Posted by Greg Clow in restaurant closings, restaurant news, restaurant openings on April 7, 2008 at 8:13 am

It probably goes without saying that the biggest news on the Toronto food scene in the last couple of weeks has been the announcement that chef Susur Lee is leaving town to take on New York City with a restaurant in the new boutique hotel Thompson LES. This story has gotten coverage in the Star, the Post, the Globe (twice), and NOW, so there's not much to add that hasn't already been said.

The only question remaining is whether Susur (601 King West) will be closing for good on May 31st (as some sources say), or will be remodelled and reopened as a new restaurant under current sous chef Dominic Amaral (as others claim). Either way, next-door tapas restaurant Lee (603 King West) will remain intact no matter what happens to the mothership.

Sticking with local legends for a moment, Jamie Kennedy is putting the finishing touches on his newest venture, Jamie Kennedy Gilead Café (4 Gilead Place). Located in a space formerly occupied by his company's offices, the café will open at 8 AM each day to serve light breakfast fare, moving into simple lunches for the afternoon. There will be no dinner service, with evenings instead given over to private events, including cooking classes. Watch for a mid-April opening.

The owners of Splendido are planning a new project, although details are scarce so far. Job postings on Craigslist reveal it to be located near Queen & University and set to open June 1st, but that's about all we know at this time. And on the opposite end of the fancy-pants scale, Freshwood Grill is reportedly set to expand to a third location.

There's also some action to report on the part of the bigger chains. The Keg is about to open the doors at a new location near Yonge & Eglinton (2201 Yonge Street, to be exact), and the earls casual dining chain from out west are taking their first kick at the Ontario market at Square One in Mississauga.

Downtown, Jack Astor's and Milestone's are set to go head-to-head two different locations: in the Entertainment District, where a new Jack Astor's will be taking over the former location of Frisco's (133 John Street) across the street from a long-established Milestones (132 John Street); and in the new Toronto Life Square, where Jack Astor's will be opening in May, followed by Milestones in June. (Other eateries in the Blade Runner-esque monstrosity at the corner of Yonge & Dundas will include faux-50s dinner Johnny Rockets, a satellite outlet of Hamilton's Vici Gelateria, and the first Canadian location of the popular US taco & burrito chain Chipotle Mexican Grill.)

Up in midtown (well, it's "up" to those of us who live downtown, at least), an old name is being revived for a new restaurant. Once located in the space now occupied by Simple Bistro (619 Mount Pleasant Road), LoLo is coming back under new management in a new location (2590 Yonge Street), replacing Shatzy's Trattoria. While there's no definite word on the new menu, it's probably a safe bet that they'll stick with what the old location did well given how hot bistros are right now.

A couple of Asian-themed spots have undergone makeovers recently. Saigon Sister has been given a facelift and reopened as Passion (774 Yonge Street), with the Asian-fusion menu oddly modified to include burgers and wraps. And the awkwardly-named Mizu Japanese Cuisine Oyster House has been replaced by the equally mouthful-monikered Dazzling Modern Restaurant & Bar (291 King Street West), where they're serving what toronto.com (or perhaps a press release that they're quoting) describes as "familiar Asian fare, including General Tao's chicken". Perhaps someone should tell them that General Tao's chicken is about as authentically Asian as chop suey and neon orange sweet & sour sauce.

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.