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Food Food & Drink

Weekend eating: November 9-10

Saturday

Chase Fish & Oyster

10 Temperance, at Yonge, 647-348-7000, thechasetoronto.com, @thechaseTO Much more accessible than the snootier ‘n’ suitier Chase upstairs, this beautifully renovated ground-level space and curbside terrace in the heart of the downtown core focuses on sustainable seafood, something its all-day menu foolishly forgets to mention. Stick to the right side of it and you might get out of here without robbing a nearby bank. Best: to start or as a side, heirloom tomatoes in creamy buttermilk dressing mains of breaded Lake Erie pickerel over caper-rich tartar sauce, radicchio slaw and dehydrated veggie chips hefty Cumbrae beef burgers dressed with sharp PEI cheddar, pickled jalapeño and parsley aioli, perfectly executed frites on the side southern-fried supreme of chicken with house-baked cheddar buns, hot-sauce butter and savoy cabbage slaw finished with provolone to finish, lime-curd-infused angel food cake with toasted coconut and burnt marshmallow meringue frosting. Complete meals for $55 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $25. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to midnight. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN

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

Jean’s Vegetarian Kitchen

1262 Danforth, at Greenwood, 416-778-1388 This unexpectedly upscale 30-seat room is Jean and Harry Seow’s (Rasa Sayang, Sawasdee) swankiest resto yet, all caramel-coloured walls, sleek banquettes and beaming Buddha on the bar. The card is exclusively Southeast Asian vegetarian, from starters like pastry shells brimming with garden-fresh peas and organic tofu to skilfully executed mains. Don’t do dairy? 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 tea. Average main $10. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 10 pm. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNNN

Sunday

Café Fiorentina

236 Danforth, at Playter, 416-855-4240, cafefiorentina.com, @cafe_fiorentina 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

Pizzeria Via Mercanti

188 Augusta, at Denison Sq, 647-343-6647, pizzeriaviamercanti.ca, @Via_Mercanti Sorry, Libretto. And you, too, Terroni. But Toronto’s best pizza can be found at this surprisingly spacious parlour in the wilds of Kensington Market. Helmed by ex-Queen Margherita pizzaiolo Romolo Salvati – an actual Neapolitan! – this low-key trat is in a league of its own. Best: to start, bocconcini di pizza, miniature pizza rolls stuffed with prosciutto or fresh fior di latte cheese follow with the extraordinary Via Mercanti, two pizzas in one – a beautifully blistered, thin-crusted pie dressed with prosciutto crudo, spicy soppressata, fresh buffalo ricotta and ‘shrooms, with a second San Marzano-sauced Margherita welded on top sautéed garlicky rapini and crumbled house-made sausage sided with warm focaccia, a veritable DIY pizza vegetarian eggplant parmigiano to finish, old-school tiramisu. Complete dinners for $30 per person (lunches $20), including tax, tip and a glass of vino. Average main $13/$10. Open Sunday 11 am to 11 pm. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN

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