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All stories relating to Union

Air Canada and Canada Post on strike, locked out and about to get the TTC treatment

When the Interwebs received word that Canada Post workers were ready to start rotating strikes, the jokes were both predictable and kind of painful—insert your favourite “what, people still mail things?” zinger here—but, really, even Canada Post concedes its mail-per-household volume is on a steep decline. Nobody, however, expected the strike (which has since been upgraded to a management lockout) to be so, well, ineffectual. Frankly, it doesn’t seem that anybody actually misses the mail. Meanwhile, a similar story is unfolding with Air Canada employees, who are also on strike—and whose absence seems to be going largely unnoticed (at least for passengers at Pearson International). But fear not—it appears the federal government is set to spice things up, stepping in on both fronts and legislating workers back to their jobs.

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The Dish

Aprons & Icons

March 14, 2011 | 1:43 pm

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Terroir 2011 roundup: we talk to Toronto’s top chefs and restaurateurs at the foodie symposium

Fergus Henderson (St. John’s) and Arlene Stein (event chair) at Terroir

A couple weeks back, 400 members of the food and hospitality industry gathered at Hart House for Terroir V. The annual symposium saw chefs, restaurateurs and members of the food media musing over this year’s theme: “the balance of artistic creation and traditional craftsmanship in our hospitality industry.” We caught up with some top chefs—including Jason Bangerter (Luma), Mark Cutrara (Cowbell), Matt DeMille (Parts and Labour) and keynote speaker Fergus Henderson—who shared with us what they took away from the day.

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The Dish

Food Porn

March 2, 2011 | 10:57 am

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Soup’s on: a gallery of Toronto’s 13 most comforting (and beautiful) bowls

With frigid winter slowly giving way to soggy spring, the best way to keep warm remains to tuck into hearty broths, soups and stews. And while they appear on almost every menu, only a few rise above the ordinary. Here are thirteen feasts for the eyes, nose and stomach that melt our soup-loving hearts.

Start the tour »

: Chef David Lee tweaks an old favourite with this pretty starter. A mouth-watering and intense smoked chicken broth is dusted with sweet goji berries, moist shredded meat and a potpourri of edible flowers, coriander and sliced gai lan (Chinese broccoli). Tear-shaped pasta in pale browns and greens sit like pebbles at the base of the eye-catching broth, while lime and chili provide the namesake flavours.
$10.

: A specialty of this Cabbagetown gem is the khao soi: lean braised beef and egg noodles nestled in a rich yellow curry made of chicken stock and coconut milk. While the beef’s star anise and cinnamon marinade gives the protein character, it is the textural contrast between the crisp mountain of fried egg noodles and the gravy-soaked noodle bed that has our mouths singing. A squirt of lime juice brightens the thick stew and lightens the palate.
$10.25

: Chef Teo Paul’s take on the classic tomato soup may be inspired by childhood memories of Campbell’s condensed soup, but his is looser and more refined. Slightly tart canned tomatoes are combined with sweet onions, garlic and a touch of salt before being puréed and strained. A drizzle of olive oil finishes the ultra-smooth soup, which is accompanied by wedges of buttery grilled cheese, made with Harbord Bakery challah and P.E.I. cheddar.
$8 at lunch, $9 at dinner

: Frank’s house-made and season-conscious soups rotate frequently, but a perennial favourite is chef de cuisine Martha Wright’s parsnip with apple chutney. Sweet pears, parsnips and onions are cooked, puréed and sieved to create a velvety, dairy-free soup base; its neutral palette contrasts with a delightful mix of caramelized onions, apples, golden raisins and dried cranberries. The completely vegetarian soup is finished with a touch of cream (which can be left out for vegans), and served with a pappadum rosette—a nod to the AGO’s current Maharaja exhibition.
$9

: The Han brothers’ signature dish is a two-part DIY affair that’s as fun as it is delicious. Named for the sound made by dragging paper-thin slices of beef or seafood and market fresh vegetables—shimeji, enoki and king oyster mushrooms, zucchini, napa cabbage, Shanghai and baby bok choy—through hot beef bone broth, the dish is cooked on a tabletop burner and served with homemade sauces, including a zingy lemon-ginger soy sauce spiked with pineapple-juice mustard. Diners end the meal by cooking homemade potato-starch noodles or sesame oil–spiked jook (a risotto-like porridge made with short-grain rice and an egg) in the broth left in brass pot.
$15-$20 at lunch, $25-$30 at dinner

: This chef’s special is also known as #177, but the mì quảng would be just as delicious by any other name. Ample curls of pork, parboiled shrimp and tangles of soft egg noodles swim in a complex turmeric-stained pork bone soup. Sweet golden-fried shallots, crushed peanuts and thick sesame seed rice crackers provide crunch, while fistfuls of sliced green and white onion add kick.
$8

: One-bowl meals are the stock-in-trade of this Entertainment District mainstay. Expert saucier Ravi Kanagarajah, best known for his innovative soups, infuses the traditional belly-warming corn chowder with hints of ginger and Thai curry paste. The creamless, nut-free and vegetable stock–based soup is finished to order with a tumble of fresh shredded crab meat, crisp fried shallots and Thai basil, then sided by a flaky warm cheddar biscuit.
$8.99

: This traditional Korean stew is available at four spice levels and served in a cast iron shell that ensures the contents stay hot. A raw egg is cracked and left to poach in a kimchee-laced broth, with a single small shrimp and clam frolicking in the bubbling waves. Stir the pot to find creamy heaps of silken tofu hidden below the soup’s chilli oil–slicked surface. An assortment of side dishes joins a stone bowl of steamed rice to complete this cheap and filling feast.
$6.95

: Chef Scott Woods’s version of the cheese-laden classic is anything but standard. Silky duck consommé is fortified with Shaoxing wine, sherry, sweet roasted garlic and onions, then poured tableside over rich duck-leg confit, julienned cured duck breast and gizzards. Meanwhile, a veal jus–brushed sourdough chip acts as a golden raft that keeps crisp fried leeks and an aged cheese tuile dry. A creamy slice of foie gras, Thunder Oak gouda froth and a blistered cipollini onion add body and nutty depth to the savoury broth. The full-bodied soup is a cacophony of textures, but harmonious in flavour, brimming with mouth-watering aromas and great visual appeal. It’s even better with a glass of Riesling.
$12

: Everybody’s tutti matti (crazy, that is) about Chef Alida Solomon’s no-fuss, hearty ribollita. The soup is made from organic Tuscan black winter cabbage and mirepoix sourced from Holland Marsh, as well as creamy cannellini beans, and is thickened by bread and potato. Its name refers to its reboiled nature, which builds upon a mother soup over a 3–4 day period. The rosemary and thyme–finished ribollita is ladled over thick slices of grilled garlic–rubbed sourdough miche from Fred’s Bread, then christened with raw red onions and a healthy drizzle of olive oil.
Part of the $15 prix fixe lunch menu, $12 at dinner.

: The secret to this popular hot course is in its preparation: Chef Luis Valenzuela sautés mirepoix with garlic in chorizo fat before adding chestnuts, chestnut water, cumin and a hint of tomato paste. All the familiar flavours of the thick peasant soup are retained, but enriched with the locally made chorizo and chunks of roasted chestnuts. The result is uncommonly aromatic and comforting.
$8

: This Leslieville haunt is known for a flavourful beef noodle soup from Huế, Vietnam’s imperial capital, that bathes round rice noodles and shaved rare sirloin beef. Here, beef broth is enriched by stir-fried lemongrass, ginger, star anise and a scoop of pungent shrimp paste. The result is a light, yet satisfying, one-bowl meal that is topped with cilantro, green onions and Vietnamese basil. Bean sprouts and lime may be added to taste.
$9.50

: One glance is all you need to see that the split pea soup is one of the more popular items at this North York institution—there’s a bowl on nearly every table. The humble milk- and meat-free soup is thickened by green split peas and laced with parsley and sweet feathery dill. Strands of egg noodles float amongst diced carrots, celery and onion in this simple and crowd-pleasing number.
$3.99

The Informer

In Transit

February 4, 2011 | 2:32 pm

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Toronto Transit Commission workers’ union properly reads the mood of the city for once: no strikes during contract negotiations, says leader Bob Kinnear

TTC union chief Bob Kinnear made a speech yesterday that demonstrated a quality we haven’t seen from the union since the last work stoppage: labour leaders that can read the mood of the city. Toronto, after all, voted in a union-stomping mayor in part because they were sick of strikes from both the TTC and the city’s outside workers. With the province moving quickly to approve Rob Ford’s promise to make the TTC an essential service, the union is trying to slow things down a little by promising not to strike during this round of contract negotiations.

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 10, 2010 | 12:42 pm

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Martin Sheen joins Royal York Hotel picket line for 20 minutes

Fight the power, Marty! (Image: Brian McGuirk)

His son may have been spotted at the Drake’s rooftop patio, but Martin Sheen seems to prefer a more street-level approach to tourism. We loved Sheen as the union leader who takes on the crooked stock player Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, so it’s fitting that he sported a sign saying “On Strike for Justice Unite Here!” as he picketed with Royal York Hotel workers this morning. “I’ve been a union member all my adult life. I’ve been involved in labour struggles all my adult life, and I support it,” he told the Star. We’re not sure if Sheen knows the exact reasons for the strike, but he joined in the fighting of the power for 20 minutes before dashing off to the premiere of his movie The Way, directed by Emilio Estevez.

• Martin Sheen joins hotel workers’ Royal York picket line [Toronto Star]

= Find this story on our Celebrity Sightings Map, where we plot the locations of stars spotted throughout Toronto

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 9, 2010 | 11:15 am

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TIFF troubles: Royal York workers set to strike tomorrow

The Royal York: now with DIY laundry service (Image: Steve Harris)

Last week, a bedbug scare and a one-day workers’ strike at the Hyatt Regency had TIFF organizers in a tizzy. This week, Royal York staffers are threatening to walk out on Friday, one of the busiest days of the film festival. Nine hundred hotel employees have been working without a contract since July and voted in favour of a strike last night. “The main issues are not that different from the Hyatt; it’s mostly about job security—having enough hours and shifts so workers can support their families,” said union spokesperson Cristal Cruz-Haicken. Timing the strike to TIFF is strategic, but the Royal York isn’t exactly a hub of festival action—a walkout wouldn’t be as damaging as a Hyatt strike.

• Royal York hotel employees vote to strike [Toronto Star]

The Dish

From the Print Edition

July 26, 2010 | 2:11 pm

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A sticky situation: how to make Union’s finger-licking ribs

Chef Teo Paul describes his 20-year quest for the perfect ribs

(Photograph: Edward Pond; Illustration: Jack Dylan)

“Back in the ’80s, there was this place by our house, near Dupont and Davenport, called Mickey’s Ribs. The kitchen just did ribs to go. It took them an hour to make them, and they were expensive as hell—my dad would only get them as a special treat. They were unbelievably awesome. So for the past 20-odd years, I’ve been trying to recreate them. When I opened Union last year, I put side ribs on the menu and called them sticky ribs, because that’s want I wanted—that amazingly saucy, meaty, sticky goodness. But they weren’t sticky. For three months, the three other chefs and I talked about them every night. We played with the liquid ratios and tried different cooking times. Then, one night, because the oven was full, I put them on the bottom rack. That was the ticket. They worked perfectly. Here’s what you do.”

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The Informer

Streetcar Named Disaster

April 12, 2010 | 3:52 pm

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TTC meeting so boring that the press resorts to suggesting Giambrone might re-enter mayoral race

The first community meeting between passengers and TTC workers’ union was a perfect formula for drama: angry commuters, an apathetic bureaucracy and, to keep a lid on things, a handful of politicians who have seen better days. It could have been a magnificent disaster, but instead it was mind-numbingly polite. The TTC representatives even admitted that sometimes the staff aren’t being all they can be. Reports the Post:

“Operators do slack off a lot. They do. And we as individuals, we’re here to apologize for whatever’s been done so far,” said bus driver Anthony Wallace, one of four TTC employees who joined union head Bob Kinnear onstage to address the public’s concerns.

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The Dish

Opening

February 1, 2010 | 8:24 am

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A first look inside Paul Boehmer’s eponymous Ossington restaurant (and details of his new Dean and Deluca-esque retail shop)

Trend count: Fresh and local? Check. Communal table? Check. Ossington Avenue? Check. Designer lighting? Check (All photos by Karon Liu)

Paul Boehmer’s soon-to-open restaurant is like the cherry on top of the Ossington sundae. The eponymous eatery was one of the last to obtain a restaurant and bar permit before the city imposed a one-year moratorium on new establishments last May. “People around the neighbourhood thought that I was opening a nightclub, but since I told them it wasn’t the case, I haven’t received any complaints,” says the former Stadtländer apprentice, who has also cooked at Rosewater Supper Club, Six Steps and Scaramouche. He expects Boehmer to open in less than a month—about six months later than originally planned.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

January 28, 2010 | 11:45 am

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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
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.”

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The Dish

Aprons & Icons Opening Soon

August 20, 2009 | 8:50 am

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State of the Union: Teo Paul talks about opening his Ossington restaurant

Come together: after nearly a year of delays, Union opens on Ossington Avenue (Photo by Davida Aronovitch)

Inside Ossington Avenue’s long-awaited Union restaurant, diners find a Parisian oasis. The room smells of fresh baguettes, and Gilles Vigneault’s “Champs Élysées” floats over fin de siècle accents and a brasserie-style horseshoe bar. A look at this soothing atmosphere reveals nothing of the struggle chef-owner Teo Paul had in putting it all together, though readers of his Opening Soon blog, hosted here on torontolife.com, know better.

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The Dish

July 2, 2009 | 4:58 pm

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Union to open tonight, reports Teo Paul

Chef Teo Paul

For nearly one year, chef Teo Paul has been preparing to open his new locavore restaurant on the Ossington strip, and detailing the development in his Toronto Life blog, Opening Soon. Having overcome delays, a license ban and hellish renovations, Union is set to open tonight.

Read the chef’s latest blog post>>

Opening Soon

July 2, 2009 | 4:42 pm

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Union opens tomorrow, and I’ve lost my lucky stone

The interior of Union, last month (Photo by Jessica Darmanin)

I am opening Union tonight and I’ve lost my stone. I lost it a while ago, sometime in the middle of preparing the restaurant. It was a half stone, which is why I kept it. I figured my grandfather had the other half. We were the same age when I found it—22. He flew those big Lancaster bombers in the war. He didn’t have a co-pilot, so he had to pee in a can because he couldn’t leave the controls. His name was Jack Gillies.

I found the stone at his grave, in a cemetery full of Canadians, in Harogate, England—my cousin and I drove out there when we were travelling. It was in the earth and leaves, with its smooth oval top poking out. When I picked it up there was just the half. It was shaped like a turtle’s shell. It was brown and smooth, with slight ridges on the flat side. We slept in the car that night, in a field, and woke up with a cop taping on our window. We ate an extra breakfast for our grandfather, like he was sitting at the table with us. I carried the stone for 12 years. It was my lucky charm.

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Opening Soon

May 1, 2009 | 3:43 pm

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Almost

The interior of Union, May 1, 2009 (Photo by Teo Paul)

We were hoping to be open by May 5, at the latest, but the usual happened. One guy held up another guy from finishing his job, so yet another guy has to wait for that guy to finish so he can get done what he has to get done—and then everyone needs more money. It drags on and on. I don’t recommend gutting a place and trying to build a restaurant from rubble and dirt. Who knew such a sweet little spot could demand so much? It’s been tough to hold on to the spark that shot me into this thing when it feels like it’s just spitting me out. It bangs up your faith because you start thinking it’s you that’s making it take so damn long. It’s lonesome waiting for something to begin. You’re out in the wind with just self-doubt and a bunch of expectations to keep you company.

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Opening Soon

April 1, 2009 | 11:45 am

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Raised and devoured

I’ve been pretty low and overwhelmed dealing with the final crunch. My head is so full of fumes and anxiety that I haven’t been able to write anything worth posting here. I’ve been so focused on trying to get Union built that I have become disconnected from what “union” means; multiple trips to Home Depot and dealings with builders will do that to you. But as scattered and worn as I feel, the restaurant is looking and feeling really good. The horseshoe bar is built, and it floats off the wall so you can nestle in on one side, just like the horseshoe I remember in Paris. The floors are in, Josh’s lights are up and Barbara Klunder has painted a mural on a 35-foot wall. She is an artist and old family friend. I grew up with her stuff around my childhood house, and having her do something has brought the place together for me. It reminds me of the Chagall painting on the ceiling of the old Opera House in Paris. It’s inspiring, and it helps me look forward to what this place will become. I need to think beyond this build, and the gut-pinching feeling that comes with it. I need to see beyond the rubble, the garbage, the dirt, the drywall, the posturing, the money and the debt to what this place can become: a place that gathers life.

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