The Grand Elvis

Anthony Rose’s thing is to make everything big and, when possible, bigger. Whole heads of roasted cauliflower, patty melts topped with a fried egg, and fat—good-for-you, flavourful fat—on everything. (One of his businesses is called Schmaltz Appetizing, if there were any doubts.) So maybe it’s not a total surprise that he closed his still-popular side-by-side restaurants Rose and Sons and Big Crow, then reopened them as one decadent-to-the-hilt spot inspired by the King himself. On the menu: mascarpone-enriched grits, grilled thick-crust pizzas heaving with whole balls of burrata and a city garden’s worth of rapini, Nashville-style hot chicken topped with pimento cheese and roasted peanuts, and, of course, a half-pound bacon cheeseburger with suet mixed into the chuck for good measure. The wine list includes no less than 15 magnums, some of which get opened and sold by the glass. But the most notable addition is the massive charcoal grill at the back of the covered outdoor dining area, said to reach the hottest temperatures in the country. Almost everything on the menu gets a turn in the flames, including my favourite item, a bowl of B.C. mussels. They also prove that even small things can make a sizable impression.

The Grand Elvis, 176 Dupont St., thegrandelvis.com

Anthony Rose (centre), and the Grand Elvis crew
Fried Nashville hot chicken with pimento cheese and peanuts
Chef de cuisine Jeff Richards plays with fire
The half-pound bacon cheeseburger has suet mixed into the chuck (of course)