Leave it to a couple of transplanted New Yorkers to bring Berlin’s food scene out of the döner dark ages and thankfully, into the modern era.  Located in Kreuzberg, Little Otik offers a skilled, unpretentious take on the farm-to-table cuisine that has exploded in popularity over the past few years.

What began as a much-heralded weekly supper club evolved its current incarnation last May, when owners Kevin and Jeffrey realized they had outgrown their apartment and needed more permanent digs.  Sparsely decorated with mismatched communal wooden tables and chairs, Little Otik reminded us of the rustic charm of Toronto’s Brockton General (fun fact – both are former failed Portuguese restaurants!).

Complementing the warm farmhouse décor is an inviting menu of simple, well-prepared seasonal fare using locally sourced ingredients.  Think pickled watermelon or radishes with sea salt and butter to start, followed by a mouthwatering slab of pork shoulder with peperonata or mackerel roasted with beets drizzled with horseradish crème fraiche.  Paired with a glass (or a bottle, you’re on vacation right?) of dry German riesling or one of Kevin’s superb bourbon cocktails, Little Otik is a welcome home, 4,000 miles away from home.

More information is available on their website.

Need a glass of wine after a long day at the office? How about five? If you’re anything like us, you’re going to want to mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 20^th as the popular Bordeaux After Work Party returns at Eight Wine Bar (located in the stylish upstairs lounge of the Cosmopolitan Hotel).

With a moderately warm climate and varied soil types, Bordeaux is widely known for producing some of the most superior blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cab Franc, in addition to crisp, dry whites, and fabulous dessert wines.  The Bordeaux Work Party features a selection of five expertly chosen Bordeaux wines (for only $5 a glass!) and is a great opportunity to expand your knowledge of the one of the largest quality wine-producing regions in the world.   Bonus – all of the wines featured are reasonably priced and can be found at your local LCBO, so you can take home a bottle and knock your next dinner party out of the park.

Space is limited for this exclusive event, so make sure to RSVP on the Bordeaux After Work Party Facebook page.

More information on Eight Wine Bar can be found here.  See you there!

 When it comes to vanilla, imitation is just not the most sincere form of flattery. Renowned pastry chefs, baking doyenne Dorie Greenspan, Martha Stewart, and the Domestic Goddess herself, Nigella Lawson are all in consensus on this front – using high quality ingredients truly does make a difference.  And once you’ve experienced that intoxicating scent that comes from a real, honest-to-goodness vanilla bean or pure vanilla extract, there’s really no going back.

But finding these high-end ingredients is often an exhaustive and fruitless experience, especially if you’re scouring the aisles at the local Metro. Enter (at long last!) the Canadian retailer Vanilla Food Company, an online shop specializing in the highest quality baking supplies.  With an over-whelming selection of hard to find baking ingredients, including xantham gum, SAF instant yeast, meringue powder, as well as wide range of cake decorating tools and bakeware, Vanilla Food Company has bakers and aspiring home pastry chefs more than covered.  We especially love their imported Madagascar vanilla beans and Callebaut baking chocolate.

Based out of Markham, Vanilla Food Company ships in Canadian dollars nationwide, offering a flat shipping rate and even a 10-day refund policy…not that you, or anyone you deem worthy enough to share your baking masterpieces with, will be experiencing buyer’s remorse here.

For more information, visit their website here.  Happy baking!

Last Wednesday Toronto’s food media was invite to preview Bannock. As part of the Hudson Bay Co. new direction it is unveiling a new delicious foodie destinations, representing an important first milestone in the retailer’s national restaurant conversion and rebranding program.

At the corner of Queen and Bay, Bannock, an Oliver & Bonacini creation, is an original restaurant and café that honours and updates traditional Canadian comfort food. Bannock, the simple, humble food that was brought to Canada through Scottish explores is the main inspiration for the café.

The menu features wholesome ingredients that are reflective of Canada’s rich regional and cultural diversity, delivered in an innovative and playful way with bannock bread integrated liberally throughout.

Key items on the menu pickerel taco & cucumber apple salad, served with caviar tartar; roast duck poutine pizza; pulled pork tourtiere and famous mini-Arcadian Court Chicken Pot Pie.

Part grab-and-go café, part coffee shop and part dine-in restaurant, Bannock is literally a one-stop destination for any meal of the day. The architecture is eclectic and Canadian – featuring antique pine and hemlock reclaimed from one of the Queen’s wharfs that sat under the waters of Lake Ontario at York Street for over a hundred years.

Bannock officially opens today, August 29, 2011. For more information visit the Bannock site here.

Now in its second year, Paws for the Cause has done a wonderful job of creating awareness and raising funds for the Ontario College Pet Trust Fund. As a spin-off of their annual charity gala and to raise funds year-round they’ve introduced the Paws for the Cause Lemonade stand.

Located beside John Steinberg & Associates, the stand usually runs every Friday and Saturday through August 27^th. Each week some notable Toronto chefs and personalities create their one-of-a-kind lemonade creation. Last week 86’d Monday’s Ivy Knight was featured and the week before was Harbord Room’s Cory Vitello’s turn.

This week, It All Starts With Butter has created a version that will be featured on Friday, August 12 – rosemary mint lemonade (with vodka and bourbon if you want  the recipe to try the alcoholic version at home)

Be sure to get there early. The stand opens at noon until quantities last. See you there!

At John Steinberg & Associates, 585 King Street West just east of Portland. For more information on Paws for the Cause visit their website here.

With their food friendly characteristics and great value, we’re often found drinking Spanish wines year round. When summer arrives, we always add another reason to our list: they go great with grilled food.  And with barbecue season in full swing, we can’t think of a better time to expand our Spanish wine repertoire.

As usual, iYellow Wine Club has us covered.  Along with Frontier Wines, they’re hosting an exclusive fiesta featuring some exciting new and award-winning Spanish wines.  The event is taking place on the ultra-luxe rooftop patio of Dolce (647 King St W) on Wednesday, August 24th from 8 – 10:30 pm.  The cost is $50 per person, but be warned -  with only 75 tickets available, you’re going to want to RSVP soon if you plan on sippin’ the night away.

More information on the event is available at iYellow Wine Club’s website.

See you there!

The lack of gourmet food trucks has long been a thorn in Toronto’s renowned culinary side. However, if last Saturday’s inaugural Food Truck Eats festival was any indication, the wheels to change this are already turning.

Held in the Distillery District on a beautiful Canada Day long weekend, Toronto supporters turned up in droves, eager to sample treats from vendors that included St. Catharines’ El Gastronomo Vagabundo, Hamilton’s Gorilla Cheese, and Oshawa’s legendary barbecue joint, Buster Rhino’s (who sold out of their staggering 300 pulled pork sandwiches in just under 2 hours).

As we were helping at one of the stands, we were forced to rely on the kind donations (many, many thanks to the lady who brought us Marben’s insanely delicious chocolate ice cream sandwich) and reports of festival-goers on the front lines (emphasis on lines!). Notable standouts included the steamed pork buns from El Gastronomo, creamy kulfi with fresh Ontario strawberries from Joshana Maharaj, wood fired pizzas from Bonfire Grill, lobster brioche rolls from Simple Fish and
Chips, and the smoked chicken croquettes (decadently and accurately described as “deep fried chicken pot pie”) from Geoff Hopgood, the former criminally delicious mastermind behind the Hoof Café. Hungry yet?

The next event, which organizer Suresh Doss of Spotlight Toronto promises will feature more vendors (including Toronto’s Caplansky Deli) and thankfully, more portions, will take place on Saturday, August 20th. Our advice? Plan to show up early
and hungry.

More information on the upcoming Food Truck Eats event can be found here.

There are so many things that can get confusing at events. The mix of guests, the food, the drink concoctions, the venue… pretty much anything and everything

Yesterday’s event was in that boat, but on a level of guilty pleasure too good to pass up.

McCain and a very pregnant Tori Spelling hosted the Slice of Reality event on the Thompson Rooftop to introduce McCain’s new Ultra Thin Crust pizza. It was part of an advertising initiative where people entered a contest to be Tori’s new BFF.

The three winners of the contest were elated to meet her. As for the rest of the crowd, an intimate selection of mommy bloggers and prominent media, well, they were more into the Veuve Clicquot with raspberries, baby-shower-like dessert displays and copious amounts of food. No surprise here, Torontonians at these events almost pride themselves on not getting a glimpse of the talent.

Not a single photo was taken of Tori where she didn’t have both hands on her stomach (We get it! You’re pregnant!) and hilarity ensued when photos were taken of her eating the (pretty decent) pizza in front of the step and repeat. She was very cordial and so was her entourage.

The food was prepared by the Thompson hotel while the Ultra Thin Crust pizzas, were provided by the company. Pizza flavours include: spinach & provolone, roasted mushroom and garlic and pollo pizza to name a few. The hotel’s menu consisted of creamy brie cheese tartlets, antipasto turnovers with parmesan crust, kobe beef sliders, braised beef short rib and so much more. Desserts included red velvet cupcakes, lemon tartlets with almond biscotti and macarons.

You may recall a post from last year about National BBQ day, but if not, here’s a rundown of the wonderful charity event happening this Saturday.

Meal Exchange is calling on all Canadians to host a barbecue on National BBQ Day with locally grown food in support of the local food economy and Meal Exchange. Money raised will help fund the student-founded, youth-driven charity addressing local hunger.

If you’re interested in hosting a barbecue on August 6 you can register at www.mealexchange.com . What’s more, you’ll be automatically entered to win 2 tickets to anywhere West Jet flies.

To also help raise funds TeamBuy.ca is currently featuring great barbecue buys in Teambuy cities that Canadians can use with their Meal Exchange barbecue gatherings. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Meal Exchange.