Happy American Thanksgiving! In case you don’t think it’s a thing here in Toronto, here are five places that think otherwise.

And the mad rush to open in time for the holidays continues this week (and next, and the one after that….). 

Here are the latest happenings around town:

Open:

Fresh Burger
542 Church St.

Fresh Burger celebrates their grand opening in their second location tomorrow in the Village from 6-11pm. There will be complimentary burgers from 6 -7:30 pm, and then two-for-one pricing from 7:30-11pm.

The small menu consists of mostly burgers (using fresh, daily-ground and never frozen meat), fries and poutine. However, there’s a secret menu that includes more exciting options, such as California Fries, Aloha Burger, and Bacon Mushroom Melt.

Ahh, that's better.

NAO Steakhouse
90 Avenue Rd.

Nao (pronounced now) finally opened their impressive doors on Monday evening. The space boasts 22-foot ceilings, a nine-foot chandelier, and one-of-a-kind painted mirrored panels.

Created by Hanif Harji, Charles Khabouth and Tim Foley along with Chef/Partner Stuart Cameron, this impressive, modern steakhouse features carving stations, hand-forged knives, a salt program and of course, stunning steaks with an Asian twist.

We’ll have an inside look coming your way soon.

Parlor Foods & Co.
333 King St. W.

It didn’t take long to fill the former Paese spot on King. 

Parlor Foods & Co. welcomed the public on Tuesday night, with their Canadian-focused menu, local brews on tap, rye and “screech,” and VQA wines.

And Chef Mark Cutrara posted on FB “We are open.”

Ooh, I think they’re onto something here.

SOCO Kitchen + Bar
75 Lower Simcoe St.

The new restaurant located at street level in the new Delta Hotel seats 120 with a Mediterranean-inspired menu and a chef named Daniel Craig. Choose from a wide array of dishes, including Smoked Sablefish Brandade ($12), 10 oz Dry Age Ribeye ($38), Lobster Tagliatelle ($23) and Chickpea Stew ($18).

More on this soon...

Sully’s Sandwich Kitchen
821 Gerrard St. E.

This little slip of a place offers a small array of sandwiches. Which is handy after a long shop at nearby Gerrard Square or Off the Truck.

News:
 
Last night Chef Chris McDonald held a special dinner at Cava, as he will be leaving.Taking over on Monday is Doug Penfold, as new owner and operator.

Closing:

Black Cat Fish & Chips is closing after 60 years on Saturday.

Events:

Veggielicious continues until Sunday. 

The 40th Annual One of a Kind Christmas Show starts tonight, going until Dec 7th. With over 800 artisans, you’re bound to come out with some handmade food in jars, kitchen tools and tea towels.

Tomorrow, Fonda Lola celebrates their one-year anniversary free handheld caesar salads, chili pepper eating contests, piñata breaking every hour, and a ton of tequila.  They’ll be celebrating from noon until midnight.

And celebrate the season with the launch of the Toronto Christmas Market at the Distillery tomorrow night. 

Starting Saturday and lasting until Christmas Eve, check out the #localTOmrkt at 335 Yonge St (just north of Dundas Square). Local artisans will be selling their wares (Jacqueline Poirier’s plates!), but there will be lots of food on hand, thanks to AG Macarons, Burner Pepper Sauce, CocoVie, CornPopper.ca, Gourmet Four One Six, Le Dolci and many others, as well as onsite food trucks. 

And for those of you glued to the food tube, Food Network Canada announced the second season premiere of Chopped Canada will be airing Jan 10 at 9pm. Joining celebrity chefs and judges Lynn Crawford, John Higgins Susur Lee, Roger Mooking, Michael Smith and Anne Yarymowich are Eden Grinshpan (Eden Eats), Massimo Capra (Restaurant Takeover), and Montreal's Antonio Park (PARK Restaurant) with Dean McDermott returning as host.

And lastly:

There are just a few more days to take advantage of this month's calendar of events.

This week, we give you an inside look at Patois and Loaded Pierogi.

It’s time to celebrate in style, so check out our Distinguished Guide, a carefully curated list of upscale restaurants.

The holidays will be here before you know it, so let us help with our handy holiday guide for any and all work and social functions this season.

Our brunch guide of top spots will help you unwind during the frenetic month of December.

Dine.TO is proud to be a sponsor of this year’s KitchenAid Cook for the Cure Culinary Showdown, happening this Saturday! Read all about this year's celebrity chefs and help us raise money for this important cause.