TORONTO : The unknown city. by Howard Alker & Sarah B. Heed

Chapter 8 The Dinners Time Forgot

So many diners - from the wonderful The Brothers on Yonge to Yorkville's retro pastiche known as 4-Ds - have gone the way of cherry cola from the fountain! And of course, no new place is ever as good as the genuine oldies. The very best and most authentic the one that makes KOS, Mars, and Stem look like chi-chi poseurs is the inconspicuous Avenue Open Kitchen & Deli (7 Camden St., 416-504-7431), where you can sample hearty, rib-sticking eggs, peameal bacon, and potatoes alongside city roadworks crews. The out-of-the-way Canary Grill (409 Front St. E., 416-364-9943) is such a classic that it's constantly being used as a film location. Gale's Snack Bar (539 Eastern Ave., no telephone) is reputed to be the very cheapest in town ("the most expensive thing on the menu is a pack o' smokes," one fan reports). And everybody has a local favourite. Some extol the virtues of the peameal "steaks" at New York Café Restaurant, Bar & Eatery (757 Broadview Ave., 416-778-4444). Others love the Sunset Grill in the Beaches (2006 Queen St. E., 416- 690-9985) for its very late hours. The Homeway Soda Bar 1955 Mount Pleasant Rd., 416-488-3242) is another of those beloved throwbacks to an earlier era. And whereas they no longer attract line-ups of yuppies outside the door on weekend mornings, as they did in the '80s People's Bar & Eatery (270 Dupont St., 416-925-3258) is still serving up the real deal.

PAN-ASIAN PANOPLY

Many Toronto sushi bars are actually Korean-owned, but if you want straight-up Korean fare, head to Bloor Street West between Bathurst and Christie. We recommend the tranquil, child-friendly Korean Village (628 Bloor St. W., 416-536-0290) with its huge menu and plentiful, free side dishes. The cheap 'n' cheerful Buk Chang Dong Soon To Fu (691 Bloor St. W., 416-527-0972) serves a more limited choice of seafood, beef, pork, and dumplings in various combinations. The back of the laminated menu is in Korean only, it lists rice dishes, sides, and soups that

don't appear on the English side. To

satisfy your next big yak attack, you

might choose either Little Tibet (712 Queen St. W., 416-306-1896)

or Everest (232 Queen St. W., 416-977-6969). Pho Hung (350 Spadina Ave., 416-593-4274; 200 Bloor St. W., 416-963-5080) is a good pick for Vietnamese food, but we've been puzzled for some time about their trademark, which is a laughing cow-oddly similar to the one on the label of La Vache Qui Rit cheese. The management claims there's no link between the chedese and the restaurant. They point out that the cheese cow has one earring, whereas theirs has two. Instead, they tell us, the cow signifies the beef soup for which Pho Hung is named.

Girls with Grills

Sometimes it

seems like all you

have to do in this

town to make a

PHỔ HÙNG

Mimio

Hood

might choose either Little Tibet (712 Queen St. W., 416-306-1896)

or Everest (232 Queen St. W., 416-977-6969). Pho Hung (350 Spadina Ave., 416-593-4274; 200 Bloor St. W., 416-963-5080) is a good pick for Vietnamese food, but we've been puzzled for some time about their trademark, which is a laughing cow-oddly similar to the one on the label of La Vache Qui Rit cheese. The management claims there's no link between the cheese and the restaurant. They point out that the cheese cow has one earring, whereas theirs has two. Instead, they tell us, the cow signifies the beef soup for which Pho Hung is named.

Hood

splash with your eatery is give it a retro girlie name and serve breakfast. We can't explain it, but here are a few examples: Betty's (240 King St. E., 416-368-1300) - formerly The Betty Ford, until they got "that really nasty letter is a haunt of students, journalists, bike couriers, and so on. It's really a pub with a wide beer selection, plus good all- day breakfasts. Mimi's (218 Bathurst St., 416-703- 6464) is that dusty-looking window with the line-up of chicken-and-egg-shaped ceramics. To say it's small is an understatement. Eating breakfast there (do they serve other meals?) is about like when you go over to your friend's really cluttered apartment and you're both a bit hung over so she makes you eggs. We're surprised they even have a phone. But it's great. Honestly. Mitzi's (100 Sorauren Ave., 416-588-1234) is the Parkdale place with the patio and the big brunch line-ups. Like Barbie, she's so popular that she has a little sister - predictably named Mitzi's Sister already in a second home that was once the classic Tennessee (1554 Queen St. W., 416- 532-2570). What is it called? Maggie's. What do they serve? All-day breakfast. All right, they do other meals too. But we rest our case (400 College St., 416-323-3248)