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Chef Gordon Ramsay, star of the reality TV shows "the F* Word", "Hell’s Kitchen", and "Kitchen’s Nightmares", had dinner at Le Sélect on the occasion of the Canadian book launch of “Gordon Ramsay’s Fast Food cooking book”. Having asked the Chef to choose his meal, he was served a Cocks’ Comb plate with cèpes mushrooms... Sow’s Ear with lentils and watercress... Tripes with tomato and fennel... and an Île Flottante with Crème Anglaise. He thanked the cooking team and Chef Ponzo for a (blip) F* inhabitual and copious meal. For lovers of vraie Parisian ambience, food and drink there is simply no better spot than Le Sélect. This is the real thing! Best meals of 2007: Le Sélect Bistro's Brunch for its eggs Bénédicte. Le Sélect serves its poached eggs and perfect Hollandaise on a rich buttery croissant, with homefries replaced by greens and mushrooms sautéed in butter... While you read the Herald Tribune, it’s like a mini trip to Paris, every Sunday, sans attitude. Toronto sparkles! We may have thought it was too tamed and unadventurous, but the city is now “plugged” and kicking. Hop in a train and go take her pulse. Our favourite address: Le Sélect Bistro for its authentic French bistro ambiance.
Best Bistro of the Year! Georgeous! Best Bistro in Ontario Very Good to Excellent! One of Toronto’s favourite spots for authentic French food J.P. Challet infuses the menu with his passion for French cuisine Le Sélect looks precisely like a Parisian bistro of the 1920s Le Sélect hits all the right notes J.P. Challet's intoxicating fish soup "Old charm survives Le Sélect's move to new digs.
“The concierge at our hotel recommended Le Sélect Bistro as the best French bistro and restaurant in Toronto, and after dining there, we concur. So many great and classic selections on the menu that deciding what to order can be hard. Extraordinary gourmet quality French cuisine complemented by an incredible selection of wines and served by a gracious staff in a beautiful relaxed setting. Whether it’s for a special occasion or just unforgettable lunch or dinner, give this legend a try.” “Think bistro, and steak-frites is the first dish that comes to mind. Many try and fail miserably. But Le Sélect's Bavette gets it just about right, from its first-rate fries to the appropriately chewy strip of hanger topped with sautéed shallots. We're equally knocked out by the kitchen's duck confit, a moist mahogany-hued leg 'n' thigh paired with super scalloped potatoes, haricots verts and tart cranberry relish. More classic comfort, Le Sélect's braised lamb shank arrives surrounded by milky mash, its meaty flesh falling from the bone and sauced with a Cabernet Sauvignon jus infused with prunes. Prunes reappear in the house's boozy Armagnac ice cream that accompanies its superb tarte Tatin, a delicious caramelized apple upside-down cake and the best dessert on offer.” "It's easy to see why people return year after year to Le Sélect. The postered rooms radiate warmth in spirit and, on a chilly fall evening, in temperature…While the menu embraces all the classics — bavette steak with frites, bouillabaisse, moules marinières — chef Brad Clark executes some not-so-traditional takes. Take the escargots ($10), often simply a good excuse for garlic butter. Here, tender snails are well matched with equally meaty shiitake mushrooms. The two are stuffed into a crispy purse of phyllo, around which pools a red wine sauce tasting faintly of Cassis. Frisée can be a messy lettuce to eat, since few of our professional kitchens trim it into bite-sized pieces. Le Sélect takes the time. Nestled into the lettuce ($9.25) is an egg-sized lump of baked goat cheese updated with a sesame seed crust. It's back to the classics, though, for mains such as duck confit ($19.95), a pair of legs stunning enough to rival those of Betty Grable. The slick of orange sauce and haystack of excellent frites are a bonus. The same confit turns up in the admirable cassoulet ($21), along with morsels of braised lamb shank and a cocktail Toulouse sausage. It's the perfect marriage of proteins, the long-cooked meats enhancing the rosemary-scented beans and vice versa. Service remains accomplished to the end, as does the food. Lemon tart ($8.95) nicely cleans the palate. It's not every restaurant that can celebrate 20 years. Even rarer is the veteran that, like Le Sélect, stays on top of the game." " One evening I was taken to Le Sélect Bistro on Queen Street West which was heaven. It was everything you could wish a French bistro to be, warm and friendly with delicious food and a lovely terrace to watch the world go by. Voted Best French Restaurant in Toronto by the readers of Now Magazine. 2002 Voted Best Bistro in Toronto by the readers of Eye Weekly. 2002 Voted Best Winelist in Toronto by the readers of Where Magazine. 2002. Voted Favourite Restaurant Winelist by the listeners of 680News radio station. 2002. A handsome fixture on Queen Street West, Le Sélect Bistro has quietly evolved over the years to become this town's favoured authentic French bistro. Along with wonderfully reliable duck confit, steak frites, mussels marinières, bouillabaisse and the finest foie gras imaginable, Le Sélect has a selection of international wines that is simply without parallel. Every area of France is well represented, with much also from Spain, Italy and Portugal, and New World vineyards in California, Ontario, Australia, New Zealand and Chile also in fine form. Valuable assistance on the part of knowledgeable staff is abundant as are the well-composed tasting notes evident beneath many of the listings. No wonder, then, that Le Sélect Bistro has garnered Torontonians' vote for Best Wine List. Being the French cuisine guide of About.Com, I also saved time while in Toronto to enjoy a fantastic French bistro meal at Le Sélect Bistro on the famous Queen St. It was like a trip back to Paris... I wish more restaurants had such interesting websites, it's what prompted my visit in the first place. "Long before Queen West became posh pavement to stroll upon, proprietors Jean-Jacques and Frédéric were giving restaurant-goers fine French food. This elegant but casual Queen West bistro has grown and expanded since those quaint days as a hole-in-the-wall find... loyals still swear by it. City francophones, locals and tourists congregrate inside and on the front patio... My fave is the the smoked whitefish mousse spread over grilled foccacio bread. Run out of bread? You don't have to chase the busy busboys. It's hanging in baskets, hot and fresh, just above your head." Although Toronto is not particularly noted for its French food, you can find reasonably priced, Left-Bank bistro food and atmosphere at this Queen Street institution. Classic dishes such as bavette aux échalottes, steamed mussels with white wine or confit de canard are served in this warm and pleasant corner room with great people-watching views. Authentic zinc bar and a superb wine list. Reservations recommended. $-$$. This is an authentic Left Bank Paris bistro. Classic dishes such as Confit de Canard are served to you while you enjoy the jazz music. The frites are the finest this side of the Atlantic. Each table has a hanging bread basket which can be hand-cranked down to table level. The service is friendly and attentive. Reservations recommended. Traditional French food served in a bistro atmosphere. Amazing wine list. The frites are the best in town, and the service is excellent and friendly. Moderate Pricing From the bread to the duck confit everything here is classically French and is done well. One can find a wine to compliment any choice of meal from the extensive wine list which, of course, greatly favours the French vintages. The decor is comfortable, yet elegant, and the servers knowledgable and efficient. Prices are reasonable for the quality, portions, and presentation of the dishes and there is a wide selection of decadent desserts -.for those who make it that far. "Best Old World Vintages at a bargain - Le Sélect Bistro has more than 10,000 bottles at rest in the cellar, many of which are dusted off and served at below-market prices." Called Toronto's Literary Bistro for its readings and sponsorship of the Festival literature prize, this bar brings a taste of genuine Paris to the downtown Toronto area. It also serves as a venue for the annual International Jazz Fest. But the culinary side of the equation isn't forgotten amid the cultural activity. The bistro features exquisite French cuisine and a wine list that includes over 750 selections, winner of the Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence. So, if you want to hang out with hip writers, poets and playwrights while enjoying a Parisian-style meal, you've come to the right place. This ever-evolving French restaurant is a bastion of good food with an excellent atmosphere. "Bringing a touch of Paris to Downtown "funky" Queen Street West, Le Sélect provides a reliable menu, an incredible wine list, intimate ambiance, and friendly service. Great people-watching on the patio of good-looking idlers. " "Oooh-la-la. Patio seats 22. Musicians during June's Downtown Jazz festival, writers noshing during October's Authors Festival" "I go to Le Sélect for their Tarte Niçoise au Chèvre, and I think God himself invented it. I have to have it once a week. It's a puff pastry filled with goat cheese, olives, tomatoes, and anchovies." "Le Sélect is a neat example of the urge to retain. I don't refer to anything as grand as its magnificent zinc bar imported from Paris. No, it's that French poster collection that is just left there to age and take on the unmistakable ochre veneer of a genuine Parisan bistro." Drink List of the Month: "I'll head down to Le Sélect Bistro... The atmosphere is very comfortable. It's not too pricey, but makes me feel like I am treating myself. They have a killer wine list." "...and then I'll have dinner at Le Sélect Bistro (328 Queen W.). Their food is hearty and they have an exciting and fair-priced wine list. I'm looking forward to trying some of the new wines the owners have recently acquired; they take such special care in their selections." "Diners will find a safe haven in the cozy, self-contained world of Le Sélect... Le Sélect is kind to the pocketbook. Wines here are a special treat, accessible to all budgets. And waiters, neither diffident nor snooty, are delightful guides on a journey through the restaurant's long list." "...Enjoy the Parisian bistro atmosphere replete with zinc bar, burgundy banquettes, bread baskets charmingly hung above each table, wooden chairs and art museum posters (it's so authentically Parisian, one half expects to see Camus and Sartre heatedly duscussing existentialism at a corner table)..." "I'll go to Le Sélect after the performance at Harbourfront' Premiere Dance Theatre. It's a restaurant that has been recommended to me for their good French cuisine." "Le Sélect Bistro has been hailed by critics and reviewers as one of the most trustoworthy establishments in Toronto. Fair pricing and generous portions of innovative and carefully prepared Bistro food have made this venerable Queen Street institution a favourite among Torontonians." The Soccer World Cup at Le Sélect Le Sélect has a cheap fixed-priced menu, a regular more expensive menu and a huge wine list. It was going to be hard and emotional, so we drank iced Pinot Gris d'Alsace. With the first great cheer, we ordered Le Sélect's own fresh terrine of foie gras (with which a glass of Chilean late-harvest Sémillon is offered). The second French goal sent us to the restaurant specialties. A platter of hors d'oeuvre included a terrific smoked whitefish mousse. For main course, the chicken in Katif, shredded phyllo pastry wrapped around the chicken breast with olives and goat cheese, was excellent. But at that moment, there was a huge roar. I hurried to the bar. A third goal! The French were amazingly decorous: no Marseillaise, no Vive la France, but owner Frédéric Geisweiller broke out the Champagne, which went nicely with dessert - a chocolate wedge with lemon mascarpone, apple tarte Tatin with prune and Armagnac ice cream. Back on the patio, serious patrons were talking about the French origins of the Brazilian flag's motto. Cool. "This is a proper bistro, with bistro food, a bistro clientele, and bistro prices..." "I like it because of the Parisian French feeling. The atmosphere is both casual and sophisticated." "Le Select serves the kind of Parisian Bistro food that many say is the best deal in town..." |
- Is there a more classic bistro in town? Aside from breadbaskets filled with molasses-brown rye hanging from the ceiling, Le Sélect cleaves to type: soupe à l’oignon ($6.50), Provençal goat cheese tart ($10), cassoulet ($22), grilled andouillette ($18). Prix-fixe dinners ($29.00) offer any of five starters, mains and desserts. Where else but here to order terrine de foie gras ($18)? A Lemon tart ($7) is lip-puckering, as it should be. There’s a bistro-broad choice in drink: seven open reds, seven whites and a bubbly, plus 1,000 wines by the bottle. And on tap, Holsten lager, three Belgian Abbaye beers and three Canadian microbrews" |
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