Rating: NNNNN
MADRAS DOSA HUT (1330 Gerrard East, at Highfield, 416-677-3672) A suburban chain of southern Indian restaurants moves to Little India. While there are lots of veggie options, some meat dishes are available. Best: clarified-butter-fried Mysore Masala Dosa stuffed with curried potato and spread with minced chilies and ginger huge vegetable samosa starters with veggie sambar, sweet ketchup-like hot sauce as well as coconut and coriander chutneys vegetarian thali with eggplant, cabbage, lentil and goat curries sided with sambar, chutney, pappadam, sour pickle and yogurt sweet mango lassis to sip. Complete dinners for $15 per person, including all taxes, tip and a domestic beer. Open daily 11 am to midnight. Unlicensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: nNN
ROCCO’S PLUM TOMATO (585 Bloor West, at Markham, 416-539-9009) Popular suburban spot specializing in mainstream Italiana brings its family-style over-the-top digs downtown. Cooler types will want to take it to the patio to dine in the neon glow of next-door Honest Ed’s. Best: oven-roasted chicken breast stuffed with bread dressing and sauced with rosy cream misnamed Rustico Club — an Italian sub, really — piled with prosciutto, grilled chicken, Asiago and arugula 8-ounce strip loin spiked with peppercorns and sided with straightforward pasta with tomato and near-bitter rapini hearty vegetarian minestrone with a kitchen sink of fresh veggies — beans, spuds, carrots, Swiss chard, celery and tomato. Complete dinners for $35 per person, $20 at lunch, including all taxes, tip and a glass of Chianti. Open daily 11 am to 11:30 pm. Licensed. Access: two steps at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN
AMADEU’S (184 Augusta, at Denison Square, 416-591-1245) Traditional, coastal Portuguese seafood eatery. Simple, semi-formal decor offset by noisy crowd bent on celebrating en masse. Those on a sodium-free diet should specify that mains come salt-free, otherwise a heavy, if classically Portuguese, hand runs amok with the salt shaker. Best: the Revolution, a paella for two that honours Portugal’s non-violent overthrow of fascism (really!), thick with large shrimp, clams, mussels and wayward fish the House surf ‘n’ turf, an 8-ounce New York strip served with an oxymoronic giant shrimp grilled catch of the day or sardines on special occasions daily inexpensive seafood specials that often sell out by suppertime. Complete dinners for $40 per person, including all taxes, tip and a glass of wine. Open Monday to Thursday 11:30 am to 11 pm, Friday to Sunday 11:30 am until midnight. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
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