5 Tastes Of Toronto Slideshow
1. Carousel Bakery, St. Lawrence Market
The Carousel Bakery is considered to be a landmark of the St. Lawrence Market, otherwise known as one of the city's major food markets and one of the world's best fresh markets. The local bakery is known for its "World Famous Peameal Bacon Sandwich," or a traditional Kaiser roll with a variety of bacon that originated in Toronto. They also serve more than 300 types of breads, rolls, bagels (Montreal-style), baguettes, and pastries and are open Tuesday through Saturday.
2. Mildred’s Temple Kitchen
Dedicated to "food people, and the simple pleasures of life," Mildred's Temple Kitchen serves a locally sourced and seasonal menu. The restaurant has been a Toronto establishment since 1989 and is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner (except for Sunday dinner service) and offer Saturday and Sunday brunch. The menus change based upon availability of ingredients, but a must-have brunch classic is the "Huevos Monty," or Mildred's classic black bean refritos with sharp Cheddar cheese baked in flour tortillas and topped with sunny-side up eggs, fresh salsa, and avocado crème fraîche.
3. Canoe Restaurant and Bar
Located on the 54th floor of the TD Bank Tower, Canoe Restaurant and Bar offer a spectacular view of the Toronto Harbour. Chefs Anthony Walsh and John Horne have chosen to focus on the "rich, raw environment" of Canada to inspire their menus, with dishes including Labrador tea leaf smoked duck with northern woods mushrooms, Québec rye berries, foie gras, and rapini. They are open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and are available for private events on weekends.
5. Ursa
Also considered to be one of Toronto's best new restaurants, Ursa self-identifies as "a contemporary Canadian restaurant focusing on hand preparations of seasonal ingredients." Moreover, the restaurant strives to preserve the nutritional value of their ingredients with careful preparations, like compressing greens in a vacuum instead of boiling them, for example. They are open seven days a week for dinner service and drinks. The menu will be different depending on the time of year, but we'd still love to try the wild mushroom mix and tiny chestnut agnolotti bathed in a kombucha-sherry broth.