The Frederick is downtown Toronto's newest bar and grill. A place that feels so classic you'll swear you've visited before, it's also fresh enough to surprise at each and every turn.

Housed in the historic Dineen Building, in the heart of the city's Financial District, The Frederick brings comfort food to Temperance Street.

A sister spot to The Chase, located upstairs, the restaurant is the casual yin to its sibling's more formal yang. Just don't mistake relaxed with sloppy.

A place that, as chef Cory Vitiello explains, benefits from the "same infrastructure, the same suppliers and staff, the same quality of ingredients and same chefs that we have upstairs," The Frederick delivers as polished an experience as can be found on the historic building's fifth floor. 

The difference, says Vitiello, is in the menu. "We're trying to strip away a lot of the pomp and circumstance that goes into this downtown dining scene. We have that upstairs, and we do it well. But there's a gap in the market for a true casual restaurant. I think that's harder to do than people think."

At The Frederick, named for Frederick Henry Herbert, the building's architect, the focus is on cheffy versions of comfort standards.

"Upstairs, we take more chances to create something original," says Vitiello. "Here, we do the opposite. We take familiar classic dishes and try to elevate them as much as possible or put that unique spin on them."

Inspiration, he adds, comes from ubiquitous cravings. "The overall goal is more a style and a feel than a culture or a specific cuisine. The idea is just to have a collection of craveable, classic dishes that are somewhat familiar but with the ability to still surprise you, be it by the execution or the quality of ingredients."

Signature cocktails and house classics are diners' first hints at the team's approach. A dramatic strip of lemon zest adds zippy citrus notes to a Classic Martini ($22), but it's the Rush Hour ($20) that's stealing the spotlight.

Made with ingredients found in places where coffee is grown, it's a bracing blend of Cuban rums, roasted winter melon syrup, and a double shot of espresso capped with cacao and sea salt foam.

Ideally sipped on the restaurant's serene patio, the Blackberry Bloom ($18) is Spirit of York Vodka, St. Germaine, blackberry, lemon, and yuzu stirred into a dangerously easy-drinking elixir.

Flaunting an edible floral garnish and a blanket of egg white foam, the Ginza Sour ($22) is another beauty. With Roku Gin, Choya Umeshu liqueur, passionfruit and lemon, it expertly balances its sweet and sour notes.

Drinks demand snacks, like the team's light and flaky Zucchini Fritti ($19) or fan-favourite Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($24).

The Frederick's "answer to a bowl of French fries or tempura vegetables," the former makes zucchini palatable by way of tapioca starch and flour, and a flash fry in scalding oil. A dusting of fried sage, rosemary, pecorino cheese and fresh-ground black pepper adds zest, with parmesan and lemon aioli lingering nearby for compulsive dippers. 

As for that chicken? Ignore its billing as a shareable appetizer and order it for yourself. Tenderized in a buttermilk marinade, it's then dredged in flour and potato starch, for ultimate crunch, before being fried and brushed with hot spiced maple oil. With house bread-and-butter pickles and dill ranch sauce, it eats like a complete meal.

Then again, you may find yourself distracted by the Maryland Style Crab Cake ($32). Made of jumbo lump crab, it's seasoned with lemon, Old Bay, a touch of mustard and mayo. The surprise lies in its presentation beneath a golden kaitafi nest. Together, the elements marry meaty and fresh with mouth-pleasing crunch and the tang of traditional remoulade.

A must on every table, Half Roasted Chicken ($39) is dry-cured before it's lacquered in a sweet, sticky glaze. Even if Vitiello wasn't a chicken savant (after all, he co-founded Flock Rotisserie + Greens), one glimpse at this perfect poultry passing by would be enough to encourage an order. With mash, buttered green beans and grainy mustard jus, it's the epitome of chef-polished home cooking.

Beside it, you might want chef's Steak Au Poivre ($59) or Harbord Room Burger ($33). Napped in Cognac-enriched peppercorn sauce, the seven-ounce tenderloin is joined by roasted button mushroom caps and downy potatoes for a dish guaranteed to sustain its fair share of Financial District wheelers and dealers.

A nod to The Harbord Room (Vitiello's long-shuttered neighbourhood gem), and its fabled burger, The Frederick's take combines a patty made of dry-aged chuck and brisket with Guinness onions, white cheddar, lettuce and tomato. Juicy and generous, it's a beast of a meal, sure to make smash devotees reevaluate their life choices.

Throwbacks revamped for the times, desserts at The Frederick balance elegance with childlike ardour for sugar. Intended for two, they'd also make one sweet-toothed diner profoundly happy.

A molten chocolate cake with soufflé aspirations, Warm Valrhona Dark Chocolate Cake ($18) handily sates chocoholics. "As cliché as it is," says Vitiello, "it's hard to find another dessert that people get that excited about."

Still, it's the House-Made Soft Serve ($14) that the chef himself craves. A copious coil of mascarpone and vanilla ice cream, it's embraced by sour cherry sauce and toasted almonds, offering a parade of cool, sour, crunchy bites.

A restaurant that Vitiello has "always wanted to do," The Frederick also represents how the chef likes to eat. "I gravitate towards these spots," he affirms. 

The Frederick is located at 10 Temperance Street.