rying to hide itself away from the cusp of the cool zone of College Street, the dark and polished Flight 55 may try to whisper "private den" as you walk by, but the gleaming clientele within and the noisy din contradict that notion.

Indeed, this College Street resto-lounge blends in a bit too much with its surrounding neighbours - a collection of Portuguese shops - wherein little change has occurred in, say, 50 years. But below the loco surface lies an über-sweet spot awaiting your presence.

With their long awaited Flight 55, owners have created something entirely new. Besides making a highly original eatery out of what was previously a Portuguese butcher shop, the owners have found just the right tone to showcase Flight 55’s style. Winking at some of the absurdities of the clash between the hip College Strip and the old boys’ Little Italy (the location is closer to the latter), the spot does take food and drink seriously, avoiding the tongue-in-cheek cockiness that ruined many similar type restos.

The three owners looked at Yonge & Eglinton, King West and other areas, when they happened upon the space on College Street. “We realized that this location is at the cusp of the hip area,” says part owner Slaven Juricic. “But it’s still College Street, and the block is still heavily trafficked and has lots of life.”

Indicating to Toronto architect Jelena Djuric that they wanted a clean, linear space, the three set her free to do her magic on the place. That magic consisted of gutting and overhauling the space, using wood-grains, steel and concrete to conceive Flight 55’s final design.