Saturday
County General
936 Queen W, at Shaw, 416-531-4447, thecountygeneral.ca. Little wonder they’re already calling this spinoff from Splendido the new Hoof Café. Could be the similar all-day/late-night diner set-up, snout-to-tail brunchy carte and no-reservations policy. Show up early or mid-afternoon if you hope to get one of only 27 seats without the otherwise inevitable wait and kitchen delays. Best: to start, smoky ham and navy bean soup finished with coriander, scallion and croutons sandwiches like ripe heirloom tomato with lemony avocado chutney and aged cheddar on toasted Thuet sourdough house-smoked brisket and house-made sauerkraut with Gruyère and 1,000 Island dressing on rye à la Reuben, both sided with a glass tumbler of triple-blanched frites at brunch, the English breakfast of two fried peppery eggs sided with boudin noir sausage, smoked peameal bacon, sautéed ‘shrooms and baked beans laced with pork bits skip the pricey pie and cupcakes. Complete meals for $30 per person, including tax, tip and a pint. Average main $14. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to 3 am. No reservations. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
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 bouillabaise 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
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 $25 per person, including tax, tip and a pot of jasmine green tea. Average main $9. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 10 pm. Reservations recommended. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN
Sunday
Café Fiorentina
236 Danforth, at Playter, 416-855-4240, cafefiorentina.com. Take two classically trained French chefs and set them free in an all-day café-slash-bake-shop and get one of the Danforth’s tastiest alternatives to flaming saganaki. Best: from a changing lineup, sandwiches on house-baked yeast-free sourdough layered with seared rare steak, 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 at brunch, an eggs Benny with poached duck eggs in lemony hollandaise, pickled beets and Georgian Bay whitefish on toasted pains au lait. Complete lunches for $15 (brunches $20), including tax, tip and a fair-trade coffee. Average main $9/$12. Open Tuesday to Friday 10 am to 7 pm. Brunch Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. Closed Monday, some holidays. No reservations. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN
Federal Reserve
1438 Dundas W, at Dufferin, 647-352-9120, thefed.ca. With owners whose CVs include stints at Terroni, the Rivoli, the Swan and Woodlot, it’s little wonder this 36-seat all-day lunch ‘n’ brunch café is such a well-oiled machine. And it needs to be to keep up with the weekend crush. Show up after 11 and join the queue on the sidewalk. Best: lightly toasted cheddar scones classic Cobb salads with free-range chicken confit, Bosc pear, avocado, bacon and hard-boiled egg over arugula and spinach in blue cheese dressing grilled Cubano sandwiches of pulled pork, Black Forest ham, cheddar and avocado on toasted St Johns Bakery raisin bread buttermilk Belgian waffles finished with whipped cream and maple syrup house-made lemony ginger ale. Complete meals for $22 per person, including tax, tip and a soda. Average main $12. Open for brunch Sunday 9 am to 3 pm. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN
Gourmet Malaysia
4466 Sheppard E, at Brimley, 647-764-1188, ggmsc.com. Some say the Singapore street food served at this sprawling family-friendly banquet hall located in an Agincourt strip mall is the real deal. While it may lack the fancy-pants finesse of trendy Hawker Bar on Ossington, the flavours are authentic if somewhat more rustic. Helpful servers steer first-timers to the good stuff. The hardcore will want to check out GM’s sister take-away in the no-frills food court across the street. Warning: since the resto is located in the same plaza as a riotously busy supermarket, parking is next to impossible, especially on the weekend. Best: to start, weekend-only Poh Pia, crepey summer rolls stuffed with al dente veggies skewered halal lamb satay in chunky peanut sauce soupy curried chicken laksa thick with rice vermicelli, shrimp and fish cake Hainanese Chicken, pure comfort on a plate fried crispy whole fish in sambal in spice-tacular ketchup and chili flakes Penang Char Kwei Teow, a fabulous tangle of wide rice noodles in dark soy sauce tossed with unidentified seafood. Complete meals for $25 per person. Open daily 11 am to midnight. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
