BORALIA
59 Ossington Ave., 647 351 5100
Toronto’s court to Canadiana is breathtakingly delightful thanks to superchef Wayne Morris. Chef’s thing that is most famous, L’clade, is mussels that come to the table topped with a glass dome. The server lifts a thick aromatic cloud of pine smoke along with the dome floats upward. Chef’s stuffed onions are sublime: These are little onions stuffed with silken creamed carrots lightly seasoned with curry spices. Chef’s pan roasted elk is the top meat in town: soft, juicy, packed with flavour. Without eating the pigeon pie, but do not leave Boralia. The most flaky potential pastry encloses ineffably tender little chunks of squab dark meat with carrots and onions. The pie sit slices of the squab breast, strong, vibrant, fork-tender. Partner Evelyn Wu Morris and Wayne Morris have created a charming room with adroit Canadiana shtick. But what matters most, constantly, is the flavor of stuff. And theirs is outstanding.
UNION
72 Ossington Ave., 416 850 0093
Union has developed into one of the cores of Ossington. Chef Teo Paul’s increasingly controlled touch combines control and whimsy. We still adore his adorable little elk sliders on challah with sweet pickles that are fresh, but chef has expanded his reach and changes most of his menu daily according to what he sees in local marketplaces. We adore the deep-flavoured crab bisque, thick and sweet, having a massive load of fresh crab. His pork roast for two ($55) actually feeds four; it’s pink and juicy, served with a fab apple-tinged jus, a baked late-harvest apple and divine buttery saut of shiitake and Savoy cabbage. Steak frites is sweet frites and a large steak (though not thick) topped with plenty of herb butter. Desserts have improved, notably the half-frozen puckery/creamy lemon posset. Bookings are a bit tricky to get and vital. The room is lovely, from your horseshoe-shaped marble bar in the front to the life size horse fresco in the rear. Service is charming.
EDULIS
169 Niagara St., 416 703 4222
The tiny perfect resto keeps getting better. They offer two ever changing tasting menus — five classes for seven lessons or $65 for $85. The cosy room, thanks to host Tobey Nemeth’s kind confidence, is as luscious as the welcome. As well as the food: Chef Michael Caballo’s cooking is intricate, complicated and ever more delicate, from house-made crusty bread to house with Quebec farmhouse butter -preserved fruit. One day chef hardly kisses bonito with charcoal, adds flash-fried potato crisps, smoked potato pure, wild onions, and sauce of bone marrow with red wine. Yum! Soft surf clam with shaved fresh porcini comes in barely brown butter dashi and cedar oil. Baby lamb shoulder has a touch of mint in shaved carrots, raisin pure, grape sauce. If dessert is their own preserved apricots with bergamot sabayon and buffalo yogurt in a tart that is fragile, shut your eyes and inhale paradise. That is a kitchen that worships seduces and the seasons with skill.
Noorden
2110 Yonge Street, 416-488-2110
Jennifer Gittins and shut Quince, Michael van den Winkel kept Bar Batavia and Little Sister, jazzed up the space cool and casual, and re-opened it with nouvelle Dutch food, tapas style. Servers are friendly and knowledgeable and the thoroughly gin-based cocktail menu goes down quite simple. Finest food stakes are the powerful spice of sambal and rendang and also sweet raw scallop tostada with avocado and grilled corn salsa, and perfectly grilled skirt steak with fast fried long beans from Indonesia. There’s also attentively charred broccoli with chili and lime leaf, and glass noodle veg salad. Octopus carpaccio loaded from lemon oil and sesame with flavour and is superb soft. Skim the war chips.
CAMPAGNOLO
832 Dundas St. W., 416-364-4785
Campagnolo has developed into a rock solid winner of Italo-comfort food, alla nonna, from warm cheesy gougères pastry in the breadbasket to velvety salted caramel budino for dessert. In between are high-flavoured house-made pastas with fabulous tomato sauce constructed on guanciale and browned garlic. This can be hearty cooking — Upscale Ital-mamma food. As the rest of the hot restos in town mimic their accidental take on fine food along with the room feels gracious.
FOXLEY
207 Ossington Ave., 416-534-8520
Tom Thai, chef/owner of Foxley, is talented and passionate, a lifelong seafood maven. We’re glad that he still slaves in the kitchen and specially gaga over his various scintillating ceviches. Chip green apple toasted sesame seeds enliven Arctic char ceviche in a shallow tub of chili and citrus and matchsticks. All-Natural scallop ceviche is sweet/sour/hot thanks to kumquat, broiled jalapeño and soy. Chef Thai makes sweet love to raw baby kale with shaved pecorino and shallot chips. Even this type of commonplace as black cod gets more flavour rush thanks to the aroma of truffle oil, at Foxley. Only drawback is no reservations. Go at an odd hour, sit at the bar or give your cell number to them and go wait at a Ossington pub.
LA CASCINA RISTORANTE
1552 Avenue Rd., 416-590-7819
Chef Luca Del Rosso is that uncommon guy who challenges himself every night to create an ever-changing menu composed mainly of the foods his grandmother made in Abruzzo. This is actually the countryside Italian cooking that lots of pretend to but few master, for it's deceptively simple but many-layered. Apparently complicated although plain antipasti like beans with red onions and roasted squash with sweet peppers showcase chef’s gifts. Chef woos us with his various fantastic home-made pastas, frequently scented with truffles. He sources meat and cooks it with fire. Who cares if room and location are anti-trendy? Here is the actual price, Italian design.
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BARQUE SMOKEHOUSE
299 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-532-7700
Leading the Roncy renaissance, both Barque’s cooking and welcome have grown to be increasingly insured. The world is beating path thanks to chef and BBQ -meister David Neinstein. There are always crowds waiting outside, though they take bookings. The ribs are fall off-the-bone tender and smoky, in the open kitchen thanks to the gargantuan smoker. As do dry rubbed baby back ribs bBQ wings additionally come tender and smoky/sweet. But my realm for Barque’s brisket! Briskets turn into damp, tender only-sweet-enough hunks of carnivore paradise. Sides are credible (especially the Cuban corn with feta-lime mayonnaise). Its own concrete ’n’ brick cool appears that were distressed enhance Barque’s edible attractions.
