According to a nifty chart over at the National Post that compares the city’s new crop of super-luxe hotel-slash-condo-towers—the Trump tower, the Ritz-Carlton, the Four Seasons and the Shangri-La—it’s a tight race. While the Shangri-La earns points for scoring two Momofuku restaurants by New York chef David Chang, the Ritz-Carlton has high-definition televisions in the bathroom mirrors. Then again, a penthouse at the Four Seasons went for $28 million, more than twice the price of any suite in the other buildings. For our part, though, we give the prize to the Trump tower: as the tallest of the lot, it’ll have the largest impact on our city’s skyline. Trust the Donald to recognize that size matters. Read the entire story [National Post] »
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Which of Toronto’s opulent new hotels is the most over-the-top?
Weekend Reading List: top stories from our sister sites, from roller skaters to deep-fried taters
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Every weekend we round up the highlights from the other websites in the St. Joseph Media family. Check them out, after the jump.
SPOTTED: A svelte Jonah Hill eating sushi at Japango
After polling his legion of Twitter followers on the best sushi joint in the city, Superbad funnyman Jonah Hill was spotted at Japango near Bay and Dundas. Apparently, he was a fan. The former neck-beard champion has also dropped a ton of weight, so try not to spill your bubble tea if you see him at the Moneyball premiere tonight.
(Image: Jason Merritt/WireImage/Getty Images Entertainment)
Find this story on our Star Spotting Map, where we plot the locations of celebrities spotted around Toronto.
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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
(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.
Best of the City 2011: Five top spots for a delicious drink
(Image: Christopher Stevenson)
Rooftop drink Cocktail class Ice Blood orange margarita Wine by the glass
Best of the City 2011: The city’s most interesting dishes, places to eat them and, yes, hot sauce
(Image: Christopher Stevenson)
Baguette Pasta Fad Hot Sauce Lobster reinvented Carnivore cure Roast chicken Devilled eggs Patio for dessert
Introducing: Acadia, Scott Selland and Matt Blondin’s new southern-inspired College Street restaurant
Acadia, Scott Selland’s first restaurant, serves food inspired by the South, the Lowcountry and the Maritimes (Image: Renée Suen)
Earlier this summer we previewed Acadia, a new venture by first-time restaurateur Scott Selland (Splendido, Colborne Lane, Susur) aimed at introducing the flavours of the Lowcountry and the South to the city. The restaurant opened without much fanfare in late July, but has already seen a lot of buzz in the industry. We ventured back to the corner of College and Clinton to check out how Acadia is doing on its promise to shake up Little Italy’s complacent dining scene.
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Introducing: Le Canard Mort, the new Leslieville restaurant and cocktail bar from the people behind Le Rossignol
Outside the Leslieville spot that once held Barrio (Image: Signe Langford)
The beloved neighbourhood watering hole Barrio shuttered its French doors last summer, and hungry Leslievillers have been gazing at the space longingly ever since. Well, no longer. Richard Henry, the proprietor of Le Rossignol, a few blocks west, has opened up his newest venture, Le Canard Mort. “They closed the place on Saturday and I put an offer in on Monday,” Henry told us. “I had to move fast since there was a lot of interest in it—the Ruby Watch Co. people were down here looking.”
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Dear Urban Diplomat: is a Summerlicious meal suitable for a first date?
Image: Benson Kua
Dear Urban Diplomat,
Is it poor form to take a woman out for a Summerlicious meal on a first date?
—Penny-pinching paramour,
MOORE PARK
Weekly Lunch Pick: a splurge at one of the prettiest new restaurants in town
The bistecchina at Aria (Image: Renée Suen)
First impressions matter, and Aria’s Stephen Pile–designed room, with its vaulted ceilings and dazzling Moooi lights suspended between the wavy walnut fronds of Dennis Lin’s Aria sculpture, certainly makes a good one.
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Jamie Kennedy back in expansion mode with new Niagara Falls restaurant
Jamie Kennedy takes his local and seasonal show on the road to Niagara Falls this November
A few months ago, Jamie Kennedy told us that for him, 2010 was a year for consolidation and rebuilding. Now, the busy chef—who already runs Gilead Café and Bistro and Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner Café, in addition to a catering business—is firmly in expansion mode with the recent announcement that he’s opening a new restaurant in Niagara Falls.
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Two Steeltown food trucks set to show Toronto the Slow how it’s done
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Torontonians have, by and large, gotten used to being behind the times when it comes to street food. But we didn’t expect Hamilton to quietly creep into the forefront of the curbside food revolution. This summer, two new food trucks, Cupcake Diner and Gorilla Cheese, are slated to start prowling Steeltown’s mean streets in search of hungry diners—and we have to say, we’re a little jealous.
Pizza Gigi saga update: police put restraint order on the Harbord pizza shop
(Image: Jessica Darmanin)
The saga of the alleged drug peddling at Pizza Gigi continues, as the police move to block any sale on the shop. Back in February, we reported that the beloved Hardbord Street pizza shop had been raided following allegations of drug possession and trafficking on the part of owner Salvatore “Sammy” Crimi. To the surprise of many, the pizza parlour reopened a few weeks later after cleaning up. (The shop even made it onto SNL’s Weekend Update.) Now, the Toronto Star is reporting that Toronto police have obtained a restraint order on the property:
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Weekly Lunch Pick: the fluffy ricotta gnocchi at Carisma
Carisma’s fluffy ricotta gnocchi
Steps away from the King Eddy, this Italian restaurant—owned by the Pagliaro family, of Il Mulino fame—is full of businesspeople willing to venture a little beyond the Financial District for lunch.
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