Food & CO.

The Port of Tel Aviv Food Market

2012-02-11T21:21:00.003-05:00

Just north of Tel Aviv's spectacular beach boardwalk is the port - home to restaurants, cafes, shopping, and gelato. The main draw though, is the bustling food market. Inside building 12 you'll find a number of fresh fruit and vegetable stands and also booths dedicated to cheese, meat, fish, olive oil, chocolate, halva, wine, freshly squeezed fruit juice, the Lehamim bakery and even one for cookware.

Other popular booths serve homemade pasta and smoked meat sandwiches and don't forget to stop by Sherry Herring's that specializes in open faced herring and salmon sandwiches. There are 2 restaurants - a tapas bar and the Kitchen Market (more on those to come).
On Friday's, the market expands outside on both sides of building 12, with more venders selling everything from nuts and jams, to flowers and perfect challah for shabbat.

Yours Truly

2012-01-24T23:25:00.000-05:00

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to go to Noma in Copenhagen, you can now have a taste of it in Toronto. Well sorta. Chef Jeff Claudio who worked as a stager at the number one ranked restaurant in the world, is now at the newly opened Yours Truly on Ossington, just south of Dundas. From hearing stories of the forest to table dinners and unique serving styles at Noma, it's hard not to see a little bit of that influence at YT.

The menu consists of bar snacks and two fixed price four course dinners - vegetarian ($35) and meat ($45).

The first thing brought to the table were two leaves of spinach with a dollop of some sort of butter cream and sprinkled with rye breadcrumbs (looks like dirt, which is the point). We also got sent salmon tartar served in jar lids, split pea soup with ham hock, and the snacks we ordered - doubles - chickpea dahl with goat sour cream and lobster rolls on sweet Portuguese massa bread. Both amazing.

As for the daily tasting menus, there was particular interest in trying the vegetarian. It's no secret that 2012 is all about the veggies. The full menu is posted below but the standout dish was the pureed potato, roasted, dill and milk with fresh potato chips served in a jar. The dessert, simple, but also quite spectacular - yogurt completely covering the cake with muesli, parsnip and foam.
Our suggestion is go for afterwork drinks, order a bunch of bar snacks and be amazed at chefs creative creations.

Playa Cabana

2012-01-07T18:30:00.002-05:00

Playa Cabana is another new Mexican restaurant in Toronto that's serving up some very good tacos. Open only about 6 months, Playa prides themselves on how extremely fresh and local their ingredients are. Read this to find out more.
The gauc and chips are a must as is the nachos a la plancha, which is sorta like a Mexican pizza with oaxaca cheese, black vegetarian beans and re-seared pinto and chorizo. The corn on the cob is smothered in cheese and spices and looks amazing but prepare yourself, it's intense. The tacos come 3 on a plate and are priced between $12-$13. Pictured in the order below are - the fish (grilled not fried), deep fried shrimp, carnitas - gently roasted pork, and very spicy beef shortrib and braised brisket. All worth trying.

The Best 15 Food & CO. Photos of 2011

2011-12-27T23:17:00.001-05:00

Scrolling through the thousands of photos we took in 2011, to highlight just 10 for our last post of the year, was well, not an easy task. We settled for 15. From Israel to New York, pies to doughnuts, inside kitchens to outdoor markets, here's the best.

Thank you for continuing to check out the blog and be sure to let us know in the comment section what your favourite photo is.

Jamie Kennedy's son tossing those famous french fries on a Saturday morning at Brickworks market in Toronto.

The first ice cream truck 'swirl' of spring. Always a good day.

Grilled octopus at Luma restaurant in Toronto's TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Boy gazing at baked goods in the window of London's Ottolenghi.

Time for a few shots after a bustling lunch at Machneyuda restaurant in Jerusalem.

Fried chicken and biscuits never tasted this good. You can try it for yourself at Andrew Carmellini's New York restaurant The Dutch.

TBD dinner #2 at Poutini's restaurant in Toronto.

Toronto restaurant Campagnolo's burrata and roasted grapes.

Steaming bowls of mushroom soup at Tali Freedman's Jerusalem Machane Yehuda market cooking studio.

Never a dull moment in the kitchen at Toronto's Woodlot restaurant.

Peels restaurant in New York turned out this ridiculous, melt in your mouth, dulce de leche banana doughnut.

The Boulevard Raspail food market in Paris.

Toronto restaurant Campagnolo's dark and stormy.

Confit pork shoulder poutine at TBD dinner #2 at Poutini's in Toronto.

The best looking blueberry pie at Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ontario.

Cheesewerks

2011-12-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

Time for the photos from our visit to Cheesewerks - the second grilled cheese restaurant to open in Toronto this month.
Located at Bathurst and Wellington, we declare Cheesewerks the clear winner (vs. The Construction Site) when it comes to creativity and sandwich options.
Just looking at the menu can cause extreme mouthwatering and confusion because it's just so damn hard to figure out which one to eat. Seen below are - the original (made with double smoked cheddar on cracked peppercorn sourdough), the Korea town (winning combo of gruyere and kimchi), the Los Angeles (havarti, smashed avocado, arugula, citrus compote), and our favourite - the Beijing (asiago, BBQ pork, hoisin, green onion on green onion potato bread). Most of the items on the menu are named after places owner Kevin Durkee has traveled to and where he was inspired by the local flavours and ingredients. He promises more sandwiches will be on the way, and Cheeseworks is also very open to substitutions including different cheeses, adding in bacon, or even changing the bread. Not that we don't trust their combos but not having to feel bad about changing things around is always nice. And yes, like The Construction Site and The Grilled Cheese, the sandwiches are expensive, but the difference is at Cheesewerks, it's worth it. Note - they also have gluten free bread for those with the allergy.

Starting in the new year, Cheesewerks will be hosting events including their 'meet the maker' series which will introduce costumers to their cheese makers, a Golden Globe viewing party where they'll be serving 'red carpet grilled cheese, sweets and champagne', and even hosting a Super Bowl party with nachos and beer. Oh, did we mention they serve wine and beer...

The Construction Site

2011-12-24T10:44:00.001-05:00

The Construction Site is one of the two new grilled cheese restaurants that opened in Toronto this month. Why all of a sudden this surge in greasy cheesy goodness? Not sure, but no complaints here. We're just happy that The Grilled Cheese in Kensington is finally getting some much needed competition.

It's hard not to miss the entrance of The Construction Site with the huge cheese flags waving out front on Yonge Street. The fairly large space occupies the former Druxys deli just south of Eglinton. On the menu are 5 different grilled cheese options plus a daily special and a s'more sandwich. Pictured in this post is the all day breakfast that's made with aged cheddar and an egg. I added tomato but left out the bacon and asked for my egg to be fairly runny, which it was, so points there. They also grill you the part that was cut out for the egg and call it the nibbler (in case you were wondering what that meant on the menu...I did). To finish it off, the sandwiches are served with rosemary seasoned potato chips.

What's interesting though and will keep the diehard cheezies coming back, is at the end of every month, the lowest selling sandwich gets bumped off the menu and is replaced by the best selling daily special. You can take a look at their specials here.

Piola

2011-12-22T00:36:00.001-05:00

The Italian chain opens on Queen West under the new condos across from The Drake. Piola comes to us straight from Treviso, Italy where it was founded in 1986 and has since expanded to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Turkey, Honduras and the US including New York and Miami. Piola's 20+ pizzas are the main draw here. They are thin crust of course and baked in a brick oven and the tricky part is deciding which one to order. Unlike Libretto nearby, they do take reservations. And a couple other cool things - on the 29th day of each month it's all you can eat gnocchi for $15, they'll serve afterwork 'aperitif drinks and pre-dinner snacks, and they've got some interesting chairs made of old t-shirts and jeans. Not the most comfortable to sit in, but nice to look at. Try the tiramisu for dessert, it was the best out of the bunch.

Grand Electric

2011-12-20T12:11:00.002-05:00

Toronto has found its best new tacos and they're at Grand Electric. They're the perfect size, perfect filling, perfect topping, pretty much perfect everything. Order individual tacos for 3 bucks a pop, mix and match, be sure to get a taste of each one. The baja fish is the taco not to be missed. The lightly battered fish doesn't feel too heavy or greasy. The juicy beef cheek came in second, followed by the sweet pork belly and spicy chicken. Order the guacamole and fresh tortilla chips to start and a round of the grand electric bourbon sours. They also have an extensive bourbon menu to watch out for.
Word has spread about this place so if you don't like waiting, go at 6 when they open or later at night. And if you are waiting for a table, there's always the Parkdale public library...

Loblaws Maple Leaf Gardens - The Dessert Counter

2011-12-11T22:07:00.002-05:00

Giant chocolate cups meet fudge, meet cupcakes, meet chocolate bark, meet chocolate covered pretzels, meet candy apples, meet truffles, plus so much more at the coma inducing dessert counter inside the new Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens. Good luck leaving with just one treat.

Dynasty Dim Sum

2011-12-07T23:01:00.000-05:00

Weekend dim sum doesn't get much better than this. Dynasty, the midtown staple, which recently relocated from Bloor Street to Yorkville (close to Bay), serves up all the usual mouth watering dishes including - BBQ pork buns, har gow (shrimp dumplings), steamed scallop dumplings, sticky rice, plus so much more. Be safe and make a reservation.

Briscola

2011-12-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

Take a look at two delicious pasta dishes from Briscola. The first is a pappardelle with bison bolognese and ricotta, and the second is a butternut squash risotto.

Which one would you order?

Libretto goes East

2011-11-26T14:43:00.001-05:00

The popular pizzeria opens a second larger location on the Danforth, and the best part, unlike their Ossington restaurant, takes reservations. Dropping in midway through their first week, not surprisingly the place is jammed. There's also a basement bar with additional seating. The Gragnano wine pictured below is a chilled sparkling red, a perfect choice to go with your meal. The pizzas we ordered and shared were the house-made sausage with caramelized onion, mozzarella and chili oil, the duck confit with mozzarella and pear, and the four cheese with a special addition of freshly shaved prosciutto. Libretto Danforth is open for lunch and dinner.

Aroma Espresso Bar & Restaurant

2011-11-20T14:20:00.001-05:00

Israel's healthy food culture has found roots in Toronto via Aroma Espresso Bar. The coffee chain, born in Jerusalem, now has 5 locations in and around our city, including locations at Yonge and Eglinton and the Annex - where the photos posted below were taken. For breakfast and lunch in Israel, it's all about eggs, salad and cheese, and that's exactly what you'll find on the menu at Aroma. The power breakfast comes with 2 eggs, mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta, cream cheese, and bread and butter. Some of their salads include - sweet potato lentil, warm chickpea, quinoa, mozzarella, and of course the chopped, with cucumbers and tomatoes - the famous salad you will see everywhere in Israel.

Not to be missed is their alfajores, two shortbread cookies sandwiched between a rich caramel spread. It's one of the best things you'll ever eat. Get a few.

Meatballs for dinner? Yes please!

2011-11-13T19:50:00.001-05:00

On a very rainy and cold November night, there's nothing more perfect then enjoying the ultimate comfort food. Who doesn't love a good meatball, right!? And at Hey Meatball, on College Street just East of Ossington, you guessed it, it's all about the balls.

Step up to the counter and deiced between the 4 mains written on the chalkboard. Each one is priced at $11 and the sides are $5. Put in your order, grab a seat and wait for your number to be called. Simple as that.

Below are the pork/beef balls in tomato sauce with rigatoni, side of roasted beets, 'the rodfather' - pork/beef balls with tomato sauce on ciabatta and the mushroom eggplant vegan balls with a parmesan sauce on polenta. A few things to note - the tomato sauce is sweet but good sweet, the rodfather sandwich is deliciously sloppy and soggy, and even though the vegan balls looked burnt to a crisp, they were perfect.

The Combine Eatery

2011-11-12T15:42:00.001-05:00

The search for Toronto's best tacos continue in the Danforth at new restaurant Combine Eatery. Sadly they were sold out of the venison tacos, which are said to be one of their best, so we settled on the fish and beef. The vegetarians at the table got the veggie fritter tacos. After the meal everyone was satisfied, although the very juicy beef taco was so stuffed full of meat we couldn't finish it. The mac and cheese is a great dish for the table to share as an app.

Desmond & Beatrice

2011-11-09T23:07:00.001-05:00

Newish cupcake and bakeshop on Queen Street just East of Broadview. If you're walking by and feel like something sweet, it's definitely worth a pop in. And unlike a lot of other cupcake places in Toronto, Desmond & Beatrice actually has seating.

Brunch at George Street Diner

2011-11-06T19:27:00.000-05:00

Don't miss this cool spot for breakfast or lunch on Richmond Street, just East of Jarvis (129 George Street). The photos below are of the omelet of the day (which had bacon cooked into it) and the fruity stuffed french toast. Also keep in mind this is a good place to come if the wait at Le Petite Dejeuner is too long, although GSD may also have a line too. Ah, the joys of brunching in Toronto.

iQ Food Co.

2011-11-06T18:45:00.001-05:00

One of the most satisfying take-out places in the downtown core, iQ Food Co. offers friendly service and visually pleasing/healthy meals in a box. Located in the lower food court at York and Wellington, they also offer salads, soups and wraps, but the hot boxes are definitely the draw. Before you go, take a look at the menu here, and scroll over the name of the dish you want, to see the nutritional value. Pictured below are the lima (grilled chicken, white cheddar, avocado, corn, black beans, grape tomatoes, cilantro, brown rice and a chili lime sauce), the marathon and the miso miso. With tax each box comes to $10.00.

TBD

2011-10-29T17:11:00.005-04:00

On a warm summer night in August, a small group of 20 somethings gather in Poutini’s, cooling off with mason jarred sangrias - a sweet but only temporary relief from the sweltering heat. What's brought these 12 people together is a new monthly dinner party called TBD.

Daniel Gutter and Sukko Stach pace feverishly back and forth on the second floor rooftop, making sure every last detail is in place. It’s only their second dinner, but the pair who both work in the restaurant business, have this down. “We want to provide Torontonians with an intimate, casual, always changing and exceptional dining experience. We’re not the only ones in the city doing it, but that’s ok because there’s plenty of room for all of us” Daniel says, and he's right. Toronto has seen its fair share of pop ups, Charlie’s Burgers for one, but what’s different about TBD, are the two young, ambitious and creative guys driving it.

Sukko says where they actually got the idea for TBD may surprise you - “we read about the trend of culinary students in Paris cooking in their apartments as practice, and we asked ourselves if we could do that in Toronto. Since we aren’t chefs, our first challenge was, who would cook for us? Given that we had no money, we thought to approach sous-chefs that would do it for self promotion, and the opportunity to showcase themselves.” And so far it’s worked. Dinner one saw Grace’s Dustin Gallagher serve up seven courses, while back at dinner two, the chefs at Poutini’s are putting out a hearty five. As people take their seats around the wooden picnic table, and introduce themselves to one another, Dan and Sukko pour distilled water from old liquour bottles, just one of the many small details that don't go unnoticed. There are the paper fans on the table, the mismatched cutlery, the floral plates, and the secondhand champagne flutes still engraved with the previous owners names.

Each course proved more impressive than the next. Dinner started with what else, poutine, topped with tender confit pork shoulder, Poutini's gravy, curds and fried sage. The plates were licked clean. Next was a sweetbread salad. The sweetbreads were grilled on the bbq and platted beside heirloom tomatoes, smoked bread, arugula and chimichurri. Then came the Rowe Farms duck duo, which included a confit leg, seared breast, blistered peas and Ontario corn. Fourth course, beer sorbet with pineapple juice and hop sugar. And dessert, Kate's pudding chomeur, with maple brown sugar and some very spicy vanilla cayenne ice cream. Each dish was paired with a wine. The beer sorbet came with a Steam Whistle and dessert came with a sparkling apple cider. It's no surprise by the end of the mammoth meal all the guests were stuffed and there may have also been some reports of meat sweats.

TBD dinner two came in at $75 per person, the reason it drew a younger foodie crowd. The other nights have been more expensive. The boys indicate that's the plan – some will be more high end than others. It’s all to be determined. To sign up for their monthly email go to www.tbdtoronto.com

Joe Beef at The Drake Hotel

2011-10-27T17:46:00.001-04:00

Here are some shots from inside Bonnie Stern's book club event for David McMillan and Fred Morin at The Drake Hotel. Be sure to check out The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts.

A Look Inside The Drake Hotel's Kitchen

2011-10-23T16:19:00.000-04:00

The Drake Hotel and Bonnie Stern recently hosted an evening for Joe Beef restauranteurs David McMillan and Fred Morin to celebrate the launch of their new book 'The Art of Living.' I was let into the kitchen and snapped a few photos of the well organized chaos.

The County General

2011-10-20T21:12:00.004-04:00

There was a whole lot of pressure on the restaurant that was going into the beloved Oddfellows space at Queen and Shaw. Lucky for us, it's The County General. From the owners of Splendido, this very wooden and cottagey room has everyone pretty pleased for brunch, lunch, dinner and late night eats.

The photos posted here are from a recent brunch visit, where a group of us ordered almost the entire menu (minus the burger and a couple desserts). What we did order was the English breakfast, the French omelet, the eggs benedict, the corned beef hash with pork belly, the croque madame and the fried chicken thigh sandwich with avocado chutney. The last two dishes were our favourite, while the hash, served a little dry, would have been perfect with a poached egg on it. The apple pie, served warm, worked as a nice light treat at the end of the meal. Not on the brunch menu, the already famous pork buns, which means another visit is going to happen very soon.

Fusia Dog

2011-10-16T18:50:00.002-04:00

Dina Koo's Fusia Dog is now open on Duncan just south of Queen Street. Ditch that street meat and head here for a gourmet/good quality hot dog and some house made chips. For first time visitors, start off with their signature fusia dog that's loaded with kim chee, carrot salad, wasabi mayo, and coriander, that's all wrapped up in a paratha (Indian flat bread). Other interesting dog combos: fried pork belly with cream cheese, pickles and mustard; stir fried veggies with hoisin ketchup and hickory potato sticks; baked beans, bacon, fried onions and cheddar cheese; and grilled veggies with roasted garlic, black olive tomato salsa, feta cheese and pesto. There's also a peking duck quesadilla and for all the non meat eaters, they've got veggie patties, tufo dogs and some delicious 'power slaw' made up of red cabbage, cheddar cheese, chopped up veggies, raisins and pumpkin seeds.

PHOTO - Pulled Pork Tacos at Chipotle

2011-10-16T12:44:00.001-04:00

L'ouvrier Kitchen Bar

2011-10-15T09:23:00.002-04:00

With new restaurants popping up every few weeks and the old favourites still on top, Dundas Street West between Bathurst and Ossington is the buzziest block in Toronto. There's Enoteca Sociale, Campangolo, Black Hoof, not to mention coming soon is a restaurant from Susur Lee and his sons, plus Jamie Kennedy's recent take over of the food shop Provenance. Just west of Bathurst there's another welcome addition - L'ouvrier.

Order the charcuterie to start. It comes with chicken liver pate and smoked ham hock croquettes that are stuffed to the max with juicy meat. The daily fish tartar was tuna, which came with avocado and chips. The squash 'love letter' ravioli with pumpkin seeds is a perfect fall dish as is the rich duck confit sitting on pan-fried gnocchi. The scallops, cooked perfectly, work better as a sharing dish. Dessert was an apple and olive oil cake iced with a maple syrup cream cheese spread. It's impressive for a brand new restaurant to get it right, right away. Friendly staff, very cool design and the food will only get better.

El Trompo Taco Bar

2011-10-09T00:28:00.000-04:00

In the mood for tacos? Head to Kensington Market's little gem El Trompo for some of the best soft shell in Toronto. They don't have fish, but the 'tinga' chicken are very good. So are the beef, which you can add cheese to, which you should. The pork isn't a must try. It should have been pulled instead of the big chunks. Order the gauc to start and you'll have plenty leftover to use as spread on the tacos.

Nadege Sandwiches

2011-10-08T11:34:00.001-04:00

Nadege sandwiches on Queen Street West. Just because.

Inigo

2011-10-08T11:21:00.000-04:00

If you live in the area, or just visiting Trinity Bellwoods, Inigo is a great place for a quick, delicious and healthy meal. Chicken is their thing - you can order a quarter, half or whole bird, with brown rice and different sides. Think of it like a gourmet Swiss Chalet. The peruvian chicken, also pictured below, was extremely tender and flavorful. Inigo is located at 927 Queen Street West, directly across from TB park. Closed on Mondays.

Picnic at the Brick Works

2011-10-02T21:49:00.003-04:00

It may have been very cold and very wet but Toronto's die hard foodies were out in full force today for the 5th annual picnic at the Brick Works. All proceeds from the event go to children's food programs at Evergreen and Slow Food Toronto. This year's standout dishes include Enoteca Sociale's cheese fondue, Le Petit Dejeuner's fruit waffles, Marben's twice baked potatoes, Hooked with their lake trout tostada, Luma's chicken liver pate, and Chez Vous' egg, sausage and mustard sandwich. But by far our favourite was Woodlot, serving a cornmeal flatbread with chestnut squash puree, seared halloumi cheese, maple apple chutney and toasted sage.

Chinatown comes to The Drake

2011-10-02T11:07:00.000-04:00

In early September The Drake Hotel launched their latest dining roadshow - Chinatown. Head chef Anthony Rose offers his tantalizing take on Queen West Asian cuisine until mid November, so don't miss it. Everything we ate, we loved. Here's the rundown in order of the photos below - firecracker maple shrimp, BBQ orange chicken and shrimp egg rolls, tiger lily tuna, short rib and pumpkin potstickers, Chinatown baby back ribs, beef and broccoli (Cumbrae's strip steak), sesame and ginger cashew chicken, pork belly fried rice, white chocolate eclair with mango mousse, and ginger and vanilla panna cotta.

The menu also features combo dinners for two, four and six. And there's nothing better than personalized Drake fortune cookies at the end of the meal.

Toronto Underground Market

2011-09-26T21:38:00.002-04:00

It was like Queen Street West meets the foodies of Forest Hill at the first edition of Toronto's underground food market on Saturday September 24th at Brick Works. Over 25 up-and-coming chefs and home cooks were thrust into the spotlight, as large lines formed with hungry eaters hoping to get a bite of something different. The press release describes TUM as "a new kind of community market; not a farmer's market, or a food festival, but something completely unique and new to toronto."

And what was new, at least for a lot of people, was the cornbread grilled cheese sandwiches that Comida Del Pueblo (food of the people) were serving. The crumbly, gooey cheddar creations with guacamole and sour cream smeared on top, had a line 30 minutes deep. This kept Manuel Romero, Josh Standing and Guillermo Escalante very busy on their first time out. Although they were smiling looking at the line, one of the boys did admit they wish they'd brought another grill. Lesson learned, we hope. The next TUM is on October 22. It's already sold out.

Grey Goose Soho House - Cookhouse

2011-09-22T19:52:00.001-04:00

During the Toronto International Film Festival, the Grey Goose Soho House is the place to party, hosting the world's biggest stars. This year of course was no different - George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Madonna, Mark Wahlberg (the list goes on) all stopped by for a drink, a bite (perhaps) and schmoozed in this newly renovated space at King and Duncan. The furniture is brought in specially from across North America, so they mean business.

The Soho House, a popular private members club with locations in the U.K., Germany, and U.S. including New York, Los Angeles and Miami, has launched Cookhouse. The new program is aimed at educating and training young chefs, setting them up with jobs at Soho House restaurants and clubs, and then releasing them back into the culinary world.

On Saturday Sept 10th, GG SH hosted a lunch for some of Toronto's foodies and cooking educators to spread the word. After everyone was seated, out came the 'feed me now' platters - topped with bufala mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, octopus and seared tuna. Next, three different kinds of ravioli, one of which, the lobster, was so delicious it was dangerous. After that, salmon and steak with fresh vegetables and truffled mushroom risotto. Desserts included shooter style tiramisu and chocolate profiteroles. Lucky for us, Soho House is scouting locations for its very own Toronto club. Will they accept membership applications just to gain access to the lobster ravioli? Let's hope.

The Bowery (in Toronto)

2011-09-21T18:13:00.004-04:00

Not to be confused with New York's, Toronto now has its very own Bowery. Located on Colbourne Street, it's worth a visit for a drink and/or bite. The beet salad proved to be impressively plated, sprinkled with big pieces of bacon. The burgers came with giant onion rings on top. The neon orange detailing inside was a nice touch too.

Grand Bend - Where to Eat

2011-09-21T09:06:00.001-04:00

For a weekend escape not too far from Toronto, head to Grand Bend. The sandy beach and mesmerizing crystal blue waters of Lake Huron will make you completely forget that the big city is only 2 hours away.

When it comes to the food, there are plenty of options down Main Street, especially for ice cream. Below are a few of the places we tried.

The Growling Gator -

This pub is the closest spot to the beach and has a massive menu, so everyone will find something they like. For starters order the deep fried ravioli and the nachos.

The Dairy Dip -

After lunch and then again after dinner (yes that happened), indulge in your wildest ice cream fantasies. Soft serve, dipped cones, sundaes, and slushys - they have it all.

Aunt Gussie's -

Even though it's off Main Street, head here for brunch. The huge homemade cinnabuns and pies are served fresh from the oven...worth the drive.

BEST'S -

If you don't feel like you're living in another era while visiting GB, stop for a quick lunch at BEST'S and then you will. Their homemade ice cream is delicious.

PHOTO: Singapore Slaw at LEE

2011-09-20T09:24:00.000-04:00

PHOTO: Fish Taco @ Bannock

2011-09-20T09:12:00.001-04:00

Pickerel taco and cucumber apple salad on a steamed bun with caviar tartar at Bannock.

Parkette

2011-09-20T00:04:00.001-04:00

Just steps West of Trinity Bellwoods Park on Queen Street, Parkette offers a small, uncomplicated yet sophisticated enough brunch, which isn't a bad thing, because what's better than uncomplicated on a Sunday morning, right?

The communal park bench and table is inviting, as is the wood flooring, brick wall and slight retro feel.

Pictured below is the vegetarian eggs benedict and the pulled pork shoulder 'sandwich of the day.' Also ordered was the regular benedict which came with a thick slice of pork belly. Parkette is open for dinner as well as brunch.

Bannock

2011-08-30T22:32:00.005-04:00

Oliver & Bonacini's latest creation has arrived in Toronto, and it's called Bannock. Born just yesterday at Bay and Queen, inside the Hudson's Bay Company, the place is already buzzing, and the food is already good. The Canadiana chic theme is weaved into the fun menu full of drool worthy dishes. The boneless back rib burger sounded too good to be true (and kinda like the McRib). I ate it more like an open faced sandwich but the meat was tender and perfectly sauced in maple mustard deliciousness. Also pictured is the chicken pot pie and the sour cream donuts, a perfect way to end the meal, warm and very sweet.

Spotted the fish tacos going by, it's on my list for next time. The roast duck poutine pizza sounds intense. The waitress pointed out the french fries are fried 3 times.

At Bannock you can dine in or take out from their grab and go menu. See you soon!

More from Langdon Hall

2011-08-24T22:23:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, we ate even more at Langdon Hall. Here are the rest of the photos from the two day food fest.

Breakfast -
Nova Scotia Lobster Ragout with wild mushrooms, leeks and poached eggs
Rye Whiskey French Toast

Lunch -
Cornmeal crusted perch
Shrimp quesadillas
Onion rings
Pork belly sandwich
Kale caesar salad
Beef cheek poutine

**Be sure to ask about their multiple lunch menus.

Langdon Hall Summer BBQ

2011-08-16T23:34:00.000-04:00

For the second summer in a row, Langdon Hall hosts its Friday night outdoor BBQ dinners. Last week's 'southern BBQ,' put on by Bonnie Stern and Mitchell Davis, judge of the Food Network's Best in Smoke, was a big hit. The menu included: fried bread and butter pickles with beer mustard; skillet corn bread; angel biscuits; smoked whitefish pate; blue smoke deviled eggs; grilled water mellon; sweet pickle potato salad; stacked cornbread vegetable salsa salad; red cabbage slaw with peanuts; crispy spicy southern mustard cole slaw; 17th street tangy pit beans; iron skillet mac & cheese; bacon wrapped shrimp; fried oysters; smoked chicken wings; brisket; smoked portobello mushrooms; flank steak tacos with green tomato salsa; coal fired sweet potatoes; and grand world champion ribs.

On the delicious desserts table - pecan pie, apple nut cake, peanut butter pie, brown butter blueberry pie, and peach and bourbon hand pies.

Exploring Brickworks

2011-08-10T07:34:00.000-04:00

PIX Bar - London

2011-08-06T17:47:00.000-04:00

Stop into PIX Bar if you're looking for a food fix after doing some shopping on Covent Garden's Neal Street. Tons of tapas options to choose from, as well as wine.

Dishoom Southbank Pop-Up - London

2011-08-06T17:22:00.002-04:00

Dishoom, London's first Bombay cafe, has opened a pop-up this summer in the Southbank by Waterloo bridge. Situated along the Thames makeshift beach, the buildings bright colours draw you right inside. The menu features items like a variety of naan rolls - sausage, bacon, egg, and lamb, smaller 'beach snacks' like calamari, vegetable samosas, spiced potatoes, and chutney in a bun, and also chicken and veg curry. The photo below is of the bacon naan roll with smoked back bacon and homemade chilli jam. All the food comes in takeout containers, so you can either eat it inside, or go down by the 'beach,' find a seat and enjoy the view. If you're thirsty, which you should be, the drink menu is also quite spectacular. Order the naughty coconut and you'll find yourself with, yes the whole coconut, filled with rum.

Barque

2011-08-05T11:19:00.000-04:00

What do you do when you hit Toronto's newest BBQ joint called Barque? You order a lot of food. A few notes: the caesar is rimmed with bacon bits; spiced popcorn to snack on before you order; individual pastry brushes to paint your meat; delicious starters including - peel 'n' eat shrimp, brisket poutine, smoked Miami beef ribs, pulled pork nachos; sampler platter that lets you try mostly everything - chicken thighs, baby back ribs, brisket and beef ribs; and lots of sides like fries, caesar salad, spinach salad, cuban corn and potato salad. No A/C in the Ronscesvalles resto but lots of fans to keep you cool. This place is busy, so book in advance, or prepare to wait.

Acadia

2011-08-01T19:53:00.005-04:00

The newly opened Acadia, finds itself smack in the middle of one of College Street West's busiest intersections, across from the popular Cafe Diplomatico. Acadia will be just as busy soon, so this is the perfect time to go.

Although the menu is small, the flavours, taste and colours of the dishes perfectly compensate. The restaurant starts you off with an assortment of pickled vegetables and quail eggs. One of the starters - crab stuffed inside squash blossom, came highly recommended by our knowledgeable and enthusiastic waiter (formally of Origin), and promised 'it's the perfect summer dish.' Well, it lived up to the description, and so did the mains - delicious, saucy and tender pork ribs and milk fed veal rack with yam dumplings. Acadia's pancake style take on corn bread is a nice change, and the whipped sweet potato butter, a great touch. Two choices for dessert include a sugar pie, and the extremely rich 'chocolate bar.' If you like chocolate, you'll love it, although it would have been better warm. If neither of those are your thing, just scoot down College to The Big Chill.

Prairie Girl Bakery

2011-07-31T18:32:00.002-04:00

If you're in the downtown Toronto core, find this little hidden cupcake bakery for a sweet treat. They aren't as good as Sweet Bliss (the cupcake snobery comes out) but they'll do the trick when in need. The address is 18 King Street East, which is a bit confusing because it's just north of King on Victoria.

Ottolenghi - London

2011-07-21T18:29:00.000-04:00

With four locations in London, Ottolenghi offers fresh and beautiful ready made food and pastries. Just walk in and you'll be blown away by the overflowing salads and ridiculous sweet looking treats. The staff loads up a box for you, after which is weighed. Be sure to keep an eye on how much you are actually getting, it can add up quickly. I may have dropped a good 20 pounds on lunch.

And as good as the salads are, the desserts are better. The lemon blueberry cupcake was one of the best I've had. Same goes for the chocolate chip cookie. The brownie, so gooey with big hazelnuts baked inside. Not all the locations have seating, so find a park nearby.

They've also opened a restaurant called Nopi which is said to be great. Let me know if you go.

Doughnut Plant - NYC

2011-07-16T14:10:00.000-04:00

This must visit New York City doughnut shoppe has every flavour you could think of, even creme brulee. Click here to check out some of the others. And as far as doughnuts go, on a quality scale, these must rate pretty high - 'no trans fats, no preservatives, no artificial flavouring and no eggs.'

This ain't no Tim Horton's.

Enoteca Sociale

2011-07-16T09:08:00.001-04:00

Carb overload at Enoteca Sociale. But worth it of course.

Campagnolo

2011-07-11T10:10:00.002-04:00

Campagnolo's big windows overlooking Dundas Street West and Euclid Avenue let in so much light, every photo came out stunning. More spacious than imagined, getting a table on a Sunday night was surprisingly easy, especially since hearing the night before, actress Jessica Biel was turned away because there was no room. Other well known faces were already there including members of Metric, Arcade Fire and K-OS. Back to Sunday, it was also early, so that helped too.

The resto's motto posted on their website - 'good honest home cooked food,' certainly rang true. Here is the rundown; house made baguette and gougeres; summer squash arancini with taleggio cheese; local burrata with roasted grapes and toasted bread; treviso and escarole salad with grilled nectarines and candied walnuts; chickpea and proscuitto agnolotii with cauliflower and fava beans; and organic steak with wild mushrooms, truffled matchsticks and smoked gorgonzola butter. The roasted grapes on the burrata and toast worked well. Drinks were also great. Try the dark and stormy. Dessert may have been the best concoction though - a butterscotch pudding with caramel and chucks of chocolate meringue.

Summer School at The Drake Hotel

2011-06-26T16:55:00.004-04:00

The Drake Hotel continues their coolness domination with their latest pop up venture. This time it's in the dining room, which was converted into 'the summer school dining hall' in just 2 days. They serve spiked juice boxes (stronger than you think), the menus are in dou-tangs, the delicious and creamy alphabet tomato soup is poured from thermos' and the kitsch list continues. Chef Anthony Rose once again delivers, and serves up awesome dishes. Love the cheesy garlic bread, the lobster roll, the tomato soup, the meaty crab cakes, and the mac and cheese (their classic but still so good). And then there's the massive two pound Cumbrae rib steak. The photo speaks for itself.

At the launch event, we got to try almost every single thing on the menu. Never seen anything like it.

Thanks to The Drake and the gals at Rock It for the fun and delicious night.

The summer school pop up runs until early September. After that it's Chinatown.

And on a sad note, The Drake BBQ, the pop up two doors down from the hotel, is closing on July 2nd to focus energies on Summer School. If you haven't been, go this week!

ON THE LIST: La Societe Bistro

2011-06-26T16:02:00.000-04:00

After a friend texted me this photo of his lobster benny from brunch at Bloor Street's newest hot spot La Societe, it immediately shot up to the top of my must try list. Lobster + eggs benny = heaven.

P.S. I stopped by the opening party a couple weeks back and the restaurant's interior is stunning.

P.P.S. Send me your best food photos from restaurants and I'll post them! foodandcoblog@gmail.com

Photo courtesy - John Hurley

Fabarnak

2011-06-21T16:24:00.001-04:00

Grilled cheese with tomato jam, onion marmalade, Irish soda bread. Lunch at Fabarnak. Go earlier than 1pm to try the daily square peg lunch special. Today's was a sell out!

416 Snack Bar

2011-06-21T15:59:00.002-04:00

Adorable almost bite sized gourmet snacks, what's not to love, especially when they taste great too. 416 Snack Bar found on Bathurst, just North of Queen, is great for well ya, snacks, and you get to use your fingers. Stop in for a fix before the bar, after the bar, or as someone put it, just to get drunk. With prices ranging from 3-7 dollars per snack, you'll want to order at least 3 things. Seen below: the burrata crostini with roasted garlic, an oven roasted grape tomato, olive oil and sprinkled with salt; the mini mac (inspired by a Mcdonalds big mac including the toppings); and the pork bun. The smore dessert sounded good. Next time. Oh and the plates are the cutest.

Toronto Taste 2011

2011-06-12T22:24:00.002-04:00

So many delicious snaps from tonight's Toronto Taste event. Some favourites included Woodlot's asparagus salad, Ici Bistro's onion tart, L'unita's cannoli, Auberge Du Pommier's soft shell taco, Pangaea's fritters and Scarpetta's braised short rib. All the proceeds go to Second Harvest.

Cool Hand Luc

2011-06-08T23:27:00.002-04:00

It's the adorable new ice cream shop at 545 King Street West (between Spadina & Bathurst) that has everyone buzzing and it's only been open less than a week. The power of ice cream.
Owner Luc is super friendly and happy to chat. He boasts about their sorbet that's 100% fruit with no sugar, fat, gluten, lactose or eggs. He says that they will serve soup in the winter and also proudly shows off his scooping arm (his right one). The cartoon characters on the wall are a nice touch, especially the marshmallow barfing sprinkles. They'll be open late in the summer, serving up much needed scoops on hot days. It comes as no surprise after today's scorcher, a lot of the ice cream containers were almost empty. Click here to see the list of flavours.

Holts Gourmet

2011-06-03T15:45:00.000-04:00

Here's a snap of the avocado and tomato sandwich from Holts Gourmet. Found in the basement of Toronto's Holt Renfrew, Gourmet is a great stop for grab and go sandwiches, panini sandwiches, ready made meats, pastas and salads and lots of desserts and sweets. If you're looking for a lunch spot in Yorkville, don't forget about this little hidden gem.

ABC Kitchen

2011-05-31T19:20:00.002-04:00

Located in New York's ABC Carpet on 18th Street between Broadway and Park, ABC Kitchen prides itself on 'local, organic and original food.' It was also named best new restaurant by The James Beard Foundation. Book your table in advance, the place was packed and so was the bar. Fun for an after work or perhaps after shop drink.

The first three photos are of the yummy toasts - the ramp and goat cheese, chicken liver and crab with lemon aioli. Other dishes we tried out; the roast carrot and avocado salad, sugar snap pea salad, roasted beets with house made yogurt, the pretzel dusted calamari, mushroom pizza with oregano, parmesan and egg, cavatelli with spring vegetables, jersey tomato and buffalo mozzarella pizza, kasha and bowtie pasta with veal meatballs, and crispy pork belly.

For dessert, who can say no to a gourmet sundae made with salted caramel ice cream and topped with candied peanuts, popcorn, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. The apple crumble tart and chocolate cake, runners up. Nice little plates they're sitting on.

The Dutch - NYC

2011-05-19T23:31:00.002-04:00

Moving from a New York brunch to a New York lunch, The Dutch is Soho's bright new star. It's also the latest from chef Andrew Carmellini, whose other restaurant Locanda Verde, a massive hit, is jam packed every night. The Dutch will be too, and get this, it's open until 2am.

The eggplant dip is a must for the table. The chilled carrot soup is good, and good enough for reality housewife Bethenny Frankel to feed to her infant, which is what she was doing at the next table. Order the fried chicken and biscuits because you have to. Also the ricotta ravioli, and the turkey and duck sandwiches (check out the height on that turkey). And one of the most exciting things on the menu is seeing the words 'fresh pies made daily.'

Peels - NYC

2011-05-18T23:07:00.001-04:00

This is the restaurant you want to brunch at on the weekend. The poached eggs on biscuits with sausage gravy may be heavy, but it's worth it, every last bite. The dulce de leche banana doughnut (a special that day), well just look at the photo, ridiculous. You can build a biscuit - load on scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, avocado. Fun times at Peels.

Upstairs and downstairs is completely packed with mostly hipsters / young families. Outside on Bowery is quite the scene as people wait for tables, and a disheveled designer Betsy Johnson stumbles by.