw violation.
Ryerson students heading back to class today can look forward to an extra culinary boost to get them through the day: a mini Food Truck Eats pop-up truck just around the corner from campus. The truck will be in the parking lot northwest of Dundas and Church today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m..
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See how chefs (from Frank’s Kitchen and Woodlot) feed each other at a fundraiser for one of their own
Chef Robbie Hojilla, the man of the hour, pictured with his family. (Image: Renée Suen)
Over the last couple of months, we’ve reported on events where cooks and restaurateurs have donated their time and resources to give to others. Last Monday at Frank’s Kitchen, we dropped in on a fundraiser thrown for one of their own: Woodlot cook Robbie Hojilla. Just 25 years old, Hojilla has been diagnosed with heart failure and is currently not able to work. Given that the restaurant business lacks the sort of financial fallbacks of other jobs (like health benefits or sick leave), chef Frank Parhizgar and his wife, Shawn Cooper, the owners of Frank’s Kitchen, decided to help the talented young chef with an industry-wide fundraiser. Donating space, food and alcohol, the couple joined up with the staff of Frank’s and Woodlot to offer a multi-course dinner complete with wine pairings.
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We stopped by the inaugural Food Truck Eats and found a revolution in the making
At 3 p.m., the lines continued unabated. (Image: Renée Suen)
Saturday marked the inaugural staging of Food Truck Eats, a street food event organized by Suresh Doss, publisher of Spotlight Toronto, which saw four street trucks and 10 vendors gather at the historic Distillery District. Although a conservative turnout of 500 was expected, more than 3,000 showed up for the long-weekend event (which ended up trending on Twitter). Despite the heat and long lineups, the crowd was abuzz—a sure indication of the city’s readiness for more liberal street food rules. We caught up with the various vendors—Cava, Geoff Hopgood, El Gastrónomo Vagabundo and more—to check out their wares and find out what they made of the day’s success. We also spoke to Doss, who gave us the heads-up on the next two events, which will take place at the on Aug. 20 at the Distillery and Oct. 1 at a new location to be announced, and will feature some surprise guests.
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Toronto Taste 2011: We get the latest news from top chefs and restaurateurs from Woodlot, Buca, Nota Bene, O&B and many more
Rob Gentile (Buca), David Lee (Nota Bene), Andrea Nicholson (Great Cooks on Eight), Paul Boehmer (Böhmer), Teo Paul (Union)
Two thousand of Toronto’s food lovers and makers gathered at the ROM on Sunday for the 21st edition of Toronto Taste. The annual fundraiser—which raises money for Second Harvest—saw more than 60 restaurants and 30 beverage purveyors offering their best to the guests. Burgers and tacos might have been the plats du jour, but new restaurant openings seemed to be the hottest item on the plates of many chefs and restaurateurs we spoke to. Here’s what we heard from Buca’s Rob Gentile, Woodlot’s David Haman, Scarpetta’s Scott Conant, Splendido’s Victor Barry, Top Chef Canada contestants Dustin Gallagher and Andrea Nicholson and many more.
Fish, meet citrus: a tour of some of Toronto’s most alluring ceviche dishes
Milagro’s ceviche de pulpo (Image: Renée Suen)
Sushi, the star of a previous edition of our Food Porn series, is far from the only raw fish game in town. Ceviche, the Latin American standby that relies on acid from citrus fruits to cure fresh fish, bivalves or cephalopods, is also well represented. While some Toronto chefs stick to tried-and-true preparations for “cooking” their catch, others transform the already magical dish—believed to have originated in Peru—with surprising inventions. Either way, we recommend enjoying with a cold beer. Here, 10 of the city’s most delicious and alluring ceviche dishes.
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Although inspired by the cantinas of their native Mexico City, brothers Arturo and Andrés Anhalt have created a ceviche dish with some decidedly non-traditional twists, like the tender octopus that’s been braised for an hour and a half. Forgoing the standard red-white-green theme of most Mexican ceviches, lime juice–marinated tentacles are tangled up with red onion, tomatillo, cilantro and smoky chipotles in adobo paste, all doused with a hearty dose of Spanish olive oil. The flavourful mix is piled high over shredded lettuce—an edible strainer—and served in typical cantina style with a package of saltines and a lime wedge. It’s even better when chased with a bottle of Negra Modelo and fresh lime juice.
$11.95/medium, pictured; $16.25/large.
Milagro, 5 Mercer St., 416-850-2855, milagrorestaurant.com.
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Chris McDonald’s buttery smoked kingfish ceviche uses diced tomatoes and bright kumquat zest to cut through firm and slightly salty kingfish that’s been bathed in a light citrus marinade. Fruity extra-virgin olive oil helps bind the components together while fresh house-fried tortilla chips and a delightful frisée salad lighten the palate.
$13.50.
Cava, 1560 Yonge St., 416-979-9918, cavarestaurant.ca.
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Chef Luis Valenzuela salt-cures meaty Georgian Bay bass, then cooks the diced flesh in lime juice and olive oil. The milky-white nuggets end up with a scallop-like texture and stand out against the red onions, cilantro, sweet corn kernels and crunchy cancha (inflated corn nuts). Served with paper-thin sweet potato chips, this Peruvian- and Ecuadorian-inspired dish uses sustainable ingredients sourced from suppliers that treat their workers fairly.
$10.
Torito, 276 Augusta Ave., 416-961-7373, toritorestaurant.com.
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Some might balk at the thought of Asian–Latin American fusion, but David Lee’s pretty floral ceviche, arriving on a bed of crushed ice, actually works. Corn nuts provide a salty crunch against silky strips of lime-marinated hamachi (yellowtail) and almost grassy chunks of still-firm avocado. The sweet, buttery fish is seasoned with cilantro and finely minced jalapeños, the latter’s heat quelled by a golden pool of olive oil and coconut milk.
$16.
Nota Bene, 180 Queen St. W., 416-977-6400, notabenerestaurant.com.
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This Peruvian outpost serves two types of lemon-marinated ceviches, both based on a time-honoured recipe. The first and more popular version features dense filets of basa (Asian catfish) that have been briefly cooked in lemon, salt and garlic before being tossed with finely sliced celery, red and white onion slivers and chopped parsley. Keeping with tradition, the mountain of fish comes with chunks of cooked corn cobs and thick slices of sweet and regular potato. Spice fiends can ask the kitchen to pre-season their ceviche with their fiery chili-garlic dip, but take heed: it’s tongue-searingly hot.
$14.95.
El Fogon, 543 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-850-8041, elfogon.ca.
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The mixed seafood ceviche at this mid-town restaurant named after Frida Kahlo is a smoky, mouth-watering affair. Chef Jose Hadad separately prepares meaty shrimp, velvety sheets of sliced sea scallops and creamy poached mussels in a vibrant lime juice marinade laced with chili oil. Finely minced tomato, red onion and bell pepper are a visual nod to Mexico’s national colours: red, white and green. Thin curls of homemade potato chips are an inventive alternative to the usual crackers.
$16.
Frida, 999 Eglinton Ave. W., 416-787-2221, fridarestaurant.ca.
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Claudio Aprile uses modern culinary techniques to construct this off-menu hors d’oeuvre, which uses the same sweet-spicy Thai flavours as his seared scallop course. Beads of finger lime pulp deliver a caviar-like pop and crunch, while the yuzu-ponzu vinaigrette echoes the mild citrus zing of the bivalve’s grapefruit juice marinade. But the liquid nitrogen frozen crème fraiche pearls steal the show, creating a luxurious sauce as they gradually melt into the tiny pool of coconut milk that lines the scallop shell. A deseeded chili ring, cornflower blossom and Thai basil brighten the canvas with pings of colour.
Colborne Lane, 45 Colborne St. (at Leader Ln.), 416-368-9009, colbornelane.com.
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Tom Thai sticks with the cool-and-spicy formula, seasoning his lightly seared B.C. scallops with peppery grilled jalapeño and shimeji chili powder. A slightly bitter dollop of kumquat jam crowns each fleshy, olive oil–slicked medallion, and the whole thing is buried under a tower of chopped scallions, organic micro-greens and popcorn shoots with a soy-reduction dressing. The result is a dish that’s fragrant, sweet, grassy and hot.
$15.
Foxley, 207 Ossington Ave., 416-534-8520.
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Named after owner Sylvia Llewellyn’s mother, this kitschy 14-year-old grocery-store-turned-restaurant is popular with those seeking a taste of Havana. Julie’s no-fuss ceviche features marlin cooked in freshly squeezed lime, orange and red grapefruit juice. The fragrant fish mingles with crisp red onions, plump corn kernels, bell peppers and parsley. The mild ceviche is finished with a tiny touch of chili and stacked high over a cool bed of chopped tomatoes.
$8.95.
Julie’s Cuban Restaurant, 202 Dovercourt Rd., 416-532-7397, juliescuban.com.
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Toronto’s only Nicaraguan restaurant serves a ceviche mixto with firm diced shrimps and cod. The confetti of lime juice–marinated seafood is mixed with crisp bell peppers, red onions and cilantro, then served with ribbons of fresh fried plantain chips and sliced avocado. It’s a loose and refreshing starter that satisfies both mouths and wallets. Particularly refreshing when washed down with a glass of cold orange-cantaloupe juice.
$9.25.
La Bella Managua, 872 Bloor St. W., 416-913-4227, bellamanagua.foodpages.ca.
The Weekender: The Lion King, Easter Eggstravaganza and six other can’t-miss events
Woody Harrelson, Measha Brueggergosman as Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito and Adam Jacobs as Simba in The Lion King
1. THE LION KING
You wouldn’t think a theatrical adaptation of a Disney movie would run for so long (nearly 14 years), earn so many accolades (more than 70 awards, including a Tony for Julie Taymor’s direction) or turn out to be so good, but somehow The Lion King does all of that. Oh, and did we mention it’s gorgeous? The puppets, costumes and stage design have been consistently blowing young minds since the show opened. This limited engagement is only in town for eight weeks—don’t miss it. To June 12. $35–135. Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King St. W., 416-872-1212, mirvish.com.
2. CHOCOLATE AND CHEESE PAIRING (FREE!) Read the rest of this entry »
We usually pair cheese with wine and chocolate with, well, more chocolate. But this free foodie event, hosted by chef Chris McDonald (of Cava and Xococava fame) and Jane Rodmell (founder of All the Best Fine Foods), pairs two of our favourite foods with each other. Expertly spiced chocolate tiles are partnered with their ideal matches from All The Best’s stock of specialty cheeses. To be honest, we’re just a tad skeptical, but if anyone can make this pairing work, it’s McDonald. April 23. All the Best Fine Foods, 1101 Yonge St., allthebestfinefoods.com.
Greatest Hits: Chris Nuttall-Smith picks the 25 most delicious dishes of the last year
Enoteca Sociale’s octopus and fava beans
The 25 most delicious dishes tasted this year, ranging from lowbrow comforts (potato puffballs) to high-minded masterpieces (tea-smoked duck)*
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Toronto chefs and Ontario wineries join forces for Japan earthquake relief dinner
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In response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last week, a number of Toronto chefs and Ontario wine producers will be joining forces in a fundraiser on Sunday, March 27th, organized by Nobuyo Stadtländer, the business partner and wife of Michael Stadtländer.
Terroir 2011 roundup: we talk to Toronto’s top chefs and restaurateurs at the foodie symposium
Fergus Henderson (St. John’s) and Arlene Stein (event chair) at Terroir
A couple weeks back, 400 members of the food and hospitality industry gathered at Hart House for Terroir V. The annual symposium saw chefs, restaurateurs and members of the food media musing over this year’s theme: “the balance of artistic creation and traditional craftsmanship in our hospitality industry.” We caught up with some top chefs—including Jason Bangerter (Luma), Mark Cutrara (Cowbell), Matt DeMille (Parts and Labour) and keynote speaker Fergus Henderson—who shared with us what they took away from the day.
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Alternalicious: a roundup of this year’s Winterlicious rebels
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Few subjects are as divisive among Toronto diners and industry people as the merits of Summer- and Winterlicious. While the biannual culinary event may help restaurants fill empty tables during an otherwise slow season, as we’ve explored before, participation in the city-run festival can have its limitations (dining rooms filled with stingy tippers, owners bound by the city’s rules). As in previous years, a number of restaurants have decided to strike out on their own with prix fixe specials.
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All that sparkles: nine outstanding bottles of bubbly without the elitism
(Illustration: Jack Dylan)
French champagne is still the standard-bearer for the world’s sparkling wines. But New World winemakers are tinkering with its conventions and challenging its supremacy, making bubbly more fun and diverse—for celebrating everyday life, not just its highlights. Understanding sparkling wine means wrapping your head around confusing nomenclature: in champagne terms, the driest styles are called brut, but the sweeter ones are “extra-dry.” More extra-dry wine is being made whether labelled thus or not, reflecting the fact that most of humanity actually prefers sweetish wine. Of late, in the New World, we’re seeing grapes other than the champagne triumvirate of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier—such varietals as sauvignon blanc, riesling and even shiraz. The final kick in the shins to champagne is that quality has improved substantially throughout the sparkling-wine spectrum—from Italian prosecco to Spanish cava, from French cremants to the global legions of chardonnay-pinot champagne emulators. Whatever the style, these sparklers are all cheaper than champagne, sometimes astonishingly so considering their fine quality. Read the rest of this entry »
Good Stuff Cheap: three great wines for recession hangovers
SPARKLING
Langa Hermanos Reyes De Aragón 2007 Brut Reserva Cava $13.95
This classic Spanish cava, with a complex nose of almond, green olive, cedar and chalk minerality, is priced to make cork-popping a daily habit.
Vintages. LCBO 194803
WHITETrapiche 2007 Astica Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon $7.45
It’s rare to find this quality for under $8. The full, bright Argentine blend highlights the best of both grapes: sauvignon’s zestiness and sémillon’s savoury green-olive flavours.
LCBO 359083
REDCastaño 2007 La Casona Monastrell $8.70
Superb value from the monastrell grape grown in southeast Spain near Valencia. For oenophiles who like soft, juicy reds brimming with blueberry flavours, this is the real deal.
LCBO 143743
The original surf and turf: how to make Cava’s macho paella
Chef Chris McDonald’s secret? Killer sofrito. Here’s the recipe
(Image: Edward Pond; illustration by Jack Dylan)
“Paella is the Spanish equivalent of North American barbecue: it’s cooked by men, over a fire, outdoors. I love that atavistic approach to food. The important thing to remember is that making paella is a commitment. You’re dumping everything into the pan and leaving it to cook. When it’s in, there’s no turning back. Thankfully, slightly scorched rice on the bottom just adds to the charm.”
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