Winterlicious is typically pretty generous to the denizens of the Annex and Yorkville, and this year is no exception. Here, our 10 picks for the area.
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Winterlicious 2012: Toronto Life’s picks for Yorkville and the Annex
11 best bets for Summerlicious 2011: our chief critic Chris Nuttall-Smith makes his picks
The imported Neapolitan pizza oven at Fabbrica (Image: Karon Liu)
Now in its ninth season, the city-run ’Licious phenomenon (there are both summer and winter incarnations, in case you’ve been living under a pizza stone all this time) shows no signs of tiring, even if every year it seems to enrage more and more curmudgeonly downtown diners who don’t much like sharing their favorite restaurants with the plebes. Summerlicious succeeds precisely because it makes inaccessible restaurants accessible, even if it’s only for two weeks each July. The big list (there are 150 participating restaurants this year) will never include the hottest, newest, most interesting restaurants in the city—those places don’t typically need the help. It typically does include more than its share of dogs. But there are plenty of places in between: proven, well-run, inviting rooms with committed kitchens. We’ve picked a few of the best.
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Summerlicious 2011: Toronto Life’s picks for Yorkville and the Annex
Some of Yorkville and the Annex’s best restaurants participate in Summerlicious each year. Here, 14 of Toronto Life’s favourites. Read the rest of this entry »
The Best of Winterlicious 2011: Toronto Life’s 62 favourite restaurants
(Image: Renée Suen, from the torontolife.com Flickr pool)
January is upon us, and for many hungry Torontonians, that means one thing: Winterlicious. The menus are less predictable than previous years—crème brûlée’s out, lentils du Puy are in—so even the ’Licious haters might have a reason to take advantage of the festival this year. We’ve already named the 12 menus that we think are the best bets, but that doesn’t begin to cover it. Here, find Toronto Life’s 62 favourite Winterlicious restaurants, complete with menus, reviews and reservation numbers.
Winterlicious runs from January 28 to February 10. Reservations are accepted from January 13 onward (January 11 for American Express users).
The Winterlicious 2011 menus are out, so let’s compare them to previous years
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By now, Torontonians are well-seasoned winterliciousers—and at Winterlicious 2011, we will be deftly dodging the wilted arugula and heading straight for the belly of the beast (preferably pork). Looking through the newly published list of restaurants and menus, there is plenty to be pleased about this January. Our popular “Best of Winterlicious” piece is coming out next week, but we thought we’d get a jump on things and take a look at how this year’s roster compares with last year’s ’Licous lists.
Toronto’s best house-made pastas
Factory-made linguine and penne just don’t cut it anymore. These days, it’s all about making it in‑house. The silky ribbons and plump pockets chefs are crafting from flour, egg and a little elbow grease are ridiculously good. We slurped our way through the city to find the top five.
1. Buca’s duck bigoli
Hand-cranked duck egg noodles are coated in a sublime ragú of soffritto, tomato, duck legs and giblets, then swirled into a towering nest rivalling Marge Simpson’s beehive. With mascarpone and basil, it’s nothing less than pasta perfection. $19. 604 King St. W., 416-865-1600.
2. Mistura’s chitarroni all’astaco Read the rest of this entry »
Venice meets the Maritimes in this concoction of guitar wire–cut spaghetti, sweet chunks of lobster meat, melting leeks and tomato concassée. A plate-licking emulsion of briny butter zinged with a hint of ginger cranks the volume to 11. $22 or $36. 265 Davenport Rd., 416-515-0009.
The swag series: what Megan Fox and Mickey Rourke are receiving
(Image: JJ Thomson)
What it is: Bask-It-Style presented a media lounge in the Royal York’s Prime Minister’s suite to preview the swag it will be giving stars. Rather than make the celebs trudge all the way downtown (after all, that Avenue Road and Bloor construction makes travel a nightmare), Bask-It delivers pieces to the Hollywood bigwigs’ suites.
Who gets it: Such celebs as Megan Fox and Mickey Rourke have already been sent bags.
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Summerlicious 2010: the restaurants have been announced, so let’s pick them apart
The view from Toula: be a tourist in your own city (Image: Ian Muttoo)
First things first: there’s not much change under the Summerlicious sun. All of the old favourites are here (including Canoe and Bymark, which always sell out first). Seven Numbers, which by Winter/Summerlicious rules is allowed only one location, has swapped out its Danforth location for its Eglinton one. Winterlicious participant Conviction is out for the summer edition as the second season of Conviction Kitchen films in Vancouver. The new owners of Crush Wine Bar are apparently not feeling the ’licious love—nor is Moroco. And while The Citizen’s digs are alive and kicking under new ownership, its vaunted replacement, Ruby Watchco, is opting out.
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Four of Toronto’s best food splurges
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)
Cheese Boutique partners with top chefs for indie food fest
Patrick McMurray at the Festival of Chefs (Photo by Davida Aronovitch)
The Cheese Boutique was abuzz with food enthusiasts last weekend for the launch of its annual Festival of Chefs. Now in its sixth year, the shop’s gastronomic fair showcases the creations of top chefs from across the city—paired with local wines—on Saturdays and Sundays throughout May. We stopped by to check out a round of offerings from Starfish duo Patrick McMurray and Kyle Deming—and to pick up a little oka on the way.
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