Yesterday was a perfect day to check out Caren’s back patio. With the cooler afternoon wind, the secluded patio offered us a respite from the gusts but still a nice outdoor patio scene. Caren’s is a small wine and cheese bar on the west part of Cumberland. The patio is nice and comfortable, and each table was decorated with nice, bright pillows and fabric giving a little life to the wood deck decor.

Caren’s offered a great wine selection (we had the Masi Ripasso) and a large selection of cheeses. The selection was a bit too big, so we chose the chef’s recommendation and were presented with three generous portions. The menu suggests wine pairings for each cheese platter.Caren’s also offers a full menu that can be taken advantage of.

Caren’s Wine and Cheese Bar
158 Cumberland St.
Toronto, ON
416.962.5158

Tucked away on Dupont is a new shop called Nancy’s Cheese. Once part of Harbourd Bakery, this is now her exclusive new location and opened just before the winter. She hostsCheese chaTon aTuesdaY for $25 you get to sample about ten different cheeses. With a strong focus on Ontario and Quebec cheeses, this shop is a welcome addition to the North Annex.

A review at Martiniboys was posted in February.

In March, the Toronto Wine & Cheese Show starts. The Summerhill LCBO had a preview of some of the display wines there, along with some hors d’ouvres.

Things must be slow at the LCBO, because this week there was yet another sale on vintages. I managed to pick up two bottles in both of my last trips there. A full list of their sale items is online.