Saturday
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 recommended. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, but small washrooms. Rating: NNN
L’Ouvrier
791 Dundas W, at Palmerston, 416-901-9581, louvrier.ca, @louvrier Does the super-hip Dundas West strip really need another cutting-edge cantina? It does when the results are this delish: a spacious white-on-white gallery-like space, attitude-free service and a card that flirts with Southeast Asia (hello, Susur!) and classic French country comfort. Best: to start, chicken liver pâté à la campagne dressed with pickled celery and paired with smoked ham hock croquettes and house-made piccalilli ribbons of English cucumber and fennel tossed with pomegranate seeds and crumbled Greek feta mains like King Cole Farms duck confit with baked gnocchi and wilted spinach in roasted garlic cream braised lamb shank ravioli finished with buttery puréed cauliflower at brunch, crisp rosti dressed with peppery arugula, sided with smoked salmon, capers and crème fraîche to finish, flourless chocolate fudge cake. Complete dinners for $55 (brunches $25), including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $21/$12. Open for dinner Saturday 6 pm till close. No reservations. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Samuel J. Moore
1087 Queen W, at Dovercourt, 416-897-8348, @TheSamuelJMoore Though it only opened weeks ago, this period-perfect brasserie on the ground floor of the historic Great Hall looks like it’s been there forever, from the white penny tile on the floor to the gorgeous cabinetry on the walls. Ex-Brocton General chef Alexandra Feswick’s inaugural carte of soon-to-be signatures is just as timeless. Best: warm fingerling potatoes with horseradish crème fraîche and smoked trout ricotta gnudi poached in cream with caramelized mushrooms and baby onions pearl barley risotto with roasted cauliflower and fatty lardons half roasted chickens with curried cream and spectacular frites laced with garlic and brown butter for dessert, Templar whiskey sours that taste exactly like liquid lemon meringue pies. Complete dinners for $45 per person (brunches $30), including tax, tip and a class of wine. Average main $20/$14. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 11 pm, bar till 2 am. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, four steps to washrooms. Rating: NNNN
Sunday
Bristol Yard
146 Christie, at Pendrith, 647-716-6583 With its period showbiz 8×10 glossies on the wall – Keith Moon, Sandie Shaw, Oscar Wilde, the Kray twins – and classic 60s mod soundtrack, ex-Blowup DJ Davy Love’s 20-seat luncheonette is the perfect evocation of a proper British caff. Why, he even makes his meat pies from scratch! Best: beans on toast, here updated as a white navy and kidney bean stew in sweet tomato sauce with crumbled Stilton cheese on thick slices of whole wheat toast the Full Monty, a massive fry-up of two eggs any style, house-made sausage, thick rashers of artisanal bacon, more beans, sautéed mushrooms, smoked home fries, grilled tomato and fried bread the Glasgow cheeseburger, Lorne sausage in sausage gravy on fried potato scones the Maradona, more fried bread dressed with rare grilled steak in spicy chimichurri sauce French toast encrusted with Rice Crispies, sided with fresh fruit and clotted cream. Complete brunches for $25 per person, including tax, tip and a cuppa. Open Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNN
Café Fiorentina
236 Danforth, at Playter, 416-855-4240, cafefiorentina.com, @CafeFiorentina 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
Patria
480 King W, at Brant, 416-367-0505, patriatoronto.com, @PatriaTO Club kings Charles Khabouth and Hanif Harji follow up Weslodge with their most accomplished kitchen yet. Executive chef Stuart Cameron keeps the extensive tapas carte as authentic as possible, most notably at Sunday-only brunch. Best: to start, double espressos topped with milk foam followed by sponge-cake muffins finished with creamy olive-oil pudding shareable plates like fluffy potato frittata with garlicky romesco sauce rustic casseroles of braised cannellini beans, aged tomato and house-made chorizo octopus terrine on house-baked flatbread with aioli and more romesco wood-fired Spanish-style pizzas dressed with white anchovies, spicy piquillo peppers and Manchego cheese salads of shaved fennel, radish and red lettuce dressed with shredded Manchego and artichoke chips to finish, deep-fried churros with caramel sauce soft coffee ice cream sandwiches with nutty brittle and olive marmalade. Complete brunches for $40 per person, including, tax, tip and a cocktail. Open Sunday 10:30 am to 2:30 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNNN
