Saturday
Bistro Camino
2750 Danforth, at Dawes, 416-698-0283. After 25 years serving sushi to east-enders, former Osgoode Hall chef Hiro Hatori decides he’d rather do it his way: old-school multi-course French prix fixes presented with Japanese attention to detail. Shame the care doesn’t extend to the decor, a jumble of 60s and 70s kitsch, but service is family-friendly and the prices laughably low. Best: at dinner, $25 three-course set meals can begin with super-creamy asparagus soup hors d’oeuvres platters of citrusy sole escabeche, house-smoked salmon and fresh figs marinated in red wine generously portioned mains like ox tongue bourguignon braised in red-wine à la carte entrees like filet mignon Stroganoff thick with shiitake ‘shrooms and sour cream to finish, chestnut semifredo, or vanilla ice cream deep-fried in tempura batter. Complete prix fixe dinners for $40 per person (lunches $30), including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $16/$9. Open for dinner Saturday 5:30 to 10:30 pm. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
La Carnita
501 College, at Palmerston, 416-964-1555, lacarnita.com. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Grand Electric in Parkdale must be particularly chuffed. So what if both taquerias appropriated the formula – trendy tacos, hard liquor and harder tunes – from Big Star Tacos in Chicago? Smooth service and the lack of a lineup most nights make the somewhat higher prices that much easier to stomach. Best: owner chef Andrew Richmond’s signature In Cod We Trust fish taco of battered wild Atlantic cod, pickled red cabbage and tart Granny Smith apple lashed with lime, crema fresca, spicy tahini-like Voltron sauce Pollo Frito with southern-style fried chicken in peanut mole sauce dressed with pickled napa cabbage and tomato salsa deep-fried avocado with black beans and peppery chipotle sauce house-made chorizo with pickled red onion and sharp cojita cheese, all on fresh La Tortilleria tortillas tongue tostadas topped with grilled pineapple and beet sprouts in hot sauce halved avocados stuffed with ripe mango, toasted pumpkin seeds and Hostess Hickory Sticks fashioned from deep-fried plantain tortilla chips dusted with powdered ancho chili sided with chipotle-spiked chicken liver pâté charred corn on the cob slathered in yogurty crema fresca and anejo cheese paletas – Mexican popsicles – in flavours like key lime pie coated with crushed graham crackers, and salted dulce de leche with crushed chicharrón. Complete meals for $40 per person, including tax, tip and a pint of micro-suds. Average taco $5. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 11 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN
Weslodge Saloon
480 King W, at Brant, 416-274-8766, weslodge.com. Furnished with enough stuffed wildlife to stock a taxidermy shop, club kings Hanif Harji and Charles Khabouth’s steampunk hunting lodge puts the focus on the kitchen for a change. Ex L’Unita chef Stuart Cameron delivers a comfort food carte that’s as stylish as the surroundings. Best: to start, roughly chopped bison tartare finished with red Thai chilies and powdered foie gras a salad of slivered green beans and shaved fennel dressed with both roasted and raw Jerusalem artichokes the house burger – 7 hand-ground ounces of naturally raised Cumbrae brisket, chuck ‘n’ rib-eye on a house-baked bun layered with pickled onion, spicy tomatillo relish and salty Taleggio cheese, a heap of chunky fries and kitchen’s-own ketchup on the side at brunch, generously truffled scrambled eggs over puff pastry and grilled asparagus, sided with house-cured duck bacon and fingerling potatoes fried in duck fat to conclude, “instant” chocolate mousse cake spray-painted with dark chocolate and garnished with dehydrated raspberries. Complete dinners for $55 per person (lunches/brunches $35) including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $24/$18. Open for dinner Saturday 5:30 to 11 pm. Bar till close. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Sunday
Momofuku Noodle Bar
190 University, at Adelaide W, 647-253-8000, momofuku.com/toronto/noodle-bar-to. For those who’ve experienced celebu-chef David Chang’s original storefront on Manhattan’s funky Lower East Side, the imported version in the super-luxe Shangri-La Hotel will come as something of a disappointment. Sure, the new joint’s bigger – making for shorter lineups, and there almost always is one – but the space itself looks like a Spring Rolls franchise from 10 years ago. The menu is also much shorter includes none of Chang’s sensational Milk Bar desserts. To get those, you have to pony up the big bucks at his Daisho or Shoto upstairs. Best: in whatever random order the kitchen sends out, Chang’s signature ramen, toothsome of noodle, intense of bacon-infused pork broth, dressed with very soft-poached egg, sweetly roasted pork belly and shredded shoulder al dente vegetarian mein in ginger-scallion sauce toasted rice cakes with sesame seeds in spicy sweet ‘n’ sour Red Dragon sauce atomic kimchi stew with more Chang-style pig but while they’re tasty enough, his pork-stuffed steamed buns smeared with hoisin pale next to those of the Banh Mi Boys. Complete meals for $35 per person, including tax, tip and a Steam Whistle. Average main $15. Open for lunch Sunday 11:30 am to 3 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Stockyards Smokehouse & Larder
699 St Clair W, at Christie, 416-658-9666, thestockyards.ca. Though it’s not in the same league as the superb snout-to-tale brunches at the now-defunct Hoof Café (what is?), NOW’s 2009 resto of the year more than holds its own. Limited counter seating and the inevitable lineups mean that groups larger than two might be more comfortable somewhere else. Best: to start, warm croissant-like buttermilk biscuits spread with house-made blackberry jam and citrus butter dress them with house-cured Cajun sausage, buttery shrimp and a pair of perfectly poached then deep-fried eggs in nippy hollandaise sided with oven-baked home fries in porchetta jus (Eggs Tommy) dense pastrami hash finished with chive-laced sour cream and more of those terrific deep-fried eggs a casserole of shirred eggs with smoked lardons, creamy collard greens and aged cheddar to gnaw, jerky-like candied trout belly to finish, sugar-dusted dulce de leche beignets. Complete brunches for $20 per person, including tax, tip and a cup of coffee. Average main $10. Open for brunch Sunday 9 am to 3 pm. Reservations not accepted. Unlicensed. Access: steep ramp at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNN
3030
3030 Dundas W, at High Pk, 416-769-5736, 3030dundaswest.com. This cavernous gastro-pub in the jumpin’ Junction pairs an extensive lineup of local obscure microbrews with a solid morning-after menu from ex-Grand Electric chef Adisa Brian Glasgow. Pinball machines, a conversation pit and vintage TVs playing old black ‘n’ white movies up the retro atmosphere. Best: to start, a basket of warm house-baked cornbread, banana bread and local baguette spread with whipped strawberry-infused butter sandwiches of duck confit on focaccia with cranberry mayo, fried Brie and house greens in citrus vinaigrette a breakfast spin on Korean bi bim bap of poached eggs, potatoes, sautéed spinach and roasted red and yellow peppers perfectly executed omelettes with shredded JA-style oxtail and goat cheese sided with parsley potatoes, grilled asparagus and salad. Complete brunches for $28 per person, including tax, tip and a pint of suds. Average main $13. Open for brunch Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN
