Where Toronto November December 2017 | Page 9

executive Kitchen Q&A Steve Gonzalez hy’s Steakhouse a drink list of international wines and spirits. 1 Austin Ter., bluebloodsteakhouse.com 9 La Castile the Shore club Eat like royalty in a three- tiered, castle-inspired dining room, complete with stained- glass windows and chandeliers suspended from cathedral ceilings. Start your meal with flash-fried calamari, escargots or a plate of Caspian Sea caviar before cutting into a char-broiled USDA pr ime steak, served with mushrooms or steamed spinach. tour of the must-be-seen-to- be-believed wine cellar. 7 Elm St., 2179 Dundas St. E., Mississauga, lacastile.com barberians.com 10 8 BlueBloods Steakhouse One of the city’s most noted tourist attractions is now home to this upscale eatery. Antique furniture mixes with modern art in the billiard room of Casa Loma—a circa 1900 gothic- revival-style mansion—where the Liberty Entertainment Group recently invested $3 million to create a steakhouse featuring cuts of beef sourced from around the world, plus Quinn’s Located in the Financial District’s Sheraton Centre Hotel, Quinn’s is a family-owned-and- operated steakhouse with an Irish flare. Not in the mood for their aged Alberta beef steak or slow-roasted prime rib? Try the Irish stew or Clare Island salmon. Whatever you settle on, make sure to relax afterward with a glass of one of the 240 whiskeys on offer. 96 Richmond St. W., the executive chef of the popular South American restaurant Baro is a champion of the burgeoning Latin food scene in toronto On starting Baro: Baro is the grown-up version of our other restaurant, Valdez, which serves modern Latino street food. I always wanted to do Latin American food in Toronto—I felt like it was missing here. I never really had a Latin chef to teach me the ropes, so I learned on my own by cooking at home, and from working in Miami. On his favourite dish to prepare: We have five types of ceviche on the menu right now and it’s kind of my jam. It’s fresh, acidic and has some spice to it—it’s what I like to eat. On his favourite ingredients: I use a lot of cilantro at the restaurant. It’s my favourite herb. We use every part of the plant: from the roots to the stems to the leaves. We can make purees, marinades and sauces out of it—all kinds of different things. Baro is located at 485 King St. W., barotoronto.com. Chef Gonzalez is part of Chefs for Change, an organization that supports Community Food Centres Canada with culinary events. chefsforchange.ca quinnssteakhouse.com Winter 2017/2018 where 9