Queen West is getting a Rose and Sons

Anthony Rose is at it again, but this time he’s moving away from the empire he’s set up on Dupont. His new spot will be in the space left empty by Swan Restaurant. Just as he did with the 40-year-old People’s Diner, Rose is taking the iconic Queen West spot and making it his own, while leaving the old name intact (it will now be Swan by Rose and Sons). “It’s essentially got the same feeling as Rose and Sons,” says Rose. “You walk in, it’s old and it’s a little bit falling apart, but it’s just perfect.” The food will be a “lighter, more feminine” version of what’s on offer at his Dupont diner, and it will be more “California-driven,” whatever that means. “That’s where my roots are,” Rose says, “I learned to cook in San Francisco, so it’ll be a little San Franciso, California-dreaming kind of diner.” How does that translate on the menu? “Like, delicious.” The new Swan is scheduled to open this summer, which is great timing for the restaurant’s one new addition: a Trinity Bellwoods–facing patio out back. This isn’t the last project for Rose, though: he’s already in the midst of opening yet another spot. Bar Begonia will find a home on Dupont (of course) and will be within walking distance of Rose’s existing “holy trinity” of restaurants.