ETHICAL GOURMET / Remind me to Tell You About the Time I Looked in the Heart of an Artichoke

My Picks of Where To Eat in Toronto Now  The Chase I am often asked for recommendations of where to eat in Toronto. These are my top picks from my 2014 shortlist: After the unfaltering parade of restaurant and bar openings over the last couple years, it’s hard to believe there could still be more great venues opening. However, things won’t be slowing down in Toronto in 2015. Honest Weight According to Blog TO, “In the works at 2766 Dundas St. West and Indian Road, this new fish shop is not just some chippy, but rather a boutique shellfish shop and 20-seat lunch counter with a seafood-centric menu.” Bar Raval Bar Raval is opening soon at 505 College St., this Spanish taverna from “Toronto’s hottest chef” Grant Van Gameren (The Black Hoof and Bar Isabel) and partners, Mike Webster and Robin Goodfellow. The inspiration for Raval is the pincho bars of Spain. Raval is anticipated to operate wee...

  Food for Thought in London Ontario's Old East Village     By BRYAN LAVERY     There is an on-going surge of redevelopment that has gradually strengthened the vitality of the Old East Village (OEV) neighbourhood. It’s not exactly gentrification — instead, it’s a more inclusive grass-roots kind of rebirth, one that reflects and accommodates the diversity of the OEV’s residents and business owners while encouraging community engagement. The Old East Village Business Improvement Area (OEVBIA) is a community-driven urban reinvestment and revitalization initiative working in partnership with the Old East Village Community Association (OEVCA) and a variety of community partners to help stimulate neighbourhood stability and encourage a blending of viable commercial activities along and off the Dundas Street corridor. According to Dr. Jason Gilliland (HEAL & Department of Geography at Western and OEVIA executive board member) “The OEVB...

. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2015 A Look at the Toronto Christmas Market in the Distillery Historic District     Selected as one of the World's 10 Best Holiday Markets by Fodor's Travel and Jetlegs, the Toronto Christmas Market at the Distillery Historic District is the ideal place to rediscover the romance of a Dickensian-inspired Christmas Market. Christmas Markets, known as Christkindlmarkts, have been a German tradition for 700 years. Christmas markets are an especially festive, anticipated event, bringing light and merriment to a cold, dark time of the year. Each town traditionally had a unique and distinctive street market to celebrate the season. For a fourth year, the Toronto Christmas Market is showcasing all the romance and splendour of a traditional European Christmas market. Local tradesmen sold their wares at these markets, giving each market an individual flavour and personality....