Westboro's Little Bones draws guests in with bougie tacos and cocktails

Little Bones opened in Westboro in May. The tacos and cocktails spot is managed and co-owned by Peter Jurt. Photo by Jean Levac /Postmedia

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Before we met recently at Little Bones in Westboro, one of my dining companions asked: “Why do we need reservations? It’s a taco place.”

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Yes, it is. But should you drop by unannounced, especially at peak hours, at this narrow, 45-seat eatery on Richmond Road, you might have to wait awhile. Many Westborovians have made it a new, summery hangout.

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Little Bones is the sister eatery of its immediate neighbour, Lexington Smokehouse & Bar, and chef Kailen Toone oversees both of their kitchens. Just as Lexington is a bougie barbecue joint, Little Bones offers more expensive, fancy tacos and fancy cocktails in an attractive, fancy setting. Folks who frequent Little Bones, it seems to me, come for drinks and a bit of well-presented food to graze on, rather than to stuff themselves by seeing how many tacos they can eat.

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The bar of Little Bones restaurant in Westboro Photo by Jean Levac /Postmedia

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I’ve liked everything that I had at Little Bones, except for some underwhelming ceviche ($20), which despite its promising ingredients (a mango-tinged version of leche de tigre, a typically bold dressing, pork crackling) was timidly flavoured, small-portioned and generic in feel. (Having eaten lots of ceviche in Peru last year, I’m picky about ceviche.) Thankfully, other dishes were more assertive and punchy.

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Usually, I can happily skip chips and dip at Mexican restaurants. But the fried-to-order, warm, crisp and salty tortilla chips at Little Bones, served with guacamole ($12) or salsa ($9), justified their expense. I’d take the guacamole over the salsa. The former has more character to it.

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Guacamole and chips at Little Bones in Westboro. Photo by Peter Hum /POSTMEDIA

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While I didn’t care for the ceviche at Little Bones, the beef tartare was better and more interesting. Bits of pickled serrano and celery added crunch and flavour while I kept going back for the dish’s enoki mushroom emulsion with more of those irresistible chips.

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Beef tartare with mushroom emulsion at Little Bones in Westboro. Photo by PETER HUM /POSTMEDIA

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Morsels of pork belly ($19) with stuffed morels, sugar apple glaze, onion and chili jus were tasty enough, although as a shareable item, they didn’t go very far.

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Pork belly and stuffed morels at Little Bones in Westboro. Photo by Peter Hum /POSTMEDIA

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Little Bones has tostadas, made with deep-fried corn tortillas and starring raw tuna ($11) or eggplant ($8). But I think the tacos here are the better pick, although I may just feel that’s true everywhere.

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Tuna tostada with salsa rojo and charred scallion aioli at Little Bones in Westboro. Photo by Peter Hum /POSTMEDIA

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Tacos at Little Bones range in price from $7 for a cauliflower taco to $9 for a crispy fish taco to $10 for a carne asada taco to $12 for the brisket taco, which leverages the smokehouse next door for its tender meat. My favourite tacos were the red-meat ones, all thoughtfully garnished and graced with impactful proteins.

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Al pastor and carnitas tacos at Little Bones on Richmond Road Photo by Peter Hum /Postmedia

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Our greatest enjoyment at Little Bones was a substantial rib-eye steak with fries ($78) that four of us shared. The steak was well-seasoned and perfectly cooked. A slather of chimichurri cut the meat’s richness while a bowl of beef bone jus accentuated it. Chunky, crispy fries showered with cotija cheese made for an appealing side. A plate of asparagus ($10) was fine, above all due to its perky, habanero-tinted beurre blanc. Alternately, we could also have had cheese-stuffed morels ($12).