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Must Try: hot chocolate with sinfully good blowtorched marshmallows at Bobbette and Belle

By Denise Balkissoon | Photography by Edward Pond

Cocoa Puffs Toboggans and cross-country skis, woolly sweaters and brisk sub-zero air call for piping hot chocolate. The Leslieville dessert shop Bobbette and Belle has taken the humble cup of cocoa to new, paroxysm-inducing heights. In the mug, extra-brut cocoa powder is blended with Swiss chocolate, full-fat milk and a bit of sugar. Then the house-made vanilla marshmallow on top is blowtorched to order until it’s cloaked in a crisp, bittersweet, golden brown shell that gives way to a gooey interior. It’s an irresistible hit of fancified nostalgia. $4.25. 1121 Queen St. E., 416-466-8800.

The Informer

Cityscape

December 8, 2011 | 4:15 pm

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Nestlé turns NIMBY over a proposed mixed-use development near its Junction factory

Nestlé’s South Junction factory (Image: Uncle Tubby)

With the support of nearby residents, local developer Castlepoint Realty has proposed 45 new townhouses, several office towers (with urban garden roofs) and a public square in Toronto’s South Junction Triangle, which would go a long way toward revitalizing the barren neighbourhood. As it stands, the area is speckled with rubble and abandoned buildings—but apparently that’s the way Nestlé likes it. The company runs a chocolate factory nearby and fears that the 24/7 trucks, noise and even sweet aroma will drive occupants mad. Critics, however, point to another Ward 18 factory run by Cadbury, which has coexisted with its neighbours for years. For our part, we think Nestlé should probably just listen to its own advice. Read the entire story [The Globe and Mail] »

The Dish

Opening

November 30, 2011 | 4:49 pm

18 Comments

Introducing: Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens, downtown’s enormous new food emporium

(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.

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The Informer

A Message from Toronto Life

November 19, 2011 | 10:30 am

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Weekend Reading List: top stories from our sister sites, from chimpanzees to zucchinis

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

A Message from Toronto Life

November 5, 2011 | 10:30 am

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Weekend Reading List: top stories from our sister sites, from the best chocolate maker to a shimmering satyr

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 Dish

From the Print Edition

August 8, 2011 | 10:30 am

3 Comments

Why Greek wines are about to become the next big thing

Greek wines are as intriguing as their popular French and Italian counterparts, and they’re half the price
By David Lawrason

(Illustration: Jack Dylan)

Pine-scented retsina has left a bitter taste with many wine drinkers, but Greek wine has moved on, and it’s poised to become the next big thing, with more Greek labels making their way into trendy restaurants beyond the Danforth. More than 300 indigenous grapes are grown in the country’s 28 wine-growing appellations, which are home to more than 650 wineries. And the quality and value has only been getting better over the last 10 years. The new Greek wines combine the firm acid and mineral structure of many European wines with the ripe, bright fruitiness often found in hotter New World regions. The country’s core strength is aromatic yet steely whites, like moschofilero and assyrtiko, that will appeal to riesling and gewürztraminer fans. Lighter-weight, complex reds like xinomavro and agiorgitiko are similar to pinot noir and Italian nebbiolo. The LCBO’s selection is still meagre, but Vintages carries some excellent-value bottles, while Kolonaki Group, an Ontario-based Greek wine specialist, offers great buys by the case. Here, nine bottles worth trying, even if you’re not serving souvlaki.

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The Hype

From the Print Edition

August 5, 2011 | 9:00 am

1 Comment

Best of the City 2011: Seven ways to have a great time (bowling and bachelor parties included)

(Image: Liam Mogan)

Ten-pin Queue Spot for a bachelor party Spot for a bridal party Yacht rental Saltwater dip Exercise craze

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The Dish

Opening

July 25, 2011 | 12:42 pm

6 Comments

Introducing: Hammersmith’s, Riverdale’s newest spot for scones and other breakfast favourites

Inside Riverdale’s newest brunch spot (Image: Karolyne Ellacott)

Hammersmith’s, the brainchild of boyfriend-girlfriend duo Brittany Peglar and Colin Reed, is a new brunch spot in brunch-laden Riverdale, housed in a space previously occupied by a diner for 50-odd years. The couple does both sweet (Peglar) and savoury (Reed), keeping the focus on breakfast. They’ve already managed to draw a loyal clientele, with regulars popping in just after 9 a.m. for either a quick coffee or a full-on brekkie.

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The Dish

Opening

June 27, 2011 | 4:28 pm

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Introducing: Soma Chocolatemaker, the new King West location of the Distillery chocolate shop

Inside the new King West store

David Castellan and his wife Cynthia Leung are as proud as new parents of the beautiful, 3,000-square-foot space that is the new King West location of Soma, their pioneering chocolate shop, which started out in the Distillery. While all raw ingredient work (from bean to bar) will still be done at the original location, here it’s all about turning the raw stuff into some of the most incredible truffles in town—all right under the gaze of their enamoured customers.

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The Dish

Foodie Follies

June 15, 2011 | 4:59 pm

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The Revue screens Kings of Pastry doc as part of foodie film series

Attention pastry nerds: you might want to consider cancelling your evening plans, because tonight The Revue on Roncesvalles is showing Kings of Pastry, D. A. Pennebaker’s documentary about Chicago-based pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer and the gruelling Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) competition as part of its food-themed series, The Epicure’s Revue. Every four years, 16 of the world’s finest pastry chefs meet in Lyon to duel it out over three intensive days for the right to wear the coveted red-, white- and blue-striped collar, one of the highest honours in French cooking. Chefs work around the clock, perfecting dozens of unique creations before a verdict is handed down by a group of master judges, themselves all MOFs. Think Ace of Cakes meets Top Chef, but a lot more complicated and with a wicked French accent. After the show, some restaurants and food shops from the area will be offering film-appropriate dishes, including Barque’s popular pecan pie, The Local’s Irish truffle and The Chocolateria’s Nanaimo bars and house-made ice cream.

The Hype

From the Print Edition

June 10, 2011 | 12:15 pm

1 Comment

50 Reasons to Love Toronto: No. 44, The Lightbox serves Milk Duds

(Image: Remie Geoffroi)

The assets of the Lightbox, the new home of the Toronto International Film Festival, are many: the intelligent movie selection, the three comfy theatres (the two on the uppermost level are merely all right), the high-tech projectors, and, for post-movie debates, the tasteful bar with a bird’s-eye view of couples strolling on King West. The long-standing relationship between a good movie experience and excellent snack food is not lost on the people who run the snack bar, either. The popcorn is topped with real butter, the coffee is fresh, the staff are genuinely perky. The gooey jewel in the concession stand’s crown is a throwback: Hershey’s Milk Duds, the little wads of candy that, perhaps thanks to a dentist-led conspiracy, are now as rare as a new Terrence Malick movie. For the uninitiated, Milk Duds are chocolate-covered blobs of awesomely thick caramel that glues itself to your molars and requires ages of pleasurably frustrating sucking and tongue action to dislodge. If movie-going had a taste, that’d be it.

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The Dish

From the Print Edition

June 9, 2011 | 11:30 am

3 Comments

50 Reasons to Love Toronto: No.31, Southern Ontario’s craft brewers are making unique and tasty beer

(Image: Alyson Tame)

It wasn’t so long ago that the only beer available in Toronto was flavourless and the colour of straw. Now we’re spoiled for choice: many of southern Ontario’s 33 craft brewers are producing tasty creations like coffee porters, pumpkin ales and raspberry beers, and testing one-off casks laced with such ingredients as chocolate, mint leaves and peaches. Peter Chiodo, an Etobicoke native and a strange brew obsessive, now runs Barrie’s Flying Monkeys brewery (it’s named after the winged creatures in The Wizard of Oz). His latest gambit is to produce the world’s strongest beer. In 2009, he designed the unique “hoppapotamus,” a device that actively infuses hops —the little cones that impart bitter, sometimes fruity flavour—and uses a process called “pulse fermentation” to feed yeast more sugar so the spores produce more alcohol. Chiodo’s goal is to ferment a 62 per cent beer, stronger than the revered Scottish BrewDog’s 55 per cent End of the History ale. If he succeeds, he’ll redefine the condition known as beer goggles.

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The Dish

Opening

May 13, 2011 | 9:35 am

4 Comments

Introducing: Nadège Patisserie. Queen West’s prettiest pastry shop joins the five thieves in Rosedale

Nadège Patisserie’s new 700-square-foot Rosedale space

Fourth-generation confectioner Nadège Nourian won over many Toronto palates when she opened her eponymous Queen West bakery and café almost two years ago—it’s become a destination for high-end pastries. This week, Nourian, along with her front-of-house manager and partner Morgan McHugh, opened a second store in Rosedale, bringing a little bit of Paris to the gourmet strip.

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The Dish

TV Diner

May 3, 2011 | 12:34 pm

18 Comments

Top Chef Canada recap, episode 4: ethnic stuff white people like

TopChefCanada_Episode4_JudgesTable-small

The judges get their serious faces on as the losing teams walk out (Image: Food Network Canada/Insight Productions)

TOP CHEF CANADA
Season 1 | Episode 4

First off, a confession: focusing on Top Chef Canada last night, as the ground-shaking results from the election poured in, was a little tough (we bet this episode’s ratings will agree). But fear not, election junkies–cum–Top Chef fans—we stuck it out so you didn’t have to (and then promptly switched to the CBC to find the Tory win had already been projected). Still, episode four—which featured Susur Lee, Toronto’s ethnic cuisines and, yes, more chefs in their underwear (hi, Dale!)—turned out to be pretty entertaining. After the jump, our recap of the Top Chef Canada episode you were too patriotic to watch.

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The Dish

Opening

April 28, 2011 | 3:43 pm

14 Comments

Introducing: Petite and Sweet, a new Summerhill sweet shop and event planning boutique

Sweets counter at Petite and Sweet

What do you get when you put two high-end event planners and a cake decorator together? Petite and Sweet, a new Summerhill boutique specializing in luxe events, with a shop that showcases all their offerings, like specialty desserts, confectionery, flowers, gifts and special occasion accessories. Petite and Sweet is the spawn of two companies: Madison Eight Event Laboratories, corporate event planners, and SweetFix, which provides dessert tables for events, parties, and business meetings. At the centre of both companies is Elle Daftarian, who brought together her business partners, Casper Hydar of Madison Eight and Yolanda Gampp of SweetFix, to create the new store.

In the shop, customers can get a taste of what both constituent companies have to offer. Taking notes from Ladurée in Paris and Chanel’s white-with-black-trim motif, the boutique has a light, contemporary touch. Giant flower arrangements, crystal chandeliers, decorated tiered cakes and two white-buttoned winged chairs line the store. Special event staples like cake stands, silk flower arrangements, cookbooks, ornamental pieces, gift-wrapping and invites are also on display.

At the front of the shop is a contemporary version of a candy shop offering chocolate bars (wrapped in beautiful handmade Japanese paper), gumballs, specialty M+M’s and more. At the back you’ll find “fancy Oreos” ($2.95), dipped marshmallows ($2.75), French macarons ($2.75) and cupcakes ($3.25), as well as croissants and cookies. Italian Hausbrandt coffee and French Fauchon tea are offered, and an outdoor patio is on the way.