LIFESTYLE

ou are just about to head on a date. Your significant other is Peruvian and you are Canadian; fourth-generation Canadian. When you meet your date, you two are trying to decide where to go, until you come up with an idea to head to a Latin restaurant/caf.Your date is more than excited to go on this date. Quickly, you scour your phone and head on a few blogs, restaurant/ dining blogs in Toronto, to see what reviewers/ food critics are saying about Latin restaurants in Toronto. Immediately, you find a Mexican restaurant on Bloor St. West and head that direction. Everything goes well during the date, you feel like you have a connection with this person, you two eat, pay the bill and head out, but you are startled when your date says that place was not really good to be honest with you. You are in utter shock. Why? Thats the only thought that runs through your head. Was it the price? Was it the service? Because you were more than sure that the food tasted impeccable. Since Toronto is so diverse, we see a variety of restaurants opening up in the central core, and even more so now in the GTA and out of town. In Toronto, you would find the highest cul-

tural diversity. With these cultures comes an array of communities and most people now know what to look for when stepping into a community. Dundas West is known as a Portugese community, whereas Danforth Ave. is considered GreekTown. Yes, this adds to Torontos diversity, especially attracting interest to tourists, but is this really accu-

rate? And how does this relate to Latin restaurants you may ask? Well, the problem starts with reviews. Certain Latin restaurants may get numerous reviews in newspapers, magazines and other publications, blogs of which are the most common. These reviews praise Latin restaurants, however, most of which are located in the core of Toronto, simply because they are closer to the headquarters of these publications. Canadian media do not do much investigation when choosing restaurants for reviews, says Fernando Valladares, producer of Hispanic Fiesta and one of the founders of the Las Flores Foun-

dation in Toronto. They think that just because the Portugese community, for example, is centered around Dundas St. West, they will find the best Portugese food there, but it turns out, it may just be a restaurant that is expensive, but doesnt actually serve authentic Portugese cuisine. Canadian media does not know the community; Canadian media focuses on whats popular and what appears to be a booming community. However, Valladares, does not blame such restaurants in downtown that claim to serve authentic food for pricing food higher than normal. If you are in a high profile area, you must price food higher because you are paying a higher rent, so the price accounts for it, however, the food is there, but the quality is not, he says. Restaurants are chosen and written about daily and are critiqued on all aspects from the last bite of an appetizer to the small spec of dust you see in the corner. Food critics will write about anything according to Tim Shore, owner of BlogTo. If theyve had a bad meal, a bad experience, anything, our food writers will write about it, says Shore. We look at the quality of food, the service, the ambiance, the prices, everything. Public Relations and the magic good PR does for a business helps businesses however. PR people approach publications and hold media openings for restaurants with more money. MORE IS THIS THE REAL DEAL? ON PAGINA 6

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