Tuffy P and I made a decision this year to add a one-week time-delay to Valentines Day. We like to go out for dinner on Valentines Day but have found ourselves disappointed with restaurants that stuff five extra tables into the restaurant and come up with a special but not great fixed price menu. So, we simply delayed Valentines day for a week then trundled off to Scaramouche.
Scaramouche has been one of Toronto’s top restaurants for many years now, but one that normally doesn’t get our business simply because it’s prices are outside our normal snack bracket. After arranging another mortgage on Anchovy World Headquarters and convincing ourselves that a one-time break from calorie-watching wouldn’t be the end of the world, we headed uptown. Scaramouch is located in an odd-ball place south of St. Clair and west of Avenue road.
We left the Anchovy-mobile with the valet, and headed down the steps. Although the restaurant has been a fixture in Toronto for years, it doesn’t seem dated. The clean and simple two-level design is just right.
We started our dinner with a lovely bean and smoked pork-hock soup, which was not on the menu. Tuffy P decided on Pan-roasted Pickerel with wild fennel pollen, large ravioli filled with lobster, Kestrel Farm spinach and parmesan, lobster reduction with a saffron tarragon sauce. I had venison loin wrapped and roasted in smoked bacon, whipped parsnips, mushrooms, brussels sprouts, hazelnuts and crispy shallots, red wine sauce with triple crunch mustard cream. Wow. It was a super-fantastic dinner. Since I had already blown the calorie mission with dinner, I decided to venture into the dessert menu as well (Tuffy P had more will-power than me) and finished with an amazing coconut creme pie. Did I say wow?
27th Street 
Wow! I never managed to get anyone to take me out to Scaramouche while I was living in Toronto… sounds like a wonderful meal.
Close to 20 years ago I was making 15-20% tips in TO. A 10% tip felt like an insult.
I would say that still holds true, Az.
I’m so glad to hear Scaramoche is still open. I’d heard it was shutting down.
I don’t know for sure what’s happening there. I’ve heard the building is being converted into condos and they have to move at a certain point, but I don’t know if there is any truth in that. They seem to be doing a brisk business. I made reservations on a Tuesday for Saturday and it was already close to fully booked.
That sounds absolutely divine! I love the way that really good restaurants do such fabulously inventive things with vegetables.
Brussel Sprouts????? Brave man.
Hold the sprouts and I’d have yours. Sounds gorgeous if sproutless…;-)
Wow! Mr. A that really WAS a splurge meal. The menu looks great. Now tell me, how much do you have to add on as a tip in Canada? This info helps me compare prices better.
A standard tip for good service is 15% before taxes. 20% is not unheard of for excellent service. Some people tip 10% for good service, but that is pretty miserly for a nice place. Scaramouche also has valet service, so the valet guy gets something too. There are no bargains at this place, but then again, the food is top drawer.