Category: toronto

Smörgåsbord – Acadia Rocks the 7-course Tasting Menu

When Chef Matt Blondin announced via Twitter that Acadia (50C Clinton Street) would be offering a $39, 7-course tasting menu, I’m pretty sure everybody’s first thought was, “How the hell is he going to pull that off??” But it turns out that Blondin is a pretty ingenious guy. Not only did he put together 7 courses for $39, they were actually really good and some, like the catfish breaded with pumpernickel with goat’s curd, pickled egg white and yolk and onion tops (above) has recently been added to the restaurant’s regular menu.  Follow along for the rest of what Blondin cooked up…

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Lucky Dip – Friday, March 23rd, 2012

In Toronto:

Canadian Beer News reports that the Mill Street Airport Pub will open on Monday, March 26th at Pearson’s Terminal 1.

Happy Anniversary to Centro (2472 Yonge Street), the restaurant celebrates 25 years in business this year. Plans are in the works for a blow-out party in November – get yourself on the mailing list.

Corks at Longos (15 York Street) will be tapping their first cask on April 13th. The brew is reportedly a hop bomb from Black Oak Brewing.

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Lucky Dip – Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

In Toronto:

The Grove (1214 Dundas Street West) is now open. Chef Ben Heaton is offering a menu of contemporary (and very pretty) English cuisine.

BBQ joint Stack will open on March 27th at 3265 Yonge Street.

Did anyone actually think that The Saint (227 Ossington Avenue) would ever really open? Three years after local magazines and websites were writing previews about the decor and the menu (jumped the gun a little there, huh, folks?) it appears that the place will indeed open on April 9th.

Church Street icon Reither’s Fine Food International (530 Church Street) has closed its doors – owner Peter Reither has retired.

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Lucky Dip – Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

In Toronto:

Campagnolo (832 Dundas Street West)  has finally gotten approval for a sidewalk patio.

The empty restaurant space next to The Horseshoe (372 Queen Street West; formerly Gorilla Monsoon) is sporting signage of the A&W variety. Post-concert root beers for all!

It’s Wednesday, which means kids eat free tonight at The Sister (1554 Queen Street West).

Leslieville gets a new cafe called The Commissary (889 Queen Street East).

Is the raw food movement taking over Toronto? It could be – Rawlicious just opened another new location, this time in Markham (116 Main St. North, Markham).

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Lucky Dip – Monday, March 19th, 2012

In Toronto:

Roving chef Matt Kantor has announced plans to settle down, specifically at a space at 1256 Dundas Street West (at Dovercourt), where he’ll be cooking up Spanish-influenced cuisine. Plans are for Bakio to open in about 12 weeks, but maybe double that to allow for delays and a potential CUPE strike.

Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill at Bayview Village (2901 Bayview Avenue) is closed for 4 weeks starting today for renovations.

Angelo’s on King (791 King Street West) is no longer open for lunch but will continue to open for dinner.

The Golden Apple Confectionery (warning – flash and music!) is coming soon to Liberty Village. They plan to open in April at 171 East Liberty Street, unit #142 where they’ll be offering various types of caramel apples and chocolate delights.

Porchetta & Co. (825 Dundas Street West) brings back the uber-popular porchetta and waffle dinner, this Thursday and Friday after 5pm only.

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Lucky Dip – Friday, March 16th, 2012

In Toronto:

After 20 years in business, Alice Fazooli’s has closed their downtown location on Adelaide Street West. Locations in Mississauga, Oakville, Vaughan and Richmond Hill continue to operate.

Pizza e Pazzi has had a soft opening at their second St. Clair location at 671 St. Clair Avenue West. Official grand opening takes place on March 29th.

Sandwich and cocktail shop This End Up (1454 Dundas Street West) is planning on opening their doors to the public as of noon today, but as of late last night, the DineSafe inspector hadn’t shown up. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for details on when they’ll be ready to go.

The Hot ‘n’ Dog (216 Close Avenue) is doing so well that they’ve now added hamburgers, pizza and ice cream to their menu. All available with any of the 80+ toppings.

Roncesvalles is getting meatballs. Chef Rod Bowers’ Hey Meatball will be opening a location at 91 Roncesvalles Avenue in May.

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Lucky Dip – Thursday, March 15th, 2012

In Toronto:

The signage has been up for months, but apparently the Fat Bastard Burrito Co. location at 1118 Queen Street West will finally open in late March.

You should go:

Do not touch the green beer this weekend. Instead find yourself a place serving some awesome stout, such as the Granite Brewery (245 Eglinton Avenue East), where starting Saturday, March 17th, they’ll be offering six different flavours of stout based on their main recipe.  Chocolate Orange and Vanilla will join existing flavours of Maple, Chocolate, Coffee, and Chocolate Chili. They’ll be running 4 casks at a time, so the flavours will rotate. More details at Canadian Beer News.

Tickets are available for Made With Love, a cocktail competition taking place at The Distillery District on March 26th. 13 local bartenders will compete, plus there will be showcases from last year’s winners from across Canada. A $40 ticket gets you 13 drink tickets, appetizers and the right to vote for your favourite drink.

Caplansky’s (356 College Street) is taking reservations for their very popular Seder dinner, taking place on April 7th. Two seatings at 5pm and 8pm will book up well in advance. Contact the deli to book a space.

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Join in the Chant – Checking out Chantecler

“Fuck, that’s amazing!” Jacob Wharton-Shukster laughs out loud at my exclamation upon my first mouthful of Chantecler’s polenta and calls over Chef Jonathan Poon and repeats what I’ve said. Poon smiles widely, but shyly, and doesn’t miss a beat as he continues to plate dishes at Chantecler’s pass on a busy Wednesday night, their third day in business.

These guys had a fight with the city to even open their doors – the former Mangez sandwich shop didn’t have an existing liquor license and by default, in an effort to keep out clubs and bars, local councillor Gord Perks tries to block any new liquor license in his Parkdale riding. Perks has the theoretical best interest of the neighbourhood at heart, but you can’t block progress, and new restaurants and businesses, if they are small and community-minded, actually help a place like Parkdale thrive.

Three days in and Chantecler (1320 Queen Street West) is obviously thriving. The 26-seat restaurant quickly fills, with Wharton-Shukster running front of house and mixing up some killer cocktails – Chantecler even has a twist for old cranks like me who aren’t into the cocktail craze – house-made tonic to go with my gin. I like this place already. And the husband is over the moon because they’re serving cask ale.

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Lucky Dip – Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

In Toronto:

It’s Pi day and Sadie’s Diner (504 Adelaide Street West) is giving out free slices of pie with every meal.

The line-up has been announced for Luminato, Toronto’s annual culture and arts festival. Watch for the 1000 Tastes of Toronto event to take place on June 9th and 10th at The Distillery District.

April is looking to be all about dining out for charity with Stop For Food running at various restaurants from April 1st – 30th ($5 added to your bill will go to The Stop) and A Taste For Life taking place at restaurants all over town (and the country!) on April 25th (25% of the cost of your meal will be donated to Fife House). Best to start planning now.

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Lucky Dip – Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

In Toronto:

The Group of Seven Chefs have announced that they’ll be doing a James Beard dinner on September 12th. Congratulations to everyone involved, it’s quite a coup.

Banh Mi Boys (392 Queen Street West) expects to re-open on March 26th.

You should go:

Boehmer (93 Ossington Avenue) holds their weekly lobster boil tonight (and every Tuesday). $18 gets you your own tasty crustacean with garlic butter.

Montgomery’s Inn (4709 Dundas Street West) hosts a St. Patrick’s Day tea on Saturday March 17th from 1pm – 4pm. Featuring tea-time specialties from the Emerald Isle including porter cake, shamrock cookies and more. $10.

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