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Food & Drink

What’s on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life

By Caroline Aksich| Photography by Caroline Aksich
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What's on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life

Name: Skyline Neighbourhood: Parkdale Contact: 1426 Queen St. W., 416-536-3682 Owner: Siblings Maggie Ruhl (Dakota Tavern, The Ace) and Jud Ruhl (Wallflower, Three Speed) Chef: Peter Ramsay (Geraldine, Cowbell, Sidecar)

The food

Classic diner grub: burgers, club sandwiches, tuna melts and wedge salads. The menu is rounded out with a few fancier, non-greasy-spoon options like a niçoise salad and rotating daily specials like pan-fried halibut in a beurre blanc with fried capers and Ontario asparagus. On weekends, the restaurant serves belt-busting brunch plates.

What's on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life
Ontario smelts from Fisherfolk are dredged in corn starch, deep fried and tossed with salt and pepper. Served with lemon and house-made tartar sauce. $9.

 

What's on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life
The Skyline Special: a turkey salad sandwich with Metzger’s bacon, lettuce and tomato. It’s a twist on the original Skyline club, which was made with chicken salad. $13.

 

What's on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life
Blue mussels from P.E.I with shallots, cherry tomatoes, parsley, garlic, white wine and butter. They’re served with fries and house-made herbed soda bread. $12.

 

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What's on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life
The Banquet Burger: an eight-ounce house-ground patty made with chuck and brisket sourced from Oakville’s Woodward Meats. It’s topped with 12-year-old orange cheddar, Metzger’s bacon, lettuce, mayo, red onion, beefsteak tomato and pickles. Served with fries. $17.

 

What's on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life
Steak is aged and butchered in house, then grilled and sprinkled with Maldon salt. Served with fries and a vegetable (in this case, French beans in a Bearnaise sauce). $29.

 

What's on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life
House-made strawberry-rhubarb pie, served with a scoop of ice cream. $5.
The drinks

The old milk machine at the front has been retro-fitted into beer taps, from which eight (mostly local craft) brews are pulled. (Parkdale hipsters will be relieved to know PBR is available by the can.) The wine card is short and international, with by-the-glass options starting at $7.25. Cocktails are of the classic kind.

What's on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life
The space

The 69-seat room was flipped in eight weeks with many of the diner’s original features (red vinyl booths, the drop ceiling, dark wood accents) left untouched. They pulled up the carpet, polished the terrazzo flooring underneath and installed a 15-foot red banquette at the back of the restaurant. After 11 p.m., Skyline turns into a bar, and the Ruhl’s are planning to draw on their music scene connections to book entertainment.

What's on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life
What's on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life
Maggie and Jake Ruhl.

 

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What's on the menu at Skyline Restaurant, a retro diner with a new lease on life

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Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.

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