Top Five: Toronto’s best power lunch restaurants

Top Five: Toronto’s best power lunch restaurants

The best bets for draining an afternoon—and an expense account

(Image: Dave Gillespie)
1. The Chase

Five storeys above Yonge Street and the gleaming Ferraris parked out front, The Chase is the city’s hottest reservation. It’s less about the food—solid surf and turf, like grilled scallops and a whole chicken stuffed with foie gras—and more for the regular parade of Bay Streeters and Leafs. 10 Temperance St., 647-348-7000.

2. Drake One Fifty

Restaurateur Jeff Stober hopes to do for Bay Street what he did for Queen West a decade ago: make it cool. His new restaurant, decked out with more contemporary art than the MoMA, serves comfort food with a downtown tinge, like salt cod vichyssoise or the impressive lobster- and truffle-topped pizza. 150 York St., 416-363-6150.

3. Woods

Chef Bruce Woods, formerly of Modus and Centro, opened his elegant room earlier this year. The luxe menu includes a roasted Muscovy duck breast, foie gras with Saskatoon berry compote and the fanciest meatballs in town, stuffed with Pecorino fresco and served over al dente house-made spaghetti. 45 Colborne St., 416-214-9918.

4. Reds

Power brokers while away their lunch breaks over supertuscans and terrific bistro dishes, like the chicken club on sourdough and the juicy, hand-ground double-patty burger. 77 Adelaide St. W., 416-862-7337.

5. Canoe

From the 54th floor of Mies van der Rohe’s TD Tower, chef John Horne offers some of the finest Canadian food anywhere in the city, including such dishes as wild mushroom soup poured tableside and the restaurant’s classic tourtière. 66 Wellington St. W., 416-364-0054.