The best of 2012 lists begin...

Here you have it, the start of the best restaurants of 2012 lists with Post City reviewer Joanne Kates top 100 in Toronto.

Her number one restaurant is chichi Scaramouche in Yorkville --- which she also ranked first last year. However, her number two and three are quite big surprises as neither even made her top 100 last year. Number two is artsy East Coast comfort food hot spot Acadia, also one of my faves. And number three, another East Coast comfort food joint (starting to sense a theme here) Hopgood's Foodliner --- a resto I've been dying to try and just so happen to have a reso at tonight! I will post details. In the meantime, see how your faves stacked up here .

Restaurant review:Gusto 101

Gusto 101

101 Portland St.

Toronto,On

Gusto's Spaghetti Chitarra alle Vongole e Gamberi, or for the easily exasperated, "the seafood one"

Yes, it's been a while since I posted a restaurant review, but when a foodie finds a reason as compelling as Gusto's inexpensive and hearty rustic Italian (and its $1 an ounce house wine), she also feels the need to share it immediately.

Pumpkin Pancakes

It's a drizzly dreary Saturday, and I wanted some good fall comfort food. Inspired by a fellow pumpkin-loving colleague, I decided pumpkin pancakes were the route to go. They're a great pick me up on a lazy weekend morning full of warm autumn flavours and a fluffy, almost cake like consistency. Thankfully, though, they're not too sweet, and not too indulgent either (tried to keep it as healthy as possible, with even some ground flax thrown in for added benefits). Could there be a better combination than pumpkin, real, local maple syrup and pecans?

Restaurant review: Ruby Watchco

As a big fan of Lynn Crawford on her Food Network show "Pitchin' In," I had long wanted to try out Ruby Watchco her family-style menu-free resto in Toronto's Leslieville.

Coconut curry soup

Inspired by a friend who made a similar soup recently, as well as my desire for a hearty soup on a fall day, I made my own version of Laska the rich and spicy Malaysian soup that I first tried at the amazing little Hawker Bar on Ossington St. (where we also spotted Susur Lee and sons dining).

Toronto's food scene not world class?

All the foodie buzz in Toronto these days has been centred on the transplant of New York staple Momofuku to our fine (?) city.

David Chang, the chef behind that famed restaurant and its sisters in NYC (one of which has two Michelin stars), sounded off on what other Toronto restos are doing wrong --- even comparing them to the deplorable Toronto Maple Leafs.

Spicy fall stew in a pumpkin bowl

Hello foodies, are you surprised to see a post from me? Well, I don't blame you, I've been enjoying the summer a little too much. I've been really good at going out for dinner, and really terrible about writing about it. But now that its fall, I'm reinspired. After all, isn't fall -- now that we're forced inside, but not yet too depressed by blah weather to be motivated -- the time to commit to that hobby or activity you always told yourself you would?

Foodie features at the CNE: Hint, it's a lot of bacon.

Photo courtesy of the Toronto Star

So, the CNE this year aims to prove the bacon everything trend is far from over, the Toronto Star informs us.

Every year the CNE tries to appeal to the food-curious with some outrageously calorie ridden delight---last year it was deep fried butter.

And this year if you didn't think the deep-fried Mars bar, or a red velvet funnel cake are not indulgent enough--- there's bacon!
Also, apparently,  "the Nutella BBBLT with eight strips of bacon, two pieces of back bacon, lettuce, tomato and Nutella."

Um ya don't think I could do that, though I have had both bacon cupcakes and bacon caramel cookies, which were surprisingly good!

The other cool thing this year is the addition of my favourite---food trucks! A food truck frenzy in fact. C'mon Toronto let's finally jump on this food wagon!

Oh, there's also raw food, if you're not fun healthy, or vegan.

Restaurant review:Aria



 Aria Ristorante

                   25 York St. Toronto                  

Food: 3 out of 5 suns

Service: 4 out of 5 suns

Ambiance: 3 out of 5 suns
                  

Source: Aria Ristorante

Aria means air in Italian, also the name of those high pitched solos the opera ladies sing. The space is indeed, light cool and airy, but some of the food didn't exactly sing as touted, sitting rather heavily, actually. With all the attention on Aria of late, it seems appreciation for fine dining may be returning after several rounds of restaurant openings centred on upscale comfort food.  

Just in time for Canada Day:Truly Canadian desserts

Source:Litton's Bakery

This Globe article points out how overabundant (yet still delicious) red velvet cake has become). Didn't know it was considered Canadian, guess the red cake and white icing should have tipped me off though. No matter, The Globe puts together a list of other Canadian classic desserts including fresh berries and one with mmmm maple syrup icing here.

Restaurant Review: Acadia

Acadia
50C Clinton St. (at College)
Food: 4.5 out of 5 suns
Service: 4 out of 5 suns
Ambiance: 3.5 out of 5 suns

Acadia has a super cool open concept kitchen that you can see into right from your table

Toronto restaurant review round-up

One of the visually stunning dishes crafted at Acadia

It seems I'm much better at going out for dinner than blogging about it. That's right I've eaten out at too many delicious restaurants and fallen way behind.  I'm about to post some brief reviews of some of my favourites that I've visited over the past month, including a Susur Lee sighting, a great affair at a restaurant whose executive chef has since flown the coop and "gourmet" deep fried mozzarella balls with a calorie count I dare not think about.

p.s. these reviews come complete with my new rating system out of five suns (my narcissistic take on the star rating system)

The best part about putting these all up right now, is I personally think all of these restos are just great for summer dining.  First note I recommend each of these places for various reasons, but have a little criticism for some. Hey I wouldn't be critic without that right? Stay tuned. I promise. And feel free to ask me about any restaurants you're thinking of trying! 

Top Chef Canada 2: The champ

Spoiler alert! Don't read this if you haven't seen the last episode of Top Chef Canada 2 and you care!

Yummy quinoa, kale and beet dinner

Another produce box-oriented dinner idea, this time inspired by beets and kale. And if I do say so myself, it turned out wonderfully, both as a warm treat that allows the goat cheese to melt just slightly, or cold the next day for leftovers. If you're refrigerating though, make sure to crumble the goat cheese and walnuts on just before serving. The dressing includes tahini, a delicious Middle Eastern sesame seed paste that gives a toasted, peanut-y taste. It can be found in the ethnic aisle of most grocery stores or in bins at bulk food stores.

Cupcakes have how many calories? Nooooooooo...

Source: Prairie Girl Bakery

So the Toronto Star's  Dish column, which has already condemned many of my faves from Pho to Pad Thai, now sentences my beloved cupcakes to the same fate. And it chose my favourite place, within a stone's throw and a longing window glare from my desk.

Restaurant review catch up: Koosh Bistro

Koosh Bistro

1047 King St W.

Hamilton, On

A popular bistro in downtown Hamilton that serves fresh homemade pasta with a Persian twist. Rich flavours, but why not compliment the homemade noodles with fresh Parm? Pasta is delicious, but the other dishes are inconsistent. Still, a welcome change from the chains!

Restaurant review catch up: Fabarnak

   Fabarnak

519 Church St.

Trendy, comfortable ambiance, cheap, good eats AND part of an interesting social project at the Church Street community centre that "helps people with employment barriers to gain work experience under the guidance of a professional team of chefs and front-of house staff."

Awesome foodie website

Aside from spending hours re-pinning my favourite recipes onto my Pintrest page my favourite new foodie pastime is browsing through Punchfork, this awesome aggregator of recipes from some of my favourite foodie bloggers (unfortunately I have not risen to the ranks yet), but it offers a comprehensive and tantalizing overview of some of the most popular recipes on the web. There's even a facebook group to follow, in which awesome recipes will appear in your newsfeed. Check it out, but be warned, you may spend a lot of time browsing.

Asian peanut noodles and spicy basil chicken

A perfect first homemade dinner back. Super tasty, easy and healthy, as long as you don't mind carbs of course. The two dishes complimented each other well for a spicy spicy treat, but the good news is you can notch the heat up or down to your liking.

I'm back! (with a Top Chef Canada update)

These look like some sad deconstructionists! Source: Food Network Canada

Oh my bloggies, I am so sorry to have neglected, I hope you haven't forgot about me and my recaps, reviews and recipes. I was on  vacation in sunny (and rainy) Mexico last week --- prior to that, I suppose just from my blog, sigh. But I have returned with a ton of new restaurants to check out and a new found love of true Mexican food. Had the best street vendor tacos and Mayan made mole that I can't wait to recreate! Also know what true Latinos say corn tortillas are much better than flour.

But first, let me give you my two cents on the recent episodes of TCC.

Top Chef Canada 2: Episode 3 recap

Chef Sarah loses her s*#t in front of the judges. SOURCE:Food Network Canada

Okay, this recap on the baby-bonanza show may be a little "overdue" but hey, it's still before the next episode, so let's weigh in shall we?

Recipe: Mexican salad with creamy avocado dressing

So last night I was about to make my go-to weeknight meal, a sort of Mexican taco salad when I realized I was out of salsa. Sigh, I thought, but alas is there anything else in my kitchen I could use as a dressing? Well, there was the avocado  I was going to use as a topping, but aha! I was inspired.

Restaurant review: Barque Smokehouse

                                            
                                                                    Barque Smokehouse
                                                                   299 Roncesvalles Ave.
                                                                       Toronto, Ontario

Meat, meat and more meat at Barque

First I might warn vegetarians, this smokey smokey smokehouse (like there is literally a giant smoker in the kitchen) is not the most friendly place for you, and actually, I may as well add the server didn't exactly make it the most friendly atmosphere for any of us. The question I'm left with is: did the down home, down right tasty BBQ make up for it?

Top Chef Canada 2: Episode 2 recap

Chef Elizabeth is a little intimiated by the exacto, as Mike Holmes creepily stares on. Source: The Food Network Canada

If you missed Monday's episode and want to catch up before reading my spoilers, click here.

Is it me or was Mike Holmes -- Canadian pseudo-celeb status notwithstanding -- the entirely wrong choice for a judge on a gourmet cooking show? Case in point: he thought the losing dish was completely improved by dipping it into gazpacho.

The dude did make for some pretty hilarious commentary though, a nice contrast against Lisa Ray's attempts to be THE MOST SERIOUS JUDGE EVER.

Recipe:Pepper-crusted salmon with spicy sauteed kale and garlic roasted cauliflower

What a treat to come home and find my boyfriend cooking up this healthy and scrumptious weeknight meal straight out of one of my favourites -- Food and Drink magazine. How did he know it was exactly what I wanted?

Well ladies, I have a hint, it might have something to do with me leaving the magazine spread open to this page on the kitchen counter before I left for work in the morning. Who says men don't get subtlety.

Food News: Did you miss the premier of Top Chef Canada 2 on Monday?

My hometown boy Gabiell Cruz cooking away on Top Chef Canada 2.  SOURCE:Food Network Canada

So you missed episode one of the highest rated series on Food Network Canada, ever!?

Not to worry, here's a recap.

Food News: A charming little Tuscan restaurant just opened, maybe you've heard of it...the Olive Garden?

So the big news in the foodie world right now is an 85-year old Grand Forks N.D, columnist's earnest review of an Olive Garden in her town that went viral. See the original article, as well as some of the fallout in mainstream media here.

Restaurant review: Harbour Diner

The Harbour Diner

486 James St. N

Hamilton, Ont.

Reservations? For brunch? In Hamilton? Well, you may want to consider that, or getting here before 11 a.m. as we did if you want to get seated in this relatively small, extremely popular cozy mom-and-pop type diner.

Recipe: Portuguese winter soup

Seeing as how it's this weekend, I thought I should finally take the opportunity to talk about what I did last weekend. Well, I went home for some good eating in my home town of Hamilton, Ont. I went to two splendid, independent restaurants ( sad to say, a rare find in Hamilton these days) but I will post on that after. First, my soup!

Recipe: red curry chicken (or tofu or beef)

What a way to warm up on such a blustery no good shivery day! It's like the red curry chicken you've had at Thai restaurants, but lighter -- and using ingredients you're mostly likely to have on hand. That means using light coconut milk that makes the sauce a little thinner, but still packed with flavour.

You can really get creative with your protein and veggie choices (try tofu, bamboo shoots, fresh basil leaves and snow peas for variety), but here I used broccoli and eggplant, which I love using in curry because they sop up the gravy. Instead of using the pre-made red curry mix, I like to buy a jar of the paste (which can be found in the Asian section at most grocery stores) and add a can of coconut milk, which is a little lighter on the wallet too.

Food Adventure: Chinese banquet

Forestview Chinese Restaurant

468 Dundas St. W.

What's a foodie do with a random Saturday night? Why, randomly attend a Chinese banquet, in honour of, well, discerning was difficult, but I think it may have been the beginning of spring? Well, maybe in China. Who cares? It was so much fun and 10 courses for $25, including tax and tip.

Recipes: healthy fish tacos with spicy coleslaw

These fish tacos are like a little hit of summer in the midst of the winter blahs. They're fairly easy and healthy and you're likely to have most of the essential ingredients on hand.

Winterlicious review: Canoe

Canoe

66 Wellington St. W

What a perfectly wonderful and romantic way to cap off my Winterlicious extravaganza! Like everyone says, Canoe is absolutely amazing. And given the restaurant would usually set you back much more than the $45 Winterlicious menu, there was no pretentiousness at all ---the servers were uber friendly, offering us a seat near the window with an extraordinary view from the 54th floor of the TD building. It made for a perfect combined early Valentine's Day and belated anniversary!

Winterlicious review:Lucien

Lucien

36 Wellington St. E

As you may be able to tell from this photo, the restaurant was none too busy on a Tuesday night, but by the way we were treated, you'd never be able to tell. It felt like it was one of those classic Winterlicious experiences, where restos that are usually raved about put out sub par food and staff makes you feel like they're just rushing you through. And given the quality of some other $35 menus I dined on, this Lucien food simply wasn't worth it.

Winterlicious review: Luma

Luma 

350 King St. W

A swanky home to celebs during Tiff, the Oliver &Bonacini resto in the Bell Lightbox is as close to a red carpet experience we lowly Winterlicious diners could find -- and for $35 the price is definitely right.

Just in case you're drunk and looking for some Super Bowl food to eat...

Randomly on Gawker, I found these really funny Super Bowl recipes.

http://gawker.com/5882189/super-bowl-recipes-for-the-already-drunk

Winterlicious review: Trevor Kitchen and Bar

Trevor Kitchen and Bar 

38 Wellington St. E.

First: Do not get confused and walk into Swish by Han, which is upstairs to the right. That is a different restaurant, and they do not have your reservations.  Second, definitely go to Trevor. The friendly server told us chef Trevor spent months coming up with his Winterlicious menu because he thinks it's a way to get people to taste a wide selection of their food, so they'll come back. That just makes sense. The food is excellent and so is the service. Definitely worth the $35 price tag.

Winterlicious review: C5 Restaurant

 

If not for the celebrity chef, get to C5 ---the acclaimed restaurant in the Royal Ontario Museum -- for the view, the culture, the ambiance. Although it didn't have the most enticing offerings on its Winterlicious menu (mostly comfort/ upscale cafeteria offerings), the food -- a good value for $25 --was well executed, portion sizes were decent and the service was friendly and attentive.

Recipe: Creamy quinoa and squash risotto

Quinoa is one of my favourite food finds. Quicker, and packed with more protein and fewer carbs than rice (because it's not actually a grain), quinoa is usually a good substitute for the fluffy stuff in any dish. Here, it gets a rich and creamy treatment to make a faster and healthier version of risotto. The dish is also vegetarian, and easy to turn vegan (sans milk and cheese). 

Recipe: Beet&beet salad

Like many of my recipes, this one was inspired by the offerings in my weekly local produce box. As you can probably imagine, it has looked very very similar for the past few wintry weeks -- cabbage, apples, beets, turnips etc. I've been getting my beets with the leafy greens and have wanted to use them.

Walking through a Winterlicious wonderland...

Hooray! It's Winterlicious, the time of year to try out some of  Toronto's best restaurants at a fraction of their usual prices. Prix fixe menus run either $25, $35 or $45 per dinner, and $15, $20 or $25 for lunch. That gets you at least three choices for three courses. Designed to draw in diners during the SARS crisis of 2003, Winterlicious, and younger sister Summerlicious, have become Toronto foodie staples that help boost restaurant sales during down times in this lacklustre economy.

Recipe: Looneyspoons less on ya lasagna

This super cheesy-tasting and flavourful lasagna is surprisingly low calorie, thanks to the use of some well-placed low-fat cheeses and roasted veggies. It's from the amazing new Looneyspoons Collection cookbook. The recipes are not only delicious and easy to make, but offer calorie, fat, carb and protein counts for every dish. This one has 353 calories and 9 g of fat for 1/8 of the pan-- a good size portion that leaves you satisfied.
Hint: We used fresh pasta sheets, and trust me, it makes a difference (one cheat, we didn't use whole wheat because it was Saturday and we wanted to splurge).

Recipe: Warming curried sweet potato and apple soup

A light and sweet but surprisingly filling soup with an Indian twist for a winter's night. With only 167 calories and 4 grams of fat, you can feel good --even if you need seconds.

Recipe: Cora's buttery holiday cookies

This easy recipe from brunch master Cora's is an mmmmm buttery rich indulgence for a mid-winter comfort food hit. The logs can also be frozen for many weeks so you don't feel forced to indulge all at once. I highly recommend investing in a stand mixer to make these, and all cookies and baked goods, at optimal deliciousness.

Recipe: Steamed lobster and Champagne risotto with scallops

Okay, yes it's truthfully an extremely belated New Year's Eve meal, but it's equally romantic for an upcoming Valentine's Day dinner in. We decided to cook something elaborate, rather than pay what would have been a $75 prix fixe for a dinner that would regularly cost us half that. 

Restaurant review: The Westerly

The Westerly (413 Roncesvalles Ave.)

In search of a new West End brunch locale, we actually stumbled accidentally across this month-old addition to what is quickly becoming one of my favourite neighbourhoods for both restaurants and shopping. And the discovery was serendipitous indeed. Little did I know, the restaurant that  has been getting rave reviews for its dinner offerings, had just opened for brunch a week before! Inventive food, stimulating atmosphere and friendly service, The Westerly has it all.

Restaurant review: Hush

Hush (303 King St. W.)

Hush, which recently opened in a space that has been turned over a lot, is a refreshing addition to the Entertainment District's restaurant row. For a girl's night out, we were on our way to Second City and wanted to dine somewhere different in the area.

Restaurant Review: Aravind

Aravind (596 Danforth Ave.)

I had heard about Aravind through some other Toronto food blogs, which said it was a refreshing change to Toronto's many Indian restaurants. Aravind, smack in the middle of Greektown, may not look like it based on the rather rustic decor -- aside from turquoise sponge painted walls not much stands out -- but it's higher end than those staple butter chicken and naan type places. If you're looking for share plates or either of those classics, Aravind is not the place. Instead, the restaurant specializes in lighter Southern Indian fare from the Kerala state --which means, basically, fish and vegetables are the crux of pescetarian menu that focuses on local ingredients.

Where would Sunny eat in 2011? My top restaurant picks

Canadiana and comfort food, like at Bannock, dominate my favourite restaurant picks

Happy (belated) 2012 everyone! I resolve to post more recipes and reviews this year, to keep on top of my blog with posts twice weekly, to start a twitter feed, to eat healthier and exercise more, to stop biting my nails, to drink less wine, to spend less money on dining out. Oiy, this sounds ambitious (and some seem to clash), I need a glass of wine.
Seeing as how it's trendy for all the Toronto foodie websites to make best of 2011 lists, I thought I'd indulge you all with the same! Seriously, you have to try all of these places --- if you're looking for somewhere to eat and can't decide come visit and let me know if you tried these and how you liked them.
Here are my top 11 restaurant picks of 2011, in no particular order (only some have my own pictures, and some of them are crappy 3G iPhone pics because I hadn't dreamed up the blog idea at the point I had visited some). Enjoy!