海角社区官网

You can almost hear the shuffle of knitted slippers accompanying 鈥檚 warm smoked cheddar pickle dip to your table. Gloriously oozy with discernible pep, the starter is sharp and creamy, herb-flecked and savoury. 鈥淲e love a hot cheese moment,鈥� says Joe Rutherford, manager and co-owner (with head chef, Brett Healey), adding that the dip is served with saltines, 鈥渂ecause they鈥檙e perfection.鈥� As with everything at the tavern, the dip is inspired by home cooking and the land. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a homey, small, warm and welcoming little spot,鈥� he explains. Memories of Grandma, both his own and Healey鈥檚, also coax the menu in certain directions. 鈥淭here was nothing like busting in the back door of Grandma鈥檚 house, at lunchtime or after school, and she would just turn around with a plate of something in her hand,鈥� he gushes. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a quintessential grandma thing. It brings home this easily accessible, warm kind of feeling.鈥� 840 Bloor St. W.,

Linny鈥檚 Restaurant

A distinctive bass line of nostalgia connects the dots at Linny鈥檚, the deli-inspired steak house owner David Schwartz named for his late mother, Linda. 鈥淲e wanted to bring that warmth of a family meal into a fine dining environment,鈥� says head chef Ethan Rogers. To do that, he explains, the team drew on 鈥渃ore memories around food and family and what things really stood out.鈥� For Rogers, one of those dishes was caramelized apple cake. A family gem perfected by his Aunt Anita, the dish features an olive-oil sponge layered onto Granny Smith apples and a sticky pool of amber caramel. At Linny鈥檚, each slice is served with a side of spiced sweet cream. 鈥淲hen we first opened,鈥� says Rogers, 鈥渙ne of our guests was in tears because of how much it reminded her of her bubbe鈥檚 apple cake growing up, and how much she missed her.鈥澨�176 Ossington Avenue,

General Public

Trifle 鈥� that fanciful, fluffy, jammy hodgepodge adored by revelling Britons and hordes of homemakers 鈥� lends its name to the elegant, savoury Nordic shrimp trifle at , a restaurant where moments of steak house excess are tempered by the firmly thumping heartbeat of a classic British pub. Still, the appetizer of herbaceous green goddess avocado mousse, punchy house cocktail sauce and sweet Nordic shrimp is unlike any trifle you, or nan, has likely ever seen. 鈥淥riginally, we were coming up with a really interesting version of a shrimp cocktail. It started with a shrimp cocktail and then it kind of became a trifle,鈥� explains James Santon, executive chef and co-owner (with Jen Agg, David Grieg and Jake Skakun). 鈥淭here are multiple dishes on our menu that are things that no one is doing anymore,鈥� says Santon. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all kind of retro cooking.鈥澨�201 Geary Ave.,

Chop Steakhouse

There鈥檚 something incongruous about surrendering to the pillowy lure of traditional pineapple upside-down cake in the sleek surroundings of 鈥檚 flagship 海角社区官网location. Despite the polished environs, updated presentation and, yes, lack of maraschino cherry, the cake is just like Grandma鈥檚. 鈥淲hen you bite into it, it kind of takes you on a time warp,鈥� says corporate executive chef, Stephen Clark. Yet, that鈥檚 exactly the point; a grounding moment of wistful simplicity to enhance the restaurant鈥檚 showier attributes. A dessert that leans on dark rum and vanilla pudding mix for its unmistakable retro charm, it鈥檚 capped here with a golden wreath of roasted pineapple, candied pecans and a drizzle of gooey, lush caramel sauce. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of anybody, at least anybody my age, who hasn鈥檛 grown up with some variation of pineapple upside down cake,鈥� says Clark. 鈥淚 just thought, what a powerful memory.鈥澨�181 University Ave.,

The Company We Keep

Those pursuing grandmacore nirvana need only surrender to the buttery idyll of herbed chicken pie (or its vegetarian peer, white bean) at . Made by co-owner and head baker, Nika Mistruzzi, each pairs a flaky, flaxen-hued butter crust with a silken, vegetable-studded filling bolstered by organic chicken or tender, slow-simmered legumes. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a hearty, warm pie that鈥檚 a good comfort food,鈥� says business partner Jenn Hornak. 鈥淭he reason she started making the pies the way she did is because she wants that old-school pie, not like the modern twists on things,鈥� she says. To wit, the quaint caf茅鈥檚 entire roster of pies 鈥� which runs from crumble-garnished apple and bourbon pecan to juicy, fruit-stained little numbers 鈥� looks plucked from Grandma鈥檚 window sill. Of the chicken pie, adds Hornak, 鈥渢he crust is perfectly crumbly, but it鈥檚 not too rich. As cheesy as it sounds, it鈥檚 like a warm hug.鈥澨�634 St. Clair Ave. W.,

Conejo Negro

To construct the colourful menu at , Alycia Wahn, executive chef and co-owner (with Lamine Martindale and Diego Diaz), spends her days pickling, braising, seasoning, baking and stirring in the style of the most devout family matriarchs. 鈥淚 call myself a grandma cook because I make as much as I can in-house,鈥� she explains. On a menu that takes notes from classic Latin, Creole and Caribbean fare, Wahn鈥檚 patient, painstaking approach is evident in lashings of house honey butter atop pepper-laced cornbread, slow-simmered southern greens and triple-cheese mac pie. Served with cheddar-tinted grits, Caribbean-style braised beef cheek is flavoured with aromatic Trinidadian green seasoning and judiciously cooked overnight to just this side of collapse. 鈥淣othing tastes better than something that鈥檚 homemade that has four ingredients rather than fifty,鈥� says Wahn. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why people are like, 鈥極h my grandma makes it the best.鈥� Because she鈥檚 doing everything from scratch, from the bottom up.鈥澨�838 College St.,