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The comprehensive index of every blog post, magazine story and restaurant review that appears on Torontolife.com
Though solidly yuppified, this erstwhile eastern European enclave has held on to its tradition of thriving small businesses. Neighbours are genuinely chummy, moms trade intel on good nannies and bad teachers (between Pilates classes in the park), and the main drag offers almost everything.
Warning: these chips are habit-forming (Image: Sian Richards)
Trend-conscious Roncesvalles has fallen hard for the chocolate-dipped potato chip, the wickedly addictive best-seller at the avenue’s newest confectionery, The Chocolateria. The winsome shop is run by Tim English, a corporate lawyer who succumbed to the siren call of chocolate after taking a pastry course at George Brown. His sweet gamble has paid off: despite opening at the end of August, in the midst of a debilitating heat wave and Roncey construction chaos, the shop has been an instant success. (Smartly, the woo campaign this fall included free samples of nutmeg-laced hot chocolate.) Best bets: craggy hunks of sponge toffee, deliciously gooey turtles with fresh pecans (a huge improvement on Grandma’s drugstore collection) and, of course, these wondrous, habit-forming chips.
The Chocolateria
361 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-588-0567
The St. Clair West strip between Bathurst and Oakwood is known for its diverse population, interminable TTC construction, and that classic Toronto mix of urban grit, Old World–authentic mom and pop shops, and yuppie startups. Our list of 20 can’t-miss stops is the best way to get to know the area.
(Image: one2c900d)
These days, the arrival of a new indie café on Queen West or in Leslieville is about as novel as a Gap opening in a mall, which is why we’re pleased to inform readers that the newest coffee houses in town aren’t located in hipster hubs. Since our last café census in March, we count a total of 13 new spots for Hogtown’s java lovers.
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We’re all for home-cooked meals and comfort food, but let’s face it: people go to restaurants to order stuff they can’t duplicate at home without the right skill set, equipment or the $625 to buy Nathan Myhrvold’s Modernist Cuisine cookbook. We talked to nine Toronto chefs about their weird, famous or indispensable food-making gizmo.
The Food Building beckons (Image: Ian Muttoo)
Since the kickoff of the 132nd edition of the Ex, deep-fried butter has dominated CNE-related headlines. There’s no doubt that it’s worth trying (we thought it tasted like a doughnut), but we felt there were other artery-clogging delights that were being overshadowed. We found eight other foods that equally piqued our interest, either because they’re the last thing we’d expect to see at the midway or because of their curious ability to make us feel full just by looking at them.
Here they are, with a quick thumbs-up or thumbs-down rating »
The revamped Wellington West hot spot nails that perfect brunch ratio of sweet to savoury—even on Monday
The traditional breakfast at an untraditional time
The place: Marben’s recently unveiled renovation—undulating ceiling slats, exposed-filament light bulbs, reclaimed wooden shelves, jarred preserves—is worth a peek, but it’s summer, and this is Toronto. We immediately request seating on the sunny front patio, where unmatched chairs, a green wall and a rustic communal table echo the interior’s cottage-chic design.
The crowd: King West’s polo-shirted bourgeoisie is in full force. Nearby are a clutch of hip, mature businesswomen and a pair of chatty designers with five cell phones on their table. In the corner sits a Dragons’ Den judge with two-tone hair and sunglasses that fool nobody.
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Banana Split
Oddfellows
936 Queen St. W., 416-534-5244
Diners at the chic communal table struggle bravely to retain an air of ironic detachment in the face of three scoops of rich, smooth house-made ice cream—chocolate, vanilla and strawberry—sprinkled with berries and toasted nuts and perched atop halved bananas and a chewy brownie. $12. Read the rest of this entry »
The German chocolate company Chocri caught our eye this week with an announcement that its made-to-order chocolate bars are now being shipped to Canada. Local chocoholics can now design their own confections using Chocri’s Web site createmychocolate.com, which allows users to choose from four types of base—white, milk, dark and mixed milk and white—and over 100 toppings of fruit, nuts, spices, gold flakes and grains. We’ve never tasted the products, but were intrigued since the European company uses only organic, ethically-produced chocolate from Belgium. Seems like a great way to develop either an extremely complicated chocolate fix or a gross-out monstrosity. Current examples on the site include:
“________’s Specialty PMS Bar” (Milk Chocolate with Blueberries, Sour Cherries, Cornflakes and Toasted Hazelnuts)
Nuts and Jolts (Milk and White Chocolate with Coffee, Macadamia Nuts, Bourbon Vanilla, Cocoa Nibs and Roasted Cashews)
The strawberry-7-Up float at the Big Chill (Image: Karon Liu)
Nostalgia is big at Toronto’s dairy bars and restaurants right now. Old-fashioned milkshakes and ice cream floats have been popping up on menus since the weather turned warm, including many innovative flavour combinations and unorthodox ingredients (read: booze). Here, a roundup of innovative shakes and floats from across Toronto.
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The east end’s main thoroughfare has long been known for two things: Greek food and the Taste of the Danforth. Over the past many years, though, homebuyers drawn to the subway line have slowly turned the long strip of two-storey brick buildings into a bustling neighbourhood that has attracted a rich selection of fine shops, independent coffee houses, Thai joints and haute cuisine restaurants. The Danforth has reached a wonderful maturity that we think should be celebrated. Here are 21 of the best reasons to cross the viaduct.
(Image: Marc Majcher)
Just as Canadians were congratulating themselves on their nation-wide health consciousness for rejecting the allure of the Double Down comes the news that Canada’s national ambassador, Tim Hortons, is home to a snack that makes KFC’s sodium speedball look positively ascetic. The drink that Men’s Health has declared the “worst beverage in America” is available right here in the GTA, all thanks to Timmies’ penchant for brand partnerships.
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Despite the ascendancy of comfort food, some occasions still require more than a tricked-out sandwich. These four posh dishes are worth the splurge.
The chitarroni all'astaco from Mistura (Photo by Daniel Shipp)
Referred to as Little Poland by long-time residents and Roncey by the younger crowd, the Roncesvalles strip is one of the few neighbourhoods in the city that has earned its “hip” label without been invaded by raucous nightlifers. Progress keeps marching forward here, despite an ongoing road rehabilitation project that has claimed a few business causalities. We recommend spending a spring Saturday visiting these 25 spots.
(Thumbnail credit: 416 style)
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Whether you celebrate the slaves’ escape from Egypt, the resurrection of Christ or the annual arrival of Cadbury eggs, these seven restaurant events—with Passover- and Easter-themed menus—can help make next weekend memorable.
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