Barbecue
Big Crow
176 Dupont, at St George, 647-342-0580, roseandsonsbigcrow.com, @roseandsons Ex-Drake chef Anthony Rose rebounds with a year-round backyard barbecue located behind his popular Rose and Son diner. Where else will you find picnic tables, shareable church-social plates and the occasional passing freight train? Best: retro Shrimp Louie salads with shredded iceberg, sliced avocado, hard-boiled egg and a handful of Quebecois cocktail shrimp in Thousand Island dressing uncut jerk chicken wings with grilled pineapple splashed with coriander hot sauce smoked Cornish hen in garlicky pesto whole grilled rabbits with buttery hot sauce on the side, baby red potato salad with grilled cremini mushrooms grilled corn salad with crumbly feta-like queso and crema fresca to finish, profiterole-like s’mores ice cream sandwiches with roasted marshmallows. Complete dinners for $50 per person (lunches $40), including tax, tip and a Mai Tai. Average main $18. Open Thursday to Sunday 11 am to close, Monday to Wednesday 5 pm to close. Closed some holidays. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: three steps at door, three steps to washroom. Rating: NNNN
Contemporary
THR & Co.
97 Harbord, at Robert, 647-748-7199, thrandco.com, @thrandco The crew responsible for the impossibly hip Harbord Room switch gears with this, dare we say it,- family-friendly cantina in the old Messis. Genuinely welcoming service, an unobtrusive soundtrack of golden oldies and Curt Martin’s shareable neo-Ital carte ensure full houses. Best seats in the house: the two semi-circular red leather banquettes in the window. Best: beef-heart tartare with olive relish and dehydrated duck yolk thin-crusted pizzas dressed with nettles, potato, pancetta and a runny free-range egg papardelle with fresh garden peas and spring favas in a light, lemony cream garlicky black squid ink spaghetti alio e olio-style with charred squid and bottarga poppyseed lemon cake topped with toasted marshmallow brittle and buttermilk ice cream. Complete dinners for $50 per person, including tax, tip and an Aperol spritzer. Average main $21. Open for dinner Monday to Thursday 5 to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 5 to 10:30 pm. Closed Sunday, holidays. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN
Pub Grub
Amsterdam BrewHouse
245 Queens Quay W, at Lower Simcoe, 416-504-1020, amsterdambrewhouse.com, @AmsterdamBH With it’s 350-seat patio right on the lake at Harbourfront, this cavernous warehouse should be a tourist trap. Instead, it’s a gastro-pub worthy of those of us who actually live here. An unexpectedly competent kitchen, quick service and great optics will make us return, but only when they can the annoying AM top-40 muzak they insist on inflicting on customers. Best: thin-crusted pizzas dressed with house-made beerwurst sausage, roasted garlic and wild mushrooms drizzled with a syrupy stout reduction hefty house-ground brisket burgers with bacon, cheddar and beer-battered onion rings sided with sweet potato frites to finish, root beer floats with vanilla bean ice cream and deep-fried Oreo cookies. Complete dinners for $45 per person (lunches $35), including tax, tip and a house-brewed beer. Average main $18. Open Sunday to Tuesday 11 am to midnight, Wednesday and Thursday 11 am to 1 am, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 2 am. Closed some holidays. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
