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Toronto's "Oro Restaurant is to food what Ferrari is to cars: Sleek, clean and drop-dead gorgeous. It doesn't really get any better than a Ferrari, now does it?" Globe critic Joanne Kates
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Provence Delices
www.provencerestaurant.com
Restaurant Français, Bar, Patio, Fine Caterer
12 Amelia street, Toronto, Ontario, M4X 1E1, Canada
Tel: 416.924.9901 Fax: 416.924.9680
Nestled in Toronto’s historic
Cabbagetown, Provence is airy, elegant
and comfortable. The front of the
restaurant opens up totally to the south
on Amelia Street, one of the most
charming streets in Cabbagetown.
White French panned doors access a
spectacular street-scape patio and the
sun filters in the restaurant’s verandah through a winter garden of lush trees, some of which are over thirty years old.
Provence evokes the colors and scents of southern France.
Waterford wood burning stoves and antic candelabras cast their glow over crisp white linen that cover tables spread in a space shared by three uniquely intermingling rooms.
- "Imagine dining in the slightly funky conservatory of a rich French countess."
Joanne Kates, The Globe and Mail
- "Provence is sunningly beautful."
Alexa Petrenco, Vitality
The cuisine prepared under the watchful eye of owner Elie Benchitrit by chefs Emery Jones and Douglas Penfold, is French contemporary with accents from the succulent food descriptions of Provencal writer Jean Giono.
Wine Spectator has over the years consistently granted Provence’s cellar its award of excellence. The well kept cellar is indeed one of the most extensive in the city.
Le Sélect Bistro
www.leselectbistro.com/
328 Queen St West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Tel: 416.596.6405
An authentic Parisian bistro in downtown Toronto is a rarity, but Le Sélect Bistro has been one of Toronto's longstanding gems. With great Bistro food, an extensive wine list and over 90 different brands of beers from all over the world, this is a great place to hang your hat for an afternoon or evening out. The traditional zinc bar and jazz music floating through the air, as it says on their web site: just close your eyes and you could be in the City of Light, except that the service is better.
Regarded as Toronto's 'literary' bistro, Le Sélect is located in the middle of downtown Toronto's dynamic art scene, and is often frequented by authors, poets, playwrights and publishers. Le Sélect Bistro is the sponsor of the International Festival of Authors Literary Prize, which is awarded each year to a major Canadian writer in mid-career.
Le Sélect Bistro recently received the Award of Excellence from the North American Restaurant Assciation - the only restaurant in Ontario to get this honour. Now Magazine’s Steven Davey recently wrote: "Le Sélect, the definitive Queen Street West boîte, perseveres by doing what it does best: staying exactly the same." And the Toronto Star's Amy Pataki had this to say in her feature story: "Le Sélect Bistro is a classic bistro with flair... It's easy to see why people return year after year."
Zee Grill
www.zeegrill.com
641 Mt Pleasant Rd, Toronto
Tel: 416.484.6428
Since 1981, Zee Grill has been a Toronto favourite for it's fine seafood and oyster bar. The owner of Aee Grill ius also the Chef, and Jac Eckhardt's menu includes the catch of the day from the local markets. If you like the freshest fish, lobster, crab, and of course oysters, then head to Zee's with your appetite. For land lovers, there is steak, lamb and a nice foie gras. Leave some room for dessert and home made bread.
"Tellingly, the small, efficient kitchen is the first thing one sees upon entering. The dining room itself is flanked by a bistro-ish oyster bar. Tiles cover the floor, and exposed-brick walls provide counterpoint to wooden tabletops and cloth-covered banquettes. Seafood is the focus and is featured in some form or other in all of the appetizers save organic baby greens salad with walnut-cucumber vinaigrette.
Fish lovers find many choices among mains, while carnivores must decide among a nine-ounce black Angus strip loin and frites with dijon aïoli, honey mustard chicken, or roasted rack of lamb. The pink, tender lamb is served with grilled mini-vegetables, edamame, a thick port jus and a sweet, nutty sunchoke-chestnut purée. An oddly arranged wine list—with regions, varietals, vintages and prices scattered about willy-nilly—offers a good selection by the glass and no bottles over $100. A giant chocolate truffle is as hedonistic and decadent as it sounds. The service, while friendly, should aspire to the level of the food".
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Toronto Life
Oro Restaurant
www.OroRestaurant.com
45 Elm Street, Toronto
Tel: 416.597.0155 Fax: 416.597.2819
Sophisticated in it's decor, food and service, at Oro's you will find a certain old world charm delivered with elegance. Oro restaurant is found in a nice downtown neighborhood of Toronto, near theatres and hotels. With unusual and creative off the menu specials, Oro's offers a tantalizing menu with innovative appetizers, entrées and desserts prepared neo-Italian style, accentuated with flavours from around the world. Oro's pays attention attention to detail with full white linen treatment, attentive service and fresh-cut flower arrangemnets.
- "Perfectly grilled lobster sits beside splendidly sweet crab cake, atop slightly spicy yellow tomato gazpacho, high-flavoured and just chunky enough for interest. Atop the sea treasures is a tangle of baby-beet and pea sprouts and fresh chevril. Hello, summer! Roasted vegetable tian is a glamorous tall layer cake of sweetly roasted root vegetables topped with corn sprouts and chives. Grilled sardines on a slightly citric parsley sauce hide under fresh lemon thyme linguine spiced with chunks of strong olives and freshly oven-dried tomatoes. This is hearty peasant food gone luxe."
The Globe and Mail
- "The chef, Dario Tomaselli, is an imaginative and gracious talent."
The National Post's Jacob Richler
- Oro "...is to food what Ferrari is to cars: Sleek, clean and drop-dead gorgeous."
It doesn't really get any better than a Ferrari, now does it?"
Globe critic Joanne Kates
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