Open/Closed: week of November 16-22, 2017
Think there’s not much going on with restaurants these days? Think again.
With this week’s 12 new openings, that brings the monthly total up to 44 new spots to eat, drink and be merry so far. And it’s only the middle of the month.
Here’s the very latest:
OPENINGS
259 Host has a new name, look and menu. Say hello to Aanch Modernistic Indian Cuisine (259 Wellington St. W.), now offering Rosemary Naan ($7.99) drizzled with truffle oil, Mustard Garlic Scallops ($14.99), Chicken Tikka Quiche ($12.99), alongside usual suspects: Butter Chicken ($18.99), Lamb Vindaloo ($19.99) and Fish Tikka Masala ($21.99).
Shop for vinyl downstairs and dine upstairs at Archtop Music Bistro’s newest location (2312 Bloor St. W.) in Bloor West Village. Dishes sound enticing too – tuck into fare such as Bison Meatloaf, Spanish-Style Baked Fish, and Vegetarian Curry.
Get ready – The Cheesecake Factory opens at Yorkdale Mall (3401 Dufferin St.) on Tuesday.
The Broadview Hotel (106 Broadview Ave.) has a fancy new restaurant – The Civic – currently open for dinner, and reservations available starting Sunday. We’ll have a closer look soon.
Head out to the grand opening of the second location of D-Spot Dessert Cafe (1060 The Queensway) tomorrow at 7 pm.
You’re going to want to get yourself to Kensington Sushi Market (281 Augusta Ave.), a new casual spot for the freshest rolls and packed poké bowls. Bento boxes, udon and party trays are also available, as well as grab ’n’ go sushi. FYI: There’s no booze though.
King Rustic (905 King St. W.) reopened at King and Strachan, and just in time too. The Mama’s Perogies ($15) alone were made for cold winter nights, a homemade Greek yogurt dough, stuffed with Rustic’s garlic mash, brown butter sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions, pan-seared, then topped with sour cream, crisp turkey bacon, and crunchy fried onions.
Mabel’s Bakery (2755 Dundas St. W.) has expanded to The Junction.
Stockyard Village Shopping Centre (1980 St Clair Ave. W.) gets a major upgrade with the addition of Nations Experience (1980 St Clair Ave. W.) opening today. Shopping for groceries is a whole new game thanks to 200,000 square-feet of grocery and dining space, and over 10,000 square-feet spread out for games and entertainment. There’s an Arcade and Family Amusement Centre, Virtual Reality (VR) Experience, party rooms and Indoor Playground by Happy Kingdom, making this the first time ever the kids will want to go grocery shopping.
Get your sweet tooth on at Nadège Patisserie’s newly opened shop at Scarborough Town Centre (300 Borough Dr.).
Popular ramen joint Ramen Isshin has popped up at Pusateri’s (1539 Avenue Rd.). A “limited selection of their downtown menu” will be available for at least two months, which means it’ll be there to get you through the holiday season.
Dartmouth Nova Scotia’s Yeah Yeahs Pizza (1210 Yonge St.) opened its first Toronto location on Monday. Order by the slice or 18” pie. Gluten-free crust (12”) is also available for an extra $3. Pro tip: they’ve been selling out on the regular, so go early.
NEWS
Monday evening at George Brown College’s Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Art, Chef Massimo Bottura promoted his new cookbook Bread is Gold and discussed food waste with chefs John Higgins, Antonio Park and Jeremy Charles. It was an electric conversation, ending with Chef Bottura offering to work with George Brown students in reducing food waste! Stay tuned.
Bas Pour Bulles – The Bottom For Bubbles (Socks for Bubbly) fundraising event is back for its fourth annual sock drive. Originally started in Montreal, this year, five Toronto restaurants have been added. From November 20 to 26, 2017, Bar Raval, Brothers Food and Wine, Byblos, The Gabardine, and Ruby Watchco will offer a glass of bubbly in exchange for a new pair of socks to help keep our city’s homeless warm and protected from frostbite.
The 23rd annual Gourmet Food And Wine Expo returns to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre this weekend. Starting today and lasting through to Sunday, shop for ingredients, experience tutored tastings and check out the LG Chef Stage for cooking demos by celebrity chefs including Chuck Hughes.
Tickets are on sale now for American Thanksgiving Supper Club on November 23rd, hosted by The Foodies Group (formerly known as Foodies on Foot). You don’t want to miss it.
The Toronto Christmas Market returns to The Distillery District. It opens today at 4 pm and will go until Saturday December 23.
Planta’s expanding. The first U.S. location will open in South Beach, Miami early next year.
Before the Plate deep dives into the agriculture behind the ingredients of a dish at Canoe.
Calling all Haligonians – missing the donairs back home? You can now watch them 24/7 thanks to the new “Donair Cam,” set up by King of Donair.
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