The usual breakfast and lunch fare at Timmies will now set customers back an extra five to 20 cents to account for increased operating costs (mercifully, it’s suspected that coffee products haven’t been affected). Things have been shaky for the Canadian favourite as of late, with declines in store traffic, an ongoing search for a new CEO and that pesky drought poised to drive up food prices across the industry. We imagine its executives are stress-eating Timbits by the dozen right now. [Toronto Star]
All stories relating to sandwiches
Tim Hortons prices go up—but coffee is spared
Weekly Lunch Pick: a prime rib sandwich at Tavolino that won’t bust your gut
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Too often, prime rib is the kind of sandwich that seemed like a good idea at the time but makes it nigh-impossible to stay awake for the rest of the workday. At Tavolino, not so much. The King West sandwich shop, which opened late last year, has already amassed a pretty devoted following among the various creative types who work on this sandwich-heavy strip (it’s right near Reggie’s, Cool Hand Luc, a Big Smoke Burger, The One That Got Away, a Subway location and more).
Introducing: Barton Snacks, the Annex’s new spot for ice cream and specialty chips (together at last)
Barton Snacks sits, appropriately enough, on the corner of Barton and Bathurst, just north of Bathurst Station (Image: Susan Keefe)
The corner snack spot is a staple of any neighbourhood worth its salt, and the corner of Bathurst and Barton may have found just that in Barton Snacks. Owned and operated by Katherine Lehto and Chris Sherwood (from the Adelaide St. Pub), the quaint and kitschy shop opened its doors during the first week of June and has been supplying the area with ice cream and munchies ever since. We stopped in to get the scoop.
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PARTY PAGES: Power Ball, where you will never run out of meat, alcohol or pretty things to look at
A party like the Power Plant gallery fundraiser Power Ball: Quarter-Life Crisis hasn’t happened in Toronto since the Dangerous Method fete at Soho House last TIFF. The celebrity presence may not have been there, but the attitude was the same: old biddies, artists, hipsters, PR gals and banker bros all partied together, taking in unusual art while drinking a lot (a lot) and eating wild bison sandwiches prepared by celebrity chef Marc Thuet in between emergency dance breaks. A party of such esteem isn’t without its boldface names, and we saw Belinda Stronach, writer Victoria Webster, the Globe and Mail’s Gabe Gonda, gossip columnist Shinan Govani, Zoomer’s Suzanne Boyd, artist Rui Amaral, eTalk’s Tanya Kim, designer Jeremy Laing, accessories designer Maryam Keyhani, socialite Jenna Bitove and The Society’s Ashleigh Dempster and Amanda Blakley.
Introducing: The Chickery, the new roast chicken joint from David Adjey and Danny Farbman
Co-owners of The Chickery: David Adjey and Danny Farbman
The Chickery opened in early May, seeking to bring yet another lunch option to the hoards of creative-types working in and around the Spadina and King West junction. Behind the QSR (quick-service restaurant, i.e. fast-food joint) are Food Network chef David Adjey (Restaurant Makeover, Nectar) and Danny Farbman, whose latest (and fanciest) What-A-Bagel location is in the same building. The space was done up by Sodi Designs and features two long high-top communal tables, a handful of banquettes and an open kitchen—where you might just see Adjey behind the fryer if you’re lucky.
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Introducing: Stack, uptown’s new barbecue restaurant (complete with a huge smoker)
(Image: Karolyne Ellacott)
“Anybody can do a good burger,” says Todd Savage, co-owner of Stack, uptown’s answer to Barque. “But being the pit master is a real art form.” Indeed, Savage and his high-school buddy from “about 400 years ago,” Bill Panos, originally intended to devote their new restaurant to on-trend burgers, but ended up deciding it was important to have more options, especially for a family-friendly spot.
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Weekly Lunch Pick: a wonderfully sloppy brisket sandwich at Black Camel
This meal is best enjoyed picnic-style (Image: Renée Suen)
Black Camel’s small menu might offer only five sammies and a couple sides; nonetheless, this Rosedale sandwich bar is practically a neighbourhood institution.
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Introducing: The Commissary, Leslieville’s new laid-back lunch spot
The salvaged barn wood is courtesy Urban Tree Salvage
The Commissary, a new Leslieville lunch spot, bucks the healthy hippie fare and burgers that dominate the area and opts instead for dishes like lobster bisque or shrimp flatbread pizza. When Sophie shut its doors, the Commissary’s four partners moved in and started the redesign, taking the 32-seat space from stark white and acid green to earthy warmth in russet, with exposed brick and reclaimed barn boards. Commissary chefs Andrew Bridgman and Rod Dannewald designed their menu around an unmet niche. “We asked the neighbourhood what it wanted,” says Bridgman, “and they said there’s nowhere to have lunch.”
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Weekly Lunch Pick: the Brick Lane chicken sandwich at Sliced
(Image: Renée Suen)
The latest addition to the downtown grab-and-go market is housed in a new condo building built on what was once the rundown Bay Street Motel. Although dine-in options include four hot-pressed sandwiches, many instead head to the back refrigeration case for the freshly made and cardboard-packaged wedge sammies.
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Introducing: Lilly’s Lunches, a new bike-based brown bag delivery service
Lilly’s Lunches owner Elizabeth Callahan packs brown bags into her custom-design basket (Image: Karolyne Ellacott)
Lilly’s Lunches is a new one-woman and one-bike operation run entirely by Elizabeth Callahan. After growing weary with her day job, Callahan fled her cubicle and landed on a bicycle instead. Throughout the workweek, she pedals her way around the downtown core, dropping off brown-bagged lunches to office workers too busy to head out for a bite. We decided to join her on her route for a day’s deliveries.
Top Chef Canada recap, episode 7: modernist warfare
Date night at judges' table (Image: Top Chef Canada)
We’ve often noted that the dishes on Top Chef Canada are a good deal simpler than the fare on the show’s U.S. forebear. Compared to, say, the ambitious yet elegant work of Top Chef Texas winner Paul Qui, the Canadian crop of grilled cheese sandwiches and roasted strip loin can start to feel a tad unambitious. Perhaps that’s why the producers chose to fly in Top Chef All-Stars winner and modernist cuisine avatar Richard Blais to judge last night’s episode. Did it work? Find out in our recap below.
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Weekly Lunch Pick: a sweet and salty meal at Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens
(Image: Andrew Brudz)
With their old, cold salads and half-dead sandwiches, grocery store lunches are usually to be avoided. But the long-awaited Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens, which finally opened late last year, has much more attractive offerings. In addition to the already-legendary wall of cheese, this location boasts a pretty impressive selection of prepared foods, including sandwiches, soups, roasted chicken, crab cakes, beet salad, ratatouille and other sides, all created by executive chef Mark Russell.
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Introducing: The Big Fish, a new fish and chips shop on Queen West
The view from the corner of Queen and Cameron (Image: Karolyne Ellacott)
Taking over the old Bon’s Submarine space at Queen just west of Spadina, the Big Fish is the first foray into western waters for George Hung, who also owns Leslieville’s Reliable Fish and Chips. While his other eatery sticks to the classic English dish, The Big Fish offers up a variety of grab ’n’ go foods for the fish lover—with the odd burger thrown in for good measure.
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Hold the gravy: fast food chains in Canada among the saltiest in the world
Just imagine if the study had taken poutine into account (Image: Justin Cozart)
It’s no big secret that sodium levels in fast food can be astronomical, but according to a global study, Canadian fast food may be even worse than its international counterparts. The Canadian Medical Association Journal published a paper yesterday that looked at how the edibles at Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s and Subway compare to each other around the world. Compared with the U.K., France, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., Canada is pretty much the worst, scoring the highest or second highest in nearly every single food category. Canadian chains not only sold the saltiest sandwiches and salads—their fries have more than double the amount of salt as American fries. And that doesn’t even take poutine into account! Who would have ever thought a drive to Buffalo might be a bit easier on the heart? Read the entire story [National Post] »
Totally Recalled: Prepared subs potentially contaminated with listeria
(Image: CFIA)
The product: Super Loaded Subs by Deli Chef
The UPC: 0 56040 37452 6
Best Before date: May 18
Establishment number: 318
The Details: Listeria may sound so 2008, what with salmonella and E. coli hogging the spotlight of late. But the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Les Aliments Deli Chef are warning people these pre-packaged subs may contain traces of the bacterium, which can lead to high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea, and is basically terrible for people with compromised immune systems. So far, no one’s reported any signs of illness from the sandwiches, which have been distributed in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. But that “super loaded” moniker? Probably not sounding quite so clever anymore. [CFIA]
