Toronto dining is like a slow-cooking stew: each ingredient tastes great solo, yet when combined with others, creates magic. Shake off your jet lag with a grilled hot dog from any downtown street cart. Toppings are key. Olives? Bacon bits? Further satisfy a comfort-food craving with a greasy-good batch of fries from a French-fry truck.
Sample your way through local flavors at the St. Lawrence Market; consider a lesson with one of their celebrity chefs. Be your own Food TV critic: dine at an eatery that’s been overhauled on Restaurant Makeover, then decide if the local cook listened to the expert chef. Nosh your way around the world starting with traditional ethnic foods: share a heaping plate of Greek calamari or a mountain of handcrafted pasta cooked by a mama who still speaks Italian. Venture into “newer” ethnic enclaves where exotic global snacks await, such as at Kensington Market.
Move on to über-haute. Quiz the sommelier in the world’s highest wine cellar atop the CN Tower. For a less-touristed view, dine at Canoe atop a bank building, where the cuisine pulls in raves to match the view. Eat and drink in Olivia’s at 53, an urban micro-winery that locals say has the best patio in town. Let your mind simmer and stew over tomorrow’s choices.
