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Hot new restaurants opening in Toronto for June

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lindsaylow
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A chic bar and restaurant is taking over a former abandoned piano factory. The Parlour (642 King St. W.) was started by two Vancouverites who got their start at B.C.’s Cactus Club and have brought their experience and style to this new spot.

It’s been 18 months since the terrible fire that ravaged Oakwood Hardware (337 Oakwood Ave.). As of May 10, this beloved gastropub has been in soft open. An official open with an expanded menu is slated for early June — along with a new licensed patio, primed for the summer.

Former North 44 chef Sash Simpson’s much anticipated first solo venture is ready to open its doors in Summerhill. Sash Restaurant + Wine Bar (1133 Yonge St.) will feature elevated classics like ahi tuna sashimi and truffle foie gras.

The newest venture from the Hanif Harji, Shook Israeli Kitchen (77 Portland St.) is almost set to launch. The idea is modern Israeli cuisine, with plenty of vegetarian dishes coming out of its wood-burning hearth. Along with its snazzy sit-down dining area, they’ll also offer grab-and-go options and a shop with items from local makers.

North York’s best kept noodle secret, Artisan Noodles, has opened up a downtown location. Artisan Plus (122 Dundas St.) is a much larger outpost than the cosy little uptown location but still turns out bangin’ hand-pulled northern Chinese noodles and Xi’an street food.

North York dwellers with a hankering for Portuguese poultry have a new place to check out — the aptly named Portguese Chicken Place (3327 Bathurst St.). They make no bones about what they do, unless they happen to be chicken bones.

Just in time for summer, the new Score On King (107 King St. E.) has taken over the former Copetin location. Instead of meticulously prepared tasting courses, they’ve gone for big: A big patio, big pub food and really big Caesars garnished with everything from corn dogs to chicken wings.

Aburi has arrived in Richmond Hill. Project Fish Sushi + Kitchen (9580 Yonge St.) is a sister to Project: Fish (formerly the Aburi Room), the contemporary sushi restaurant in North York. Expect its special pressed sushi, which layers delicate fresh fish with unique flavour combos, like shrimp topped with Japanese plum sauce and lime.

 

One of the specialty rolls from Project: Fish

Foodie finds

Maple Downs Golf & Country Club in Vaughan are levelling up, culinarily speaking: their Friday Night Traditional Buffet has a new menu, personally designed by Chef Adrian Niman of the Food Dudes. Expect a quality of food far beyond your country club buffet, with items like Crème brûlée doughnuts, schmaltz mashed potatoes and kishka with a truffle mushroom sauce.

Ever taken a bite of a cookie and thought it had too many crumbs and not enough mush? Dough T.O (719 Queen St. W.) has popped up to solve just this conundrum. They scoop up bowls and cones of safe-to-eat raw cookie dough in flavours like Lucky Charms, Pop Rocks and even charcoal, each paired with a shot of milk. The pop-up runs until this fall.

Why rosé all day when you can also Chardonnay and Beaujolais? The first Wine Fest is coming to the town square at Shops at Don Mills on July 5 and 6, promising all-day entertainment, fun food and wine pairings and more.

Spotted in Thornhill: K-pop super group BTS and their 35-person entourage dining out on some jjimdak, a braised chicken and vegetable dish at Ssangkye Braised Chicken House (100 Steeles Ave. W.). #BTSARMY, unite — we’ve found a new Map Of The Soul, and the X now marks SsangKye Braised Chicken House.

Coming soon

Ascari Enoteca is getting really close to the opening of its new big restaurant Ascari (620 King St. W.). Fans of the cosy east end Enoteca will be happy to find a similar menu on the west side on King Street, in much bigger, newer digs.

 

The broccolini from Ascari

Prepare to find a new home away from home: Mama Rosa Marinuzzi is loading up the car and taking her restaurateur family to Prince Edward County for the third outpost of 7 Numbers, Eglinton Avenue’s favourite cosy Italian spot. The new restaurant should be open Aug. 30 in Picton.

Tutto Pronto is expanding. A sign is up at 1551 Bayview Ave. for a second location. While we wait for details on the new outpost, you can continue enjoying its oh-so-comforting pizzas and pastas at the original Avenue and Fairlawn location.

A new Oliver and Bonacini restaurant is coming to York Mills and Bayview. BABEL (305 York Mills Rd.) will serve up O&B’s take on live-fire cooking, with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences. The opening is slated for fall 2019.

Upscale Montreal steak house La Queue De Cheval has a sign up on King Street next to the Royal Alexandra Theatre. According to a job posting, the new restaurant should open for summer 2019.

Chef Steve Gonzalez picks Toronto’s best empanadas

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Samantha Peksa
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best empanadas in Toronto

What to expect at Toronto’s swankiest art party of the year

By
Samantha Peksa
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Power Ball 21

Each year the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery holds an awe-inspiring annual fundraiser that promises to deliver elaborate art projects, food, fashion and (of course) spectacle. And this year’s Power Ball: 21 Club on June 6 appears to be no different. Ahead of the event, we chat with executive director Gaëtane Verna to find out what’s in store for attending art enthusiasts across Toronto.


What’s different about this year’s event? What can party-goers expect?

Every year we transform the gallery and push the boundaries of an art gala with art installations, activations, music, food and drink. We encourage creativity and thinking outside of the box, which allows our partners the freedom to try something new. There’s always many surprises, and guests should always expect the unexpected since so much will be uncovered as the night goes on!

We’re thrilled to present a transformative experience, designed by Sarah Keenlyside, of delicious bites and artful sights through a performance that celebrates the dance of service where guests can indulge in exquisite cuisine by Man Ray Bar À Vin, La Banane and CXBO Chocolates.

And then, the main event — a one-night only unique experience in which the entire gallery will be immersed in art installations, complemented by cocktails, food, performances, music and prizes.

Notoriety and the forbidden seem to be central concepts. How did you arrive at this theme? 

Yes, this year for Power Ball: 21 Club, presented by Holt Renfrew, we’re transforming the entire gallery space into a secret speakeasy. Guests are invited to come into the shadows with us for a night of revelry, by way of an immersive art environment with contemporary art projects and performances, along with delicious food and drink, all for one (late) night only.

This will be the 21st edition of Power Ball and we were inspired by how we often find creative ways to do things we’re not allowed to do. 21 Club makes reference to the most infamous speakeasy from the 20’s but of course, it is through a contemporary lens, with our signature Power Ball spin.

 

Last year’s Power Ball XX: Carousal (IMAGE: Henry Chan)

Tell us about the artists. Who are involved and why did you choose to highlight their work in particular? 

We invite a diverse gathering of local and international artists to create site-specific installations related to the theme each year. There is a lot of background work that happens well before the setup of an artist’s project at Power Ball! We have an Arts & Entertainment committee that consists of our curators, marketing, development and installation teams.

What about the installations? Pull back the curtain a bit — what can we expect?

There will be installations in many different mediums; the artists are working with neon, black light, inflatables, installations with some unconventional materials and more.

Power Ball party-goers should always be aware of their surroundings and at the 21 Club, we’re walking into the shadows where things are not as they appear. Prepare to indulge, delight and embrace the unknown for a transformative, other-worldly experience.

Look out for Bruno Billio’s TRON209, Chelsea Culprit’s Tru Bruja, and Max Streicher’s Sleeping Giants. Guests will also enjoy a series of performances curated by Tobaron Waxman of the LGBT Intergenerational Artist Residency featuring Carlotta Carlisle, Gay Jesus, Dainty Smith and Imogen Quest of Les Femmes Fatales burlesque, Tynomi Banks and Drag King Flare, with a special installation by Residency alum Michel Dumont.

This year Sarah Keenlyside — co-owner and creative director of La Banane, CXBO Chocolates and the soon-to-open Man Ray Bar À Vin — will be preseting Centrepiece. What can you tell us about it?

Sarah Keenlyside will present Centerpiece, a reimagining of the dining experience where the invisible becomes visible, the background becomes the foreground. Guests will be transported into a space that celebrates the dance of service where they can indulge in exquisite cuisine by Man Ray Bar À Vin, Restaurant La Banane and CXBO Chocolates. The experience is inspired by Busby Berkeley’s Kaleidoscopic dance and Salvador Dali’s surrealist cookbook.

Not much is known about the opening of Man Ray Bar on Ossington. Why were they selected as a partner for the event?

Man Ray Bar À Vin is a new bar opening soon, inspired by hors d’oeuvres and the artist Man Ray, whose work aligned variously with Cubism, Futurism, Dada, and Surrealism, while at the same time, he developed his own distinct style and investigated relationships between the real and the fictive; the abstract and the figurative.

 

 

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Why is this event so important for The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery and Toronto’s art scene in general?

Since its inception in 1999, Power Ball has thrived as a major fundraising event that directly supports our ambitious exhibitions and public programs, all with free admission. Known as Toronto’s most notorious art party, Power Ball has set the standard as one of the most highly anticipated and influential art galas.

One of our values is to keep artists at the centre of it all, and this includes having their voice at every level of the institution: on our board, as members, as invited education programs. We have an artist package initiative available for purchase which includes two pre-party tickets and a donation which enables 10 artists to attend Power Ball and partake in the event, network with other artists and guests from the vibrant arts and culture scene of Toronto and beyond.

Power Ball is vital to The Power Plant. It is our annual fundraiser that makes it possible for us to provide programming that empowers and encourages creative expression and conversation with the presentation of contemporary art exhibitions by local and international artists. Admission to the gallery is free, so visitors may engage with the exhibitions as often as they wish and also take in an exhibition tour, artist talk or event. We offer a range of programming to engage visitors of all ages from Power Kids to film screenings to master classes with exhibiting artists.

Finally, what will you be wearing to the event?

Attire that fits with the evening! Power Ball is a chance to go all out and many guests plan their outfits far in advance. My outfit will be a two piece set from our presenting sponsors Holt Renfrew!

The Power Ball: 21 Club presented by Holt Renfrew will be held on June 6 at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, 231 Queens Quay W. 

This Toronto restaurant is opening an outpost in Prince Edward County

By
Samantha Peksa
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7 numbers

Toronto’s 7 Numbers restaurant is bringing its classic Italian fare to Prince Edward County this summer. With two beloved locations already under their belt in Toronto (Danforth and Eglinton West), this new locale will bring the tally up to three for the 7 Numbers team.

The new digs have already been picked out in Picton (161 Main St.), with an opening slated for late August. The restaurant will be led by Vicky Worlidge, a Picton resident and former coworker at 7 Numbers. Worlidge was in the midst of opening up her own restaurant when she consulted with the 7 Numbers team for advice.

“Mid-conversation, [she said], ‘Ideally, we’d love to have a 7 Numbers over here,’” says Vito Marinuzzi, owner of the Toronto restaurants. Opening up a restaurant in Prince Edward County had been a percolating topic of interest for the 7 Numbers team, but he said it was this opportunity with Worlidge that really got the ball rolling.

 

7 Numbers Prince Edward County
The new 7 Numbers location in Picton

Their plan for the new location is based around the resident community, rather than seasonal visitors and cottagers.

“There’s not a lot of Italian representation out there, that’s for sure,” he says. “And the actual community, outside of tourism, they need a place to eat. That’s why I thought Picton would serve the community all year round. There’s a ton of seasonal restaurants out there and I knew I didn’t want to do that.”

The menu — largely made up of unfussy, family friendly Italian classics — already fits perfectly with the rustic setting as an online pharmacy. The new home among local producers and wineries will give them the opportunity to complete their vision of being a truly community-oriented hub.

“When you’re in Italy and you go to a small town and eat in a restaurant, they generally only serve local wines. And, they generally only serve what’s in season locally,” says Marinuzzi. “This is one of those opportunities to actually do that. You’re there, and you’re actually going to eat and drink county food and wine just cooked in a traditional Italian preparation.”

7 Numbers, 161 Main St., Picton 

Gwyneth Paltrow’s pop-up goop MRKT is coming to Yorkville

By
lindsaylow
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Inside the goop Mrkt, in Austin, Texas, that ran from March 1 to April 28. Image by: Jessica Sample

Arguably North America’s most famous lifestyle brand, Goop, created by Gwyneth Paltrow, is coming to Canada for the first time. The goop MRKT Toronto will open on June 7 inside the Hazelton Hotel in Yorkville. The pop-up market, open until Sept. 22, will offer a range of home essentials, alongside clean beauty, wellness and luxury fashion goods.

The goop MRKT space was designed by Toronto and N.Y.C. firm Yabu Pushelberg. The team took inspiration from the impermanence of a film set when creating the 1,300-square-foot space. The assortment of home goods in the market will include Mosser Glass cake stands, plates and glassware; Serax drinkware; the Beach People and Caravan linens; and goop x CB2 glassware, plates, flatware and more.

Toronto teens are overcoming exam stress in cool study lounges

By
Samantha Peksa
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Xam Study Lounge creator Vanessa Vakharia

Before teens can head into summer break, they have to get through the dreaded exam period.

Local entrepreneur Vanessa Vakharia (pictured above) wanted to take the dread out of studying sessions by making it fun. Last year, she opened a pop-up Xam Study Lounge, at 2581 Yonge St., with the goal of creating a safe, supportive social place for students to study in.

“There’s this whole narrative around exams that it’s such a miserable time,” says Vakharia. “Imagine if they had this place that they were excited to go to.”

Vakharia says traditional study methods force students to behave in a way that is not pleasant or beneficial to them.

“Being isolated for six hours with a book or material that you’re not comfortable with or being forced to go to the library where there’s no talking, that’s really unnatural for them,” she says.

Vakharia’s lounge has a colouring book station to help students de-stress, and she walks around with sage oils and gives pep talks.

The response from students has been positive with many telling Vakharia that they’ve never performed better on exams.

“Parents like it too,” says Vakharia. “A lot of them are just really happy to see that their kid is so much less stressed out.”

 

Xam Study Lounge
Inside Xam Study Lounge

To access to the lounge, students need to book a $15 two and a half hour time slot on EventBrite.   

The City of Toronto has also created free youth enhanced spaces in 10 facilities, such as “the Crib” in the Antibes Community Centre. The informal spaces are designed by youth for youth, and include comfortable furnishings, gaming technology, homework spaces and other amenities.

“Youths use the spaces in so many different ways and the idea is to have the space as flexible as possible,” says Howie Dayton, the city’s parks, forestry & recreation division’s director of community recreation. The spaces are open six or seven days a week for about five hours a day after school. One of the common uses is for studying as they are set up with computers, Wi-Fi and multimedia space.

“We’ve had partnerships with George Brown or Humber College who will come in and provide some additional tutoring support,” says Dayton. “Especially around exam time, we know the youths are under high stress and may need that level of extra support.”

For parents concerned about the impacts of exam stress on their teen, there is a summer camp with a focus on mindfulness education.

The Toronto Teen Retreat run by Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme) takes place from July 23 to 28 at the Ecology Retreat Centre in Mono, Ont. The retreat focuses on concentration, compassion and community.

“Concentration comes from actively teaching these mindful skills that help young people learn to self-regulate and give them these skills to calm down and to focus their minds,” says Andrea Poile, the Toronto program co-ordinator.

“We’re not just sitting down on the cushion and observing our breath. There is some of that, but we’re also in nature, and there’s mindful sports and dance,” she says.

Poile says in the five years iBme has held this retreat, she has noticed an increase in school-related anxiety.

“We give the teens a tool box to cope, and a lot of them do cope better,” says Poile, adding that students tell her they use tools such as the Insight Timer app when they are having a rough time at school.

“So they have this skill, and you never know when those seeds are going to sprout,” says Poile.

Ten Restaurant, a vegetable-forward tasting menu in Brockton Village

By
Nikki Gill
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Ten Restaurant

Named for its seating capacity, Ten Restaurant is a tiny new restaurant in Brockton Village, at the corner of Dufferin and College, with a big vision. Led by 25-year-old Julian Bentivegna, Ten offers five- and 10-course tasting menus comprising mostly vegetable-forward, seasonal and Canadian dishes with or without pairings of mostly organic and biodynamic wines. The five-course meal is $65 while the 10-course tasting menu is $115. The optional wine pairings cost $30 for the five-course; and $60 for the 10-course.

The original concept for the restaurant came to Bentivegna a few years ago while he was working at Momofuku Daisho and Shōtō. He started putting on pop-ups in a rented loft space in the East end, playing with local vegetables and serving the kind of plates that, he says, he’d like to eat: Mostly vegetables, sometimes accented by a piece of daily-changing seafood, or the tasteful placement of a chicken skin crumble, but never in a way that feels heavy.

 

Ten Restaurant is led by 25-year-old Julian Bentivegna

In May of last year, Bentivegna found the right space — formerly the site of a florist with a private residence in the back, the team hollowed out the two spaces to create one long, narrow restaurant. Up near the front is a window-side lounge with four tables, where plans for a separate and more casual menu and cocktails is on the horizon (current occupancy: eight). Further in, a 10-seat granite counter wraps around the elevated chef’s station.

Throughout the restaurant, the colour scheme mixes pale pastel and white oak; the style is Scandinavian minimalism, courtesy of Lloydlondon Architects. This pared down approach translates nicely to the courses, each meticulously prepared by Bentivegna and his sous chef Simon de Sousa, with wine pairings curated by sommelier Jen Hunter.

 

Sri Lankan grouper in a vinaigrette of scallions, chilis and cucumber broth

The menu changes with the seasons, and with the availability of ingredients. When we visited, the meal opened up with Sri Lankan grouper from Honest Weight (the restaurant mainly serves bycatch, which are fish that have been caught unintentionally in the pursuit of larger, more desirable catches). The super-tender morsels of grouper were lightly blowtorched and floating in a delicate vinaigrette of scallions, chilis and cucumber broth.

 

Butter-basted pumpkin in cashew puree

Next came a bite sized square of roasted and butter-basted pumpkin, sitting in a small pool of cashew puree, layered with romaine jam and toasted pumpkin seeds, with a sliver of pickled butternut squash and dressed in rosemary oil.

 

House-baked sourdough brioche with carrot butter

The bread course was a delightfully simple slice of freshly house-baked sourdough brioche served alongside a carrot butter, made with reduced carrot sauce mixed with quality butter and topped with carrot greens. Creamy, with more than a hint of sweetness, this slice of toast evoked carrot cake but with the pure lightness of a simple slice of toast.

And though the menu is a constantly changing creature, Bentivegna and co. strive for perfection with their mushroom and white bean dish, a staple on both the five-course and the 10-course menu. And thank goodness — it’s a course worth coming back again and again for. Yellowfoot and oyster mushrooms are sautéed with shallots and garlic, and combined with white beans which have been cooked with lemon peels. Finished with a sprinkle of crispy toasted buckwheat, nasturtium greens and fresh truffle, the resulting dish creates an earthy, salty, dewy evocation of seasons changing.

 

Pineapple ice with a frozen white chocolate bar

The dessert course offered a palate-cleansing bowl of pineapple ice with a light drizzle of rosemary oil, alongside a frozen white chocolate bar — a whimsical idea, but one that’ll get your fingers dirty.

By the end, one walks away from the meal feeling full but not exhausted: This is no marathon of buttery decadence; rather it is a parade of freshness and flavour. With the creative curation of local ingredients (the carrot greens; the nasturtium topper; the implacable sweetness of romaine jam under a sheet of squash), Ten restaurant encourages diners to open up their perception of southern Ontario vegetables — and it works.

Ten Restaurant, 1132 College St., 416-538-3810

Toronto’s best restaurants under $50

By
lindsaylow
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0
Toronto's best restaurants under $50

Where do Toronto’s favourite chefs go when they’re off the clock? They grab burgers and tacos, just like the rest of us. We’ve reached out to 60 of the best chefs in the city and asked them for their favourite street-side, late-night, down-home eats under $50 (excluding tax, tip and alcohol). We tallied their answers for this definitive guide to Toronto’s best casual restaurants, including round-the-clock dim sum, mom and pop pho shops, and even spots dishing out heaping plates of fresh pasta covered in truffle. Without further ado, counting down from number 10 …

No. 10
WHITE LILY DINER

Toronto's best restaurants under $50

Judge Jonathan Poon of Paris Paris ranked White Lily Diner number one on his list.

Combining a respect for local provenance with greasy spoon ambitions, the White Lily Diner has been serving up doughnuts, brunch and classic diner fare from its humble Riverside abode since 2016. Now it has become a neighbourhood spot and a good neighbour to boot. Conscientious meat eaters can rest easy tucking into the Reuben sandwich, with a deeply gratuitous stack of pastrami from Butchers of Distinction (located just down the street), dressed in Russian dressing and topped with sauerkraut. The vibe is, like the menu, modern and comfortable, with a row of intimate mustard yellow booths and leafy green plants lit by vintage factory lamps.

White Lily Diner, 678 Queen E., 416-901-7800

No. 9
SUGO

Toronto's best restaurants under $50

JUDGE JANET ZUCCARINI, TOP CHEF CANADA: “For me, Sugo is an unabashedly Italian-American ‘red sauce’ joint. There’s nothing fancy going on there, but it’s a fun, relaxed neighbourhood spot.… Sometimes that’s all you need.­”

“Red sauce Italian” has never felt more apt than at Sugo, a fast-casual spot at Bloor and Lansdowne that opened in 2017. Here, sugo (an Italian word for “sauce”) is not just a name, but the soul of the place. It smothers thick slices of white veal, chicken or eggplant in its drippy sandwiches. It gets ladled hot over fresh gnocchi and staggering mountains of spaghetti and sold by the litre in nonna-approved mason jars. It’s the colour scheme: a bold, zippy tomato red that matches the checkered tablecloths and tiled floors. It’s a place that screams, in its food and its bare bones decor: Come for the famous plate-sized meatball, stay for the sugo.

Sugo, 1281 Bloor St., 416-535-1717

No. 8
PHO TIEN THANH

Toronto's best restaurants under $50

JUDGE TOP SRISOMPHAN, KHAO SAN ROAD: “My daughter and I love Pho Tien Thanh­. Great value for a filling and delicious meal.”

The stalwart of the rapidly trendifying Ossington strip, Pho Tien Thanh still has a packed house every night. Its candy floss pink walls and I LOVE PHO FOREVER sign might have been considered slapdash when it opened over 20 years ago, but it has settled into a quirky and enduring charm. The menu is at least 90 items long, but it is the pho tai, the rare beef noodle soup, and the pho dac biet, a noodle soup incorporating rare beef, flank, brisket, tendon and tripe, that keep the queue going. Really any order is a safe bet and, in the ever-evolving area, so is this place.

Pho Tien Thanh, 57 Ossington Ave., 416-588-6997

No. 7
KING’S NOODLE

Toronto's best restaurants under $50

JUDGE ANNA CHEN, ALMA: “King’s Noodle is my go-to because they always stay true to their cooking, never fading in consistency and straight up delicious food.”

Quintessentially and iconically Chinatown, King’s Noodle draws gazes up and down the street for the dripping red-skinned ducks and geese, necks attached, and Herculean slabs of barbecued pork hanging in the window. Inside, chefs in white hats work their magic over flaming woks, deep-frying dough fritters for dipping into congee and delicately turning out fresh rice rolls from a steam counter. The wonton noodle soup special is a winning combination of large lumps of shrimp wontons, dense, springy noodles and topped with sweet and soy-basted slices of barbecued pork.

King’s Noodle, 296 Spadina Ave., 416-598-1817

No. 6
SWATOW

Toronto's best restaurants under $50

JUDGE FELICIA DE ROSE, THE CHASE FISH & OYSTER: “Swatow is perfect at 1 p.m. and perfect at 3 a.m. The food is always on point. It’s exactly what you need to hit the spot, to fill that craving.”

The best time to go to Swatow is late on a Friday or Saturday night, when the room is packed with the after-drinks crowd, and servers effortlessly glide around large, circular tables refreshing waters, refilling teapots and laying heaping plates of fried rice and glistening General Tao chicken on plastic-covered tables. A good time to go is any time: for a late breakfast over steaming bowls of congee and fresh soy milk or a midday snack of salt and pepper shrimp, deep-fried to a crisp with a batter laced with Sichuan chili flakes or for a fortifying dinner, when the dizzying options of wok-fried noodles, rice and more truly open up, with each item a classic.

Swatow, 309 Spadina Ave., 416-977-0601

No. 5
HARRY’S CHARBROILED

JUDGE ROB ROSSI, GIULIETTA: “Best late-night place to grab a beer and a burger. It’s a complete throwback to far simpler times.­”

When Grant van Gameren, Nate Young and Robin Goodfellow took over Harry’s Charbroiled Dining Lounge in Parkdale, regulars of the original Harry’s were weary of the hipsterization of yet another beloved spot. Almost three years in, Harry’s has come into its own, but in a lot of ways, it’s still the same. No one item exceeds $20. The beer list, comprising Export, Labatt 50 and Canadian, is gloriously approachable, and the buns have been upgraded from classic Wonder Bread to Martin’s Potato Rolls. But between the buns are some gourmet shakeups courtesy of chef Nate Young: vegan options abound, and burgers get a boost from items like chorizo and pineapple.

Harry’s Charbroiled, 160 Springhurst Ave., 416-532-2908

No. 4
ROL SAN DIM SUM

Judge Tricia Soo of Soos chose Rol San Dim Sum as one of her top spots.

With a closing time at 4 a.m, Rol San is available practically around the clock for dim sum fanatics. The restaurant eschews dim sum carts and makes everything to order, ensuring freshness with every little bamboo-covered dish that comes out of the kitchen and into the remarkably cavernous dining room. It’s minimally decorated, with thin sheets of plastic covering each table, but the food is the star here, including the deep-fried taro puffs, with a light-as-air crispy batter encasing smooth, sweet taro paste, or the baked milk tart, a lighter and creamier version of the classic yellow egg tart served at other dim sum places.

Rol San Dim Sum, 323 Spadina Ave., 416-977-1128

No. 3
TASTE OF CHINA

JUDGE FRANCIS BERMEJO, MOTHER TONGUE: “Taste of China is one of my favourites because they offer unique dishes that other Chinese restaurants don’t — like pork cheek with XO sauce and king oyster mushrooms.­”

For a restaurant that’s been around forever, Taste of China still surprises its enthusiastic clientele of late night diners. The seafood is a focal point (apparent by the live lobsters hanging out in the tanks in the back), but ardent regulars come back for the mix of unapologetic Cantonese flavours in dishes ranging from chop suey to elaborate banquet dishes. There isn’t a better place to be introduced to the smoky seaside funk of XO sauce slathering pork cheek and king mushrooms, the oddly addictive acridity of bitter melon in a beef stir-fry and velvety chunks of lobster in a black bean sauce. Each of these faithfully rendered dishes is a quiet, reliable luxury.

Taste of China, 338 Spadina Ave., 416-348-8828

No. 2
RUDY BURGER

Judge Victor Barry of Piano Piano and Café Cancan ranked Rudy Burger number one on his list.

Customers zip in and out of Rudy’s wide double doors as fast as they can pay and scarf down a burger. It’s fast food with no hyperbole or gimmicks, just a classic Rudy, with a patty smashed to melty perfection and dressed with their creamy Rudy sauce, American cheese, lettuce and tomato, all comfortably wedged in a super-soft white bun.

Rudy Burger, 619 College St., 647-748-7839

No. 1
FAMIGLIA BALDASSARRE

JUDGE DAVID LEE, PLANTA: “When I go, I try to order half of the menu. The pasta is like no other. It’s a hidden gem!”

The line starts forming at 11:15 for a noon opening at this culinary dark horse of Geary Avenue. Behind the counter, pasta-makers stand at a large work top, forming perfectly uniform squares of ravioli, totally unfazed as the front of the room fills with hungry diners who are just getting a taste of whatever they happen to be making that day, and it’s excitingly fresh, delicious and priced suspiciously close to market value.

Famiglia Baldassarre, 122 Geary Ave., 647-293-5395

 

To view the entire Top 50 under $50 list, click below:

Top 50 Under $50

 

Thank you to the following judges who participated in Toronto’s Top 50 restaurants under $50 and Toronto’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2019:

  • Claudio Aprile  Master Chef Canada
  • Cale Elliott Armstrong  General Assembly
  • Blair Aspinall  Zucca Trattoria
  • Nick auf der Mauer  Porchetta & Co.
  • Romain Avril  Neruda
  • Suzanne Barr formerly Saturday Dinette
  • Victor Barry  Piano Piano, Café Cancan
  • Francis Bermejo  Mother Tongue
  • Hemant Bhagwani  Goa, Good Karma
  • Matt Blondin  Blondie’s
  • Michael Bonacini  O&B Restaurants
  • Ryan Campbell  Il Covo
  • Zane Caplansky  Caplansky’s Deli
  • Haan Palchu Chang  SoSo Food Club
  • David Chau  Banh Mi Boys
  • Ariel Coplan  Grand Cru Deli
  • Ted Corrado  The Drake
  • Justin Cournoyer  Actinolite
  • Anna Chen  Alma
  • Felicia De Rose  The Chase, Planta Burger
  • Miriam Echeverría  Greta Solomon’s
  • Rob Gentile  Buca Restaurants
  • Steve Gonzalez  Baro, Petty Cash
  • Craig Harding  La Palma, Constantine
  • Ben Heaton  ICONINK
  • Elia Herrera  Colibri
  • Michael Hunter  Antler
  • Daisuke Izutsu  Yukashi
  • Ann Kim  Donna’s
  • Patrick Kriss  Alo, Aloette, Alobar
  • Nicki Laborie  Bar Reyna
  • Charlotte Langley  Scout Canning
  • David Lee  Planta
  • Jackie Lin  Shoushin
  • Nick Liu  DaiLo
  • Haruna Makino  Grasshopper
  • Rosa Marinuzzi  7 Numbers
  • Niall McCotter  Peer to Peer Hospitality
  • Roger Mooking  Food Network Canada
  • Ryan Morrison  Marbl
  • Paula Navarette  Kojin
  • David Neinstein  Barque
  • Brandon Olsen  La Banane
  • Darby Piquette  ONE
  • Jonathan Poon  Paris Paris, Superpoint
  • Ivana Raca  Ufficio
  • Guy Rawlings  Montgomery’s
  • Nuit Regular  Kiin, Pai
  • Guillaume Robin  Louix Louis
  • Anthony Rose  Rose and­­­ Sons Deli, Fet Zun
  • Rob Rossi  Giulietta
  • Tricia Soo  Soos
  • Top Srisomphan  Khao San Road
  • John-Vincent Troiano  Frilu
  • Grant van Gameren  Bar Isabel, Quetzal
  • Angela Villalta  L’Unità
  • Cory Vitiello  Flock
  • Anthony Walsh  O&B Restaurants
  • Craig Wong  Patois
  • Janet Zuccarini  Top Chef Canada

Toronto’s best veal sandwiches

By
Samantha Peksa
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Toronto's Best Veal Sandwiches

An affair doesn’t have to end your marriage

By
Erin Neilly
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Dr. Jess

Cheating may be more common than you think. According to a review of 31 studies, approximately one-quarter to one-fifth of North Americans admit to having cheated, and though men are still more likely to cheat than women, women are closing the gap.

I don’t condone cheating, but I also don’t believe that every couple ought to break up after an affair. For some, cheating means the end of a relationship, and for others, it changes the course of the relationship — sometimes for the better.

Sonja and Robbie have been married for more than 15 years, and they never considered breaking up after Robbie’s affair.

“I found out while I was at work five years ago,” Sonja explains. “He called to tell me that he’d been having an affair for several months and had broken it off a few weeks back. She was pissed and had just threatened to tell me, so he wanted to get out ahead of it.”

Sonja says she felt sick to her stomach and called her sister to pick her up.

“I couldn’t even tell her what happened. I just told her I had a terrible migraine and couldn’t drive or be alone,” she says.

“I never thought of leaving him. I thought of killing him,” she says and laughs, “but we were happy together. We were in love. We actually liked each other, which is more than I can say of some of my friends who apparently have never dealt with cheating.”

After a year of therapy and four more years of prioritizing the relationship, they both report that their marriage is stronger than ever.

“We were kids when we met. We finally learned how to communicate in therapy — something our parents never modelled for us. There is no excuse for his affair, but dealing with it wasn’t the hardest thing we’ve faced in our relationship. One of the toughest parts is keeping it a secret. I know I’d be judged for staying,” she says.

The tension between the desire to work on the relationship and the fear of public shaming is common. But when others judge you for staying (or leaving), their judgment is rooted in their own fears about their own relationships.

The reality is that no relationship is perfect. Over the course of a lifetime, you will inevitably hurt one another. Having an affair may be particularly damaging or it may be yet another hurdle you face as a couple. You may consider cheating the ultimate relationship transgression, whereas others might consider  different forms of betrayal more damaging. This is why it is essential to talk about how you define monogamy and how you feel about cheating from the onset (or right now if you are yet to have these conversations).

Swansea resident Rick agrees that verbalizing your expectations and values is key. These conversations precipitated a positive shift in his marriage after his wife cheated.

“She slept with an ex-boyfriend after our first child was born, and she decided to tell me right away. I was pissed. And it still stings if I sit with it, but we understand each other better now.”

He says he wouldn’t call it a silver lining, but he does think that the conversations that followed her disclosure have made him feel more secure.

When I ask about whether he’d leave if it happened again, he nods but adds that he feels more secure now because they’re open about how they feel — the good, the bad and the ugly.

So how do you know if you can repair your relationship after an affair? First, it takes two people to repair a relationship, so if you’re both willing to put in the effort and you want to (re)create a fulfilling shared life, it’s probably worth a shot. I highly recommend working with a therapist. It’s not a guarantee that you’ll overcome the hurt of an affair, but it’s a good first step.

If you cheated and you’re willing to take responsibility for your actions and listen to your partner’s feelings (all of them), it’s a positive sign. If you’re still blaming others or if you’re invalidating your partner’s feelings, you may not be ready to make the changes required to repair the union.

If your partner cheated and you’re open to expressing what you really feel (e.g., anger, grief, fear, insecurity, inadequacy, sadness) and discussing your own needs and expectations to rebuild trust, it’s a good start. You have a right to express yourself, make requests and set new boundaries, but you don’t want to use the affair as a weapon to get what you want indefinitely.

In some cases, an affair is a symptom of other relationship issues, and in others, it’s related to the cheating partner’s own circumstances or issues. No two cases are alike, but if you set the stigma of cheating aside and focus on clarifying expectations, expressing love and exploring emotions with the goal of mutual fulfillment, I believe you can repair, recover and have an even more fulfilling relationship post-affair.

Names have been changed and details have been shared with permission from all parties.

Dr. Jessica O’Reilly is a sought-after speaker, author and sexologist. SexWithDrJess.com.

Strangers with different beliefs break bread in Toronto

By
Erin Neilly
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Mariam Shirazi

Toronto’s dining scene has always been focused on diversity, but new initiatives are bringing people together to break bread at home.

Mariam Shirazi first got the idea to open up her Ramadan iftar dinners after hearing a visiting speaker at her mosque give a sermon about breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions simply by sitting down with people and getting to know them. It was the day before Ramadan, an Islamic holy month where Muslims fast from sun-up to sun-down, marking the end of each day with an evening meal, known as iftar. Shirazi thought, “Hey, why not find a way to invite people into our home?”

It was a time when she felt there was a lot of misrepresentation of Muslims in the media. She built a website and called around to people in her network. In its inaugural year, Experience Ramadan hosted over 200 iftars.

That was three years ago. The network has expanded to 1,200 people.

“People come in not knowing about what Ramadan is or not knowing what Muslims are like because they’ve never had a chance to meet one, or they’ve never had a chance to ask questions,” she says. “It’s a really cool way for people to come in and understand a little bit of our culture, and have a good time and enjoy a celebration with us.”

Prospective guests and hosts sign up through her website, ramadan.fyi, and specify whether they wish to host or attend. Shirazi connects them, a location gets sorted out and away they go. Shirazi has hosted five dinners and attended at least 10 of them.

Her dinners often involve a mix of Pakistani and Canadian dishes. First they break the fast with dates and water, customary for most Muslims. At her typical iftar you’ll find samosas on the table, as well as chaat (a yogurt dish with chickpeas, fried lentils and spices) and pakoras. The group has also thrown a Middle Eastern feast, with  tabbouleh, kafta and shish taouk skewers with tahini sauce, ajvar and toum, a garlic sauce.

Her first dinner as a host was attended by a Christian couple from Pickering, and, she says, they spent much of the evening talking about their cultural similarities rather than differences. Now, the couple send her family a card every Eid and every Ramadan, and she sends them a Christmas card every year.

“When the New Zealand attacks happened, they sent us a card telling us that they were so sorry to hear what happened and that it was through that dinner that they got to learn about us and to realize that what they hear about in the media is not completely true,” she says.

The Intercultural Dialogue Institute (IDI) has been running a similar program since 2005. Meet Your Neighbour (MYN) matches people of different religions and cultures to get together for religious celebrations, including Easter, Shabbat dinners and iftars. This upcoming Ramadan, which starts  May 5, they expect to have 80 to 90 hosts, with around 420 guests participating in the program in nine cities across Canada.

“It’s two-way learning. It’s not just one-way learning,” says Ahmet Tamirci, the national director of IDI. “When people attend a Shabbat dinner, the guests are learning from the hosts, and the hosts are learning from the guests.”

There has never been a better time for cultural dialogue: recent current events like the church bombings in Sri Lanka and the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, have highlighted anti-Muslim sentiment across the world.

Closer to home, a survey published last August by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center revealed that “15 per cent (five million) Canadians express views that could be construed as antisemitic.” The same survey suggested that Ontario displayed the second-highest percentage of intolerance on average, following Quebec. Last year, Statistics Canada released a report that stated that police-reported hate crime in Canada nearly doubled from the previous year.

Although participants who are willing to open their homes to strangers and bond over cultural differences are less likely to harbour racist sentiment than others, MYN organizers say that these conversations allow for a more nuanced learning process.

“One of the things that this project addresses indirectly is the need to build bridges between communities,” says Jackie Kovacs, the project co-ordinator for MYN. “We’ve given them the tools to better understand the different faiths and to have a stronger understanding of the individuals within certain faiths.”

Imam Irshad Osman works with the Danforth Islamic Centre. Last year, he attended a Shabbat dinner at a rabbi’s family home.

“Muslims and the Jewish did not have a healthy relationship throughout history,” he says. “Our enmity, our unknown enmity, which cannot be pinned down, is completely run by something that has happened miles and miles away. So how can we clear that misconception and understand?”

He says he walked away from the table inspired by their conversations, which touched on not only their cultural customs, but also harmless dinner topics, such as parenting teenagers.

“When you [get to] know a person by sitting at a dinner table, it’s not just a conversation about religion or their social values,” he says. “It’s also about their family values. You realize that you connect, and then, automatically, the labels of being a Jew or a Christian or a Buddhist or Hindu or Muslim goes away. You connect with them on a deeper level, a human-to-human level.”

A dozen Muskoka must-haves

By
Erin Neilly
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A) ’70s STYLE

“These sunglasses are very ode to John Lennon in the ’70s. This pair is very fashion forward.”
Over the Rainbow, 101 Yorkville Ave., $18

B) BOAT TOTE

“This is a great bag to jump on a boat with. It’s made of this heavy scuba fabric. It also comes with a cute cosmetic case.”
Parpar, 1766 Avenue Rd., $148

C) A NOD TO LUXURY

“Mackage, a great Canadian brand, they’ve done this beautifully soft leather baseball cap. Appropriate to wear in the city but would just give your relaxed cottage look that extra bit of edge.”
Sporting Life, 2665 Yonge St., $175

D) A STYLE STATEMENT

“You’ve got to have a big sun hat like this to protect your precious face. This is a wow piece with a great graphic design.”
Aldo, Promenade mall, $25

E) SILKY SCARF

“This beautiful silky print scarf could be worn as a sarong-style swimsuit cover up, but would also look great as a shawl.”
Canopy Blue, 2582 Yonge St., $78

F) COSY IN CASHMERE

“This is very luxurious. Imagine sitting at a campfire wrapped up in this. I love the heathered look in this pastel pink shall. It’s a forever piece.”
Andrews, Bayview Village, $398

 

Jeanne Beker
Jeanne Beker with the big sun hat ($25) from Aldo

G) BEACH DREAMS

“This sweater has a very handcrafted look in this beautiful aqua colour. It says ‘Beach,’ and not all cottages have beaches, but there’s always room for wishful thinking.”
Want, 1788 Avenue Rd., $189.95

H) SPORTY SUNNIES

“These are a good sporty pair, if you’re on a boat or lying on the dock, and they’ll do the trick to keep your eyes safe, too.”
Over the Rainbow, 101 Yorkville Ave., $18

I) HAT-TITUDE

“I love the look of a fedora. This one has this beautiful coral that’s so hot this season, with a splash of hot pink.”
Canopy Blue, 2582 Yonge St., $118

J) VINTAGE VIBES

“I just love the look of this bag. It’s in that great saffron colour with some fun tassels on the side. It looks like a handcrafted piece.”
Snapdragon Designs, 622 Mt. Pleasant Rd., $145

K) HIPSTER SHADES

“These very cool wire frames are my favourite because they look so hipster and they’re a beautiful ode to a nostalgic style.”
Over the Rainbow, 101 Yorkville Ave., $18

L) DOUBLE DUTY

“This Lolë bag is perfect for bringing leftovers home. It also has back straps that make it perfect for a hike.”
Sporting Life, 2665 Yonge St., $170

 

 

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