Ras Iville Wright understands the need for soup. I originally met Wright every week for an entire summer at Harbourfront Centre where he'd set up his giant pot at a food stall every weekend for festivals. It contained a vegan variation on Jamaican pepper pot soup: chunks of … [Read more...] about One Love Soup: Vegan and Gluten Free Minestrone
toronto
Jackpot Chicken Rice and Eating Hainanese Fancy in Toronto’s Chinatown
Seems as though Spadina Avenue, what most people think of as the home of cheap Chinese food in Toronto, is a hotbed of stellar eating. First there was Alo, the fine dining tasting menu place perched above the Avenue that has a months-long waiting list. Now there's Jackpot Chicken … [Read more...] about Jackpot Chicken Rice and Eating Hainanese Fancy in Toronto’s Chinatown
Eating Healthy in Toronto and Why you Shouldn’t Live on Papaya Alone
Should I change that title? The sentence structure is tricky because you might think I mean that you shouldn't eat nothing but papaya if you're in a relationship or don't have a roommate. But if I say that you shouldn't live on papaya and I leave off the "alone," then you might … [Read more...] about Eating Healthy in Toronto and Why you Shouldn’t Live on Papaya Alone
From the Top: Toronto, Miami, Aruba, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Sonoma
I guess I should start from the very beginning. I've been on the road (or, more often, in the air) for the last month-and-a-half. From Montreal, I headed to Toronto to celebrate a birthday (not mine, but you can see the gastronomic ramifications from creamy labneh to impeccable … [Read more...] about From the Top: Toronto, Miami, Aruba, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Sonoma
Byblos: An Eastern Mediterranean Feast in Toronto Worth the Money
Lentils are having a heyday. Is it because 2016 is the International Year of Pulses (so says the UN). Is it Ottolenghi? Has the London-based restaurateur, cookbook author and Guardian contributor inspired this high-end restauraurant in Toronto? Whatever the reason, it's very … [Read more...] about Byblos: An Eastern Mediterranean Feast in Toronto Worth the Money
On Uni, Sweet Shrimp and Lake Trout Sushi
Uni is an acquired taste. I have acquired it. It wasn't hard. It's slimy, fairly bland, a little bitter (iron?), and a little sweet. I think it's the bright orange part that bothers most people. And the fact that uni is the gonads of the sea urchin. That could do it too, I … [Read more...] about On Uni, Sweet Shrimp and Lake Trout Sushi
On Reunions and Croissants
Have you ever been hit by a memory so hard it hurts? Like a wave washing from the top of your head to the bottom of your heart. There's a split second of disorientation as you're thrown off balance with a deep throb of beautiful pain. In that tiny amount of time you get to live … [Read more...] about On Reunions and Croissants
J-Town and the Best Selection of Sustainable and Unsustainable Fish, Budget Curries and Noodles, Onigiri, and Pastries Around
I’ve been trying to get to J-Town for years. But getting up to Markham is a trial for a person without a car. From the apartment where I was staying in Toronto the one-way trip would have taken 1 hour and 30 minutes by metro and bus. And I’d probably want to come back downtown … [Read more...] about J-Town and the Best Selection of Sustainable and Unsustainable Fish, Budget Curries and Noodles, Onigiri, and Pastries Around
The Urban Eatery: The Toronto Eaton’s Centre’s New North Foodcourt
The new chic-ed up north foodcourt at the Eaton Centre is…unique. Fast food abounds – Thai Express, cheap burgers, fries, shawarma, Chinese from vats with more MSG than lab rats could handle, New York Fries Poutinerie (since 1976 – the fries on the menu. The poutine is a new … [Read more...] about The Urban Eatery: The Toronto Eaton’s Centre’s New North Foodcourt
Back in the Village, Part 2: Wanda’s Pie in the Sky
I needed a sugar fix like I needed a punch in the head. But I went to Wanda's Pie in the Sky anyway. It used to be in Yorkville in Toronto but relocated to bohemian-friendly, Prada-mocking Kensington Village a few years ago. Now it even tries to cater to vegans! Vegans! At a … [Read more...] about Back in the Village, Part 2: Wanda’s Pie in the Sky