Caroline Aksich

1 week ago | torontolife.com | Caroline Aksich

Name: Florin Contact: 80 Richmond St. W., florintrattoria.com, @florin.to Neighbourhood: Financial District Owners: Turner Hospitality Group (Mother Tongue, Twist, Poppy’s French Bistro) Chefs: Executive chef Francis Bermejo (Bar Buca) and chef de cuisine Brian Kang (Don Alfonso, DaNico) Accessibility: Fully accessible Florin takes its name from the golden coin once minted in Renaissance-era Florence—a fitting emblem for a trattoria with one foot in Tuscany and the other in Toronto’s...

1 week ago | torontolife.com | Caroline Aksich

This year’s late-blooming summer kept Toronto in a holding pattern: peonies stalled, patio furniture unused and cardigans sticking around until mid-June. But, finally, the mercury is rising. It feels like summer 2025 is officially in session, and water babies everywhere are ready to make a splash. Of course, the city’s public pools have their charms (the view from Sunnyside never disappoints), but they’re often packed, and they definitely don’t come with bottle service.

1 week ago | torontolife.com | Caroline Aksich

Tasting menus are fussy, formal and falling out of favour…right? Not quite. Just try scoring a reservation at Alo, LSL, Pearl Morissette, Edulis or 20 Victoria—it’s like a blood sport. Despite the cost-of-living crunch, tasting menus aren’t just surviving, they’re thriving. Why are these multi-course meals (which can cost as much as a car payment) still launching? For chefs: control, creativity, less waste. For diners: a night out with a narrative and value that feels personal.

1 week ago | torontolife.com | Caroline Aksich

A global tariff tantrum just might do what decades of domestic dithering haven’t: make it easier to drink Canadian wine. While a certain orange-hued authoritarian blusters on the world stage, his trade-war theatrics could—ironically—clear the way for Torontonians to finally enjoy Okanagan orange wines with ease. In Ontario, it’s often cheaper to import wine from Europe than it is to buy a case from BC.

2 weeks ago | torontolife.com | Caroline Aksich

When Nobu opened its Toronto restaurant last August—just ahead of TIFF—the timing couldn’t have been better. The city was crawling with A-listers, and Nobu quickly became a beacon for both the legitimately famous (Drake, Selena Gomez, a few Raptors) and the Toronto crowd who aspire to look like they just left an after-party. Now, almost a year later, the long-promised hotel quietly opened earlier this month, and it’s the yin to the restaurant’s sake-soaked yang.