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(Image: Caroline Aksich)
Name: Switch
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
Contact Info: 55 Colborne St., 416-901-9990, switchtoronto.com
Owners: Hanif Harji (Patria, Weslodge)
The Food: A pan-global menu of sharing plates. Dishes range from finger snacks (cheesy truffle popcorn and spiced, smoked marcona almonds) to more substantial nosh (scotch eggs and haute dogs). The kitchen is open from 5-10 p.m. and reopens at midnight with a curated selection of snacks.
(Image: TJ Tindale)
Name: Ardor Bistro
Neighbourhood: Ossington
Contact Info: 59 Ossington Ave., 647-351-5100
Owners: Brothers Ivan Tarazona and James Bailey (Celestin)
Chef: Ivan Tarazona
The Food: A modern take on traditional Latin American food. Dishes include fish ceviche, grilled octopus salad and Peruvian riffs on classic bistro mains, like steak frites with chimichurri, duck confit with quinoa and sous-vide chicken with yellow pepper sauce. There’s also a six-course tasting menu for $45.
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
Name: Marky and Sparky’s Smokehouse
Neighbourhood: The Junction
Contact Info: 520 Annette St., 647-748-4227, Facebook
Owners: Frank “Sparky” DiGenova (Butcher by Nature) and Marcus “Marky” De Simone
The Food: Slow-cooked southern barbecue made from meat from Butcher by Nature. The menu includes all the BBQ classics: wet or dry baby back ribs, chicken wings, brisket and pulled pork. All meats can be ordered on a sandwich, and there’s also a butcher platter, which includes every protein on the menu.
(Image: Megan Leahy)
Name: Woods
Neighbourhood: St. Lawrence Market
Contact info: 45 Colborne Street, 416-214-9918, woodsrestaurant.ca
Owners: Bruce Woods and Robin Singh
Chef: Executive Chef Bruce Woods (Modus, Brasaii, Centro) and Chef de Cuisine Anthony Davis (Sidecar, Cowbell, The Roosevelt Room)
The Food: An eclectic menu with a farm-to-table ethos, including appetizers like wild Digby scallops and seared Quebec foie gras and mains from spaghetti and meatballs to roasted Muscovy duck breast with dried cherries and duck egg béarnaise. There’s also a bar menu (dishes are in the $10-15 range) for the after-work cocktail crowd.
(Image: Renée Suen)
Name: Osteria dei Ganzi
Neighbourhood: Church-Wellesley Village
Contact info: 504 Jarvis St, 647-348-6520, ganzi.ca, @ganzitoronto
Owners: Dan Gunam (Roosevelt Room, Story’s), Luca Viscardi (Toula) and Ron Yeung
Chef: Guerrino Staropoli (Cherry Hill House, Mississauga)
The Food: Casual Italian with pastas, cicchetti (small snacks typical of Venice) and simple meat and fish plates. Italian barbecue and pizzas made in an outdoor oven are added to the menu in the summer.
Name: Enzo Pizza Bar
Neighbourhood: Queen West
Contact Info: 646 Queen St W., 416-366-0009, getenzo.com, @enzopizzabar
Owner: Ryan Menchella
The Food: Customizable personal pizzas. Diners choose a sauce (white or red) and toppings (cheese, meat and veggies). There’s also a list of nine ready-to-order ‘zas, including the classic margherita and the more exotic filomena topped with würstel.
Name: White Squirrel Snack Shop
Neighbourhood: Queen West
Contact Info: 507 Queen St. W., 647-609-4478, whitesquirrelcoffee.com
Owner: David Ginsberg
Chef: Chelsea White (County General)
The Food: Breakfast, lunch and assorted snacks. The morning menu includes a breakfast banh mi, an Iraqi breakfast sandwich and French toast. Later in the day, dishes are available in snack- and full-size, like a weekly po’ boy, nachos with smoked beef confit and kimchi fried brown rice. There are also six flavours from Greg’s Ice Cream available (vanilla, roasted marshmallow, coconut, chocolate, lemon meringue and mint).
Duck pizza and turkey wing at Lisa Marie (Image: Igor Yu)
Banh Mi Boys—The wildly popular Vietnamese banh mi, bao, and taco joint opened its second venue on Yonge Street with the same menu (and line ups) as the original Queen Street location. Read our Introducing post »
Vita Sociale—Midtown power institution Centro traded white linens and pricey plates for rustic Italian staples and a sandwich counter. Read our Introducing post »
Name: Banh Mi Boys
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
Contact Info: 399 Yonge St., 416-977-0303, banhmiboys.com, @banhmiboys
Owners: David, Philip and Peter Chau
The Food: The same menu as the original Banh Mi Boys location on Queen West: Vietnamese sub sandwiches (including the five-spice pork belly banh mi, one of the city’s top 20 sammies), steamed baos and tacos. The Chau brothers are working on adding an authentic Vietnamese shrimp dish, and rumours are circulating about a secret menu—try ordering the pork belly and fried chicken Club Bao.
Name: The Beer Hall
Neighbourhood: Distillery District
Contact Info: 21 Tank House Lane, 416-681-0338, millstreetbrewery.com, @MillStBrewPubTO
Owners: Mill St. Brewery
Chef: Elizabeth Rivasplata (Frank, Top Chef Canada)
Head Brewer: Joel Manning
The Food: Gourmet versions of classic pub fare, like a hot charcuterie pork board ($32) and mini-lamb and lavender sausage sliders ($16). Mill St. beer is an ingredient in almost all the items on the menu.
Read the rest of this entry »
Name: Lisa Marie
Neigbourhood: Trinity Bellwoods
Contact Info: 638 Queen St. W., 416-999-6822
Owner: Matt Basile
Chef: Kris Topping (Fabbrica)
The Food: In addition to the rotating selection of smoked barbecue sandwiches from Matt Basile’s popular Fidel Gastro’s food truck, Lisa Marie serves bar snacks and cichetti, an Italian version of tapas originating in Venice. Marinated meats, burgers, dry aged steaks sourced from The Butcher’s Son, sauces and pickles are also for sale from an in-house mini-market at the back of the restaurant.
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
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).
Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
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).
Read the rest of this entry »
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