In Toronto:
Kensington Market icon European Quality Meats and Sausages (176 Baldwin Avenue) will be closing down on April 7th. Full story at the Toronto Star.
Also in Kensington, Thirsty and Miserable has opened at 197 Baldwin Street. With a “culinary team” listed as Swansen and Deep Freeze, maybe don’t go expecting anything more than booze and great local craft beer.
Chef Greg Couillard is back in town, serving up Nonya cuisine tonight at The Depanneur (1033 College Street). There were still tickets left as of this morning. Couillard revealed to guests at last night’s dinner (which was fantastic!) that he plans to open a restaurant in Toronto’s west end, to be called Pink Slip. He’s also doing a guest stint from March 4- 6th at the Fox and Fiddle at Cityplace (25-17 Fort York Boulevard). (Yeah, I know, but that’s what the man said.)
You should go:
Dufferin Grove Park hosts a Hops Party on Wednesday, February 29th at 7pm. Join organic farmer Shane Eby for a discussion on hops and beer. Enjoy food pairings by Jiva MacKay of Jamie Kennedy Kitchens. Tickets are $40 per person and must be reserved in advance.
Biff’s Bistro (4 Front Street East) hosts A Taste of Rhone on Wednesday, February 29th. The 5-course dinner by Chef Basilio Pesce with be paired with wine selections by sommelier Anthony Demas. The dinner includes squab terrine, boudin blanc, lamb daube and more. Tickets are $130 per person.
Fishing After Dark – Slow Food Toronto teams up with the folks from Hooked (888 Queen Street East) to present an evening of sustainable seafood. Taking place on Saturday, March 3rd at Hooked from 9pm – 11pm, the evening will feature samples from local chefs, guest speakers and buck-a-shuck oysters. Tickets are $20 for Slow Food members/$25 non-members.
Atkins diet followers, cover your eyes… The Group of 7 Chefs is back on Monday, March 7th at Buca (604 King Street West) with a 7-course pasta dinner featuring chefs Bertrand Alepee (The Tempered Chef), Kevin McKenna (Globe/Earth), Rob Gentile (Buca), Marc Dufour (Earth Rosedale), Mark Cutrara (Cowbell), Scott Vivian (Beast), Chris Brown (The Stop) and Matty Matheson (Parts and Labour). Tickets are $200 per person (includes wine pairings) and reservations can be made by contacting Buca.
Today’s food news:
Dear China, if you want him, you can have him. Apparently Stephen Harper made such an impression on a restaurant owner when he was in China recently, they’ve named a dish after him. [Winnipeg Free Press]
Scarier than Stephen Harper… US food news blog site Eater has started a foodie dating site. [Eater]
Jordan St. John recaps the Canadian Beer News dinner at L.A.B. Restaurant where chef Howard Dubrovsky paired 5 courses with Great Lakes Brewery beers. [Toronto Sun]
So you don’t care for the ethics of chicken-farming. How about if the chickens were brain-dead and fed by tubes and machines? [DVICE]
Women are getting wild in the kitchen. No, not like that, although it’s just as weirdly pathetic. [Associated Press]
Have you called someone chef today? Maybe you shouldn’t. [Food Republic]
If you like the Lucky Dip food news round-up, please help spread the word by sharing this post via Facebook or Twitter. And if you’ve got local food and restaurant news I can include, please contact me. Your assistance is always appreciated.