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House of the Week: $1.65 million for a Little Italy semi with a backyard coach house

House of the Week: $1.65 million for a Little Italy semi-detached with a backyard coach house

Address: 290 Palmerston Avenue
Neighbourhood: Trinity-Bellwoods
Agent: Stefani Konidis and Catherine Black, Chestnut Park Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage
Price: $1,649,000

The Place: A Little Italy house with Victorian red brick charm and a fully-finished coach house out back.

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Introducing: Darwin, Little Italy’s new modern French bistro

Name: Darwin Bistro Bar
Neighbourhood: Little Italy
Contact info: 651 College St., 647-348-9347, Facebook Page, @DarwinBistroBar
Owners: Husband-and wife Junaid and Neeman Rahman, and Junaid’s brother Ryan Rahman
Chef: Jean Regis Raynaud, previously of Le Paradis and Paris’s Hotel Costes

The food: Modern French cuisine with international flavours, with starters like moules frites in a tom yum soup ($12) and curried shrimp cocktail with creamed avocado ($10).

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The Dish

Openings

January 18, 2013 | 12:48 pm

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Introducing: Ryoji Ramen and Izakaya, the Little Italy outpost of the Okinawa-based chain

(Image: Gizelle Lau)

Little Italy’s Ryoji combines two of the city’s hottest food trends: ramen and izakayas. The popular Japanese chain, founded in 1988 by chef and owner Ryoji Kinjo, has nearly a dozen locations in Okinawa, although this is the first outside Japan.

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The Dish

Food Events

December 15, 2012 | 10:30 am

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Weekly Eater: Toronto food events for December 17 to 23

Porchetta and Co. celebrates two years in business on Thursday with $1 sandwiches (Image: Andrew Brudz)

Monday, December 17

Monday Night Dinners at Local Kitchen and Wine Bar: Every Monday night, Local Kitchen serves a $40 prix fixe menu of Italian fare with half-price wine bottles and no corkage fee. 1710 Queen St. W., 416-534-6700. Find out more »
86’D With Ivy Knight—Annual Sagittarian Ball: Get festive in your best cocktail attire while enjoying complimentary hors d’oeuvres from Stasis Preserves, mead tasting from Rosewood Estates and cheap cocktails made by pros from the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
Burger Mondays: Enjoy $5 burgers and $5 pints on Mondays, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Gladstone Melody Bar. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., 416-531-4635. Find out more »
Lettuce Wrap Night at Chantecler: Chantecler’s popular lettuce wrap night is now taking place twice a week. Come out on Sunday and Monday nights for lettuce wraps with meats, assorted pickles and condiments for $21 per person until 1 a.m.—or until the food runs out. Chantecler, 1320 Queen St. W., 416-628-3586. Find out more »
Make, Don’t Buy—Chocolates for Beginners: As part of the Depanneur’s Make, Don’t Buy series of DIY gift workshops, join Emily Zimmerman and learn how to make old-fashioned creamy ganache truffles, chocolate bark with toppings of your choice and crunchy chili-cornflake bars, all using organic, Fairtrade and locally processed Chocosol chocolate. The Depanneur, 1033 College St., 416-828-1990. Find out more »

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The Dish

Food Events

December 1, 2012 | 10:30 am

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Weekly Eater: Toronto food events for December 3 to December 9

Foodies on Foot leads their Streetcar Food Tour on Saturday (Image: Robert Taylor)

Monday, December 3

Monday Night Dinners at Local Kitchen and Wine Bar: Every Monday night, Local Kitchen serves a $40 prix fixe menu of Italian fare with half-price wine bottles and no corkage fee. 1710 Queen St. W., 416-534-6700. Find out more »
86’D With Ivy Knight: Third annual Battle Offal. The city’s top chefs prepare the gnarly bits for you to sample. Competitors include the Group of 7 Chefs, Beast, The Stop, the Tempered Chef, Nick and Nat’s Uptown 21, Richmond Station and GwaiLo. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
Burger Mondays: Enjoy $5 burgers and $5 pints on Mondays, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Gladstone Melody Bar. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., 416-531-4635. Find out more »
Guiltless Dessert Indulgence: Learn how to use healthy alternatives to dairy, wheat and sugar. Menu includes chewy chocolate brownies, carrot pineapple cake, coconut mango pudding and jam dot cookies. Marni’s Kitchen, 26 Lauderdale Dr., 647-477-8131. Find out more »
Simple Healthy Meals in 30 Minutes: Learn to quickly prepare three delicious and healthy meals: winter salad with pine nuts, radicchio and Asian pears; penne with sausage, fennel and pecorino; and fresh fish with tomato sauce and cherry tomato couscous. The Chef Upstairs, 516 Mount Pleasant Rd., 416-544-9221. Find out more »
Workshop—Naturally Fermented Condiment Gift Pack: Holistic nutritionist Kate Leinweber leads a workshop that covers the how and why of simple fermentation while you prepare a delicious batch of homemade ketchup, mustard and relish, perfect for holiday gift giving. The Depanneur, 1033 College St., 416-828-1990. Find out more »

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The Dish

Food Events

November 24, 2012 | 10:30 am

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Weekly Eater: Toronto food events for November 26 to December 2

The final GwaiLo pop-up at Senses takes place on Monday (Image: Gizelle Lau)

Monday November 26

GwaiLo Pop-Up Series Final Dinner: Senses and GwaiLo host the final dining event in the month-long GwaiLo pop-up series. This event will bring together some of Toronto and New York’s finest modern Asian chefs in support of the Stop Food Community Centre, including GwaiLo’s Nick Liu, Danny Bowien of New York’s Mission Chinese, Andy Ricker of Brooklyn’s Pok Pok, Nuit Regular of Khao San Road, Cheska Ang of Actinolite and Robbie Hojilla of Mr. Pong’s Bar. Senses, SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, 328 Wellington St. W., 416-489-8922. Find out more »
Movember Toronto Food Week—Amanda Ford’s Fall Cooking Demo: Introducing the first ever MOTOFO, five days of Movember-fuelled food events. Tonight, City Girl Catering chef Amanda Ford teaches cooking for fall. There’ll be venison, cocktails and snacks, plus an appearance from beekeeper Fred Davis of Fred D’s Bees. Address revealed after booking. Find out more »
Monday Night Dinners at Local Kitchen and Wine Bar: Every Monday night, Local Kitchen serves a $40 prix fixe menu of Italian fare with half-price wine bottles and no corkage fee. 1710 Queen St. W., 416-534-6700. Find out more »
86’D with Ivy Knight: A pop culture piggy party with Chief Clancy Wiggum as the celebrity theme for the night. Enjoy Flaming Moes by Josh Lindley, bacon Timbits sponsored by artisanal bacon purveyor This Little Pig, and Wiggum videos. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
Hearty and Healthy Italian: Learn how to create healthy Italian dishes by using simple substitutions for your favourite classic Italian recipes. Menu includes new age minestrone soup, vegan caesar salad, pesto pasta and anise-sesame biscotti. Marni’s Kitchen, 26 Lauderdale Dr., 647-477-8131. Find out more »
Monday’s Dinner—Dustin Gallagher: The former Grace chef and Top Chef Canada competitor heads over to Chantecler to cook a special one-off meal based on Marco Pierre White’s seminal White Heat cookbook. Chantecler, 1320 Queen St. W., 416-628-3586. Find out more »

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The Dish

Openings

September 17, 2012 | 3:56 pm

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Introducing: Hapa Izakaya, the Little Italy outpost of Vancouver’s popular Japanese pub

(Image: Renée Suen)

Toronto’s gone gaga over all things boisterous and Japanese of late, so it’s no surprise that news of the impending arrival of Vancouver’s Hapa, one of North America’s best izakayas, had the city’s Japanese food lovers buzzing. Justin Ault founded the chain with his wife Lea nearly a decade ago, hoping to recreate the Tokyo-style izakayas they’d frequented while living abroad in a way that was polished, friendly and accessible to patrons not fluent in Japanese. “We wanted a place where our friends would feel comfortable to visit and eat at,” Ault tells us. Although many backers had tried to entice the popular mom-and-pop operation to open in Toronto, it only became reality when siblings Maaji (general manager), Jiena (assistant manager) and Mackenzie (bar manager) Isobe—who share 20 years of experience working at the original Robson Street location—expressed their interest in starting a Hogtown branch earlier this year.

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The Dish

The Month That Was

September 4, 2012 | 3:58 pm

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The Month That Was: The Toronto restaurants and bars that opened and closed in August

Bent, the new restaurant from Susur Lee and his sons (Image: Karolyne Ellacott)

Openings

Bent—Susur Lee’s sons Kai and Levi Bent-Lee take a stab at the restaurant business as they helm Bent, but the rest of the family isn’t too far away: Susur runs the kitchen, while their mother, Brenda Bent-Lee, is responsible for the restaurant’s design. Read our Introducing post »
The Food Dudes’ Food Truck—Adrian Niman (of The Food Dudes catering company, and formerly of North 44) ventures out into the world of food trucks to bring “food-driven entertainment” to dudes and, uh, everyone else too. Read our Introducing post »
Museum Tavern—An incredibly well-stocked ode to the great American bar has opened up across from the ROM. Read our Introducing post »
Sanagan’s Meat Locker—One deli replaces another in Kensington Market, as Sanagan’s takes over the old locale of European Quality Meats and Sausages (Hooked will be moving into the recently vacated Sanagan’s space). Read our Introducing post »

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Dinner at the Bellevue: Chef Robbie Hojilla, formerly of Woodlot and Ursa, cooks a five-course, modern Filipino–inspired feast. $35. The Bellevue, 61A Bellevue Ave., 647-340-8224. Find out more »
86’D With Ivy Knight: A preview of Savour Stratford, with complimentary samples from Château des Charmes, Mill St. Brewery, Mercer Hall, Rene’s Bistro and Monforte Dairy. A flight of cocktails showcasing Stratford mixologists will also be available. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
Piola’s Monday Night Mixer: Piola’s weekly aperitivo italiano, with cocktail and beer specials and complimentary snacks. 1165 Queen St. W., 416-477-4652. Find out more »

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Foraging Tour and Dinner: Join Tama Matsuoka Wong and Evergreen on an intimate foraging talk and tour in the ravines surrounding the Evergreen Brick Works, followed by a prix fixe dinner at Café Belong featuring recipes from Wong’s new book, Foraged Flavor. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave., 416-901-8234. Find out more »
Grillin’ and Chillin’ barbecue cooking class and pig roast: Learn to barbecue like a pro with pitmaster Jason Rees of the renowned Pork Ninjas Barbecue Team and the Culinary Adventure Company. Fuel House, 53 Clinton St., 416-565-1730. Find out more »
86’D With Ivy Knight: Watch the salsa fly at the third annual mexi-battle. Taste and vote for your favourite salsa king or queen, and then enjoy some unique snacks from Rodney Dangerfood (three Drake cooks). The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
Piola’s Monday Night Mixer: Piola’s weekly aperitivo italiano, with cocktail and beer specials and complimentary snacks. 1165 Queen St. W., 416-477-4652. Find out more »

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Gladstone Culinary Tour—Koreatown: Join Gladstone executive chef Michael Smith for his monthly celebration of Toronto’s cultural diversity. Four-course menu with wine pairings. The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., 416-531-4635. Find out more »
86’D With Ivy Knight: Celebrate wild Quebec blueberries with a Maker’s Mark bourbon cocktail and blueberry hand pies by the Drake’s Stephen Prickett and Marc Mendonca. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
Piola’s Monday Night Mixer: Piola’s weekly aperitivo italiano, with cocktail and beer specials and complimentary snacks. 1165 Queen St. W., 416-477-4652. Find out more »

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Openings:

Pacific Junction Hotel—Come for the decidedly eclectic aesthetic, stay for the selection of rare tequilas and mezcals (but don’t plan to sleep the night—this is a bar, not a hotel). Read our Introducing post »
Riverside Public House—The Blue Moon Pub is out, and this upscale pub is in: expect comfort food from Top Chef Canada’s Dustin Gallagher, and a (soon-to-arrive) specialty drink menu from former Susur employee Matt Gregoris. Read our Introducing post »
Weslodge—Charles Khabouth and Hanif Harji, the guys behind La Société and Nyood (respectively, among many other places), bring a little bit of country to the King West strip with their “modern saloon.” Look for the can’t-miss massive yellow front doors. Read our Introducing post »

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Group of Seven Chefs—Fish and Beer Dinner: The seven chefs get together with Bellwoods Brewery for a five-course, seafood-heavy meal with beer pairings. Bellwoods Brewery, 124 Ossington Ave., 416-535-4586. Find out more »
Monday’s Dinner chef series at Chantecler: This week, chefs Jonathan Poon (Chantecler) and Jeff Claudio (Yours Truly) will be cooking an 18-course tasting menu full of summer ingredients. Chantecler, 1320 Queen St. W., 416-628-3586. Find out more »
86’D With Ivy Knight: Judge the ultimate Blue Ribbon battle of the butter tart. Competitors from Bestellen, The Gabardine, The Flaky Tart and more. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
Piola’s Monday Night Mixer: Piola’s weekly aperitivo italiano, with cocktail and beer specials and complimentary snacks. 1165 Queen St. W., 416-477-4652. Find out more »

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Cooking for Cooks: Jamie Kennedy pays tribute to those who do service, with a three-course dinner for industry folk (although non-industry types can come too). Gilead Cafe, 4 Gilead Pl., 647-288-0680. Find out more »
86’D With Ivy Knight: Tonight, the top 5 contenders for Toronto’s hottest chef each prepare complimentary canapés. Taste, vote, and at the end the winner will be announced. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
Piola’s Monday Night Mixer: Piola’s weekly aperitivo italiano, with cocktail and beer specials and complimentary snacks. 1165 Queen St. W., 416-477-4652. Find out more »
Evil Twin/Bellwoods Brewery Collaboration: The new Ossington craft brewery is collaborating with Brooklyn’s Evil Twin with food by Daniel Burns. Bellwoods Brewery, 124 Ossington Ave. Find out more »

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86’D With Ivy Knight: Join scotch makers Bowmore and Oyster Boy and the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association for the Oyster of Good Cheer, with top bartenders showcasing their Bowmore cocktails alongside freshly shucked oysters. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
Thirsty and Miserable: A Beer Class: Join certified Cicerone Mirella Amato for a guided tasting of six delicious beers. Learn about the various flavours in beer and where they come from. Good Egg, 197 Baldwin St., 416-593-4663. Find out more »
Grillin’ and Chillin’ Barbecue Cooking Class and Pig Roast: Learn to barbecue like a pro with pitmaster Jason Rees of the renowned Pork Ninjas Barbecue Team and the Culinary Adventure Company. Fuel House, 53 Clinton St., 416-565-1730. Find out more »
Piola’s Monday Night Mixer: Piola’s weekly aperitivo italiano, with cocktail and beer specials and complimentary snacks. 1165 Queen St. W., 416-477-4652. Find out more »
An Introduction to Wine Appreciation: An LCBO-led tasting and lecture that will demystify the wine world. This degustation will focus on the four principal wine categories: white, red, sparkling and fortified. Kingsway LCBO, 2946 Bloor St. W., 416-239-3065. Find out more »
Locavore Food Camp: A five-day program that offers city kids a variety of hands-on opportunities designed to increase their physical fitness and help them understand the importance of making healthy food choices. July 16 to 20. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave. Find out more »

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All stories relating to Little Italy

Monday November 26

Openings

Openings:

Contests