Hi!
Unfortunately, we’re having to break from our usual seven-nights-a-week routine.
We’ll be closed on Mondays going forward.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Hope to see you on Tuesday.
That’s more like it!
What Is and What Will Soon Be (the limoncello song?)
Meet Eric.
Eric (did I spell that correctly?) is sufficiently committed to solving the Rubik’s cube that he’s nationally ranked at doing so. He’s been solving these things for six years now (!) and builds his own at home.
The cube in this video is brand new - one of his friends ran to Mastermind (the toy shop a few doors down) and picked one up during dinner. No doubt a new, straight-outta-the-box cube moves more slowly than Eric’s custom cubes (though he didn’t complain,) which he says he regularly solves in five to nine seconds.
Thanks for stopping by, guys. Nice meeting you!
(Apologies for the poor quality.)
Happy Birthday to both of our guests of honour last night! It was a pleasure to help celebrate two milestones (16 and 85!!) on the same day.
(Our private room is a mighty fine place to host a party, if I do say so myself!)
Ouf… Sold an entire weekend’s worth of braised pork shoulder in a few hours tonight. We’ll make more soon so you can come and taste!
Chef Danny’s Japanese-style (nibuta) braised pork shoulder with pork rillette ravioli, white bean purée, and confit celery root
Anonymous inquired: "Hello, do you offer baked goods such as croissants or biscuits for brunch?"Hi there and thanks for asking a great question!
Here’s the thing:
We’re surrounded by French bakeries on this little strip of Mount Pleasant and from what we can tell, the key to making good croissants involves not only butter but also a special kind of magic that can only be performed before the sun comes up while the rest of the world is asleep. As such, we’ve decided to leave the croissants to the professionals.
However, we do make all of our own bread including a sourdough French loaf, focaccia, pain de mie for sandwiches and burger buns, and sometimes a chocolately dark rye bread. Additionally, we make from scratch things like bacon (pork belly AND peameal!) which while not a croissant, is certainly a reason to get up in the morning:
Chef Danny’s cured & maple-smoked pork belly.
Hang in there, Spring’s just around the corner.
Need hors d’oeuvres for your next gathering at home? We can help.
Seared duck breast on Belgian endive with orange gastrique and orange ‘caviar’
Chef Danny and the boys were experimenting over the weekend:
Pan-seared marinated striploin with french fry terrine*.
*Made with love, and duck fat...
It may be the end of your week, but we’re just hitting our stride!
Join us for dinner tonight and partake in our $40, three-course prix fixe menu. Choose your favourite dishes from our enitre card, daily specials included!
Tonight we feature:
Cascumpec Bay oysters from the good folks at Oyster Boy,
Sesame crusted tuna loin with mango salad in an Asian-style dressing,
Fresh fillets of European Bass with braised lentils, red pepper & tomato sofrito, sauteéd spinach, and a luscious beurre Nantais.
Start off with a classic cocktail such as a Sazerac or a Bombay Gin Martini.
Celebrate the weekend with a pint (or two!) of King Pilsner or Grand River Plowman’s Ale.
Relax into an elegant chardonnay from Norman Hardie Winery in Prince Edward County, or a one of the few remaining (in Ontario) bottles of Jean Gardiés 2009 Clos des Vignes - an old-vines Grenache/Syrah/Carignan/Mourvèdre blend from a renowned winemaker in south-western France.
See you tonight!
-Neil
On BYOB:
While I take a lot of pride in making great selections for our wine list, I find it equally exciting to see what people bring to the restaurant from their cellars at home.
Last week saw a considerable turnout from Burgundy (above are fewer than half of the bottles byob’d over the last week!) including some première cru Beaunes dating back to 1996, and a ‘quasi-vertical’ of D’Angerville which included a 1995 Volnay.
It’s always great to see old friends (many of whom love to share, thanks guys!) and make new ones who share a love of wine, and food! That’s why we’re here, after all!
So whether you’ve got a secret stash or a giant cellar at home, or even just a favourite at the LCBO, bring it and enjoy! And it doesn’t have to be fancy or old or expensive - all that matters is that you like it!
Corkage fees are a mere $10 Sunday through Wednesday, and $25 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!
See you soon!
-Neil
When was the last time someone made you a decent Sazerac?
It’s family day in Ontario and you’re all invited to our place for dinner! Come by anytime after 5:30!
Valentine’s Day Wrap 2013:
Woah… So we had one heck of a night last night! Just shy of 100 people came through our doors for dinner on what is again proving to be one of the most popular date nights of the year!
Though we nearly bit off more than we could chew…
At some point around 9:00 pm Chef Danny and his crew were staring at more order chits than our line could hold, with an overflow of five or six orders fastened nearby with scotch tape. But the boys performed admirably, prepared some exceptionally delicious food, and got everybody fed. Highlights included green pea and mushroom risotto with orange and butter-poached lobster, marinated and sesame-crusted tuna loin, and a pleasantly boozy bourbon-spiked homemade ice cream!
Never to be outdone, our waitstaff kept their wits and good nature about them when the pressure was on (even though I know inside at times they felt like the goats (and sheep) in this video,)* and pulled off a highly successful evening.
Thanks to all of our staff, thanks to everyone who chose to spend their Valentine’s Day with us, and sorry to those who called for tables when we had none left to offer - wish we could have fit you in.
-Neil
*You were wondering how I was going to tie that all together, weren’t you?
