IF YOU BELIEVE CANADIAN FOOD IS ALL ABOUT MAPLE SYRUP AND POUTINE, THINK AGAIN.

By Sally Howard

Once known solely for its maple syrup and northern European-influenced, rib-warming stodge (fries with brown gravy, anyone?), Canadian cuisine has come of age in the last 15 years. The nexus of this world-class gustatory sophistication is Toronto, a city that—with its 7,000-plus restaurants and multicultural population—channels much of the best traditions in the world of food, priding itself on authentic flavors.

Toronto’s Portugal Village, for example, offers the best sardines and piri piri this side of the Algarve; Little India serves perfectly poised biryanis and ghee-crisp dosas; Little Italy and Corso Italia have the last word in wood-fire pizzas; Greektown on the Danforth serves succulent roast lamb and souvlaki; Toronto’s four Chinatowns dish out epic piles of afternoon dim sum; and the Eastern European enclaves in the West End boast a doughy Polish pierogi dumpling. In Toronto high dining, Asian and Mediterranean traditions traditionally dominate, often appearing on the same dish.

“At some point in the late 1990s, ethnic food became art in Toronto,” says Vito Ferrone of the Liberty Entertainment Group, one of the major players in Toronto entertainment and dining. “Toronto restaurants grabbed the fusion food idea and ran with it.”

Yet, beyond these globe-plundering cuisines, there’s another distinct flavor in Toronto’s cooking pot. In the past 10 years, lead by a charge of celebrity chefs such as Jamie Kennedy (Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar) and Mark McEwan (Bymark), the confident new flavors of Canadian cuisine are pushing their way onto the city’s high-piled plate, at restaurants such as Canoe (with its skyscraper views); by hometown stars with global focus such as Susur Lee; by Québecois restaurants such as La Papillon; or with defining dishes such as Alberta bison with sweet potatoes, walnut and blueberries, from chef Jean-Pierre Challet at The Fifth (416-979-3005).

Indeed, for many of these culinary legends, provenance is all, much being made of the country’s impeccable east-coast fish, its abundance of blood-dark berries and fabulous Malpeque oyster bounties. “We’re in the lucky position right now of having a number of talented young chefs with good classic principles, and some really switched-on supply companies,” says chef Peter George of fine-dining restaurant 360, famously perched atop the iconic CN Tower. “Our suppliers are scouring for wild mushrooms; they’re sending us succulent Alberta bison and oddities such as partridge berries—it’s very on-trend for the global concept of eating local, and it makes for some one-of-a-kind dishes.”

But for all of these delicately constructed dishes, Torontonians haven’t forgotten their decades-old passion for comfort food. Despite every Canadian protesting that much of the northern United States is better acquainted with the rigors of a stern winter chill, Toronto is, indisputably, wrenchingly cold during the winter months, and the snacking habits reflect this. There are more donut shops per capita in Canada than any other country, and the Canadian chain Tim Hortons (www.timhortons.com) serves a wonderfully crispy version. There’s also the quintessential French Canadian comfort food of poutine, the Québecois fast food snack consisting of French fries topped with fresh curds and brown gravy. But the archetypal warming Toronto snack is peameal bacon. Typically nestled in a soft sourdough roll, peameal bacon is unsmoked lean bacon that has been sweet-pickle cured and coated in yellow cornmeal. Make your breakfast of a mile-high peameal bacon sandwich at the historic St. Lawrence Market; Carousel Bakery and Sandwich Bar (416-363-4247) has the best.

“We’re a unique city,” George says. “Above all, we have this spectacular ethnic diversity that we’re deeply proud of. We chefs seek out tiny ethnic shops on our days off, working the flavors into our own dishes. To me, this is what Canadian dining is about, drawing on a host of influences and making the result very much our own.”

MIDWEST AIRLINES offers daily flights to and from Toronto. Details can be found at www.midwestairlines.com.

Divine CANADIAN WINE

Top sommelier Anthony Demas of Auberge du Pommier reveals the finest of Canada’s homegrown wines.

2002
13th Street “Funk”

Premier Cuvée, Niagara Peninsula This is the closest thing to vintage champagne from Niagara, with a scent of citrus, apple and biscuits. Drink with classic champagne accompaniments: freshly shucked oysters, caviar and smoked salmon.

2003
Stratus Riesling ice wine, Niagara Peninsula

Ice wine—a dessert wine made by allowing the grapes to freeze on the vine—is unique to Toronto’s Niagara region and parts of Germany. The piercing acidity keeps the toffee-like sweetness in check.

2004
Le Clos Jordanne “ClaystoneTerrace” Pinot Noir, Niagara

This single vineyard offering from Le Clos Jordanne is proof that the temperamental pinot noir grape works in Niagara. Floral, cherry and earthy notes.

2005
Cave Spring “CSV” Riesling, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula

The seventh vintage of one of Canada’s landmark wines, this Riesling is consistently at the top of its class, with a nose full of citrus and green apple.

Enjoy with pork.

NORTHERN DELIGHTS

Where to sample the best of new Canadian cuisine in Toronto

Rain 19 MERCER ST. 416-599-RAIN, www.rainrestaurant.ca Located on what was once the site of Toronto’s first women’s prison, Michael and Guy Rubino’s operation dishes up anything but institutional fare. The focus is fish with an Asian flourish, with dishes such as peanut and tamarind black cod setting the standard.	Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar 9 CHURCH ST. 416-362-1957, www.jkkitchens.com An affordable way to sample the finest of Toronto’s first master chef is to try a few appetizer dishes, including the deeply Canadian Yukon fries and pulled-pork poutine, and earthy Hokkaido scallops with chorizo, fingerling potatoes and bravas sauce.
360 301 FRONT ST. W. 416-362-5411, www.cntower.ca A restaurant that’s suitably high tech for the top of the CN Tower, 360 slowly rotates as you dine (one revolution takes 72 minutes). It also boasts the world’s highest wine cellar. With a focus on the best of Canadian produce, it serves Alberta bison and Yukon fries.	Splendido Bar and Grill 88 HARBORD ST. 416-929-7788, www.splendido.ca From its beige walls to its dark wood, Splendido has a certain je ne sais quoi. Staunchly Canadian fare includes BC halibut filet in leek and champagne vinaigrette and Ontario butternut squash ravioli. Finish with lemon pudding cake with caramelized mango.
Bymark 66 WELLINGTON ST. W. 416-777-1144, www.bymark.ca An enfant terrible of Toronto cuisine, Bymark is most notorious for its $35 hamburger and French fries in a cone. Located in the heart of the financial district, the restaurant, with its muscular interior décor, is suited to high-end deal making.	La Papillon 16 CHURCH ST. 416-363-3773, www.lepapillon.ca Large crepes plump with sweet or savory fillings are a specialty at this French Canadian haunt. Don’t miss the tourtière (a Québec-style meat pie) and the robust French Canadian pork pâté, accompanied with Dijon mustard and homemade croutons.

Canoe 66 WELLINGTON ST. W. 416-364-0054, www.canoerestaurant.com The minimalist splendor of Mies van der Rohe’s Toronto’s Dominion Tower is matched by the ambitious fare served in its 54th-floor restaurant. The venue also boasts the city’s best wine list; some of Canada’s top wines are even produced for the venue’s sole use.	Tundra 145 RICHMOND ST. W. 416-869-3456 www.hilton.com A key element of Toronto Hilton’s $25 million facelift was this luxury restaurant, featuring a dramatic interior and poised menu. Arctic char with Malpeque oysters arrives with treats such as tomato avocado bean salad and Yukon gold potatoes.	Oyster Boy 872 QUEEN ST. W. 416-534-3432, www.oysterboy.ca Come here for tasty bivalves, which come in varieties like Imperial, with caviar and cognac; Rockefeller, with spinach, fennel and cream; and Creole, with spicy sausage and tomato. There are also clam fritters in beer batter for those who don’t do the king of fishy slurps.

For up-to-the-minute scoop on Toronto cuisine, visit martiniboys.com, or tour the best of Toronto’s snack life with historical tour guide Bruce Bell (www.brucebelltours.com).