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Toronto’s Top Delivery: nine first-rate provisioners of groceries, sweets and booze

LOÏC GOURMET
722 Queen St. E.,
416-850-8835
Inspired by French traiteurs, chef David Kokai’s prepared meals and house-made snacks are whimsical and delicious. The veal osso buco makes an excellent Southern Italian meal on the sofa. Free delivery with orders of $80 or more.

COOKIE FRIDAY
cookiefridayco.com
Baker Lois Kim’s web-based cookie business specializes in haute versions of your mom’s favourite recipes. For example, her chewy oatmeal is studded with sour cherries, and the traditional chocolate chip is dusted with fleur de sel. $20 per dozen. Free delivery.

ALWAYS-
DIAL-A-BOTTLE
416-890-7451
Always-Dial-a-Bottle goes to every nook of the city. We requested a bottle of Blaufränkisch, an obscure red wine, and snacks from the grocery store (they do that, too). The booty arrived in two hours. $8 for delivery, plus a 10 per cent surcharge on items.

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The Dish

TV Diner

March 8, 2012 | 5:21 pm

1 Comment

The Toronto Top Chef Canada contestants go through the motions for us at a mock quickfire

Head judge Mark McEwan with resident judge Shereen Arazm and host Lisa Ray

Season two of Top Chef Canada premieres this Monday, and to celebrate, Food Network Canada held a mock quickfire challenge at Victor (the home kitchen of competitor David Chrystian) for the Toronto-based contestants. Judges Mark McEwan and Shereen Arazm were on hand with Lisa Ray (in an ivory Pink Tartan sheath dress) playing host, as on the show. Chrystian had home field advantage, while Ryan Gallagher (sous chef at Ruby Watchco and erstwhile private chef for the Thompson family), Daniel Boulud–alum Carl Heinrich, Frank and caféAGO sous chef Elizabeth Rivasplata, Crush Wine Bar sous chef Trista Sheen and Sarah Tsai of the Toronto Lawns Tennis Club vied for the symbolic win (the real show, of course, was filmed months ago).

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The Dish

TV Diner

February 6, 2012 | 1:22 pm

34 Comments

Top Chef Canada season two contestants announced; here are your six Toronto chefs

(Images: Food Network Canada/Insight Productions)

UPDATE: Check out our recap of episode 1 »

With the sophomore season of Top Chef Canada set to premiere on March 12, Food Network Canada has finally introduced the 16 chefs hoping to cook their way to $100,000 (and, lest we forget, a GE Monogram kitchen). The group (which, perhaps responding to feedback about season one, is a tad more multicultural) once again contains six Torontonians, among them Marben’s Carl Heinrich and Ruby Watchco’s Ryan Gallagher. Tasting the food will be new host Lisa Ray, alongside head judge Mark McEwan and resident judge Shereen Arazm and a spate of guests that includes culinary personalities (Top Chef Masters winner Marcus Samuelsson) and sundry celebrities (handyman Mike Holmes, actor Alan Thicke, Kenny vs. Spenny’s Spencer Rice). We round up the Toronto contestants, starting with Victor’s David Chrystian »

The Dish

De-licious

January 10, 2012 | 2:31 pm

10 Comments

Winterlicious 2012: our food editor whittles the monster list down to a manageable 11

The spectacular view from c5 (Image: Suzanne Long)

It might be hard to believe, but Winterlicious celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. That’s right: it’s been a whole decade of commoners storming the fine dining gates, not to mention mutual bile and suspicion between restaurateurs and diners. And yet, the annual prix fixe event keeps growing. In its inaugural year, only 35 restaurants participated. This year, there are 175 on the roster, making it tougher than ever to choose where to spend your hard-earned $25 or $35 or $45. So we narrowed the choices down, first to 61 Toronto Life–approved spots and now to just 11 of the best. Because we’re slaves to trends, we focused the list this year on the new and improved—places that recently opened, overhauled or changed chefs—and because we like a bargain as much as anyone, we looked for the spots that offer the very best bang for the buck, which is, after all, what Winterlicious is all about. Start making your reservations now (unless you don’t have an AmEx card, in which case you can wait until Thursday like the rest of us).

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The Dish

TV Diner

December 6, 2011 | 12:57 pm

1 Comment

Under the Bajan sun, Mark McEwan drops a few hints about season two of Top Chef Canada

(Video: Si Si Penaloza)

At the Barbados Food and Wine and Rum Festival in November, Canada was represented by Toronto chefs Mark McEwan (Bymark, North 44, One, McEwan Foods) and Tom Brodi (Toca, Canoe), along with the likes of celeb chefs Tom Colicchio, Ming Tsai and Marcus Samuelsson. In this clip, we grilled chef McEwan, head judge on Top Chef Canada, about the upcoming season. With the Bajan sun beating down and the gas stove cranked up, McEwan, struggling with his gnocchi, dropped a couple of tiny clues. First, just as in the U.S. version of the show, the calibre of chefs in season two seems to have been ratcheted up. Second, it appears as though there will be more than one Toronto chef in the final six. Of course, we’ll have to wait until March 12 (and the weeks thereafter) to find out.

The Dish

Aprons & Icons

November 28, 2011 | 2:32 pm

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With Bobby Flay at the helm and six celeb chefs on deck, this year’s Chef’s Challenge fundraiser proved a relaxed affair

Host Bobby Flay has a refreshment (Image: Yves Freypons)

At last year’s Chef’s Challenge, the famously potty-mouthed Gordon Ramsay ended up throwing the chefs off the stage after a skillet caught fire. This year, the annual fundraiser for Mount Sinai’s breast and ovarian cancer research was led by grill master Bobby Flay, meaning there were no fires—although there was a good deal of impaired cooking by the end. Mark McEwan was swigging limoncello from the bottle, while Flay downed prosecco and Lynn Crawford tried to curry favour with the judges with some frozen mojitos. Who knew the night would end in such delightful debauchery?

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The Hype

Shelf Life

November 25, 2011 | 4:28 pm

1 Comment

Literary elite gather in honour of Canadian authors for the 26th annual Writers’ Trust Gala

Writers’ Trust executive director Don Oravec and author Margaret Atwood (Image: Tom Sandler)

Forty-three of Canada’s most distinguished authors were invited to share an evening with over 400 guests last night, raising $190,000 for the Writers’ Trust of Canada. Members of the literary elite like Margaret Atwood, Lawrence Hill, Karen Connelly, Michael Lista and Jane Urquhart were presented with white medals alongside more unexpected authors, such as Fashion Television host Jeanne Beker, politician Michael Ignatieff, celebrity chef Mark McEwan, Hockey Night in Canada’s Ron MacLean and Dragons’ Den’s Kevin O’Leary. Authors were scattered throughout the space, each seated at a roundtable of paying guests—every attendee received an autographed book from their table’s author. “We’re trying to expose writers to an audience. If people meet the author, they’re more likely to not only buy the book, but also to become fans of the author,” explained executive director Don Oravec. Proceeds from the night went towards Berton House, a writers’ retreat residence, and the Woodcock Fund, an emergency fund for writers. Check out the scene in a gallery after the jump.

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The Dish

TV Diner

November 17, 2011 | 5:01 pm

2 Comments

Q&A with Lisa Ray, the new host of Top Chef Canada, on the joys and perils of eating for a living

(Image: Top Chef Canada/Insight Productions)

Yesterday we told you that actress and former model Lisa Ray had been pegged to replace Thea Andrews as host of Top Chef Canada. We caught up today with the 39-year-old Torontonian to try to pry some secrets about the second season, which airs March 12 on Food Network Canada. For the most part, we failed. Still, Ray did tell us a bit about working with Mark McEwan, turning into a professional eater and learning about food on the job. Read our Q&A with her after the jump.

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The Dish

TV Diner

November 16, 2011 | 12:08 pm

3 Comments

Lisa Ray named new host for season two of Top Chef Canada

Top Chef Canada’s new host Lisa Ray, with head judge Mark McEwan (Image: Top Chef Canada/Insight Productions)

Top Chef Canada returns for a second season this spring, and a new Torontonian has been pegged to host the show: actress and model Lisa Ray. “I am a big fan of the Top Chef series and thrilled to help spotlight some of the amazing culinary talent right here in my hometown,” she said in a release. “I’m looking forward to a challenging yet delicious season.” The well-travelled actress has starred in Water, Cooking with Stella and Bollywood Hollywood and has plenty of hosting experience, including the Giller Prize gala earlier this month, the 2006 Genie Awards and her own entertainment show in India. She has also been celebrated for her fundraising to support research into multiple myeloma, a disease she was diagnosed with in 2009. Last season’s host Thea Andrews left the show to take care of her second child. Returning for season two, which premieres on March 12, will be head judge Mark McEwan, the grand prize of $100,000 and a GE Monogram kitchen and, we’re sure, a little product placement here and there. No word yet on whether horsemeat will make a comeback.

The Dish

Aprons & Icons

November 14, 2011 | 4:28 pm

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Less than two weeks until Bobby Flay touches down for the second annual Chef’s Challenge cancer fundraiser

Bobby Flay, the Iron Chef star famous for his devotion to the grill, will be heading north this November to host the second annual Chef’s Challenge: The Ultimate Battle for a Cure next week. Last year, under the supervision of the infamously potty-mouthed Gordon Ramsay, the event raised a whopping $1.1 million for Mount Sinai Hospital’s ovarian and breast cancer research. This year, their goal is simple: surpass last year’s total (with less swearing, presumably).

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The Dish

Aprons & Icons

October 17, 2011 | 12:08 pm

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Q&A with Padma Lakshmi: the Top Chef host, who’ll be in town for the Delicious Food Show, talks about her favourite contestants and places to eat

Padma Lakshmi, the model, actress, sometime singer, Top Chef host and bestselling cookbook author, will be in town this weekend for the Delicious Food Show at the Better Living Centre. The show, which will also see appearances from Mark McEwan, David Rocco and Afrim Pristine of the Cheese Boutique, will feature cooking demonstrations, tastings, a wine-stomping and more. We chatted with the former supermodel about some of her favourite places to eat, her Top Chef co-star Tom Colicchio and her impressions of eating out in Toronto.

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The Dish

Foodie Follies

September 13, 2011 | 3:58 pm

3 Comments

President’s Choice gets in on the bacon-everything trend with the new, upscale Black Label line

(Image: Michelle Easton)

Loblaws is set to launch a line of gourmet products meant to compete with the likes of Pusateri’s or Mark McEwan’s grocery store McEwan, the auspiciously named President’s Choice Black Label. Indeed, they’re working with Toronto chefs like Marc Thuet and Anthony Walsh and macaron pushers Bobbette and Belle to introduce a tasting menu based on the products to 40 or 50 food writers and “influencers” at Parkdale’s Neubacher Shor Contemporary gallery on September 22. We got a sample at this week’s TIFF Tastemakers gifting lounge at the Intercontinental, where celebs were offered ginger-spiced chocolate, hickory-smoked olive oil, sweet chipotle dip and bacon marmalade.

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The Informer

From the Print Edition

July 12, 2011 | 9:05 am

30 Comments

How Toronto’s lavishly rich Latner family is tearing itself apart

Albert Latner made his fortune in real estate, health care and casinos, and lavished his four children with riches. After his wife died, he gave them their inheritance early. Now they’re feuding over the estate, launching lawsuit after lawsuit and tearing the family apart. A cautionary tale about the burdens of love and money
By Leah McLaren

Latner vs. Latner

In February 2010, Joshua Latner was alerted by several friends about a photo posted on the Internet. He sat down at his computer, Googled himself and was disturbed to find his picture with the word “loser” scrawled across his face.

Joshua is not, and has never been, a man with a nine-to-five job. An enthusiastic collector of fine wines and rare antiques, he is 49 years old and lives in Zurich with his wife, Kendal, and their two young children. He also maintains residences in Toronto, Key Biscayne and Tokyo and on the Greek island of Mykonos, where he raises chickens and honeybees as a hobby. He inherited $150 million when his father, Albert Latner, a Toronto property developer and entrepreneur, decided to give each of his four children what’s known in high-net-worth circles as the velvet handshake—shorthand for early inheritance.

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The Dish

Weekly Lunch Pick

July 11, 2011 | 8:34 am

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Summerlicious Lunch Pick: Bymark’s B.C. halibut

Bymark’s B.C. halibut in a banana leaf, a main course on the restaurant’s regular menu, appears on its Summerlicious menu as well. (Image: Renée Suen)

Summerlicious officially launched last Friday (see our complete guide), and instead of serving a second-string menu, many restaurants, like Mark McEwan’s Bay Street standby Bymark, are offering plates from their regular roster at discounted prices.

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The Dish

TV Diner

July 5, 2011 | 12:40 pm

13 Comments

Top Chef Canada recap, episode 13: the winner takes it all

It’s okay. We don’t bite. Really. (Image: Food Network Canada/Insight Productions)

It’s been quite a ride. After 12 weeks of special guests, horsing around and glorious product placement, season one of Top Chef Canada has come to a close. And what better way to kick off the final episode than with a smart-alecky assessment of the final three contestants from Mercatto’s Rob Rossi? There’s Dale MacKay, with three wins to his name, who’s known, Rossi said, for “doing crazy high-end food” (translation: no soul). There’s Connie DeSousa, also with three wins, who does “sausages and home cooking” (translation: no sophistication). And then there’s Rossi, with four wins, who tries “to do a whole bunch of different things” (translation: has it going on). After the jump, the full rundown of the final face-off.

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