Story & Photography | Renée S. Suen
After a long hiatus from indoor dining, Toronto restaurants welcomed guests back with open arms in July, some with stunning new dining rooms. Here’s a closer look at a trio that are giving food lovers plenty of reasons to head back out to eat in(doors). Reservations are recommended; health and safety procedures are in place.
MYTH
A convergence of food, culture, ambiance and celebration, Myth takes inspiration from its predecessor, UNIQ Hospitality Group’s Myth on Danforth. Opened in 1994, the flagship was considered ahead of its time in contrast to its contemporaries that were largely tavern-style Greek restaurants.
The interior’s mood in Myth transitions throughout the evening, with amber lighting that dims to mimic the island’s rising and setting sun from the room’s central sunburst ceiling installation.
For the location on King St. W., it took seven months to transform the historic former E.C. Gurney & Co. Stove Foundry building into a 5,000-square-foot scene from the seaside of Mykonos and the Cyclades Islands. The spacious venue is lined with custom woodwork and commissioned artwork, and is outfitted at full capacity to seat 150 inside and 60 on its terrazas.
The patio flanking Brant Street offers plenty of covered seating options to enjoy your meal al fresco.
Hand-picked antique vases that the group picked and commissioned a local artist to restore for the Vase Room.
Showcasing the fresh and vibrant flavours of the Mediterranean, Myth’s modern Greek menu is fresh and flavourful, skewing towards traditional Aegean flavours with a heavy emphasis on fresh seafood. Led by executive chefs Sergio Abrunho and Tulio Lessa, the culinary program channels the group-style dining characteristic of the region, which is evident in their table-filling dishes.
Myth’s version of Paidakia features beautifully grilled grass-fed Australian lamb chops and tzatziki.
The showstopping Cold Seafood Platter brims with shrimp, Nova Scotia lobster, gravlax, cocktail sauce, spicy mango chutney and mignonette. Supplement the feast with an order of East Coast oysters.
In addition to share-friendly meze, the open kitchen’s dishes include those that incorporate ingredients imported from Greece, including sea bass, fava from Santorini that’s made into a puree that sides grilled octopus and Kefalograviera
cheese that’s set aflame in the theatrical Saganaki appetizer. There’s also salt baked fish and paidakia (lamb chops). Cocktails are inspired by Greek mythology and made using Greek products, including liqueurs such as Metaxa, Ouzo and Mastiha. Oenophiles will be pleased to learn that the list is made up of consignment wines and is stocked with an eclectic collection of Greek vintages and is rounded out by other Mediterranean options.
Paired with warm and thin house-made pita, the Meze Dips platter features beet hummus, melitzanosalata, tirokafteri and olive tapenade.
522 King St. W. (entrance on Brant St.)
416-703-2800
mythrestaurant.com
STOCK BAR
Drawing crowds to midtown, this temple of food partners two Toronto stalwarts—Cumbrae’s Stephen Alexander and Cosimo Mammoliti, best known for owning Terroni’s family of restaurants and Sud Forno. While they opened the culinary mecca’s gourmet grocer, Stock T.C., last year, the entire project was completed when they launched Stock Bar, a three-storey restaurant and patio dining extravaganza early this summer.
The second floor’s Tavern Room embodies the feel of classic American bistros and has a view of the open kitchen.
Spread out over three floors of the revamped Postal Station K in the yonge-Eglinton neighbourhood, each space has its own dramatic qualities in the build and design. The Tavern, for instance, has fun accents that pay homage to the building’s past, such as deckle-edged floors that are a nod to postage stamps, letterbox slots in the walls, plus bespoke lampshades imprinted with the patterns found on security envelopes.
Vibrant and spacious, the expansive Ground Floor Terrace caters up to 100 guests. The long patio, accessed off yonge Street, is surrounded by greenery. It has its own bar and is open for lunch and dinner.
From the main entrance, guests enter the grocery and walk up a central staircase to their plush and lush second-floor Tavern Room, or third-floor Montgomery Room or Rooftop Garden Patio. Off the Helendale Avenue entrance, you’ll find a set of elevators that can take you to all three dining spaces.
The Rooftop Garden Patio offers a panoramic view of the city from its Yonge-Eglinton location.
Filled with custom-made furnishings, all by local producers, the second floor’s Tavern Room embodies the feel of classic American bistros, with a view of the open kitchen. Besides old French-style cast brass countertops that are faced with creamy green Connemara Marble, there are plush leather-lined booths surrounding a gleaming central bar where there’s high-top seating for smaller parties.
Besides a semi-private dining room, the floor is also home to an eye-catching Mexican tile mosaic of a pink sunset over
the Canadian Shield’s islands and forests. The commissioned piece runs the length of the west wall and took a local artist four months to complete.
Housed in a new glass-enclosed rooftop structure on the third floor, the Montgomery Room is light and airy, and has
modular seating that allows it to also function as a private event space for up to 100 people. The fully accessible room is outfitted with a stunning mahogany ceiling that’s designed to mimic a zig-zagging garden trellis, a gorgeous U-shaped bar that’s lit by a luminous rose dome, canvas chairs and brown quarry tiles, and walks out to the Rooftop Garden.
Doing their version of steak frites, the dish spotlights a 10-ounce prime picanha/top sirloin from Cumbrae’s that’s served with hand-cut fries.
Available for private events and as an add-on to the Montgomery Room, the Rooftop Garden Patio can cater to up to 100 guests and offers a panoramic view of the city. you might see bar manager Niko Conti shaking and stirring custom
cocktails inspired by international destinations.
When it comes to food, there’s no holding back in quality and craftsmanship when industry stalwarts Cumbrae’s and Terroni come together. The American-Italian bistro fare found on the extensive menu is a collaboration between Alexander, Mammoliti with Pasquini and Ward, and features approachable, share-friendly dishes ranging from calamari fritti to whole rotisserie chicken. There’s also Terroni’s classic funghi assoluti salad, hand-crafted pastas and pizza, and sustainable farmed steaks, all using the same premium ingredients found in their ground-floor grocery. There’s weekend brunch with dishes such as soft scrambled eggs with freshly shaved black truffle, avocado toast and house-made boudin blanc with vegetables.
Lobster and shrimp roll stuffs a toasted pain brioche with a generous filling made of the poached crustaceans, mayo, lemon, chili, tomato and chives.
Sommelier and Wine Director Drew Innes has chosen a value-driven and unconventional wine list that showcases
predominantly smaller producers, including those from Italy, which the group imports exclusively for the space. He has
created a unique program, where guests who’ve enjoyed their restaurant wine experience can then pick up a bottle
with a similar profile downstairs at Stock TC. Oenophiles will likely encounter revelatory experiences, where on one visit an unlikely pairing of an Alsatian pinot gris was a superb match to steak frites.
2388 yonge St.
416-489-1020
stocktc.com
VELA
An homage to the Grand Hotel lobby bar, this dreamy project is a modern-day Copacabana—from the dramatic entrance and its carved-out design, up to the standing champagne bar that opens into a cavernous 4,000-square-foot space. The fresh, contemporary room has a 1920s vibe weaving throughout its gusseted seafoam leather banquettes, leather facing bar, white Carrera marble tables and a stunning undulating molded ceiling with integrated LED lighting.
Full of layers and textures, the modern homage is a blend of original exposed brick and timber with refined, polished finishes.
Guests have the choice of 160 seats divided among intimate booths, cozy dining room tables, 20 counter seats lining the open kitchen and bar, plus more at its low-seating lounge. Those who enjoy dining outside can do so on their 2,000-square-foot covered CaféTO patio that’s divided between an umbrella-covered garden patio on the south end
and a pergola-covered section on the north.
Diners will be thrilled to find a menu that pays tribute to the timeless seasonal New American fare typically encountered in five-star boutique hotels. There’s light and fresh raw seafood, like the Hamchi Crudo, and the crowd-pleasing Wedge Salad that happens to be completely plant-based and gluten-free.
The classic wedge salad gets a modern plant-based spin topping a thick slice of iceberg with an umami-rich, tahini-miso ranch dressing, crisp sunflower “chorizo,” tomatoes, red onions, radish and fresh herbs, including dill. There’s the option to add chicken, shrimp or salmon to the vegan/gluten-free/nut-free dish for an additional cost.
Find traditional mains that include a 24-ounce, dry-aged ribeye with sides next to cashew torchon and artichoke cakes
that don’t contain foie gras or crab (but are uncanny mimics). Besides lunch and weekend brunch (think hot in-room dining breakfast spreads), there’s a shortlisted Room Service menu that’s available all day into late night.
BC Steelhead trout is lovingly pan-seared until crispy and sits on an ethereal pool of non-dairy ajo blanco, with charred grapes and finished with an herb oil and toasted almonds.
There’s sure to be a tipple for every taste in the bar. Cocktails here are divided into four sections, including a focus
on champagne-based, spirit-forward “vacation drinks” that are inspired by international cities, whimsical “reality check” that take their cue from movies and a 30-deep list devoted to finessed Global Classics.
Taking luxury to another level, the caviar sandwich crams eight grams of sustainable Canadian Northern Divine caviar with creme fraiche, shallots and chives between two pan-toasted slices of milk bread. Topped with cured egg yolk, there’s also a gluten-free option.
Teetotallers are well taken care of with thoughtful placebo cocktails. Meanwhile, those who love bubbly will be delighted that the restaurant places a spotlight on champagne and its sparkling cousins. The Old World dominated wine list showcases everything from skin contact and Ontario producers to coveted vintages secured at auction.
602 King St. W. (entrance on Portland St.)
416-364-1111
velatoronto.com
