I’m sometimes surprised that some of our favourite restos are still un-represented on rabbitreporting. Case in point: Le Select (www.leselect.com).The Rabbitz had some celebrating to do (Mr. just closed a big deal), but we were booked for Lucien the-next-evening… so we needed to celebrate light-ish. We decided to visit one of our reliable old favourites, and chose Le Select.

Le Select is a beautiful room just off the increasingly popular King West strip. The room is so gorgeous à la French brasserie that I have occasionally heard it accused of looking a bit faux. I think this is a case of “don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” Our favourite feature at Le Select is the gorgeous zinc bar (complete with hard-boiled eggs for emergency snacking), and I suspect that we would actually love Le Select less if we ever opted for table service.

So, Friday saw us sliding up to that lovely bar and ordering a Sidecar (unfortunately mediocre in execution) and a glass of rosé (tasted like summer - ah!). We’d already been into the champers chez nous, so we were going easy on the drinks, but it should be noted that Le Select has a superlative wine list - it would not be an overstatement to call it one of the best in the city. We opted out of starters (although there are some tempting options), so we worked our way through some satisfying baguette-ish loaves while waiting for our mains.Mr. Rabbit opted for the beef cheek bourguignonne, served with mashed potatoes. This dish is classic bistro, and Le Select handles it well. The meat was very tender with a flavour that I found slightly ash-y/smoke-y, but not in a displeasing way. The mash were a comfort-food-ish accomp and the sauce rich and satisfying. This is what bistro is all about.I ordered the salmon, a generous piece of fish served on a bed of lentils. The fish was nicely done, and the lentils were a delightful side (I would really like to learn to cook lentils at home) — plus the kitchen accommodated my request to tone down the sauce-ing (Rabbit can be health-conscious despite apparent alcoholism and sweet tooth). Le dessert… we ordered a baba au rhum, which presented with a dollop of what we think was a crème anglaise and some fresh berries. The really seductive bit is that the kitchen sends the server out avec le sponge cake and a whole bloody bottle of rum, so you can really booze up your dessert. Which we did. And it was very nice.Our barkeep was totally charmant. Attentive, but not sycophantic, knowledgeable about his food and drink, perhaps slow if you want snap-snap service, but just one of those guys who makes you want to hang out and sip wine all night long.

Financials… two glasses of wine plus one (OK) cocktail, two mains, one dessert…. A little over $100 with tax and tip. 

Perhaps Rab has never written about Le Select becauseI’m afraid of over-hyping it. I know Le Select has its detractors, those who find the service snooty, the room a little too-much, and those who think the food is mediocre. I even get why people might think any of these things, and I do acknowledge that nothing we ate knocked it out of the park. But I still find this place reliable and charming with food that is authentic (and solidly good), interesting wine options and all in an exceptionally pretty room. This is one of my sentimental favourites, and I can’t help but recommend. Despite the foibles. C’est tout.

Posted on April 8th, 2008 by rabbit
Filed under: Toronto, Restaurant Reviews