Posted by Greg Clow in restaurant closings, restaurant news, restaurant openings on September 17, 2007 at 7:54 am
It's always been a bit of a mystery where Middle Eastern restaurant Kensington Kitchen (124 Harbord Street) got it's name, considering that it's not in Kensington Market. And now they're not anywhere at all, as the Harbord Street mainstay has closed up shop. A posting the window promises that they'll be reopening in a new location, but no information was given on where or when.
Also recently closed is mediocre sushi joint Red Fuji Sushi (930 King Street West), which was quickly replaced with a much better sushi joint dubbed 930 Sushi. Run by a friendly Japanese couple, 930 features remarkably fresh and well-prepared fish, especially given their moderate prices.
A few months after it was first announced, the new restaurant from partners Scot Woods (ex-Habitat) and Simon Bower (former owner of YYZ and Mercer Street Grill) finally has a name: Lucien (36 Wellington Street East). As for the food, Toronto Life reports that "Woods promises modern twists on familiar fare", which is what pretty much every chef in Toronto promises when they're opening a new place. Perhaps the places where Woods has put in shifts since leaving Habitat (Kaiseki-Sakura, The Healthy Butcher, and Chicago's Alinea) will have some influence on what comes out of Lucien's kitchen when they open later this month.
Over in Cabbagetown, classic Italian fine dining spot Angelini's (504 Jarvis Street) has returned 18 months after it closed to make way for Gooderham House. Owner Ida Angelini, who ran Angelini's in the location since 1981 and lives upstairs in the 1890s mansion that houses the restaurant, retired in 2006 and sold the business to Gooderham House partners Bret Snider and Gerard Caleo, but the partnership was dissolved late last year, and the restaurant closed in July. Angelini's has been back and serving customers both old and new since August 29th.
While his ChefDB listing hasn't yet been updated, it appears that Paul Boehmer has quickly recovered from his sudden departure from Cluck Grunt & Low, and is now in the kitchen at the Rosewater Supper Club (19 Toronto Street). Perhaps he wanted to be close to Six Steps (53-55 Colborne Street), where he is still listed as "Executive Chef".
As Corey warned in his article about Perola's (247 Augusta Avenue) back in July, the ladies who made the pupusas in the back on the store on the weekends are no longer there due to the retirement of head pupusa lady Irma. However, all is not lost, as they've been replaced with a new stand serving tacos, tamales and other Mexican delights. Look for them on Fridays through Sundays.
If you have a scoop to share about the local food & restaurant scene, please let us know so we can include it in a future edition of T.O. Tidbits.
