That this restaurant was first on Toronto’s best new restaurant list calls into question the sanity of Toronto Life. Does Buca produce excellent pastas and pizzas,  and charge a fortune for it, certainly. Has Buca Yorkville created anything new to merit another accolade, no. After hopping between the Buca franchises, it becomes difficult to order different things. The Salumi di Mare was, indeed, beautiful, intricate, colourful, and delicious. But what poor sense to put GNOCCO FRITTO, a squid ink dumpling that was effectively a bread substitute. The pastas were good, of course. The duck ragu is amazing, as it was in the previous Buca locations. My squid ink pasta was equally luscious and perfectly al dente. All that is fine. It is still a standardized Italian restaurant with very good food as extravagant prices. It fits right in, in Yorkville. But does that make it Toronto’s best new restaurant?

Barbabuca, 16

Brunello 2.5, 19

Gamberi, 22

Gnocco fritto, 9

Peperonata, 12

Busiate, 26

Bigoli, 19

Salumi di mare 3, 19

Chinotto, 5.5

Cannoli, 3

Bombolone, 5

The best wine bar in Toronto, by some counts, has an eclectic wine list from all over the world and a Spanish-centric menu. The food is solid. The wine is usually special, though the focus is certainly old world. Some lesser known varietals and regions shine through, though classical drinkers can take refuge in the unfiltered and bell peppery Chinon (half glasses available). Come most for the bohemian wine-bar feel.

ROAST QUAIL w/ quinoa, cauliflower, raisin, yam & almonds - $12

GRILLED STEAK w/ green beans, potato & mushroom ragu  -$13

You don’t have to travel far for the prices to go way down. The third instalment by black hoof purveys Latin American food and drinks for surprisingly cheap prices. The fish for two is essential. It is bone-in with crispy skin on the outside. An onion slaw-like salad is sprinkled haphazardly over. It is altogether unpretentious yet still quite delicious. Pages of sipping rhum from countries that sound a bit frightening should not deter you from the cheap but good wine on offer.

Accra 5

Whole, Fried Fish Pour Deux 28

A groovy late night option (until 2am) with confident, sometimes unexpected food for cheap. Some juicy and sizeable fried chicken blur the line between fine food and drunk food. The hand roll makes 416 the latest place to pick up some Japanese food. And the best value is the $9 slab of cheese. A short but interesting wine list includes an Austrian grape called "Blaufrankisch" and a GSM rosé from France. On a Monday night, the place becomes a bit like a club, closer to close time. WIth the gyrating it's a little hard to focus on the food.

All prices include tax.

Korean Fried Chicken $5

Spicy Tuna Handroll $6

Foie Gras $7

Cheese $9

This odd restaurant is supposedly French, but the food is decidedly Asian. It's an odd combination. Perhaps it's a reference back to Vietnam's colonial days. Unfortunately, the French have seen better food. The calamari is swimming in sauce that is too bold. It leaves nothing for the squid. A similar complain can be made for the chicken wings, though they are perfectly cooked and beautifully crispy. The beef tartare has enough wasabi to clear your nostrils for a year. It's unpalatable, unless you hold your breath. Most brutal is the lettuce dishes, which appears to be a hallmark of the restaurant, but is hardly worth going to a restaurant for. The pork version is just a clove of lettuce filled with ground meat and some rice on top. Why would anyone want to eat that. At least it's really cheap.

Dishes to share are about $10. About 2 dishes per person. 

The new middle eastern food revolution in Toronto has been well documented. Big Crow, the ribs eatery, has a offshoot lovingly called Fat Pasha. The restaurant feels subterannean, in Middle Eastern style. But it's impeccably decorated and comfortable to dine at. Surrounded by kitschy tourist traps in the entertainment district and overly-corporate places (Luma, Momofuku), this reserved restaurant stands out. The food is excellent too - a soft fried egg on a sour-y tomato sauce that is perfectly cleaned up by two pieces of toast. Apparently, it's called a Shakshouka.  Even better are the ribs, crusted with what seems like bits and pieces of nuts and grains, also indicative of the region. What a cool restaurant.

Shakshouka 10

Spicy Tomato + Yogurt + Duck Egg + Romy Cheese

Lamb Ribs 13

Dukkah + Buttermilk Sauce + Carob Molasses + Red Chili Schug

Creamy broth with gooey half eggs and fatty pork. This ramen place is among the best in Toronto, and one of the cheapest ($10 vs. $15 at Momofuku). The lines are long on Dundas so go to the Yonge location instead. Order some sides, like the crispy chicken. It isn't amazing but you can't keep on slurping noodles.

This is another fine addition to the barbeque restaurants that have already ran rampant in Toronto. It is a covered, outdoor space with picnic tables. It shuns pretentiousness. The cooks stand in a little corner with a big barbeque. The crowds gobble everything up with their hands. Prices are unbelievably affordable ($16 for swordfish?). The semillon was far from ready to drink, but I doubt people come here looking for wine. The food is reliably delicious. A nice punchy acidity on the fish. Ribs that have a smokey flavour and no sauce to adulterate the sweet meat. And finally, the food arrived in 5 minutes.

swordfish – sweet corn succotash… 16

baby back ribs-burst cherry tomato basil pesto – 1/2 slab … 17 

This seems like a wonderful restaurant. It's in the middle of nowhere, in an indiscreet building. It has an awful name. The tasting menu at $55 is perfectly affordable, especially for a taste of intriguing ingredients like "soil" and "grass". Finally, an extremely strong and affordable french-dominated wine list (though the waiters don't really know much about it).

In the 4 course summary menu, there are no blanks. It starts on a foodie rampage. The potato is sous-vide. The creamy sauce in the bottom is apparently made from soil. And there is shaved grass on top. The potatoes are creamy and the soil flavours are convincing. It's a definitively innovative dish. But what on earth were the carrots doing there? This is the restaurant that has won awards for its use of carrots. This tie, it's the two towers, crunchy in a soft dish and adding no flavour. The halibut that follows is without a doubt the best dish of the night. It is soft and gooey. elderberries help with the tartness. A painfully seared cabbage is beautiful in colour and adds texture. The veal is quite the opposite. It looks like a wardrobe malfunction. It lacks any identifiable flavour. The softness of the accompaniments scream for a nice cut of veal. Instead, it is stewy. Dessert is excellent. The globule of cheese ice cream is like a frozen yogurt to rival that of Azurmendi and balances out the sweet raspberry sorbet. Customary earthiness from the lichen and sorrel complete the cycle.

What actinolite lacks is not inspiration but focus. It admirably tries to put Canada on the world map; it plays in the same leagues as the restaurants in Spain that charge $300 a meal. It just needs the main idea or ingredient to come through despite all the complicated nit-pickiness that surrounds it.

I will be back once the menu changes. This could be the most interesting thing to happen in the food scene in Toronto, through it's not entirely there yet.

$55 for 4 courses or $85 for 7 courses

SUMMARY MENU $55 | + WINE $40

POTATO

Carrot | Soil | Grass

HALIBUT

Cabbage | Spruce | Elderberries

VEAL

Grains | Nasturtium

RASPBERRY

Cheese | Lichen | Sorrel

The one size fit all Italian joint that has shown up in Suits episodes and where finance meet and greets are common place. Come for the cheap pastas and on tap  wines (available in 3oz) that include ripasso, amarone, and pretty much anything you'd want from Italy.

ORECCHIETTE
braised    lamb    neck,    rapini,    chili,    mint,    pecorino        /        17
PAPPARDELLE
braised    duck    ragu    with    shaved    padano        |        18

The 1/2 price wines on Monday are a great reason to come, given the varied list of mostly Italian wines. Pastas are reasonably priced, and look tasty on the menu website. Though this time, there seems to have been an pea or corn sale that every dish seemed to have one of the two ingredients. The mushroom tagliatelle, the duck confit cavatelli, all the wonderful sounding plates seem to have disappeared. I struggled and ordered the sausage, which confirmed my fears of a too-salty wurst. The mushroom special pasta was much more palatable, but it had corn.

Casarecce. homemade sausage / pepperonata / tomato / pepperoncino / roasted fennel _ 17

This Vietnamese sandwich shop has carved out a special niche for itself in Toronto fast food. It can now be delivered using hurrier too, making it ever closer to the financial district suits that seem obsessed with the fat in a bun plates. The best is the kimchi fries, which would be more aptly called poutine, and has nothing to do with Vietnam. No matter, since it is delicious. The "bao" is easily better than those at Daisho.

$10 without drinks

Kimchi Fries 

Steamed Pork Belly Bao

A cool and pudgy Gangnam Style bartender serves inspiring drinks deep into the night. The place is a rickety corner on Ossington. There's no phone or website, from my inspection. Yet it's for the bar food that you should come. Table-side seared mackerel offers a bursting pop. The chicken wings give the Korean crunch, though it's a bit too sauced. The highlight is the pork neck special - gargantuan cuts served on what resembles a sushi platter. A sprout coleslaw helps balance out this carnivorous dish. 

O.S. Wings $7

Torched Mackerel $6

Special Pork Neck $25

Wine $9

The German inspired beer hall with communal tables fail to remind of the bustling beer houses of Munich. But it serves a worthy currywurst made from all sorts of gamey meats and has a good selection of craft beers. No surprise, Weihenstephaner is on tap. 

~$10 for saussage 

~$10 for beer

The lines form early in the St. Lawrence Market. Not for the myriad producers and butchers but for an unlikely fast food joint. It specializes in nothing quintessentially Canadian, just a mouthwateringly good swordfish sandwich and chewy fries. The whole affair looks a little grimy. For lunch, it's not cheap ($20 with drinks). But swordfish for lunch isn't an average lunch.

The best new restaurant in Toronto in 2014 according to Toronto Life is also the new hot spot for business lunches. So the ridiculous prices from the dinner session stay on: $30 mains, $20 apps, $12 desserts. At these prices, execution needs to be perfect. Thankfully, it is. The tempura crab claws are perfectly fried, leaving just a little crunch to cover the soft crab meat. The oiliness is neutralized by a mound of fresh and colorful greens and a sour-ish sea-urchin mayo. The mains are stupidly big - a sprawling arctic char on fried Jerusalem artichoke and delicate chanticleers. The cauliflower purée added another layer of depth and complexity. The gargantuan halibut has baked breadcrumbs on top, and has a broth of tartare sauce, spinach and other veges. It's a little overcooked - some might say too flaky, but still enjoyable. Dessert is also impressive: a powerful peanut and chocolate combination that is confidently layered with cream. It shouts financial district. So does the hundred dollar bill you leave with.

snow crab
claws, battered & crisp,
with sea urchin “thousand island”
27

halibut
roasted with wild mushrooms, 
baby potatoes, creamed spinach
& brown butter tartar sauce
32
arctic char
pan roasted with kale, 
Jerusalem artichoke purée, chanterelles
& pickled heirloom carrots
30

CHOCOLATE
peanut bar layered with maralumi chocolate cream, 
milk chocolate peanut crunch,
peanut streusel & popcorn chantilly
12

The popular and critically acclaimed restaurant is deserted at lunch. The food is generally good: a great crusty and thin flatbread; a rich duck meat sauce on pasta (that wasn't al dente enough). A semi-frozen ice cream topped with sweet strawberries and pistachio. The glass of wine at $14 leaves a lot to be desired, lacking any real character.

AL POMODORO (potatoes, basil, mozzarella cheese) ~$18

BIGOLI
hand-cranked duck egg pasta, duck offal ragu, venetian spices,
mascarpone, basil - $18

SEMIFREDI

Pistachio emulsion, strawberries ~$12

This is by consensus the best burger in Toronto. Daniel Radcliffe likes it. It was once a top 10 new restaurant in Toronto, an unlikely honour for this price range. It is also expanding vociferously - even as far as Mississauga and Guelph. It is worth the detour. The buns are crunch, the burger is juicy and beefy. Maybe the best meal under $10 in Toronto.

Singe California Classic burger $8

Eccentricity is in the air at far-away joint a stone throw from the Junction. The patio has a beer garden feel; inside is a rustic “farmhouse”. The menu is scratched onto chalkboards and includes such favourites as the barnyard burger and a gargantuan rib-eye on cutting board. A duck trio “threesome” of prosciutto, egg and foie gras was a roundup of Ontario delicacies. The mains came so resplendent that they required no instagram filter. The trout looked like it floated upon a Pikmin pond with petals and blotches. The braised lamb was cubed, battered and fried. Cutting it open, the lamb effortlessly blends in with the “Victoria secret” pink of the beets – whole, cubed and puréed. It is at the intersection of pure lightness and tenderness. It is Ontario ingredients set to Ontario cooking, unfussy and perfect.

A Threesome $21

Fish dish [trout] $22

Braised Lamb $23

This Terroni offshoot serves average food, like a unappetizing looking salad and a too-simple burrata gnocchi. The burrata is tasty but it's held back by the pesto gnocchi. Come here for the Italian wines instead.

burrata cheese & gnocchi 15

Insalata Nizzarda Rustica 13

arugola, endive, carrots, cherry tomatoes, onions, green beans, potatoes, olives, tuna, egg & anchovy

The Drake Hotel moves squarely into the financial district with a saloon-like purveyor of comfort food. It makes for a perfect pre or post-theatre venue, should you want something a little more posh than Ramen. It never gets pretentious: the Wednesday special is just fried chicken and corn on the cob. They're both pretty good, expected now that buttermilk fried chicken seems to be on every menu that tries to be the least bit cool. The sweet and sour sauce is where the dish goes terribly wrong, taking on a musty, almost pungent spice. The best part are the cubes of basil infused watermlon, the only healthful part of this arrangement. But not too healthy - cheese cream is splattered on the entire dish; the watermelons are not immune.

Fried Chicken

Buttermilk fried chicken, grilled 'street corn', basil infused watermelon + feta, cheese cream 25

Susur Lee surprisingly puts up just a Chinese restaurant for his new project. Everything from the menus to the décor to the large insignia on the door is definitively Asian. The only thing that gives it away is the strongly Caucasian patronage. At first glance, it appears to be less than serious. Most of the tables had kids, like a glorified Mandarin. But the food is as authentic as anything in Chinatown (i.e. highway 7), and where it deviates, it is clearly better. On the traditional end, take the steamed whole sea bass. It’s in that characteristic sweet soy sauce and loaded with leeks, as you might find in Hong Kong. But it’s beautifully presented. And for the first time eating the dish, I know what fish I’m consuming. The farthest away from authentic Chinese is the Cheung Fun, usually a boring lowly glutinous roll with some ugly soy sauce on top. This time, it’s filled with crunch and shrimp. Too bad the xiaolongbao is nothing as good as Ding Tai Fung. As a whole, it is probably better than any dim sum on highway 7, which is to say it’s the best dim sum in Toronto. But it doesn’t really feel like dim sum – no old ladies pushing carts around. Yes, there’s that dim sum order menu but you’re not given a pencil to write on it.

SIU MAI (4PC)
chicken & shrimp dumplings with scallop
鮮蝦雞肉燒賣
9

XIAO LONG BAO (4PC)
pork soup dumplings
老北京小籠包
8

SHRIMP CHEUNG FUN – RICE ROLL (8PC)
with soya juice
香脆米紙蝦腸
12

HONG KONG STYLE STEAMED WHOLE SEA BASS
with leeks, ginger, & sweet soya juice
* deboned
港式清蒸西槽
28

CHAR SIU BEEF BRISKET
蜜汁叉燒牛排
22

Rice balls
5

To say this is the place to be in Toronto this year is probably an understatement. That it only came second in Toronto Life’s annual rankings was quite a surprise. It looks like a dimly lit Spanish tavern, serving the usual tapas of the land, like Iberico Ham and octopus, but it also dabbles in Toronto-favorites like bone marrow and giant steaks. Everything is fine with the appetizers: a pinxto loaded with shaved foie gras that dissipates on contact and a hefty black pudding and quail egg combo. It is the mains that are disastrous. A numbingly sour in the Sea Bream Ceviche that is loaded with texture-less avocado and raw fish that is lost in the business of it all. All this is presented amdist a cooked fish. It’s a bit grotesque. The Cornish Hen is not much better, probably because of the Hot Sauce, which has a food-gone-bad component to it, like the spice was to cover up something wrong with the dish. The fried milk dessert was mercifully down to earth, so at least we did not leave with a bad taste in our mouth.

Sobrassada, Foie Gras & Honey Montadito (2pc)                                       8

Morcilla, Shrimp & Escabeche Quail Egg Pincho (2pc)                              12

Half Cornish Hen A La Plancha, Chorizo, Chili-Garlic Hot Sauce, Wild Arugula Salad         26

WHOLE Sea Bream Ceviche                                                                   26

Leche Frita & Salted Dulce de Leche                  7

The epitome of Canadiana, the highest-profile spot in the Toronto with a beautiful panorama overlooking Lake Ontario, and the poster-child of Summerlicious is worth a pilgrimage for the Asian yuppie couplets lined against the window. The milk mousse is a cooling sensation but could have been balanced better with more crisps. The dinner-sized salmon, topped with cereals and sit on potatoes to produce the most complex repertoire of textures. The salmon itself is a rosy pink on the inside. A slice of zucchini and some lime mayonnaise give it a refreshing flavor palette of summer. A block of chocolate mousse is soft and bitter, with crushed hazelnuts in balance.

Whipped Sheep’s Milk Mousse
Tender Shoots & Radish Vinaigrette

Olive Oil Poached Heritage Salmon
Zucchini, New Potatoes & Kabosu Mayonnaise 

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse
Coco Caramel & Devil’s Food Cake

$25 Lunch

Auberge feels terribly misplaced in the in the parking lots of Yonge Corporate Centre. The restaurant resembles an idyllic cottage untainted by the commercial outgrowth that surrounds it. And it isolates itself tastefully with foliage (whether they are of the genus “Pommier,” I cannot say). Stone walls and elegantly light décor contribute to the ‘wedding-room’ look. Again, the multicultural spin of Summerlicious takes over, but waitresses are more than happy to indulge these aspirational patrons. And unfortunately some diners did stage a bit of revolt in front of mislabelled washroom doors - their confusion showing through otherwise austere faces, perturbed only by the urgency of their needs. “Mesdames” and “messieurs”: what alien tongue is that? The lunchtime selection is a little dull; the clear favourites were the sea bass and the cheese. With that said, the table all ordered different appetizers and they were all very good. My salad was very lightly dressed and almost bitter until the sweet pine nuts were introduced. The Sea Bass was perfectly cooked, as were the zucchinis. The saffron sauce (however little there was) offered a distinctively acidic punch to the unctuous fish. My complaint would be the watery cherry tomatoes and the chewy PEI mussels added nothing to the dish. The cheese was beautifully presented and rested on a cheery fruit spread. The added effort beyond a simple cheese & cracker dish (see Sassafraz) was duly noted. Auberge reminds me of many of ST Coleridge’s poems of the peaceful countryside, in the distant past. “How exquisite the scents / Snatch'd from yon bean-field!”

Green & Wax Bean Salad
cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, fresh herbs, lemon thyme crème fraîche

Mediterranean Sea Bass
Prince Edward Island mussels, grilled zucchini, basmati rice, saffron sauce

Chèvre des Alpes
French Alps goat cheese, sweet & sour fruit, toasted nut bread

$25 Lunch

In style, Bymark is the dark and plush antithesis of the bright and playful Canoe. The dimly-lit dungeon laced in stone and wood creates a subtly romantic escape from Bay Street. Shy and contentious waiters are too polite to abide by our order to overlap courses in the interest of time. The dessert was almost delivered within twenty minutes of seating but well-trained busboys turned around hastily as not to disturb my enjoyment of my halibut. Despite this, Bymark still wins the quickest lunch contest at just over thirty minutes. And while the servers are shy, there is nothing timid about the food. Generously thick cuts of both the halibut and the striploin (which resembled tenderloin) jut out confidently in truly three dimensional dishes. And while the flavours are not too complicated, they are incredibly pleasing from the fruity sourness of the Ceviche with crunchy taro contrasting the chewy whitefish to the salty pancetta supporting a flaky halibut. The steak unfortunately reminded of the Keg exclusively because of the blue cheese dressing. A tangy berry jam cut through the combination of dark and white chocolate for a well balanced dessert. This restaurant is for patrons who have big appetites and want big flavours. For a bit more complexity, go upstairs to Canoe.

Whitefish Ceviche
grilled corn, peach salsa and taro chips

Pan Seared Pickerel
white bean salad, pancetta, basil and roasted garlic dressing

Double Chocolate Cake
with minted white chocolate mousse

The apex of pretention, in the fabled Hazelton, that regularly caters to the likes of Conrad Black and Justin Bieber, makes way for the summerlicious crowd. In its inaugural summerlicious bent, the restaurant goes far despite the margin pressure (though nothing less is expected of restauranteur Mark McEwen). The dimly lit dining room is shrouded in the rain; otherwise the patio opens to a sea of well-to-do patrons and less-well-to-do onlookers. The waitress is inaudible but clearly courteous. The food doesn’t require a decomposition or a critic’s introspection to enjoy. At its heart, it is simple food, cooked confidently, boldly. Take the three gargantuan prawns, laid out in perfect order, atop a bed of al-dente couscous, held together by a tarty yogurt. The blushing pork tenderloin loves the sweet and sour compote of cherries and apples and the polenta acts as the yogurt did in the appetizer. The chestnuts provided an unexpected sweetness that pork could always use. Finally, flourless chocolate cake was topped with burnt almonds. The nuts taste like an uncanny memory of campfires or fireplaces. It is only flakes but punches through a bitterness that counteracts all the sweet. The warmth of the crackling nuts are then balanced by a chilled espresso ice cream. After both Bymark and North 44 missed the five-star standard, it is One that picks it up.

Iceberg salad, tomato, bacon, salted pecans, buttered croutons, ricotta, ranch dressing

Grilled prawns, couscous salad, cumin vinaigrette, pomegranate yogurt, garlic chips

House made ricotta gnocchi, marinara, buffalo mozzarella, basil (vegetarian)

Pork tenderloin, rosemary polenta, apple and cherry compote, shaved chestnuts

Vanilla panna cotta, strawberry compote, brown butter crumble, basil (vegetarian)

Flourless chocolate cake, espresso ice cream, salted caramel sauce, almonds (vegetarian)

After Shoto and Daisho, this proletariat outpost seems little more than a whim. Of course, it is nothing to overlook. For it is on the ramen and pork buns that David Chang’s empire was built – and for that reason, this is probably the best of the trio. Take, for example, the sticky rice cakes that are so delightful to chew, smothered in green onion – in a sweet and sour sauce that turns it alive. The noodles are some of Toronto’s best, even after Ramen became the noodle of the moment. Perfectly poached eggs, slithering cuts of pork and delicious stock – it’s easier said than done.

momofuku ramen 13
dan dan mein 13
roasted rice cakes – red chili, onion, sesame 11

You’ve probably noticed the sign – an obnoxious display of lights on King Street. By that alone, it looks like a tourist trap, or at most a populist spot. It’s not. As you enter the black and white saloon, you are transported back a couple of decades. Chorizo sausage mix is made from ground pork and wrapped around hardboiled quail egg. Then it is deep-fried, halved, served on tomato jam and topped with truffle. The Jerusalem artichoke salad is probably the healthiest thing on the menu. The Jerusalem artichoke chip lies on an arugula salad, providing the needed crunch.

Scotch Egg 5

Chorizo + Tomato Jam + Black Truffle

Jerusalem Artichoke Salad 12

Pickled Heirloom Carrots + Arugula + Green Oak + Limoncello Vinaigrette.

$45 Dinner

The antiquated relic of Yorkville runs the risk of being boring and expensive. Round windows resemble hobbit holes and frame the splendid courtyard-patio, as homely as the shire itself. The happy weather today is well suited for the outdoor occasion. Frivolous waiters joke about flies in wine and Dutch look-alikes (as only the Italians can). The caprese salad pops off the plate with vibrant colours and skillful artistry. It is undoubtedly fresh and the juices from the tomatoes are not at all dilutive. The perfectly cooked salmon and halibut sit on a perky lemony sauce and are topped with a succulent shrimp of gigantic proportion. What a nice lagniappe for what is supposed to only be “fish of the day”, thus justifying the market leading $45 price point. Even the perfectly al-dente pasta is loaded to the brim with expensive deep-sea goodies. The gelato is questionable, but I am sold on the embedded chocolate chunks. High-end Italian has never been this fun.

Pomodori con Mozzarella
Fiordilatte,Tomatoes,Extra Virgin Oil

Pesce Del Giorno
Fresh Fish Of The day (Chef's Choice)

Gelati
Selection of Ice cream

A restaurant of three-Michelin star chef (that bears his name) offering a three-course lunch for $25 is a big news. For its inaugural fling with summerlicious, it dazzles and delights like the old masters but owns a fresh spin as well. Start with the beautifully lit dining room in the Four Seasons hotel in Yorkville. Add the decidedly French menu and rock hard butter and Boulud’s French affinities show through. To begin, squid in its various manifestations, sometimes as calamari, is delicately coated in a sweet lime dressing. The “steak-frites” was half roast beef, half lego-block potatoes, covered with parsed and whole rapini. The rosemary, ubiquitous in these dishes, comes crispy to a point as to reinvigorate the dish on its own. Finally, a rich chocolate-caramel explosion with pecan nuts and brownies as ornamentation – a tasty conclusion to a light meal.

$25 Lunch

Chicken Gallantine
green almonds, black olives, watercress, mustard crisp

Marinated Squid Salad
baby gem lettuce, cilantro, jalapeno and lime gremolata

MEDITERRANEAN SEA BASS
cocoa bean and cucumber salad, coriander cumin sheep’s yoghurt

ROASTED CUMBRAE BEEF
tuscan potatoes, salsa verde broccoli rabe, calabrian chili

Passion Fruit and Banana Sundae
mango, vanilla crumble, meringue

Tonka Bean Sundae
candied pecans, maple caramel, chocolate brownie, tonka bean chantilly

This upstairs diner in the TIFF complex is probably the last O&B spot for most people to visit. Perhaps that should change. Start with cool soda noodles interspersed with slices of gai lan, which provide a woody celery-like flavor and texture to the noodle. A nice oriental touch. Then, a confident fried chicken with beans – lovingly soft and not at all like the disgraced version that is so popular. Finally, a sweetly bitter chocolate parfait that is soaked up by a cookie crumble. The only off dish seems to be the melons, which despite the menu description is pretty much just melon.

$20 Lunch

CHILLED SOBA NOODLE SALAD charred gai lan, bok choy, perilla and miso dressing

BUTTERMILK-BRINED FRIED CHICKEN cheddar biscuit, birch-baked beans and three cabbage slaw

CHOCOLATE PARFAIT SUNDAE white chocolate chip cookie crumble, passion fruit cream and mulled berries

This popular brunch place has a line as early as 10:30am. It’s quite a novelty but it’s just that. French toast does not need duck – it’s flavourful enough and does’t want saltiness. Other things like boring old bacon and mush potatoes complete the meal.

challah french toast: topped with duck confit, cranberry mostarda and whipped creme fraiche served with a side of maple syrup 13

meat scramble: 3 eggs, sweet n’ sour pig’s tongue, braised cabbage and pine nut crumble served with a buttermilk biscuit 12

Sangria, potato bravas, coated artichokes, skewered shrimp. Spain is well represented in Toronto as tapas seems to pop up, especially in the hipster areas. Unfortunately, this one isn’t too different from them all. 

Tomate Verde frito con Queso Feta, Maíz y Pimientos 7
Layered fried green tomatoes, feta, red pepper corn chutney

Jicama con Aguacate 6
Bite size jicama shells, creamy avocado

Alcachofas Fritas 7
Fried artichokes, Maldon salt, aioli

Gambas al Ajillo al “Estilo Carmen” 12
Grilled shrimp, garlic, chili

Some overly-friendly service aside, this cute whole-in-the-wall serves a delicious Italian meal. Start with ruby red tomatoes, sliced and interlaced with fresh buffalo mozzarella. And the pappardelle is perfectly al-dente with a wholesome, meaty sauce.

Caprese sfiziosa $14.00
Buffalo mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, olive oil and basil.

Pappardelle del pecoraio $14.50
Egg noodle in a lamb shank ragu with fresh mint and oyster mushrooms

The distillery district was in need of some fine dining. It received El Catrin, a Mexican tapas restaurant where avocado, corn, beans or some assortment of those are generously loaded onto tortillas of various shapes. It tries to make Mexican fussy. On a thick cutting board come two tiny tacos, with brisket braised in exotic flavors. It’s clearly much finer than regular grub but perhaps it isn’t the best way to enjoy this kind of food.

GUACAMOLE EN LA MESA $9

Avocado, tomato, red onion, fresh cilantro,

serrano chili

SOPES $12 2PCS

Fresh corn tortilla layered with black bean puree,

pulled chicken, lettuce, queso fresco

TACOS GOBERNADOR $15

Flour tortilla filled with sautéed shrimp & lobster in

chipotle dip, black bean sauce

COCHINITA PIBIL $15

Pork brisket braised 24 hours with Axiote & orange juice

in banana leaf served with black bean puree, habanero,

pickled red onion and corn tortilla to make your own taco

A completely dilapidated rib joint with wayside tables and covers for a rainy day (like this one). The atmosphere (or the Caesar, or a combination) is the pick-me-up. The service requires refinement: salad before ribs please (unless you’re in Europe, where ribs are ostracized). But the salad is colourful and perky. And the beef rib comes off the bone and is decorated with crunch. The insides are a juicy pleasure.

BEEF RIB - 14.50

Watermelon Salad ~10

Walls are covered with potions, some that light up an otherwise dimly-lit room. The atmosphere is a pretentious effervescence and a turn from Friday-night-out. It’s known for the drinks, including punch bowls $50 for six drinks or $90 for many more, a reasonably priced crowd pleaser. The cocktails are expertly concocted and revel in every detail, like the home-made ginger beer or little pomegranate seeds that sink to the bottom. The food is to match, with tasty fish tacos filled with form-keeping tilapia and finely pressed guacamole.

Jimmy Cliff / Thye infused spiced rum, vanilla syrup, fresh lime, in-house ginger beer 50/90

Fine herb Frites / Roswemary Aioli 6

Fish taco / Tilapia, Guacamole, mango and red pepper Salsa 9

Oddly known as a great patio despite its foray into some unappetizing real estate, this jumbo poster-lined house-turned-restaurant welcomes sophisticated druggies. The swordfish Carpaccio looks unappetizing as some pale slices of fish act as a pouch for arugula, though the chunks of lemon are welcome.

SWORD FISH CARPACCIO / with salmoriglio / 15

It feels like an institution, and with a second location on the Danforth, it almost is. After the craze of Terroni stuttered, in comes another no-reservation line-up infused Italian pizzeria. The eggplant parmesan is chunky and tasty. The minimalist pizza is filled with sticky cheese and some cloves of tomato. But it can’t avoid the wet centres that have doomed the pizza industry.

Eggplant Parmigiana (crispy eggplant, spicy tomato, mozzarella, basil, parmigiano, balsamic)..... $10

Libretto Margherita (bufala mozzarella, crushed tomatoes, basil, grana padano) ..... $17

This unknown, sun-bathed restaurant is a stone-throw from the financial district but far enough away to be relaxing. They make the workday fun, starting with three homemade non-alcoholic sodas. The lemon-pineapple-ginger is a little syrupy but the watermelon-cream is withdrawn tastiness. The most popular dish seems to be the chicken, quartered or halved, lying in bucolic      mélange of vegetables in a dark ceramic bowl. The fries, lathered in homemade “ketchup,” like a burnt apple-flavored barbeque sauce, are a crunchy delight.

Home-made soda 3

Fries 5

Chicken quarter/half 12/18

The uncanny twig-filled abode of Colborne Lane ★★★★★ (which closed soon after Randwalk gave it a 5-star review) returns ominously as Woods, where sparse patrons are spread out spaciously in the shrouded darkness. To start, as should any high-brow expense-account restaurant, foie gras is pompously advertised in both seared and pressed forms. It is a slice of heaven, at least according to one omnivorous yet liver-starved diner. Next, a thick, undulating slice of halloumi flavours a dry and tasteless bison patty. On a cutting board, wedges of perfectly crispy potato dip into homemade condiments. Finally, a freaky dessert (apparently one of the “Best in Toronto”) that has some shrivelled berry falling off of a dark chocolate tree. A sphere of black sesame ice cream is impaled by pointy cracker. The story-telling is great but the intrigue ends there.  

FOIE GRAS AND DUCK TERRINE $18

BISON BURGER $20

6oz Alberta Bison burger, milk bun, frites, halloumi, bread and butter pickle, house condiments

BUCKTHORN PAVLOVA $11

Buckthorn curd, milk chocolate ganache, black sesame ice cream

Shouting waitresses take a hint from Guu, which won similar Toronto Life honours a few years ago. This year, the Izakaya of record is Kingyo in an offshoot in cabbage town. The fish is refreshingly fresh, and comes in forms of sashimi, carpaccio and tartare. But the seafood special with scallops, shrimp, fish roe and tomatoes is an ill-conceived mess. Beef tongue is cooked on a tongue-shaped rock, reminiscent of Stonegrill, the perennially Groupon-fixated restaurant Kingyo took over. It was salty and entirely unappetizing.

Sashimi 5 Kind Assortment

35.00

Stone Grilled Beef Tongue

Will be served with hot stone on your table.

10.20

Red tuna & Black tiger prawn avocado tartar

Wasabi flavored tartar with red tuna, black tiger prawn, tobiko, avocado & tomato, topped with utas root chips & house special sweet sauce. Served with garlic toast.

10.80

Hamachi Carpaccio

Yellowtail carpaccio served with organic greens, avocado & our house dressing.

11.80

High vaulted ceilings yet dark and intimate: the atmosphere is nothing like the subterranean taverns of Spain. The food is reminiscent of the tapas of Barcelona, though with an exaltation for finer ingredients. Olive oil coated bread is a simple luxury, either with cheese, tomatoes or Iberian ham. The broccolini is sits in a nutty garlic paste with some deep fried garlic chips to match. The paella, the cheap peasantly meal of the plebs, is glorified with truffles and tiny zucchini flowers. It is a visual masterpiece, like a garden in a skillet. The rice is chewy without sticking to each other; some are burnt to the pan. It’s just a little steep in price.

JAMON SERRANO 24 Month Salt-Cured Jamon Serrano $12

PAN CON TOMATE House Baked Bread + Fresh Tomato + Olive Oil $4

QUINCE JAM + SOURDOUGH BREAD + 12 MONTH D.O. MANCHEGO Well known shee’s milk cheese produced from La Mancha Region. Nutty, sweet and tangy flavour with a firm to hard texture $9

BROCCOLINI CON AJO BLANCO Y AJO FRITO Broccolini + Almond Garlic Gazpacho + Garlic Chips $8

PAELLA de VERDURAS DE TEMPORADA Zucchini, black truffle, mushroom $45

The best ribs in town are in Roncesvalles at Toronto Life’s 6th best new restaurant of 2012, quite a lofty achievement for food eaten with fingers. It’s a youthful, open-minded energetic crowd who know how to use a knife and fork (and brush). A bin of popcorn, seasoned with barbeque powder, awaits guests on arrival. It doesn’t last too long. For $45, a plate of big meat and three sides will satiate any hunger. The crushed potatoes are a particular delight, laced with the odd hazelnut that is smoky and nutty. But the avocado base is a pungent cover-up for the tomatoes. The ketchup-based barbeque sauce is sweet and surprisingly light. The mustard-base, however, is weighty and unappetizing. The pinky crusted meat is sometimes dry but only until the sauce is lathered on. You leave full but not defeated.

Sampler For Two Choose 3 Meats and 3 Sides
MEATS: Beef Brisket, 2 Beef Rib, Chorizo Sausage, 2 Competition Chicken Thighs or 1/3 rack of Baby Back Ribs (sweet heat or dry rub).
SIDES: Fries, Cuban Corn, Smoked Asparagus, Summer Vegetables, Crushed Potatoes, Heirloom Tomato Salad, Fennel Slaw, Barque Caesar Salad.

45

It is jagged, offensive, non-conformist restaurant and has dominated the airwaves since inception. Fries made from “pig face” come in a cardboard egg carton. The fried squid hoagie is a messy heart-attack, coming with wet wipes too small for the job. Tacos, only $3.60 each, are served on a silver platter. The crowd favourite baja fish is delicately deep-fried and melt in the mouth. Each taco raised to foodie status, composed of only the tastiest and freshest ingredients. A personal favourite is the crispy cauliflower, which turns the drunkard’s late-night-snack into a breath of fresh air.

FRIED SQUID HOAGIE - 9.00

PIG FACE FRIES – 4.0

TACOS - 3.60

PORK TINGA*

BAJA FISH*

SPICY CHICKEN*

BEEF SHOULDER*

CRISPY CAULIFLOWER*

SCRAPPLE*

Another three-star Italian restaurant with a lengthy wine list (though not much else) and a menu to echo the ubiquitous high-end diners of Italy. It has none of the pizzazz of Aria, its offspring, but much of the same food. Hemi-spheres of tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella sat exquisitely in a hemispherical bowl. The blob of cheese is stretchy but dissipates beautifully with the unseen rocks of Sicilian salt. And where the appetizer was delicate, the main was coarse. An indiscriminating chef goes to town with a vegetable shaver; the salad was burnt and a trail of red pepper dressing was hard to follow. It reminds of corporate quick-serve barbeques. The dessert falls under the whipped-cream galore that is oft-present in summerlicious, though the minty chocolate and pulverized strawberries redeem the dish.

$35 Dinner

Mozzarella di Bufala
Imported fresh buffalo’s milk mozzeralla from Puglia, vine ripened cherry tomatoes, basil, olive oil and Ravida sea salt from Sicily (vegetarian)

Roman Style Grilled Rock Cornish Hen
Shaved fennel, carrot, and arugula salad with roasted red pepper dressing and grilled lemon

Valhronna Dark Chocolate Mousse
Macerated strawberries and whipped cream (vegetarian)

Bosk is the pristine restaurant in the Shangri-La, next to the Daisho/Shoto bastion. It itself is a bastion of luxury: the ice cubes are immaculate cubes. The pate is clumpy but easy to spread and the apricot spread is a beautiful counterbalance to the spicy mustard. The chicken is perfectly cooked but lacks flavor. The crispy skin is reformulated into a crust – highly creative but fails to make an impact. The vinaigrette doesn’t taste “smoked” and the broccoli puree doesn’t add much. The dish is dominated by the pungent mushrooms and fried cheese, which don’t necessarily love chicken. The dessert is a masterpiece: perhaps it resembles a flying bird with an egg-shell ice cream on top. It could be more playful with textures as the components seem to almost meld together, except for the crispy peanut which happens to guide the dish in flavor too.

$25 Lunch

Country Pate
Pork pate / apricot / mustard / artisan bread

Slow Roasted Chicken
cheese fritter / broccoli puree / mushroom / carrot / smoked vinaigrette

Bittersweet Chocolate
whipped chocolate / banana / peanut / dulche de leche ice cream

The Chinese-French offspring of celebrity chef Susur Lee is a boisterous affair, not least because of the ensuing summerlicious festivities. The waiters add to it by singing Do You Hear the People Sing, or enthusiastically pushing off-prix-fixe items. It is hard to tell if the courses are French with an Asian twist or Chinese with a French accent. The watermelons are probably the latter: a confident splash of balsamic, soy and feta, balanced by a palate cleansing watermelon. The jerk chicken has less crisp flavors, and the sweetness from the corn is rather lazy. But the lingering spice is intoxicating. The dessert was sampling of three unspectacular dishes, like the panna cotta topped with Asian tapioca – a fair attempt at fusion but resembling bubble tea joints of Chinatown. 

Watermelon & Feta cheese salad (vegetarian)
Anaheim chili, balsamic soy vinaigrette, Olive, black pepper & fresh mint

Spicy Jerk Chicken Mexican 
Mexican Cotija cheese with corn capote & lime, polenta corn fritter
or
Pulled Beef & Braised Onion in French crepe 
Sauteed garlic shitake mushroom, roasted pear, goat cheese, Marsala wine emulsion

Passion fruit & Mango panna cotta
Coconut tapioca, Pineapple & passion fruit granitee

Rhubarb & Ontario strawberry compote
Meyer lemon with paper thin butter pastry

Hot Banana Chocolate cake
Lemon sour cream ice cream, Salted butterscotch sauce, Wild blueberry preserves

An eccentric, homely, tavern opens like the houses of Great Britain of old. Dark wood accents mirror the hole in the walls of London or the pubs of Dublin. For brunch, layers of pancakes entertain maple and lumpy peanut butter ice cream. They are a crunchy delight. More in-line with the British tradition are fish & chips, ploughman’s lunches and deviled kidney soaked in flavour. The lamb kidneys retain a confident chew and gush with mouth-popping juices, only subsided with a dense “dripping toast”. Queen and Beaver, with casks of beer and hardy food, is gastropub at its finest. It might be the best place to grab a drink in Toronto.

Buttermilk Pancakes & Maple Butter 9

Deviled Lamb Kidneys on Dripping Toast 12

Blanche de Chambly (Quebec) 7.50

What was once a bustling beer garden-symposium has lost much of its liveliness. But the taps are still running with some high-brow brews, like Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier, the world’s best wheat beer from the world’s “oldest” brewery. In bottles, the selection is essentially endless: Delirium, Dieu du Ciel, and so on. But what separates Beer Bistro from a speakeasy is the unimpeachable quality of food. The mussels rack up with chunks of sausage, tomato and fennel amongst a luscious tomato spread. It’s spicy enough to invoke thirsty beer-guzzling. And the fries, perhaps the best in town, are thick in the Belgian tradition, double-fried in duck fat and dipped wholesomely in home-made sauces.

Belgian Frites $6
blanched in beef and duck fat, housemade mayonnaise & smoked tomato ketchup

Brussels Mussels  $18.50
blonde abbey ale, smoked sausage, tomato
hot chili, fennel, parsley & garlic

Turn right instead of left and the bar-like Bettola turns into a cluttered secret society. It keeps the rock-bottom prices of Teroni but is outfitted with high-brow food (enough to be awarded three stars at Toronto Life). For less than $20, a well-stocked pantry delivers five first courses (“Assaggini”) on a cutting board. The most impressive is the lob of creamy buffalo mozzarella – it stretches and disintegrates beautifully, unlike the fior di lattes that go for half the price. The deep-fried dishes are immaculate. The squash blossom is stuffed with ricotta and anchovy, a tasty surprise. The salads are sharp and fresh.

CAPUNTI AL RAGU D'AGNELLO 16

lamb ragu in tomato sauce, pecorino

Assaggini (a sample of first courses) 18:

CAPRESE DI BUFALA 14

bufalo milk mozzarella, cherry tomatoes,arugula, basil, oregano

FIORI DI ZUCCA 9

deep fried squash blossoms, sheep milk ricotta, anchovy

RICOTTA DI PECORA 12

ontario sheep milk ricotta, roasted pear, walnuts, crostini

CARPACCIO DI MANZO 13

cumbrae's beef tenderloin, button mushrooms, parmigiano

CALAMARI FRITTI 18

calamari lightly floured and fried, zucchini, carrots

It was not too long ago when Terroni had unconscionable lines. Now, its popularity has notably died off as satellite shops are springing up everywhere, as far as Los Angeles. The Terroni brand is, once again, re-envisioned with La Bettola, a “hole in the wall,” next to Osteria, another Terroni outpost. The food hits the favourites: pizzas and pastas for $17, paninis for $12, dessert for $8. The Italian roots remain strong: the first pasta is a Cacio e Pepe, a cheese and pepper pasta dish in every corner of Rome. Today, it was a red fife-crusted tuna, glowing pink, on a cool eggplant paste. The eggplant could have been warmer but the crunchy, substantial tuna was deeply satisfying. La Bettola comes through as the Italian grandma that coddles and delights. 

From the chef’s table, it’s like dining at Jiro Dreams of Sushi: the master chef berates the apprentices; faulty products are quickly tossed; cuts of duck are mouthwatering. Except that it’s not in a real subway station (it is close to one). The polenta fries are tasteless and mushy and the cocktail is too loose to help. But four gargantuan seared scallops in flavourful foliage, best of which the blood potatoes, are covered with a lemony sauce on a bed of pulverized almond. The dinner ends with a historical postcard of Richmond Street: there’s no subway but there is a streetcar.

Polenta Fries 7

Spicy mayonnaise, marinara, cilantro

Trout almandine 25

Filet beans, lemon marmalade, almonds, celeriac puree

Digby Scallops 25

Red Potatoes, asparagus, almonds

A scone of the aboriginals lends its name to the Bay & Queen Canadian comfort food restaurant of Oliver & Bononcini. On one side is a walk-in quick serve and the other, a comfortable dine-in option with reasonably priced, gooey and flavour-ridden big-plates. A rich tomato sauce held together perfectly-cooked octopus with a staunch olive backing. It’s made more delicate with shaved almonds and unwet lettuce and more heartwarming with a sunny, runny egg.

griddled octopus 22

CHORIZO, CRANBERRY BEANS, ALMONDS, STEWED TOMATOES, ESCAROLE

On one night, the perennially bustling top-10 restaurant of 2012 held a cocktail reception for suits; on another, a calmer cross-section of the financial district. It’s a far cry from the winning restaurants in the west-west that serve food in paper bags. Instead, Volos formalizes Greek cuisine, if that were possible. The Moussaka is more or less a lasagna with an overbearing Greek cheese but the Exohico is a delicate phyllo pastry in a poignantly exciting lamb jus. The trend of banker-cum-restaurateur continues. Volos apparently does exquisite dinner orders.

Beef Moussaka 22

Thin layers of Eggplant, Zucchini, Yukon Gold Potato with a Kasseri & Kefalotyri Cheese Béchamel

Exohico 23

Phyllo Pastry, Braised Lamb, Vegetables, Feta & Kefalotyri Cheeses with Lamb Jus

Gabardine tries to transport tightly wound and weary eyed bankers to more passive times. The tiny outpost on Bay Street is an anachronism to the nearby high-rise towers and high-octane bars and grills. The name refers to the tight fabric found on Burberry coats; the references to the industrious working class of Great Britain are uncanny. The ploughman’s lunch loses its lowly roots. It’s a feast of chicken liver, rabbit rillettes and pork terrine in sweet and earthy compotes. The waitresses dress in eccentric, flowery dresses and some are nicer than others. The feel is between wayside diner and bed & breakfast.

ploughman’s lunch -19

The offspring of the busy and disorientating Guu is a refined Japanese bistro-bar where the waiters whisper inaudibly. For Victoria Day lunch, a newly-opened patio where orange wood panels like a sauna create an inviting splash of sun. It’s picked up by the sunny orange of the corn-soup, a sweet concoction of abrasive components. On the platter sampler today, the standard Japanese salad topped with seafood goodies. Then, a selection from the menu in tidbit pieces perfect for sharing. Fried chicken is smothered in home-made mayo; the beef tartare looks homogenous but is picked up by distinguishable specks. The sushi present as perfectly proportioned rectangular prisms (“oshizushi”). Exploding tiger shrimp, flavour-packed cured mackerel and seared salmon all make appearances. The rolls are impeccably fresh and mouth-filling with umami. To fill up, the demi katsu is a tasteful interpretation of a fried-pork sandwich. The chicken manages to be tender while retaining density, an effective conduit for the mouth-watering barbeque sauce. Toronto finally has a stuck-up sushi restaurant at a reasonable price.

JaBistro platter $30

Demi katsu $15

The smokey brasserie tucked in the foliage of the Annex, beside Le Subway is sufficiently close to Yorkville but far enough to lose the fancy cars and Justin Biebers. Menus are French and accurately reflect the tradition in Paris: Ris de Veau and Foie de Veau. The waitresses speak French and have no reservations of correcting mispronunciations of the menu. They also don’t lose the efficiency and slight air of pretentiousness without which the French experience cannot be complete. The patrons, many French, are oldies and loyalists including Conrad Black. It’s a wonder how Toronto Life hasn’t picked it up. The food is uncomplicated but filled with bursts of flavour and pizzazz. For $16, a beautifully cooked herbed quarter chicken sits in a fresh demi-glace. Thinly-cut fries, a concept the Parisians cannot grasp, are crunchy and light. For dessert, an apple tart that loses the stingy taste of apple is perfectly almost-sweet on a hard, confident pastry base. Half a strawberry and vanilla ice-cream complete the hot and cold. Again, it’s a simple, inexpensive and perfectly executed. With a cheap carafe of French wine, le Paradis is well suited for a leisurely night of classy dining and reminiscing of Paris.

Poulet à l’Estragon $16

Tarte Tatin $6

500mL Merlot (Pays d’Aude, 2011) $17

"Bohemian, organic,” one commentator described this eclectic, feel-good quick-eat. On Bloor & Spadina is the remnant of a two-decade old business. Now, with three locations and a four on the way, Fresh is a testament to both the growing hipster culture in Toronto and its increasing health-conscious sentiments (despite what Rob Ford might insinuate). Hemi-spherical bowls are brimming with leaves, fruit and crunchiness. It’s bland at times but that’s better than the drenched ones. The vegetable juice is an ominous green and too foamy at the top, though texturally similar to its components. Together, it’s a bit dear and echoes the themes that dominate Toronto too often.

ace of kales / $13
grilled tempeh bacon, jicama, grape tomatoes, Toasted Mixed Nuts, green onions & avocado on mixed kale marinated in our house dressing

fruity green
broccoli•spinach•pineapple•mango•banana•orange
12oz $5.50 / 16oz $7 / 32oz $14

This is not another King Street West restaurant. It tucks in on the corner of Niagara and Wellington and camouflages itself against a strictly residential neighbourhood. The only giveaway is the eager crowd of foodies, old and young, who wait to get squished into the humble dining room. Perhaps it takes its culinary prowess too seriously; I was shoved mid-aisle and told to pocket my phone. A bay-street restaurant like this would surely lose its entire patronage. But not Edulis, rated the best new restaurant by EnRoute and Where magazines, and similarly well-rated by many publications. The cozy restaurant feels old and urban French in décor. White and black hexagonal tiles pave the cute washrooms. Pictures of mushrooms (edulis, or otherwise) are hung haphazardly. The most common way to order is carte blanche, a five-course surprise. First, an off-menu seared tuna, lusciously red in the middle, coupled with Asian inspired crunch nuts. Next, mackerel shaped to resemble sushi, the skin in place of seaweed. A second stunning fish dish uses apple squares to provide the crunch (as the nuts did) and the sweetness (as the sauce did). The next two communal plates were less intricate and similarly mirrored each other: the veal on pine nut purée and the rabbit on onion purée. But neither succumbs to the boring repetitiveness of such “mushy” meals. Every spoonful picks up something a little different or the flavours are complicated enough to be rediscovered. Edulis was an overwhelmingly sensual experience where I am glad my phone was relegated to my pocket.

CARTE BLANCHE

Put your belly in our hands (we promise to be nice)…

$50 per person SMALLER

$70 per person LARGER

Whole Table Only

Glazed Veal Sweetbreads

Flageolets Beans, Roasted Onions, Pine Nut Purée

17,00

Housemade Rabbit Boudin Blanc

Onion Purée, Chanterelles

16,00

Mackerel a la Plancha

Apple /Walnut Salad, Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, Matsutake Mushrooms

17,00

Boisterous dumpling poppers meet teeming far-east restaurants on “Highway 7,” an unapologetic hub of Cantonese (and now, increasingly Mandarin) culture. Threaded together by a line of white BMW’s and Honda civics on a perennially clogged street are the best “bubble”-tea shop and Shanghai pork buns in the world. Both are transcribed wholesale from Chinese equivalents. The Ding Tai Fung in First Markham Place has a Toronto Life sticker glued to the front, an endorsement unparalleled in such foreign lands. It is well earned. The restaurant betters its Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland equivalents on the freshness of the pork, an unequivocal advantage of Canadian fare. The sumptuous, razor thin dough protects a plump globule of pork patty, simmered in a pool of melted fat. It is a fine indulgence. And prepared to be culture-shocked with Chinese menus, homemade lemon ice-tea and ring-tones set to Korean love ballads (“Nobody, nobody but you,” apparently a popular song your correspondent is blissfully unaware of). I have frequented enough Highway 7 restaurants to definitively endorse Ding Tai Fung as the holy grail of Chinese cuisine.

6 shanghai pork buns or 12 smaller ones, $6-8

The second picture is from Ding Tai Fung Beijing

Daniel Boulud, a three Michelin star chef from New York and of French training opens his first restaurant in Toronto in the new Four Seasons hotel in Yorkville. It is pretentious but with a Canadian spin that differs from the uptight New York affair. It has quickly catapulted to a top position in the Toronto restaurant scene, and so it should. Lunch is a light and social atmosphere and informal enough. Table settings are minimalist and efficient: one fork and one knife at any one time. The pâté comes on a cobalt stone plate with a side of bread. It appears to be a mundane dish but the disperse vegetables have another idea. They are resplendent, a three dimensional masterpiece with varied flavours and textures and each complement the pâté differently. Better still is the calves liver, a cross between steak and foie gras. The velvety texture and the fatty flavours are seared and accentuated; why we do not eat more liver, I do not know.  It goes perfectly with the sweet caramelized onions marmalade sauce. In both courses, less savoury cuts of meat are given Boulud makeovers and become something extraordinary. Sir, Toronto welcomes you.

Pâté de Campagne

pork, chicken, liver terrine

pickled vegetables, spelt levain

Seared Calves Liver

super green spinach, onion marmalade sauce diable

Two Courses 29

Kimono-laced waitresses and authentic décor is unexpected in the Westin hotel near Don Mills. But it is indeed a Japanese restaurant owned by the Japanese, such a rarity these days; so are conversations around us in the language, surely a good sign for the restaurant. Chefs cook in front of diners in the Teppanyaki side; for a more peaceful dinner, choose the dining room. Set courses at $95 seem dear but pales in comparison to the Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto nearby (this 4.5-star Toronto Life rated restaurant will set you back $300). Both the spider roll and tempura were underwhelming. The spider roll had too much rice and not enough of everything else. The shrimp tempura was flaccid. The sashimi seemed overpriced but it came with such a diverse assortment of oceanic goodies (many that I tasted for the first time) that the experience might be deemed worth it. Freshness, of course, is guaranteed. The chicken was coated in a luscious teriyaki sauce that had a tangy je-ne-sais-pas to it. For high-end Japanese food, this restaurant does the important things right.

Spicy Spider Roll ソフトシェルロール 14

rolled Boston soft-shell crab, deep fried with spicy hot sauce

( preparation takes approximately 20 min.)

Tofu Miso Soup

味噌椀

shinshu miso soup with tofu

Omakase Sashimi 特上おまかせ刺身                                 49

chef’s choice – a special selection of market fresh assorted sashimi

Chicken Teriyaki

若鶏照焼き

grilled suprême of chicken with teriyaki sauce

Assorted Tempura

天麩羅盛り合わせ

shrimp (7 pcs) shitake mushroom and seasonal vegetable tempura

An indefatigable line of ramen-lovers crowd the new Japanese outpost beside the Eaton Centre. The seating is modern and cozy (with very limited seating, and thus the lengthy wait times). Bombastic waitresses shout welcome slogans in their mother tongue, though less enthusiastically than at Guu. My Japanese-fluent dad used the opportunity to practice a near-useless skill. I am no apt judge for this peasantly staple of the lonely islands. Apparently, this is one of Toronto’s best. The sweet cured eggs were delicious Matryoshka dolls with running gold in the middle. But the Ramen itself was a monotonous, oily drudgery. It was the same mouthful reiterated the entire evening. That some Japanese can eat this everyday is a test of human endurance.

July 17

$25 Lunch

Dark chocolate polenta crostata, hazelnut brown butter ice cream, sponge toffee and beet curd

$25 Lunch

This aria is grandiose with 35 foot floor-to-ceiling windows and exquisitely ornamented with orb chandeliers in meandering dark-wood strips. A small carafe of olive oil adorns the white tables with a speck of sunny yellow. The ternary form begins with a vivace salad, anchored by a velvety anchovy mayonnaise and sprinkled with sweet, crispy potatoes that look almost like croutons but opens up a sweet, warm and chewy core. This motif carries over to the grave second course, where real croutons appear as gargantuan playthings that crunch raucously between the steak and the salad. What a shame the chef in haste forgot to season the ribeye (we asked begrudging waitresses to get out by 1:00m but only left at 1:20pm). Or perhaps the chef was prescient as for the first time (in my dining experience), pungent olives served a purpose, salting the rib-eye on their own! And finally we return to a lively finish with the best dessert of Summerlicious, a dark chocolate “polenta” cake, slightly chilled, never sweet, rich and soft plays counterpart to a buttery-sweet hazelnut ice cream with melt-in-mouth toffee sprinkled atop. But most memorable is the coda, a beet curd coloured in Victoria Secret pink, a seductive melisma to round out the piece.

Little gem salads, radish, asparagus, crispy potato croutons, tonnato dessing 

Grilled boneless rib steak, tomato and olive panzanella salad, fresh herbs, olive oil (local)

Dark chocolate polenta crostata, hazelnut brown butter ice cream, sponge toffee and beet curd

Aug 30:

I returned here after writing a raving review for Summerlicious. A most pleasing discovery was that Aria was also participating in Mastercard’s 50% off promotion (a versatile offer unlike that of Groupon). The olive oil did not adorn the tables like last time. There is something heartwarming about that small speck of sunny yellow, perhaps that it gives a miniscule focal point against such a grandiose room. The calamari, sitting comfortably in sturdy folded paper, came with a lullabied lemon enclosed in mesh. The blank colours all felt like Austrian royalty. The lobster sandwich was enclosed by two crunchy and unctuous slices of bread that were slightly too nauseating in their richness. The home-made ketchup held its own against deep fried galore, immersing the crunch mush of frites in a slender coat of acidity. Who knew the Italians could gentrify the American roadside staple.

Calamari fritti, arugola aioli 12

Il ‘club sandiwich’ with lobster, fennel slaw, crispy pancetta, avocado, Yukon frites 21

Carisma on King & Church is a dark abode where time passes more slowly than its hectic surroundings. There is a solemn yet fantastical element respected by quietly whispering patrons. The charm is as simple as the waiter grating parmesan for a whole minute, patiently. The food is understated but grows with each bite. The peas seem so peasant-like but contribute a slight bitterness and single-handedly foment a silent uprising: it begins with oozing cherry tomatoes in a violent red, moves to the chewy mushrooms and ends with a chicken with tasty burn marks. It could have done without the olives, which overpowered each bite they participated in. But they can be easily identified and summarily exiled. Only halfway through the meal do you notice yourself entranced by the food and the atmosphere. What a fine escape from high finance.

Fusilloni alla Katarina: Fusilloni, Sweet Pea, Smoked Chicken, Rapini, Sundried Black Olives, Mushroom, Aglio Olio ($18)

It was fitting to dine at the sister store of Gusto for a direct comparison only one day apart. Nervosa is almost a fixture of Yorkville, an unpretentious trattoria with reasonable prices. Lines on a Wednesday night show the restaurant’s mass appeal. Diners are tightly seated in open-window room that forgoes air conditioning in favour of a desultory breeze. It’s a nice vantage out to the realm of the well-to-do, a wonderland of snazzy cars, sundresses and yellow-brick homes. With such a light-hearted atmosphere, it welcomes anyone looking for a quick bite. Unfortunately, the similarly playful service became too casual to bear. Unhearing, oblivious and brash waiters talk over diners and suggest clicking the “first one [button]” when allocating the tip (it was 15%, a few percentage points too generous for the rude performance). The primavera pizza is a favourite but managed to be slightly soggy and thus not ‘spring-like’ at all. This was an unfortunate occurrence; every restaurant has its bad day.

Primavera (Pizza): Tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, spinach, roasted grape tomatoes, grilled zucchini, taggiasch olives $15

This King Street West outgrowth of Yorkville’s Nervosa is a bustling forum for suited professionals and hipsters alike. Both Gusto and Nervosa are easy-going but Gusto is a flamboyant ‘joint’, not unlike a rowdy bar to Nervosa’s café feel. A harsh industrial tone surrounds this up-and-coming neighbourhood. The waiters are dressed in t-shirts and jump hurriedly between flirtatious couples (of all ages). It is so edgy and noisy that conscientious food tasters might quickly become disoriented. The food is similarly forward. My rustic-inspired order was a tripartite of spice-crusted chicken, roasted potato and sautéed spinach. Big flavours vie for dominance on a miniscule plate but it is the perfectly cooked quarter chicken, cut-through as nonchalantly as the rest of the dish that takes prominence. And the commotion continues in your mouth as the Moroccan spices dissolved so richly into the skin hit higher and higher notes. The potatoes and spinach serve as a palate cleanser, a mute to this cacophony. The entire experience is numbing and even unbecoming at times. But it serves a purpose. It is welcome sometimes, just not all the time.

Brick Chicken - Moroccan spices, spinach, toasted sunflower seeds, crispy potatoes, red wine reduction 19.95.

I am ever so flattered to have been welcomed to Biff's by waiters who knew of this Summerlicous blog and slightly embarrassed to have only given it three stars. Oh, Biff's...you have truly inflated an undeserved ego and encouraged more glutinous behavior (I say that with an unabashed grin). I returned three times since Summerlicious, if not for the food, then to solidify my goodwill toward Summerlicious participants. Biff’s has a wonderful “buck per shuck” promotion, that is, every oyster costs only $1. They start the oyster countdown at 5pm (they have either 500 or 800, depending on the day of the week, I believe). The first two times, I went too late. Tonight, I ordered the octopus salad and snuck in an order for six oysters. The reprise was very good, making clear Biff’s culinary aptitude notwithstanding the Summerlicious showing. And for $26, the dinner was a steal not unlike last time. 

WARM OCTOPUS SALAD with escarole, black olives, fingerling potatoes & crispy capers  14,00

B’oysterous OYSTERS! Biff’s oysters on the half shell available daily after 5pm 1,00 ea

$35 Dinner

Fabbrica, as the name might imply, runs the risk of feeling like a factory that pumps out food to institutionalized specifications (terroni, mercato). The centrepiece of the room is a wood-burning oven that looks so well-kept that you might mistake it for a decorative piece. The Caesar was done properly. The dressing had copious amounts of garlic and lemon with a hint of anchovy to scare of the vegetarians. The croutons were varied and pancetta took the place of bacon. The salmon was surprisingly better than Bymark’s fish and bean salad attempt. The bean salad tasted of the olive oil and balsamic mix so indicative of Italy while the cucumbers in their watery crunchiness offset the pasty beans. The gelato looks three brown eggs and tastes just as uninspired. And having dined with my Richmond Hill financiers, I had the luxury of trying everything on the Summerlicious menu. The risotto and the pistachio gelato were particularly interesting. Everything else was average. And with that Summerlicous ends on a strong note from the affluent shops of Don Mills. I am very impressed.

Insalata di Fabbrica
romaine hearts, pancetta, toasted focaccia and garlic anchovy dressing

Salmon
Tuscan bean salad and arugula pesto

Gelato

$25 Lunch

Chiado serves haute-Portuguese cuisine on the distant corner of little Italy, far enough from the thuggish street that has such icons as Dolce Gelato. An antiquated room is dressed with period paintings, and staffed by kind, overly-gracious but forgetting waiters who serve wrong mains but are quick to correct their mistake. A work of art arrives as an amuse bouche, the first of its kind in summerlicious. Rosemary swim in a globule of honey beside a streak of balsamic reduction to decorate an austere slice of fermented cow milk cheese undulating in its wetness. Flaky phyllo pastry envelops a sweetly peeling duck confit as tasty as pulled pork and presents like a pretentious Asian dumpling sitting in a sunny wine sauce. The skate fish could have used more citrusy fruits to cut through the fish and risotto but where they are present, they pair well with the wavy risotto and substantial skate. And finally, a custardy Flan, thickly sliced and brightly yellow stands centre stage to berry pieces so haphazardly scattered and all the same, artistic, as the meal started.

Fresh cheese with a reduction of balsamic and honey with rosemary

Confit of Duck wrapped on phyllo pastry, citrus Madeira wine sauce

Pan Seared Skate Fish on sun dried tomato and spinach risotto

White chocolate Flan

$45 Dinner

Easily one of the most anticipated locations for Summerlicious is the iconic Sassafraz on the bustling corner of Cumberland and Bellair. The inviting bright yellow house welcomes the well-to-do to a clean and exuberant room, expansive in its vaulted ceilings and two-storey waterfalls. The service is ridiculously efficient. Two generously sized scallops sat in a sticky balsamic glaze that merited a most enthusiastic clean-up. And the roasted almonds in their texture added some much needed depth. The swordfish was unfortunately a little dry and while the risotto-esque orzo supplied some punch it could have used more acid (I asked the waiter for some and applied it myself with dramatic results). The cheese was interesting, particularly when paired with grapes but my knowledge of artisanal cheese is admittedly lacking. But I will say the bits of brownie I stole were ridiculously rich and chocolaty and of course, creamy, not crumbly. Sassafraz retains its position at the top of Yorkville galore, though it will be challenged through and through in the next two weeks.

Pan seared scallops with sautéed spinach, roasted almond slivers and sherry gastrique

Seared swordfish with lemon caper orzo, green beans and blood orange emulsion

Gotham City cheese, exclusive to Sassafraz, made by Afrim Pristine of Cheese Boutique, served with flatbread and assorted dried fruits

Gabardine tries to transport tightly wound and weary eyed bankers to more passive times. The tiny outpost on Bay Street is an anachronism to the nearby high-rise towers and high-octane bars and grills. The name refers to the tight fabric found on Burberry coats; the references to the industrious working class of Great Britain are uncanny (ploughman’s lunch - $17). The waitresses dress in eccentric, flowery dresses and some are nicer than others. I had the sautéed bc black cod with braised lentils and mushrooms ($24). The lentil sauce is unapologetically flavorful and glazes the delicate black cod. Other menu items are less pricey and less healthful, as a throw-back to British fast food. The feel is between wayside diner and bed & breakfast.

with braised lentils and mushrooms -26

I have seldom been so impressed by a restaurant. Le Chien Noir has met is match in Toronto. Like Chien Noir, Le Paradis is homely, undiscovered and well-priced. Its unassuming character (it is situated a few steps away from a “Le Subway”) is what gives it its charm; it’s sufficiently close to Yorkville but far enough to lose the fancy cars and Justin Biebers (he was apparently at the Hazelton, adolescent girls adding to the fanfare).

The waitresses speak French and have no reservations of correcting mispronunciations of the menu. They also don’t lose the efficiency and slight air of pretentiousness that characterises Paris’ bistros…wonderful. In fact, French seems to be the language choice among the patrons. (I only found out it’s Le Paradis and not La Paradis because our neighbour said “Au Paradis” into his phone).

The food is fantastic. They have recently changed to printing menus daily. The way the French make steak-frites should really make ubiquitous steakhouse chains think twice. They have reduced it to a formula: a microwaved bun, a Caesar salad covered in bacon, Parmesan and heavy dressing (that has been sitting in a bottle for a year), and finally, a ridiculously thick piece of meat accompanied by either super-crunchy fries or a potato with mounds of cheddar, butter and sour crème. $40.

The steak-frites at Paradis sat in a tasty but not heavy peppercorn sauce. The sirloin was the proper size and texture. It was pan-fried, not grilled and properly seasoned. The fries were done right: thin, firm and in thyme. My lamb shank literally fell off the bone and was similarly light and tasty. The chickpeas in its tastelessness balanced the other flavors well.

In previous occasions, I have had the pork chop and the chicken, all under $20. The chicken was sizable. The pork chop was as good as pork can ever be.

As much as I would like this place to become more notable, I am also cognizant that its charm also originates from being hidden from the masses. It lets you be transported to a place far from home. I have a hope that this is what Paris might turn out to be in 2013.