Royal Eats: We Get Our Fill at King Rustic

Newly opened on King St. W, between Bathurst and Shaw (926 King St. W., to be exact), the trendy resto-lounge known as King Rustic is the latest addition to a neighbourhood that desperately needs some more upscale foodie options. And the King definitely provides.

In the warm and inviting space, candles line wooden tables, mason jars act as water glasses, and the busyness of King St. (just on the other side of the huge glass window front) fades into nothing more than a pleasant moving backdrop. In case we’re not being clear here: the comfort of King Rustic will put you at ease after a long day. Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that their fusion cocktails are out of this world.

When it comes to the bottle, these guys certainly know what they’re doing. Having studied mixology in New York, one of King Rustic’s owners has brought his desire for drinks back to Toronto – much to our benefit. The Apple Crown (cinnamon apple-infused bourbon mixed with honey ice tea, in-house ginger and honey syrup, Autumn bitters, lemon juice, and a touch of chamomile dust – $13) we sipped on was as spectacular as it sounds and offers a strong indication of just how seriously these guys take their libation makin’. If you need more proof, just look to the bar – you’ll find several large jugs of house-infused whiskies, bourbons, and gins just waiting for you to order them up and drink them down.

Once you’ve settled in and have one of their smooth cocktails on the go, it’ll be time to step into their menu. And our suggestion is you bring an appetite, cause just like the drinks, dinner at King Rustic is done right.

We opened with a Butternut Squash soup that was the perfect way to start a winter meal. It made us feel all warm and glowy. Next up we dove (probably far too deeply) into a pan of cooked Brie that was topped with roasted pine nuts and drizzled with honey. We barely made it out alive. A delectable Cobb Salad featuring more delicious ingredients than you can count – okay, there were eight – was a nice way to make ourselves feel better after all that cheese. Only then we had more, in the form of some fine Mozzarella sprinkled on top of our creamy Penne Ala Vodka. Clearly, we regret nothing.

So the next time you’re looking for a night out that won’t let you down, King Rustic will be waiting. But you’d better be prepared to handle all this tastiness, cause everyone knows, ‘you come at the King, you best not miss’.

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