Levack Block

Ossington Avenue between Queen St and College St is becoming the newest area for re-development. Every time I go by this new trendy area I discover new restaurants. Most of the area is a remnant from the past. I love to experience a mixed neighborhood like this.

Adam is the new daring owner of this restaurant. He named the place as homage to Levack who built the shops from 88 to 94, thus Levack Block. Adam is currently working on opening another new restaurant a few doors north. Within this block we saw 4 new restaurants. All of them maintain something from the past but still have a new look.

Levack Block has the restored brick wall. Make sure you take a good look at the four naughty black and white pictures on the wall. I love the large wooden bar that speaks of the past but has a new upgraded look. The floors are wooden. The furnishings are simple. The large back room becomes a dancing spot after hours.

My friend Nadia wanted to join me for dinner at this spot. She grew up on Dundas St at Ossington and wanted to re-visit her old neighborhood. She regaled me with stories about what it was like growing up here ‘a few years ago’.

Fiona was our server and she was absolutely delightful and more than willing to tell us about the restaurant and very knowledgeable about the menu. We loved her friendly manner.

The menu is small and so it should be. This is not a large place and I always say it is better to do a few things well.

The signature dish is the Straight Up Burger. ($11.00) A lamb and beef patty is served on a kaiser bun with greens, tomato, red onion and pickles. A house salad is included. The Levack Burger is also lamb and beef topped with voodoo onions and goat cheese with a mint yogurt spread.($13.00) Arugula, tomatoes and cucumber are also added for more taste. It is served with a side salad.

Nadia took her nostalgia to her dining choice. She ordered the Grilled Cheese Sandwich. ($9.00) Aged cheddar is melted between large slices of challah bread. It is served with a side salad. The portion was enormous and the taste was more than satisfying.

I opted for the Ravioli.($15.00) I think there was enough for 4 people. I loved the fact it was served in a large white bowl. This kept the delicious tasting ravioli from getting cool too fast. The pasta was filled with ricotta and spinach in a homemade sauce topped with parmesan. The sauce was so tasty and I found myself eating the sauce by the spoonful. The Stuffed Chicken Breast is herb marinated and stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese and arugula.($17.00) It is served with cous cous.

I was tempted by the Mediterranean Platter.($11.00) Warm pita, hummus, cous cous, cucumber, feta, olives, domata and marinated artichokes makes up this tempting platter.

We marveled at the giant platter of Nachos served to another table.($12.00) Monterey jack, cheddar, kalamata olives, salsa, sour cream, tomatoes and green onions are served with guacamole. It looked sufficient for the whole table and it looked mighty tempting.

I can’t wait to come back and see the new restaurant that Adam is constructing. Newspapers still covered the windows but I expect it will also be a success.

Nadia and I had a wonderful evening. We are both keen to come back and to discover more about this scene on Ossington Avenue.