Dinner at the Guild

The Guild Restaurant in Duffrin Grove  used to be a 20 year old flower shop, but you would never guess that standing inside the restaurant. Chef Mani Binelli whips up fresh made pasta, sausages and even smokes his own bacon. He strives to use local and organic produce as much as possible.

I was impressed with the beautiful open kitchen  and layout of the Guild. I especially loved the gilded ceiling, and it was fun to peek into the kitchen during the meal.

At the bar, you can have a classic drinks such as Negroni, Mai Tais or Manhattans. For the more adventurous, check out the original cocktails. I recommend Winter is Coming (mulled port, four roses bourfon, pumpkin spice honey, lemon, chamomile citron tea and hot water) , and totally not just because of Game of Thrones.

Duck Confit: Bourbon black pepper jam and endive slaw

That night, the new menu at the Guild started off with a rich Duck Confit appetizer.

Aged Balsamic Marinated Tomato Salad

Next up was the Aged Balsamic Marinated Tomato Salad. This simple dish was packed with flavour, and was my favourite! Warm Quebec goat cheese served over a bed of cherry tomatoes and arugula. Mmm.

Curvy Rigatoni

It was nice to see a departure from the typical penne noodle found on most menus in Toronto with the Curvy Rigatoni. The noodles were covered in roasted garlic tomato cream sauce with spinach and house smoked chicken. The chicken was tender and was quite good. However, I wished that the chicken was also covered in sauce, as it looked a bit out of place.

Wellington County Skirt Steak

The main dish of the evening was the Wellington County Skirt Steak. The purple potato celeriac mash was outstanding and so was the perfectly cooked steak. The pico de gallo was very fresh.

We were all full but of course had room for a double chocolate toasted almond biscotti.

The Guild Restaurant has a great atmosphere, and manages to be both romantic and a fun place to hang out after work for drinks. Their new menu is available now, so check it out!

The Guild is located at 1442 Dundas St West and is open for brunch and dinner.