Parks with outdoor BBQ grills in Toronto are somewhat fleeting in nature, so grab the buns and patties while you can. While there are, indeed, charcoal BBQs for public use at several Toronto parks, a City rep confirms that there is little in the way of municipal efforts towards replacement and/or repair.

When grills are no longer fit for public use, they are simply removed by the park supervisor, which may explain why numbers seem to constantly deplete. In any case, there are a few public parks where you can "get your grill on," as it were, just as long as you bring your own charcoal, equipment, and accessories. But hey, at least you'll definitely make all of those non-steak-eating other park-goers jealous, right?

This Week in Food rounds up the week's food news, restaurants openings and closings, chef movements and upcoming food events in Toronto. Find us here every Friday morning.

OPENINGS & CLOSINGS

• Paulette's Original Donuts and Chicken is the delicious new concept from the same team behind Delica Kitchen. The Leslieville location at 913 Queen Street East is set to open mid-June.

One day, many years from now, you'll be able to tell your kids you lived at a time when salad bowls were just $8.50. And then $9.50. Ah, the good old days.

But those says, indeed, are gone. Many disgruntled herbivores of late have stopped by their favourite vegan restaurant in search of a quick meal, only to find that the prices, again, have gone up. A salad or grain bowl at any of Urban Herbivore's three locations will now cost you $11 and change, plus an extra dollar for certain add-ins or substitutions (tempeh added to your salad for example, or quinoa instead of rice for your grain bowl). Such options used to be included in the price.

Given the recent surge of new, local craft brewers in the city and the accompanying upswing in interest from various Toronto-centric lifestyle publications (ahem), you're probably inclined to think of the existence of craft beer in this city as a fairly recent trend. You might be surprised to learn, however, that this year the city's oldest craft brewery is actually a quarter of a century old.

Great Lakes Brewery, founded in 1987, was purchased by the Bulut family in 1991 and, in a craft beer market that has changed considerably since, they've managed to remain independent and grow the company into one of the largest microbreweries in Ontario.

Event venues in Toronto run the gamut from bar back rooms, to immense, multi-floor monoliths, to the little guys that rarely top a standard Google search. We've previously covered the best event venues in Toronto, but what about the hidden gems? While these don't have the overt flash of The Royal Conservatory of Music (for example) or the much-publicized and recently opened Arcadian, many of these feature rooms flooded by natural light, loft and industrial accents, and just enough room for you and two-three hundred of your closest friends.

Espresso machines in Toronto are by no means a niche industry; we're a fast moving city fueled in large part by our gargantuan consumption of caffeine. But, if you're anything like me, you're particular about your coffee. Not just any run-of-the-mill (albeit economical) Black and Decker drip model will do; rather, it needs to produce a quality shot of espresso and be visually stimulating, which often requires going beyond your neighbourhood Canadian Tire or Wal-Mart.