Hello! If you’re reading this (and you live in the northern hemisphere), it means you’re through the coldest and darkest months of the year. We made it!! Spring is upon us, and with it the promise of a fresh start because, respectively, what the fuck was that (the beginning of 2025)?!
The world’s on fire, sometimes literally, and every time I go online, things seem to have only gotten worse. In da clerb, we all dissociating.
Whenever I’m feeling drained, I have to remind myself to do things that will actually improve my wellbeing and make me a more engaged person instead of choosing vices or cheap dopamine that only provide a temporary moment of relief or distraction.
Going out to eat is one of those things. So, this newsletter’s hit list is exactly that: Where I go for comfort food in Toronto.
Creating this newsletter also fills my cup, so thanks for being here. In this dispatch, you’ll find where I’ve been dining lately, what’s new in Toronto restaurants, plus a review of Matty Matheson’s swanky and spendy Prime Seafood Palace.
If you’re new, welcome! I’m Meredith, a Toronto-based writer, and this Substack is my online home for the things that keep me up at night (food, travel, feelings, etc). It’s a place that embraces the mess, shares honestly, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It's mostly about what I'm eating and where I'm going, but it's also about finding joy in the unexpected and the underrated. I hope you’re hungry.
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Toronto restaurants: Where I’ve eaten lately
Prime Seafood Palace (review)
My family are steak people. We like our T-bones and sirloins rare, and if you don’t, we’ll wonder who let you into our home. Ever since I can remember, Friday night has meant steak night at our place. So, naturally, Prime Seafood Palace fit the bill for a big night out.
Don’t let the name fool you, PSP is a steakhouse at its core. But it doesn’t look or feel like one. There’s no dark wood or red leather banquettes or a bunch of Bay Street suits with serviettes tucked into their crisp collars. The vibe is lively, the music—usually old school rock or '90s grunge—is loud, and the main dining room makes you feel like you’re inside a very large, luxe wooden lobster trap.
Sitting beneath the barrel vaulted ceiling, made up of 12,000 pounds of wood, is quite something. Sitting on the heated Japanese toilet inside the grey marble bathroom that extends two glorious stories above you is also very nice.
Every detail is thoughtfully considered without being ostentatious. The touches are as timeless, warm, and sturdy as the Canadian maple that envelops the whole space. It’s almost minimalistic in the sense that there’s not a high degree of fuckery or distraction, just beautiful raw materials made even more beautiful in their new surroundings.
This respect for quality materials trickles down to the food, too. Premium ingredients need very little done to them, and it’s clear that PSP puts a lot of effort into their sourcing (reflected in their prices $$$).
We were offered 60 oz of Australian Wagyu beef on a literal silver platter. But when we found out the marbled beauty cost more than $600, we noped out of that real hard. Instead, we opted for the Palace Cut prime rib roast and the côte de boeuf, which was plenty of food for four carnivores (we had lots of leftovers the next day).
Both cuts offer a totally different experience. The prime rib is rich and buttery and reminds me of Christmas dinner. The côte de boeuf has a smoky, caramelized flavour and a little more integrity to it from the bone and crust, charred expertly over the kitchen’s impressive wood fire. The steaks here are tender, delicious, and top-tier—as they should be because you pay top dollar for them.
Do I enjoy a bone-in ribeye at The Keg just as much for a fraction of the price? Yes. But we’re not at The Keg. We’re at the palace, baby, and no, sides aren’t included. Before we even got to the mains, we had already done some damage. The steak tartare, while totally unnecessary given the 60 ounces of beef we had just ordered, was a highlight.
To me, it’s the goldilocks of steak tartare. Not too classic, not overly complex. It was just the right amount of tang and texture—thanks to a crunchy coating of toasted sesame seeds. It’s also served with buttered toast, which we very much appreciated.
The shrimp cocktail was a big flop. When a plain white ramekin with four shrimpy looking shrimp landed on our table, I nearly croaked. There is a difference between restraint, and not even trying. There was no finesse, no garnish, no passion.
To make matters worse, the cocktail sauce was overly spiced, probably in an effort to distract us from how disappointing and expensive ($32!!) the whole thing was. I should have brought up my concerns to our very kind server, but instead I looked him in the eye and said, “Wow! Thank you!”
The side of carrots was also a disappointment. They were overcooked, either overly steamed or boiled, which is wild to me considering they have a wood-fired hearth that would have given them the perfect char. Choosing to steam or boil when you have a roaring wood fire at your fingertips is like being given a Ferrari and opting for a Ford Fiesta. It just doesn’t make sense.
Luckily, our dismay faded into pillowy Yorkshire puddings and 26 layers of duck fat potatoes. The crispy towers of fried goodness—dubbed the Palace Potatoes—are a masterpiece. Rich and fluffy on the inside with a crackly, salted golden-brown outside. The steaks may own the place, but the potatoes are the crown jewels.
Just as our pants were starting to dig into our full bellies, the short and sweet dessert menu landed on the table and we couldn’t resist. An elite slice of chocolate cake, a perfect piece of key lime pie with toasted meringue, and several scoops of rich (vegan!) chocolate sorbet later, we were just about sick of ourselves. But perhaps that is the point of PSP: a chance to indulge in absolute gluttony that stretches your waistband and your wallet, a night of escapism from yourself and your sad desk salads. I don’t know if I can afford to go back.
Enigma *hosted
This bougie Yorkville restaurant is all caps MAXIMALIST. It looks like the Michelin man exploded in here. The toilet is gold, the tiny dishes have like 40 different components to them, and the ingredients are often so far removed from their original state that you can barely recognize them.
While this style of food isn’t exactly my cuppa (I gravitate towards more homestyle cooking), it was fun to try something different, and I do appreciate the quality and level of technique that goes into every element. Chef Quinton and the kitchen team are not only creative, but they also have the skills to pull some wild things off.
I’m still thinking about the lush Scottish steelhead salmon with a beetroot veil and horseradish “snow” (is it even fine dining if there’s no liquid nitrogen?). When the savoury horseradish melted, it added a creamy, unexpected flavour and texture that enhanced the whole dish. It was pretty fricken cool.
Better Half
My better half and I just discovered this cutie east-end pizza parlour. It reminds me of a '70s basement (heavy on the wood panelling and vintage signs), except there’s craft beer, natural wine, and North of Brooklyn pizza, which tastes even better when it’s fresh out of the oven.
Gio Rana's Really Really Nice
Another east-end gem affectionally called “The Nose” (you can’t miss the giant schnoz above the front door). I would say very few restaurants get “the vibe” right. Often they’re overly curated or a carbon copy of something done before. Gio Rana's has the kind of neighbourhood vibe you can only get from being around for 36 years.
The dishes and service are comforting and unpretentious. Sit up at the bar and have a rigatoni bolognese with a glass of normal red wine that the bartender keeps refilling just because, listen to exclusively early 2000s bangers, have a shot of limoncello on the house. Bellissimo.
Toronto restaurants: What’s new / coming soon
Lao Supper Club at Dao’s Cafe - Every Sunday this underrated Davenport Road spot hosts a 10-course tasting menu of from-scratch Lao cuisine. There are only 4 tables so it feels like a private dining experience. Plus, you get to take home a bottle of house-made hot sauce.
Zia’s Place - Collab between pasta Queen Jess Maiorano (Pasta Forever) and Parkdale's Happy Coffee and Wine coming this spring to Dundas West. Hand-made pasta, southern Italian dishes, vintage cool aunt vibes.
Tatsuro’s - Leslieville’s coffee-pasta-toast mashup we didn’t know we needed.
Bisteccheria Sammarco - It’s been a long time coming for this new steakhouse from the folks behind Osteria Giulia and Giulietta. Hopefully a spring opening is on the table because I’m very excited about the dry-aged Cumbrae’s steaks they’ll be serving.
Kensei Bar - Japanese kissaten (vinyl listening bars) and retro '70s aesthetic are trending big time in Toronto and you can tune into both at this new snack bar on Dundas West.
Ayla - another retro moment on Dundas West, but this time it’s a love letter to Hong Kong with an interesting (slightly confusing) menu that takes flavour inspo from all over the world.
My hit list: Toronto’s most comforting bites
Where I go and what I eat for emotional support
Yummy Yummy Dumplings, a mom-and-pop spot in Chinatown with some of the best piping hot pockets of joy (dumplings): pan-fried, steamed, soup, they’re all so good
Taverne Bernhardt’s rotisserie chicken is like Swiss Chalet with dress pants on. And by that I mean it’s infinitely better than the Canadian chicken chain, all while filling the void in my ‘90s kid heart for slow-roasted birds, gravy, and sodium
I love a smash burger, but sometimes I just want a big chuck daddy. The prime rib burger from The Comrade, The Station Burger from Richmond Station, and the half-chuck, half-brisket burg from Danny’s Pizza Tavern hold a special place in my chubby soul
The amatriciana pasta from Enoteca Sociale is probably my favourite pasta in the city. They’re so generous with the guanciale (crispy pops of salt-cured pork jowl)
Oroshi Fish Co. for sushi that’s fancier than standard takeout but nowhere near as pricey as omakase. I was skeptical about their dry-aged fish, but it’s some of the freshest-tasting, most buttery sushi I’ve had
Not a brunch person, but I will ride at dawn (after 10:30 a.m.) for the following: Hastings Snack Bar, a Gold Standard breakfast sandy, Maha’s Egyptian Brunch, BBs Diner, George Street Diner, a bagel and lox from Schmaltz Appetizing
Korea House on Bloor West - one of the oldest Korean restaurants in Toronto. Their legendary hot stone bibimbap could cure any evil
For ramen, Oji Seichi in East Chinatown always hits the spot
The smoked brisket sandwich from SumiLicious Smoked Meat & Deli is a masterpiece and always worth the trip to Scarborough. It’s marinated in a secret dry rub for ten days then smoked and steamed for hours. Clear your schedule for a nap after