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Introducing: Takht-e Tavoos, a new Persian restaurant from the owners of Pomegranate

Name: Takht-e Tavoos
Neighbourhood: Dufferin Grove
Contact info: 1120 College St. W., 647-352-7322
Owners: Husband and wife Alireza Fakhrashrafi and Danielle Schrage, owners of Pomegranate and Sheherzade at College and Bathurst
Chef: Alireza Fakhrashrafi

The food: Persian cuisine from various regions of Iran, including specialties like kalleh pacheh ($14), a soup made from sheep’s head and hooves, and haleem ($9), porridge made from wheat berries with shredded lamb.

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Openings

April 15, 2013 | 12:00 pm

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Introducing: Seven Lives, the new Kensington Market location of the pop-up taco shop

Name: Seven Lives
Neighbourhood: Kensington Market
Contact Info: 69 Kensington Ave., sevenlives.ca, @SevenLivesTO
Owner and chef: Sean Riehl, a former San Diegan who worked in high-end California restaurants before manning a table under the Seven Lives name at the Toronto Underground Market last year.

The food: Tijuana–style tacos, with an emphasis on seafood, like blackened mahi mahi ($5) and octopus with pumpkin seed mole ($5).

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Openings

April 12, 2013 | 1:55 pm

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Introducing: Grasslands, the trendy revamp of vegan stalwart Fressen

Name: Grasslands
Neighbourhood: Queen West
Contact info: 478 Queen St. W., 416-504-5127, grasslands.to, @GrasslandsTO
Owner and chef: Stephen Gardner (Urban Herbivore, Fressen)

The food: Vegan dishes inspired by Northern Mediterranean cuisine, including several hold-overs from Fressen days.

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Openings

April 8, 2013 | 12:50 pm

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Introducing: Carmen, a new Spanish restaurant on Queen West from the owners of Torito

Introducing: Carmen
Name: Carmen
Neighbourhood: Trinity-Bellwoods
Contact info: 922 Queen St. W., 416-535-0404, carmensayz.com, @carmensayz
Owners: Veronica Carmen Laudes and Luis Valenzuela, both of Kensington Market’s Torito
Chef: Luis Valenzuela

The food: Traditional Spanish tapas like patatas bravas ($7) as well as more modern creations like little bites of puréed avocado wrapped in jicama ($6).

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Openings

April 5, 2013 | 1:11 pm

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Introducing: Wiggle Room, a new East Coast street food stall at Scadding Court’s Market 707

Name: Wiggle Room
Neighbourhood: Alexandra Park (Bathurst and Dundas)
Contact info: 707 Dundas St. W. (second vendor from the West), 647-638-6779, Facebook page
Owners and chefs: Husband and wife Daniel Tremblay and Ashley Shortall (The Stop)

The food: East Coast–inspired street food, including Toronto’s only donair burger ($8) and Newfie poutine ($6).

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Restaurants

April 2, 2013 | 1:05 pm

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Ex-Modus chef Bruce Woods is opening a new restaurant in Colborne Lane’s former space

(Image: Rebecca Siegel)

Bruce Woods is preparing to open his first restaurant, appropriately named Woods Restaurant, in the space that Colborne Lane vacated in February. After helping to propel Modus to number eight on our 2012 list of the city’s best new restaurants, Woods split with the financial district power lunch spot last year. At Woods, he’s veering away from Italian cuisine to focus instead on local and seasonal Canadian cooking, which he’s pairing with Ontario and Quebec craft beers (Sidecar chef Anthony Davis will serve as chef de cuisine). The restaurant, a partnership with Robin Singh of Pravda, is expected to open at the end of the month, and will serve (power) lunch and dinner throughout the week, as well as a Sunday brunch.

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Openings

April 1, 2013 | 12:10 pm

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Introducing: Darwin, Little Italy’s new modern French bistro

Name: Darwin Bistro Bar
Neighbourhood: Little Italy
Contact info: 651 College St., 647-348-9347, Facebook Page, @DarwinBistroBar
Owners: Husband-and wife Junaid and Neeman Rahman, and Junaid’s brother Ryan Rahman
Chef: Jean Regis Raynaud, previously of Le Paradis and Paris’s Hotel Costes

The food: Modern French cuisine with international flavours, with starters like moules frites in a tom yum soup ($12) and curried shrimp cocktail with creamed avocado ($10).

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Openings

March 22, 2013 | 1:00 pm

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Introducing: The Rude Boy, Roncesvalles’s new gourmet burger joint

Name: The Rude Boy
Neighbourhood: Roncesvalles
Contact info: 397 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-533-3269, @therudeboyronce
Owners: Faiez Bapoo, Liam Kelly, Paul Simmons and Alex Sengupta (The Lakeview, Samuel J. Moore), four friends who met working at The Keg over a decade ago.
The chef: Liam Kelly, an 18-year industry vet

The food: Burgers and other sandwiches, made in-house from local ingredients.

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Openings

March 21, 2013 | 4:00 pm

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Introducing: Bushi Udon Kappo, a new Japanese noodle house in midtown

Name: Bushi Udon Kappo
Neighbourhood: Yonge and St. Clair
Contact info: 1404 Yonge St., 416-323-9988, bushiudon.com
Owners: Koki Oguchi and Don Suzuki
Chef: Koki Oguchi, formerly chef and owner of the Danforth’s shuttered Sakawaya

The food: House-made udon noodles, as well as an extensive assortment of Japanese sharing plates.

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Openings

March 19, 2013 | 2:00 pm

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Introducing: Jazz Bistro, a new spot for live music in the downtown core

Name: Jazz Bistro
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
Contact info: 251 Victoria St., 416-363-5299, jazzbistro.ca, @JazzBistro_CA
Owners: Joan and Colin Hunter, founder of Sunwing Travel Group and a crooner himself
Chef: Matthew Cowan (Simple Bistro)

The place: Once home to jazz institution Top O’ The Senator, the space lay empty for years until the Hunters took it over (it was briefly The Savoy in the mid 2000s).

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Openings

March 18, 2013 | 12:45 pm

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Introducing: The Guild, a new contemporary Canadian restaurant on Dundas West

The Guild Toronto Restaurant Name: The Guild
Contact info: 1442 Dundas St. W., 647-343-7288, guildresto.com
Owner and chef: Mani Binelli (Centro, Auberge du Pommier)
Neighbourhood: Little Portugal

The food: Contemporary Canadian cuisine using local products and modern culinary techniques.

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Openings

March 14, 2013 | 2:48 pm

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Introducing: Queen Margherita Pizza’s new Baby Point location

Name: Queen Margherita Pizza
Neighbourhood: Baby Point
Contact info: 785 Annette St., 647-345-4466, queenmargheritapizza.ca, @qmpizza
Owners: John Chetti and Rocco Mazzaferro
Chefs: John Galante (chef de cuisine), Matthew Rzeszutek (head pizzaiolo) and Rocco Mazzaferro

The food: Traditional wood-fired Neapolitan pizza made with the essential Italian ingredients: Caputo Tipo 00 flour and San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes, along with specially made Ontario fior di latte mozzarella.

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Openings

March 13, 2013 | 3:40 pm

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Introducing: Aft Kitchen and Bar, a new barbecue joint in Riverside

Name: Aft Kitchen and Bar
Neighborhood: Riverside
Contact info: 686 Queen St. East, 647-346-1541, aftbar.com, @aft_bar
Owner: Paul Campbell, formerly of House on Parliament
Chefs: Christian Butcher and sous chef Lawrence La Pianta

The food: American comfort food with an emphasis on southern barbecue, which La Pianta spent two years learning in Texas (everything is smoked on-site).

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Openings

March 12, 2013 | 5:01 pm

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Introducing: The Samuel J. Moore, the new nearly-24-hour restaurant in The Great Hall

Name: The Samuel J. Moore
Neighbourhood: West Queen West
Contact information: 1087 Queen St. W., 416-897-8348, Facebook page, @TheSamuelJMoore
Owners: Sean Singh, Nav Sangha (Wrongbar, Riverside Public House) and Fadi Hakim and Alex Sengupta, both of The Lakeview
Chef: Alexandra Feswick (Brockton General)

The food: Local and seasonal Canadian dishes inflected by Toronto’s various ethnic cuisines.

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