This intimate and narrow restaurant oozes with cool and funkiness, only identified by a big sign with a '92 with an arrow through it'. Occupying Sparrow's previous space on Ossington, Delux has been on my list of places to try for at least a year. It's a small space so reservations go fast and the last time I tried to go - we stood waiting for our reservation for about 20 minutes before we decided to check out another spot as we were starving. And I am happy I made it there again and actually got seated right away!
The exposed brick walls and dim lighting with it's bouquet of wired-together fluorescent tubes with incandescent bulbs in their centre giving the restaurant a romantic and bistro-cozy feel. Delux is a mix of a French and Cuban dishes featuring daily specials and certain classics. Service was very knowledgeable and friendly. They seemed to consciously fill our water glasses and check in at a few points but not to be over bearing and intrusive.
For dinner- I was adamant that I needed to try their famous Cubano pulled pork sandwich since I have heard it's absolutely delightful. So Steve and I decide to share it as our appetizer. The pork is cured in cider and molasses and is tender and sweet. It's paired with grainy mustard, chipolte mayo, chopped cornichons and red onion to create a balance of sweet and sour which is delicious and addictive. The fries are salty and crunchy which is a great compliment for the dish.
For our mains- Steve decided on the veal cheeks which were so tender, they simply melted in his mouth. They were perfectly cooked. They came presented with beet juice and at first glance - it looked like a bloody plate which to me but the jus when mixed with the veal was delicious. The veal cheeks came over a bed of sour creamy potatoes which was a good balance.
I tried one of the specials - which was brown butter gnocchi with a roasted squash puree- made 'parisean' style - using 'chou' paste instead of potato which made them denser for me. The squash It was a less successful dish than the veal cheeks.
We were told by our server that as one of the desserts - the chef bakes home made chocolate chips cookies to order complete with a glass of milk. We opted for these tiny churros with cinnamon icing sugar served with home made whipped creme. We saw the table next to us order them and they looked too good to pass up and they were. They came piping hot and were soft and sugary to taste. Dipping them in the creamy and muted whipped cream was a true treat!
*** 1/2 stars
Delux - 92 Ossington (North of Queen Street)
416-537-0134
Cuban style Lunch opening in Mid April/ French Dinner
Open Tues-Sunday
For our mains- Steve decided on the veal cheeks which were so tender, they simply melted in his mouth. They were perfectly cooked. They came presented with beet juice and at first glance - it looked like a bloody plate which to me but the jus when mixed with the veal was delicious. The veal cheeks came over a bed of sour creamy potatoes which was a good balance. 
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