Name: Farmer’s Daughter Eatery
Neighbourhood: Junction Triangle
Contact Info:1588 Dupont, 416-546-0626, @DupontDaughter
Owner: Darcy MacDonell, who also owns the nearby Farmhouse Tavern
Chef: Swiss-born Léonie Lilla’s impressive resume includes Daishō, The Libertine, Oliver and Bonacini Café Grill and Rodney’s by Bay.
The Food: If Farmhouse is a carnivore’s mecca, then MacDonell’s new eatery will have pescatarians pilgrimaging to the Triangle. Fish, bivalves and mollusks are the focus at Farmer’s Daughter, where seafood is worked into nearly every dish, even the burger and the croque madame. A letter board lists ambiguous offerings such as “heart and soul” (beef heart tartare) and “veg on veg” (curried roasted cauliflower with chickpeas and tomatoes and mustard greens). The vague dish descriptions allow Lilla flexibility to modify her dishes with in-season produce. Unlike its progenitor, there is no specific Ontario bent at the Farmer’s Daughter.
The Drinks: Renata Clingen (The Rushton, Cafe Belong) set up the alcohol program, which features an international wine list and creative cocktails like the Tell Tale Heart, made with beef heart fat–infused bourbon.
The Place: The space is divided between traditional table seating and bar seating along the eastern wall of the restaurant. Black subway tiles, a gigantic whiteboard that doubles as a backbar and geometric barstools that look like they were plucked from Picasso’s blue period make the space unapologetically modern.
The Numbers:
• 700 letters purchased to make the menu boards (Macdonell is still short enough letters to finish the last board) • 90% of the wine list is made up of international vinos • 38 seats plus another 40 on the patio •20 venues west of Yonge viewed before MacDonell decided on this location (he almost opened in Little Italy) •6 feature cocktails •5 apps, 5 mains, 5 brunch items •4-day work weeks (the restaurant is open Thursday through Sunday) •1 month of renos to transform the crusty Portuguese sports bar •0 paper menus •1 brunch item featuring a frog
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