Saturday
Le Canard Mort
896 Queen E, at Logan, 416-625-2653, lecanardmort.ca. Sister to Riverside’s Le Rossignol, this Leslieville gastropub-slash-bistro plays it safe, just the way the locals like it. Chef Craig Madore’s mostly French card displays an au courrant rustic bent, servers are well trained, and prices make dinner out on a Tuesday night seem the sensible thing to do. Lots of microbrews, funny cocktails and (a word to the wise) it’s kid-friendly, too. And brunch on the weekend from 9 am? Take that, Joy Bistro and Lady Marmalade! Best: to start, crisply battered ‘n’ deep-fried sweetbreads splashed with house-made hot sauce sided à la Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese aioli retro escargots vol-au-vents sided with organic greens in a white balsamic vinaigrette substantial mains like Perth County pork chops finished with caramelized shallots paired with al dente green beans and grainy Dijon-laced mashed potatoes lobster pot pie thick with pink crustacean and baby veg in béchamel multi-cheese mac & cheese dressed with brioche crumbs and freshly shaved black truffle. Complete dinners for $45 per person, including tax, tip and a beer cocktail. Average main $18. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to 2 am. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN
Pizza e Pazzi
1182 St Clair W, at Dufferin, 647-352-7882, pizzaepazzi.ca. Like Pizzeria Libretto, Danilo and Sandrelle Scimo’s stylish Corso Italia trat sticks to the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana’s party line: pies made with certifed Tipo 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes and DOP mozzarella baked in a wood-burning oven at 485°C for 60 to 90 seconds. But P e P goes one better. Monday to Wednesday from 5 to 7 pm, pay $10 for any drink in the house and get the happy-hour appetizer buffet for free. Best: the benchmark Margherita, a correctly blistered and cracker-crisp but still foldable thin crust dressed with family-recipe sauce, mozzarella di bufala and basil leaves the Contadina switches bufala for fior di latte and ripe baby Roma tomatoes the Valtellina, a garlicky white-sauced pie heaped with shaved bresaola, parmigiana and raw arugula splashed with quality olive oil and lemon juice shareable pastas like perfectly al dente papardelle in textbook bolognese, and nutmeg-scented ricotta manicotti to finish, boozy tiramisu in a sundae glass. Complete dinners for $35 per person (lunches $25), including tax, tip and a glass of vino. Average pizza $18. Open Sunday to Thursday noon to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday noon to midnight. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN
Wish
3 Charles E, at Yonge, 416-935-0240, wishintoronto.com. Briefly Black Skirt, Renda Abdo’s whitewashed South Beach-style resto-lounge returns to its original mandate. Lucky us! Did we mention the fabulously chic curbside terrace? Best: at lunch and dinner, garlic-crusted Ontario pork chops with correctly mashed potatoes in retro red-eye gravy finished with veal stock and coffee, and grilled veggies du jour at brunch, eggs Charlotte, a pair of expertly poached eggs in Parmesan and leek fondue over smoked salmon on whole wheat Ace Bakery muffins, sided with organic greens in red wine vinaigrette to finish, Callebaut chocolate brownie straight from the oven dolloped with real whipped cream. Complete brunches for $25 per person (dinners $40/lunches $20), including tax, tip and a $4 Stella. Average main $14/$18/$10. Open for dinner Saturday 4 to 11 pm. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Sunday
Lahore Tikka House
1365 Gerrard E, at Highfield, 416-406-1668, lahoretikkahouse.com. After seven long years, the Taj Mahal of Little India is finally complete… well, almost. The rabbit warren of trailers where diners used to eat has been replaced by a chaotic open-air dining room furnished with picnic tables that spills onto a 200-seat patio tented in billowing sari fabric and lit by fairy lights. Best: slashed whole red snapper tikka, smoky from the charcoal-fuelled tandoor, skewered with lightly charred turmeric-tanged onion, potato and tomato aromatic minced lamb kebabs lemon-scented aloo gobi rich with waxy spuds and al dente cauliflower yellow lentils and pulverized spinach palak dahl vegetable biryani with chickpeas, crunchy cauliflower and carrot butter-brushed naan tossed with sesame seeds house-made almond kulfi ice cream squeezed-to-order sugar cane juice. Complete meals for $20 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. Average main $9. Open Sunday noon to 1 am. No reservations. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Lola’s Commissary
634 Church, at Hayden, 416-966-3991, lolascommissary.com. Although it changed hands last fall, little else about this rambling Victorian has changed. The same CD of non-stop 80s hits is still stuck in the sound system, servers are as easy-going as ever, and the all-day breakfast card remains virtually the same. Best: to start, creamy butternut squash soup follow with over-the-top eggy challah French toast stuffed with orange and vanilla cheesecake (!) finished with crushed apple pie, maple syrup and a dusting of confectioner’s sugar Eggs Lola, Tex Mex-style runny poached eggs over shredded ancho chicken and soft tortillas dressed with Mexican sheep’s milk crème fraîche, sliced ripe avocado and Italian tomato-basil fresca, sided with “sexy” roasted sweet potatoes. Complete brunches for $22, including tax, tip and a hair-of-the-dog beer. Open for brunch Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: five steps at door, washrooms on second floor. Rating: NNN
Red Tea Box
696 Queen W, at Euclid, 416-203-8882. What appears to be an upmarket boutique specializing in pricey estate teas and over-the-top desserts gives way to an exceptionally secluded rear terrace and coach house that has been showcased in fancy French fashion magazines. There, recline on a chaise while supping on delicate pan-Asian mains and terrific Pacific Rim sandwich ‘n’ salad combos. Vegetarian-friendly! Warning: reservations are not taken, so if you hope to snag one of the three or so mismatched French-country tables in the coach house, show up early or mid-afternoon. Best: artful sandwiches like Indo-spiced grilled chicken breast with onion marmalade on raisin-studded sourdough, or gingery Asian pulled pork with lime on ciabatta, both paired with lime-laced green-papaya-carrot slaw lacquered bento boxes laden with exotica like crispy quail with tamarind caramel over Swiss chard and lentils seared garlicky rapini seasonable soups like miso, white bean and toasted brown rice to finish, house-baked organic sour cherry chocolate brownies or gluten-free vegan apricot fruitcake to sip, 30-some small-farm biodynamic and organic teas. Open Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. No reservations. Unlicensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor, four steps to terrace, and another four steps to coach house. Rating: NNNNN