The 38 Essential Toronto Restaurants

"A philosophy of fearless consumption — with a requisite touch of dark humor — runs as a through line in the work of Beast co-owners and chefs Scott Vivian and Nathan Middleton. Over the years, their restaurant has undergone several reinventions. The current version of Beast acts primarily as a pizza joint, but it also offers group bookings for whole-animal dinners (booked in advance). Diners select a protein and an “adventure level” from low to high, and the chefs get to work showcasing the seasonal bounty of Canada and the versatility of underused “ugly” bits in a zany culinary display. Previous dinners have included sweetbread-stuffed ravioli with parsley cream sauce; heart tartare, vibrant with fermented shrimp and whipped bone marrow; a menacing smoked chicken leg (with claws intact) served with breast mousse; and a vigorously gamy duck-hen-partridge tourtière, complete with a head and legs peeking out of the pie." - Tiffany Leigh