Introducing: Farmer’s Daughter Eatery, a pescatarian destination in the Junction Triangle
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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- A surf ’n' turf burger piles a pretzel bun with a beef patty, deep-fried haddock, red cabbage slaw and pickles. Served with Yukon frites and house ketchup, $18.
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- Beef heart tartare with salsa verde cradled in a beef bone and toped with pickled Cincinnati radishes and bone marrow pebbles. What’s a bone marrow pebble? Well, it’s those goat cheese looking crumbles. Lilla melts and strains the bone marrow and then binds it with a tapioca starch, $12.
- Introducing: Farmer's Daughter Eatery
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- The plate is painted with squid ink vinaigrette and then piled high with bouquet garni-poached octopus, mussels, sunchoke puree, sunchocke chips, red dandelion and finished with marjoram, $20.
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- The traditional french breakfast sandwich gets a surf ’n’ turf makeover with crab-celery root remoulade, aged white cheddar and prosciutto. A sunny side up egg sits atop the rye-bread ‘wich, $14
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 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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I can’t wait to give the place a try. Looks delicious.
Too expensive for the area. The food is way too complicated (pretentious) and mediocre at best. The server was awesome…too bad; she need to find a new job soon.
Wow. Steak frites was ridiculously good. Eggplant curry stupid good. The combination of flavours all together was really, memorable. Two weeks later, I’m craving…everything. The service on the Sunday night I was there was flawless, spoke with the chef later whom was charming and clearly passionate. The owner was running, literally, back and forth to both restaurants – who doesn’t respect that. I used to work for Food Network, I’ve toured Canada with the best chefs and spent crazy amount of money on clients with my expense account – this was by far, THE best meal I have ever had. Will be back asap. Lorraine.