The Black Hoof

The Black Hoof Review

A typical evening spent in this narrow head-to-tail cuisine hot spot features exotic meats and loving attention from the two owners: Jen Agg as manager and Grant van Gameren as chef. A chalkboard behind the bar lists the selection, and patrons can see the cooks hard at work at the tiny stove just to the left of the bar where hot foods are prepared. The must-have house-made charcuterie plates include bites of rabbit rillettes terrine, cured venison bresaola (air-dried, salted meat), and duck prosciutto, plus octopus salad and roasted bone marrow. A house specialty is tongue on brioche; smoked sweatbreads; and tapas-sized horse tartare, a first for many in Toronto and not available in the United States. The tartare is delicious: a somehow clean, lean meat, not gamey at all, like the purest, lightest beef. Monthly cocktails are listed on a huge mirror by the bar.