| rev:text
| - Queen West is a bit of a blessing and curse at the same time. On this street, you will find no shortage of restaurants, but finding the good ones requires a bit of digging or sometimes just pure luck. While it is a desired postal code to open up shop, the turnover only goes to show that you either sink or swim with all the intense competition. If you don't have the goods, you will drown on this strip.
Cue Lot Street, which for sixty years was the name of what we now know as Queen Street. It was one of the first "lots" laid out in the city of York (which we now call Toronto). Lot Street was renamed Queen Street in honor of Queen Victoria in 1837. The name also is an acronym:
L-ocally driven
O-ntario proud
T-oronto inspired
So much meaning in just the name itself; naturally the menu must be well thought out too? Aye.
Like many of its Queen West counterparts, Lot Street took over the space from Rus-Teak, one of the many furniture stores (another abundance on Queen Street) that shuttered its doors earlier last summer.
Remnants of the former tenant still linger. Tall ceilings, exposed brick, and supporting beams give off an almost industrial-feel but the banquettes and an open kitchen and bar which span almost half the length of the restaurant and sit side by side makes things a little cozier.
The cocktail menu, remains true to its Toronto roots with drinks like the Cherry Beach Manhattan; subbed with bourbon in place of whisky, with cinzano, cherry bitters + luxardo cherries. And while the bubbly and craft beers remain true to its "locally driven" motto - the wine list is only about 1/4 so.
The menu is divided into breads, meat and seafood, and vegetables and grain. A list of house preserves, charcuterie and cheese and oysters make for great noshes while enjoying a drink. You can also opt to "Let the chef decide" - with Peter Petruniak in the kitchen, you're in good hands. Maybe his previous mentor, Nic Prong at Ten Restaurant rubbed off on him (he quit law school to become a chef) and Petruniak traded in his calculator (formerly an accountant) for chef whites instead.
Of the offerings, the stand-out dishes for us are:
The roast local mushrooms topped with a golden fried egg. As a mushroom lover this dish gets top marks. It is served simply in its own pan jus with some radish and wild rice which are flavor-neutral enough to let the mushrooms' natural flavors come through.
The sesame brussels sprouts get an Asian makeover with garlic, chili, ginger and pear. While bacon is usually the preferred flavor-infuser of choice; it was not missed here. The sweet and savory coupled with the naturally intense flavor of sesame really makes this one a winner.
Funny enough, of the 2 pork dishes we order (ham hock with lentils + pork belly with pear, onion marmalade and celeriac puree); the belly definitely flops and the much cheaper cut of ham hock comes out guns blaring.
The duck confit lettuce wraps are served with kimchi and caramelize nicely in a hoisin glaze; the glaze saves you the trouble of having the smear on the sauce yourself like you have to when eating the traditional Peking duck wraps and the lettuce means you don't have to kill yourself for missing a night at the gym.
The smoked trout rosti ends up paling in comparison to the other flavor-packed dishes. The horseradish crema doesn't pack in the intensity it should and the already-mild cucumber fails to save the day. And maybe I've been eating too much sodium-laced, store-bought smoked trout, but the one here is also too "tame" for my taste buds. The saving grace are the rosti, which are fried to a golden brown and are chalked full of starchy deliciousness.
Lot Street is one of those places where there's a little bit for everyone. Those with non-meat-eating friends will be delighted as Petruniak doesn't alienate or insult with the usual rabbit-like "salads" to appease the vegetarian taste buds.
With the most expensive dish ringing in at $15, Lot Street allows you to eat your heart out without gouging your wallet. It is one of the rare occasions where I just order whatever I want to eat (though next time I might let Petruniak do all the choosing - it's only $35 a pop). And with drink specials 4 out of 7 days of the week and buck-a-shuck Wednesdays; you know I'll be back!
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)