Restaurant of the Moment

• A Fondue of Joie de Vivre

  Posted in: Restaurant of the Moment

  

  MoRoCo is an acronym for owner Kelly Kimel’s labours of love: her two children and…cocoa. Once an art gallery; MoRoCo is an elegant, French inspired lounge in which every nuance, every accoutrement, has been lovingly created with no expense spared.

  Enter through a sparkling boutique that showcases extreme chocolate confections into a Baroque salon of plush purple and tantalizing refinements. The menu reveals a culinary landscape fit for an Alice in Wonderland tea party, and entreats us with the decadent salutation: “Welcome all Chocoholics. We don’t promise sobriety. We encourage your addiction.”

  All the chocolates…
  
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• A Renaissance at Il Mulino

  Posted in: Restaurant of the Moment

  

  Il Mulino always succeeded in providing casual neighbourliness as well as its natural sophistication. Managed with loving care and professionalism from the kitchen to the wine cellar to the service, no one element of the dining experience was ever taken for granted here, and so patrons have always expected, and been treated to, the very best. When ownership changed hands last fall some wondered if that high standard would be affected, until word broke that the new face at Il Mulino would be none other than Oscar Valverde of such renowned establishments as Sotto Sotto,…
  
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• No Phony Bulloni

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  Toni Bulloni is a sliver of a restaurant that boasts a wide appeal. In front, there's a long bar on one wall, then it's up a few stairs to a small dining room in the rear. Clever to paint a mural of an Italian street scene opposite the bar -- it gives a sense of space.

  With a name like Toni Bulloni, which suggests a fast food joint, who knew that their forte is fresh fish? A blackboard outside, near the front door, lists the day's oceanic offerings. Tonight, there is sea…
  
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