The Roundup: This Week in Toronto (June 26-July 2)

Written By

TasteToronto

over 1 year ago

Check out what's happening in Toronto this week, from highly anticipated openings, closures, events, pop-ups and more -- the round-up is your number one source for staying up to date with Toronto's fast-paced food scene!

1. Casa Madera has new brunch concept

One of Toronto’s trendiest restaurants just got even more exciting. Located inside 1 Hotel Toronto, Casa Madera is now serving brunch, offering a menu that serves breakfast classics with a twist, alongside refreshing cocktails and live entertainment. Options include the Churro French Toast, the Salsa Verde with sunny side up eggs, salsa verde sauce, fresno chile, onion, cilantro, cotija and flour tortillas, and the Casa Madera signatures like the Hamachi Serrano. Reservations can be made online.

2. Aburi Hana and Restaurant Pearl Morissette announce epic collaboration

There are collabs and then there are the type of heart-stopping culinary partnerships the food world salivates over. Announced last week, Michelin-starred Aburi Hana, led by chef Ryusuke Nakagawa, and Restaurant Pearl Morissette, helmed by chefs Eric Robertson and Daniel Hadida, are bringing their teams together for two unforgettable events this summer. Though the first — taking place on July 9th at Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Jordan — sold out in seconds, those wishing to secure a spot to the August 9th event at Aburi Hana in Yorkville, still have a glimmer of hope. A collaboration that marries the region’s local ecosystem and Kaiseki cuisine, each dinner promises to push boundaries in the culinary arts as it surprises and delights. Reservations for the second collaboration dinner will be released on July 11th. Keep a (very close) eye on Aburi Hana's and Restaurant Pearl Morissette's Instagram pages for specific details on how to secure yours.

3. Caramel Popcorn McFlurry debuts at McDonald's for limited time

Just in time for summer, McDonald’s Canada has launched a limited-edition Caramel Popcorn McFlurry. The new ice cream treat features vanilla soft serve rippled with caramel sauce and blended with crunchy bits of caramel popcorn. It’s available across Canada at participating restaurants, or ordered on the McDonald’s app for a limited time.

4. Black + Blue's outdoor oasis is the season's newest must-stop spot

Opened in April, Black + Blue is the city's newest spot for premium steaks, sushi, and the type of sultry surroundings that turn any meal into an event. Toast to sunny summer days on the restaurant's 2,000-square-foot patio, and enjoy an oasis where the outdoors are tempered with leather banquettes, an energetic crowd and menu options that range from seafood towers and signature prime rib, to cuts of certified Kobe beef. New for the season, menu specials include Burger & Beer Fridays and Prime Rib Sundays, observed with Caesar salad, slow-roasted Prime Rib Dinner and the restaurant's vanilla-scented Butter Cake. Black + Blue is located at 130 King Street West. To book your table, visit Blackandbluesteakhouse.ca.

5. Louix Louis debuts summer truffle menu

Celebrate the season with Louix Louis' Summer Truffle Menu. Available for weeknight dinner until August 31st, the tasting menu finds seasonal ingredients combined with summer truffles from Italy and Spain, black Périgord truffles from Australia and the team's deft culinary touch into five stunning courses. Begin with Tuna & Caviar, featuring sesame cornet, crème fraiche, truffle, chive and yuzu. Then, tuck into Truffle Arancini made of carnaroli rice, buffalo mozzarella and truffle aioli. Light and fresh, Scallop & Truffle Crudo is served with grapes, sea asparagus, passion fruit and shaved summer truffle. Hungry for more? Book your table at Louixlouis.com and enjoy every last bite.

6. Mary Brown's Chicken partners with Toronto Blue Jays on new Batter's Box

New for summer, Mary Brown's Chicken — the 100 per cent Canadian-owned and operated quick service restaurant — has launched the Batter's Box in partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays. Served in a branded box, each limited-edition feast invites two to three diners to tuck into six pieces of crisp Signature Chicken, taters, two biscuits and gravy, all for $19.99 plus tax. Additionally, from now until August 25th, all Batter's Box orders placed through the Mary Brown's app will be entered to win one of three prize bundles per month, including gift cards, merch and more. In August, two grand prize winners will take home Blue Jays game tickets and free Mary Brown's Chicken for a year. Also returning for the season are the chain's popular Honey BBQ seasoning and Banana Pudding. "We wanted to create an accessible offering that marries the excitement you get sitting down to watch a Jays game with that mouth-watering first bite of Mary Brown's," said Jeff Barlow, Chief Marketing Officer at MBI Brands, in a press release. "That's exactly what we did with the Batter's Box."

7. The KIND Summer Fair returns this July

Roll up to RendezViews on July 11th and 12th for a summer festival with a different kind of vibe. A cannabis-friendly, two-day event, the KIND Summer Fair aims to de-stigmatize and normalize cannabis through education and community. Taking place at RendezViews, the city's largest patio space, KIND will feel like an oasis in the city, with more than 30 brands and retailers, a range of entertainment and park games, and enough food and drink options to sate guests' marijuana munchies. Passionate consumers will beeline to designated cannabis consumption areas, while the canna-curious can learn more about their options and the community as they bask in the high of a glorious summer day. To purchase tickets, visit Frontdoor.plus.

8. Tim Hortons launches three special Dream Cookies

Building off Tim Hortons current Dream Donut platform, the Canadian coffee chain favourite has launched three new Dream Cookies, available in three flavours including the Rocky Road Dream Cookies – a rich chocolate cookie that's stuffed with pecans and marshmallows; a Dream Cookie that is filled with pecans, white and milk chocolate chips, topped with Reese's Minis and another made with white chocolate chips topped with M&M'S Minis chocolate candies. Enjoy the Dream Cookies today at Tim Hortons restaurants across Canada, or order ahead on the Tims mobile app.

9. Solkatt, a new cafe beside Lansdowne Station, just launched a brunch menu

Brunch-lovers unite - the west end just got a new brunch spot. Solkatt, a new cafe beside Lansdowne Station, launched its brunch menu the weekend of June 17. The menu includes brunch staples such as avocado toast, fluffy pancakes, French toast, and eggs Florentine. Specialty items include a picanha roast beef breakfast sandwich, rice with pancetta, and a ricotta omelette. The restaurant uses fresh, seasonal ingredients and says its brunch menu will change based on seasonality. Brunch is available on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cute and bright cafe is open for coffee from Wednesday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

10. Dive into octopus month at Pink Sky

There's still time to savour a multitude of tentacled dishes that capture the essence of the Mediterranean at Pink Sky. From now until the end of the month, the restaurant's head chef, Sabrinna French, is featuring everyone's favourite cephalopod in a variety of tempting, limited-time offerings. Dive into Spanish-inspired pintxos, constructed from marinated octopus, toasted sourdough, piquillo peppers, garlic aioli, paprika and a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Citrusy Ceviche finds octopus, shrimp, and mussels bathed in a piquant blend of red chili, tomato, cilantro, red onion and cucumber, with avocado and tortilla. Unadorned, save for a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, chili oil, paprika and lemon, Grilled Half or Whole Octopus is the ocean-fresh find that will have you dreaming of distant shores. To book your table, visit Pinkskytoronto.com.

11. Four Seasons Hotel Toronto welcomes patio season with the reopening of d|azur

If you've recently stopped in your tracks on Yorkville Avenue, it's likely at the glorious sight of Four Seasons Hotel Toronto's summer mural —It's Nice in Nice, by artist Victoria Sequeira. Designed to bring d|azur, the hotel's patio, to life, the mural is a testament to the vibrant spirit of the South of France and transports guests from the corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue to the sunny, sultry Côte d'Azur. Enjoy a close-up look, and a taste of the Mediterranean, with a visit to d|azur for a sampling of chef Maru Cacho's new menu. Brimming with fresh pleasures, a selection of chilled and warm dishes rely heavily on seafood and seasonal ingredients, with culinary tricks borrowed from myriad spots. Find Arabic Lamb Flatbread and Lobster Rolls alongside Lemon Saffron Spaghettoni, Boquerones Fritos, and more, with Strawberry and Basil Mousse, Apricot & Olive Oil Sundae and other sweets tempting even the most modest of appetites. d|azur is open Sunday through Wednesday from 11:00 am to 10:30 pm, and Thursday through Saturday from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. For more information, visit Fourseasons.com.

12. St. Regis Toronto launches gin-inspired take on Afternoon Tea

The St. Regis Hotel recently launched Botanical Delight, a limited edition offering of the St. Regis’ esteemed Afternoon Tea ritual available now through August 27, 2023 in Astor Lounge. Inspired by partner Whitley Neill Gin’s selection, Botanical Delight features a curated menu of savoury and sweet bites prepared with local ingredients and infused with flavours represented in Whitley Neill’s botanic gins such as rhubarb, ginger, blood oranges, raspberries, and Cape gooseberries. Botanical Delight Afternoon Tea is available Thursday to Sunday from 11:00am - 3:00pm for $95 per person plus taxes and fees.

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