Laura Serra
From Saturday's Globe and Mail Published on Saturday, Jun. 28, 2008 12:00AM EDT Last updated on Friday, Mar. 13, 2009 12:11PM EDT
GRACE RESTAURANT
503 College St., Toronto
416-944-8884
It's like going home for dinner - if home is a Nantucket-style contemporary cottage, that is.
After a three-year stint in Los Angeles, Toronto restaurateur Lesle Gibson has returned to her roots and, to celebrate, she has opened a restaurant that serves up the comforts of home - from the food to the decor to the staff.
"I like to feel like I'm having a dinner party every night and I invited you to it," Gibson says.
The warm, rustic wood floors and chalet-chic palette of cream, oceanic-blue and linen set the mood. Guests can cozy up in the brown and eggshell suede-covered chairs and leather booths.
"I wanted to incorporate that whole calm kind of feel," she says. "Since I came home because of my family, I'm trying to tie it all in."
Walk through the courtyard in the middle of the restaurant for a backyard feel; it has a roof open to the elements, interlocking brick floors, an exposed brick wall and bushels of flowers in each corner.
You'll also think mom is cooking in the back with family favourites such as chicken pot pie ($18) and jazzed-up takes on such classics as asparagus salad with mini-potato ($10) and corn soup with crab fritter ($9) courtesy of chef Dustin Gallagher.
"Dustin came up with the whole modern farmhouse type of cuisine. It's like making Sunday dinner with family," Gibson says.
Ask about the cocktail of the day to make your drink selection an easy one. We recommend the strawberry basil mohini ($10), a perfect balance of salty and sweet.
Grace Restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 6 p.m., with Sunday brunches starting in the fall. Grace Upstairs, the second floor, will open in August for private dining.
STRAWBERRY BASIL MOHINI
1 ounce gin
1 ounce vodka
2 chopped basil leaves
Splash of fresh lime juice
Splash simple syrup
Grind ingredients and garnish with fresh lime
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