Open/Closed for the week March 13-19

Shake off the cold and tuck into winter comfort foods – pizza, curry, and Cuban fare – at these new spots around town. Add to that St. Patrick’s Day festivities and enticing events, and your weekend is made.

Here’s the very latest:

Open:

Neapolitan pizza may have taken the city by storm, but Roman ‘za is where it’s at. Get yours at just opened Favolosi Ristorante (4900 Dundas St. W.) in Etobicoke.

In the mood for New York-style pie with thick, chewy edges instead? Superpoint’s take-out and delivery joint Superpoint Express (269 Dunn Ave.) satiates your craving. Also on the menu – Hero sandwiches, salads, and olives.

Focal Resto Lounge (592 Queen St. W.) is celebrating their opening with a St. Paddy’s Day bash tomorrow, including drink specials, $7 apps, and a cash and carry bar. Grand opening is Saturday.

Toronto’s first Northeastern Thai resto just landed in The Junction. Isaan Der’s (2961 Dundas St. W.) executive chef Chatsuda from Isaan, Thailand, has created a sumptuous menu featuring: Golden Bags ($8) deep-fried pastry with water chestnuts, carrots and mushrooms + chili sauce; Pla Tod & Corn Salad ($12) with deep-fried basa fish marinated in turmeric garlic and lemongrass; Guayjup Isaan ($12) with potato noodle, pork sausage, white turnip, and deep-fried onions; and four curries. Doors opened Monday.

It seems like forever since a Cuban resto has opened. And wouldn’t a Mojito (let’s be honest, three) and Bocadito Cubano (Cuban Sandwich - $11) with roasted pork, ham, cheese, pickles, and served with house fries be perfect right now? Mojito Cubano (1510 Queen St. W.) has got you covered, along with five mains, four types of fries, and a kid’s menu to boot.

Closed:

Ramen Raijin on Gerrard is closing this Sunday, but will relocate to 24 Wellesley St. W. at the end of March. Stay tuned.

News:

Congrats to the OHI “Top 30 Under 30” honorees announced this week.

You’ve got until May to visit the Hard Rock Café at Yonge & Dundas. Doors opened back in 1978, when hard rock was still a genre.

If you thought a server’s “Let me explain how our menu works” made ordering taxing, you’ll love this - U.K. resto, Ask Italian, has come up with “the World’s First Hand Gesture Menu.” The “experts created a full three-course hand menu to allow people to ‘eat like an Italian.’”

It uses a combination of authentic Italian hand gestures (for words such as ‘spicy’, and ‘excellent’) and new ways to “talk” with your hands, for words including  ‘burrata’ and ‘gnocchi.’

Events:

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations include big blowouts such as Saturday’s Guinness SPD Toronto, Brazen Head’s six-day plan (complete with practice days and a recovery weekend), and Steam Whistle’s annual St. Paddy’s Day Bash on Friday at the Roundhouse.

Advance tickets are now available for Toronto Taste. Save $25 off the regular ticket price by dining at participating restaurants between Saturday, March 18 and Friday, March 31. Tickets for the general public go on sale April 1st.

Get your fill of baked goods at Sunday’s 9th Annual Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off at Artscape Wychwood Barns.

Hot wings, banh mi’s and karaoke all under one roof? Head to the Beaver on Sunday for Southeast Asian fare at Revel Food Pop-Up.

Monday is the perfect excuse to indulge in sweets. Celebrate Macaron Day at 13 participating restaurants, cafes and bakeries. A portion of sales will be donated to the Red Door Family Shelter, a non-profit organization offering support services to homeless families, abused women and their children throughout Toronto and the GTA.

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Hear of a place that’s about to open or just closed? Have an upcoming food or restaurant event? Let me know.