Mark McEwan, Claudio Aprile and others to launch new restaurants at Pearson Airport
Toronto travellers rejoice: your airport dining options are about to expand far, far beyond the crushing indignity of eating a cold cut trio sub while sitting on your suitcase. The Globe reports that some big-name Toronto chefs will descend on Pearson International, opening several bars and restaurants intended to compete with the best spots downtown has to offer (well, that’s the idea at least). Here’s what to expect from the transformation, which will begin this summer and continue into 2013:
• Apropos: a pair of bars from Brock Shepherd of Kensington Brewing and master sommelier John Szabo
• Nobel: A burger joint from Mark McEwan
• Trillium: a new “global tapas” restaurant by Claudio Aprile, which will include a raw bar
• Heirloom: a pair of bakeries from Devin Connell of Ace Bakery
• Vinifera: a pair of wine bars featuring “Canada-heavy wine lists” designed by Szabo
• Fetta: a panini bar from McEwan
• Corso: a trattoria from Rocco Agostino of Pizzeria Libretto
• Marathi: A “casual Indian curry and street food place” by Hemant Bhagwani of Amaya
• Acer: a modern Japanese restaurant by Guy Rubino of the former Rain and Ame
This is exciting stuff, no doubt, with Toronto lagging for so long behind many cities in the U.S., where airport food often goes far beyond your standard cafeteria fare. The Globe explains that the restaurants will be run by New York firm OTG Management, which “refuses to treat its customers like a captive audience”—even if that’s pretty much what they are.
131055 (Image: OTG) Vinifera: a pair of wine bars featuring “Canada-heavy wine lists” designed by John Szabo New Restaurants at Pearson Airport https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-vinifera-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-vinifera.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-vinifera.jpg 624 356 [] https://torontolife.com/food/pearson-airport-food/slide/pearson-vinifera/ pearson-vinifera 0 0
Vinifera: a pair of wine bars featuring “Canada-heavy wine lists” designed by John Szabo
131054 (Image: OTG) Trillium: a new “global tapas” restaurant by Claudio Aprile, which will include a raw bar New Restaurants at Pearson Airport https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-trillium-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-trillium.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-trillium.jpg 624 356 [] https://torontolife.com/food/pearson-airport-food/slide/pearson-trillium/ pearson-trillium 0 0
Trillium: a new “global tapas” restaurant by Claudio Aprile, which will include a raw bar
131053 (Image: OTG) Marathi: A “casual Indian curry and street food place” by Hemant Bhagwani of Amaya New Restaurants at Pearson Airport https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-marathi-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-marathi.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-marathi.jpg 624 358 [] https://torontolife.com/food/pearson-airport-food/slide/pearson-marathi/ pearson-marathi 0 0
Marathi: A “casual Indian curry and street food place” by Hemant Bhagwani of Amaya
131052 (Image: OTG) Heirloom: a pair of bakeries from Devin Connell of Ace Bakery New Restaurants at Pearson Airport https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-heirloom-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-heirloom.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-heirloom.jpg 624 355 [] https://torontolife.com/food/pearson-airport-food/slide/pearson-heirloom/ pearson-heirloom 0 0
Heirloom: a pair of bakeries from Devin Connell of Ace Bakery
131051 (Image: OTG) Fetta: a panini bar from Mark McEwan New Restaurants at Pearson Airport https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-fetta-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-fetta.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-fetta.jpg 624 358 [] https://torontolife.com/food/pearson-airport-food/slide/pearson-fetta/ pearson-fetta 0 0
Fetta: a panini bar from Mark McEwan
131050 (Image: OTG) Corso: a trattoria from Rocco Agostino of Pizzeria Libretto New Restaurants at Pearson Airport https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-corso-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-corso.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-corso.jpg 624 356 [] https://torontolife.com/food/pearson-airport-food/slide/pearson-corso/ pearson-corso 0 0
Corso: a trattoria from Rocco Agostino of Pizzeria Libretto
131049 (Image: OTG) Cibo Express New Restaurants at Pearson Airport https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-cibo-express-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-cibo-express.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-cibo-express.jpg 624 358 [] https://torontolife.com/food/pearson-airport-food/slide/pearson-cibo-express/ pearson-cibo-express 0 0
Cibo Express
131048 (Image: OTG) Apropos: a pair of bars from Brock Shepherd of Kensington Brewing and master sommelier John Szabo New Restaurants at Pearson Airport https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-apropos-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-apropos.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-apropos.jpg 624 357 [] https://torontolife.com/food/pearson-airport-food/slide/pearson-apropos/ pearson-apropos 0 0
Apropos: a pair of bars from Brock Shepherd of Kensington Brewing and master sommelier John Szabo
131047 (Image: OTG) Acer: a modern Japanese restaurant by Guy Rubino New Restaurants at Pearson Airport https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-acer-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-acer.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pearson-acer.jpg 624 359 [] https://torontolife.com/food/pearson-airport-food/slide/pearson-acer/ pearson-acer 0 0
Acer: a modern Japanese restaurant by Guy Rubino
• Dining at Toronto’s Pearson Airport will get a big upgrade [Globe and Mail]
Devin Connell is the owner of Delica Kitchen, not ACE Bakery.
Here goes Mark Mcewan with another $33 burger joint I am sure… why do people pay that much for his burger is beyond me ? I paied $70usd for a hot dog in NYC 2 weeks ago… amazing! Would I buy it again ? maybe.. the ingredients were to die for!!! Call me shmuck! LOL
Schmuck.
Devin’s parents own ACE.
Call me crazy, but i think if a burger costs over $10 it is no longer a burger but a rip off. “Gourmet burgers?” Think about it, this is an oxymoron, and so is anyone who pays $33 for a piece of ground meat. I don’t care if it’s wrapped in gold.. it’s still a “burger”.
FINALLY, there’ll be something good going on at YYZ. Gordon Ramsay has the airport eatery thing going on at LHR and if Toronto is catching on, there should be hosts of other major cities whose airports have some similar set-up. I’m actually surprised that NYC doesn’t have anything decent to offer in terms of airport dining, you’d think Mario Batali would have climbed on top of that one for sure!
Other than the Indian restaurant the designs look rather alike. With budgets on public projects like this being larger than stand alones – why not have a different local architect/artist collaboration for each space. Let’s have some originality for our hard earned tax money!
Is this article an ad for the iPad? Or do they come free with meals and drinks.