Finally! For those too lazy to descend the elevator and seek out a local bakery comes Freshbread.ca, the one stop source for light rye, multigrain, cheese bagels, croissants, onion buns and baguettes.

Yep. Freshbread.ca, "created to allow condominium owners all the benefits of an old-world European-style bakery", delivers fresh bread directly to your door - or front desk in some condo buildings depending on whether the security lets them infiltrate the hallways.

I hate to post a photo like this because I actually really like the Dumpling House, but a reader sent us a photo that looks genuine. Seems the other day some rats were clearly visible through the window. Looks like there are three or four of them. A closer look and update after the jump.

There are those who love regular ice cream, and others who swear by the Italian style milk ice. The latter set lovers will be pleased to know that Solferino is making special Valentine's Day flavours. With a lighter smoothness and denser texture, gelato is a great platform for letting its flavour component sing. Chocolate and fruit can shine with intensity, so what of the more intriguing and sensuous sounding specials like Romantic Rose Petal?

This past Saturday, two of Kensington's eco-friendly retailers crossed their fingers, stuffed them into mittens and hoped the weather would hold up to allow for a successful first run of what they hoped would become an annual vegan chili cook-off for charity.

Veg- and eco-friendly shoe retailer Left Feet and clothing retailer Heart On Your Sleeve (previously profiled in our Green Toronto video series) set tables up in front of their conjoined stores and laid them out with crockpots, biodegradable spoons/bowls, and squares of vegan cornbread.

Voting has begun for our Best of Independent Toronto 2007 survey. Next up is the Food + Drink section. You have 36 categories to vote in.

Start the Food + Drink Survey Here

Voting will be open until the end of January. We'll be posting links for survey questions for other Best of Independent Toronto categories over the next few days. See also:

The Fashion + Design Survey

I was talking to a chef last week who mentioned James Chatto had recently been in to review his restaurant. Since Toronto Life's star food critic has one of the most recognizable faces in the business the chef was able to alert his staff so Chatto would be given proper service.

When I asked him if Joanne Kates had dined there yet he said he didn't know what she looks like. You see, The Globe's restaurant scribe has a reputation for going to great lengths to avoid being photographed. She does this so her readers can be confident that she never receives any special treatment.

How to explain then why Kates wouldn't be a bit more cautious about uploading photos of herself to her Camp's web site. Doesn't she know these images can be found through a simple search on Google?