calico cafe

Thank You Helen & David!

2010-08-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

What a party! Congratulations to Helen and David, whose two-part nuptials took place this week. We had the pleasure of being invited to their home to create a three-course vegan dinner for their family and friends, followed two days later by a reception/dance party at a local art gallery, complete with drinks and appetizers. The reception was romantic, full of great energy, and most importantly, fun! It was hard to keep from dancing as we carried trays of delectable finger foods out through the dance floor. (Kudos to the DJ)

Thank you again for having us, H + D. Wishing you all the best!

Thank you Jenny + Lee!

2010-07-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday July 10th, the Calico team catered a lovely wedding for Jenny + Lee at the Toronto Argonaut Rowing Club. The weather turned out to be beautiful + sunny. The venue, filled with amazing rowing memorabilia + trophies, overlooked the lake, with picturesque white sailboats floating in the distance. It was just perfect. Before dinner service we shot a few pictures, and though most turned out blurry due to chefs on the move (they don't ever seem to sit still) we did manage to capture a table, at the very least. Love the turquoise on white, with gorgeous flowers by Coriander Girl. We had so much fun.

Thank you, Jenny + Lee, for having us be a part of such a special occasion!

What's growing in our garden: May/June

2010-06-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a few photos of the garden at Calico and the very first urban veggie micro-harvests, which you'll see on our menu now and in the coming weeks...delicious everbearing strawberries in a re-purposed bucket.

These are amazingly flavorful, putting imported ripened-in-the-truck berries to shame. Such a treat!

Good thing our scrappy neighborhood cats keep squirrels out of the garden, otherwise the berries might not last so long.

Beautiful flowering sage, good for culinary and herbal uses, and also looks great as an ornamental plant in perennial gardens.

Chartreuse baby Buttercrunch lettuces.

Urban Harvest's "Baby Brassica Greens Mix" has been producing beautifully in wooden planter boxes (old wine crates found on St. Clarens Ave). Red Russian, heck yes!

Deep pink roses, a wee purple plum radish, the mighty kale, and patio sandwiches.

Lemon yellow nasturtiums (edible and peppery tasting) and our first experience with Cape Gooseberries. Can't wait to try those.

Jared made a great salad this week including a mix of homegrown lettuces, kale, herbs and pea shoots and sunflower sprouts from FoodCycles (who we have a mad crush on).

Hope you're enjoying the amazing spring weather. Drop by the cafe and say hello.

J, K, R + M

spring cometh!

2010-03-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

Hi there. It's been far too long since we've updated the blog. We feel blog shame...but Calico has been bustling lately (to our great pleasure!) and our to-do lists have taken on massive proportions.

Firstly, we're so excited it's now officially Spring! Though you can't really tell today in Toronto, we did have a few days of warmth and sun to get us in the mood. We've begun cleaning and organizing the backyard garden, and have some amazing seeds from Urban Harvest to start indoors. This year, we'll be growing beautiful organic Black Zebra and Black Cherry tomatoes (tomatoes loved our hot backyard micro-climate last season so I'm sticking with what works), a variety of mustards in baby greens form, Giant Red Mustard and the wild looking Ruby Streaks Mild Mustard. We'll have regular and rainbow Dinosaur Kale (our kale did well last season, too) and to maximize our small space, we're going to try a variety of beans and peas along our fence, and possibly suspended from old bicycle tires hanging in the air (with the plants trailing down like a carousel...this looks better than it sounds, I swear!). We'll also have a second container garden to grow micro-greens and herbs.

Secondly, we will hopefully soon be a licensed establishment, and are looking for our favorite local, organic beers and wines. We want to keep things small, and will likely only have one or two brews on tap, but are looking forward to the days of summer when our friendly patrons can sip a cold drink on the patio beside a garden in full gear! Cheers!

Merry solstice!

2009-12-16T18:24:00.000-08:00

The time is almost upon us to celebrate the longest night of the year, the winter solstice! Traditionally a time of rebirth and celebration, the winter solstice also marks Calico's six month anniversary, December 21st. So we're going to celebrate! We'd like to extend a warm thank you to all those from the Bloordale hood, and beyond, who have made us feel at home over the past months. Thanks to our lovely patrons, fellow business owners, and (of course) friends + fam for being so supportive and understanding when we're too busy to call (sorry mom!).

Calico will be closed for the holidays (read: tobogganing) from December 19th-29th

We'll re-open on Wednesday, December 30th for lunch and dinner. Look for delicious new offerings on our Brunch menu in the new year!

(Below: The most scrumptious organic pea sprouts grown in Toronto, from our amazing friends at FoodCycles. They taste like springtime. And in the top left corner, my bay plant who happily lives indoors now...I can't wait until the days get longer again)

NOW Magazine Party Issue feat. Calico's Collard Green Rolls

2009-11-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

For the vegan party host(ess), our collard green rolls are featured in this week's NOW Magazine Party Issue. Follow the link for this simple and delicious recipe! Nom, nom...

Critics Pick: Best Vegetarian 2009!

2009-11-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks (again) to NOW magazine for naming Calico the Critics Pick for Best Vegetarian 2009 in its latest issue. For a little veg resto that's only been around for just over four months, we're especially happy to be recognized. And of course, thanks to our amazing customers who've kept us hopping since June 21st!

New dinner menu for Nov. 4th until Nov. 14th coming later today...

New Dinner Menu: October 7th - 21st

2009-10-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

Our dinner menu changes every two weeks to offer you fresh, seasonal flavors...Here's what you'll find in house from October 7th until October 21st:

Appetizers:
-spelt tart with pepita-apple chutney + zucchini crisps
-raw collard green rolls with shredded parsnip, scallions, sunflower seeds + beet-pear sauce

Soups:
-tomato green lentil + kale
-ontario potato chowder with okra

Mains:
-seared tempeh with maple-cumin glaze, grilled fennel, wild rice ragout + date-shallot sauce
-grilled seitan pepper steaks with pumkin-allspice mash, sauteed kale + miso gravy

Desserts:
-caramelized plums with agave-port reduction
-butternut-chocolate ganache with blackberry compote

PLUS...we just picked up tart, freshly harvested cranberries from Johnston's Cranberry Marsh in Bala, Ont. Look for cranberry infused baked goods, compotes and cider!!! Mmmm...fall.

We also offer a weekly vegan meal delivery service within Toronto. Delicious, healthy meals are delivered to your door every Monday. Please call us for more info: 416-536-1883

New Fall Dinner Menu (Sept 23-Oct 7)

2009-09-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

Our dinner menu changes every two weeks to offer you fresh, seasonal flavours...Here's what you'll find in house from September 23rd until October 7th:

Appetizers:
-grilled oyster mushrooms on arugula, served with horseradish sauce
-spelt tart with cilantro-almond pesto, sliced apple + sunflower sprouts

Soup:
-tomato green lentil + kale

Mains:
-tempeh, leek + shitaki ragout with sauteed swiss chard, sage puff pastry + red wine reduction
-grilled tofu with millet + currant pilaf, sauteed broccoli + pear-thyme sauce

Desserts:
-grilled figs with balsamic reduction + apple-whiskey compote
-blackberry chai cobbler

We also offer a weekly vegan meal delivery service within Toronto. Delicious, healthy meals are delivered to your door every Monday. Please call us for more info: 416-536-1883

August at Calico...

2009-08-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

What's new:

Thanks to NOW magazine for including Calico in their Local/Green Issue last week! If you didn't get a chance to see the paper copy at the newsstands, check out the review online. (photos by Michael Watier).

We're also listed on HappyCow's online Compassionate Eating Guide. This is a great resource to help you find vegetarian/vegan restaurants in cities across North America!

Last but not least, we've fallen in love with our little urban garden. New seedlings of Ruby Red Swiss Chard and Tatsoi greens should be ready to pick and on the menu in mid September--just before the first Fall frosts. And collards, too...

blogTO

2009-07-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

thanks to Charlotte Johnstone for her recent review of calico on blogTO! swing by and check it out...lovely photos by Emma McIntyre.

brunch is a religion...

2009-07-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

spelt waffle with blueberry-strawberry compote and coconut cream

new dinner hours...

2009-07-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

We're happy to announce new dinner hours during the week!

MON Closed for Catering
TUES 12-9
WED 12-9
THURS 12-9
FRI 12-9

SAT 11-4
SUN 11-4

our menu...

2009-06-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

Our menu is always changing to reflect what's in season, what's fresh, and whenever possible what's local.

Here's our basic menu for lunch and brunch...we also do event catering and a weekly meal delivery service!

big thanks!

2009-06-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

thank you to all who came out on a rainy saturday afternoon to celebrate our opening at the Big on Bloor festival! we served-up gourmet pineapple/beet and apple chai popsicles, grilled portobello and spelt/chickpea burgers and waffles galore...we're so happy to be up and running, serving delicious + healthy veg/vegan food.

please stop by and check us out! our hours are posted to the right...

from humble beginnings...

2009-05-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

It's really happening! Calico will be opening in Mid-June, making delicious lunches + brunches for all to enjoy. Calico is a dream come true for vegan chef/owner, Jared Davis. After graduating from George Brown's culinary arts program, Jared worked with several Toronto catering companies, including Noble Culinary and Hearth to Home.

While working at Fressen in 2008, Jared met Chad Barchard (Calico's sous-chef extraordinaire) and was inspired by Toronto's vegan, vegetarian and health-conscious community to begin a restaurant of his own.

You may also have seen Jared conducting cooking classes at the Forest Hill Loblaws' "Upstairs at Loblaws" program, delivering hearty vegan food to customers on his trusty bicycle, or taking-in local prog-rock shows.