When Francisco Alejandri closed his critically acclaimed Agave y Aguacate food stall in Kensington Market nine months ago, he said he’d be back. He just didn’t say when.
Since then, the Toronto episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Layover in which he appeared has been in heavy rotation on the Travel and Escape channel. It’s almost like the fedora’d chef never went away.
But NOW can reveal that Alejandri is about to bounce back bigger than ever with the revival of the much-missed Agave y Aguacate in the recently shuttered Elle M’a Dit at 35 Baldwin. The new 50-seat resto will be a partnership with furniture designer and first-time restaurateur Keyvan Foroughi. They say there’ll be tables and chairs just like a proper restaurant. Plates, even!
“The dream starts today,” says Alejandri who’s worked his way up through such celebrated kitchens as Scaramouche, Jamie Kennedy’s Wine Bar and Torito.
There’ll be serving dinner and brunch (!) to start and eventually introduce lunch. They’ve also got a second patio planned for out back. And unlike nearby Kinton Ramen, they’ll be taking reservations though they expect that most of their customers will be walk-ins. Watch for the launch sometime next month.
“I’ll be taking care of the front of the house and Francisco will be in charge of the kitchen,” says Foroughi. “We’re trying to keep everything very low-key.”
Good luck with that.
