Introducing: Smoked and Cracked, a new lobster shack on Mount Pleasant
Name: Smoked and Cracked
Neighbourhood: Davisville
Contact Info: 516 Mount Pleasant Rd., 647-748-5722, smokedandcracked.com
Owners/Chefs: Catering vets Michael Kash and Ron Raymer, who trained under James Beard Award recipient Jean-Marie Lacroix
The Food: A short blackboard menu of lobster rolls, chowders, slaws and boils. Among the non-crustaceous offerings: a smoked duck breast panini with Swiss and deep-dish butter tarts that sell out early.
The Drinks: House-made anise iced tea and vanilla lemonade. A liquor license is in the works.
The Place: A simple white room with mismatched furnishings and marine-themed tchotchkes, including 11 dried starfish, two decorative portholes and a lobster trap.
The Numbers: • 1,000 lobsters sold since opening day • $800 for a private, 15-person lobster boil (including booze) • 40 live lobsters shipped in daily from the East Coast • 3 pints of Guinness (each) before the owners officially decided to open the restaurant
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.
