Saturday
Delux
92 Ossington, at Humbert, 416-537-0134, deluxrestaurant.ca. Now that it’s no longer Oz’s buzz bistro du jour – that honour goes to Boemer across the street – owner/chef Corinna Mozo’s west-side resto moves at a less frantic pace. True, the light’s as dim as ever and the booths remain a little tight, but chef’s Cuban-accented takes on French comfort classics have more focus and servers more poise. Those who like a little more privacy and don’t mind a communal table will love the new back room and its vintage freestanding fireplace. Best: at dinner, start with crusty house-baked Cuban bread aps like Oyster Boy Malpeques on the half-shell with apple mignonette, or chef’s charcuterie, a rough peppery pork terrine, say, paired with chicken rillettes and brandied chicken liver mousse mains like Pernod-splashed bouillabaisse with butterflied shrimp, mussels, clams and monkfish served with grilled bread and fiery red rouille super-tender Cumbrae Farms veal cheeks with marrow in beet reduction over potato purée, horseradish cream and Swiss chard at lunch, signature grilled Cubano sandwiches of cider-cured pork shoulder, sliced deli ham and gooey Gruyère, sided Havana-style with chunky frites, a whack o’ watercress and a Coke to finish, baked-to-order chocolate chip cookies served with a glasses of “milk,” aka White Russians Parisian-style butterscotch bread pudding. Complete lunches for $30 per person (dinners $65), including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $22. Open for dinner Saturday from 6 pm. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNN
Scaramouche
1 Benvenuto, at Avenue Rd, 416-961-8011, scaramoucherestaurant.com. Since its launch in 1980, this celebrated room with its spectacular skyline view has been synonymous with deluxe dining. Under co-owner/chef Keith Froggett’s careful direction, the beautiful if a bit bland room continues to be a benchmark of culinary excellence. Polished servers add to the big-bucks experience. And make sure to book a window table for the best seats in the house. Best: to start, hand-cut Kerr Farm steak tartare with cornichons terrine of foie gras with pickled leek, hazelnuts and Riesling jelly mains like salsa-verde-crusted rack of lamb sided with eggplant and chèvre-whipped potatoes, artichokes and preserved lemon roasted wild Pacific halibut with saffron ‘n’ seafood risotto to finish, coconut cream pie with white chocolate shavings and dark chocolate sauce. Complete dinners for $125 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $42. Closed Sunday (except February 14). Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Scarpetta
550 Wellington W, at Portland, 416-601-3590, scottconant.com/restaurants/scarpetta/toronto. New York City celebu-chef and Food TV star Scott Conant brings his unique mix of high-end Italian comfort food to the lobby of the newly minted Thompson Hotel. Superb attention to detail and impossibly polished service give the local dining scene a much-needed kick in the keister. Best: to start, complimentary baskets of signature stromboli (aka folded-over streudel-style pizza dough stuffed with sweetly roasted red pepper) absurdly rich starters like wine-braised beef short ribs over faro risotto thick with summer-fresh asparagus polenta intensified with heavy cream and topped with multi-mushroom fricassee finished with white truffle oil mains like plain $23 spaghetti in simple tomato sauce and parmigiano slow-roasted baby capretto goat with crisply sautéed pancetta, fingerling potatoes and rapini to finish, retro Amedei chocolate pudding cake with burnt orange ‘n’ caramel gelato. Complete dinners for $110 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $33. Open for dinner Saturday 5:30 pm to midnight. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNNN
Sunday
Edulis
169 Niagara, at Wellington W, 416-703-4222, edulisrestaurant.com. After being named one of the best new restaurants of 2012 in the entire country for its nightly tasting menu by no less an authority than Air Canada’s En Route magazine (and airlines are experts on gastronomy, right?), husband-and-wife team Michael Caballo and Tobey Nemeth’s west-side bistro switches gears Sundays for a proper ever-changing $40 prix fixe lunch. Just don’t come expecting eggs Benny! Best: warm house-baked crusty bread spread with Stirling Creamery butter and chicken liver mousse smaller plates like smoked albacore tuna with heirloom carrots and tapenade toasts Huevos Estrellados over fried potatoes and crumbled chorizo croquetas thick with nutty béchamel coq au vin with foraged mushrooms, raw celery root julienne and chicken-fat rice watermelon-radish salad in a shallot vinaigrette to finish, caramel pudding cake with vanilla custard and strawberries to drink, half-price bottles of wine. Complete brunches for $60 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Open Sunday noon to 3 pm. Licensed. Access: two short steps at door, small washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNNN
E.L. Ruddy
1371 Dundas W, at Rusholme, 647-351-0423. Helena Kosikova’s cozy 20-seat café on the hip Dundas West strip spotlights a short all-day card that’s often gluten-free as well as vegan, and always made from scratch and low in sodium. Best: to start, instead of boring brunch garnish, a complimentary fruit salad of exactly one grape, a nectarine section, a halved strawberry and three pomegranate seeds massive spelt Belgian waffles the size of oven mitts dolled up with maple syrup, whipped cream and stewed strawberries Huevos Yelapa with either two eggs or garlicky baked tofu plus refried beans, toasted cornbread and in-yer-face salsa to take home, wild blueberry scones and quinoa chocolate chip cookies. Complete brunches for $15 per person, including tax, tip and a refilled mug of I Deal coffee. Average main $8. Open for bunch Sunday 11 am to 4 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Cash only. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN
White Brick Kitchen
641 Bloor W, at Euclid, 647-347-9188, thewhitebrickkitchen.com. After a stint in the barbecue pit at the Stockyards, former Beretta and Rowe Farms butcher Stephen Howell and company transform a Koreatown café into one of the best new brunch spots around. Informal room, friendly, casual service, modest prices. Best: to start, a $4 grapefruit mimosa made with 2 ounces of Spumanti Bambino, followed by pastry chef Haley Franklin’s buttery English muffins spread with Ontario blueberry compote exceptional mains like crisply battered southern-fried chicken coupled with a brilliantly pickled jalapeño dipping sauce, local greens in a lemony vinaigrette and the inevitable fried egg vegetarian deep-fried panko-crusted “Scotch-ish” poached eggs over toasted baguette and cubed home fries not-to-be-missed chocolate banana bread French toast with caramelized fruit and salted caramel sides of house-cured hickory bacon to finish, house-baked blueberry scones. Complete brunches for $25 per person, including tax, tip and a beef-bacon Caesar. Average main $12. Open for brunch Sunday 9 am to 4 pm. Licensed. Access: short step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN
