Union

Ossington Avenue between Queen and Dundas is home to some of Toronto's most delicious restaurants. There's Pizza Libretto, Foxley, Delux and Union, which was my latest eating out experience, and an experience, was it ever.

There to celebrate a friend's work promotion, we started with glasses of Cava, a tasty bubbling white wine from Spain. We also immediately clicked with our waitress Marissa, a firecracker. She was funny, pushy, and had cool bangs. She convinced me by the end of dinner I would convert to red wine. She even brought me samples, but I didn't budge. When I was in the restroom she asked my friend if she was the bossiest waitress he'd ever had, he said she was up there, and she responded by saying, "I run this place." We loved every second of her. We also loved the food. Juicy elk sliders on challah, gnocchi with braised meat, sticky pork ribs with pork belly, beef tenderloin with a scallop on top and a side that seemed to come with everyone's meal, salty potato salad and fries with mayo. Dessert was a creme brulee bread pudding. If you're not feeling any of the desserts at Union, you could always go up the street to Delux for fresh made chocolate chip cookies.

Union is a tad pricey but worth it. They take reservations and keep in mind, if you check out the small menu online, they also have tons of daily specials.

http://www.union72.ca/