As the partner to his husband and wife, restaurant co-owners, Diego Diaz often gets called “the third wife” in their business relationship.

“We’re constantly talking,” he said. “It’s easier to do that sometimes with someone you trust and have a longstanding relationship with.”

Between Diaz and co-owner Lamine Martindale, that relationship spans at least a couple of decades. Before they were esteemed restaurateurs, their roots trace back to humble beginnings in Toronto’s The Annex, meeting when they were 13 years old.

The two friends remained close through high school and attended the same university. In fact, Martindale got Diaz his first industry job on St. Clair.

“He’s been my best friend for almost 30 years now,” says Diaz.

Several years ago, when Martindale met his now-wife, chef Alycia Wahn, they realized they had the perfect recipe on their hands — literally. Between Diaz’s Uruguayan background, Martindale’s Caribbean lineage and Wahn’s Creole influence from her time living in Louisiana, the longtime friends discovered they could offer a tri-cultural culinary experience: in other words, the epitome of Toronto cuisine.

Conejo Negro was born when they pinpointed that having “the chef element” was the vital part of embarking on this journey together, said Diaz. That’s when things really got cooking.

“It wasn’t until Alycia came into the mix that it became serious,” he said. “As much as we can run a restaurant, it’s also creating the menu and an identity with the food. That’s when we could envision what we wanted to do.”

The restaurant serves up a unique offering of items that differ largely from their College St. neighbours. Where warm flavours and bright ingredients intersect, you’ll find comfort food with contrasting spins: squash dumplings, fit with a corn and ancho crema, plus fresh garnishes like pickled onion and chili oil.

Small plates, like their Brazilian cheese puffs and macaroni pie, boast dominant flavours for those bold enough to try something new.

Online, former and future patrons buzz with talk over the eatery’s one-of-a-kind selections. Elsewhere in the city, you’ll find Chinese-Mexican, South African-Filipino and even Japanese-Peruvian grub. But this is an unforgettable outlier, a chow-down like no other.

“Our restaurant is as diverse as our upbringing,” said Diaz. “It represents Toronto — we went to high school at Dufferin and Bloor, and it was a very mixed high school. We like the fact that we can relate to different cultures and people from ethnic backgrounds. It’s kind of how we were raised.”

As for Diaz’s favourite dish on the bill of fare?

“This summer I’ve just been eating the tomato salad almost every night with some protein, just to keep it light,” he said. “I think the tomato salad with a side of the fried chicken is my go-to.”