Review: Me and Mine makes comfort food chic on the College West strip
Me and Mine ★½ 1144 College St., 416-535-5858
Chef-owners Joel MacMillan and Melissa da Silva designed their restaurant on a budget, creating a minimalist design of white walls and blond pine tables. At night, the hanging Edison bulbs radiate a warm glow, and a mixed crowd of neighbourhood millennials and boomers fill the room. In the kitchen, MacMillan and da Silva use familiar ingredients in innovative ways.
Explosively juicy pork meatballs, laced with fennel and maple, combine the best of Italian and Canadian flavours. A rich, sweet pumpkin seed tahini elevates the fluffy carrot-millet croquettes. And a flaky-crusted chicken-parsnip pie unleashes a creamy stew when you cut into it. The only disappointment is a trout, which is tender and sweet, but sided with a boring lump of malt vinegar–smashed potatoes. A soft linzer slathered in apple butter is a highlight off the dessert list. The wine list is as spare as the room, listing only four Ontario bottles.
