Toronto Life’s most popular meals tales of 2023

Toronto Life’s most popular meals tales of 2023

Our readers ended up hungry for a range of reads this calendar year, such as a biography of one particular of Toronto’s most prolific restaurateurs, a memoir about turning a dairy farm into a distillery and a rating of all the new foods at the Rogers Centre. Below, a dozen of our most browse food items tales of 2023.


Rogers Centre

When the Blue Jays performed their 2023 household opener versus the Detroit Tigers, fans at the Rogers Centre experienced a really hard time concentrating on the video game. That is due to the fact the stadium unveiled a cornucopia of off-subject sights, like a bunch of new things to consume and consume. | By Mathew Silver | April 11
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Louie Cristello, owner of the Ladybug Tavern in Toronto

In 2022, Cristello owned two Banknote Bar locations—one in Corktown, the other on King West. Then came Metrolinx, buying up a bunch of properties downtown to make way for the 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line. The Banknote on King West turned a casualty of infrastructural development. All of a sudden, Cristello was on the lookout for another job, some thing to do as he approached retirement. Which is when he noticed a For Lease signal on the assets at 890 Faculty Street, just a small stroll from his residence. | By Mathew Silver | January 11
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Chef Joe Friday holds a box of burgers and fries behind the counter of Friday Burger Co., his new burger counter on the Danforth

The very first time Toronto Life checked in with chef Joe Friday, he was functioning a private catering business enterprise wherever he would established up in his clients’ properties and make mochi fried chicken (he grew up in Japan) or camp out in their backyards with a portable pizza oven. Friday however can take bookings for private affairs, but his latest endeavour is additional casual and accessible: a burger joint, bringing his North Carolina heritage to Toronto by using Nashville fried hen, Southern-accented burgers and diner-style sides like Mississippi mud pies and hand-spun milkshakes. | By Kate Dingwall | Oct 23
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The entrance to Fairview Mall's T&T location

Before this 12 months, as part of an $80-million glow up, Fairview Shopping mall converted a previous Sears into a sprawling Asian foods hall finish with vendors offering soufflé pancakes, Taiwanese milk tea and Hong Kong–style baked products. But the most important retailer in the revitalized house is a new locale of the Canadian Asian supermarket chain T&T. Appear with us for a virtual stroll through North York’s newest grocery monolith. | By Liza Agrba | June 1
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Freebird Market

Freebird, a market for all matters artisanal in south Etobicoke, is the pandemic outgrowth of 10tation, a 22-12 months-old catering company centered in the exact same constructing. When Covid put the kibosh on big gatherings, operator David D’Aprile noticed an opportunity to leverage his commissary kitchen into a neighbourhood market entire with specialty groceries and an intensive organized-meals portion. And therefore, Freebird Current market took flight. | By Liza Agrba | February 1
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Black and Blue Steakhouse

Soon after a lot more than three many years in the cafe marketplace, Emad Yacoub has appear complete circle with his Toronto steakhouse. The founder and CEO of Glowbal Restaurant Team to start with came to Toronto from Egypt when he was just 18 many years outdated, functioning in dining establishments for $4 an hour. And although he opened his to start with chophouse in BC, he considers Black and Blue to be a homecoming of sorts. | By Tiffany Leigh | April 21
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Janet Zuccarini, Toronto's most consistent restaurateur

Immediately after virtually 3 decades creating her meals empire in Toronto, Janet Zuccarini is launching an 8,000-sq.-foot, $7-million hotspot in LA this fall—all although mourning her husband, Robbie Robertson. Opening a restaurant in 2023 is brave. Running a dozen of them is bonkers. | By Katrina Onstad | Oct 2
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Circles and Squares Bakery owner David Baxter

Circles and Squares bakery received large at this year’s Ontario’s Most effective Butter Tart Festival. Proprietor David Baxter weighs in on the magic formula to their recipe, the fandom all-around the pastry and the great raisin discussion. | By Courtney Shea | June 16
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Jamie Kennedy, seasoning some of his well-known frites at his Prince Edward County farm. Picture by Suresh Doss

Prince Edward County’s foodstuff scene is on fireplace ideal now. And, in usual Toronto fashion, we just can’t aid but say, “You’re welcome.” Around the past couple of yrs, some significantly large-hitting culinary talent has ditched city existence for wholesome nation dwelling. We caught up with a handful of Toronto chefs and hospitality powerhouses who now call the county property and questioned them where we should really take in on our future pay a visit to to PEC. (And because we’re a little little bit narcissistic, we also asked what they miss out on about Toronto.) | By Caroline Aksich | Might 19
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Taylor McIndless and Ryan Fowler, owners of Wild Lot Farm Distillery in Prince Edward County
Taylor McIndless (left) and Ryan Fowler, house owners of Wild Great deal Farm Distillery

In 2018, Ryan Fowler and Taylor McIndless, who experienced desires of opening up their possess distillery, stumbled on an outdated dairy farm in Prince Edward County. But it required extra than just a minor elbow grease—days ahead of they bought the keys, there have been continue to cows roaming the assets and piles of manure in the 3,500-square-foot barn. Two and a 50 % yrs later on, the couple managed to switch the dilapidated property into Wild Whole lot, a wonderful distillery and occasion room. | By Ryan Fowler, as instructed to Kate Dingwall | August 10
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Chef David Schwartz

David Schwartz, the government chef and co-proprietor of Mimi Chinese and Sunnys Chinese, in some cases finds his inspiration in the suburbs. “I expend nearly just about every minute of my downtime only driving and consuming via various neighbourhoods,” he states. “Scarborough is most likely a person of my favourite places to investigate. It has a person of the deepest foodstuff landscapes in North America—the finds below are unparalleled.” Schwartz took us on a tour of his favourite places past the downtown main. | By David Schwartz, as explained to to Tiffany Leigh | May 24
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Prime Seafood Palace

After two decades of takeout and home cooking, Toronto diners ended up eager to splurge on prime cuts of beef, seafood towers and caviar, so much caviar. And whilst a Scarborough taco counter, a North York meals corridor vendor and a Tel Aviv–born speedy-casual kitchen area made our yearly ranking of the city’s greatest dining places, most of the other spots are for that special night out. There is much more than a single French bistro, a two-individual-bare minimum oma­kase place and a cafe that identifies as a palace. | By Liza Agrba, Alex Baldinger and Rebecca Fleming | May perhaps 15
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