Little Italy restaurant Grace calls it quits after six years on College Street
When it opened in 2008, Grace stood out among Little Italy’s unremarkable collection of tired trattorias. Since then, the neighbourhood has experienced a restaurant renaissance. In 2011, Acadia moved in, followed shortly by La Carnita and Bar Isabel, turning the culinary dead zone into a dining destination on par with the busy Ossington strip. Now the pretty bistro at College and Palmerston is closing.
“The industry’s changed a lot since we opened,” says co-owner and sommelier Leslie Gibson. “We’ve had an amazing ride, but it felt like the right time to make a change.” During its six-year run, Grace helped propel the careers of a few prominent Toronto chefs, including former Acadia chef Dustin Gallagher and, most recently, executive chef Colin Moise. The restaurant’s final dinner service was last Saturday.
The closure is certainly a loss, but locals needn’t despair entirely. Rumour has it that a much-anticipated new restaurant will be moving into the space. Stay tuned for details.
