Saturday
Diverso by Ferraro
328 Dupont, at Spadina, 416-929-3388, diversobyferraro.com. Sister of Eglinton West’s Ferraro 502, this mid-range Annex trat checks all the boxes: cozy subterranean grotto (whitewashed walls, slate floors, a cappuccino bar upfront), welcoming servers who make you feel just like family, and an exceptionally competent kitchen. Great pizza, too! Best: from the chalkboard specials, start with grilled à point calamari in lemony caper sauce over organic greens dressed with house-made balsamic vinegar generously portioned pasta di giorno, fettuccine tossed with pesto, snap peas and a six-pack of butterflied shrimp secondi like capon breast overstuffed with wild rice, sun-dried tomato and goat cheese in rosemary cream over mashed potatoes, or veal chops in a red wine reduction with very good frites, both sided with roasted parsnip and carrot thin-crusted pizzas dressed à la canadese with mozzarella, pepperoni and green pepper to finish, definitive tiramisu. Complete dinners for $40 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of vino. Average main $17. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 11 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: four steps at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN
Pizzeria Libretto
221 Ossington, at Dundas W, 416-532-8000, pizzerialibretto.com. A runaway smash since it opened in the fall of 2008, Rocco Agostino and crew’s insanely popular upscale pizza parlour is planning to launch its second location this summer on the Danforth. Until then, you’ll have to wait in line with everyone else. Can’t stand the crowd? Take out! And, no, Libretto doesn’t deliver. Bonus: three course $15 prix fixe at lunch. Best: beautifully blistered Neapolitan-style thin-crusted pies dressed with Pingue prosciutto, arugula, heirloom tomato and garlic duck confit with caramelized pear and minimal cheese definitive Margheritas with San Marzano tomato sauce, fior di latte mozzarella and oven-crisped basil leaves buttermilk-battered calamari with nutty chipotle Romesco sauce lemony panna cotta with blueberry coulis. Complete dinners for $45 per person (lunches $30), including tax, tip and a tumbler of Chianti. Average main $15. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 11 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN
Queen Margherita Pizza
1402 Queen E, at Vancouver, 416-466-6555, queenmargheritapizza.ca. They’re already calling John Chetti and Rocco Mazzaserro’s east-side pizzeria the Libretto of Leslieville, and deservedly so. Both adhere to the Vera Pizza Napoletana standard of exceptionally thin crusts made from imported stone-ground Caputo Tipo 00 flour topped with sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes and fresh, locally sourced fior di latte cheese, all cooked in a wood-burning oven. Same stylishly loud scene, but – unlike Libretto – these guys take reservations. You’ll need one! Best: brilliantly blistered pies like the Napoletano topped with oven-dried black olives, cherry tomatoes, capers and anchovies the Giovanni with arugula and paper-thin prosciutto di Parma the Mezza Luna, half basil-embellished Margherita, half folded-over calzone stuffed with fresh ricotta from the rotating $25 three-course prix fixe, house-made ricotta gnocchi and smoked pancetta in a rose sauce lashed with Gorgonzola bone marrow bruschetta to finish, classic tiramisu and retro chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. Complete dinners for $45 per person including tax, tip and a glass of vino. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to midnight. Licensed. Access: five steps at door, another 11 to dining room, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNN
Sunday
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. Coming soon: Earth Ajax? 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 Reisling-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
Gilead Café & Bistro
4 Gilead Pl, at King E, 647-288-0680, jamiekennedy.ca. Organic guru Jamie Kennedy regroups at this low-key Corktown beanery. Has the groundbreaking chef ever been so on track? Best: baskets of house-baked pastries – flaky croissants, savoury scones, buttery brioche – spread with crème fraîche and strawberry jam smoked Ontario whitefish over Red Fife pancakes, with pickled red onion and sour cream over organic greens chef’s flawless frites with fried eggs, artisanal sausage and Indo ketchup bacon-laced rosti topped with super-cheesy scrambled eggs to drink, house-distilled agua fresca. Complete brunches for $30 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of locally bottled spring water. Average main $12. Open for brunch Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Access: three steps at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNNN
Liberty Belle Bistro
133 Jefferson, at King W, 647-352-3553, libertybellebistro.com. Not to be confused with the nearby Liberty Bistro, ex-Le Select chef Aidan Pascoe’s 30-seat postcard-perfect French café brings Gallic je ne sais quoi to the warehouse district. Unswervingly attentive service and value-minded mains guarantee lineups. Don’t miss the washrooms! Best: to start, baked-to-order croissants follow with Crepe Quebecoise stuffed with Westphalian ham, scrambled free-range Mennonite eggs and aged Gruyére in maple syrup, sided with organic greens and grease-free potato rosti meaty house burgers of veal, lamb and pork sided with fabulously crisp frites house-baked cinnamon French toast in sticky pecan sauce. Complete brunches for $25 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $13. Open Sunday 11 am to 4 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN
