Truffles Restaurant

Area: Yorkville
Address / Map: 21 Avenue Rd. (at Yorkville Ave.)
Phone: (+1) 416-961-9600
kitchen: Moderm
Cost: CAD$21-43
Website: www.fourseasons.com/toronto/dining.html

The room may look a bit passé, with dull white walls and gaudy pansy-printed tablecloths, but the food stays up to date with a short à la carte selection, a seasonal tasting menu, and a “wellness menu” that includes healthy, organic ingredients.

Catering to the desires of hotel guests means the café excels at such stalwarts as French onion soup, its broth rich and flavourful under a decadent gruyère croûte.

Following suit, an Angus burger comes perfectly cooked; laden with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and lots of Canadian old cheddar, it’s a sure contender for the city’s best burger.

Pan-seared black cod, perfectly cooked, shows the kitchen’s strength with fish. Next to these, a dry, flavourless quail–and–foie gras terrine seems out of place. Family-style desserts are a specialty, but skip the apple pie and opt for the New York–style cheesecake—dense, cheesy and not too sweet.