Toronto
Splendido
88 Harbour St.
416-929-7788
www.splendido.ca CLOSED
No place in Toronto quite hits the high notes like Splendido. You’re pampered from the moment you walk in. Subdued lighting, dramatic mirrors, large modern paintings, warm polished wood floors and a Brazilian cherry wood bar all add up to feeling of serene luxury. A third generation chef, David Lee is masterful. Subtle hot/sweet/sour/ influences reflective of chef’s Mauritian heritage show up in several dishes such as tuna carpaccio with chili oil and ginger ponzu. Chef carefully nurtures small local organic suppliers so expect the best of Canada such as Nunavut Caribou loin and Nova Scotia lobster with veal oxtail. The impressive wine list by sommelier Carlo Catallo is novella thick with delightful depth in off-beat areas such as Spanish albariños.
North 44
2537 Yonge St.
416-487-4897
www.north44restaurant.com
This sophisticated restaurant has revived itself of late to be back at the top of culinary achievement. Décor is coolly chic and modern. Visiting celebs, high rollers and up-and-comers keep the place buzzing with loud chatter all the more to make you feel you are in a happening spot. Dishes such as romaine hearts with Caesar vinaigrette or lobster salad sound overly familiar yet are executed perfectly. Mains may be duckling three ways or the perennial favourite of regulars, roasted squab, all beautifully presented and matched with organic and seasonal veggies. The extensive wine and drinks list includes a selection of high-end tequilas, sherries and sake.
Truffles
Four Seasons Hotel, 21 Avenue Rd.
416-928-7331
www.fourseasons.com/toronto/dining
The new, young executive chef Lora Kirk is sparking up Truffles with flavourful textured dishes such as cocoa nib crusted sweetbreads and lobster three ways – carpaccio, salsify benedict and consommé. For mains you might find truffled beef cheeks and Ahi tuna or smoked sable fish in golden carrot broth. Service is pampering as can be expected of this tony hotel. Sommelier Sara D’Amato has composed a wine list packed with European classics, New World and Canadian treasures.
Chiado
864 College St.
416-538-1910
Elegantly European this cosy restaurant on a busy eclectically ethnic street serves what has often rightly been called the best Portuguese cuisine outside of Lisbon. Owner Albino Silva has fresh fish flown in daily from the Azores Islands. He makes sure all dishes are artful, authentic and exemplary whether it be grilled squid, gently roasted salt cod, or assorda ( a dry soup of monkfish, lobster, shrimp and clams). The wine list showcases Portugal’s best including madeiras and ports. Desserts such as Natas do Ceu and Pudim flan are classically Portuguese.
Scaramouche
One Benvenuto Place
416-961-9011
www.scaramoucherestaurant.com
Chef and co-owner Keith Froggett now in his 27th year in the kitchen knows how to keep his customers happy with consistently well executed and tasty dishes. Eschewing trends, Froggett focuses on well-balanced dishes of seasonal local ingredients. Organic cod is Basque style with piperade and chorizo sausage while Nova Scotia lobster comes with fresh white asparagus and honey mushrooms. The view of Toronto’s skyline from the top of the old Iroquois shore is as consistently pleasing as the food. The wine list covers the globe with many well chosen picks.
Pangaea
1221 Bay St.
416-920-2323
(CLOSED)
With talented chef Martin Kouprie in the kitchen and skilled co-owner Peter Geary front of house, this sophisticated restaurant passed its first decade with flying colors. Fresh regional cuisine is the mainstay with signature dishes such as mahogany glazed salmon and wild mushroom risotto. Depending upon the season you might find soft shell crab, pickerel or caribou on the menu. About 400 different labels on the wine list cover the globe including an excellent Canadian selection. Desserts by pastry chef Joanne Yolles are a tour de force.
Colborne Lane
45 Colborne St.
416-368-9009
www.colbornelane.com
Uber talented and driven chef Claudio Aprile pushes the boundaries of gastronomy often to great success and equally great controversy by flirting with molecular cuisine and other avant-garde cooking techniques. After six years at Senses, he’s in his element now at the helm of his own in an historic building. The bar upfront, loud music and wall mirrors with white “cocaine” lines down the middle might mislead one to think the food’s not serious. Yet tea smoked squab, peking duck breast with confit chicken or rock hen breast with chorizo stuffed thigh tell a different story. The wine list while not extensive includes interesting picks.
Lai Wah Heen
Metropolitan Hotel, 108 Chestnut St.
416-977-9899
www.metropolitan.com/lwh
On Executive Chef Ken Tam’s new Chinese regional menu you’ll find irresistible dishes from Shanghai, Hong Kong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shandong represented. Imperial Shanghai crab, Namjin-style beef stew and wok-seared sea cucumber are just a few examples. Dim sum is still the best in the city if not the country. The wine list focuses on varietals and regions that match well with Asian cuisine and includes a few specially imported Chinese rice wines.
Canoe
Fifty-fourth floor, TD Bank Tower, 66 Wellington St.
416-364-0054
www.canoerestaurant.com
The modern Yabu Pushelberg design dining room on two levels maximizes the sight lines to lake and city glittering below. Two tasting menus and the a la carte dishes highlight Canada’s best. Oyster Boy’s finest, La Ferme Foie Gras, Springbank Bison, Yarmouth lobster and St. Canut Farms organic suckling pig are just some of what may be on offer. On the nine item Taste Canoe menu, Nunavut caribou hind with foie gras tourtière is a signature dish so beloved they dare not change it. The inventive desserts deliver more flavour than finesse. By the glass wine pairings are well matched to the dishes by sommelier Teresa Alampur.
The Fifth
225 Richmond St. W.
416-979-3005
Now past its tenth year The Fifth is as glam as ever. The entrance is still off an alleyway, through a pulsating nightclub and up a wood freight elevator of this former warehouse. Then you step into a chic candlelit room of pale woods, long bar and white table cloths. The food however has morphed from fancy French to steakhouse with a twist. Chef JP Challet is back in the tiny kitchen blending his French connection with classic steakhouse fare. Lobster and King crab roll with white chocolate foam is a main that delivers succulent hot butter poached lobster meat alongside the crunch of cool fresh crab. Bison ribeye is married with venison sauce, filet mignon with béarnaise and New York striploin with oxtail ravioli and morel sauce. Desserts are tried and true classics such as crème brûlée, chocolate mousse and molten chocolate cake.
Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar
9 Church St.
416-362-1957
(CLOSED)
The best place to sit is at the long bar overlooking the open kitchen. The 34 seat joint exudes rustic warmth that encourages sharing of food (especially the famous Yukon Gold fries). Executive Chef Jamie Kennedy is rarely behind the stove, rather menus and cooking is in the capable hands of Wine Bar Chef Tobey Nemeth. The grazing menu of inexpensive small dishes is very seasonal, very tasty and pan global with a strong emphasis on local and organic produce. Black cod with leeks and honey is melt in the mouth. Pork side ribs are poached and then grilled with Caribbean spices. Artisanal cheeses are the best from Canada. All dishes including the house made desserts have imaginative wine by the glass matches expertly chosen by sommelier Jamie Drummond.
The Globe Bistro
124 Danforth Ave.
416-466-2000
(CLOSED)
This long narrow building at the edge of Toronto’s “GreekTown” started out in 1908 as a nickelodeon and later became a bowling alley. In the evening the tapas and wine bar at the front packs with partiers and the two level dining in back past the open kitchen jams with happy diners. Chef Ben Heaton focuses on organic and regional produce so expect to find the best from local Canadian suppliers. Georgian Bay Pickerel on a bed of organic Ontario wild rice, Swiss chard and smoked bacon vinaigrette is a perfect interplay of textures and flavours. Berkshire pork chop with local sunchokes is another winner. The extensive, well priced wine list includes over 27 by the glass and many special Canadian selections. Don’t skip the desserts by pastry chef Nis’qu Klos.
George
111C Queen St. E.
416-863-6006
www.georgeonqueen.com
Exposed breams, 1850 brick walls and scuffed wood floors create an atmosphere both historic and opulent due to antiques, chandeliers and Art Nouveau wrought iron. In the summer the hidden courtyard patio is a city gem. Chef Lorenzo Loseto does tapas style small plates in a fine dining setting. The menu is divided into 5 courses graduating from lighter to richer and for each course there are five choices. To start perhaps olive oil poached scampi with navy bean puree, followed by black miso cod, then pecan dusted bison ribeye, Le Corsaire goat’s milk cheese and finished with chocolate custard torte with almond nougat ice cream. Wine list is imaginative with plenty of good value selections.
Senses
SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, 318 Wellington St. W.
416-599-8800
https://www.sohohotel.ca/
Chef Patrick Lin has been lured back to add new inspiration to Senses at SoHo Met. Formerly with Truffles and Hemispheres and most recently at The Royal Garden in Hong Kong, Lin is a master at French with Asian influences done with precise yet inventive execution. House made gravlax may come with Dungeness crab parcels, Ahi tuna is married with sweet and sour mango, and sea bass carpaccio is served warm with white and green asparagus. Mains could be soft-shell crab paired with black cod or Kobe rib eye served with caramelized onion puree and garlic mousse. Wine list is carefully chosen to be paired with the French and Asian influenced cuisine.
Susur
601 King St. W.
416-603-2205
www.susur.com
One of Toronto’s most celebrated chefs, Susur Lee has created a whole new way of dining at his chic minimalist restaurant in a funky, trendy neighborhood. Whether you agree or not with his reverse order menu – heavier meats first, followed by seafood and finishing with vegetables – you will get a dining experience like no other. Dishes marry his Chinese origins to his French training with the result that subtle Asian flavors, contrasting textures and classic reduction sauces combine in mouthfuls of savory exotica. Best are the seafood dishes. Tender lobster and shrimp wrapped in crunchy shoestring potato on a bed of pink peppercorn lobster sauce showcase chef’s talents. A selection of bite size desserts (about ten if you’re a couple) caps the meal.
Mistura
265 Davenport Rd. CLOSED
416-515-0009
With co-owner Paolo Paolini dispensing smooth front of the house service and renowned Chef Massimo Capra in the kitchen, it’s no wonder the place is consistently packed with loyal customers. A seat in one of the discreet booths of this comfortably sophisticated resto helps cut the chatter noise. The cuisine is contemporary Italian with dishes such as carpaccio di manzo, risi e bisi (thick rice and spring pea soup) and the Mistura creation risotto rosso (red beet risotto with beet greens). Mains include slow cooked rabbit and Kobe flat iron beef in wine reduction. Molten chocolate torte and other desserts are a treat. Wines are grouped by price and include big Italian and Californian reds.
Le Cordon Bleu
453 Laurier St. E.
613-236-2499
www.lcbottawa.com
As can be expected, or even demanded, Signatures Restaurant in a former private dining club (Le Cercle) that houses Le Cordon Bleu adheres to French classics on its menu. The Ottawa location was Le Cordon Bleu’s first school to operate in North America. (Le Cordon Bleu, established in Paris in 1895, is the world’s foremost school for teaching classical French cuisine.) The menus, which change seasonally, have a modern innovative spin – for example deconstructed gazpacho, lobster medallion with fresh mint oil or lake perch in cocotte with oxtail daube ravioli. The gorgeous décor in yellows and blues of Pierre Deux French Country fabric and furniture is cheerfully charming. Serious French wines adorn the list that includes a good Canadian selection and many by the glass choices.
Zucca
2150 Yonge St. CLOSED
416-488-5774
New Zealand born chef/owner Andrew Milne-Allan cooks pure Italian from the soul. He takes traditional Italian dishes, deconstructs and improves them with a deft touch, drawing inspiration from Naples, Umbria, Sicily, Sardinia and elsewhere on the boot. Sformato di gallinacci is an unctuously soft flan rich with wild chanterelles and creamy taleggio cheese. All fresh pastas are made in house. Pici al ragu d’anatra con funghi a creamy savoury dish of hand-rolled spelt flavoured spaghetti tossed with duck breast and fresh porcini, has a reduction sauce that’s so good you’ll want to lick the plate. Fish is a specialty and the choices of the evening, perhaps branzino, porgy and orata, and are brought out bright eyed so you can pick. Desserts include vanilla-bean and dark chocolate gelato ‘drowned’ in hot espresso coffee. The 70 label wine list is largely affordable Italian, intelligently chosen.
Treadwell Restaurant
61 Lakeport Road, Port Dalhousie
Tel: 905-934-9797
www.treadwellcuisine.com
Buying from small, local farmers who sell direct to the restaurant, chef/owner Stephen Treadwell epitomizes farm to table cuisine based on his great connections built up during 11 years at Queen’s Landing in Niagara-on-the-Lake. White fish is bought fresh from Port Dover day boats, artisan greens from Wyndym Farm, oils from Persall Naturals and tarts from Niagara Vinegars. Water vistas of the old Welland Canal provide a soothing dining experience. Sommelier and son James Treadwell sources rare VQA Canadian and European wines.
Beckta
226 Nepean St.
613-238-70663
www.beckta.com
Michael Moffatt, recently promoted to chef, is upholding the high standards at this sleek modern restaurant within a modest 1920 Victorian home in Centretown Ottawa. With a focus on local and organic expect to find organic greens with goat cheese or house made gnocchi with cèpes among the appetizers. Mains may be Berkshire Black pork duo or boneless lamb Porterhouse with natural jus. The international wine list which focuses on small producers has a good Canadian representation.
Tony de Luca
Oban Inn, 160 Front St., Niagara-on-the-Lake
905-468-7900
Menus by Chef Tony de Luca in three or four prix fixe formats focus on regional cuisine while the tasting menus allow Chef to express his fancies as does his chef’s table of eight to ten dishes. The tables in the conservatory with the delightful views of the garden are the best in this 76-seat restaurant. De Luca owns a cheese shop down the road hence the selection of local and international cheese is always good. The Niagara region is covered well in the wine selection. (This restaurant is now permanently closed.)
Didier
1496 Yonge St.
416-925-8588
(CLOSED)
Chef Didier Leroy’s refined French cuisine is so classic non-foodies may not get the nuances. Chef’s handsome gypsy looks and his gentle manners cloak his meticulous devotion to perfection on the plate. The soup de jour may be Ésaü, a puréed of black lentils. Seared beef tenderloin comes with a refined veal marrow bordelaise sauce and just the correct amount of dauphine potatoes, white asparagus and slivered shallots. A fresh trio of local fish is perched on mushroom duxelles, their moist delicate flesh enhanced with a savoury red wine genevoise sauce. Patrons return specifically for the soufflé desserts such as the Côte D’Azur, a spoon tender Grand Marnier flavoured version atop a chestnut purée. The 120 selection wine list is exclusively French and Canadian hand-chosen to match with the food.
Barberians
7 Elm St.
416-597-0335
www.barberians.com
Tradition runs deep in this classic steak house opened by the Barberian family in 1959. Even the latest expansion built in 2006 above their two-storey wine cellar sticks to old wood paneling and vintage photos. The waiters, career pros all, have many decades on the floor, while Chef Steve Rigakos boasts over thirty years at their old style charcoal pit grill. Fresh daily fish, ribs and lamb have their devotees but well aged U.S. Prime and Choice steaks are the draw for most regulars, including Hollywood stars. The cheese menu and the chance to enjoy more of the stellar cellar of 2,000 global labels are better than any dessert. Have a vintage port (selection opened daily) or XO calvados with your vintage Ottawa Valley cheddar and Colston Bassett Stilton.
Joso’s
202 Davenport Rd.
416-925-1903
www.josos.com
Since 1977 Joso’s has been dishing up fresh Mediterranean seafood in a converted house at Ave & Dav. Owner Joso Spralja was half of the folk band Malka and Joso and host of a CBC music show back in the sixties. However it’s his colourful paintings and sculptures, heavy on the breasts and sexual innuendo and glass art by daughter Elena Spralja-Saldini which draw attention now in the restaurant. And the food. Celebrities still flock here for the calamari and the fresh Adriatic fish simply grilled with olive oil and lemon over an open flame. Black ink spaghettini and risotto nero are other favourites. In summer a small patio opens out front and upstairs is for overflow or private parties. The wine list encompasses both Old and New World including the more obscure.