A trip to Toronto for me is always a chance to sample from a world’s worth of cuisines.  On this last visit, I managed to to squeeze in some pretty tasty Spanish, El Salvadorian, Mexican and Venezuelan meals.

Spanish: Patria

The food of Spain isn’t the only allure for me, it’s also the art of tapas that draws me in.  I always struggle picking something from a menu, so tapas works perfectly for me.  Patria, on King St. West, is a relatively new Toronto restaurant and was the place my sister picked for her birthday meal.  The food and wine were lovely, and we had a nice cross section of tapas.   Marcona almonds, chorizo, manchego, pan con tomate, roasted peppers, some interesting Spanish wines, and much more…. good times!

Mexican: Agave Y Aguacate

Another relatively new restaurant, this one from acclaimed chef Francisco Alejandri, was on my must visit list and even a bitterly cold night couldn’t keep me away.   I struggled to make selections from the menu – everything looked good.  I ended up listening to my server’s recommendations and was very glad I did.  On the left is the chicken tinga tostada (probably the tastiest thing I’ve eaten this year).  On the right is the chile poblano relleno (surprisingly bright citrus flavours and incredibly inventive).  A great margarita washed everything down.

Venezuelan: Cafe Arepa

The crazy cold weather kept my wandering and exploring to an unfortunate minimum.  That being said, I ended up trudging along Queen West through a cold snow squall to try my first ever arepa.  Cafe Arepa made my “must return” list for future trips to Toronto.  I chose an arepa with shredded flank steak, black beans, queso fresco and avacado.  Great news for celiacs, it’s completely gluten-free!  A sugar cane lemonade was wonderful, even on a cold winter day:

Here’s a better look at the inside of the arepa and the three sauces you can choose from (I had to sample all three – a hot sauce, a cilantro based one and a roasted garlic… they were all great!):

El Salvadorian: Tacos el Asador

This place is one of my all-time favourites in Toronto.  Near the Christie subway stop on Bloor West, you’d walk right by here if you didn’t know better.  It’s a tight, cramped place and can be difficult to get a seat.  On a nice summer day, you can grab some grub and find a park bench nearby.  On this day with the windchill hitting -33C, I was lucky to find a seat inside.   The challenge for me at Tacos el Asador is what to order.  I decided on a large lunch starting with a chicharron pupusa.  It was a great way to warm up from the inside:

No visit here is complete without some tactos.  On top, a delicious chorizo taco.  On the bottom was my favourite from this visit, a shredded goat taco.   If it wasn’t for my desire to try new places, I’d have every Toronto meal at this joint: