Le Sélect Bistro — Restaurant in Toronto

I'm going to start off by saying I chose this spot after reading and Eater 2023 review listing it in the top restaurants of Toronto. Accept this review at your own risk-or maybe at your peril. It not only totally underwhelmed, but forced me to reassess how high I hold the bar on dining out. With many diners there seemingly enjoying the food and content with the lackadaisical service, I seriously could not get why this place got such a great review. Maybe it has just fallen on hard times-the waitress did admit that the kitchen was slow and they had a new chef...

On entering, the restaurant is lively enough, the vibe is good, the host/waitress friendly and enthusiastic. We were seated quickly and before long our server came and we placed our order.

We started with the Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tarte and Foie Gras Terrine with toast points. The Goat Cheese Tartine-if they make their own puff pastry, it was overworked, tough and cracker like. Not delicate, fluffy and rich and soft. The presentation was good, but I wasn't even sure if there was any chevre in there-more like small flecks of brie, and the quantity was entirely wanting. The frisee and fresh figs on top was fresh, but the caramelized onions and fig jam left much to be desired.

Moving on to the Foie Gras Terrine-maybe the gelee on top made from sauternes wine was the best part. It was a very thin, well presented sliver o terrine. Flavor itself was overly bland, very little sense that I was eating anything as rich and delicious as foie gras. If they wanted to be subtle about it, they win on the that front.

Two of us ordered burgers, and I had the Salade Nicoise. Service took over 30 minutes to bring out the main courses, and everything seemed like it had been sitting out for hours. Or, in the case of my salad, everything had been prepared long beforehand and sat in the fridge. Cold soft boiled egg? What? Cold runny yolk-not good. Seared tuna cold through and through? It was probably seared at 9 this morning, sliced and stuck in the fridge, then plated up 4 hours later. A few sliced black olives? Where are the Nicoise olives? Tomatoes in the middle of winter-ok, so you can get greenhouse grown tomatoes, but these looked too terrible to try. Ok, so maybe it was prepared the same day, but this is not real, well-prepared food. The food showed an utter lack of proper, timely preparation and care. For a medium and a rare burger, both were the same hockey puck of overcooked, cool meat.

For dessert we had a Lemon Tarte. This was the best, and only decent, part of the meal. Not quite lemony enough for me, but with a well made thin crust. But I do think it had been refrigerated a while too-crust was getting soggy. Nonetheless, well presented.

Shame on you Le Select Bistro-you will have to work very hard to move back up into the good graces of Eater...

Le Sélect Bistro – A Long-Awaited Visit with Mixed Impressions

Le Sélect Bistro had been on my list of must-visit places for quite some time, and I was genuinely looking forward to finally experiencing it. Located in a charming area, the initial curb appeal, however, fell a bit short. The outdoor appearance — particularly the aged flower pots and fencing — felt neglected and did not quite match the prestige I had long associated with the bistro.

Once inside, the ambiance quickly improved. The interior offered a classic French aesthetic — warm, polished, and inviting in an old-world way. We opted to sit on the patio. Although it was a little chilly and bustling with lively conversations, it had a pleasant energy.

When our server arrived, we let her know we were there for coffee and dessert. She was welcoming and assured us it was no problem, though we were still presented with full dinner and wine menus, which slightly confused the tone and made us feel as though just ordering dessert might not be entirely welcomed.

That said, my husband decided to try the bone marrow, while I ordered the Coquilles St. Jacques, along with a glass of Malbec recommended by our server. The dishes were beautifully presented, though they leaned more toward a modern interpretation of French cuisine. While creativity in cuisine is always welcome, I personally had hoped for a more traditional execution, especially given the bistro setting.

The scallops were well-cooked and paired nicely with the sauce and bits of bacon, but the dish as a whole felt a bit one-dimensional in flavor. The decorative piping — intended to mimic a scallop shell — was dry and overly crusted. My husband’s bone marrow was unevenly cooked, with one side appearing overdone and the other quite rare. This inconsistency suggested either an equipment issue or a need for more careful preparation.

Despite these critiques, the crème brûlée was an absolute highlight — luxuriously creamy, with a perfectly caramelized top. A truly memorable dessert. The accompanying latte, though, had an excessive amount of foam, resembling more of a cappuccino than a latte.

The only real disappointment in terms of service came when the bill was brought and placed on our table rather abruptly. While this may not have been intentional, it left us feeling a bit rushed and unwelcome, especially after what had been, up to that point, a relaxed and unrushed visit.

In conclusion, my experience at Le Sélect Bistro was a mix of highs and lows. While the setting and dessert stood out, the food overall did not quite meet the expectations I had built up over the years — especially given the pricing. Would I return? Possibly, though much like my first visit, it may be a long time...

First time here, and overall pretty good experience.

Had a very odd back-and-forth with the hostess when we came in and was told that we only had our table for one hour from the time of our reservation. She kept saying that she was just setting expectations because it was TIFF and they’re back to back on their bookings. Only having a table for an hour means you’re really limited and rushed on what you can order, so this obviously wasn’t a good welcome. Later had to clarify with our server how long we actually had on our table and he did confirm it was for about two hours, which is a huge difference and a relief. We went in wanting to get a three course meal and that’s not something you can stuff down in an hour including the time for the kitchen to prepare your food. Shouldn’t have to be made to feel like the priority is getting tables turned over quickly for volume rather than ensuring guests have a good experience when they do come…

Our server otherwise was courteous, attentive and gave good recommendations.

The foie gras terrine had a great texture and taste. Along with the bread and jam, this was a nice appetizer.

Had the 8oz bavette steak frites with red wine jus. The steak was cooked perfectly at medium rare. The jus was flavourful and had a smooth consistency. The fries were also very tasty - along with the size of the cut, it had an uncanny resemblance to McDonald’s fries (not in a bad way).

Had the peach tarte tatin for dessert, a sharing dish for two. It came with vanilla bean ice cream and a caramel sauce. The caramel sauce was excellent, and had a great level of depth from burning the sugar. The ice cream was good. The tart was good as well, but could’ve had more variety in texture in my opinion. The tart itself underneath the peaches was soft and then you had soft peaches on top. I also think the peaches could’ve been more “burnt” to tie in with the caramel more and add a bitterness to compliment sweet-tart flavours.

I think it was unfortunate with the really odd welcome at the beginning that set the tone for the dinner. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable meal and I’m interested to try their...