Batifole
Though it bills itself as “The Best French Restaurant in Chinatown,” Batifole is actually one of the best French rooms in the city. Its elegant menu avoids trendy bistro clichés (i.e., steak frites) in favour of such classics as tartine aux champignons and fillet of skate with lemon zest, capers and beurre blanc; the Carcassonne-style cassoulet is exquisite. The service and setting are smart, without a hint of attitude.

Midi Bistro
This bustling room feels more like France than Hogtown. Confit de canard arrives deliciously moist and sapid under Pommery dressing; moules frites taste as they do in the Camargue. And a three-course menu is just $32.

93 Harbord
In a tastefully minimalist room, chef and owner Isam Kaisi sends forth beautifully balanced Moroccan favourites. Accompanying the daily fish fillet, the ginger-tamarind sauce and mango–green chili relish are worth the trip themselves. The succulent braised lamb shank and steamed couscous are complemented by a spicy apricot-ginger sauce. It’s the Platonic north African dish, cranked up a notch.

The Rosebud
Citizen Kane had it right, sort of: sometimes the best things in life are cheap (like his beloved sled Rosebud, and this intimate restaurant of the same name). Chef and owner Rodney Bowers, ex-Mistura, makes magic of shiraz-braised short ribs. Braised Atlantic cod (served with fingerling potatoes, butter beans and oven-roasted tomatoes) and roast Alberta lamb sirloin (with balsamic-parmesan potatoes and pink peppercorn sauce) are both timed beautifully and presented with care. The vegetables are often heirloom and organic; Bowers’ gnocchi and risotto put Nonna’s to shame.

Tutti Matti
Chef Alida Solomon pays more than lip service to Tuscan cooking—she’s renowned for her rigorous sourcing of authentic ingredients. Wit­ness the carpaccio di nana: smoked duck carpaccio served with fresh orange, shaved pecorino di pienza and Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil. The pasta is hand-rolled and hand-cut. And the boar with juniper berries is a revelation.

* per person with tax, tip and a glass of wine