Long before yours truly was the culinary curmudgeon everyone loved to hate, Byron Ayanoglu wore the NOW restaurant critic feedbag. Ayanoglu, whose colourful reign of terror ran from the mid-80s to the early 90s, was at the forefront of the then-burgeoning Danforth dining scene, not just with his insider coverage but as a consulting chef at cutting-edge kitchens like Avli (401 Danforth, at Chester, 416-461-9577, avlirestaurant.com).
Now splitting his time between Montreal and Turkey, Ayanoglu returns to his old Avli stomping grounds as guest chef. From September 8 to 18, he’ll be offering a series of four-course prix fixe dinners. Fancy the likes of baby Ontario lamb with kidney beans, grilled mackerel with pomegranate sauce, eggplant Begendi-style with octopus, and chocolate hazlenut baklava for 40 bucks?
Known for his flowing caftan and piercing eyes back in the day, Ayanoglu will also be launching the third edition of Simply Thai Cooking, the cookbook he co-wrote with Wandee Young of Young Thailand and the legendary Bamboo, at Avli on September 14, 5 to 7 pm.
Revolving doors
The uptown outpost of pricey Lai Wah Heen, Lai Toh Heen (692 Mt. Pleasant, at Eglinton, 416-489-8922, laitohheen.com) closes its elegant carved doors for the last time on September 18 after a five-year run. Over on Roncesvalles, River, the resto that helped give street kids a foothold in the hospitality industry, has been quietly shuttered.
Chips ahoy!
Despite what was reported elsewhere, Neil Coutinho of The One That Got Away (581 King West, at Portland, 647-351-6153, totga.ca) is not launching a second sustainable chippy in the old Deep Blue Fish & Chips on Broadview just south of Danforth. Sometimes the interweb’s wrong.
