Katie Bridges

Toronto is a town that sometimes pours its energy into the Next Big Thing or flash-in-the-pan new Toronto restaurant opening. Not every trend has stuck (charcoal ice cream, anyone?), but across 50 issues of foodism, we've had the good fortune to taste, sip and luxuriate in some downright deliciousness. It may not have a Protected Designation of Origin, but enjoying a can of Jelly King on the first Bellwoods Brewery patio of the season certainly feels like it deserves a blue plaque.

George Restaurant 111C Queen St. E. Toronto CA M5C 1S2 416-863-6006 View map On a Tuesday night in early May, George Restaurant at 111C Queen Street East is humming. I knew, of course, that the fine-dining institution existed. But I hadn't given it much thought in years. Judging by the packed dining room, however, plenty of Torontonians had. George's reputation as one of the best restaurants in Toronto clearly precedes it. The question was: What had I been missing? As it turns out, plenty.

It's hard to remember Toronto's beer scene before Jelly King. Four years after Bellwoods Brewery opened on Ossington in 2012, it launched Jelly King Dry Hopped Sour — a juicy, peach-forward beer whose bright tartness helped reshape local drinking habits. Founders Luke Pestl and Mike Clark knew they had something special. What they didn't expect was that the beer would develop its own identity, independent from Bellwoods.