THE RADAR

Toronto joins the Eataly club and we get an option for upscale dining in a classic cinema.

EATALY If you’ve ever dreamt of strolling the aisles of a specialty grocery store, combing over the selection of fancy cheese with a glass of wine in hand, your fantasy is now a reality. Following successful openings in New York, Chicago and L.A., Italian purveyor Eataly opened a sprawling outpost in the Manulife Centre at Bay and Bloor. The Italian-themed mega complex encompasses grocery aisles, three diff erent restaurants, almost a dozen diff erent bars and counters for to-go food items and drinks (the whole place is licensed) and even a brewery complete with bottle shop and tasting room. At fi rst glance it might seem like an over-glorifi ed grocery store, but the quality fare is well worth the hype. The freshmade pasta, available to purchase and cook at home, will keep us coming back. eataly.ca

BAR KOUKLA One of the latest additions to Ossington’s restaurant row, Bar Koukla off ers small

plates of Hellenic dishes like baked feta wrapped in crispy phyllo with

pomegranates, eggplant salad and grilled lamb ribs with

tzatziki. Koukla – a Greek term of endearment meaning ‘doll’ – is a

very date friendly spot to share a few plates. Have a glass from their list of natural, organic, biodynamic Mediterranean wine. koukla.mamakas.ca

THE GRAND ELVIS When Rose and Sons closed, a collective cry for pastrami sandwiches was heard around the city. But comfort-food king Anthony Rose didn’t leave us hanging for too long before opening his newest endeavor: the Grand Elvis. Sink your teeth into the alreadyfamous “Brindle Room-style” banquet burger with pickle and fries on a potato roll – an homage to the famous New York City burger. Or cozy up with a plate of beef stew and you’ll forget all about pastramis gone past. thegrandelvis.com

ABURI HANA Toronto’s newest Kyō-kaiseki (aka multicourse Japanese dinner) restaurant landed in Yorkville this winter. Aburi Restaurants (who also run Miku and TORA) are off ering diners two 15-course meal options for $195 or $330. Courses might feature items like tuna belly

sashimi, sea urchin or lobster sushi depending on the day, all served on Japanese Arita porcelain dishware. Cocktails aren’t on the menu, but with unique wine and sake pairings curated for your meal, you won’t miss them. aburihana.com

THE GREEN WOOD ON KING The beloved Leslieville brunch spot has added a western outpost. With a focus on sustainably sourced ingredients, the Green Wood on King serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails all week. The menu has rustic Mediterranean bowls and sandwiches that require two hands. eatgreenwood.com

FREEPLAY ARCADE College and Spadina has a new spot to drive, shoot or wakawaka-waka your way through the arcade classics. There’s a $5 cover charge, but as the name suggests, all 50+ retro games are set to free play. For a side of grownup fun, there are 20 beers on tap and themed cocktails. Bar snacks include mini pogos and mac ‘n’ cheese wedges. freeplaytoronto.com

BAR BILTMORE & OSTERIA RIALTO What happens when restaurant-industry veterans move into the renovated retro Paradise Theatre? A little bit of magic. Biltmore focuses on spritzers, sours and negronis alongside small sharing plates while Osteria Rialto plays the leading role for innovating classic Italian cuisine. paradiseonbloor.com

THE DIGEST

Toronto’s iconic market is staying open all weekend and your dog walk can now include a beer break.

AU NATUREL-LY Canada has a plastics problem and packaging is the number one offender. Unhappy with the lack of alternatives, the folks at bare market began operating packagefree pop-ups across the city and opened their first permanent store at Danforth and Coxwell. bare market is a one-stop shop for refillable, local and sustainably sourced items. Fill your – ahem, reusable – bag with package-free goods, instead of the landfill.

PUPS ON PATIOS NOW PERMITTED Yes, we’re thinking about patio season already – and it’s about to get even better. As of Jan. 1, restaurants now have the option to allow dogs on patios, instead of having them wait on nearby leash-friendly railings. This change also applies to certain indoor eating areas at places where alcohol is made on-site (such as breweries), and where only beverages and certain types of “low-risk” foods – think fresh fruit and pre-packaged snacks served with alcohol – are served.

SUNDAY FUNDAY For those who want warm bagels from St. Urbain, prosciutto from Scheffler’s or a sandwich from Mustachio, we have good news. You don’t have to be up at the crack of Saturday for a St. Lawrence Market run anymore. Starting this March, it will (finally) open its doors on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and four evenings a week. The one-year pilot project aims to make the market more accessible for all.

IKEA GOES GRETA When we think of Ikea two things come to mind: anxiety and meatballs. But, there’s more to this ready-to-assemble furniture giant than arguments with your partner over instruction manuals and those small circles of edible joy. Ikea Canada is on a mission to be more sustainable with their new food waste tracking program. Since its implementation in December 2018, Ikea Canada has achieved the goal of reducing food waste in its kitchens by over 30 per cent – that’s over 94,000 kilograms of food saved. f

FLAVOUR OF THE WEEK

At Lapinou, Andrea Yu samples neo-bistro cuisine featuring local ingredients.

WITH LUSH VELVET banquettes, low lighting and an abundance of exposed brick walls, you’ll feel Lapinou’s cozy, refined ambiance the moment you step in. Modern francophone music plays through the speakers as wine glasses clink around the très invitant, central oval bar. Located at King and Bathurst, Lapinou bills itself as a “neo-bistro” serving updated French recipes inspired by Ontario’s best ingredients. The head chef here is Jamie Ullrich (Nota Bene, Estia, Byblos North) and his dedication to sourcing the region’s best means going to lengths to find unusual ingredients, like Canadian fife wheat for his sourdough and homemade butter. The menu is printed on a single slip of paper but you might need a bit of help interpreting each item. Beef tenderloin was simply listed as “beef” with its accompaniments, for example, but the wait staff is happy to explain each dish in greater detail. If you’re in the mood for sharing, head to the bottom of the menu for items like whole chicken, trout and côte de bœuf.

Dishes like gnocchi parisienne, made traditionally with choux pastry instead of potato, and duck breast offer classic French fare, but twists like tart sour cherry jus and sunchoke chips on the bird ensure some delicious surprises along the way.

À-CÔTÉS

WINE General manager and sommelier Lauren Hall is constantly rotating the selection – all served in the same glass. When we visit, the wine list is exclusively French, including a drinkable cabernet sauvignonmerlot blend and a flavourful chardonnay with a subtle oakiness.

20 BRUNCH The updated take on regional French bistro fare continues into Sunday brunch. Boost up your weekend with a glass of half-price wine or champagne (on select bottles) and order the $35 set menu, which comes with shared apps and your choice of main. Don't get too attached – their brunch offerings will rotate weekly, but that just means new favourites like the squash fritters or househam and truffle celery roulade are best friends you haven't met.

DAILY BREAD It may seem like a waste of stomach space to order bread as an appetizer but you’d be remiss not to make it part of your meal at Lapinou. The sourdough, made in-house, comes from a starter that has apparently been generating delicious loaves for over four years. It’s a moist and luxurious loaf made all the better by accompaniments like the Canadian canola oil and the house-churned butter from Jersey cow cream. f