As the weather in Canada warms up and the sun stays out longer there’s more access to fresh, local ingredients for chef’s (at both restaurants and at home) to use in the kitchen. While Baro’s menu is inspired by Latin cuisine, Chef Steve Gonzalez has kept in mind the delicious flavours that come out of Canadian farms, gardens and oceans. We’ve broken it down dish by dish to show you where our food comes from before we prepare & serve it to our guests.
Cachetes
The basis of this fried Cod dish comes from the Fogo Islands off the coast of Newfoundland. Fogo Island Cod is fished sustainably by only a handful of East-Coast fisherman that use line-fishing techniques rather than destructive netting methods. These fisherman make sure to catch only a certain amount of fish per day to ensure a sustainable population in the region. Fogo Island Cod is sold to only a handful of restaurants in Toronto…so we’re excited to feature it on our menu!
A shot of a small fishing boat used by fisherman off the coast of Fogo Island (via Notey)
Seared Scallops
Our Atlantic Scallops are served with a pea puree and white asparagus that are both grown locally in Ontario. Our Chicharrón (pork rinds/belly) is cut in house from a full pig that’s brought to Baro directly from Perth Pork in Sebringville, Ontario.
Power Bowl
Baro’s health-obsessed Power Bowl is jam packed with Ontario beets, sprouts, cucumbers, squash purée and pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Our goat cheese is also sourced from Canadian farms! This combo of healthy x local makes for a delicious option that’s available for both dinner and brunch!
Roasted Cod
Our Roasted Cod dish really encompasses the best of Canada, from coast-to-coast! Again, we use Fogo Island Cod and serve it with West Coast Octopus Croquettes and a side of Succotash. Our succotash is made up entirely of Ontario-grown ingredients: peas, fiddleheads & fava beans.
Local Lomo Saltado
We got some sour feedback on twitter from someone in Peru criticising our Lomo Saltado’s cut and accompanying ingredients…I guess they didn’t see the word “Local” at the beginning of the dish name. This dish starts with premium Alberta beef tenderloin and is served with Ontario grown potatoes, fiddle heads, asparagus, crones, tomatoes and wild leeks!
Also…Nick’s Greens!
This item isn’t new to the menu, but it’s entirely local and the writer has had a lot of coffee and really wants to keep writing!! The mixed greens we use for this salad come year-round from a greenhouse in Orangeville, Ontario. Stark North greens are an example of our commitment to finding the most local ingredients possible!
Baro LOVES Local
While we can’t always provide an authentic Latin experience without importing some goods, our kitchen team works relentlessly to use as much food as possible from as many local sources as possible.
Our duck that is used in our Chaufa and Machetero comes from our friends at King Cole Ducks located 45 minutes away in Newmarket. The Chicken we use for our Wings, Arroz Con Pollo & Tostada all comes from Ontario farms. Our Trucha is made from Ontario trout and all the pork we use in the restaurant is a product of a whole pig that is cut in-house and comes from Perth Pork (as mentioned above).
Looking to learn more about the products we use in our kitchen? Feel free to email us at info@baro1.sg-host.com. If you’d like to make a reservation at Baro to try these new dishes, click here.
