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| - I really like this place. The Danforth really needed a fine-dining establishment that's on par in atmosphere and presentation with a Chicago steakhouse. It may seem a little intimidating to enter via stairs or the elevator, this is what gives the restaurant as much space at it has. And it's very spacious -- this would be a great place to host a party. It's tasteful and elegant, not gaudy. You could definitely impress a date here. While we were there, we saw couples and families with small children enjoying the dining room. So clearly, they can cater to a bunch of tastes.
I started with some cocktails. Order the Last Word, or try one of the beers -- they try to keep it local, with Kensington and others on tap. We also tried the fries with sage and parmesan from the bar menu, which were extra crispy. The Forth does half-price cocktails and $4 pints from 4:30-7, so that's a good way to try out their menu. With that said, we met with the sommelier during dinner and he was really friendly about explaining his choices for different parts of the menu. He wrote the wine menu himself and seemed really happy to geek out over wine and answer questions.
Downstairs, we tried the aged striploin (they cooked it as rare as we liked!), the sauteed wild mushrooms with garlic and herbs, (meaty and smoky and delicious), and the agnolotti in lemon cream sauce with pistachio brittle. The straciatelle in the agnolotti was a little bit gritty for my taste, but if you like traditional ricotta you'll enjoy it more. I also really enjoyed the tartness of the sauce against the mildness of the cheese.
Overall, I'd really like to see more people give this place a try. It's something new and different, but the co-owner grew up in the neighbourhood and really knows how to take care of people. The whole staff is friendly and helpful without being obsequious, and it seems like they have a plan in place for making things even better.
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