Open/Closed: Toronto Restaurant News February 25-March 3, 2021

🕒 13 min read

If you’ve been reading my Open/Closed this last while, you’ll have noticed the rise of online operations - ghost kitchens and virtual restaurants - across the GTA. In the last few months, it’s ramped up to an unbelievable speed thanks to the pandemic, and will continue well into the days when restaurants reopen fully, so get used to it. These kinds of “places” have been taking up a good chunk of real estate in my weekly discoveries more and more, but never dominated my findings like this.

I’m exhilarated by the ingenuity and talent of these industrious folks and thrilled to support local chefs and producers, especially in these times of bolstering small and local. That said, be assured brick-and-mortar businesses will not be left out.

While other outlets are bigger than my operation here (it’s just me Stephanie, heyyyy) and have more money and resources, you won’t find a more comprehensive look at what’s happening in the city, brick-and-mortar and online. I mean, just look at the madness below. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Again this week, I had so many new places to tell you about but not enough time, so there’s *only* 20 for now.  

I’d better get started on next week’s tome. In the meantime, here’s the very latest:

OPEN

Home-based bakery Anthology of Sweets Co. specializes in homemade cookies (Chocolate Chip, Chocolate-Dipped Toffee Pecan, White Chocolate Toasted Coconut, S'mores) for pickup and delivery across the GTA.

Chaar Pies & Preserves, a Toronto-based startup does hand pies ($8 ea.) as freshly baked or pre-frozen with a "bake it yourself" option with instructions and preserved chutneys ($10 ea.). Both Pouravi and Chitraang are trained bakers and chefs and most of their recipes are “age-old recipes from our grandmothers and great grandmothers with a twist of all our skills.”

Miami-based chef Michael Lewis debuts virtual Korean fried chicken joint Chikin tomorrow. You’ll have to wait ‘til then to find out where.

Coast by MDP, known for seafood and smash burgers, just added a third delivery-only outpost in Vaughan.

The crêpier behind Coin De Bretagne* worked in the restaurant industry for years before the recent launch of the Breton biz. On the menu? Crepes ($1.95-$9.95), Galettes ($1.95-$9.95), and decadent desserts including French Breton Cake ($17.95), French Breton Far with Prunes ($14.95), and Salted Butter Caramel Cream ($4.95). *The Instagram handle changed at press time. Stay tuned for the update shortly.

Detroit-style ‘za  by Dished Pizza is happening inside Eva’s Original Chimneys Port Credit location (53 Lakeshore Rd. E.) as well as delivery. Choose from six varieties including The Mac Burger and Jerk Chicken, and six dipping sauces.  

Emily Rose Café’s (721 Palmerston Ave.) housemade items are baked from scratch in small batches every morning, so go early to avoid disappointment.

Mississauga’s Forever Burger (6781 Hurontario St., Unit 2) does more than just burgers. Paninis are the other main attraction, however I’m distracted by the sides, particularly Spicy Potato Wedges ($4.99) and Garlic Mashed Potato ($3.99).

G Sweets isn’t just another pandemic biz to gloss over and forget about: Chef Giuliana Tomatis trained in culinary and pastry arts at Le Cordon Bleu Perú with training stints at Le Bernardin in NYC. Working in restaurants and hotels for most of her career before coming to Canada (The Ritz Carlton Barcelona and Grand Cayman) she held titles at fine dining establishments across the city including executive pastry chef for Buca King and opening the Yorkville location, and most recently as pastry chef at Il Covo with chef Ryan Campbell. This latest venture, her own with husband Arjun Chetlur Gopi (a director of food and beverage), softly launched on Valentine’s Day. The focused menu of Alfajores, Chocolate Fudge Cake, Chocolate Fudge Cups, and The Chunkie – a brownie chunk cookie mound with walnuts – is available for delivery in downtown and midtown Toronto.

I alerted you to the grand opening of the first Honeymoon Dessert in North America back in September, and am happy to report another satellite just landed at Chartwell Mall (361 Brimley Rd.) in Scarborough.

Laid Fresh is the second delivery-only concept from chef Michael Lewis to launch this weekend. This time it’s mostly about egg sandos, though a BLT salad makes an appearance.

Maravilha Dolce debuted November 21. The online bakery offers an array of goodies, including French-style cakes, sweet and savory verrines, and mini quiches.

Dumplings are required cold-weather fare, but plump colourful ones from Momo2Go’s newest outpost in Etobicoke (826 The Queensway) are a cheerful addition to lockdown life. 

Had your fill of Pad Thai lately? Order Thai boat noodles from one of Parkdale’s latest arrivals, Paddler Thai (1710 Queen St W.) instead.

Patty Cake & Ice Cream (2600 Eglinton Ave. E.) brings together a trifecta of essential WFH eats: Halal Jamaican patties, cheesecake and ice cream.

The Shawarma Shack opened a ghost kitchen in Toronto alongside Saucy Affairs Catering, as a cooperative project “to help one another and grow our business in these crazy times.”

Chef Benjamin Begero felt “the traditional restaurant setting wasn’t the right way for me to showcase my talent, which is why I started Strudel Dude.” He got his start in the industry around 2007 at C5 (that setting!), moving on to bigger companies through the years (The Drake, ICONINK) as well as smaller establishments (Barsa Taberna, The Gladstone Hotel, Sapori). His fresh baked apple strudel made in the Milou kitchen, will soon be joined by other flavours, and perhaps one day soon, savoury items.

Chef Erik Palomino knows his way around the kitchen. Working as a private chef for the last few years - mainly as personal chef to a member of The Raptors - you might recognize him from his days as chef de cuisine at Rose & Sons prior to that. So get in on his latest project, virtual popup Taco Tuesday Toronto.

Tom’s Dairy Freeze (630 The Queensway) in Etobicoke is a bit of a hike for those outside the area, so their Toronto ghost kitchen launching tomorrow just north of Queen (49 Ossington Ave.), delivers summer vibes - in addition to ice cream - to the downtown core.

Trulli Focaccia made by Rosario with simple ingredients and baked “to perfection for a bit of crunch and “a lot of fluff,” is just what this lockdown life calls for. Two sizes are available (sm $10, lg $18) for Toronto delivery Mondays and Fridays, with 24-hrs notice required.

CLOSED

Funnel Cake Express (8 Wellesley St. E., Unit 105C) announced yesterday they’ve closed for good. 

EVENTS

LocalLicious kicks off today. Enjoy three-course menus from top Toronto restaurants. One dollar from each meal with go to a local charity.

Taste of Oakville is on until March 6.

You’ve got until Sunday to get in on the National Chowder Chowdown Festival.

NEWS

Natale Bozzo, founder of Etobicoke’s SanRemo Bakery and Café, passed away after losing “his devastating battle with COVID-19 after over six weeks in the hospital.”

Windows were smashed at the Leaside outpost of Wild Wing. Owners Ritu and Rajan penned a letter, asking for the perpetrator to “think of your actions. Think of the unwanted stress you have created for restaurants owners that are barely surviving in these tough times. Think of how your one juvenile and stupid action can break someone down to the point that they give up.”

Indoor dining resumed in York Region on Monday. York is the most recent region to move up in the government’s colour-coded framework while Toronto and Peel Region remain under the stay-at-home order.

Has the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association (MRLA) come up with a more logical solution to the indoor dining dilemma than the government?

According to 680 News, Doug Ford wants “convenience for the people here in Ontario” when it comes to the +60 liquor licenses recently filed in the province by 7-Eleven. OPSEU/SEFPO however, begs to differ.

Employees were locked out of Toronto brewery, Molson Coors this week.

The City of Toronto extended the cancellation of in-person major events to July 1, leaving many hopeful for the return of food-centric events such as Taste of the Danforth and The CNE.

Good Fortune Burger’s “Expense This” gimmick gives new meaning to bring the receipts. 

Controversial restaurant group Chick-fil-A announced two locations coming to the 6ix this year: Scarborough Town Centre and Queen and Spadina. Today, there are two Chick-fil-A restaurants in Toronto: Yonge & Bloor and Yorkdale Mall. The company has plans to open “an additional 20 restaurant locations in the country by 2025.”

Asia's 50 Best Restaurants named George Brown alum DeAille Tam as “Asia's Best Female Chef 2021.” Good for her, but it begs the question, why is there still a female chef category?

ICYMI

When Katy Chan of Bar Neon isn’t baking bread, crafting pizza, perfecting loukoumades, or launching a new brunch menu (out now), she spends her downtime cooking up a storm at home. Discover what she’s making, her favourite bars + restos around town, the pastry she’s can’t get enough of, and much more in this week’s absorbing At The Pass.

Hungry? Tired of the same ol’ same ol’? How about an Ackee & Saltfish Burrito? Cherry Lime Chicken Wings? Slow-Cooked Cow Foot in Spicy Sauce? Philly Cheese Steak Waffle Burger? Oxtail Poutine? Ice Box Cake slathered with rum-infused icing? Explore more mouth-watering options in Part 4 of of my ongoing series, Black-Owned Restaurants in Toronto/GTA to Support Now + Always.

If you haven’t already subscribed to the newsletter, now’s the time. Get The Tip Off, a sneak peek at the upcoming Open/Closed (because who doesn’t want to be the first to know?), and fab deals and special offers from restaurants and local businesses (because who doesn’t want to save money?), all exclusive to subscribers. 

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