Out of Town

The Fat Beet

MIDDLE EASTERN This Middle-Eastern-meetsIndian joint in a suburban strip mall makes tasty dishes. Hockey puck–size courgette fritters are fat with minced halloumi, and fries dusted with sumac come with a powerful whipped garlic dip. Thalis (haute street food here) involve a dozen steel dishes filled with curries, dhals, tangy condiments and buttery, hot-from-the-oven herbed pita. Panfried halibut is good but slightly overcooked, its salad of bitter greens, coconut and peanuts a lemony counterpoint to the buttery fish. It all goes perfectly with an ultra-thick mango lassi. 7330 Yonge St., Thornhill, 905-597-8081. $$WVA

Moji

JAPANESE Amid the heavily packed food courts, noodle houses and dim sum halls of Markham’s New Kennedy Square, Moji’s unpolished Pinterest aesthetic stands out. Bowls filled with thick cuts of grilled eel dunked in teriyaki, and served with edamame and soy-boiled egg, come with sides of kelp-and-miso soup. Takoyaki fans can choose melted cheese, spicy mayo or chopped avocado to top rounds of tempurabattered octopus and shaved bonito. If the jars of freshly brewed teas, chock full of tapioca pearls, fruit pulp and grated ginger, aren’t enough for dessert, soft-serve towers of matcha and taro ice cream—festooned with crushed Oreos, marshmallows and Pocky sticks—should do the trick. 8362 Kennedy Rd., 905-479-6654. $WV

Port Restaurant

INTERNATIONAL At this restaurant perched on Frenchman’s Bay, seafood is beautifully prepared: East and West Coast oysters are pristine, ancho-spiced grilled squid served with an heirloom tomato chimichurri and avocado cream is incredibly tender, and salmon is cooked rare as requested but with crispy salted skin. Subtly sweet cornbread and tangy cabbage and fennel slaw are the ideal partners for spicy fried chicken. Excellent desserts, like the cinnamony crème brûlée, are all made in-house—but another glass of wine on the lakeside patio is just as nice. 1289 Wharf St., Pickering, 905-839-7678. $$$WOVE