Angelo's Coal Fired Pizza

This was my first coal-fired pizza experience and it certainly won't be my last.

Angelo's Coal Fired Pizza, situated at 106 Front St. E. across from the St. Lawrence Market, opened its doors on July 18th. Originated in Boston, Massachusetts, this spot is Angelo's second location, and is Ontario's first coal-fired pizza restaurant. Angelo's pride and joy is their coal-fired oven, which takes up 32 sq. ft. of cooking space and weighs approximately 10,000 lbs. Co-owner Joe Rizzo told me the oven arrived from California on a flatbed truck and was installed at the restaurant by forklift. 

Co-owner Joe Rizzo

The pizzeria is very roomy at 5,000 sq. ft. and can accommodate up to 124 guests including the bar. There's also a patio out front that seats 32 people. I like the Edison light bulbs, the black herringbone patterned floor tiles, as well as the exposed brick wall, but why do they have to ruin it all with TVs? The space is casual and tastefully decorated, yet the flatscreens scream "sports bar". I'm not a fan.

Angelo's offers 50+ wines from regions of Italy​,​ California​,​ Australia​,​ New Zealand​,​ ​Chil​e ​and France​.​

This mighty TerraLuxe coal-fired oven can reach up to 900 degrees and above, and uses 150 lbs. of the highly efficient, anthracite coal a day.

7 Enoteca

If you're ever looking for exceptional Italian food, try venturing outside the downtown core to Oakville's 7 Enoteca (Twitter: @7Risto, Facebook: 7 Risto). Yes, I said Oakville! I know it's a bit out of the way for some of you urban dwellers living in downtown Toronto but if you own a car and don't mind driving a bit further for good food, then I highly suggest you check out 7 Enoteca (and if you're already in the Mississauga / Hamilton / Oakville then you have no excuse).

Serving authentic and inspired dishes from Italy, this upscale pizzeria in Oakville's Town Square strives to bring to their diners the authentic Italian dining experience. With many of their products flown in from Italy - from the wheat flour for their Neapolitan pizzas and cheeses, to truffles and wines - 7 Enoteca is fully dedicated in having the most authentic Italian ingredients and flavours on their menu. Having said that, the restaurant still sources fresh seasonal ingredients from local vendors whenever possible.

7 Enoteca reminds me of the restaurants in the King West neighbourhood; the crowd is bustling and lively, and the decor is modern with a touch of rustic. Those uber cool Edison light fixtures immediately caught my eye when I walked in. I want one in my house.

Notice the cowhide-lined marble bar. And FYI, those bar stools are upholstered in Lamborghini leather.

This is my first time seeing arched ceilings at a restaurant. So pretty.

Scaramouche Restaurant

Scaramouche Restaurant is in a class all by itself when it comes to delivering the very best food, atmosphere and service in the city. The 30-year-old Forest Hill landmark restaurant continues to be awarded numerous domestic and international accolades and rightfully so. From being ranked the #1 restaurant three years in a row (2011, 2012, 2013) by restaurant critic Joanne Kates from Post City Magazines to earning an impressive 28 on Zagat's 30-point scale and securing the #1 spot for "Food in Toronto" in Zagat's 2012 Toronto Dining Survey, it is apparent that owners Keith Froggett (executive chef) and Carl Korte are committed to excellence and will settle for nothing less.

My gorgeous view overlooking the city skyline. I highly recommend getting a window table at Scaramouche.

LA MOBILETTA ($11)

The Italian word for moped, a Mobiletta is a delightfully light, fresh highball cocktail with Campari, lemon and grapefruit juice and topped with soda water, orange garnish

SNAP DRAGON ($11)

A very popular cocktail at Scaramouche, the Snapdragon is a delicious blend of pear nectar and vodka swirled gently over ice with a squeeze of fresh lime and topped with ginger beer, then strained into a chilled martini glass. Grown-up and mysterious!

The Whippoorwill Restaurant and Tavern

At the corner of Bloor and Lansdowne is The Whippoorwill (Twitter: @WhippoorwillTO, Facebook: The Whippoorwill Restaurant & Tavern), a new brunch / happy hour / dinner / bar spot that took over Bloordale Pantry last November. Co-owners of the new rustic restaurant are friends Shawn Creamer (also owner of The Dakota) and chef Tyler Cunningham (formerly of Mildred's Temple Kitchen). In a span of ten days, the duo transformed the previous Pantry space into a homey, retro restaurant that has now attracted the attention of the Bloordale brunch crowd (brunch is available from Friday, Saturday and Sunday). My friend Karen, who lives in the neighbourhood, invited several of her friends, including moi, to The Whippoorwill for dinner recently. Why? Because Karen fell in love with the restaurant ever since it opened and really wanted more people to know about the fantastic food and cocktails there.

The red booths, red bar stools and the black and white checkered floors give the space a very cool, vintage vibe. 

An old Detroit tire shop sign is now part of the bar at The Whippoorwill.

At the back is a painting of The Dale, the restaurant which occupied the space before Bloordale Pantry.

New Menu at The Curzon

The Curzon in Leslieville (Twitter: @TheCurzon, Facebook: The Curzon), known to the locals as mostly a weekend joint with fun bartenders serving cheap drinks, has recently been overhauled by The Food Network's Restaurant Takeover. J.J. Hope, manager of The Curzon, said the goal of the renovation was to have the Leslieville landmark be known not only as a neighbourhood-friendly bar on Fridays and Saturdays, but also an actual restaurant serving great food during the week.

The Curzon brought on consulting chef Deron Engbers (@TheDeron) to launch its new menu. 

I was invited to The Curzon for a tasting last week. Here's what I had:

Vanilla Cured Rainbow Trout / Butter Lettuce / Orange / Lentils

Mysteriously Yours...Mystery Dinner Theatre

Mysteriously Yours ... Mystery Dinner Theatre is a professional producer of Interactive Murder Mystery (i.e. plays). Ideal for corporate team building, parties, birthdays, anniversaries, or simply a different kind of dinner date with your significant other, Mysteriously Yours (Twitter: @WhodunitTO, Facebook: Mysteriously Yours Mystery Dinner Theatre) is all about providing guests with a fun and engaging evening. As guests, you can either sit and watch and be entertained, or can go as far as writing down clues and questioning suspects! Either way, it's all in good fun. I was invited to Mysteriously Yours last Friday for a dinner and show. I was pretty excited because although I've heard about Mysteriously Yours ... Mystery Dinner Theatre for years, I've never actually been. I also asked my friend Julia to come with me because she's a big Sherlock Holmes fan :)

Celebrating 25 years of interactive murder mystery theatre, Mysteriously Yours is currently playing The Fine Art of Murder - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery: 

"In the castle of a wealthy Countess, Sherlock Holmes is re-united with his trusted side-kick Dr. John Watson for a thrilling case of murder and deception, when a body is found at the foot of a priceless painting. Can Holmes solve the riddle and crack the case? More importantly, can he solve it in time?"

The Mysteriously Yours... Mystery Dinner Theatre (2026 Yonge Street)

Complimentary gear from Mysteriously Yours :)

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives Road Trip - Pizza Junction

Pizza Junction was the last Diners, Drive-ins and Dives ("DDD") restaurant that we could fit in for our DDD road trip. The restaurant is located in North Tonawanda, New York, near the Canada / US border, which is very convenient for us heading back to Toronto.


To avoid long weekend traffic back home, we left Pittsburgh early afternoon so when we got to Pizza Junction it was only around 4:30PM. We expected the early dinner so we didn't eat much for lunch.


Watch the DDD video. Look how much horseradish the guy puts in for the Beef on Weck Pizza! Look how much pulled pork he puts in the Pulled Pork Pizza! Portions are insaneeee~

When we got to Pizza Junction there was only one other table occupied in the dining room. Not surprised since it was only 4:30PM. The doors to the right in the picture leads to another room with a bar.

"The Cauldron" at Oddfellows

My foodie friend, Cindy, once sent me a link that had pictures of this stone pot filled with lots of bacon, eggs, sausage, and other oily goodness in it. She told me that this pot object can be found at Oddfellows, a brunch place owned by two designers. I didn't know designers can be restaurant owners too (not like there is a law against it or anything), it's just not what people expect, you know? But whatever, I told Cindy that we have to go there, and I demanded that she can't go with anyone else but me.  


We didn't get to go to Oddfellows until many weeks after that initial conversation because of our busy schedules. The whole time I couldn't get my mind off that pot... I was literally obsessed with it. We started calling it "The Cauldron". According to Wikipedia, "a cauldron or caldron (from Latin caldarium, hot bath) is a large metal pot (kettle) for cooking and/or boiling over an open fire, with a large mouth and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger". I thought the name fits perfectly for what you're about to see later.

So finally we go on a Sunday morning. I see this sign at the front. What a coincidence! I heart eggs too! :)

Oddfellows is definitely a quirky place. It is a very narrow space, with one long wooden communal table that sits around 20 people. The place is filled with unique decor like a hanging fireplace, a ceiling full of bubbly lights, and a wall with fridge magnets.

Bar-B-Q Short Ribs with Grilled Asparagus and Cherry Tomato Salad

I had my mind set on making this Beef Short Ribs in Red Wine dish from Sass and Veracity. I picked up all the ingredients I needed on a late Sunday afternoon, and suddenly realized that the LCBO has already closed for the day! My boyfriend and I then went back to his parents place to see if they had any red wine lying around. This was the scene: his parents were out, nobody was home, we dashed right to the alcohol cabinet, and started pulling out each bottle frantically and checking the label. Thinking back, it was kind of funny...to think that we were doing all this for my short ribs, rather than sneaking out alcohol or something (we are about 10+ years too old for that). Anyhow, no luck - only ice wine, whiskey, brandy, and various kinds of hard liquor in pretty bottles or pretty boxes.

I was sad and disappointed as we went back to my boyfriend's place. He asked if could skip the red wine or substitute it with something else. I told him there was no way I can omit the 2 cups of red wine in the recipe, I cannot imagine how tasteless the short ribs would turn out. And as for substitutes? Eh...the kind of liquor at my boyfriend's place consists of Pomtini, Strawberry Zinfindel, and Moosehead. Obviously, the Pomtini and Zinfindel are for my boyfriend, and the Moosehead for me (haha). But no, those definitely will not work. What should I do now with 6lbs of short ribs?