flatbread – Fare..Eat..Ales

Another addition to the Yonge and Gerrard hotspot is Reds Midtown Tavern; the younger sister of Reds Wine Tavern in the financial district. The decor and set-up is similar. It has a classy interior, boasting a fresh decor and a large bar as the centrepiece. There is less emphasis on wine and more on cocktails and craft beer. The first time I went to Red’s other location, it was shortly after the re-opening when Ryan Gallagher was still at the helm. The menu was heavy on fresh fish and seafood but this concept seems to be on the backburner now in favour of more traditional fare. You can still get a pan-roasted salmon and a cioppino, but the focus now seems to be on a generic mix of favourites such as pan-roasted salmon, steak frites and lamb shank as well as a daily curry hand-crafted by the chef.

For the first little while I felt like I was in the movie “Groundhog Day”. There was a repetitive nature of the evening as per the Bill Murray classic. There was a bit of confusion around the service strategy. As soon as I was seated some crispy potato flatbread arrived. Wrong table. Then a couple of beer came by. Wrong table. Finally, a runner carrying a vat of mussels walked toward me. I just pointed to the adjacent table and said “It’s for them”. In fact, I thought I felt Punxsutawney Phil rub up against my leg once or twice. There has been a surge of bubbly waitresses in Toronto as of late and this was no exception. She arrived happy and informed me without breaking a smile that they were out of the double dip and that “Sri Lankan beef” was the curry of the night. Come to think of it, she did remind me a bit of Andie MacDowell. I put in a drink order and she skipped away. Sure enough, not two minutes later, I think I felt Phil again as another waiter arrived and told me they were out of double dip and the curry was Sri Lankan beef.

The cocktail list leans toward traditional with many priced at $10 or less. I asked for a highland old fashioned which came with scotch instead of one of the other traditional whiskies. An orange slice lined the bottom of the glass, held down by a large ice cube. It was well balanced, tasty and wouldn’t have been disappointed if I had to drink one over and over again.

The second cocktail I tried was another classic; the Negroni. To me, a good Negroni should taste like cough medicine…and not the crappy generic stuff either. I mean extra-strength, cherry flavoured Benylin DM. Red’s hit the mark with a decent $9 offering, made with gin and enough Campari to give it the taste and colour of a real good expectorant.

I’m a sucker for a good New England clam chowder, so I started with a cup of their North Atlantic Seafood for $6. There are a thousand interpretations on this classic dish. I quite enjoyed the flavour although it was thin for a chowder, there was more fish than clams and it was a bit on the sweet side.

Intrigued by the earlier attempt to give me some crispy flatbread, I decided to give it a try. It was an interesting spin on a traditional flatbread, topped with an array of popular flavours like argula, balsamic and whole cloves of roasted garlic. I loved the crunchiness of the “bread”. It was like a huge crouton underneath a standard Mediterranean salad. I was more than content with one or two small pieces and definitely would recommend as something you share.

I decided to venture into Asia and ordered the Thai slaw and the Sri Lankan beef curry, going against my cardinal rule of eating out…”if you’re not in a Thai restuarant don’t order Thai”. Now I can add “if you’re not in a Sri Lankan restaurant, don’t order Sri Lankan”. Neither dish was bad but just lacked that punch of intense South Asian flavours, especially the slaw which was rather boring. At $18.95, I’m convinced I could get a better curry somewhere else for half the price.

The roast chicken was a safer choice. It had all the fundamentals of a good roast chicken..crispy skin, moist meat and a flavourful au jus. What lacked were the sides. There was literally one fingerling potato (cut in half), a few pieces of asparagus and a few mushrooms. For $18.70, I’ll let you decide.

My Take

Red’s midtown is a great place to grab a drink after work or meet a buddy for a few apps. It’s fun but also loud and chaotic. They have decent shareables, trendy yet traditional cocktails and a good beer list. I have to say it’s less appealing as a dinner destination given the generic nature of the main courses I sampled. In other words, it’s like a Moxie’s or an Earl’s or a Joey’s. Good atmosphere with average, overpriced food.

I’m reminded of a famous line from groundhog day in a conversation between Bill Murray’s character Phil and MacDowell’s Rita:

Phil: Something is… different.

Rita: Good or bad?

Phil: Anything different is good.

It’s not about whether Red’s is good or bad….it’s just not different.

Much like trends that surge in a given year, there are many that begin to fade away. Here are my predictions of the Toronto food trends that should curtail in 2013.

1. Beet to Death

Almost every menu offers a beet salad of some kind. They are cheap, earthy and offer a pretty colour to a plate. They are however, very distinct. This uniqueness usually results in a short shelf life. Plus, root vegetables take turns being in favour. Just ask a sweet potato. They had to step aside for the beet and a new tuber should soon reign supreme. Perhaps an heirloom carrot, parsnip or even the relatively unknown sunchoke?

2. Doubt the Sprout

Despite its sinister reputation among the young, the brussel sprout has become the cool cruciferous vegetable in the past few years, offering a perfect marriage with other in vogue flavours like hot sauce and bacon fat. However, with other greens such as collards, swiss chard and mustard greens gaining popularity, I suspect the brussel sprout will lose some of its spark and go back to being the low point of many a childhood.

3. Pig: The Magical Animal

Pork is no longer the other white meat; it is THE white meat. Thick chops and pork belly have dominated menus in the past few years. Bacon has been used to wrap everthing from steak to scallops to ice cream. The combination of demand for lighter foods coupled with expected increases in pork prices in 2013 should see the presence of pork diminish somewhat across the board. That being said, bacon will be coveted and pork will remain a key component in ramen dishes, but don’t be surprised to see more chicken (in an attempt to gain the white meat status back) and beef options emerge as a replacement to the mighty pig.

4. Feelin’ Blue

Strong flavours will be replaced with more mild ones and cheese is no exception. The intensity of the bold blues, including gorgonzola will be replaced by lighter cheeses with more subtle flavour. The use of blue as a base for rich creamy pasta sauces (especially vegetarian ones) should fall out favour for more acidic, zingy ones.

5. Falling Flat

Flatbreads are pizzas for places that don’t make pizza. Once a popular appetizer, flatbread is a canvas to display other popular ingredients such as short rib, mushrooms and asparagus with white, red and barbeque sauce foundations. The novelty has worn off as diners are satisfied with the toppings reconstructed in novel and abstract ways minus the bland and often overcooked dough.

6. Holy Aioli!

Chipotle mayos, basil aiolis and other thick and sinful sauces should give way to vegetables based dips, sauces and condiments. The trend toward the focus on fresh and local ingredients doesn’t necessarily include mayonnaise and oil but may favor tangy, tomato jams, spicy chimichurris and vibrant pestos instead.

7. “Poutin'”

Call me crazy but the life cycle of poutine may be coming to an end. The classic Quebec dish has evolved to include lobster, brisket and pulled pork as well as modifications to the traditional beef or chicken gravy. The pendulum is swinging in the direction of lighter flavours. In the end, poutine, regardless of the version, is a salty and fatty mess to the extreme, one which will soon return to be reserved primarily for the after bar crowd.

8. Taking a Slide

Despite the number of new restaurants opening promoting sliders of all kinds, in all likelihood they will not sustain the popularity of the past couple of years. The initial simple slider gave way to newer ideas like pulled pork or beef topped with kimchi, slaw or fois gras. There may be some survival among the many small plate restaurants, but sliders have quickly become an outdated novelty. The advent of competitive burger joints have swung the pendulum back toward the large chin-dripping mains and away from the dainty, often dried out finger sandwiches.

9. “Not”ella

Nutella has gone from a rare childhood vice to a condiment which recently seems to grace everything from grilled cheese to crepes to burgers. The hazelnut spread has been elevated to iconic levels in the past couple of year with many restaurants going as far as displaying various sized nutella jars in their establishments like some kind of award or trophy. Not that it will go away, but the jars should come down with diner’s reactions shifting from 2012’s “Cool, this place has nutella” to 2013’s “Oh, nutella…again”.

10. Muffle the Truffle

Truffle oil is not a truffle. It’s a cheaper, liquid version of the exquisite fungus which has been grossly overused in everything from popcorn to pasta. Truffle is like fish sauce and saffron; if you use too much once, it resonates to every similar dish afterwards. Truffle is meant to subtly complement other flavours, not be the main flavour and too many dishes are offered without this understanding. Similar to Newtonian law, as the numbers of those who have been subject to truffle oil abuse increase, its popularity will decrease.

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Review:Toronto:Downtown:Reds Midtown Tavern

Fare..Eat..Ales 10 Food Trends That Will Fade in 2013