Spotlight on Chef Paolo Lopriore
Last week my travels took me about 2 1/2 hours southwest of Toronto to Stratford, Ontario. Despite my urges to go seek out the old Justin Bieber haunts (he’s from Stratford), I resisted and went directly to The Old Prune restaurant to taste the creations of Chef Paolo Lopriore from Siena’s Il Canto in the […]
An Evening at Modus With Margrit Mondavi
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending an evening with Margrit Mondavi and the just one-month young Modus Ristorante. Margrit Mondavi is the widow of Napa Valley wine pioneer Robert Mondavi. Modus Ristorante is owned by Sam Genkov who you may remember from Restaurant Makeover (“I’m watching you”) where his Bravi […]
Holy Chuck Burgers
The hamburger renaissance is large here in the Toronto area and from what I’ve been gleaning in the media, the same holds true throughout Canada and the US. Hamburger franchises are closing and new independent shops are opening up. Some of the new shops are merely new, glitzy shops offering the same ole’ processed […]
You Too Can Be a Cake Star!
I grew up and live in the east end of Toronto…Scarborough if you will. People in the east end would never go to the west end..unless it was to pass through or go to the airport. I’m sure folks in the west end never visited the east end and that’s just how it is. Both […]
Diner en Blanc
I first heard about Diner en Blanc this past summer while I was in Greece. I was invited to this flash-mob-cum-al fresco dinner-cum picnic and I agreed to go but I really wasn’t sure what the big stink was. I was in Greece, within walking distance of an azzure beach that I swam at twice […]
Estiatorio Volos
Torontonians know and love The Danforth for the string of Greek restaurants, cafés and bakeries that line Danforth Road and spill out on Pape Avenue. Next month the Taste of the Danforth opens up the streets and shop fronts and over a million people pass through Toronto’s Greektown to sample the best of what the […]
Bloom in Bloor West Village
Toronto is a city made of neighborhoods and many of the immigrants who decided to make this city their new home would often live in among their own people. One such neighborhood is Bloor West Village and although much of Toronto is well-integrated, Bloor West Village still has evidence of old the Ukrainian neighborhood. Interspersed […]
Kicking-off Spring at Malena
I recently was invited for a preview/tasting of Malena’s Spring menu. The name Malena was inspired by the movie (starring Monica Belluci) and the cuisine is reflective of the ingredients that surround the Ionian Sea. The Ionian is the body of water that lies between Italy and Greece and hence the concept of the two […]
Guu SakaBar
Last year I had the pleasure of experiencing Guu Izakaya that their Church Street location, just south of the “gayborhood” here in Toronto. Guu Izakaya is a Vancouver-based chain of bars that offer Japanese-style small plates along with ice-cold draft beer and an eclectic array of cocktails. From the moment you enter Guu to when […]
Shuck Oysters Like a Guinness World Record Holder
The first time I met Patrick McMurray was at the original Rodney’s Oyster House here in Toronto (on Adelaide). Patrick was shucking oysters behind the bar at this Toronto food destination spot and if I recall, this was where I first tried raw oysters. Tasting oysters is akin to wine: there are many types […]
