Dining with Jake - the Gyllenhaal restaurant guide continues

It was a lean summer for sightings of Jake Gyllenhaal in restaurants - possibly, while in MV, Jake prefers to cook himself, taking advantage of the fresh food, the fish markets and his mother's herb garden, not to mention the time that a holiday brings. That all came to an end with TIFF, and Jake began to be seen in restaurants in Toronto, in New York and in LA. Having just disposed of a pizza and still supping a glass of red wine, this seems like the perfect opportunity to refresh my guide to eating with the Gyllenhaals. These first pictures are of Jake visiting a restaurant at TIFF in 2005 - before the SUV craze.



Toronto

Dining out in Toronto during TIFF poses all kinds of problems. If you're not famous, the crowds are so large it is possible that you will not find anywhere with a table within a half-mile radius of a George Clooney sighting and, when that sighting is on a Saturday night, your trouble is doubled. One solution is to weave your way into the busy bar of one of the main hotels and have a liquid dinner instead. If you are a celebrity, on the other hand, you'll definitely get a table but it may feel like you're in a goldfish bowl and you have to run the red carpet dash every time.


Jake visited Sotto Sotto in Toronto and ended up having to make his getaway through the kitchens, much to the delight of the staff and a reporter who just happened to be outside chatting to the staff. At the time, the legend went that Jake was picked up outside the restaurant in the wee hours of Friday morning by Reese Witherspoon. It has since generally been agreed that Reese has better things to do with her time than act as a chauffeur and that the blonde driver was the same lady who accompanied Jake to the press conference, also causing no end of trouble for the paparazzi (while they were distracted it seems Reese was driven round the back). Jake did not disappoint: 'Deeply V-necked, pleasantly broad-shouldered, and with that paralyzing dopey smile', Jake made sure to congratulate Mama, the cook, on her lasagne. We shall be returning to lasagne later on.


The Sotto Sotto website is a delight, and not just for hungry bellies. You will be serenaded with the sounds of Italy. The menu itself is extremely appetising and, compared to British prices, incredibly reasonable. I could just eat the mousse-cioccolato right now.

Also on Avenue Road, but part of the Park Hyatt Hotel, is Morton's Steakhouse. Admittedly, Jake probably didn't eat here this time, but Peter Sarsgaard did - along with some other people called Brad and Angelina (but not with Peter). Not being a meateater, I may have given this one a miss. The picture below is competely un-Toronto related but it does include food.


New York City

In between nipping to Boston for baseball and Flushing Meadows for the tennis, Jake made sure he left plenty of time to eat and he was seen dining out on two occasions. On Saturday 15 September, Jake visited Bar Pitti on Sixth Avenue with director Noah Baumach. 'Waiting for a table can be a chore, but all is forgiven once you take a seat, thanks to authentic, affordably priced cuisine and some of the friendliest waiters in town. Despite the packed seating, Bar Pitti wins you over with Italian charm - it's the kind of place where the waiter brings over the list of daily specials on a well-worn blackboard, and if you want more cheese, a block of Parmesan and a grater suddenly appear.' I definitely get the sense that Jake favours Italian cuisine - a man after my own heart.


On Sunday 16 September, Jake and a mystery lady went for brunch at August: 'Located in the heart of New York's Greenwich Village, August is a local, critically acclaimed bistro offering Regional European fare for dinner, lunch, and brunch. August features a diverse menu rich in the finest traditions of Europe's food cultures, ranging from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe using local and seasonal ingredients.' For brunch, one can have oven baked eggs, smoked salmon, burgers, all washed down with a champagne cocktail. This place can do no wrong in my eyes because it serves mushy peas.


Los Angeles

It's not been easy keeping up with Jake over the last few days, the way he's notching up airmiles, and while one lot of hearsay has it that Jake flew down on Sunday afternoon to see the band Wilco play at ACL in Austin, Texas, another has it that he instead flew to Los Angeles for a business dinner at Il Sole on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood. What got my attention in all this confusion is that, if Jake did eat at Il Sole on Sunday night, he ate a seven layer lasagne. Hats off to Jake for that one. I have to wonder how it compared with the Toronto Sotto Sotto lasagne. As for Il Sole: 'Il Sole is a cozy, boutique Italian restaurant specializing in authentic contemporary cuisine. The restaurant features an extensive regional Italian wine list'. Apparently, it accepts walk ins and also does take out. It also still looks cheaper than many of the restaurants near me. I do like the sound of a business dinner so close in time to the Brothers news.


Finally, just before Jake flew to Toronto, he visited another old favourite LA restaurant, Jar on Beverly Boulevard, this time with a mystery male. (Lucky Jake to be dining with so many people of mystery - it must make lots to talk about.) 'Jar, a modern chophouse in the heart of Los Angeles, dazzles Angelenos with the allure of Chef Suzanne Tracht’s familiar retro dishes from the American culinary repertoire, including her signature Pot Roast, Kansas City Steak, award winning French Fries, market-fresh sides and perfect martinis.' While I love the sound of the martinis, this is another meaty place, but I adore the look of it. I quite fancy one of these to go with my chocolate mousse from earlier: 'Key Lime “PIE” - Absolute Vanilla vodka, pineapple juice, fresh lime and Roses lime juice'.


This picture was taken at Orso's restaurant in LA and is an entirely gratuitous inclusion - on the basis of that shirt.


Includes pictures from IHJ and Just Jared.