Today, The McEwan Group announced the sale of its 50% share in ONE Restaurant, turning it over to the new proprietors of the Hazelton Hotel. With this announcement, chef Mark McEwan confirmed that he, too, is leaving the Yorkville eatery. His departure comes after 15 years of operating the restaurant.
“It’s been a wild ride – 15 years of memories and stories some wouldn’t believe!” McEwan wrote on Instagram. “I’ve worked with some incredible people over the last 15 years, you’ve truly made the place hum, and to those that will remain after my departure, we wish you continued success.”
Celebrated Toronto chefs, bloggers and fine dining fans flocked to Mark McEwan’s post to wish him success. Patrons thanked him for his tenure at the restaurant, congratulating him on its yearly success. Many also thanked him for teaching them along their culinary journeys.
ONE Restaurant was Mark McEwan’s longest standing project, serving up a variety of brunch and dinner cuisines in a chic, modern environment. Of course, the famed chef will still be at the helm of several other restaurants across the city. His company is responsible for Fabbrica, Bymark and Diwan at the Aga Khan Museum, among others. The McEwan Group’s grocery stores and catering service will also operate as normal.
Chef Mark McEwan
The restaurant at 116 Yorkville Avenue is a popular Toronto meeting spot for those looking for an elevated dining experience. It also offers in-room service to hotel guests. As of now, it is unclear how many changes Mark McEwan’s departure brings to the restaurant, as the remaining 50% ownership of the eatery belongs to The McEwan Group’s cofounders. The Hazelton Hotel is one of the most esteemed in the world, and a quality dining experience is paramount in its continued success.
Twenty-seven-year-old Hamilton native Sarah Nurse is a stand-out forward and a University of Wisconsin alum, who will be joining the Olympic roster for the second time. Athleticism runs in the family: her cousins are Phoenix Mercury point guard Kia Nurse and Darnell Nurse, a defenseman for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, while her uncle Donovan McNabb is a former NFL quarterback and another uncle, Richard Nurse, played in the CFL for the Hamilton Tiger Cats for five years. Here is what you need to know:
Hometown: Hamilton
Sport: Hockey
Position: Forward
Member: Canadian National Team, Professional Women’s Hockey Player Association (PWHPA)
Background: Nurse began playing hockey when she was five and found success early on, winning a silver medal with the Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres at the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) provincials, and going on to break the league record for most goals in the season. She spent her college career with the Wisconsin Badgers as an alternate captain, and in 2018, was drafted second overall by the Toronto Furies until they subsequently folded in 2019. Heading into her second Olympic games, Nurse continues to show her strength on the ice, and brings both skill and experience to the team.
Career Highlights: In her Olympic debut in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018, Nurse earned a silver medal with Team Canada and scored her first Olympic goal in a 2-1 win over their biggest rivals, the United States.
During the 2021 World Championships, Nurse had a goal and two assists to lead Team Canada to a 3-2 overtime win against the U.S. – their first world title in nine years.
What you need to know: Nurse graduated from the University of Wisconsin’s School of Business in 2018, and has gone on to become a role model for young women across Canada. In 2020, Tim Hortons and Mattel partnered with Hockey Canada and released two limited-edition Barbie dolls based on Nurse and fellow hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin as part of Barbie’s You Can Be Anything program. All proceeds were donated to the Hockey Canada Foundation to support girls’ hockey.
Fun Fact: In 2018, Drake took to Instagram to give a shout-out to Nurse who had scored the winning goal in a 2-1 win over the U.S. during the Pyeongchang games. “Only in Canada would you find a sweeter ting that’s going top cheese for a Gino,” he captioned the story.
Olympic Event Date: Preliminary against Switzerland, Feb. 2; Preliminary against Finland, Feb. 4; Preliminary against Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), Feb. 6; Preliminary against United States, Feb. 7.
What used to be a large GAP retail space at the corner of Bloor and Bay Street is set to be the new home of Los Angeles-based Alo Yoga, a company offering technical yoga clothing that can be seen on the likes of Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Taylor Swift. This move will mark the company’s first expansion into Canada with plans of further expanding across the country and further, internationally.
Launched in 2007, the brand has grown to be a favourite for celebrity and non-celebrity yoga fans alike, offering the kind of studio-to-street wear that lends itself well to pandemic fashion. The rise of athleisure and COVID-19 changing the way we work, live and dress, Alo could be moving to Canada at the perfect time. But they won’t make the move without a little friendly competition waiting.
In Canada, Lululemon is the main player in the world of fitness-focused fashion and yoga clothing and accessories. Alo will need to remain competitive in order to stack up against this Vancouver-based brand known for its reasonable price points, high quality and seemingly endless warranties. Lululemon was even named Team Canada’s official outfitter back in 2021, stealing the job from iconic retail brand Hudson’s Bay Company after 16 years.
At a slightly higher price point, Alo Yoga’s move to the city’s Yorkville neighbourhood is a smart one, appealing to Toronto’s more affluent consumer. And, in the 60 Bloor St. W. store, spanning three storeys and 17,000 square feet, there’s talks of the space even including an in-house studio for workshops, fitness and yoga classes and other experiential pop-ups to grow consumer base and brand awareness. This would mean Alo House, the branch of the company responsible for experiential marketing campaigns and pop-up events, would have a place to engage and educate shoppers.
Beyond retail and experiential marketing efforts, Alo Yoga operates an at-home fitness concept where, for $30 monthly, members can take part in unlimited meditation, yoga and fitness classes, a novel concept as the ongoing pandemic continues to force fitness centre and gyms to close.
A Retail Insider article reported that the Cumberland Street Lululemon might be moving for a flagship store on Bloor, so the two brands may be going head-to-head on the same block in the months to come.
The Bloor-Yorkville BIA couldn’t confirm an opening date for the new location, and Alo Yoga didn’t respond to a request for comment in time for publication, but construction on the new Alo retail space is said to be underway.
From February 11 to 21, Stackt Market is hosting a celebration that any chocolate lover would love, planned in partnership with The Bay and Bailey’s.
Image via @stacktmarket on Instagram
Stackt Market, at 28 Bathurst Street, is Canada’s largest shipping container market. The area is no stranger to hosting events like these, and has played host to several events and other community programming in the past.
Hot chocolate, of course, is this iteration’s focus. To entice visitors, a wide selection of hot chocolate-based drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are on tap. There are some classic options for snacks, too, like Bailey’s Cookies and S’mores Kits. But, there’s definitely room for those who like to get a bit more adventurous with their snacks. Smoky poblano hot chocolate and orange hot chocolate are also menu mainstays. Each specialty cocktail is available for purchase for $9.95.
Image via @stacktmarket on Instagram.
The ten-day festival will also have outdoor, live programming to keep guests entertained. Live music and workshops, as well as Valentine’s Day events and other pop-ups, dot the festival’s calendar. An entire list of the events and programming, including a Super Bowl party, is available on Stackt’s website.
The event kicks off at 7pm on February 11 with a live music set from Ray Robinson, followed by an 11pm set by DJ Majesty. Programming is both indoor and outdoor, taking place in the brewery, on the patio, and across the entire outdoor marketplace.
While entry to the event is free, pre-registering is encouraged to comply with capacity limits. Date and ticket selection for the hot chocolate festival can be completed via Eventbrite. The indoor spaces also require proof of vaccination.
A new Little Italy restaurant promises to bring rustic homestyle Italian food to Toronto.
Il Padrino, set to open in March of this year, is the first restaurant from Concetta Amaral, a Bari-born chef who attended culinary school in Milan.
After her mother passed away, Amaral decided it was time to put her mother’s culinary mentorship to good use.
“I grew up watching my mom cook and her dream was to open her own restaurant,” says Amaral. “With this restaurant, I’m going to make all of her dreams come true.”
Found at 579 College St., the goal of the family-oriented restaurant is to bring back what’s been lost — the authentic, rustic, homestyle Italian food that Amaral feels is missing from the landscape. The restaurant will serve unique dishes from the southern Italian city of Bari.
Standout plates include the cavatelli con rapini in a garlic enriched olive oil and lasagna al forno made with minced veal in a béchamel rosé sauce. Alongside pasta, the restaurant will offer a variety of pizza options, including the Il Padrino, which features the restaurant’s signature tomato sauce, parmigiana eggplant and mozzarella, and the Barese, with green olives and rapini. Bianco (white) pizza options are also available, including the Il Padrino Cesare topped with grilled chicken, pancetta, brioche croutons and creamy garlic parmigiana.
There are also salads and shareable appetizers, including spring rolls Italiani, nachos del Padrino, salumi and calamari e gamberi fritti. Traditional Italian meat dishes include the classics like pollo alla parmigiana, served with oven roasted potatoes and mixed peppers, and parmigiana alla melanzane (eggplant).
The name of the restaurant means “the godfather” in Italian, which to Amaral is the meaning of family — being together and being united.
“We want to be the godfather of Italian food,” she says.
Il Padrino’s interior will be decked out in gold and black decor and feature 10-foot ceilings (also gold) and a garage door front opening. Large tables set the scene for an evening of eating and drinking extremely well. The restaurant seats approximately 40 diners, with outdoor seating planned for an additional 30.
India is a massive country with food as regionally specific and diverse as the people who live there. In the North, cuisine is marked by rich, dairy-based dishes, while the South focuses more on soup-like curries and fried snacks. Not sure what region of India serves up your tried-and-true favourites? This new Thornhill Indian restaurant offers patrons delicious Desi eats from across the country, so you can try a variety of the nation’s best flavours under one roof.
Officially opening its doors on January 7th, Desi Pakwan was only available for take-out until this week, when indoor dining restrictions finally lifted. Now, the 11 Disera Drive spot serves authentic Indian lunch or dinner seven days a week.
Image via desipakwan70 on Instagram.
The menu is extensive, featuring classics like Vindaloo Curry and Biriyani with your choice of chicken, lamb or goat. The most popular dish on the menu so far is the rack of lamb. It features fall-off-the-bone lamb, marinated with yogurt to make each bite super juicy and tender, topped with house-made masala. The Tandoori chicken momos, a steamed flour-based dumpling stuffed with minced chicken, onion, cabbage, ginger and spring onion and served with chutney, are also a popular pick for a small plate shareable.
For something lighter, opt for an Indian Green Salad which features a fresh blend of onion, tomato, cucumber and carrot. For colder days, the Tomato Dhaniya Shorba Soup is a Desi spin on everyone’s childhood favourite tomato soup. It’s made better with fresh simmered coriander and traditional Indian spices. As with all Indian cuisine, the options for vegetarian and vegan meals are endless. So, eating here is sure to satisfy all dietary restrictions and preferences.
Image via desipakwan70 on Instagram.
The mango mule is a Desi Pakwan special that takes a ginger vodka and beer-based drink and kicks it up with mango pulp, cumin powder and black salt. Not looking to imbibe on something off the huge wine, beer and cocktail menu? No problem. The freshly squeezed lemon soda is an alcohol-free option that makes the ideal light and bubbly sip.
While the weather stays cold and snowy, you can take a seat inside the dimly lit spot. With capacity for 87 people, it’s spacious enough for a big group but arranged with a cozy and comfortable vibe. In warmer months, Desi Pakwan will open up its sizeable patio, with space for 44 people.
Of course, if you don’t want to try Desi Pakwan in person, they are still available for ordering online via their website. Pick-up only.
Grandma Loves You was voted the best in Canada, serving up mouth-watering sandwiches, one-of-a-kind hot dogs and homemade vegan cakes. Italian, Japanese, Chinese and American cuisines all found their way to various spots on the list, with Toronto-based eateries coming out among the best places to order it.
A sandwich at Grandma Loves You, image via Instagram.
Yelp’s best in Canada list ranks restaurants based on user input and Yelp Community Manager curation. It creates a geographically-inclusive, cross-Canada list that details the places real foodies across the country are excited about. With Grandma Loves You earning the top spot, Markham’s Kore Chicken took home the bronze (though not counted as one of the 14 Toronto restaurants).
The GTA boasts tons of restaurants on the best in Canada list. Eateries in Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Etobicoke, Mississauga and more took home honours. J San Sushi Bar took home tenth place and Sugo, an Italian restaurant, landed at number 17. Liberty Village’s Burger Drops ranks #26, and Juicy Dumpling (a very affordable option) ranks #28. Japanese and Asian cuisines are well-represented on the list, too. Hay Sushi ranks #65, RYUs Noodle Bar ranks #59, Holy Cow Japanese Steakhouse is #41, and Vaughan’s Toro Toro Sushi ranks #15.
Pasta at Sugo. Image via sugotoronto on Instagram.
Food options for every kind of diner, including vegan and vegetarian options, are on the list. And, Yelp’s best in Canada list covers all cuisines at all price points, so there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re in the west end or the east end, from Scarborough to Vaughan, there’s something to try.
To watch Roman Sadovsky skate is like art in motion. The 22-year-old Torontonian put himself on the figure-skating map when he took home the bronze at the CS Autumn Classic International in 2018 – his first senior medal. He’s gone on to win podium spots and fans alike which has earned him a spot at Beijing 2022. Here is what you need to know:
Hometown: Toronto
Sport: Figure Skating
Member: Canadian National Team, York Region Skating Academy
Background: Like a lot of boys who grow up in Canada, Sadovsky just wanted to play hockey. When his coach suggested that figure skating lessons would be beneficial, he put down the stick and never looked back. At eight, he began training with Tracey Wainman, a two-time time Canadian national champion and not long after, made his mark on Canadian figure skating – during his junior career, he won five medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix, including two gold.
Career Highlights
Sadovsky earned his first Grand Prix medal – a bronze, at the NHK Trophy held in Sapporo, Japan in 2019, and is a three-time ISU Challenger Series medallist.
In 2020, he won his first national title, upsetting the rivalry between fellow Canadians, Nam Nguyen and Keegan Messing (also heading to Beijing). Skating to Schindler’s List and Bells of Moscow, he cleanly landed two quadruple Salchows and three triples.
In 2022, he added a silver medal to his tally at the 2022 Canadian Championships.
What you need to know: In a sport known for its shorter, trimmer athletes, at just over 6-foot-one, Sadovsky might be one of the tallest skater’s competing in Beijing. “If I’m off even by a little bit on take-off, it’s pretty well over because my center of gravity is so much higher,” he said in an interview. “But on the other hand, I think the height definitely helps with overall performance and presence on the ice.”
Fun Fact: Sadovsky is a popular YouTuber with more than 20 thousand subscribers. Under the nickname, ‘Romsky’ he waxes poetic on everything from his daily routine and training essentials, to posting music videos and short films (he’s a director in the making too).
Proof of vaccination will no longer be required for indoor dining (Photo: Mark Wordy/flickr)
With indoor dining open across Ontario again, reservations to eat at restaurants across the city are filling up quickly. Scoring a spot to enjoy a meal is now a coveted experience, hard to come by unless you booked it right away. Many restaurants filled up their slots almost instantly, the second the government confirmed that indoor dining would resume again.
Here are some places with reservations still available on Resy for the weekend of February 5, 2022:
A handful of reservations are still available at this eatery for Sunday, February 6. The casual beer, wine and cider bar is perfectly outfitted for playing vinyl records and enjoying chef Declan Edwards’ seasonal menu.
Both brunch and dinner reservations are available on Saturday and Sunday at Rosedale Diner. There’s a heated back patio, too, creating even more dine-in opportunities. Enjoy a wide range of dishes, from baba ghanoush to mafalde al funghi, at this eatery, established in 1978.
This vegan restaurant’s Yorkville outpost has tons of reservations available for brunch and dinner on both weekend days. Enjoy an array of Asian-inspired food made with watermelon and other plant-based cornerstone items in a modern setting.
This Filipino restaurant can accommodate both lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday, as well as dinner on Friday night. Brunch Sundays are a popular event, and the tapas menu and feature combos are perfect for sharing with friends.
Hidden gem, hole-in-the-wall vibes meet a tried and true, classics-only Mexican menu at Campechano‘s Adelaide location. Grab a taco and some ceviche and sip a margarita or a craft beer, with reservations available all weekend.
An Italian restaurant and popular events venue in Toronto’s historic Distillery District has transformed itself into a cozy and picturesque après-ski lounge. Now, you don’t have to board that expensive flight for an authentic Switzerland-inspired experience.
Archeo, beloved for its sprawling cobblestone patio, has created its own slice of wintry bliss with an après-ski backdrop that looks ripped from a Swiss Alps travel guide. The bitter cold and excessive snow over recent weeks in Toronto has forced many people indoors, but Archeo is leaning into this exceptionally Canadian weather, creating a space that will have even the most winter-averse people pining for a spot near the open air fire pits.
The patio officially launched on January 13th. With it comes a menu featuring rich and hearty eats like ooey-gooey grilled cheese, schnitzel served on pretzel buns and a French-Canadian fave: poutine. Patrons can also sweeten their visit while unleashing their inner child by roasting marshmallows, washed down with spiced mulled wine and spiked hot chocolates.
The drinks menu at Archeo, image via archeotoronto on Instagram.
The vibe itself echoes the same classic cozy Canadiana of the menu. The space complete with comfy chairs draped in blankets and organized around individual fire pits dotting the patio, surrounded by the ultimate in cottage-core décor like kitschy faux taxidermy, vintage skis and fragrant greenery. The playlists are also exclusively Canadian, featuring some of the country’s most iconic artists. You can jam out to the likes of Drake, Justin Bieber, Joni Mitchell, Shania Twain and more.
“Our inspiration came – surprisingly – from a dreaded week stuck in isolation when our Vice- President, Rik Ocvirk, was sick with COVID-19. He used his quarantine time to think about what our guests might love over the chilly winter season, amidst another round of pandemic restrictions,” says a rep from Archeo.
While researching menus from across the globe, Rik came across a tidbit about Switzerland’s historic Kulm Hotel. As the story goes, in 1864, the Swedish Hotelier Johannes Badrutt sat around an autumn fire in St. Moritz’s Kulm Hotel, with four guests from England. Badrutt entertained his guests with stories of the landscape in winter. He wove tales of softly falling snow, refreshing sunshine and near-perfect mild temperatures during the day. He called St. Moritz in the winter “paradise on earth.”
His English guests were not convinced – they were more than familiar with the damp, gloomy wintertime of their own country. Badrutt and the guests struck a bet: if the Englishmen returned to St. Moritz in December and did not enjoy their visit, Badrutt would compensate them for their travel costs. In December, the four returned. They loved it – and stayed until April! Badrutt was proved right, and both winter tourism and travel were born.
The back patio at Archeo. Image via archeotoronto on Instagram.
“Rik was really inspired by this hospitality history,” Archeo’s team says. “He thought: we have the outdoor space, we have amazingly talented staff and all the culinary ingredients. Why not remind folks how great it can be to spend time together, outdoors?”
And so, the first-of-its-kind authentic après-ski experience in Toronto was born. The best part? Admission to the chalet-inspired lounge is free. Bundle up and swing by the 27 Trinity Street spot for a little slice of Switzerland.
Archeo will be hosting a few themed events throughout the season, too. The next is a Onesie Themed Patio Party, happening Thursday, February 3rd from 5:00p.m. – 10:00p.m. Show up in your coziest onesie and receive a complimentary marshmallow for roasting.
“We’ve all been through a lot over the past two years,” Archeo’s team remarks. “We hope we can offer an experience that helps us all get our collective spirit back.”
One of Calgary’s hottest brunch spots is slowly popping up across the continent and Toronto is lucky enough to get not one, but two OEB locations opening later this year. The first will be “hatching” in Liberty Village this spring.
When Chef Mauro Martina opened Calgary’s first OEB back in 2009, he had no intention of turning it into a franchise. His only goal was to open a restaurant that would allow him to spend more time with his new wife and family.
For Martina, a breakfast restaurant was the perfect opportunity. “Nobody’s really doing the chef-driven farm-to-table concept of knowing who your butchers are, who your farmers are, who your vegetable producers are, everything. Everything that you need to know to connect the land with the table. Nobody was doing that.”
Now, OEB has restaurants in Edmonton, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Kelowna. Expansions have also started into the US with a franchise in Arizona and one coming soon to California.
It’s important to Martina that no matter where OEB opens, it continues to operate with the same values of knowing where the food comes from. “The foundation of this company needs to remain the same.” For Liberty Village, that means working closely with local Ontario farms to ensure the best quality food is being put on the table, and creating a community through OEB. “You can create a restaurant, but you can’t create the energy. The energy creates itself, right?”
The Liberty Village opening will include indoor and patio dining, with an interior that matches the bold colours and egg and rooster decor found in the Western locations. With windows facing east, the space will give guests a chance bask in the morning sun while enjoying their OEB menu favourites.
Like the space, the menu will be consistent with the other locations, featuring the fan-favourite Soul in a Bowl breakfast poutine (duck fat-fried herb potatoes topped with poached eggs, curds, bacon lardons, and hollandaise) and, for a sweeter taste, the French toast trifle.
Toronto will also get a taste of OEB’s new menu items that launched earlier this month, including gnocchi breakfast carbonara, chilaquiles, Korean bulgogi benny, deep-fried perogies and bagel forestiere.
OEB is opening at 171 East Liberty Street, and though no tentative date has been set, the company has announced a spring 2022 opening, with Martina remaining optimistic for March. No other information is known about the second location in the city except that it will be opening some time this year on Toronto Street.
Zachary Kolomeir and Carmelina Imola are on a roll. The couple moved from Montreal to Toronto in 2018, and shortly thereafter, opened Dreyfus, a lauded ‘French-ish’ bistro on Harbord St., and Taverne Bernhardt’s, a rotisserie chicken joint in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood in 2020.
Just last week, with the addition of co-owner Tristan Eves, Vilda’s, a variety and takeaway
located a stone’s throw away, joined the queue.
Vilda’s is easy to miss. It’s tucked away inside Nobrega’s Variety and Grocery, located at 209
Dovercourt, and serves sandwiches, salads, soups, and other noshes as well as some sweet
treats.
A rice bowl at Vilda’s. Image via vildastoronto on Instagram.
The space just made sense for us,” said Kolomeir. “We wanted a place where you could grab a
coffee or a sandwich or a snack before work and we felt like that was just lacking in the
neighbourhood.”
The ever-changing menu will spotlight seasonal ingredients and includes standouts like the
vegan BLT, with beets, lettuce, and tahini on brodflour seeded pullman, and the brown butter
chicken salad made from the leftover chicken from Bernhardt’s, whipped with brown butter
and mayonnaise.
Spicy parm buns. Image via vildastoronto on Instagram.
There are also elevated salads like the roasted carrot with a dandelion walnut pesto, and a
sheet pan brassicas with broccoli, brussel sprouts and quinoa. Other offerings include an
eggplant or trout rice bowl with a cucumber salad, banana pickles and yogurt, and for
something sweet, pecan and raisin stickies.
In addition to sandwiches and prepared foods, the 600-square-foot space is also a convenience
store and will house everything from canned beans, olive oil, and pasta, to sour pickles, ritz
crackers, and Manishwitz Matzo Ball mix. “Not the insane variety you might find at a Fiesta
Farms, but you can find some really fun things,” said Kolomeir.
Vilda’s, which comes from the phrase, ‘Vilda Chayla’, means ‘wild child’ in Yiddish and is a name
given to Imola by a Bernhardt’s regular. Aesthetically, it’s based on the now defunct Wolfie
Cohen’s Rascal House, a Jewish delicatessen located in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida which opened
in 1954.
“We wanted to build a bright space, something that was both whimsical and modern,” said
Kolomeir. “We used Douglas fir from Ontario and the tiles are aquamarine, green, and yellow. It
looks like a classic convenience store but we brightened it up a little.”
Vilda’s is currently open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
