Saturday
Drake One Fifty
150 York, at Adelaide W, 416-363-6150, drakeonefifty.ca, @thedrakehotel Thursday night at the Chase? We laugh. This cavernous spinoff of the Drake Hotel in the financial district has been wall-to-wall suits since the get-go. Executive chef Ted Corrado’s very upscale takes on comfort food, an arty vibe and servers who actually smile make reservations mandatory, especially at lunch and right after the market closes. Don’t miss the Guy Madden movies in the washrooms! Best: to start, blistered shishito peppers and cherry tomatoes with sea salt and fried garlic Nonna’s meatballs in thick tomato sauce laced with n’duja sausage and smoked ricotta substantial 8-ounce cheeseburgers layered with pickled red onion, bibb lettuce, Perth County bacon and Russian dressing sided with chunky sea-salted fries Swiss Chalet-style rotisserie chicken with fries, coleslaw and biscuits for dessert, apple crumble pie with house-made vanilla ice cream. Complete dinners for $75 per person (lunches $45), including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $28/$22. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to 2 am. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Rating: NNN
Hawthorne Food & Drink
60 Richmond E, at Church, 647-930-9517, hawthorneto.ca, @hawthorneto Cowbell owner/chef Mark Cutrara resurfaces at this particularly under-appreciated bistro in the downtown core. A locally sourced seasonal carte, rock-bottom prices and polished service deserve a larger audience. Those standing in line for tables at the very similar Richmond Station two blocks away, take note. Best: to start, crostini smeared with salty smoked tomato purée layered with deep-fried zucchini and buttery Monforte Dairy pecorino shareable aps like quinoa salad with roasted eggplant, garlic and goat feta in a VQA Riesling vinaigrette pan-seared Lake Erie perch with crispy polenta fries and caper-rich sauce gribiche chicken liver mousse “brûlée” with caramel sauce and stewed blackberries larger plates like grass-fed beef-cheek ravioli smoky Memphis-style side ribs with roasted fingerling potatoes in chicken schmaltz to finish, preserved cherry panna cotta with candied ginger. Complete dinners for $40 per person (lunches $28), including tax, tip and a glass of VQA wine. Average main $18/$12. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 10 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN
Jean’s Vegetarian Kitchen
1262 Danforth, at Greenwood, 416-778-1388 Jean and Harry Seow (Rasa Sayang, Sawasdee) return from retirement – for the third time! – with their swankiest resto yet. This unexpectedly upscale 30-seat room, all caramel-coloured walls, sleek banquettes and beaming Buddha on the bar, now comes with an exclusively Southeast Asian vegetarian card. Bonus: everything on the menu is available in vegan versions. Best: to start, tightly wrapped rice-paper rolls deep-fried in canola oil, packed with cellophane noodles, raw carrot threads and crunchy ribbons of cloud ear Golden Baskets, a tiny quintet of brittle pastry shells brimming with garden-fresh peas, corn, carrots and diced organic tofu mains like pad kee mau, a ketchup-free take on pad thai thick with cauliflower and broccoli, basil and convincing faux shrimp sides like Japanese eggplant with sweet peppers bitter mustard greens in garlic to finish, deep-fried bananas in honeyed batter. Complete dinners for $30 per person, including tax, tip and a pot of jasmine green tea. Average main $10. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 10 pm. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNNN
Sunday
Beverley Hotel
335 Queen W, at Beverley, 416-493-2786, thebeverleyhotel.ca, @beverleyhotelTO Former Fabarnak and Hawthorne chef Eric Wood brings his updated comfort carte to downtown’s latest boutique hotel. Those who fondly remember the once-nearby Beverley Tavern are in for a shock. Best: to start, baskets of cinnamon-dusted doughnuts, cheesy biscuits and wedges of warm cornbread shareable starters like a Caesar salad with kale and dehydrated tomato instead of romaine and bacon the Breakfast Bone, a halved veal shin with marrow topped with poached quail eggs over toasted bread salad with grilled pork belly the house burger, 6 ounces of grass-fed chuck on an eggy Fred’s bun dressed with tomato jam, sautéed wild mushrooms and a wedge of deep-fried cheese, sided with correctly skinny frites southern-fried chicken ‘n’ Eggo waffle sandwich with maple syrup to drink, $4 Caesars made with bacon-infused bourbon. Complete brunches for $30 per person, including tax, tip and a Caesar. Average main $13. Open for Sunday brunch 10 am to 4 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN
Big Crow
176 Dupont, at St George, 647-748-3287, roseandsonsbigcrow.com, @roseandsons Former Drake executive chef Anthony Rose revives his wildly ambitious pop-up barbecue concept on a tented ‘n’ heated Annex year-round backyard patio down an alleyway next to the train tracks. Close your eyes and you could be sitting round a campfire in Muskoka. Best: to start, slices of grilled Thuet Bakery sourdough dressed with banana, Nutella and dulce de leche peanut-butter-and-jam pork chops with salted Norfolk County peanuts and house-made sour cherry jam smoky-sweet Perth County pork belly sided with a pair of over-easys and garlicky grilled broccoli smoked mozzarella and shredded brisket with more Thuet bread, eggs, roasted garlic, whiskey-sautéed onions, Kozlik’s horesradish mustard and a Tymek pickle pepperoni-like sausage ‘n’ beans with eggs, Memphis-style cornbread and crunchy raw scallion to share, “soft and sexy” grits swirled with melted butter to drink, steamin’ mugs of instant Maxwell House coffee. Complete brunches for $30 per person, including tax, tip and a root beer. Average main $15. Open for Sunday brunch 11 am to 3 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: three steps at door, three steps to washroom. Rating: NNNNN
Zorba’s
681 Danforth, at Pape, 416-406-1212 It’s certainly not the fanciest joint on the Boulevard of Broken Plates, but this old-school taverna decked out in naïf murals has something almost none of its neighbours still has: home-style Greek grub. Just like in the old days, ignore the printed menu and point at what you fancy from the steam table. Sheep skull stuffed with offal, anyone? Best: the house cold platter with lemony baby octopus, hummus, eggplant melitzana salata, tzatziki and whipped carp roe taramosalata thick ‘n’ meaty grilled lamb ribs sided with baked gigantes lima beans and waxy oven-roasted potatoes lasagna-like pastitsio, tubular penne over ground lamb topped with eggy béchamel-sauced mashed spuds arni frickase, slow-braised lamb shank with artichoke hearts in dilled avgolemono lemon sauce traditional feta-strewn Greek village salad super-moist 2-pound takeout chickens. Complete meals for $25 per person, including tax, tip and a domestic beer. Average main $12. Open Sunday 8 am to 5 am. Licensed. Access: short step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN
