| rev:text
| - Rain looks like a flash-in-the-pan restaurant, and sometimes acts like a flash-in-the-pan restaurant, but overall, the food has depth and quality, and displays an impressive level of invention.
The Rubino Brothers seem to have their sights set on something bigger than food, or at least on something bigger than Rain. Their series on Food Network Canada ("Made to Order") began in the kitchens of Rain and (the now defunct) Luce, but these days, it's more about the jet-setting brothers on a quest to "top this."
That's why I'm surprised and pleased that the food is still very good, and nearly every night I've been there, the Rubinos have been on the premises. Evidently, they still care about Rain, and consequently, so do I.
Rain's menu consists of plates that are smaller than standard entrees and larger than tapas. Diners are encouraged to order several items from the menu and share them. The restaurant also offers a tasting menu that changes frequently.
Guy Rubino deftly melds Asian and Italian flavors. He seems to have an unusually deep understanding of Asian flavors and while his work isn't subtle, it works beautifully. Several of the plates offer three variations on the specific ingredient; this trend is overexposed, but at Rain it's possible to appreciate the intent; you feel as though Rubino is trying to explore the ingredient more than dazzle you. A couple menu highlights: Kurobota pork and persimmons, and any preparation of Arctic char or Wagyu beef is worth ordering.
Robert Gonsalves is the most inventive pastry chef in Toronto; Rain is lucky to have him. His creations are constantly changing so instead of recommending something in particular, let me suggest that you choose desserts that feature the most unlikely combination of ingredients or flavors. You'll be rewarded.
The wine list is adequate - not over-large - and the wines are well-chosen to complement the menu.
A few words about the restaurant itself. It's pretty cool... spare, contemporary, Asian-influenced, like the food... but it's a bit cold and impersonal. The restaurant is certainly intimate, but that's not the same as feeling at home in the space. And the service is sometimes equally chilly. I've been there enough to have reached the conclusion that this is what the Rubinos prefer. But I'd love even a hint of warmth. It makes the experience more memorable.
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