The Gabardine

The Gabardine is the latest addition to the financial district adding charm and a casualness into this corporate area full of suits and pretension.  Owned by 2 women, Allison Mackenna and Katherine Rodriques, it's no surprise that they were able to infuse some delicate touches into this  50-seat self-styled gastropub.

L.A.B - Live and Breath

L.A.B has been on my list of restaurants to try for a while as chef and co-owner Howard Dubrovsky went to McGill while I was there. Although our paths didn't cross that often in Montreal, I am so proud to see his project come to fruition and the result= it was a delicious restaurant experiment full of delightful surprises in taste, textures and flavours.

County General

In the old Oddfellow space on the corner of Queen and Shaw is the rustic newly opened County General.  The brains and proprietaries of Splendido are behind this and were inspired by one of my favourite gastro pubs in NYC - the Spotted Pig; this woodsy jewel, in the Queen West neighbourhood which has already become a hot spot.

L'Ouvrier

L'Ouvrier is French for worker and is an homage to Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London, where the following passage can be found: “The cook does not look upon himself as a servant, but as a skilled workman; he is generally called ‘UN OUVRIER’

Matshuisa - NOBU in Beverly Hill

We were told we would die and go to Japanese heaven if we ate at Nobu Matshuisa's place in Beverly Hills so of course we needed to try it! I mean this is NOBU so after a pretty tough day it was completely something to look forward to!

Diner en Blanc unofficial video

Diner en Blanc in Toronto - unforgettable evening in the Historic distillery district!
Check out the unofficial video

Link: Official DEB 2011 video

Khoa San Road

Khoa San Road is a popular and energetic hub to backpackers in Bangkok Thailand and has also become my new found favourite Thai food restaurant in the city. I know I”m late to the table but I'm forever changed.

Thai food has a reputation of a quick and cheap meal with pad that that is ketchup syrup based sauced mixed with rice noodles and oily red/green curries so when KSR came along, it revolutionized the way Toronto has should think and appreciate thai food bringing a purely authentic spin on traditional thai cuisine.

Diner en Blanc

A magical night happened in Toronto when a group of people all clad in elegant white were told to meet on the corner of Mill Street and Parliament on a Tuesday night in late September.  We were still lucky to have summer like weather as well pulled up in our white outfits and hats on our head in awe at the sea of people dressed to the nines waiting around to be told what the next steps were.  We knew we were apart of something special, you could feel the electricity and anticipation in the air. DEB TO slideshow

A taste of Quebec

Inside one of my favourite gallery spaces - the Thompson Landry gallery, is a Taste of Quebec boutique deli specializing in gourmet cheeses and decadent spreads like tartinade and confiture artfully placed around the rustic front room.
The front room is split in 2 places - where a small preparation area is and the retail space is the other half featuring all the finest cheeses.

Butter and Egg Road

Butter and Egg road is Ivy Ackerman's brainchild and it has been 5 years in the making.  The launch party in Toronto was located at 416 Snack Bar in my local of Queen West.  

The premise is to bring together locals and travellers alike through dining and cultural events to culminate the experience of being a local anywhere.

Acadia

Acadia refers to a francophone region that covers Eastern Quebec and the Maritimes in Canada, spreading itself through Maine, the Carolinas and event as south as Louisiana.  The cuisine is classified as 'lowcountry' and has already made an impact as a restaurant in an Acadian region of the US was selected as the best new restaurant of the year. 

Royal Meats... Best Burger in Town?

So as we are driving up to this place in the west end of town, I am skeptical to hear my former intern Adam tell me that this place will blow the other burger joints out of the water.  We pull up to Royal Meats and all the logo and space reminds me of a Rolce Royce dealership with the big capital "R".  I also quickly notice that there's a gym across the street so perfect to work off your guilt.

The Bowery NOW CLOSED

The Bowery, which means 'farm' in Dutch, is a the latest addition to the burgeoning King East restos joining it's neighbours like Origin and Colborne Lane to bring a NY style urban farmhouse to the strip.

Girl I want to make you sweat- Caribbean Food Fest

Possibly on the hottest day of the summer, a few of us go down for Scotiabank's Caribbean Carnival's food festival to try all the delicacies there were to be offered.  You know the song.. La la la la long... Sweat till we can't sweat no more...well that was us!

Farmers feed the City

It was a gorgeous late summer night to be out at the Evergreen Brickworks for "Farmers feed the city. IT was a night curated by Food Network chef and Belong Catering owner, Brad Long featuring the wines of Southbrook Vineyards and Beers from Muskoka Breweries.

Agave Y Aguacate - Diamond in the rough!

On a recommendation from my friend Andy, I stumble into Kensington hungry, on a promise that I would be in for a treat.  I find Pancho bakery on Augusta street and there within lies a tiny mexican food emporium from baked goodies, to home made empanadas, an arepa sandwich place and my latest craving, the hidden gem - Agave y Aguacate.   Translated in portuguese as "ages and ages" it truly has been ages where I've been pleasantly surprised like this to find this diamond in the rough!

Origin - Finally!

There have been a ton of reviews on this place and it was one of the top spots that i've been waiting to try for a while, always looking for the perfect occasion or date to go but as times became busy, there never was the right opportunity.  As my dear friend Merissa said she was coming for a short visit to Toronto from Jordan, I thought ah ha, she is my excuse to go to this hip resto.

Kings Noodles

This Chinatown staple has been buzz worthy for generations and continues to be busy with Canadians and Chinese folks lining up at all hours of the day as it's one of the only places on the Spadina strip to be deemed as authentic Hong Kong style "jok fun mein" (congee rice noodle) restaurant.

EAT.. inspiring video

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....

= a trip of a lifetime.

move, eat, learn

Crepes a GoGo

This quaint little creperie in the corners of Yorkville is a sliver of "Paris"-dise and I was so pleased to have my co-worker Bernice suggest that we stop in and now I can't wait to go back for more. Inside this french bistro - there was a quote on the wall that just resonated with me "Il faut manger pour vivre, non vivre pour manger".  It's a famous quote by Moliere which means that one should eat to live, not live to eat and this seems to be my motto - the pleasure and sensations I get from my culninary experiences give me my gusto and my joie de vivre!   Crepes a GoGo .. you've captured my heart!

Fish Bar

One of the newest kids on the Ossington stretch is Fishbar and it was a long time coming as the opening was delayed a good 6 months.  The result is a an old storefront transformed into long and narrow space with exposed brick featuring re-purposed furniture and tables packed in so close together that it's impossible not to eavedrop on your neighbors conversations.  

La Societe

Ohh la la .. La Societe is the new 'see and be seen' hotspot opened in time for patio season and will certainly be a destination for Toronto film fest.  It has taken over the former location of Dynasty Chinese restaurant on bloor and the lower courtyard patio as well making it the only patio and large restaurant in the new renovated stretch of Bloor attracting the shoppers, tourists, whos who and wannabe 'socialites'. 

RA - this is Miami

My last day in Miami was spent as a very hung over lady.. I was in pain but was pushed to be active and out and about... Finally after a full day in agony I began to feel normal again and was satiated! Being that it was my last evening in town, I wanted to treat my host to a nice dinner too so we made our way to a fun place that he know and lucky for us - we were in the cusp of happy hour!   

Versaille on calle ocho- This is Miami

Versaille is like a staple for authentic Cuban cuisine.  It is a Miami destination off of calle ocho (you know the Pitbull song that made that street famous.. uno, dos, tres, quartro.. you know you want me.. )
It's packed full with locals, resembles a fortress on the outside and a very basic bare bones, mom and pop style shoppe with a dining area, a cafe walk up area and a bakery.  The main dialect is espanol but don't worry, the host and servers have a limited understanding of English and can definitely point you in the right direction.

Stripsteak - Vegas Chronicles continues

Michael Mina's Stripsteak in the Mandalay Bay was voted Esquire Magazine's #1 Steakhouse in the USA and off course when I heard we had reservations there, my goal was to see if the voters of Esquire knew what they were talking about!!  Located in the conference center side of the Manadalay, it's definitely a few steps up from the regular steakhouse with a wood burning grill and high ceilings to create more light and airiness.

Sushi Roku - Vegas Chronicles

Oh what a night of culinary delights with my colleagues in Las Vegas at Sushi Roku.   In the famous Forum Shops at Caesars on the 3rd floor, this dark and sensual place is a great intimate place to gather with friends or on a romantic date.

I had the pleasure of taking part in a steak tasting at St. Jamestown Steak and Chops hosted by owner Mark Michelin by invitation of esteem foodie Joel Solish(@foodie411) from Community Foodis. Not only was it a gorgeous night to hang out on the patio of this local , cabbagetown gem while experiencing some decadent food with good company of fellow foodies.
The challenge as I understand it started with a bet between Mark and Joel about if anybody can tell the different between wet age and dry aged steak. I understand the difference is very subtle and almost undetectable.

Modern Jewy cuisine in NY - Octavia's Porch

Octavia's porch is a homey, cozy spot in the Lower East Side that serves Modern Jewy cuisine and serves as a perfect destination for a catch up amongst friends.  With former Top Chef contestant Nikki Cascone behind it, this gem has it's on spin on Jewish classics, pulling New York out of its "Jewish - Deli" mentality and into your Yiddish mother's kitchen.

My very favourite brunch in NY - Normas

Yes, this is the place I would recommend brunching in the big apple.  It's a bit swanky set in Le Parker Meridian Hotel but the goodies here are way too amazing to pass up and you can't expect to eat cheaply when you're in NYC. And where dapper Nate from the sexy show Gossip Girl meets his newest love interest Juliette. 

Finally a place to dine in Mississauga - Culninaria

Culninaria is a true gem found in a sea of manufacturers, warehouses, strip malls and chain restaurants.  Since I started working in Mississauga, i"ve been searching far and wide for any restaurants that weren't the typical Milestones or Kelseys that you would see everywhere so when my colleague suggested this place (Thanks Adam!) I was truly pleased to hear about it.  It's set in a historical home, formerly the Elliot House with a culninary school attached to it.  The chef school doesn't serve or cook in Culninaria and they are separate entities unless you come during their promotional season where they offer a discounted menu and students try their hand at cooking and serving you.