Classic cocktails mixed with bourbon from the world’s oldest bourbon distillery. And fresh, inventive cuisine from one of Canada’s top chefs. Sometimes I pinch myself about how lucky I am in life. Last Wednesday was one of those times. A small group of food writers and travel folks were invited to Arcane Nightclub on King West (461 King St. W. if you want to be precise) for a bourbon and food pairing, sponsored by Buffalo Trace Distillery of Kentucky and chef Claudio Aprile, who hopes to open Xango restaurant within the Arcane space prior to the start of the Toronto Read more
celebrity chefs
One of Toronto’s top restaurants has some fresh, new faces on hand. Four Seasons Hotel Toronto has announced Nicholas Trosien as the new Chef de Cuisine of Café Boulud and d|bar by Chef Daniel Boulud. Since his appointment, Trosien has been working in collaboration with Chef Daniel Boulud and his culinary team to refresh the restaurant’s classic menu for spring. The new menu is available until June 21 from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5:30 to 10 p.m. for dinner service. Trosien brings a creative touch, Four Seasons-style management and leadership chops, and culinary worldliness nurtured through assignments Read more
LONDON – A classic yet modern hotel in one of the world’s great cities. Not to mention great food and a nearly perfect location. One Aldwych is a truly terrific hotel in central London, with wonderful design touches, large and comfortable rooms and an outstanding restaurant that’s creating a substantial buzz. The hotel makes an instant impression with a beautiful, light and airy lobby area that has a great bar. They have a full-time person in charge of flowers and plants, and when we there someone had cleverly taken a huge bouquet of flowers and hung them upside down in Read more
LAS VEGAS – A beautiful hotel with spacious suites. World-class cuisine. And great, classic cocktails. The Palazzo Las Vegas has pretty much everything you’d want from a hotel on The Strip. And some things you might not expect. I recently had a 24-hour visit that I wish had been considerably long. We started things out with a classic daiquiri at Rosina, a great bar that feels like Chicago or New York, with lots of gold lights and shiny mirrors and some Art Deco elements. It’s a fairly intimate affair; designed to seat 60 guests. The idea, I was told, is Read more
One of Canada’s best and coolest restaurants. And a sleek boutique hotel with a fabulous rooftop bar. I got to spend a night last week checking out two super-fun spots on Queen St. West in my hometown of Toronto and came away quite impressed. The Good Son began serving diners on Queen west of Dovercourt Rd. three years ago and has earned plaudits from many a food critic. I’m hardly a dining connossieur, but I eat at a lot of nice places around the world and think I know good food from mediocre, and I was won over big time Read more
