Reviews of The Fifth Pub, Glas, Hawthorne, Rasta Pasta and Pfannkuchen Köln

Caroline Aksich has a British getaway in the heart of clubland. For the past 17 years, the corner of Duncan and Richmond has been taken over by a myriad of Fifth hot spots, and now there's a cafe and pub to add to the mix: The Fifth Grill & Terrace, The Fifth Social Club, Cabin Five, The Fifth Cafe and The Fifth Pub House... five options, one building. The Cafe and Pub, which both opened last week, are housed in the basement; a 6900-square-foot space that took 15 months to renovate (probably to get the clubrats out). Owner Oliver Geddes tells Aksich that he hopes the hordes of downtown condo dwellers will fill his seats. Chef Brad Livergant (of Café Belong and Veritas) has designed a higher-end pub menu as well as wing/nacho/burger staples. [Post City]

Amy Pataki finds it's easier to eat than spell. Pfannkuchen Köln is a German restaurant at Yonge and Lawrence that serves up a mouthful. Its name translates to "Pancakes of Cologne" and offers crepes fried in butter, with sweet or savoury fillings. Chef Majid Ranjbar Amiri grew up in Cologne and wife Hanieh Parvin tells Pataki she didn't realize how many Germans lived in Toronto, but they seem to be finding the cafe easier than they can spell it. [Star]

Steven Davey heads out to Leslieville for vegetarian prix fixe. Glas Wine Bar is George Brown-trained chef Danny Patano's first restaurant. His menu offers items like sustainable steelhead salmon and braised Olliffe short ribs in addition to the $35 four-course veg prix fixe. [NOW]

Davey also hits up the Hawthorne to talk local with chef Mark Cutrara. In his former Cowbell kitchen, Cutrara cooked a lot more offal than he does at Hawthorne, but his focus on regional cuisine remains the same. Starting his meal off with Ace Bakery crostini topped with salty smoked tomato purée, deep-fried panko-crusted zucchini and fresh Monforte Dairy pecorino, Davey washes the amuse bouche down with a Dillon's unfiltered small-batch gin Dirty Martini ($12). [NOW]

In the blogosphere, Sarah Efron discovers authentic jerk in Kensington. Rasta Pasta is a Jamaican-Italian joint (the two cuisines come together in a tri-coloured pasta and peppers dish) that opened this summer in the market. While the pasta wasn't Efron's fave, she raves about the $5 jerk chicken lunch deal, made with meat from Kensington's St. Andrew Poultry. [SpiceCityTO]

And in health news, Megan Ogilve tells us not to eat our veggies. But if we must, she recommends we share that veggie sizzler plate at Lahore Tikka House because it contains 2500 milligrams of sodium. And its 51 grams of fat is 80% of what a woman should consume in a day. [Star]

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