It’s Valentine’s Day, ladies. Who here is on the hunt for a good-looking bloke?
We’re starting our search at new King West resto-lounge Bloke & 4th.The 7,000-sq.-foot venue has been transformed into a sleek, handsome space with seating for 150 on one side and a bar and dance floor on the other.
The local, seasonal menu tempted us with apps made for sharing, including fire-roasted shrimp with guacamole ($17) and smoked chicken drumettes ($16). We’ll be back for the chicken confit on a sweet potato waffle ($26) and yellow fin tuna with calamari ($26). We’ll fortify ourselves with a gin lavender lemonade before breaking out our best dance moves.
We might not find true love, but a great night out is the next best thing.
Bloke & 4th
www.blokeand4th.com
401 King St. West (at Spadina Ave.)
416-477-1490
We’ve often wished for the perfect spot to chill out and enjoy a hearty gourmet meal – and now our prayers have been answered.
Church Aperitivo Bar, housed in a former church on Queen West, serves up a menu of blessedly delicious traditional Italian fare like melt-in-your-mouth veal and pork meatballs ($8) and praise-worthy tagliatelle with wild mushrooms and truffle oil ($11 or $36 shared).
The cocktails are equally divine. We’ll be returning to have more of The Saint ($15), a mix of vanilla vodka, prosecco, Cointreau and apricot nectar. Need further incentive? Appetizers are free from 5pmto 6:30pm Tuesday to Saturday when you purchase a drink.
Let’s just call this our new place of worship.
Church Aperitivo Bar
www.churchaperitivobar.com
1090 Queen St. W. (at Dovercourt Rd.)
416-537-1090
We’ve always considered the signoff “yours truly” to be rather romantic – you could say we’re the sentimental type.
So when we heard about the opening of Ossington eatery Yours Truly, we knew we had to check it out.
Post-prix fixe dinner service, the restaurant’s focus turns to a cocktail menu(including signature drinks like the Vanilla Pisco Sour, $11) and delectable snack plates for sharing. The lobster roll served on brioche bread ($14) is so tasty and fresh that it won over even the East Coast lobster-roll purists among us, while the delicious pork ssäm on lettuce is sure to be habit-forming.
In fact, as each plate was set in front of us, we had a sentimental message in return.
“Be mine.”
Yours Truly
www.yours-truly.ca
229 Ossington Ave. (south of Dundas St. W.)
416-533-2243
Our resolution to cut down on carbs has already gone down the drain.
And, yeah, we’ll play the blame game. It’s all Piola’s fault – the international pizza chain has just set up shop on Queen West, and we’re powerless to resist.
We’d planned on having just a taste, but instead devoured slice after slice. Themozzarella di bufula ($18) and the capricciosa (mozzarella, ham, mushrooms and artichokes, $16) were both simply divine.
At that point caution had been thrown to the wind, so we also enjoyed a nibble of pillowy gnocchi pompei in tomato sauce ($13) and a sip of Piola’s signature Villa Hibiscus cocktail (made with Prosecco and sweet hibiscus flower, $11), too.
As for those resolutions, we figure there’s always next year, right?
Piola
www.piola.it
1165 Queen St. West (east of Dufferin St.)
416-477-4652
From: Sweetlife
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