Out photos on Flickr

Avant-garde fine dining? Can this be a reality in the city of Toronto, still relatively green in establishing its place in the highly competitive world of dining. Perhaps it is Chef Claudio Aprile's bold endeavour to introduce a conservative Torontonian palate to the somewhat new movement of Molecular Gastronomy that has all the buzz a-going. I was personally excited in partaking in a local "MG" experience, particularly after a recent trio of gluttonous MG-centered pleasures in Chicago (Avenues, Alinea and Moto). I also knew that my impression of Aprile's nascent work could end up being an unfair comparison to that of Achetz, Bowles or Cantu (who are all still very young), as honing in ones craft takes both effort and time. As the only chef who is currently serving up molecular gastronomic creations, Aprile is our industry standard, a position, I am sure we'll see more competition of in this fair city as the days pass.

Housed in a heritage warehouse building, the aptly named Colborne Lane (as that is the address) hides amongst other new contenders to the city's burgeoning restaurant scene, taking over the space of what used to be Café du Marché. Its physical appearance also challenges the visual senses. Lost are the days of fine dining with white linens and table cloths, Aprile (ex- of Senses) & Harji (of Blowfish and Kultura) take the pretentiousness out but leave the higher prices in. Don't get me wrong, Colborne Lane is still a restaurant that is lit by candlelight, but is also decorated by interestingly shaped light fixtures that appear to come out of an artist's garage. The establishment also leaves out the warmth and romanticism that one typically feels when out consuming a special meal, replacing it instead with a rather dark and cool room filled with mild rock 'n roll/alternative music and decibel breaking chatter.

Not quite a dining experience that caters to most patrons, the do-it-yourself tasting menu creates a situation where you, as the diner, possess the responsibility of making the most appropriate selection of courses. In that sense, one is challenged in how he or she will make or break his or her evening. Does one focus on meat-centrity or attempt to make a fine balance between courses (i.e. can you trust yourself to get enough vegetables with your meal, or order some light and heavier items)? Will one be bombarded with too many flavours from all ends of the spectrum or stay conservative with monochromatic familiarities? Does one try to select options that feature a logical progression in the course of the plates or does one choose on the basis of components of interest alone? And although there is much potential on paper with the items offered, and there is good use of fantastic ingredients, along with the application of nouvelle concepts and interesting dishware, Aprile's kitchen appears to try just a little too hard in winning over tastebuds. Conceptually the chef's work deserves great applause; I seriously appreciated his attention to the visual and textural game, however menu items provide too many tasting options on a single plate and end up overwhelming the diner's senses. Sometimes variety is a good thing. For Colborne Lane, it doesn't always work and can leave one slightly confused.

Additionally, with the advent of tapas sized dishes, one is required to select at least 3-4 plates in order to find satisfaction. So do consider ordering your own dish if an item peeks your interest, because there really isn't enough to go around to share. And although this result in many tastings for any given diner, it also contributed to a hefty final bill due to the increase in trapped white space found on each of the large platters. (A big thank you to KJ of SE and her kind and generous invitation for me to join in on an evening of lovely company).

Service is friendly and respective, and depending on who is serving you, you might also be gifted with silence inducing dry humour that is offered at the most inappropriate of times. (After we had finished our desserts, JL was asked how he enjoyed things and when he hesitated to reply, was hit with the statement that the server would send his insults to the pastry chef – a remark that seemed to stem out of nowhere. Poor JL! I must give kudos to our initial server who was more helpful, quite pleasant and patient with us (rather me, and my camera).) The kitchen does send out plates slowly, so be prepared to wait a little (or a lot) between courses.

Colborne Lane does successfully provide the city with a segue into an interesting and progressive movement in dining. It is a refreshing move from the tried and true establishments of yesteryear, but sometimes it is with ventures like these that can make one appreciate why the tried-and-true remain as such. Whether or not Toronto is receptive of such novel forms of dining is another issue that can only be tested with time.

by n.states

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Chestnut-fronted Macaw (Ara severus) from our balcony yesterday morning! by Diego Calderon-F.

First they came quite close, hanged out some 30 minutes in the early

rainy morning; then only one was left and explored a legume tree, and

finally it was joined by a couple of Yellow-crowned Parrots (Amazona

ochrocephala) in a distant tree. All shots digiscoped using a Nikon

Fieldscope ED50 + Canon Powershot SX210IS.

Reaching out by John Getchel

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A most beautiful sunset from La Jolla Shores and the Scripps Pier

Out to dry by Poupetta

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..climb-out. by A380spotter

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Frankie Stein by Ephemera

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Wave 2 School's out

In and Out by Trevor Gandon

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Shellness, Isle of Sheppey

Peeking out by Emilee Laura

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What's a gurl to do when alone in her hotel room???

out there by Hamoud Alhawiti

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Out Sass Vanessa by Isabelle from Paris

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Modeling 3 different jewelry sets handmade by me.

Out Sass #3 by Genuine Kwan

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ATHENS OUT by KIRIAKOS KORAKIS

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View On Black

work inspired by the book "Manhattan Out" by the famous French photographer and Magnum member Raymond Depardon

Rockin' Out by zoniedude1

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Whenever I go camping, fun happens... - North Rim, Grand Canyon, Arizona

{ L } Lightbox view is best

Black Out by Georgette

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It would be nice to have a choice in the layout. The old format was much nicer in so many ways.

Stand Out by Alfred Lockwood

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I like the broken pattern caused by this one tree jumping out of line. Grand Teton National Park, USA, June 2010

Out About by Steve Price

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Misty morning - getting early now for these morning trips

Press L to view large

All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer

Poppin' Out by Chris Wilhelm

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A red poppy flower about to escape its pod and bloom. Seen outside of Volunteer Park, Seattle.

Lighted with a mix of natural light from rear and diffused, orange-gel'ed strobe from immediate camera left.

out by ceh_a

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jie took photo of her cousins with her la sardina.

watch out, lucy! by TeeRish

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the angry lobster is eating your head.

Played_Out-8510 by Nico Jarrett

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