Since taking over in May 2006, chef Michael Steh has made the menu his own, playing exotic ideas superbly next to comfort food staples, and grounding his well-executed dishes in impeccably sourced ingredients. Steh’s northern woods mushroom soup, based on a recipe of his mother’s, is hearty and flavour-dense without the addition of too much fat; made with fungi from Collingwood, it’s topped with gruyère-goosed croutons and a few dots of tarragon-infused oil. Mains are masterful. Decadent pieces of Niagara suckling pig—roasted chop, smoked leg, belly with ultra-crisp crackling—are set beside a gorgeous sauerkraut-based, smoked paprika–tinged goulash. (Downtown! In the financial district! Goulash!) Steh’s take on Arctic char could hardly be improved: a thick, almost impossibly moist fillet is set on a beurre noisette made with chopped blanched walnuts. Fromagophiles shouldn’t miss the exceptional cheese menu: with more than 30 offerings from Cheese Boutique, it might well be the best in Canada. Wine service, from a smart list that includes more than 70 by the glass, is excellent. Though the room is unpretentious, it’s just a couple of ill-chosen tchotchkes away from being homely. Mains $25–$49.