Golden Cook Caribbean Restaurant Reinvents Itself in New Toronto

Golden Cook Caribbean Restaurant and West Indian Store has been a fixture on the Lake Shore Blvd. strip of the south Etobicoke neighbourhood of New Toronto for many years.

Located just west of Islington Ave., it has always had good food, but until very recently you could only enjoy this as takeout. The spot consisted of a service counter and then a couple of aisles of assorted West Indian groceries and sauces.

After shutting down for a few weeks it has now reopened with a new dining area so that you can enjoy the fall-off-the-bone oxtail, the delicious goat and all the other dishes they have to offer dine in.

They do still have a grocery section as well so you can pick up some extras on the way out.

The oxtail in gravy is better than ever. Incredibly moist it can be had, as is true with all the dishes,  with plain rice or rice-and-peas.

The goat dinner is to my mind really a house specialty. It has their own unique saucing and is some of the best curried goat around. 

 Ackee and Saltfish is a Caribbean classic that is seen by many as Jamaica's national dish, and Golden Cook's version does not disappoint with its blend of salty and fruit flavours.

Some fried plantain on the side. Golden Cook also makes terrific dumplings.

A good menu is often a focused one and Golden Cook does all of its staples very well. Over years of trying what was on offer I have never had a dish that was a miss. 

All of the main dishes that we had ran from $10 for small to a high end of $17 for the large oxtail. The portions are very generous and service is quick and friendly.

Golden Cook is located at 2955 Lake Shore Boulevard W just west of Islington Ave. It is open Monday to Friday 10 am - 7 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 6 pm  (416) 259-3003. It is on the 501 streetcar line and just steps from the end of the Islington South bus route. 

Spectacular Winter Lake Views and the Skating Trail at Sam Smith Park in Winter -- The Lakeside Parks of South Etobicoke VI

Looking out at Lake Ontario from the park trail at the bottom of 23rd

We have visited the magnificent South Etobicoke waterfront Colonel Samuel Smith Park  before on The Left Chapter in posts like A Trip to Whimbrel Point -- One of Toronto's Best (and Least Known) Lake Ontario Nature Gems and The New Outlook @ Sam Smith Park -- The Lakeside Parks of South Etobicoke I. 

Today we went back to see the skating trail on a nearly picture perfect Family Day early afternoon.

The public outdoor skating trail has been open for several years now and is an enormously popular and successful park attraction. It is completely free. There is a public indoor room to put on your skates in a spectacular looking former power plant that is open daily (with shorter hours on holidays) during the season from 9 am to 930 pm though the trail can be used 24 hours a day. There is a covered wood outdoor fireplace feature which is used on weekends or holidays.

The trail is right beside many of the park's exceptional paths and spectacular views of Lake Ontario. These can be especially impressive in the winter's cold, clear air.

There is also a hill very popular for tobogganing just to the west of the trail off of 23rd St.

Be sure to visit for the first time or again before it closes for the season sometime next month.

(Click on images to enlarge. All photography by Michael Laxer.)

North of the Skating Trail with Views of Humber College

The Skating Trail w. Fire Pit & Power Plant Skate Room

Tobogganing!

The path just south of the skate trail runs west along the lake to 23rd St.

It offers some of the most spectacular Lake Ontario views in the city.

Colonel Samuel Smith Park is located south of Lake Shore Blvd. W. in the area of Kipling Ave. The park is on the 501 Queen streetcar line. The skate trail lies at the very end of the 44 Kipling South bus line.

Route 501: A Nostalgic View show combines local Etobcioke art and history

Route 501: A Nostalgic View is a show being held at Humber College's South Etobicoke campus that combines art with local history. The pieces on display are all ink and wash paintings by Sheila D'Atri-Karpis.

Her whimsical and lovely collection here are of local landmarks -- existing and vanished -- in the neighbourhoods of Mimico, New Toronto and Long Branch, but what makes the display even more fascinating is that each piece is accompanied by a write-up that details the history and significance of what is pictured.

From Marie Curtis Park to the famous fish and chip restaurant on Fifth Street to the Blue Goose Tavern, so many of the community's favourite spots are here to see and learn about. I learned a great deal about the area and will look at some buildings in a totally new way now that I know their stories.

Here we look at some of the pieces you will find. See the end of the post for details on the location of the show which ends November 4th. 

(Click on images to enlarge)

The show is on the 3rd floor of the Humber College Student Welcome and Resource Centre, 2 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive which is at the southwest corner of Lake Shore Blvd W, and Kipling.

It is, in fact, on the 501 Streetcar line route! (Though they are running buses on the western end of that route right now). 

The show runs until November 4th and is open to the public. While you are visting be sure to check out the spectacular Sam Smith Park that is just to the east and south and that is one of Toronto's waterfront gems. You could even make a trip to the amazing Whimbrel Point.