In Toronto:
The big food news this past weekend was that chefs Michael Caballo and Tobey Nemeth will be taking over the Niagara Street Cafe (169 Niagara Street) as of April 1st, renaming it Edulis. Caballo was the chef at Niagara Street until a few years ago when he and partner Nemeth (she was the chef de cuisine at Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar) left Toronto to travel. After working at restaurants around the world, including in Tuscany and California, they’re returning to the city to run their own place.
Ici Bistro (538 Manning Avenue) is closed until March 21st for staff vacations.
Dark Horse Espresso Bar has taken over the old Smokeless Joe’s location at 125 John Street and opens today.
Greg Clow got the scoop about Mill Street Brewpub opening a location in Pearson Airport. Basically, there will be no beer brewed onsite, but there will be a 130-seat pub with 10 Mill Street brands on tap. Get the full story at Canadian Beer News.
Scroll down for a funny bit from the New York Times Magazine about the potential showdown when David Chang opens his Toronto Momofuku location. Sounds like he and the other David Chang from Yours Truly might team up against Daniel Boulud.
You should go:
If you’ve got kids, you’re no doubt planning what to do during March break. Why not end the week with a blow-out brunch at Casa Loma (1 Austin Terrace) on Sunday, March 18th. The Snow White and Prince Charming March Break Brunch starts at 10:30am with seating times throughout the day. There’s pancake and cupcake stations for the kids, plus real brunch items, such as an omlette station, carving station, salads, pastries and more for Mom and Dad. Adults – $51.45 + taxes, children (4-12) – $26.45 + taxes. and children (1-3) – $13.45 + taxes. Also during March break week, there’s breakfast with Snow White and Prince Charming, from March 14th – 17th, plus sugar cube castle building and cupcake decorating events. Full schedule and reservations at the Casa Loma website.
In other food news:
You know how Gordon Ramsay likes to call women he dislikes “fat cows”? Well, he’s named a restaurant after them. The new casual dining concept will open at a Los Angeles mall this summer. Should we expect to see Fat Cow locations popping up in malls across North America? [Caterer Search]
If you want to be a chef in Toronto, you had better be good at math, because the only way to run a successful restaurant is to keep food costs in check and that often requires getting creative with purchasing and pricing. [Toronto Star]
Turns out, some people inadvertently took advantage of the US recession. By cooking more meals at home, planting gardens and cutting down on meat (instead of switching to cheaper, less healthy processed foods), a whole lot of people have lost weight since 2007. [NewKerala]
And this is a brilliant piece about the illusions of a dismantled class system when it comes to food and cooking – at least in the UK, where the marketing tries to convince fans that Nigella and Jamie are just like them, despite the fans not having a huge garden (or a gardener to care for it) or the time to scour the shops for obscure ingredients. [The Guardian]