The Feed Vol. 04 – Cookie dough egg rolls, strange brews, dogs of Contra, and more

The Feed Vol. 04.png

These restaurant discoveries may not make the headlines, but they’re fascinating nonetheless. 

Check out this month’s unique food and drink news you probably won’t see elsewhere:

Midway madness

Fairground food is such a treat, why wouldn’t you want it year ‘round? Thus the uptick in amusement park fare on menus around town and popularity of TV shows like Carnival Eats.

While dining out for a living often appears glamourous, host of the hit Food Network series Noah Cappe faces a unique challenge. Check out just some of the extreme foods he consumes throughout Season 7, debuting tomorrow: Cookie Dough Egg Rolls, gold-infused Leprechaun Mac, Chick ‘N’ Cake funnel cake, Sausage Pizza Corn Hog, Diablo Dog, Supreme Samoa doughnut stack, Hot Wing Grilled Cheese, and Sweet Bacon Devil Burger.

One item on its own? Sure, that’s fun. But all this back-to-back? We’re talking serious food coma and then some.

Supper n’ suds

Speaking of outrageous concoctions, food-centric suds are all the rage. Brews that sounds more like food and beer pairings were showcased at last month’s Strange Brew Fest including: Mac & Cheese Habanero, Smoked Swedish Fish, Steak & Onion Kolsch, Peanut Butter Pickle Pils, Bananas Foster Barleywine, Gumbo Gose, Spicey Meatball, and Sushi, and Garlic Bread.

Bugging out

Whether it’s plant-based diets, cultured meat, or insect farming, there’s a race to find the best sustainable food system. Researchers at Tufts University say the real future of food is lab-grown insect meat

Home slice

Using popular singers and hit songs in commercials for food and drink brands and chain restaurants has been common practice for decades. Did you know? Alfie Zappacosta - a Juno award-winning singer/songwriter with 80s hits "When I Fall (In Love Again)," “I Think About You,” “Overload” from the ‘Dirty Dancing’ soundtrack – is also the voice behind the catchy Pizza Nova jingle, “4-3-9-oh-oh-oh-oh-Pizza Nova” that’s aired on television and radio for decades. [UPDATE Feb 06.23: The jingle just became a ringtone.]

Cortados and corgis

On the rise: Dog-friendly patios. You’ll often find an array of pooches mingling outside Contra, a striking modern cafe in the west end, boasting top notch coffee and baked goods. Even better? Their dedicated Insta for the beloved canines that frequent the cafe with their owners: @dogsofcontracafe.


New to The Feed? Catch up on previous editions.

Things change quickly. Follow Toronto Restaurants on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the TR Newsletter for breaking news, updates, interviews + more.

Need help promoting your business? Get started now.

Enjoy this? Like, follow and comment on Instagram and Facebook. Forward and share using the icons below. #supportlocal


The Feed, NewsStephanie DickisonToronto, Toronto restaurants, restaurants, food news, restaurant news, food trends, restaurant trends, insects, extreme foods, beer, dogs, coffee shop, Carnival Eats, Food Network, Noah Cappe, Tufts University, Alfie Zappacosta, pizza, Instagram @torontorestaurants.co, Toronto Restaurants, Toronto Restaurants by Stephanie Dickison, Stephanie Dickison, @torontorestaurants.co, Toronto Restaurants Stephanie Dickison, Stephanie Dickison Toronto Restaurants, Toronto Restaurants Instagram @torontorestaurants.co, The Feed, top trends in Toronto, top trending restaurant news by Stephanie Dickison, top trending restaurants in GTA, top trending restaurants in Toronto, top trending restaurant in Toronto, top trending restaurant in GTA, top trending restaurant news, top trending restaurants news, top trending news, top trending food news, top trending Toronto restaurant news, top trending food + drink news, top trending food + drink news in GTA, top trending food + drink news in Toronto, carnival eats, midway food, midway foods, fairground food, fairground foods, amusement park, amusement park food, Food Network TV show, Food Network TV host, Food Network series, Food Network Canada, Food Network Canada TV show, Food Network Canada TV shows, series on Food Network, Strange Brew Fest, Cookie Dough Egg Rolls, Toronto Restaurants The Feed, plant-based diets, plant-based diet, lab-grown meat, cultured meat, cultivated meat, Pizza Nova, Pizza Nova jingle, Contra Cafe, Contra Café, Contra, Angela Tsementzis Architect, @dogsofcontracafe, dogs at cafes, top toronto coffeeshop, top toronto cafe, top toronto cafes