Hops aboard

Steam Whistle only brews one type of beer: A Czech-style pilsner packaged in cans, bottles and kegs. Its brewing facilities are open to the public via catwalk tours priced at CAD$10 ($9.10). I was welcomed by Shane, our guide and professional actor, who handed me a bottle of Steam Whistle beer straight from a retro green fridge. We learned the differences between Canadian microbreweries versus macro ones - a capacity of fewer than 60,000 hectoliters of beer produced annually makes the brewery micro - and trivia about the building's history, all delivered in a fun and informative manner.

I chat with a Hamilton couple in town for a short holiday, and they mention they had just been to visit Ripley's Aquarium. One of Toronto's latest attractions and right across the street from Steam Whistle Brewing, it is a 12,550-square-meter building devoted to fish both scary and not so much. With CN Tower and Rogers Centre nearby, Steam Whistle is ideally situated for wetting your whistle.

As I was seeking more substantial sustenance, I head to Bosk in Shangri-La Toronto to enjoy Canadian produce in five-star surrounds. Duo of Ontario lamb is a sure bet there, with tender lamb roasted and braised to perfection.

Award-wining wine director and sommelier Mark Moffatt is usually on hand to take care of guests no matter what they choose to feast on that evening. Being right across the street from Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, it's a handy place to dine before an evening at the ballet or opera.

A more laid-back option is Mercatto, a contemporary Italian establishment with some of the best cheese, ham and desserts in town. I found its caramel copetta topped with salted peanuts enough reason to trek downtown. The wild British Columbia halibut with wilted greens and baby carrots isn't too shabby, either.

Another area of the city that has been getting a lot of buzz in the past decade is the Distillery District. In the 1860s, when Toronto's Gooderham and Worts distilled more whiskey than anyone else in the world, the area was a beehive of activity. Ships along the nearby Lake Ontario shoreline were continually loaded with cases before sailing along the St. Lawrence River to be distributed internationally.