Saturday
Kinton Ramen
51 Baldwin, at Beverley, 647-748-8900, kintonramen.com. And you thought getting into Guu was difficult! This Baldwin Village spinoff of the relentlessly popular Church Street izakaya shifts the focus from tapas-like bar snacks to massive bowls of Japanese noodles, to the point of obsession. Little wonder lines form outside the 30-seat sweatbox half an hour before it opens. And be prepared to get stuffed: leaving anything other than an empty bowl is considered bad form. Best: to start, deep-fried boneless chicken wings in hot sauce fiery cabbage kimchee dense deep-fried tofu in Kewpie mayo the only mains, meal-in-one bowls of soup based on four “secret” broths – shio (salty), miso (soybean paste), shoyu (soy sauce) and spicy (lighter fluid) – swimming with astonishingly firm fresh noodles, caramelized roast pork shoulder or fatty belly and various toppings, including soft-boiled eggs steeped in sake, seaweed and raw grated garlic for the unconventional, ramen topped with Swiss cheese, frozen corn and Thai basil in miso broth spiked with butter. Complete meals for $18 per person, including tax, tip and a lemonade. Average main $10. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to 2 am. No reservations. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN
Pizzeria Libretto
550 Danforth, at Carlaw, 416-466-0400, pizzerialibretto.com. Not only is the second outpost of downtown’s favourite pizza parlour twice as big as the original, but the Greektown annex takes reservations, something they’ve never done on Ossington. The pace is much more relaxed, too, with servers more interested in pleasing customers than in getting them in and out as quickly as possible. The most exciting thing to hit the Danforth since flaming cheese! Also: 221 Ossington, at Dundas W, 416-532-8000. Best: to start, carafes of house-carbonated water and baskets of chewy Thuet baguette dipped in fiery chili oil salads like organic greens in white balsamic vinaigrette tossed with halved fresh figs, bosc pear and raw blue cheese pastas like house-made ravioli stuffed with sweet Dungeness crab in dazzling sea urchin cream thin-crusted certified Neapolitan pies brushed with family-recipe San Marzano tomato sauce and dressed with crumbled Gorgonzola, roasted red pepper and see-through ribbons of speck (the Papa Luigi) smoky pork belly in sauce with bomba chili peppers and Ontario mozzarella di bufala to finish, goat cheese pannacotta with blood orange syrup and frozen grapes. Complete dinners for $40 per person (lunches $30), including tax, tip and a glass of vino. Average main $15. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to midnight. Licensed. Access: two steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN
Ursa
924 Queen W, at Shaw, 416-536-8963, ursa-restaurant.com. No other resto since Susur Lee’s Lotus invented East-West fusion in 87 or David Crystian’s Patriot went locavore in 00 has radicalized the downtown scene as much as this health-conscious bistro in the former Bar One. Using methods usually associated with raw vegan cuisine – dehydration, fermentation, sprouting – as well as state-of-the-art sous-vide technology, chef Jacob Sharkey-Pearce reinvents the concept of dining out. Best: from a constantly evolving carte, spectacularly plated starters like wild venison tartare coupled with fatty foie gras cured in blueberry vinegar, finished with medicinal Icelandic moss on buttered rye toasts mains like apple-cider-glazed Niagara pork loin ‘n’ belly over du Puy lentils and decorative kale in apple skin reduction locally raised Rhode Island White chicken two ways, first as a roulade of thigh, then as a pan-seared boneless breast over polenta coupled with sprouted lentils to finish, Milk & Honey, a warm bowl of made-to-order ricotta dressed with bee pollen and sided with honeycomb, pomegranate and raisins fashioned from dehydrated grapes still on the vine, the whey left over from making the fresh cheese served in two tiny milk bottles. Complete dinners for $65, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $21. Open for dinner Saturday 6 to 11 pm. Reservations recommended. Licensed. Access: two steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN
Sunday
Café Fiorentina
236 Danforth, at Playter, 416-855-4240, cafefiorentina.com. Take two classically trained French chefs – Tina Leckie (Celestin) and Alex Chong (Didier) – and set them free in an all-day café-slash-bake-shop and get one of the Danforth’s tastiest alternatives to flaming saganaki. Counter service and a few scattered tables add to the casual vibe. Sous-vide takeout dinners, too. Best: from a constantly shifting lineup, sandwiches on house-baked yeast-free sourdough layered with seared rare steak, gooey Gruyère and pickled wild mushrooms house-cured Berkshire pork belly and puréed kimchee soups like duck broth with pastina creamy potato with leek soufflé-like quiches du jour, one day portobello mushroom with Brie, the next caramelized onion with Stilton house-cured charcuterie paired with local cheese at brunch, a take on eggs Benny with poached duck eggs in lemony hollandaise over pickled beets and Georgian Bay whitefish on toasted pains au lait whole flourless chocolate cakes. Complete lunches for $15 (brunches $20), including tax, tip and a fair-trade coffee. Average main $9/$12. Open for brunch Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. No reservations. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN
Federal Reserve
1438 Dundas W, at Dufferin, 647-352-9120, thefed.ca. With owners whose CVs include stints at Terroni, the Rivoli, the Swan and Woodlot, it’s little wonder this 36-seat all-day lunch ‘n’ brunch café is such a well-oiled machine. And it needs to be to keep up with the weekend crush. Show up after 11 and join the queue on the sidewalk. Best: lightly toasted cheddar scones classic Cobb salads with free-range chicken confit, Bosc pear, avocado, bacon and hard-boiled egg over arugula and spinach in blue cheese dressing grilled Cubano sandwiches of pulled pork, Black Forest ham, cheddar and avocado on toasted St John’s Bakery raisin bread buttermilk Belgian waffles finished with whipped cream and maple syrup house-made lemony ginger ale. Complete meals for $22 per person, including tax, tip and a soda. Average main $12. Open for brunch Sunday 9 am to 3 pm. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN
Luma
350 King W, at John, 647-288-4715, oliverbonacini.com. Located in the Lightbox cinema complex, O&B’s latest mixes upscale, anodyne design, top-notch service and former Auberge de Pommier chef Jason Bangerter’s often playful plates to great effect, especially when sampled on the panoramic patio. Reservations recommended. Best: massive Croque Madame sandwiches on “artisan” sourdough piled with smoked ham and Gruyère, finished with a tasty Mornay sauce and a runny sunny-side-up egg spaghetti carbonara tossed with double-smoked bacon, freshly grated Parmesan, loads of ground pepper and a yolky egg barely scrambled eggs with house-smoked salmon, sour cream and chives to finish, fried-to-order beignets filled with pastry cream and finished with caramelized banana, whipped cream, melted chocolate, crème anglaise and dry-toasted pecans. Complete brunches for $40 per person, including tax, tip and a Stompin’ Tom Collins. Average main $15. Open for brunch Sunday 11 am to 3 pm. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN
