Plating up the week’s restaurant news, featuring news on Parkdale's Maialino Enoteca Italiana, Sichuan Secret Restobar in the Annex, and the impending closure of The Real Jerk.
Openings
■ The Axis Gastropub at 585 Bloor St. W. (at Markham St. #ANX) will become Sichuan Secret Restobar at the end of January. It will have an “extensive Sichuan-style menu,” a large patio, and a lounge setting with wine and beer. While there is no shortage of bars in the Annex, there is a lack of Chinese restaurants, so it’ll be interesting to see how it’s received.
■ Just in time for Valentine’s Day is Speakeasy at Revival Bar (783 College St., at Shaw. #COL), a dinner cabaret, which will run several times a month, beginning on Feb. 14. Each night will feature a three-course prix fixe ($35 to $85), with such dishes as pappardelle, citrus and dill salmon, and roast chicken. The show—singers, aerial acrobatics and plenty of burlesque dancers—will begin during the dessert course.
■ Lucid Cocktail and Kitchen is slated to open at the end of the month at 571 Queen St. W. (at Denison. #QNW). It’s headed up by bar star Moses McIntee (Toca, Ame, Nota Bene), so expect unusual cocktails blasted with liquid nitrogen and drinks encased in frozen bubbles (seriously). A wood-burning pizza oven is being installed in the kitchen, where chef Robert Richardson (Boehmer) will execute a Mediterranean-style menu using Ontario ingredients.
■ Last month, Maialino Enoteca Italiana opened in Parkdale (1688 Queen St. W., at Roncesvalles. #PRK). Its modern Sicilian menu includes homemade pastas, braised rabbit and salumi.
Closing
■ It’s your last chance to visit The Real Jerk (709 Queen St. E., at Broadview. #RVS) before the restaurant is evicted at the end of the month. Be prepared for long waits—the place was packed for dinner last week.
Changes
■ After a month-long renovation, Golden Turtle Vietnamese restaurant (125 Ossington Ave., at Argyle. #OSS) reopened over the weekend with a spiffier interior. Most noticeable are the new light fixtures, a mural and a modern slate wall at the back.
