Nine years ago, Mark McEwan scandalized Torontonians with his $35 truffled Bymark burger. That was before words like “grass-fed,” “heritage” and “dry-aged” entered into the burger lexicon. The city is now crammed with craft burgers, and carnivores no longer flinch at steep price tags. Competitive chefs bring in whole cows from nearby farms, bake their own buns, smoke their own bacon (twice), replace ketchup with tomato chutney and source the most pungent cheeses they can get their patty-flipping hands on. Thankfully, the mom-and-pop shops haven’t been artisinalled out of business—there are still plenty of sublime greasy-bag burgers around, as well as a few new-school diners ironically replicating them. Here, the very best of the city’s boundless burgerdom.
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Now that we’re wearing toques, it’s hard to deny that winter has arrived. Fight the chill by cozying up in Harlem, where rich woods and red fabrics set the mood for a homey meal of soul food. We skip the collard greens, mac-and-cheese and ribs that Harlem is known for in favour of the quintessential comfort food dish: meat loaf. This isn’t the drab, dry slice you once dreaded as a child. Harlem’s jerk-spiced beef version is moist, vibrant and topped with red peppers and gravy. It’s served over basmati rice and succeeds in doing what few meat loaves have done before: look good on a plate. 
