Soufi’S It was only a matter of
time before Toronto’s growing
Syrian population would start to
influence our restaurant scene.
Beyond excellent espresso-based
coffees and matcha lattes, they
really only serve two Syrian
specialties: knafeh, warm phyllo
mini-pies of akkawi cheese or
vegan cashew “cheese” finished
with rosewater and crushed nuts;
and manakeesh, pillowy flat-
breads, smeared with halloumi,
labneh, za’atar, or spiced beef,
baked in the oven and folded
into a sandwich. 676 Queen St.
W., 647-350-7737; soufis.ca
TenneSSee Tavern This
Parkdale spot is Grant van
Gameren’s interpretation of an
Eastern European tavern—you
wouldn’t guess from the name,
a leftover from the last tenant.
On the menu is an exhaustive
index of sausages (heavenly
kielbasa), schnitzel (paper-thin,
crispy), pretzels the size of your
head (warm, salty), cabbage
rolls (oniony, saucy), and, in a
nod to his principally hipster
clientele, a paprika-dusted corn
dog (delicious). This is hearty,
gut-busting food, complemented
by local craft brews and a long
list of obscure eastern European
liquors and liqueurs, all offered
by the shot. 1554 Queen St. W.,
uncle Mikey’S Michael Kim
was born in Seoul and raised
in Vancouver, and studied
classic French cooking at New
York’s International Culinary
Center—one of the best places
to do so outside France. The
low-budget, handyman interior
of this, his first solo showing,
belies the worldliness and
polish of what he delivers
to your table: lettuce wraps
of grilled flatiron with nori,
fermented soybean paste, and
citrusy yuzo kosho; a mapo
tofu of silken soybean cubes,
the slow-build fire of Sichuan
sausage, and a tangle of garlic
shoots; brioche-like beignets
that get their sweetness from a
roll in a powder of wheat grass
and carob; and, my top pick,
Parisian-style choux gnocchi,
tossed in a nutty sauce of soy-
bean paste–braised oxtail. 1597
Dundas St. W., 647-648-9153
1/2 Price Appetizers
DJ & Dancing Fri - Sat
416-535-7777; tennesseetavern.ca
215 Carlingview Drive
Minutes from the airport!
Lunch & Dinner Specials
Food Til 2am
416.674.7772 - arizonabarandgrill.com
May-June 2018
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