Modern wood accents, mirrors, mosaics and low, thumping music lend an air of playful sophistication to this resto-lounge in the heart of the Gay Village. With a staggeringly large martini menu (and a bang-on Manhattan), this place could have easily given the kitchen a back seat. Thankfully, this is not the case. Flatbreads, still warm and unbelievably buttery, provide the ideal canvas for creamy, garlic-scented hummus. A duo of crab cakes comes golden from the fryer; their soft crust yields tender, shredded crabmeat that’s seasoned simply with salt and pepper and accentuated by tangy tartar sauce. Other apps are less impressive: a warm mushroom salad presents over-dressed spinach and humdrum, watery fungi. Mains revive spirits with an ultra-moist roast salmon fillet touched with Indian flair—cardamom and fragrant coriander-ginger yogurt with flavourful saffron rice. Juicy, supple ostrich medallions lounging in a burgundy puddle of red wine reduction are a medium-rare godsend. The small dessert menu offers some pleasant surprises, such as an apple-caramel spice cake that turns out to be the diva of the night. Gooey and moist, it sings against a backdrop of smooth, cool cinnamon ice cream. Mains $19–$27.