Tag: School

Lucky Dip – Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

In Toronto:

Chefs on the move: Dustin Gallagher is leaving Grace (503 College Street) to travel, and will be replaced by Kevin Castonguay, formerly of Woodlot. Sous chef Misha Nestreneko takes over the stoves at Marben (488 Wellington Street West) now that Carl Heinrich has left to open his own place.

William Serre from Acadia Restaurant (50C Clinton Street) and Andrew Wilson, Chef de Cuisine at Colborne Lane (45 Colborne Street) took top honours last night at the Nella Cucina Discovered Culinary Competition.

I keep hearing  the voice of Tichina Arnold from the TV show Everybody Hates Chris, but L’Unita Enoteca (134 Avenue Road) can now boast “my restaurant has 7 desserts!” Mike Angeloni (who has previously done pastry for Spendido and the Hoof restaurants) has created a dessert menu of Italian favourites; doughnuts, cannoli, biscotti… yum.

Continue reading “Lucky Dip – Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012”

Shut Yo’ Mouth – Stuff I Wrote This Week – January 28th, 2012

 

Just opened – Pachuco

Kung Hey Fat Choy! – Lee Celebrates Chinese New Year

The Epicure’s Revue hosts Babette’s Feast

Scaramouche brings back Lobsterlicious

Splendido cooks up the love

New food for you

Continue reading “Shut Yo’ Mouth – Stuff I Wrote This Week – January 28th, 2012”

Lucky Dip – Thursday, July 7th, 2011

The response to Jennifer Bain’s request to visit people’s homes for dinner was so overwhelming, the Star has turned it into a regular column. The first article (and I suspect the rest will be as well) is a voyeuristic look into one couple’s cupboards. [Toronto Star]

See, now this… THIS is how you do an underground, pop-up, flash-mob dinner. [New York Times]

Happy anniversary to sliced bread. [EuroNews]

The question you were thinking, but were afraid to ask… no, Brad Moore of School is not impressed with the inaugural theme for the Drake‘s new pop-up dining room. [NOW]

And I’m delighted that Steven Davey digs Ortolan – the place is adorable, and this review reminds me how good those dandelion greens were the last time I was there. [NOW]

Continue reading “Lucky Dip – Thursday, July 7th, 2011”

SalivAte – June 2010

People always assume because we write about food that we’ve been to every restaurant in the city (all 5000 or so of them), and they’re always disappointed that we haven’t been. Meanwhile, readers tell us that they’d like more photo-essays.

So to satisfy your food porn cravings and what might be an inappropriate desire to live vicariously through us, we’ve started eating out more just for the sake of eating out; to expand our palates, to learn more about our city’s great restaurants, and to give you all something to drool over. Note that these are not reviews – just photos of pretty and tasty food, and that while all the restaurants and chefs knew who we were, all have been paid for out of our own pockets.

Above, from L.A.B. (651 College Street), are chicken pogos; breaded chicken legs that have been Frenched to reveal the bone which doubles as the stick. The creamy puddles are the blue cheese dressing and the red discs are a jelled hot sauce. A shredded celery salad takes the place of the traditional celery sticks that accompany chicken wings.

We visited LAB with a vegetarian friend who was quite delighted to have another slightly upscale place to go for dinner. We tried a number of things on the menu which is about 50/50 vegetarian to carnivore. We all dug the fun tongue-in-cheek sense of humour that chefs Dubrovsky and Scott demonstrate in their menu.

Continue reading “SalivAte – June 2010”

Subday Brunch – The Academy of Spherical Arts

The Academy of Spherical Arts
1 Snooker Street
416-532-2782
Brunch for two with all taxes, tip and coffee: $42

I am of the firm belief that no restaurant is worth waiting in a line to get into. That’s not an attitude issue – I’m not saying that I personally am too good to stand in line, but rather the fact that our expectations of a meal rise in direct proportion to the amount of time we are forced to wait for it. So while there are any number of great restaurants in Toronto that serve fantastic food, including brunch, there’s nothing that I’ve come across in my extensive eating career that would be worth standing in line for. You leave me out in the cold for 2 hours, you had darn well be be serving me the meal of a lifetime when I get my ass in a chair.

Down in Liberty Village, both School and Mildred’s Temple Kitchen are fortunate enough to have line-ups at weekend brunch. People will wait an hour or more to be seated. But how many of those people would stand in line if they knew that only a block or so away, there was a place that was spacious, stylish and affordable, offering a really decent brunch?

Continue reading “Subday Brunch – The Academy of Spherical Arts”