Cool Hand of a Girl is a great little cafe in the Junction on Dundas West, just 1 street east of Keele. Among other tasty bites, they serve up delicious sandwiches. My personal favourite is the tarragon chicken salad sandwich… mmm… good stuff. Perhaps the secret is that the chicken breast is from a Mennonite farm, or perhaps it’s the tarragon. They have many organic options and host art on the walls from local artists. Brunch on weekends is a good call, although they can get quite busy so don’t show up too hungry, for you may end up — as my friend Chris might say –”hangry”.

Technorati Tags: brunch, Cafe, Dundas Street , espresso, family business, homemade, latte

In Corktown, just up from the Distillery District, a Jamie Kennedy Cafe hides in an unsuspecting alley. 4 Gilead is bright and beautifully designed and serves up delicious cafe fare from 8-6 on M-F, 8-4 S&S. As one might expect, nearly everything is excellent. Why not try it and see if you can find an item that is sub par? Could be a fun game. Cookies, danishes, breads, salads, sandwiches… the menu is not large but it’s worth a drop in for a snack. Between 11am - 3pm there are additional options to choose from on the ever changing a la cart menu.

Technorati Tags: Artisan, Cafe, coffee, Corktown, pastries, pastries, sandwich, breads, Toronto

If you haven’t been to this mysterious place… you should. Delux at 92 Ossington is a great place to procure an excellent dinner.
A celebration, perhaps? A reward? Any reason will do, just make sure you have a reservation, as a lot of people have already figured out the truth about this special place on Ossington.

Things are really buzzing in the West end. Buzzing with caffeine, that is. The Junction now has Crema Coffee Company. In my humble opinion, this is one of the best coffee shops in the city. Or perhaps it is the best - you decide. The design is fantastic, with clean and simple lines. It rivals Manic and houses a Clover machine.

mmmm…. delicious.

Technorati Tags: cozy, Dundas Street , espresso, latte, coffee

Me: Hey Junction, what’s going on? What’s with all the commotion?

Junction: Well, let’s see. A beautiful organic grocery store has opened on Dundas Street West. It’s called the Sweet Potato. Not only does it have a fantastic selection of foods, it has a couch! Yeah, you heard me, a couch and some snacks at a cafe in case you need a little pick me up before diving into grocery shopping.

Me: I’m impressed. It’s not super cheap. But it’s everything else that a great little neighbourhood grocery store would be. Junction, you’re shaping up to be one hot neighbourhood!

Technorati Tags: fresh fruit, local business, organic, the junction

It’s been a while since I’ve seen new restaurants open on Harbord Street, but suddenly there has been a jolt of change on this restaurant strip. I checked out the Harbord Room that has been open for 3 weeks just west of Spadina. I had the most delicious soup I may have ever had (don’t tell my mum). It was tomato gremolata and lamb with chevre. I ordered it intending to share, but as my date was a little late I opted to eat the whole thing (sucka). The house wine was lovely. The decor managed to be both elegant and cozy. The entrees were rich in flavor yet not overwhelming.
The Chef, Cory Vitiello, previously the Drake’s sous chef has gone out on his own to show the world what he’s made of. Kudos to him.

The place only has about 25 seats, plus a bar… so if you want to try it you’d better get there before Toronto Life reviews it. I will definitely be back.
Cheers.

Technorati Tags:
Toronto, Delicious, Restaurant, Date, elegant, Annex, Bar

It’s fun to see a few more organic places open up. Options are good. I’ve noticed a few more organic shops and restaurants lately but haven’t tried all of them. One that I have experienced is Cafe Vert in Leslieville. They have been offering organic and healthy food for the past 2 years. It’s a cute little neighbourhood place that offers breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a wine bar on the upper level that opens when the restaurant closes on the weekends. It’s a cozy little neighbourhood place that is open for three meals a day Wednesday to Sunday. Their coffee presentation is one of the prettiest I’ve seen. Definitely a great brunch option when there isn’t a line out the door.

Technorati Tags:
Leslieville, local, organic, Restaurant, brunch

Manic Coffee is a dream come true. Not only are their espresso beverages consistently world-class, they have tables to read and chat at. Why not meet a friend and discuss the film you just saw, or sit down with a sketch book to design your latest bookmark? And did I mention that the lattes are AMAZING?

I would go as far as saying that Manic is as good as my favourite places in Seattle and Vancouver (Vivace & Elysian Room). Give it a try and see if you can taste the difference. They are located on College Street just east of Bathurst.

We don’t need to have 4 months of clouds to deserve excellent coffee here in Toronto.

Technorati Tags: coffee

I’m at the Beaver Café, with the sun gently shining through the window, gulping down a crisp cold pint of beer. Lunch has just arrived — mmm, soup — and the place is buzzin’.

poof.

Sadly, all this is really a dream/hallucination I am having from my bed. Oh, what I would pay to be at the good ol’ Beaver Café right now, guzzling that pint.  A double-damned cold is nipping at my heels and keeping me from doing anything at all, be it productive or entertaining.

Away, nasty cold!

Soft Latin rhythms waft from the window as you near the door of Olivia’s at 53.  This cozy little house of delicious food now offers 3 nights a week of live Latin jazz to get your blood flowing on crisp winter evenings.  Match the music with a great glass of wine and a bite to eat and you may well feel like you are on a delectable vacation.  Olivia’s is located just off of the College Street stretch of Little Italy. Oh, and did I mention that they have great brunch on Sundays?  Otherwise they are dinner-focused from Tuesday to Sunday.