Toronto Restaurants by Stephanie Dickison

View Original

Open/Closed for the week of May 4-10

Not only does this week bring with it more openings, but lots of stunning news and events. And somehow you’ve got to fit it all in while celebrating Mom. You can do it!

Open:

Corktown Kitchen

354 King St. E.

Opened just yesterday, Corktown Kitchen prides itself on "good food, simply cooked." Chef Matthew Griffiths is cooking an exciting array of "new American foods "- Asian fusion, Vietnamese and BBQ, to name just a few. II’ll have a closer look soon.

Marky's BBQ Smokehouse
383 Jane St.

For those of you going through Marky & Sparky’s BBQ withdrawl, good news – the new Marky’s BBQ Smokehouse opened this weekend. Drool.

Via Vai
832 Bay St.

The stunning space of Via Vai is open for dining casual Italian-style – think homemade pastas, expertly-made pizzas and a hearty wine list.

So close:

Three places have set their sights on grand openings next weekend:

Old School, the 24-hour Day/Night/Late Late restaurant will serve "authentic BBQ, brunch, lunch, supper & booze" and have a "a kick ass corner store" in the former Hudson Kitchen  spot, with Brad Moore and Ian Kapitan at the helm.

The Craft Brasserie & Grille in Liberty Village will boast 120 beers on tap.

Bronco – Branca’s new sliders spot – is looking to open their doors May 15 at Strachan and Adelaide.

Events:

Before anything else, you’d better make sure you’ve got Mom covered for Sunday. Where to go this Mother’s Day? Check out this week’s Best Of for the top 5 picks. We’ve also put together a guide of places open for Mother’s Day  for you.

And right after that, you'd better act fast because David freakin' Chang AND gasp! Corey Lee are in coversation at George Brown College on Wednesday May 27 in what is sure to be one of the biggest events of 2015. Tickets were to go on sale tomorrow, but their FB page now says Saturday so keep an eye out for updates. Naturally, the Corey Lee dinner at The Chefs' House is already sold out. Stay tuned.

Fran’s celebrates 75 years tomorrow. And you won’t believe the amazing prices they’re celebrating with! Read all about it.

Also happening tomorrow, The Chelsea Hotel is launching its brand new Chelsea Food Truck on their Market Garden patio. From 11am-3pm, they will be giving away 1,000 free tacos, as well as beer samplings from Mill Street Brewery, with live jazz provided by Turbo Street Funk.

Chef Deron Engbers is doing another pop-up  to satiate your hunger this weekend until his new restaurant opens. This & That Too: Popup Redux  is a “Canadian comfort take on the classic Dim Sum brunch called Dim Some?”

Monday is all about Terroir. If you haven’t already, get your tickets now. You don’t want to miss a second of it. And that includes this year’s awesome dinner series too.

On Tuesday Tequila Bookworm launches First Tap, a new summer craft beer launch series. The five-month series, will showcase a new beer from a different Ontario brewery every month. First Tap events are free to attend, start at 5:30 pm and end when the kegs run dry. 4 oz samples will be available for $3, with flights of five including one free sample. 

News:

Our food trucks got a sweet victory this week.

The Vancouver Aquarium is celebrating 10 years of its Ocean Wise conservation program. Happy Anniversary!

Sherway Farmers’ Market returns to Sherway Gardens tomorrow from 8am - 2pm in the far northeast parking lot. Fresh Ontario grown produce,  flowers and locally made food will be available at the market every Friday until October 30.

Bindia launched a new brunch menu that will rock your weekend.

Rancho Relaxo is now Rancho Relaxo Cantina, complete with new bar, interior and menu.

The BMO Field stadium (170 Princes’ Blvd) recently underwent a nine month-long, $120 million expansion and along with that, comes some exciting new food from the new Tunnel ClubChris Zielinski, Executive Chef of MLSE showcased some fun dishes earlier this week, including Steak Banh Mi Panini, Smoked Brisket Nachos, Bombay Frites, Cantonese Shrimp Noodles, and fresh seafood such as Chilled Jumbo Shrimp and freshly shucked oysters.

Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne are opening a Haitian restaurant in Montreal with Toronto’s Black Hoof and Rhum Corner owners Roland Jean and Jen Agg.

Check out the beers that won at this year’s Ontario Brewing Awards in this month’s Drinks column.