Saturday
Black Skirt
974 College, at Rusholme, 416-532-7424, blackskirtrestaurant.com After making a splash at Wish a few years ago, Rosa Gallé and Aggie Decina strike out on their own to bring old-school rustic Italiana back to the former Little Italy. A charming room, engaging service and a no-nonsense card of Sicilian home-cooking classics add up to a trip back to a simpler time. Best: to start, meaty white anchovies and garlicky chopped tomato on grilled Riviera baguette barely grilled skewers of lamb speducci splashed with olive oil pressed muffuletta panini spread with black-olive tapenade and piled with capicola, mortadella, sweet and hot soppressata and giardiniera pickles beefy breaded veal sandwiches in Decina-family tomato ragu dressed with provolone and grilled hot banana peppers secondi like veal ‘n’ ricotta ravioli finished with butter, freshly shaved parmigiano and fried sage leaves grilled New Zealand lamb chops in a balsamic reduction sided with mashed ‘n’ baked potatoes with mozzarell’ and sautéed rapini to finish, textbook tiramisu and pistachio-studded cannoli. Complete dinners for $50 per person (lunches $25), including tax, tip and a glass of Chianti. Average main $25/$13. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 10 pm. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNN
Julie’s
202 Dovercourt, at Argyle, 416-532-7397, juliescuban.com A terrific Cuban cantina year round, this tucked-away trat on a sleepy west-side street really blooms come summer. As trees whisper overhead and candlelight reflects off wine glasses, affable hosts Jesus and Sylvia dish up a classic pre-Castro Havana card that’s perfect for sharing à deux under a starry sky. Best: grilled and then pressed marinated pork, ham, pickle and Swiss Cubano sandwiches snacking tapas like three versions of the fried mashed-potato ball called papa rellena, one stuffed with lean ground beef, onion, tomato and green olives purposefully bland yuca con mojo laced with lime and garlic piquant tomato-sauced pork sausage chorizos in red wine subtly complex pork and beef hash (picadillo de mamita) with jalapeños, raisins, currants and almonds to finish, margarita key lime pie. Complete dinners for $55 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $18. Open for dinner Saturday from 5:30 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Access: two steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Leslie Jones
1182 Queen E, at Rushbrooke, 416-463-5663 George Wensley’s offbeat Leslieville eatery is a microcosm of cool: a gallery-style brick-walled storefront, an unusually inventive card (Wensley’s worked with Greg Couillard and Restaurant Makeover’s David Adjey) and a 60s stereo spinning vinyl. Come summer, Jones’s idyllic backyard patio is one of the loveliest outdoor dining spaces on the east side. Best: to start, grilled ‘n’ chilled calamari in lemony caper vinaigrette over Moroccan olives and organic greens in citrus vinaigrette salads of grilled chicken, smoked almonds and grilled veggies with mesclun and cheese comfort mains like spicy piri-piri pulled pork with minty yogurt, new potatoes and market veg linguine topped with tiger shrimp, scallops and mussels in chunky tomato sauce splashed with herb-infused olive oil specials like spaghetti tossed with grilled chicken, artichoke hearts and Asiago thin-crust pizzas topped with Kristapsons smoked salmon, goat cheese, fresh dill, capers and scallions. Complete dinners for $50 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $18. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 10 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, but small washrooms. Rating: NNN
Sunday
Café Fiorentina
236 Danforth, at Playter, 416-855-4240, cafefiorentina.com, @cafe_fiorentina 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 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 brunches/lunches for $25 per person, including, tax, tip and an iced tea. Average main $12. Open for brunch Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. No reservations. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN
Earth Bloor West
2448 Bloor W, at Jane, 416-763-2222, thinkglobaleatlocal.ca If you’ve ever eaten at Globe Bistro or Globe Earth – now rebranded Earth Rosedale – you’ll know what to expect at the latest west-side outpost of this eco-minded mini-chain. The massive former sports bar’s menu, ambience and service (locavore, downtown chic and smooth respectively) are virtually identical to its siblings’. Whether sleepy Swansea is ready for it is another matter entirely. Best: to start, baskets of house-baked scones and croissants spread with house-made preserves the Chef’s Brekkie, a runny-egg-topped skillet of house-made baked beans studded with Tamworth suckling pig and boudin noir blood sausage the Swine & Dine – three eggs, six kinds of pork including double-smoked bacon, maple crackling and Quebecois creton and “lots of toast, no salad” eggy vanilla brioche French toast finished with Riesling-soaked Niagara cherries, candied walnuts and Devonshire cream free-range omelettes stuffed with whipped 100-mile Ingersoll Dairy ricotta ‘n’ chèvre. Complete brunches/lunches for $35 per person (dinners $65), including tax, tip and a cocktail. Average main $14/$22. Open for brunch Sunday 11 am to 3 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: four steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Gusto 101
101 Portland, at Adelaide W, 416-504-9669, gusto101.com Forget Grand Electric and Yours Truly. Downtown’s current resto du jour is this boisterous Italian trat in a converted chop shop within spitting distance of the Spoke Club. Don’t let the knobs and desperate singles put you off one of the best rooftop decks in town. But unless you book a table for either noon or 6 pm – the only times they take reservations – expect to wait in line. Best: to start, house-made ricotta with house-baked baguette wood-grilled octopus over haricots verts in a citrusy basil vinaigrette mined with tapenade massive main-sized arugula salads dressed with baby plum tomatoes, avocado and sliced rare steak classic summer spaghetti tossed with Manila clams at brunch, thin-crust pizzas topped with San Marzano sauce, local mozzarella, Pingue speck and a runny egg to finish, cioccolato pudding splashed with fruity olive oil and sea salt. Complete dinners for $40 per person (lunches/brunches $30), including tax, tip and a glass of house vino. Average main $18/$14. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to close. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
