Thanks for that great review - Wynona is in my neighbourhood and I have been longing to try it. And I particularly like your comment "but not deafening like say Ascari Enoteca" - I also love the pasta at Ascari but gave up going there because of the loud music that forced diners to roar at each other, thus causing indigestion and adrenaline levels to rise and we would leave feeling exhausted. Yes, deafening. Many studies have been done on this trend for restaurants to boost noise levels in various ways (hard surfaces, loud music) curiously it makes people buy more alcohol.
No fraction of your hearing is worth losing in exchange for a bowl of Ascari's nice pasta! Bravo to Wynona for bucking the trend on loudness.
Also in that area is a civilized French place - Batifole - very low on noise, great for dinners where you'd like conversation, lovely service and food.

Any interest in becoming a City ambassador for this app that tells people where to dine out based on loudness?

https://www.soundprint.co/

I have stopped dinining out because I can't take the noise levels, the hit on my andrenalin surges and the rise in my blood pressure, but if you are up for the challenge why not become the first Toronto ambassador?

Other Chowhounders, please read the articles on https://www.soundprint.co/ regarding negative health consequences of dining in loud restaurants. Not to mention the consequences of WORKING in those restaurants.

I recently entertained a guest from France - fortunately it was still patio season so we did not have to endure eardrum puncture inside. But after every lunch and dinner he kept asking me "WHY" do Torontonians prefer to eat in places that sound like metal grinding factories at peak production? I had no answer. Does anyone out there?

That is my point. Go to a neighbourhood restaurant in Lyon, say 20 tables, there is no blaring music, A competent chef and sous chef working hard in the kitchen, and a hospitable waiter ensuring that you have everything you and your dining partner desire. The place is full every night with people from the neighbourhood, they chat, they discuss current affairs, they welcome foreigners, there is no need for blaring music.

For example, "Le Petit Ogre"
http://www.petitogre.fr/menu-2/

Many more similar restaurants in this neighborhoud. No need to go to Michelin starred places.

Go to Jerry's on the Danforth - a few steps east of Greenwood station. They usually have fresh capon wings that - when baked in the oven, or slow cooked on the BBQ (tossed beforehand in a generous amount of ground pepper and ground sea salt) are my guests' all time favourite. When baked for an hour, they get super crispy on the outside, and gluey on the inside, and altogether yummy. I realise that I am giving away a huge secret here but I want to support Jerry's. I would recommend that you call ahead to make sure that they have wings in stock before making the journey.

Had my first visit to Maple Leaf Tavern with high expectations for everything given the prices.
They’ve done a nice renovation, a stylish and comfortable room, sort of like a NY chop house vibe, lovely floor tiles and red leather banquettes sort of thing. Service was very informative, kind and attentive. My date enjoyed his house wine, I enjoyed my dry tap cider.
The house “music” is beyond awful. You know that dreadful 70’s rock tape that plays in all the Beer Stores? Well imagine that in your ear all night long. Who really wants to listen to that stuff these days? And they had it cranked up of course, despite my asking for a quiet table.
We dined at 5p.m. and were struggling to hear ourselves speak above the 70's era silver tongued nuances of Lynyrd Skynyrd et al. Yeah, that kind of music.
We weren’t terribly hungry, so we chose from the appetizer menu. I had the Caesar salad – it reeked so much of anchovy I had to eat around the dressing, which seemed to defeat the point, - they need to create a more balanced dressing The croutons were definitely store bought - those nasty tiny ones that are completely uniform in size and tough in texture. My date had a prawn cocktail, 4$ for each prawn. They looked like they had been defrosted from a bag from Loblaws. Next my date had a smoked salmon dish with a poached egg - he didn’t love that and I can't see how those two ingredients fit together, and I had a braised lamb croquette that sounded good on paper but was absolutely awful – one small bite and I was finished – so incredibly salty, and with loads of silly smears all over the plate – “honey chilli” – meaning a smear of honey with cayenne - and stone cold left over "roast" broccoli straight from the fridge - give me a break! An unappetising mess.
The place was pretty busy with large groups of people celebrating birthdays etc., and we may have done better by selecting from the more expensive side of the menu. But a “once bitten” pensioner like me is not inclined to get bitten twice.

I am not normally this pedantic, or this whiney, but I have to spell out what this dinner cost - see attached - so you can be prepared:

PLEASE - don't refer to it as "St Paddy's Day", or "St. Patty's day", or any other diminutive used by the low brow media, especially your "Saint patties day". It is "Saint Patrick's day", and a religious holiday in Ireland.
The day has been exploited by Diageo to boost booze sales, and no doubt bars and restaurants around the world enjoy increased patronage and profits from that. But to many of us who were actually born in Ireland, sloganizing Saint Patrick's name to appeal to a low brow crowd bent on having an excuse to go out drinking is insulting and patronising. Makes me cringe!

How would you like it if Canada Day was celebrated in Ireland as "Canuk Day"?

Next year, if you post using "Saint Patrick's Day" I might invite you to my Irish party - all Irish food and drink. No hard feelings here, hope you had a good time wherever you went.

1) Batifole - not trendy, not noisy, solid French food, a genuinely caring chef and owner.
2) Scaramouche - old school wonderful - not noisy - consistently great food
3) Note Bene - for the duck salad alone! Great service and food. Not very noisy.

If you think I harp on too much about the decibel levels in the restaurants I frequent, you should know how debilitating it is to lose your hearing. It happens quickly, and there is no going back. You will be watching your shows with the closed captions for the rest of your life. That will happen to you sooner if you work all night long in loud restaurants.

Merely a recommendation for diners and restaurant workers alike.

Is Pinkertons opening in the old Rudi Chinese restaurant space? It never seemed to have any diners, just elderly males drinking beer but not eating Chinese food. It recently closed down.
Do you think that the Jones to Marjorie stretch of Gerrard might become the new Ossington? Is there enough traffic and disposable income per household in the area to sustain more restaurants on that strip? Would love to see the area's restaurant scene continue to thrive.
We will also see what happens to Lake Inez further east on Gerrard.