Beyond veggie

Rating: NNNNN

Djerba La Douce 1475 Danforth, at Parkmount, 416-778-7870. Featuring an intoxicating card that fuses the cuisines of North Africa, southern Italy and France, this is Toronto’s only Tunisian restaurant. Bonus: organic veggies and halal meat! Double bonus: hookahs!! Best: Start with Salad Grill Mushwa, a garlicky pur&eacutee of roasted tomato and onion tossed with lemon, olive oil, capers and lightly pickled cucumber and green chilies Salad Tunisienne, a North African niçoise, a fine dice of tomato, celery, lettuce, cuke, slivered scallions and mild radish mixed with cookbook-correct canned tuna generously portioned mains like steamed mussels in harissa-fired tomato sauce to finish, house-made baclava doused with honey and rosewater. Complete meals for $15 per person, including all taxes, tip and a pot of minty Tunisian green tea. Average main $9. Open Tuesday to Friday 11 am to 10 pm, Saturday and Sunday 4 to 10 pm. Closed Monday. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN

Edward Levesque’s Kitchen 1290 Queen E, at Hastings, 416-465-3600. Looking small from the street, this converted greasy spoon opens to a larger but equally low-key space that recalls a Sudbury church basement circa 1956. Warning: reservations for dinner Saturday only. Best: start with Levesque’s signature “big” salad of organic greens topped with avocado and cherry tomato in blood orange tarragon vinaigrette, or pesto-splashed calamari grilled with black olives meaty mains – all from naturally raised from Cumbrae Farms – like roasted pork rack stuffed with brandied cherries paired with braised cabbage and sweet potato frites from the all-day lineup and especially at brunch, Montasio Frico, fried cheese pancake coupled with asparagus, poached egg and salad latkes topped with Kristappson’s smoked salmon for dessert, pie à la mode. Complete meals for $45 per person ($20 at lunch or brunch), including all taxes, tip and a glass of plonk. Average main $20/$9. Open for lunch Wednesday to Friday 11 am to 3 pm, for dinner Tuesday to Saturday 6 to 10 pm. Brunch Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 3 pm. Closed Monday. Licensed. Access: four steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN

Grapefruit Moon 968 Bathurst, at Follis, 416-534-9056. Although some of this funky, mostly vegetarian caf&eacute’s original charm was demolished on a recent episode of a local restaurant makeover show, much of its socially conscious card based on locally sourced products remains. Bonus: a slew of local micro-brews on tap, and vintages by the glass. Best: at breakfast and brunch, amply packed flour tortillas grilled with egg and optional avocado, black beans, sun-dried tomato and five varieties of cheese Brie and roasted red pepper sided with oven-roasted sweet potato frites at lunch, the vegan bean burrito with mixed greens and oven-baked corn chips, or the 8-ounce organic beef house burger on a toasted kaiser served with baby spinach tossed with feta, sprouts and roasted red pepper napkins made from recycled paper. Complete dinners for $25 per person ($20 at lunch or brunch), including all taxes, tip and an organic lager. Average main $10. Open daily 8 am to 10 pm, bar till midnight brunch Saturday and Sunday 8 am to 4 pm. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN

Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar 9 Church, at Front, 416-362-5586. One of Toronto’s top chefs triumphs again at this casual contemporary 50-seat bistro that offers mix ’n’ match tapas-style plates of upscale comfort food at surprisingly low prices. And, yes, that’s Kennedy in full view in the intimate room’s very open kitchen. These are some of the hottest tables in town, and reservations are only accepted at lunch. At dinner, it’s first come, first served, so if there are no vacancies and the tiny bar is full, leave your cell number with the door, go around the corner for a drink and wait till you’re called. Ridiculous? Not for 10 bucks a plate! Warning: obscure signage. Best: though the menu changes almost daily, anticipate signature dishes like Kennedy’s deservedly acclaimed Yukon Gold frites – now labelled fries but exactly the same as the originals – served in a logo-stamped brown paper cone on Jasper Conran china, sided with lemony mayo or topped with free-range chicken breast, shards of sharp pecorino cheese and poutine-gravy-like lamb jus black cod braised in crab broth with escarole for dessert, chocolate brownies topped with chocolate mousse. Complete meals for $40 per person ($30 at lunch), including all taxes, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $10. Open daily 11:30 am to 11 pm. Licensed. Access: two steps at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNN

Magic Oven 788 Broadview, at Danforth, 416-466-0111. Abby and Tony Saberwal’s thriving business has expanded, and for good reason. Their thin-crust and health-conscious (!) pies are some of the most innovative in town. Bonus: several lactose-free and vegan versions. Other locations: 127 Jefferson, at King W, 416-539-0555. Best: Tandoori Magic, like all pizzas offered with a choice of traditional, whole wheat, organic spelt or gluten-free crusts, here layered with sweet, pink barbecued chicken breast, preservative-free tomato sauce, onion, garlic and ginger Gourmet Veggie Magic with grilled eggplant, roasted red pepper and chèvre free-range tandoori chicken wings and drumsticks. Complete meals for $25 per person, including all taxes and tip. Average main $20. Open Broadview open Monday to Friday 11 am to 11 pm, Saturday 4 to 11 pm, Sunday and holidays 4 to 10 pm. Jefferson open Monday to Friday 11 am to 11 pm, Saturday, Sunday and holidays 4 to 10 pm. Unlicensed. Delivery. Access: for both, one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN

Niagara Street Cafe 169 Niagara, at Wellington W, 416-703-4222. With the arrival of chef Michael Caballo, this casually cozy west-side eatery continues its evolution from funky home cooking to bistro-style basics. Bonus: all meats naturally raised or certified organic. Warning: reservations are only accepted at dinner and at brunch for the 10:30 am first sitting. Best: to start, lemony house-made papardelle with roasted mushroom, sage and Grana Padano dinner mains such as roasted duck breast in creamy mushroom pasta at brunch, begin with irresistible potato rosti dolloped with sour cream and roasted-apple compote, and follow with Huevos A La Mancha, a pair of poached eggs coupled with pork belly, Manchego pistou and home fries. Complete meals for $50 per person ($20 at brunch), including all taxes, tip and a glass of plonk. Average main $18/$9. Open for dinner Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 6 to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 6 to 10:30 pm. Brunch Sunday 10:30 am to 3 pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Licensed. Access: two short steps at door, small washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN

Seven Numbers 307 Danforth, at Bowden, 416-469-5183. Since mother-’n’-son team Rosa and Vito Marinuzzi closed their casual Italian resto on Eglinton West, this old-school trat is currently down to one location. But some things never change: a strictly no-reservations policy means lineups at peak feeding times the decor’s intentionally on the cheap (burlap on communal tables, wine lists on scraps of kraft paper, church-basement stacking chairs). Instant famiglia! Warning: not for the shy and retiring. Best: constantly changing lineup starts with seasonal dishes like roasted organic red peppers with organic Ontario goat cheese and arugula, or organic spinach salad laced with Gorgonzola and walnuts tapas-sized à la carte mains like veal scallopini with mushroom braised osso bucco or lamb shank with potato ’n’ pea sides such as melt-in-your-mouth breaded eggplant stuffed with spinach and cheese, or smoky fire-roasted rapini at dessert, sharp lemon tart in buttery pastry. Complete meals for $40 per person, including all taxes, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $10. Open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday 5 to 11 pm, Sunday 5 to 10 pm. Closed Monday. Licensed. Cash only. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN

Soba Sunday @ Hiro Sushi 171 King E, at Jarvis, 416-304-0550. Ted and Eiko Iizuka bring the traditional Japanese noodle ritual to one of downtown’s favourite sushi spots with a series of macrobiotic dishes based on handmade buckwheat pasta that’s not only a treat for the taste buds but health-conscious, too. Best: over mugs of nutty roasted soybean tea, the ritual begins with dry-fried sprouted soybeans and buckwheat crackers with a sweet miso jam it continues with Okonomi Soba, a sampling of the kitchen’s three most popular dishes – chilled hand-cut noodles in soy and bonito tsuyu topped with snow crab, pudding-like pur&eacutee of Japanese yam, and creamy house-made organic tofu garnished with slivered scallion the ceremony concludes with a steaming teapot of soba-yu, the nutrient-rich liquid left over from boiling the soba to finish, lemony soybean sponge-cake dolloped with whipped cream. Complete meals for $35 per person, including all taxes, tip and a sake. Average main $20. Open Sunday only 11:30 am to 3 pm. Closed Monday to Saturday. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN

Soul Food 582 Lansdowne, at Paton, 647-438-9730. This neighbourhood grill serves up surprisingly sophisticated takes on St. Lucia-style island country cooking. Bonus: $3 domestic beer! Best: like all dinners, moist dry-rubbed jerk chicken comes sided with nutty rice ’n’ peas rich with coconut cream and butter, as well as delicate, creamy sweet slaw and caramelized fried plantain for the vegetarian, firm organic tofu or split pea patties with stir-fried jerked veggies for dessert, homemade apple pie à la mode. Complete meals for $18 per person, including all taxes, tip and a domestic beer. Average main $7. Open Tuesday to Saturday 6 to 10 pm. Closed Sunday, Monday and holidays. Licensed. Cash only. Access: one step at door, another to washroom. Rating: NNNN

Yasi’s Place 299 Wallace, at Symington, 416-536-9888. This local diner, once full of hosiery workers, is now bustling with whole-wheat hipsters. Bonus: virtually everything’s made in-house. Double bonus: a patio and community garden. Best: four kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches – from trad to rad (cheddar, avocado spread and red onion) – on Ace multigrain or open-faced over house-made cornbread paired with daily soups like vegan potato and spinach black bean veggie burger at weekend brunch, Turkish-style organic beef patties over feather-light couscous, sided with herb-dusted greens and feta Eggs Florentinish, gently poached free-range eggs with homemade hollandaise, served with organic baby spinach, grilled polenta and Middle Easternized home fries to finish, tofu chocolate mousse pie on caramelized crumb crust. Complete meals for $20 per person, including all taxes, tip and a coffee. Average main $7. Open Monday to Friday 8 am to 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN