The best steakhouses in Toronto have an appeal that go beyond a superb cut of meat that you haven't the resources to buy or the skill to cook to perfection, though it's a good place to start. In the dark ages of Toronto dining - roughly any time from the '30s to the '70s - steakhouses were fine dining, the best places to get a quality meal, and a few of those places still survive, though many others (Le Baron, Cyrano's and, just recently, Bigliardi's) have gone the way of the three martini lunch and the dress code.

The best Italian restaurants in Toronto make for a tasty list. Like most Torontonians, I love my Italian cuisine. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that more than half of the meals I eat out are Italian in nature. In the grand sense, I suspect our communal love originated in the wave of post-war Italian immigration Toronto experienced in the 1950s. More than half a century later, the city's Italian roots - in both a cultural and a culinary capacity - run deep, with Italian eateries in virtually every neighbourhood.

The best rooftop patios in Toronto offer spectacular views, quiet places to hide away from the bustle of the street below, and an outdoor space to enjoy summer in the city. On top of hotels, restaurants and office space, each patio provides us with a unique perspective of the city, both from a visual perspective; as well as the crowd and vibe that they attract. By no means is this an exhaustive list. I'm sure some will lament the omission of, say, London Tap House, Ultra, Cheval, Oasis, Redbull 381 Projects or Remy's to name a few.

The best Mexican restaurants in Toronto aren't anything to get too excited about. There's no denying this city's reputation for lacking good mole, tamales, Pacifico beer and cheap tacos. And while the recent openings of critically acclaimed spots like Frida and the burgeoning Milagro empire give Toronto's Mexican credentials promise; the overwhelming options available to us skew more closely to the Tex-Mex side of things.

The best baby stores in Toronto cover a lot of territory and a huge variety of products. After all, babies don't travel light. For a short excursion, the diaper bag might carry extra clothes, diapers, toys, soothers, hats, creams, and that's the just the stuff that leaves the house!

For such small beings, they generate an impressive amount of retail activity. Partly, it's because every new parent wants to have all the necessary accoutrements for the family's newest member, and partly it's because shopping for babies is so much fun that everyone - from grandparents to coworkers to godparents - wants to get in on the action.

Steak and frites. There are few dishes more basic. The combination of meat and starch is primal; a product of earth and pasture that needs precious little embellishment. It's also a great test for a kitchen's basic competence at cooking a good piece of beef, and treating a fistful of julienned potato with respect. The quality of the grill and the temperature and purity of the oil are at the heart of the matter, as is the chef's ability at sourcing a decent cut of meat that they generally can't sell at steakhouse prices.