There are few amongst the lactose tolerant who can resist the pull of a grilled cheese sandwich. At least that’s what Kevin Durkee and Tom Douangmixay, the owners of Cheesewerks, are counting on, joining the likes of the Grilled Cheese in Kensington Market and The Construction Site at Yonge and Eglinton. We got a glimpse of the shop’s offerings during its stint at the Distillery’s Christmas market. Last week, they officially launched their new Bathurst Street shop.

After pursing a marketing career for years, Durkee, who grew up in his mother’s tearoom, decided to open up a restaurant with his husband, Douangmixay. Their menu focuses on cheeses from the likes of Balderson, Glengarry and Upper Canada Cheese, and pairs them with craft beers (Flying Monkeys, Amsterdam) and wines (Stonechurch, Palatine Hills) from around the country. The bread, including some exclusive loaves and a gluten-free pick, is all sourced from St. John’s Bakery. In the new year, a tasting series featuring cheese makers will allow fromagophiles a peek at what goes into producing artisanal cheese.

Though Canadian products dominate the menu, most of the sandwiches are named after a different world city, pinpointing spots that have been important in Durkee and Douangmixay’s lives. The Beijing features barbecued pork, green onions and hoisin sauce smothered in asiago and grilled between slices of green onion potato bread ($10). Veggie lovers can opt for the Los Angeles, which has avocado, arugula and citrus compote melted with Havarti on grilled sourdough bread ($8.50). The Toronto is a stack of mini-wiches, with patrons choosing two of the Koreatown (gruyère and kimchee), Little Italy (tomato, basil and mozzarella) and the Danforth (aged goat cheddar and olive tapenade) ($9.50). Durkee tells us he’s planning on expanding into other neighbourhood-based creations in the future—we can only imagine what, say, Parkdale might taste like.

Cheesewerks, 56 Bathurst St., 416-243-3327, cheesewerks.com

The organic waffles at Über Delicious (Image: Caroline Aksich)

You don’t have to be a wide-eyed, rosy-cheeked tot to enjoy the second annual Toronto Christmas Market at the Distillery District. Heck, you don’t even have to be the world’s greatest fan of carollers and reindeer songs—because the edible offerings at this year’s cheery fest are the perfect remedy for holiday exasperation (especially the mulled wine). We hit the Distillery’s cobbled streets to seek out the best the market had to offer. Here’s what we found.

Inside Stasis Local Foods, looking out onto Roncesvalles (Image: Caroline Aksich)

Up at the northern tip of Roncesvalles, just south of Dundas, sits the neighbourhood’s newest gourmet food shop, Stasis Local Foods. The store carries a tightly curated selection of local and seasonal gems, but the focus is on the made-in-house jams and preserves prepared by the shop’s young owner, Julian Katz. Katz has cooked his way across the Toronto dining landscape (C5, The Drake, Lucien, Ruby Watchco), but when not preparing $30 mains, he would pickle in-season produce and whip up scrumptious jams. One day, he had a revelation: “I looked around and saw that I had 30 or 40 cases of jam in my house, and I was like, ‘This is ridiculous! I can only give away jam as Christmas gifts for so long!’ ” Katz left his gig with Lynn Crawford in January to brave the city’s farmers’ markets, and then founded his company, Stasis Preserves. After a year of pestering his chef friends for access to their kitchens, Katz decided it was time to get his own.

With winter upon us, Katz is offering tart organic cranberry sauce, onion chutney, sugarless apple butter, sweet pepper relish and blackcurrant jam, all of which are made from Ontario produce ($7–$8). And while Katz has not yet fully worked out the store’s concept, one thing he knows for sure is that he’s not interested in selling 20 different kinds of maple syrup or honey—he’s only interested in selling the best (he swears the extra-light maple syrup he gets from Bill Haggart’s Maitland sugar bush is the most delicious he’s ever tasted). There’s also a limited selection of produce, like Ontario garlic ($2 a head) and Ontario hazelnuts and heartnuts ($5 per pound), with more to come in the future. In the fridge, Katz has a small selection of meats and cheeses, such as bacon from Sausage Partners and operetta goat cheese from Fifth Town. There are even Ontario-produced oils (like grape seed and soya) and vinegars, like a lavender-infused apple cider vinegar ($16).

Katz is also toying with the idea of offering coffee, soups, sandwiches and oven-ready meals for families on the go, but he’s waiting to hear from the neighbourhood. Even still, farmers’ market fanatics need not fear—Katz is still planning to peddle his wares at the Brickworks on Saturdays.

Stasis Local Foods, 476 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-533-1079, stasispreserves.com

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

• Like the rest of the world, Fashion can’t seem to decide whether rising artist Lana Del Rey—who performed at Toronto’s Mod Club on Wednesday—is plastic or genuine, street or poetic, dramatic or earnest. At least on this much everyone can agree: the girl can dress herself. Read the entire story [Fashion] »

• Canadian Family examines the controversy over a $5 “baby tax” at a U.K. all-you-can-eat buffet. We’re pretty confused ourselves; there’s no way such a measly fee will keep those annoying scamps out. Read the entire story [Canadian Family] »

• Ottawa’s food editor Shawna Wagman presents her holiday wish list for those of an epicurean bent—if you can’t find these picks in Toronto, remember to check out our 19 fantastic finds for food and wine fanatics. See the list [Ottawa Magazine] »

• Last month we also showed off 19 perfect presents for the jet-setting cosmopolitan—meanwhile, the sneaks at Where were putting together a full 50 gifts for travel lovers. View the gallery [Where] »

• While stressed-out Torontonians are used to replacing time-consuming meals with potato chips, 20 Minute Supper Club offers two recipes that incorporate those crispy calories into actual food. See the recipes [20 Minute Supper Club] »

• As long as the bakeries of the world keep cranking out ludicrous and awe-inspiring cupcakes, we will never stop looking at cupcake galleries. WeddingBells has another 24 creations to admire, including replicas of popcorn buckets, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, pandas, cheeseburgers and black-eyed Susans. View the gallery [WeddingBells] »

• Every year Quill and Quire selects its favourite book covers. The picks from 2011 include a paint-by-numbers-inspired piece for Giller Prize winner Johanna Skibsrud’s latest and a supremely unsettling axe-toting woman for Alexi Zentner’s Touch. View the gallery [Quill and Quire] »

• The first ever Roller Derby World Cup is being held in Toronto this weekend, and Karen Aagaard makes an appeal in Torontoist for media coverage that looks past the players’ pseudonyms, appearances and amusingly banal day jobs and actually addresses, you know, the sport. Read the entire story [Torontoist] »

(Images: Kevin Naulls)

When a heritage building like Maple Leaf Gardens is renovated, there’s always a concern that whatever goes inside will gut the building’s soul, with, at best, a commemorative plaque to mark what used to be. Thankfully, Galen Weston and his Loblaws crew chose to retain the charm of the iconic arena, except that instead of stadium seating and the aroma of beer nuts, the impressively large space is now home to fresh bread (from Ace Bakery), a café (with the original Gardens gold seats), a wide selection of organic produce (fans of Portlandia will be pleased to know that images of the farmers responsible abound), a sushi bar, an LCBO, a walk-in clinic, a Joe Fresh, a wall of cheese (seriously, a whole wall), a wall of cupcakes (seriously, a whole wall) and a wall of aging meat (yes, a whole wall). That’s just the tip of the chocolate-by-the-chunk iceberg (of which there is one—it weighs 250 pounds and required a mechanical lift to drop into place). Tour the brand new grocery mega-store in a gallery after the jump.

Before we were admitted to the supermarket-cum-coliseum for the grand opening, Weston gave a speech, followed by a baguette-cutting ceremony (the purpose-baked Ace baguette was a good five feet long). We entered and hung a left to find a red-subway-tiled café selling bagels (69 cents each), espresso-based drinks ($1.79–$3.19) and house-made gelato ($2.99–$10.99). Much of the prepared food in the store, from stocks and soups to baked goods, is made in-house by executive chef Mark Russell and his team of nine Red Seal chefs. According to senior VP André Fortier, who was responsible for the “concept rollout,” there will be no day-old goods at this location (leftovers will be donated to Second Harvest).

There’s a lot to see and touch, but some of the most appealing items in-store right now include Malpeque oysters ($1.20 each), live market lobsters ($9.99), dry-aged Wagyu strip loin steaks ($88.16 per kilogram), a Cropwell Bishop Stilton ($4.59 per 100 grams) and a dried mushroom bar that’s home to dried morels ($113.39 per pound), black trumpets ($31.75 per pound) and porcinis ($45.36 per pound). We even found a pretty decent-looking PC Santoku knife ($22) in the home section and some beautiful Phalaenopsis orchids ($14.99), bred in the Niagara Peninsula, in the large flower shop. We do warn that shoppers should heed the old adage “never shop hungry” at this place, lest they find themselves needing to be pried off the gigantic cheese wall (or the 12-foot cupcake wall).

Inside the new King West fine food store from the brothers Contardi (Image: Gizelle Lau)

For over a year, the windows on the northwest corner of King and Brant have sported signs reading “Alimento Fine Food Emporium: Coming Soon.” Last week, Alimento finally opened, giving King Westers one less excuse to avoid using their kitchens. We stopped by to take a look.

Behind Alimento are Marco, Joe, Albert Jr. and Anthony Contardi, four brothers who come from a long line of cheesemakers (black and white photos behind the bar show their grandfather making cheese). The shop is a modernized version of a traditional Italian marketplace, much like Eataly in New York, with both a grocery business and a restaurant. Previously home to an EQ3 warehouse store, the renovated space features the staple King West exposed brick look.

Alimento’s grocery store offers a large selection of specialty deli meats, cheeses (including homemade bocconcini, burrata and fior di latte), antipasti and olives. There’s also a bakery and biscotti bar stocked with items made by Italian baker Andrea Mastrandrea (Forno Cultura) and even a fresh flower stand for some old-world nostalgia. The restaurant side features a long marble mozzarella bar, a few small tables, and a bar in the back with coffee and pastries in the morning and wine as the afternoon rolls around. Tucked in the back, a large oven churns out focaccia sandwiches and pizza as well as bottled drinks and prepared salads and pastas.

A full sit-down menu is available from lunch through dinner, with most of the produce sourced from the grocery side. All dishes are traditionally Italian: roasted beet caprese with homemade fior di latte and basil ($9), a cheese platter featuring fior di latte and goat milk formaggio fresco along with aged caciocavallo and trecce ($21), a salumi platter ($23). There are also pastas like the squid ink fettuccine nero with cuttlefish, garlic and oregano ($15); pizzas ($11–$19); and secondi like a 14 oz. bone-in rib eye ($27) and a whole lemon and olive oil branzino ($25).

Alimento Fine Food Emporium, 522 King St. W., 416-362-0123, alimento.ca

Photography by Christopher Stevenson
Luscious Italian cheeses are the best things to emerge from Toronto’s enduring rustic Italian infatuation. From buffalo milk ricotta to burrata, the finest mozz-and-cream concoction ever invented, they turn a simple starter into an eye-closing, table-pounding affair.

Start the slideshow »

Every weekend we round up the highlights from the other websites in the St. Joseph Media family (that’s the company that owns us, by the by). Check them out, after the jump.

• As Fashion Week incessantly hops from place to place, Fashion Magazine has everything conveniently located in one location. See the list [Fashion Magazine] »

• We all know how heavily fridge magnets can weigh on a family budget. Thankfully Canadian Family has a do-it-yourself guide for glass pebble and tile magnets to spruce up your home on the cheap. Read the entire story [Canadian Family] »

• It sounds like an oxymoron, but Ottawa Magazine has the story on ethical oil and its hostile clashes with Saudi Arabia. Read the entire story [Ottawa Magazine] »

• For those who love the crisp red and gold of autumn, Where has 10 premiere leaf-watching destinations. We recommend going early while it’s still possible to appreciate them—that is, before the endless raking makes us bitter. See the list [Where] »

• The culinary minds over at 20 Minute Supper Club have six tasty apple recipes for fall: apple soup, apple French Toast, apple chicken, apple salad, apple toss and apple cheese toast. What, no apple pie? See the list [20 Minute Supper Club] »

• For those planning a rustic ceremony, Wedding Bells has eight essential elements to think about. Personally, we’d go one step further: denim wedding dress. See the list [Wedding Bells] »

• Neil Young is writing a memoir for 2012, according to Quill and Quire. We can only hope he’ll lend his distinctive, weathered voice to an audiobook version. Read the entire story [Quill and Quire] »

• The snoops at Torontoist have uncovered a leaked Blue Jays logo, which, if implemented, will be the one good thing about the team (we kid, we kid). Read the entire story [Torontoist] »

Four culinary delights at this year’s CNE (Images: Gizelle Lau)

In the days of yore, people flocked to the Canadian National Exhibition to see the year’s prize cows, pigs and horses. It’s only fitting that in these fallen fast-food times, people now gather round the warm, greasy glow of the deep fryers in the CNE Food Building. Indeed, gawking at the year’s fried fare has become something of an annual tradition, so we headed back to the Ex this year to bring you eight gut-busting indulgences, including this year’s headline grabber: deep-fried Coke cola.

See photos of all eight, along with a readout of our regret-o-meter »

(Image: Carlo Mendoza)

Game Fish Farmers’ market

BEST HOME GOODS BEST FASHION BEST FUN BEST DINING BEST TASTY TREATS BEST FOOD BEST DRINKS BEST HELP CITY MAP

(Image: Christopher Stevenson)

Baguette Pasta Fad Hot Sauce Lobster reinvented Carnivore cure Roast chicken Devilled eggs Patio for dessert

(Image: Christopher Stevenson)

Lobster reinvented
Toca
181 Wellington St. W., 416-585-2500
Lobster’s great and all when it’s done in the usual high-end ways, but it’s rarely better than when it turns up in humbler dishes, like the Fancy Fish and Chips at Toca, in the new Ritz-Carlton hotel. The “fish” in the dish is sweet, meaty, perfectly cooked lobster chunks wrapped in hot, light, golden, mouthgasmically crunchy tempura beer batter. Sure, it’s fancy lobster. But the best thing about it is that it’s also not. $21 for a small, $32 for large.

BEST HOME GOODS BEST FASHION BEST FUN BEST DINING BEST TASTY TREATS BEST FOOD BEST DRINKS BEST HELP CITY MAP

It’s baaaaaacack: the Double Down returns to Canada on June 1 (Image: KFC Canada)

In what seems more like fodder for competitive eaters and Twitterers than legitimate news, KFC has just announced that the Double Down will be making a triumphant and greasy return to Canada on June 1. The sandwich, which features bacon and cheese squeezed between two pieces of the Colonel’s famous boneless fried chicken, seems more like something Man vs. Food’s Adam Richman would dream up in his sleep than a legitimate fast-food product—but, hey, there’s clearly a market for it.

KFC’s recent press release sheds some light on the Double Down 2.0:

In a new twist, KFC Canada chefs have trimmed the sodium slightly (by about 10 per cent) while still maintaining its trademark taste.

“KFC fans told us they loved [the] Double Down and they wanted it back in all its delicious glory—and they also asked us to keep all the indulgent flavour and reduce the sodium a little. We listened and we can’t wait to see how everyone enjoys the new recipe that’s available only in Canada,” says [senior marketing director David] Vivenes.

Wait a sec—the biggest feedback KFC got was a request to “reduce the sodium a little?” We sort of figured the Double Down crowd wasn’t particularly concerned about their nutritional facts. Coming off the heels of KFC’s 2008 healthy branding campaign, which saw grilled chicken being introduced to the menu, the return of the Double Down has us breathing a sigh of relief. This confirms it—the Rapture hasn’t begun (yet) and the world is finally back to normal.

(Image: Edward Pond)

“I got bored of making charcuterie, so I started doing my own cheese. I’ve got 30 kinds on the go, and I tend to them seven days a week. I’m a little obsessed right now. If you have the right cultures—I order mine from Glengarry Cheesemaking in Lancaster—making fresh chèvre is simple, and the recipe is very forgiving. The only tough part is waiting three days while the chèvre does its thing. We’re not very patient in the modern world, but I find it soothing to wait for my cheese.” —chef de cuisine Derek Bendig

INGREDIENTS

8 cups full-fat goat’s milk (available at the Big Carrot, Fiesta Farms Market and most health food stores)
¹⁄₈ tsp freeze-dried mesophilic aromatic-B culture*
¼ tsp liquid calcium chloride*
¹⁄₈ tsp liquid rennet*
¼ cup distilled water
2 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
Finely chopped chives and parsley (optional)

*Available at Glengarry Cheesemaking in Lancaster, Ontario, glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca. Delivery takes about three days.

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and thoroughly sterilize a 12-cup stainless steel pot with lid, a meat thermometer, measuring spoons, a skimmer or slotted spoon, 2 small bowls and 4 cheese moulds* (4 inches tall and 3 inches in diameter).
2. Pour milk into the pot and heat over medium heat until the thermometer reads 30° C.
3. Remove pot from heat. Sprinkle mesophilic culture over surface of milk and let stand 5 minutes. Stir milk gently with skimmer to distribute culture evenly.
4. In a small bowl, mix calcium chloride with 2 tbsp distilled water. Add mixture to milk and stir gently to distribute evenly.
5. In another small bowl, stir remaining distilled water and rennet. Add to milk and stir gently.
6. Cover pot and let stand at room temperature (no warmer than 22° C) for 18 hours until milk has separated into thick, yogurt-like curds and clear whey.
7. Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Set moulds on rack. Using skimmer, gently scoop a thin layer of curd from surface of thickened milk, leaving whey behind, and slide it into a cheese mould. Continue to scoop off and layer the curd until the mould is full. Repeat with remaining moulds.
8. Set aside at room temperature (again no warmer than 22°C) for 24 hours. Whey will gather in the baking sheet. Pour it off as necessary.
9. Unmould cheeses and sprinkle with salt. Let them dry uncovered for another 24 hours at room tempera­ture until firm.
10. Roll the cheese logs in chives and parsley to coat evenly, or leave plain. Wrap in parchment paper, then plastic wrap and store in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Makes 4 three-ounce rounds.

Pangaea
1221 Bay St., 416-920-2323

Saint Hollywood by Uta Bekaia, Kate and Will and Buca chef Rob Gentile

1. DRAKE SPRING MARKET (FREE!)
By some miracle, this Saturday’s forecast promises a one-day respite from the non-stop April showers we’ve been seeing. Which means we won’t need to don our winter jacket at The Drake’s spring market this weekend. The one-day-only market, right at the corner of Queen and Beaconsfield, offers up jewellery, cards and artwork by local artisans, as well as amazing discounts on The Drake General Store’s cute and quirky merchandise. April 30. Queen St. W. and Beaconsfield Ave., 416-531-5042, thedrakehotel.ca/market.

2. BABAR, THE LITTLE ELEPHANT
The 2010-11 season of Mooredale Concerts’ kid-friendly Music and Truffles concert series comes to an end with this weekend’s show, a retelling of Jean de Brunoff’s classic children’s storybook. Pianist Andrew Ragnell multitasks on stage, telling the story through a selection of music by Francis Poulenc and real-time illustrations of the iconic characters, especially the green suit–sporting elephant king, Babar. April 30. $12. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park Cres., 416-587-9411, mooredaleconcerts.com

3. POSTCARDS FROM A HUNGRY CITY
The Daily Bread Food Bank’s annual fundraising gala is both a guaranteed good time (a cocktail reception, a gourmet dinner and silent and live auctions) and a guaranteed way to do good; funds go to the organization’s Community Action Fund, which allocates money to 170 agencies, including the Yonge Street Mission and Toronto People With AIDS Foundation. Hosted by CBC’s Mary Ito, and with a keynote speech by Matt Galloway. Reservations required. April 29. $250. Arcadian Court, 401 Bay St., 8th floor, 416-203-0050 ext. 225, dailybread.ca/gala-tickets.

4. ALTERNATIVE ARTS AND FASHION WEEK
Edgy, inventive and avant-garde, Alternative Arts and Fashion Week is about cutting-edge clothes and, increasingly, cutting-edge art. Each day’s schedule is a carefully planned, multidisciplinary lineup that includes film, music, performance art, installations and oh, yeah—a runway show or two. April 26 to 29. Day pass $30, Week pass, $70. 99 Sudbury St., alternativefashionweek.com.

5. HOT DOCS
This is the event non-fiction junkies have been waiting for all year. We’re dying to catch When the Drum Is Beating, a documentary about Haiti’s Orchestre Septentrional, the controversial Draquila—Italy Trembles, political comedian Sabina Guzzanti’s satirical exposé of the reconstruction of l’Aquila after the devastating earthquake in 2009, and Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, which is just what it sounds like—a biopic about Kevin Clash, the longtime puppeteer behind our fave muppet. April 28 to May 8. $14, 10-film pass $98. Various locations, 416-637-5150, hotdocs.ca.

6. FESTIVAL OF CHEFS
The Cheese Boutique’s Festival of Chefs can only be described as the ultimate wine and cheese party, and this Sunday’s kick-off at Buca with chef Rob Gentile is no exception. Gentile will create dishes using ingredients from the Boutique, and a sommelier will pair wine to complement each dish—expect rustic Italian with a gourmet feel, infused with some extra cheesy goodness. We’re salivating just thinking about it—plus, all the festival’s proceeds go towards Famous People Players. May 1. $5 minimum donation. Buca, 604 King St. W., 416-865-1600, cheeseboutique.com/festival_chefs_2011

7. SCOTIABANK CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL (FREE!)
The photos at this year’s month-long Contact photography fest are themed around people’s relationships with their environment. We’re looking forward to Isabel M. Martinez’ The Weekend (she plays with perception by joining two different photos in one image), Lluis Barba’s thoroughly modern revisions of museum masterpieces and Debra Friedman’s portraits of Toronto’s immigrant communities. May 1 to 31. Various locations, 416-539-9595, scotiabankcontactphoto.com.

8. THE ROYAL WEDDING BREAKFAST
We admit we’ll probably be lugging ourselves out of bed while it’s still dark out to watch the spectacle of Will and Kate’s wedding, but considering we’re of less than noble parentage ourselves, we’ll be joining the crowds at the Queen and Beaver at 5:45 a.m. for a traditional English breakfast. Aside from eggs, there are sweets on offer—crumpets, fruit scones, and strawberries and cream—that will definitely perk us up if the caffeine can’t. April 29. $6-$16. Queen and Beaver Public House, 35 Elm St., 647-347-2712, queenandbeaverpub.ca

(Images: Saint Hollywood, FAT; Kate and Will, americanistadechiapas; Rob Gentile, Renée Suen)