River Café, Calgary
Located in the middle of Prince’s Island Park, on the lagoon where the Bow River passes though downtown Calgary, River Café has featured “Seasonal Canadian Cuisine” since the mid-1990s. Inspired by the natural setting of the Bow River Valley, the restaurant has the feel and nostalgic appearance of an old Rocky Mountain fishing lodge with an open-hearth fieldstone fireplace and panoramic views of the park and...
Borealis Bar and Grille, Kitchener, Ontario
It may be the Flying Monkey Hoptical Illusion…or one of the other 18 beers/ales on tap at the new Kitchener location of Borealis. Or it may be the Barrie Brothers asparagus-corn chips with house made salsa or my absolute Borealis favourite, their BBQ’d pulled pork sandwich. But after only a week of unlocking the doors for business, there are a whole cadre of ‘regulars’. And that was even before the grand opening. Borealis Grille and...
Les Jardins Sauvages, Saint-Roch de L’Achigan, Quebec
One of the neatest restaurants in Quebec, Les Jardins Sauvages, is owned and operated by Chef Nancy Hinton and forager/farmer François Brouillard. Aside from being a country eatery, they create and sell a line of products derived from wild plants and mushrooms at a farmer’s market stall at Marché Jean Talon in Montreal. Chef Nancy Hinton, a constant winner of the University of Guelph Innovation Gold Award, grew up in Quebec City and...
George, Toronto
Lorenzo Loseto is one of Canada’s culinary giants. He has won many awards including Canada’s National Gold Medal Plates. James Chatto, the culinary scribe and organizer of Gold Medal Plates, described the medal winning effort. “At its heart were thick slices of superb ahi tuna that had been rolled in potato threads and deep-fried for the seconds needed to crisp them. The tuna itself remained essentially raw, glossy and dark...
Borealis Grille & Bar, Guelph, Ontario
Bringing local home! Borealis Grille and Bar is a restaurant making a difference and setting a new standard for Ontario, and possibly Canada. The Desautel family just get it. Bob Desautel’s wee granddaughter, Ava, holds a sign at the left that sums up their entire raison d’etre. Not only is the interior built from local stone and wood, with tables made from a black walnut tree felled in downtown Guelph, the food and...