I wasn’t long in Toronto, when Nina—who understood my
penchant for fine dining, great coffee and culture in unusual settings—took me
to the historic Distillery District.
Set on 13 acres in the heart of downtown Toronto, The
Distillery District is the single largest collection of Victorian Industrial
architecture in North America and one of Toronto’s hottest “gastrozones”. I was
in COOL Travel Cat Heaven. Wonderfully restored to retain its funky
retro-industrial setting, The Distillery features a wide and eclectic tapestry
of shops, cafés, restaurants and galleries including: chocolatiers who produce
artisan chocolate directly from the cocoa bean itself; cafés that micro-roast
Fairtrade beans; Canadian fine cuisine in industrial chic settings; and
galleries and shops that embrace original funk-chic.
Founded in 1832 by brothers-in-law William Gooderham and
James Worts, the Gooderham and
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| Historic Distillery District |
Worts Distillery grew into the largest
distillery in the world. They exported spirits and whiskey to ports around the
world from New York to Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo. After 153 years of
continuous production, the plant distilled its last drop of rum in 1990. Resident
beer gardens, wine bars, an award-winning microbrewery (Mill Street Brewery) and
even a sake distillery (which opened a few months ago) have amply filled the
gap. The Ontario Spring Water Sake Company is the first and only sake brewery
in Ontario. It’s prepared in the “Junmai” (pure rice) style, freshly pressed,
unpasteurized and unfiltered. They have a lovely tasting room and several sakes
to try along with Japanese food.
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| The Potter's Shed |
The Distillery was restored and developed into a pedestrian-only
cultural “Victorian Industrial chic village”, opening in May 2003 as Toronto’s
new centre for Art, Culture and Entertainment. Pigcat and I strolled along the
brick lined promenades and European piazza-style squares in what the Globe and
Mail calls “a picture postcard draw”. Where ever I turned, a paradox of hip
sophistication and retro-industrial funk greeted me. I was reminded a little of
Soho in New York as my senses feasted on a range of motion, color, texture and
fragrance: an old roadster parked in an alley overlooking the industrial punk
sculpture of Dennis Oppenheim;
a
collection of clay pots, dried lavender and ferns adding colorful texture to a
red brick road.
As we strolled past
eclectic shops and avant-garde galleries—once a distillery complex, flour mills
and cooper shop—I inhaled the pleasant aroma of baked food and freshly roasted
coffee. The Distillery, like a fine distilled spirit, is a feast of the senses.
If Hemmingway was a Torontonian, he might have reserved his famous quote for
this place.
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| Fleur de Sel chocolate caramel |
Nina took me to Soma, where we savored a provocatively
delicious Mayan hot chocolate over a Sparky chocolate (named after my good
friend, Sparky, no doubt! LOL!)—a dark chocolate “half-moon” covering a “genache”
of gianduja laced with paprocks. Eugenia served us our Mayan hot chocolate,
made with ginger, Madagascar vanilla, orange peel, and their secret blend of
spices. HA! I know that chili is one of them. The hot chocolate ran smooth over
my tongue, rich with chocolate and a touch of heat.
Soma is one of the few artisan chocolatiers in North America
who make small batch chocolates
Veni,
vidi, vici!
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| Patrons of Soma enjoy exquisite gelato |
directly from the cocoa bean (which they get
from plantations around the world including the Dominican Republic, Madagascar,
Costa Rica and Panama—with a preference for Fairtrade, Organic and flavor
grade. You can see them making their chocolates in their micro-chocolate
factory through the display window! Toronto Life Magazine and Now Magazine
voted Soma chocolates as the best in town. And why not? Their exquisite
chocolates are lovingly made by dedicated and friendly staff (probably
intoxicated with chocolate-induced endorphins). You can’t go wrong with names
and elegant ingredients like fleur de sel caramels, almond cluster dark
Peruvian, Arbequina Spanish olive oil, cherry bomb, Gooderham and Worts
Whiskey, Douglas Fir and Bergamot.
Soma’s gelatos and sorbettos are also extremely popular. We returned
later to savor one of their 14 flavours.
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| Mill Street Brewery Pub |
We stopped for lunch at the
Mill Street Brew Pub, a place to
eat with character and its own micro-brewery. Mill Street Brewery is East
Toronto’s first commercial brewery to open in more than 100 years, home to
Ontario’s first certified organic lager, producing handcrafted beers and ales
in historic Corktown area of the city. The pub was built around their
open-concept brewery beneath 18 foot ceilings and huge skylights, successfully
preserving the character and ambience of the century-old distillery district.
We sat in their patio facing Tank House Lane. Nina decided
on their English Tea Beer and I asked Natalie, our friendly waitress, for their
Coffee Porter. The Coffee Porter features roasted beans from Balzac Coffee,
down the street, and delights the palate with complex lingering flavors of nuts.
With 100% certified ingredients in their stock ales, tank house ales, and
porters, who can go wrong?
The Brew Pub opened in 2006, serving exceptional pub-style
food that use the Mill Street brews, brewed on site. I ordered a Drunken Butter
Chicken (the name somehow appealed)—an organic lager marinated chicken simmered
in the Mill’s own butter sauce and served with basmati rice and naan bread. I
found large chicken pieces bathed in a delicate “rose” sauce with complex
flavors that lingered with a mild heat.
Along with their cob salad, which Nina smartly
chose, and their signature fish and chips, it is a favorite among Brew Pub
patrons.
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| The Potter's Shed |
Then it was time to exercise some of that butter chicken
away. A little ways down Tank House Lane we felt drawn to the magic realism of
The Potter’s Shed, whose earthy artworks looked like they’d spilled out from
the tiny shop in artful chaos among the brick pavestones. Clay pots and
gardening implements lay scattered among dizzying sprays of lavender, hydrangeas,
and ferns. Inside, Behar, in her rainbow
sarong, added to a setting out of a classic fiction novel. When we finally
stepped back into the sun, Pigcat asked me if I’d seen all the ferries sitting
among the pots.
We ambled farther, poking inside eclectic shops, and ended
up on Trinity Street. I highly recommend Cube Works Gallery, a fun shop that
features original works created from Rubik’s cubes.
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| Balzac's Coffee |
We followed our discerning noses to Balzac’s Coffee, the
very establishment whose roasted beans provided the basis for my Coffee Porter
at the Mill Street Brew Pub. The inside looked like the set of an old Bogart movie,
with tall mirror, high ceiling, chandelier, staircases that lead nowhere
and—what convinced me that this was a serious coffee establishment—an original
nickel Elektra espresso maker, complete with soaring eagle. Although it was no
longer used for espresso-making, according to the barista (they only used it
now for frothing milk), its presence on the counter signified serious coffee
intent. I wasn’t surprised when my single-shot espresso tasted exquisite, with
a deep coffee nose and an attractive natural crema. We sat outside the coffee
shop in the square that featured a kind of space-retro-industrial punk sculpture
by Dennis Oppenheim. Called “Still Dancing” Oppenheim described it as “a
combination of sculpture, architecture and theatre.”
We took Case Goods Lane, past several galleries, toward
PureSpirits Oyster House & Grill and
Toronto Life—for
an exquisite dinner of fresh oysters and salad. Ben, out waiter—who recognized
me, because he is from Toulouse, France!—offered us Fanny Bay oysters from
British Columbia and Beausoleils from New Brunswick. They came on the
half-shell with shredded horseradish and several shallot vinaigrettes. I showed Nina how to throw the oyster to the back of the throat and savor the full
flavor of the creamy-sweet, sea-salt meat. Pure Spirit oysters are considered
“the best” in Toronto by OurFaves.com. We slurped them down with panache,
licking our little pink tongues, along with a refreshing baby spinach and arugula
salad.
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| Oyster shucking contest |
decided to have an early supper of fresh
oysters and beer. Ah, the life of a Cool Cat… We settled on the outside patio—called
“Toronto’s Best Patio” by
It was the last Tuesday in May and Pure Spirits was
launching its “Topshuck Patio” shucking contest at 6pm. Of course, we stayed
and watched them shuck their little hearts out—well, actually their little
oysters out …hehe… It turned out that all of Toronto’s best had come to compete
for money and a huge bottle of Sky vodka. Contestants from Rodney’s Oyster
House, Oyster Boy and Big Daddy’s, and Starfish (to name a few quality establishments)
shucked as we gorged on oysters (Pure Spirits donated the shucked oysters to
its patrons. Bonus!). Head chef Tim Miles put on the shindig. Contestants were
timed on their ability to successfully shuck a dozen oysters. The fastest shuck
against the least demerit points for quality won. Tim and his assistant Carlier
Morejon (the “Cuban Missile”) judged each shuck. They added to the time if: the
oyster wasn’t severed, the gut was still in the oyster, the shell was broken, the
meat was out of shell, it was a bad oyster, it was scrambled, the count was
wrong, and on number of parts. We didn’t leave until very late that night and
we had actually had our fill of oysters. We felt a little like the “Walrus and the Carpenter” as we ambled
home, bellies full and happy.
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| Judging the shucking |
With more patio space than any other Toronto location, The
Distillery is a favorite hangout among thirsty locals in search of a little bit
of European flair. I was told that The Distillery District is destined to
become the epicenter of the largest waterfront redevelopment in North America.
The Pan Am Games athletes village is currently being constructed just east of
the Distillery with accommodation for 6,000 athletes. Right after the games in
2015 they will be transformed into residential units along with others in the
West Don Lands. Old Corktown and The Old City environs between St. Laurence
Market and The Distillery are being revitalized in the old heritage vision that
has made The Distillery District so chic.
World-class theatre and entertainment thrive in
X-Men,
Chicago,
Long Kiss Goodnight,
The
Recruit and
Cinderella Man.
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| Filming in the Distillery District |
The
Distillery District. I noted that several theatre companies have made The
Distillery their home, including The Soulpepper Theatre Company and George
Brown’s Theatre School, housed in the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The
Toronto Star calls it “Toronto’s new cultural hotspot.” Nina informed me that
over 1000 movies, television shows, commercials and music videos were shot in The
Distillery District; some include
The Distillery Historic District, 55 Mill Street, Toronto,
ON, Canada; 416-364-1177
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