Leña — at its best in daylight
Leña
K (out of 4) GOOD
Address: 176 Yonge St. (at Richmond St. W.), 416-507-3378, lenarestaurante.com Chef: Julie Marteleira
Hours: Breakfast, Monday to Friday, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.; Brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Lunch, Monday to Friday, 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, Monday to Saturday, from 5 p.m. Reservations: Yes Wheelchair access: Yes Price: Lunch for two with wine, tax and tip: $130 Leña is a restaurant of many moods.
Efficient and enjoyable by day, trying at night, it is a new kind of Oliver & Bonacini (O&B) property that lets corporate executive chef Anthony Walsh break out of the something-for-everyone box.
It opened this August in a corner of the old Simpsons building, now Saks Fifth Avenue. A “substantial” makeover by the DesignAgency preserved the Art Deco touches while introducing colourful Mexican tiles and comfortable seating. It attracts shoppers and businessmen equally. Handsome washrooms recall a Roman pleasure garden while the down- stairs Bar Lala is all sensual curves and velvet couches. Casual charm Leña, O&B’s 14th property, is priced between nearby siblings Jump and Canoe.
In tone, though, Leña stands alone. This is a modern Latin restaurant, covering Spanish and South American cuisine; the staff drilled in menu knowledge. The mood is casual, from the denim uniforms to the reggae soundtrack.
Tables are so close, the waiter’s bum is in my face when he bends to take the next table’s order.
Leña is at its best in daylight, when the room thrums pleasantly and the service is snappy.
After dark, the energy can get frantic, with an ear-ringing din and long waits for food. Dinner swirl Nor does Leña put its best food forward at dinner. Patacas bravas ($8) are dry. Caesar salad ($16) is meh. Crab cazuela ($14) is like your aunt’s baked crab dip. Orange cake ($12) is cloying. Lamb costs $47 for three average-sized, fatty chops with a few green beans and some root vegetables.
“I feel it’s enough of a portion. You’re paying for the quality of the product,” says executive chef Julie Marteleira.
Labour-intensive spaghetti chitarra ($29) needs no justification: fresh pasta in a lusty red wine sauce with octopus and fava beans. Diced bone marrow melts richly on top. Si to ceviche Leña brings its A game to lunch, the only time ceviche ($17) is offered — a pity given the magic that happens when Arctic char meets zippy citrus. At least the killer empanadas ($13) — what happens when cuminy beef and green olives throw a party — can be ordered anytime.
There are other dishes to like at lunchtime, like the beautifully medium-rare steak ($28) with a South American side of perfectly fried cassava.
Beige poached chicken ($27) won’t win any beauty contests but is certainly congenial with its creamy potato purée.
Squiggly churros with molten spiced chocolate ($12) also hit the target. Break the fast At breakfast, the lattes ($5.50) are strong, and flaky pastries baked in O&B’s Arcadian Court commissary kitchen cover the bar.
The Full Gaucho ($19) is a deliciously Argentine take on the full English. The home fries, blood sausage and oregano flatbread are gloriously crusty. The fried egg yolks are runny, the red onions are pickled and the nutty jamon Iberico is sliced to order from a whole leg.
It is to the power breakfast what Diego Maradona is to little league soccer.
Walsh named Leña for his wife’s mother. No mother-in-law jokes here. The restaurant, while not faultless, deserves affection. apataki@thestar.ca, Twitter @amypataki