Canis Restaurant

It has been a long time since I've been excited about a new restaurant here in the city. Maybe I'm harder to please now that I'm older, but I feel that the Toronto dining scene is pretty stagnant currently when it comes to creativity and offering people new things. As in, do we need another Italian restaurant? Do we really? I'm also tired of seeing gimmicky and/or "instagrammable" foods that do not deliver on taste. Do these "creations" deserve that much attention? And, sorry, I'm just not that into barbecue. Finally, against popular opinion, I want more "fine dining" or "upscale" restaurants, and less "fast casual" restaurants, please! *End rant*

So, let me just put it out there: Canis Restaurant is now one of my favourite restaurants in Toronto. Canis, which opened a month ago on 746 Queen Street West, does upscale, yet approachable, Canadian cuisine. Their menu is intricate, thoughtful and original. Canis is good. Real good. 

The interior of Canis is sleek and modern with a bright open kitchen at the back. The modest dining room features mostly concrete, wood and leather.

To start, my friend opted for beer (below) while I opted for a glass of bubbly (not pictured).

WAG THE WOLF HOPFENWEISSE ($14)

Canis' dinner menu is divided into snacks, starters, mains and desserts. I asked chef Jeff Kang if he could just bring out dishes for us since we do not have any allergies and we eat everything. So, here we go!

BREAD (complimentary)

Sourdough from Clark's Bread served with whipped garlic butter, and fresh ricotta & chimichurri. Mix together the cheese and chimichurri, and you'll literally get the best spread ever. The garlic in the butter was a bit too subtle for my taste (I love my garlic) but the sourdough was excellent.

Wahlburgers

Originally founded in 2011 as a chef-drive burger concept, Wahlburgers, the U.S.-based burger concept launched by Executive Chef Paul Wahlberg and brothers, Mark and Donnie, opened its first Canadian outpost in November 2014 in Toronto. Located at the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel on Blue Jays Way, the location is the family's first international outpost of their original Hingham, Massachusetts restaurant. With fresh made-to-order burgers, fries and frappes, Wahlburgers' menu reflects a mix of classic burgers and sides, as well as family favourites.

The 120-seat Wahlburgers Canada (or "Wahlburgers" from now on) is similar in layout to their U.S. counterparts in that it showcases a sports bar, a dine-in restaurant and a quick service take-out all under one roof. The restaurant emphasizes casual comfort food in a family-friendly environment (there was indeed quite a number of families there when I visited on a Friday night).

While burgers are the main focus, Wahlburgers (Facebook: Wahlburgers Canada, Instagram: @wahlburgersca) offers a variety of sandwiches and salads as well. Other specialties include a selection of house sides like sweet potato tots, mac 'n cheese, fresh cut Yukon Gold fries and onions rings, along with ice cream frappes and boozy frappes, Wahlburgers' alcohol-fortified version of the ice cream beverage.

Wahlburgers' "quick serve" counter with approximately 40 seats.

Levetto on College

Have you ever yearned for a hearty bowl of pasta or a slice of pizza yet splurging at a restaurant and spending three hours there just doesn't cut it because it's a Tuesday night and you have an 8 o'clock meeting tomorrow morning that you still gotta prepare for? Yeah, I know you have. The thing is there's a time and place for fancy Italian but even I'm not up for that all the time (surprise, surprise). After a long day at work all I crave sometimes is delicious food quickly. If you ever find yourself feeling this way then I suggest you give Levetto a try.

 Levetto (Twitter: @levettoresto, Facebook: Levetto) is a “fast casual” pizza and pasta joint with good price points and generous portions. There are currently five Levetto locations in Ontario - one in Vaughan, one in Waterloo, one in Baden, and two in Toronto (Liberty Village and College Street). A sixth location is in the works in Chinatown at 392 Spadina Ave.

You walk in, you order at the counter, you pay, you take a seat, and food will be served to you when it's ready. That's all there is to it at Levetto.  And, of course, you can also get your food to go. Visit their website and you'll see that some locations takes orders online for pick up and others even do delivery. For my Levetto experience I checked out their College St. location.

If you want to fancy it up a bit Levetto does alcoholic drinks as well. They have bottled beer for $5, imported beer for $6, wine by the glass for $6-$8.5 and wines by the bottle for $30-$39. Such good prices especially with the wine. This is another reason why Levetto is so appealing.

La Cubana Ossington

After eight years, Delux - a bistro serving Cuban food by day and French food by night - closed and re-opened as La Cubana Ossington in February of this year. At the time Delux owner Corinna Mozo had already opened her first, and very successful, La Cubana in Roncesvalles Village in late 2013 (I have not been to the Roncesvalles location but I always hear good things about it). A bit about Mozo: She grew up with Cuban food because her father, who spent much of his childhood at his father's diner in Cuba, would often cook Cuban food at home after emigrating to Canada. Mozo eventually became a chef and opened Delux on Ossington Avenue in 2007.

Fast forward to 2015 to La Cubana #2 or La Cubana Ossington (Twitter: @lacubana_oz, Facebook: La Cubana Ossington). The seafoam green walls, patterned tile floors, camel-coloured banquettes and brightly lit signage all give a very retro look to the Cuban snack bar.

Similar to the Roncesvalles location, La Cubana Ossington serves casual Cuban food. The difference between the two locations is that the Ossington menu is much more condensed than the one at Roncesvalles; it has a smaller selection of sandwiches and Cuban plates. Roncesvalles also offer an appetizer/snacks menu which Ossington doesn't (you can compare the menus here: Roncy menu vs. Ossington menu).

Order at the counter then take a seat. Your food will be brought to your table when it's ready.

LA CUBANA BEER ($4)

RASPBERRY LIME RICKEY ($5)

The WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro - Cooking With Beer

As if 50 gourmet burgers weren't enough, The WORKS has introduced three new limited time only burgers. From October 20 through January 4, 2015, the gourmet burger bistro will be featuring "Cooking With Beer" burgers. Think root-beer BBQ glazed pulled pork, beer barbecue sauce, and beer-battered beef patty. 

I was invited to The The WORKS' 
(Twitter: @WORKSBURGER, Facebook: The WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro) for lunch last week for a sneak preview of their "Cooking with Beer" burgers. The WORKS opened its first restaurant in 2001 in Ottawa and has now expanded across Ontario and Newfoundland. It has won numerous awards including Ottawa's best Burger for the past 13 years in a row, Kingston's / London's / Milton's Best Burger, and MacLean's Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada. The WORKS now has 25 locations across Ontario.

The WORKS is a full-service gourmet burger restaurant offering over 50 hand-prepared gourmet burgers, hand-cut fries, milkshakes and beer, which are all 100 per cent Canadian. Guests can choose from seven different patty options (beef, elk, chicken, turkey, veggie, cheese stuffed beef and mushroom cap) as well as gluten-free and vegetarian combinations. 

It was an ideal day for the rooftop patio. We didn't even need to turn on the heat lamps.

Tasty Tours' Farmer's Market Sweets Tour + 15% Promo Code!

Like chocolate? Love sweets? If your answer is "YES!" then Tasty Tours' new Farmer's Market Sweets Tour at the Distillery District is not to be missed!

Tasty Tours offers fantastic sweets & chocolate walking tours in the city (i.e. take a look when I joined their special Canada Day Sweets tour). With the Kensington Sweets Tour and the Trinity Bellwoods Chocolate Tour already in its portfolio, Tasty Tours (Twitter: @tasty_tours, Facebook: Tasty Tours Toronto) has upped its game this summer with the addition of their newest tour: the Farmer's Market Sweets Tour. 

The Distillery Sunday Market at the Distillery District (left), Audrey Ooi, founder of Tasty Tours (right).

Working with the Distillery District Sunday Market, Tasty Tours' Farmer's Market Sweets Tour is Toronto's only farmer's market tour, and the only tour in Canada dedicated exclusively on Canadian and local sweets. I've managed to condense this 2.5 hour tour into one blog post highlighting the unique stops and treats I enjoyed the most. 

By the way, I couldn't have asked for a better day for a walking tour; the sun was out and not a cloud in the sky. Just gorgeous!

The tour began at the Distillery District Sunday Market where we sampled some local, fresh, and unique products.

Spade and Spoon (@Spade_and_spoon) from Ayton, Ontario

Couple Adam and Blyth brings the latest products of their farming, market, and preserving adventures straight from their Ontario family farm to our table. Expect to find endless jars of irresistible, original and organic preserves. Here we sampled some lovely dark, medium and light grades maple syrup.

Adam of Spade and Spoon

Haute Goat (Twitter: @HauteGoat, Facebook: Haute-Goat) from Campbellford, Ontario

In the fall of 2007 the owners of Haute Goat left the city to find their own little piece of heaven just outside of Campbellford, Ontario – a big, rambley old farmhouse on 25 rolling, wooded acres and a herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats. These goats give milk with the richest butterfat content of all of the goat breeds.

Meave of Haute Goat

Bier Markt / Goose Island Brewmaster's Dinner

On Thursday April 10, Bier Markt Esplanade (@BierMarktEsplan) hosted a special #bonkersforhonkers "Bier Dinner" to celebrate the exclusive Canadian availability of Chicago's Goose Island Honker's Ale on draught at Bier Markt (Twitter: @BierMarkt, Facebook: Bier Markt). Goose Island Brewmaster Brett Porter and Bier Markt's Executive Chef Michael Cipollo narrated each course and shared tasting notes for Honker's Ale, Goose Island's Sophie, Pepe Nero and Matilda.

You'll now find Goose Island Honker's Ale on tap at all Bier Markt locations. Here are the Brewmaster's notes on Honker's Ale:

"Inspired by visits to English country pubs, Honker’s Ale combines a fruity hop aroma with a rich malt middle to create a perfectly balanced beer. Immensely drinkable, Honker’s Ale is not only the beer you can trust but one you’ll look forward to time and again."

FYI: Brewed for the first time in 1988, Honker's Ale was the first beer that Goose Island ever made!

Aside from Honker's Ale guests also had the following Goose Island beer pairings to go with each course:

Below is a recap of the evening (as well as a sneak preview of Bier Markt 's new menu debuting on April 24):

SALT SPRING MUSSELS

Baked Salt Spring BC mussels, smoked bacon & aromatics, herbed bread crumbs, beurre blanc

Pairing: Honker's Pale Ale | 4.5% ABV

Lot St: Locally Driven, Ontario Proud, Toronto Inspired

Did you know that in the early 1900's, Queen St. was called Lot St.? Paying homage to the neighbourhood's history, Lot St., which opened in August of last year, has also used "LOT" as an acronym for what diners can expect at their Queen West restaurant:

Locally Driven

Ontario Proud

Toronto Inspired

I was not at all surprised by the clever wordplay. Head chef Peter Pietruniak (@ChefPeteTO), who took over the Lot St. (Twitter: @LotStreet Facebook: LOT St) kitchen in September, has always been an advocate of local food. Petruniak once told me...

"Even before getting into this profession, I always try to eat local and make the effort to look for grown-in-Canada products. I also try to avoid eating at major chain restaurants. Supporting local has many benefits; it helps local farmers and small businesses, as well as reducing carbon footprint.  I will take a fresh Ontario peach over ANY tropical fruit; it is fresh and not ripening on a truck as it crosses the border.  I have read about many chefs who try to really show what their country has to offer. The best chefs Adria, Keller, and even Edward Tuson at Sooke Harbour House on Vancouver Island want to know where their ingredients come from.  Every chef should want that and every chef should know that food doesn't just come from the back of a truck."

There are both warm and cool tones at the restaurant. Reclaimed wood and exposed-brick keeps the room warm while the stainless steel and copper pipes elements give an industrial feel to the space.

We sat at the bar last Friday night. Chef Pietruniak was working away just 5 ft from us the entire evening.

The Saint Tavern / Amsterdam Brewery Brewmaster's Dinner

On Thursday, February 20th, The Saint Tavern (@thesainttavern) hosted their inaugural Brewmaster's Dinner. The restaurant teamed up with Amsterdam Brewery (@amsterdambeer) to kick start the exciting dinner series.

The four-course dinner consisted of select beer and collaborative food pairings by The Saint Tavern's Chef, Jesse Vallins and Amsterdam Brewery's Brewmaster, Iain McOustra. 

Here's a recap of the evening:

TO START
PARKER HOUSE ROLLS, CONFIT POTATOES, HOUSE FRUIT KETCHUP
Cooked sous vide in butter and herbs, the potatoes were then breaded with potato starch and dried potato flakes before deep frying.

FIRST COURSE

IRISH ORGANIC SALMON TARTARE

Everything bagel, cream cheese, pickled beet puree, shaved onion, dill pesto

Pairing: Order and Choas - Chardonnay Barrel aged Wit. Aged with Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus for one year

SECOND COURSE

HEIRLOOM CARROT AND IPA SOUP

Carrot bacon compote, shaved carrot salad, birch syrup

Pairing: Boneshaker - Classic American style IPA

Sausage League 2013 - Final - The Saint vs. The Drake

How time flies. It seems like only yesterday that I attended the first Sausage League battle of 2013 between Bryan Birch of Barque Smokehouse and Jesse Vallins of The Saint Tavern. It was definitely not yesterday though...more like back in May before summer even started. Oh summer, where did you go? 

Anyway, I found myself back at Marben (@MarbenResto) this past Wednesday evening for the Sausage League 2013 final. After four rigorous months of competition it was time to finally crown the Sausage King of Toronto! Will it be last year's champion, Jesse Vallins of The Saint Tavern or John Koplimae of The Drake Hotel? It must be fate because I voted for Jesse's sausage dish back in May and here he is once again :)

How Sausage League works: For $25, you get to enjoy two unique sausage dishes (one from each competitor) along with two Muskoka Brewery beers. You'll then get to cast a vote for the dish you like best. It's the same format through out the entire competition. 

Sausage League 2013 finalists ready for battle: John Koplimae of The Drake (@thedrakehotel) and Jesse Vallins of The Saint Tavern (@thesainttavern).

(Photo Credit: Marben)

I was craving for a cocktail so I ordered myself an old fashioned.

Flix + Pix + Plates

I'm a huge supporter of The Culinary Adventure Company (Twitter: @culinaryadvco, Facebook: The Culinary Adventure Company). Having been to several of their tours I must say that they are all very well-organized, fun and one-of-a-kind. Above all, I have never left their gourmet exploits hungry! Awarded Best Culinary Tourism Experience Award in 2012 from Ontario Tourism and currently ranked #3 in Tripadvisor's "Toronto Activities", chef/owner Scott Savoie strives to bring new and unique experiences for all "foodie and adrenaline junkies". Whether you are the laid-back type who enjoys discovering local neighbourhoods and their eclectic food shops / hidden gems ("no tourist traps and no chains") or more of the adventurous type who looks for elaborate culinary adventures (i.e. kayaking to the Toronto Islands for a gourmet dinner picnic or mushroom foraging), I'm confident that The Culinary Adventure Company will have something for you. And you know what? It's actually pretty fun playing tourist in your own city 'cause you can't possibly know...well...everything! For example, it was through The Culinary Adventure Company's Tour of Little Italy two years ago that I discovered Toronto Temperance Society (which is now my favourite cocktail bar)!

The latest culinary program in The Culinary Adventure Company's line-up is a Food, Film, Photography and Digital Media event series called Flix + Pix + Plates. Brought to you by The Culinary Adventure Company and CHEESEWERKS (Twitter: @CHEESEWERKS, Facebook: CHEESEWERKS), the Flix + Pix + Plate series gives food and cheese lovers a chance to enjoy a unique one-night-only dining experience inspired by feature films, food photography and other digital media sources. Flix + Pix + Plate will offer diners an all-inclusive 5-course meal and drink pairings for $65 / pp + HST or $120 per couple. Each film or photography theme will be the inspiration for the menu that evening. Held on the third-Tuesday of the month at CHEESEWERKS, guests will watch Ghostbusters in October and JFK in November.

I was invited to Flix + Pix + Plate's media preview dinner a couple of weeks ago at CHEESEWERKS (coincidentally I'm also a big fan of Kevin Durkee aka Big Cheese - check out the extensive tasting menu I had last year at CHEESEWERKS!) 

MEDIA PREVIEW MENU

Parmesan Herb Truffle Popcorn

Poulet a L'estragon sur Pate Feuilletee

Southern Fried "BLT" on Crostini w/ Lemono Basil Aioli

Neal Brothers' Maple Bacon Kettle-Style Chips

Chips are my weakness. Not chocolate, not candies. Well Pocky actually comes close but still nothing trumps chips. It's weird because I'm not even a big snacker but I cannot say no when someone offers me chips. Chips seem to have some magical power on me...a magnetic pull of some sort. If I'm at a party and there are bowls of chips out you would probably see me guarding them all night (ya I'm that girl). But the absolute worst would have to be when I'm like "Screw it I'm just gonna have a few!" and open a bag of chips at home. A few? That never happens. NEVER. More like half a bag or 3/4 of one! Then what follows is just self-loathing and it's ridiculous because it happens every single damn time.

Are you one to understand my love and hate relationship with these crispy things? If your answer is "yes, of course!" then understand that there was absolutely NO WAY I would skip out on the launch of Neal Brothers' Maple Bacon Kettle-Style Chips at Amsterdam Brewery, right? Right???

So...MAPLE. BACON. CHIPS. And as if that wasn't enticing enough, the launch event had these Maple Bacon chips paired with Amsterdam's (@amsterdambeer) selected ales, Big Wheel Amber Ale and Market Pale Ale. Oh geez beer and chips for lunch on a Tuesday? Don't mind if I do, friends.

Neal Brothers Foods Inc. (Twitter: @nealbrothers, Facebook: Neal Brothers Foods) a Toronto-based boutique distribution company, brought together maple and bacon, two emblematic Canada tastes, as the fourth flavour to their established line of kettle chips. These hand-cut chips are seasoned with rich maple and brown sugar, chili pepper and other natural flavours to create a sweet flavour accompanied with smoky and savoury notes characteristic of bacon.

Ahhh chips and beer. I had a lot some of this Big Wheel Amber Ale with my Maple Bacon chips...they go so fabulous together. An award winning amber, this Big Wheel Amber Ale is brewed with a blend of imported Pale and Crystal malts for a bright amber colour and sweet malt character then dry hopped with a blend of UK hops.