or a little taste of the South of France, head toward Yonge and the 401 (seriously). For all the fun we like to poke at the French, we'll give them this: they know how to eat. The food combinations they come up with - Pain au chocolat, Coq au Vin, and perennial hero, wine and cheese - are little slices of heaven.

The tariff is steep at this foodie Mecca, but the fare is exceptional. Quality ingredients, deftly executed preparation and intelligent creation are the chief touchstones of fine cooking, taking precedence over glamorous presentation. Service is slow and indifferent, but tolerable for the delectable, expensive dishes. The menu seduces with its clear, modern French bias. Unfortunately, both the uptown and the downtown crowd find this location a culinary Scarberia.

At Auberge du Pommier every lift of the fork is noteworthy (as well as celebratory). Chef Todd Clarmo's dishes resonate with such love-it-in-an-instant flavours that their appeal is likely to mask their degrees of difficulty.

Pan Seared Sea Scallops with Braised Oxtail is one such plate. Clarmo’s sly pairing of this aromatic meat with fragrant seafood and dressed with Cabernet jus comes close to airy bliss. He does it again with sweetly Seared Tuna with Spiced Tartare buttressed by brash peppered pineapple.