IN Toronto magazine

Ortolan is by far the best restaurant in Bloordale, but many are saying it’s the first in what will soon become an onslaught of trendy spots along the Bloor West strip — the new Ossington, some say, but without the Liberty Village suburban expats. Fittingly, Ortolan is the brain child of restauranteur partners from Delux and Pizzeria Libretto, both Ossington staples.

The space is quaint and quiet, seating just more than 20 people with a small reclaimed wood bar and pared-down, but chicly designed, table tops and chairs. Sitting in the window is the real spot for nosh and drinks.

People watching on Bloor West is a mix between young lezzie moms, a variety of street people and old guys coming out of either Duffy’s or the House of Lancaster nearby.

The menu is à la carte from the blackboard. You pick your appetizer, main and side as well as wine and beer from an edited list on the board. Taxes are included in the prices, which struck me as a nice change.

We went all out with the rabbit rillette ($10), which came with bread and peppered mustard, the skirt steak ($18), the trout with chantrelle mushrooms ($18), and new potatoes and green beans ($7), and red cabbage ($7) as sides. Everything was delicious. The rillette was like a pâté with your dough bread, the trout was cooked beautifully, moist and light right through, and the sides were just the right amount of crunchy and comforting. The steak was a little dry, but it was a minor bump in the road. Including two glasses of wine and a beer, the tab came to just under $100 for two people, which wasn’t bad, except we were expecting slightly closer to mid-point between the food, décor and service. It didn’t feel crosstown enough for the price point, but the food was good.

We liked our server, although it was hard to tell if the service is good since we were the only people in the restaurant, so how could they go wrong?
Long story short: Worth checking out, great for a date.

ORTOLAN 5pm onwards. Tue-Sat. No reservations. No wheelchair access. 1211 Bloor St. W. (647) 348-4500.