A Toronto Time Capsule
Toronto Cooks by Amy Rosen
Cookbook Type: Canadian, Restaurant
Favourite Recipe: Baba au Rhum (pg. 60-61)
Favourite Page: Hamachi Ceviche (pgs 172-173)
Favourite Quote: “And then comes dessert, which feels like bunny slippers and a mug of hot cocoa before heading off to bed. Its a place to return to again and again, just like home.“ (Pg 196 - re Ruby Watchco)
Rating: 3/5 Larousse Gastronomiques (📕📕📕)
Review:
This book was published in 2014, so needless to say the Toronto food scene has somewhat changed over the years. Still vibrant, and recently visited by the Michelin team (finalllllly), the post pandemic food scene is found hidden in the hallways of Kensington Market, and in cavernous holes formed in the bricks of St Lawrence Market. It’s not a flashy scene anymore, it’s a quiet and understated boom of deliciousness, born from pandemic home-delivery Old Fashioned, and a city who recently admitted it’s okay to drink it parks.
To my point, out of the 48 restaurants highlighted in this book, only 26 are still open. Honestly, that number is higher than I expected it to be.
But what this book has is a collection of recipes from a period in time in Toronto’s expansive restaurant history. Auntie lived in Toronto in 2014, and the sparky energy of each edible trend had us hopping from brunch line ups, to breezy lunches on patios downtown, to the ever-coveted dinner reservation in the sprawl. It felt good and luxurious.
Ten years later, the book stands up as a Toronto time capsule. Some of the chefs are big names now, seen more on TV than your favourite corner spot. One in particular has closed down, except for an outpost in Toronto’s Pearson airport. And some have disappeared entirely, maybe off to focus on their families, or build their next empire further away from the exorbitant costs of the Big Smoke.
The post pandemic foodie is maybe watching their restaurant spend a little closer. We’re all a little older, less agile, and maybe prefer lounging in bed a little longer instead of lining up for avocado toast.
The caveat to that is always Edulis. Take my money. I’ll line up any and every day.
