Eat Here: Earls Toronto

How many times have I been to Vancouver? Twenty times? Thirty? Seven? I actually have no idea, but what I do know is that every time I'm there I spot an Earls restaurant, and I wonder about it.

I wonder what hold this West Coast-sprung restaurant chain has on the denizens of Vancouver. I wonder why a day doesn't go by that a Left Coaster doesn't bring up a pasta dish, a burger, dessert or some fond memory that happened at Earls. And now with my Ask Amy column in House & Home magazine, whereby readers write in requesting favourite restaurant recipes, I get weekly emails from people asking for specific Earls recipes. Note to those people: Earls will not divulge any of their "secret" recipes.

So, weighing all the aforementioned evidence, I obviously started thinking that Earls was putting drugs in their food. And even with that impetus, I still never ate there. Too many other great restaurants crammed into fleeting Vancouver visits. Too little inclination. I was interested on one level, but turned off on another.

Then came news that Earls was launching a huge restaurant in Toronto's Financial District, just a few city blocks from where I work. And then came the invite to the tasting party prior to the big opening, mere blocks from where I work. And you know what? I went. And you know what else? Very tasty!

I loved the look of the place, a big bold T.O. meets West Coast 10,000 square foot statement, where steel and glass meet stone and marble. Locally grown and seasonal produce cooked from scratch is what they specialize in; from burgers to sushi to steaks, signature sandwiches and hip-worthy desserts. Fantastic wine list mulled over iPads, fun cocktails, and even a Toronto-specific house brew. Little wonder the place has been packed since day one.

And now I don't have to fly all the way to Vancouver to be annoyed by people who won't shut up about how great Earls is.

Sedaris and Caramel Corn

I have sore cheeks today. I woke up with sore cheeks because I was smiling so hard and laughing so much last night.

Because I went to the David Sedaris reading at Massey Hall. 

If you've never read him before, you should. He writes short stories, mostly about his fun but dysfunctional family, and his longtime boyfriend Hugh. Start by reading the "SantaLand Diaries", move on to "Naked" and "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and a few others, before making your way to his most recent release, "When You Are Engulfed in Flames". (It starts out slow but quickly picks up steam.)

Now, this is a food blog so I would be remiss if I didn't mention the delightful snack we were eating while enjoying David Sedaris. 

Earlier that day I had a great lunch at Four restaurant -- my recent successful lunching streak continues unabated. Petit Four is at Bay and Wellington, in the food court of the Commerce Court South, Concourse Level. It shares the space with the subterranean restaurant Four. 

Four is incredibly unique in that chef Gord Mackie's menu is a commitment to healthy but classy eats in the Financial District. All of the dishes are packed with colour, flavour and nutrients and are less than 650 calories -- with many far below that. Petit Four, meanwhile, is all about satisfying take-out -- sandwiches, soups and the like, including on-site baked goodies and sweets.

Knowing how my friend Joanna loves her caramel corn, I grabbed her a bag of their homespun, nutty, crunchy, sticky caramel-coated popcorn as a wee thank-you for the awesome Sedaris ticket. And it was good.

But not as good as David Sedaris