Dear reader,
I had my first patio drink of the year on May 6. It was an unusually hot day and I was early for a hair appointment, so on the way I stopped into the Rebel House, fingers crossed that their little backyard oasis was open for the season. As luck would have it, it was—and it was quiet, with only two tables spoken for. I grabbed a spot, ordered a pint and fished a book from my backpack, the sun in my eyes and a smile on my face. Is there anything better than that first cold beer on a summer-like day after a long winter? Maybe the second beer.
That’s when the earth shook, and I quickly realized why the after-work crowd was absent. On the other side of the fence, a pile driver had started up, pounding a patch of land fewer than 20 feet from me—over and over and over. Empty-patio mystery, solved. But I dug in my heels and became laser-focused on my book, even if the words on the pages (or maybe my eyeballs) were vibrating, and there was a more-than-slim chance of being swallowed up by a sinkhole. I was going to enjoy my inaugural patio sit.
And now, here we are, almost mid-June and—after a string of unseasonably chilly and rainy days—it’s finally starting to feel like summer. A couple of weekends ago, I had a to dig out a toque to hang out on a friend’s rooftop deck. Another person brought mitts. At one point, throw blankets were passed around. But we persisted, because patio season in Toronto doesn’t come with a warm-weather guarantee.
On that note, you’ll find a roundup of the city’s best new patios in this edition of Table Talk. Judging by this weekend’s forecast, the covered ones are probably your best bets.
Also in this week’s newsletter: a Q&A with a Toronto chef taking on the role of butter-tart judge this weekend, some foul fowl news regarding Popeyes’ alleged meat-storage practices, a new pizzeria worth the drive to Elora, and more.
