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.

The charcuterie craze overtook Toronto restaurants less than five years ago, when an interest in local food and traditional methods drove chefs into back rooms to start making their own prosciutto, salami, bresaola, sopressata and sausage. In essence it's an expression of the cult of the pig, which began thriving when chefs sourced their own Berkshire, Yorkshire, Hampshire and Saddleback hogs, carefully finished with acorns, whey and grains. To most people, though, it's a plate of cold cuts and pickles.

Opening a restaurant without a well thought out wine list is tantamount to suicide for any establishment, so why is it still okay for bars to get away with the unholy trinity of Canadian, Coors Light and Heineken? I say it isn't. I crave variety, complexity; I want to be seduced by a lively bouquet of bitter hops and dark caramel malt, or a playful golden thirst quencher on a hot summer day. So, I went off in search of the establishments that feel as strongly as I do about god's nectar.