Open/Closed for the week of June 13-19

Wow - 11 new openings this week and a slew of not-to-missed events, including of course, Father’s Day. Happy Summer indeed.

Here’s the very latest:

Open:

Al Pastor  
2932 Dundas St.W.

Opened just yesterday in the Junction, this new spot has the 4-1-1 on all things taco.

Stay tuned.

Arctic Bites
21 Baldwin St.

Toronto loves it some ice cream, so go get Toronto’s first Thai-inspired rolled ice cream. Polarolls come in a variety of flavours – taro/coconut, peppermint/Oreo, earl grey, strawberry, matcha, coffee, fruit loops, and Thai iced tea.

Warning: lineups in effect.

Big Tuna Poké Bar
599 Bloor St. W.

Toronto's first poké bar opened Monday, serving up fresh ahi tuna and salmon daily. Dishes include taro nachos, build your own bowls (reg $10.95, lg $12.95) and Signature Bowls (reg $10.95, lg $12.95) including The Green Ranger, a vegetarian selection.

Fired Up!
89 Lakeshore Rd. E.

Port Credit’s newest restaurant opens this afternoon with a spectacular menu including bison, lamb, boar and crocodile, all done on the grill. 

I’ll have a closer look soon.

Levetto
382 Spadina Ave.

The newest location for quick service, homemade Roman pizzas and fresh pasta, lands in Kensington Market.

Pizzeria Oro di Napoli
2312 Lakeshore Blvd. W.

Mealtimes just got easier, thanks to these homemade pastas and pizzas, all served in a warm, modern setting.

Stay tuned for an inside look.

Platito Filipino Soul Food
35 Baldwin St.

Platito opened on Tuesday.Lunch dishes (Pancit Bihon $7, BBQ Pork Skewers $10) are served with rice, but at 5pm, everything comes up tapas (Chicken Inasal $12, Tofu Sisig $13). 

Posh Supperclub
50 Cumberland St.

Part restaurant/lounge/event space, Posh is spread over two floors.

Dinner menu items include Baby Spinach Salad ($15), Wild Mushroom Orrechiette ($17), Duck Two Ways ($26), and Tomahawk Rib Steak ($43).

Taylors Landing 
10 O'Neil Rd. at Shops of Don Mills

Taylors Landing opened Saturday at Shops of Don Mills. So if you’re hankering for food after a lengthy shop at Anthropologie or blockbuster flick, you can tuck into a variety of dishes including Chang Mai Mussels ($9), Salmon Freekeh Salad ($14), Turkey Burger ($15) and Sweet Potato Cheesecake ($6).

Tokyo Smoke  
874 College St.

The second location for the coffee shop comes complete with a fab interior and selection of dynasty succulents and coffees.

Wine Academy 
67 Richmond St. W.

Wine lovers unite – there’s a brand new club in town.

Located 17 1/2 ft. under street level, in a 6000+ square foot space housing a two-storey state-of-the-art private wine cellar, with 1200 individual wine storage lockers that hold up to 92 Bordeaux style wine bottles.

This club is however, for members only.

Closed:

Joy Bistro in Leslieville closed, but renos are already underway for the new concept. Stay tuned.

Porter House is closing at the end of the month.

News:

Congratulations to Toronto Taste, presented by The Daniels Corporation. On Sunday they aised $850,000 for Second Harvest - Canada's largest food rescue charity – providing food for 1.7 million meals to people facing hunger across Toronto.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants were announced this week. 

Events:

Today is World Tapas Day. And you’re invited.

Starting today at noon, Kitchen Aid’s Mini Market opens (367 King St. W.) with free mini samples available every day (Bobbie Sue’s Mac + Cheese, The Drake Hotel, Glory Hole Doughnuts and Grand Electric)

Tonight, head over to Mount Pleasant for their annual Mount Pleasant Village Shop Wine & Dine event. From 5-9pm, there’s sidewalk sales, music and of course, tons of food.

Sugar Beach is your drink headquarters this weekend with Wine and Spirit Festival, starting today and going until Saturday.

Beer lovers, this is exciting - Bar Volo’s Giardino di Biarra (612 College St.) is taking place during Taste of Little Italy this weekend. The 100-seat beer garden, right in front of the Royal Cinema, is serving up a ton of exciting brews. Note: it's cash only.

Beer and BBQ can be yours this weekend (starting tomorrow) at Beaches BBQ & Brews.  

Taco lovers get their fill at Taco Fest, Friday to Sunday.

Taste of Little Italy starts tomorrow and lasts all weekend long.

Junction Summer Solstice Festival takes place on Saturday, with a variety of food and drink vendors such as Curry Twist, D&Y Sushi, Ro House, and Sweet Trolley Bakery.

Luminato Neighbourhood Food Festival is happening Saturday and Sunday, complete with chef demos.

The Waterfront Artisan Market takes place this Saturday and Sunday, with lots of food and drink vendors on hand including Canada’s Best Caesar Mix, Earth + City, Jax Coco, Slopes of Vesuvius, Teppen Ice Cream, Tocino Boys and Young Animal.

This Father's Day take Dad out for a meal to remember.

And lastly:

Man's best friend inspired Afrim's latest cheese line.

These cocktails prove that adding beer is always a good idea. 

Take a peek inside Entice Culinary Lounge, where you'll find molecular cocktails and globally-inspired dishes all in an upscale setting.

Check out our Patio Guide.