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Food Food & Drink

Weekend eating: August 13-14

Saturday

Le Canard Mort

896 Queen E, at Logan, 416-625-2653, lecanardmort.ca. Sister to Riverside’s Le Rossignol, this Leslieville gastropub-slash-bistro plays it safe, just the way the locals like it. Chef Craig Madore’s mostly French card displays an au courrant rustic bent, servers are well trained, and prices make dinner out on a Tuesday night seem the sensible thing to do. Lots of microbrews, funny cocktails and (a word to the wise) it’s kid-friendly, too. And brunch on the weekend from 9 am? Take that, Joy Bistro and Lady Marmalade! Best: to start, crisply battered ‘n’ deep-fried sweetbreads splashed with house-made hot sauce sided à la Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese aioli retro escargots vol-au-vents sided with organic greens in a white balsamic vinaigrette substantial mains like Perth County pork chops finished with caramelized shallots paired with al dente green beans and grainy Dijon-laced mashed potatoes lobster pot pie thick with pink crustacean and baby veg in béchamel multi-cheese mac & cheese dressed with brioche crumbs and freshly shaved black truffle. Complete dinners for $45 per person, including tax, tip and a beer cocktail. Average main $18. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to 2 am. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN

Ortolan

1211 Bloor W, at Margueretta, 647-348-4500, littledrunkbird.com. Although they don’t serve the illegal roasted French bird drowned in Armagnac that gives this Bloordale bistro its name, owner/chefs Damon Clements and Daniel Usher’s unusually short contemporary card is just as extraordinary. Low tax-inclusive prices, only 26 seats and a no-reservations policy mean the chances of snagging one of them is nigh on impossible come prime time. Good news: they’re now air-conditioned! Best: shareable starters like rabbit rillettes scented with fresh rosemary and spread on chewy slices of Thuet baguette, sided with mild Taggiasche olives grilled green onions – and one organic purple spring onion – paired with garlicky Catalan almond-chili sauce red radish and kohlrabi salad in lemony cumin-yogurt dressing finished with dill and slivered scallion summery mains like house-made gnocchi in mascarpone cream with foraged hen of the woods mushrooms and shaved parmigiano sliced rare skirt steak in spicy harissa piled with wilted ribbons of celery for dessert, lavender panna cotta with stewed Ontario strawberries to drink rhubarb spritzers. Complete dinners for $45 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $16. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 10:30 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Access: slight bump at door, tight tables, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN

Sugo

582 Church, at Dundonald, 416-929-9108, sugotrattoria.ca. No longer the unpronouncable Voglie, Lia Buggemi’s rustic southern Italian trat was doing nonna della cucina five years before it became cucina alla moda. An authentic kitchen, two gorgeous garden patios – one cheek-to-cheek with chi-chi Fuzion next door – and a lively late-night lounge make Sugo one of the hottest boîtes on the strip. Best: to start, alternating layers of vine-ripened Roma tomatoes and creamy fior di latte on a bed of organic greens doused with nutty basil pesto and buttery olive oil olives incassati – deep-fried house-made Casalinga pork sausage meatballs stuffed with green olives stuffed with salty diced pimento irregularly shaped thin-crusted Neapolitan-style pizzas dressed with family-recipe San Marzano tomato sauce, crumbled sausage, local ricotta, fire-roasted red peppers and house-pickled peperoncino chilies feathery gnocchi in sauce topped with beefy veal meatballs, fresh basil and shaved parmigiano to finish, tiramisu lashed with chocolate, mascarpone, Marsala and Illy espresso. Complete dinners for $45 per person (lunches $30), including taxes, tip and a glass of vino. Average main $16. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 11 pm. Bar till close. Licensed. Rating: NNN

Sunday

Edward Levesque’s Kitchen

1290 Queen E, at Hastings, 416-465-3600, edwardlevesque.ca. In the blogosphere, Levesque has a reputation for being a bit of a curmudgeon. But once past the grumpy persona, find a chef who’s committed both to the environment – many of the organic veggies on the card are home-grown – and to the comfort of his regulars. Just don’t annoy him. Warning: no strollers! Best: blueberry waffles with whipped wildflower honey and mascarpone grilled jerk Angus skirt steak and two over-easy eggs sided with pita, avocado and roasted tomato latkes topped with Kristapsons smoked salmon, sour cream and chives sides of chipotle cornbread, Cumbrae’s breakfast bangers and pickled beets to drink, bottomless cups of drip coffee. Complete brunches for $28 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of plonk. Average main $12. Open for brunch Sunday 9 am to 3 pm. Reservations not accepted. Licensed. Access: four steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN

June Harlowe Foods

1627 Dupont, at Dundas W, 416-848-1984, juneharlowefoods.ca. This laid-back upper Junction Triangle café-slash-catering-outfit might be a bit out of the way for most, but for those who live in this brunch-starved nabe it’s a godsend. Best: grilled peameal bacon eggs Benny in light, lemony hollandaise sided with both fruit and Caesar salads the Country Cottage breakfast, two fried or scrambled eggs paired with fried tomatoes, peppery home fries and multigrain toast house burgers dressed with Brie and avocado and sided with freshly cut fries. Complete brunches for $20, including tax, tip and a domestic beer. Average main $11. Open for brunch Sunday 11 am to 3 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Rating: NNN

Origin

107 King E, at Church, 416-603-8009, origintoronto.com. Famed for his culinary experiments in molecular gastronomy at nearby Colbourne Lane, Claudio Aprile’s latest offshoot moves slightly downmarket but remains as over-the -top as ever. And surprise! The noisiest resto in town is a lot more civilized minus the Bay Street suits. Best: to start, devilled eggs with upright bacon soldiers meaty mains like baguette French toast heaped with shredded duck confit, blueberry compote, whipped cream and vanilla maple syrup egg-white frittata whipped with pesto and sun-dried tomato and dolloped with buttery burrata fried duck eggs over dense potato rosti. Open for brunch Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN

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