Burgers
P&L Burger 507 Queen W, at Vanauley, 416-603-9919, partsandlabour.ca, @partsnlabour Move over, big smoke, and you, too, Burger’s Priest. There’s a new kid muscling into your fast food territory, namely one Matty Matheson of Parts and Labour fame, who’s launched a new burger concept just down the block. Best: the burgers – 6 and a half ounces of house-ground Ontario chuck smash-grilled to order on absorbent Silverstein buns dressed with the likes of peameal bacon, Canadian cheddar, iceberg lettuce, crispy deep-fried onions and backyard barbecue sauce (The Castor) or roasted peppers, sautéed onions, mozzarella and marinara sauce (The Italian), all available wrapped in gluten-free kale sides of kale Caesar salad tossed with shaved parmigiano, raw garlic and croutons fashioned from leftover hamburger buns. Complete meals for $15 per person, including tax, tip and a refillable fountain pop. Average main $9. Open Monday to Wednesday 11 am to 10 pm, Thursday to Saturday 11 am to 11 pm, Sunday 11 am to 9 pm. Closed some holidays. No reservations. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free, minimal seating. Rating: NNNN
Café
STAY Cafeteria 388 Spadina, at Baldwin, 416-901-1510 Toronto’s no stranger to East-West fusion. Susur Lee ring a bell? But Tao Zhang and Jianing Hu’s student-friendly spot puts a new spin on this still cutting-edge cuisine, even if the decor – exposed brick, Edison light bulbs – is somewhat generic. Best: to start, deep-fried Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken breaded in what we swear are crushed graham crackers mains like braised beef brisket soup with al dente ramen-style wheat noodles, baby bok choy and chopped Italian tomatoes meatball-sized dumplings stuffed with minced pork, watercress and chives rice casseroles topped with broiled eel in teriyaki sauce and mozzarella cheese cold Korean noodles dressed with shredded chicken thigh, carrot and pickled eggs to finish, baked marshmallow toast creamy egg custard in eggshells served in a ceramic egg carton. Complete meals for $20 per person, including tax, tip and an iced tea or hot chocolate. Average main $9. Open Wednesday to Monday noon to 11 pm. Closed Tuesday. Reservations accepted. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
German
Das Gasthaus 107 Danforth, at Broadview, 647-352-5044, dasgasthaus.ca, @DasGasthausTO Ex-Spice Room sommelier Ruthie Cummings’s German gastro-pub seems of two minds – part fine Mitteleuropean dining room, part student-friendly beer hall. Like the cozy room’s decor – mismatched chandeliers, velvet-tufted banquettes – the kitchen plays it right down the middle. Best: to start, the charcuterie board groaning with rustic chicken liver pâté, Haus-made pickles, sliced salami and smoked Gouda served with a basket of warm pretzel buns roasted beet salads in creamy yogurt dressing pounded pork schnitzel cleverly breaded with pretzel crumbs over a pool of walnut brown butter, a handful of perfectly executed string beans and a whole lotta dill bright red cabbage rolls with smoked ham hock and nutty wild rice in tomato sauce to finish, old-school cherry strudel. Complete dinners for $45 per person, including tax, tip and a microbrew. Average main $18. Open Monday to Thursday 4 pm to midnight, Friday and Saturday 4 pm to to 1 am. Weekend brunch starting at 11 am. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
