Lee opens its doors for lunch, offering Susur Lee’s vaunted Asian fusion cuisine at midday
(Images: Andrew Brudz)
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Five 2010 trends to watch: we ask Jamie Kennedy, Anthony Walsh, David Lee and other chefs what to look for in the coming year
Bespoke bread from Marc Thuet (Photo by Renée Suen)
It’s no secret that 2009 was rough for restaurants—“It’s a year a lot of restaurateurs are happy to see go,” says C5’s Ted Corrado—but with the new year almost a month old, optimism is back on the table. We talked to some of the city’s top chefs about five culinary trends for the coming year.
1. Less Is More Read the rest of this entry »
Small, chef-run restaurants that are down-to-earth in both atmosphere and culinary style. Chef Jamie Kennedy, who’s focusing on the Gilead Bistro, a decidedly more casual restaurant than the Wine Bar he sold last fall, anticipates more “chef-driven” spots like J.P. Challet’s Ici Bistro and Grant van Gameren’s Black Hoof. Claudio Aprile, who’s working on his second restaurant, Origin, agrees: “I’m hoping that we see a lot more restaurants that are open kitchen, 30 seats, three line cooks.”
Backlash menus: some Toronto restaurants go rogue during Winterlicious by serving up their own prix fixe
(Photo by Alpha)
Summer- and Winterlicious are divisive topics among those in the restaurant biz: some enjoy the increased business, while others hate working within the city’s rules. This year, however, there seems to be a surge in non-Winterlicious events—or, as it’s known in the Twitterverse, Antilicious.
The Samovar Room, for example, is holding Vodkalicious, with a three-course vodka-inspired menu for $30. “It was simply too late to apply to be a part of it,” said Samovar’s Rumen Dimitroff, whose vodka bar opened in late August (the deadline for this year’s applicants is August 10). “Winterlicious is a great event, and I still wanted to do something special around the same time.”
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Prix fixe, midnight madness: where to eat on New Year’s Eve
(Photo by Sally Mahoney)
December 31st is rapidly approaching, and the pressure’s on: what to do on New Year’s Eve? For those who hate crowds, messy house parties and shivering in Nathan Phillips Square but still don’t want to feel curmudgeonly come the stroke of midnight, Toronto’s best restaurants are offering multi-course meals at bargain prices. Here, our list of nine of the best prix fixe menus throughout the city. (Looking for the guide to Toronto’s high profile NYE parties? Click here »)
Just Opened: Hashimoto comes to Toronto proper after years of wowing Japanese food fans in Mississauga
Inside the new Hashimoto (Photo by Karon Liu)
“There’s nothing else like this in Toronto, maybe even Canada,” kaiseki chef Masaki Hashimoto explains over tea at his newly opened location at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in North York. “The Hashimoto in Mississauga was the first step, and this is the second.”
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Where to eat lunch this week
A $35 table d’hôte makes one of Bay Street’s priciest—and most delicious—lunch spots accessible to those without an expense account. Our three-course meal started with this delectable quail risotto, then only got better.
Seven days of dinner deals
The elk at Amuse Bouche (Photo by Renée Suen)
In this year of scrimping, more and more Toronto restaurants are offering once-a-week meals that allow diners a cheap feast on a slow night. From Monday to Sunday, we list the best places to hit each evening.
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Halloween comes early at the Toronto Chocolate Festival
Dentist's dream: the Toronto Chocolate Festival kicks off next week (Photo by avlxyz)
Adults wanting to satisfy their sweet tooths (but who are unwilling to pass themselves off as a kid on Halloween) can find their sugar rushes at the week-long Toronto Chocolate Festival, happening all over the city and featuring sweet deals from chocolatiers, prix fixe dinners and an all-you-can-eat gala finale. From October 19 to 25, Yorkville’s Crepes a GoGo is giving away a free crêpe with any $10 purchase, and Dasho on St. Clair West is offering samples and a $5 gift card. The deals are valid only with coupons that can be printed from the event Web site.
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Localicious: frugality knows no season
Suffix solution: the latest -licious kicks off tomorrow (Photo by Catherine Kustanczy)
We’re surprised it took so long for another “-licious” event to spring up between Summerlicious and Winterlicious, but here it is. As part of Localicious (running from October 2 to 18), 11 restaurants across the city will be offering menus of dishes containing local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients, with proceeds going to the World Wildlife Fund. The Toronto edition of the dining deal (Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax, Ottawa and Calgary are also involved) features the following establishments: Cowbell, Epic, Gilead Café, Grano, La Palette, Marvellous Edibles, Quince, Rebel House, Reds, Veritas and Victor.
Our recommendations, after the jump.
Where to eat lunch this week: Milagro
The three-course prix fixe at this cantina proves there’s more to Mexican food than nachos and tacos—and at $21, it’s a steal compared to the dinner prices.
Where to eat lunch this week: Osgoode Hall Restaurant
This week’s choice for a great lunch special is a $21 prix fixe in a soaring, elegant and historical room, right at York and Queen Streets. The three-course meal, with a stunning dessert finish, is the perfect bridge between summer and autumn.
Where to eat lunch this week: Bodega
The innovative Mediterranean dishes at this Baldwin Village institution come in a two- or three-course prix-fixe, including this main of rabbit-stuffed cannelloni.
Where to eat lunch this week: Jules
This week’s pick is a $25 prix fixe deal that’s quite possibly the closest thing downtowners can get to a midday trip to southern France.
Stop for Food, the summer’s other prix fixe festival, is underway
Ring my bell: Cowbell chef Mark Cutrara tempts diners with his Stop for Food prix fixe menu (Photo by Davida Aronovitch)
On the heels of yet another whine-infused Summerlicious (with the garbage strike adding fodder to the usual grumblings), Stop for Food offers a second (and stink-free) chance for prix fixe fun. Until August 31st, top restaurants like Vertical, Harbord Room and Frank are featuring locally-focused three-course menus for $35 or $50, complete with the feel-good glow of giving back to The Stop Community Food Centre.
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Summerlicious reservations down at top restaurants
We’re halfway through the annual gastronomic bonanza known as Summerlicious, when droves of thrifty gourmands and aspirational epicures descend upon the city’s finest dining rooms. Or not.
Alex Evans, manager of Célestin, estimates that 30 per cent fewer customers have dined at her restaurant during this year’s fest. “Everyone I know who’s participating is telling me their business is way, way, down,” she says. There’s consensus across the board: Didier, North 44°, Auberge du Pommier and Centro, arguably some of the city’s most sought-after tables, are all reporting quieter phone lines and lighter reservation books.
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