gerrard – Fare..Eat..Ales

Review:Toronto:Downtown:Reds Midtown Tavern

December 26, 2013December 26, 2013 spennyrdLeave a comment

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.

Review:Toronto:Downtown:Ramen Raijin

December 15, 2013 spennyrdLeave a comment

I was at a conference at a nearby hospital and decided to sneak out in order to avoid the generic wraps which graced the lunch table. It was a frigid day, so a bowl of ramen sounded divine. I trekked to the Corner of Yonge and Gerrard, hoping I could get a prime time seat at Ramen Raijin. It was about 80% to capacity so I didn’t have to wait in line.

The first thing I noticed was the set-up. I found it a lot roomier than some of the other ramen houses nearby. I was seated along a counter facing away from the kitchen with a side view of a large and attractive sculpture of what I perceived to be some sort of mythical Japanese idol. On the counter sat a menu held together by a clipboard. One part of the menu was a lunch combo flyer which presented like a grade 8 art project, complete with pictures of a disproportionate chicken and a pig that kind of looked like a cat. Of greater interest was the offering a small bowl of one of 5 types of ramen and 4 types of rice with a salad for $11.95. I tend to gravitate toward Shio Ramen and an order of Gyoza and today was no different. I chose the Soboro Don as the rice dish as part of the combo.

The starter salad was fresh and well dressed.

The gyoza was terrific. The dough was tender and fried to perfection and the filling with robust with flavour. The dipping sauce was pleasant. They lacked both the greasy or watery nature that I’ve experienced with these dumplings elsewhere. They were also priced well at less than $3 for 5 dumplings.

I kind of expected a very small bowl of ramen as part of the special but both the soup and rice were quite a reasonable size. Raijin’s interpretation of the shio included pork shoulder, green onion, Kikurage mushroom, cabbage, egg and black garlic oil. The shoulder was tender, the egg cooked to a perfect soft boil, the broth was rich and tasty and the noodles were firm and delicious. This is likely one of the more polar bowls of ramen I’ve tasted mainly because of the distinct flavour of black garlic oil. It has a strong and distinct flavour which could easily take over some of the delicate flavours of the soup itself. If you love it..great. If not, you may be a bit disappointed.

As for the rice dish, The nori was a nice touch but for some reason the bowl was missing the green onions advertised on the lunch combo flyer. As a result, it was a safe dish with no contrasting taste or contrast. It was missing any soft and sweet, missing the crunch and bites the onions would have provided.

Shio Ramen and Soboro Don (part of $11.95 lunch special)

My Take

Ramen Raijin offers a roomy and comfortable environment with good service and good food. It has a simple yet attractive decor (I like the sculpture) and lots of room to think or eat or people watch…whatever your fancy. The lunch special is a good value and allows somebody to try an array of flavours whether a fan of pork or chicken. The gyoza are among the best I’ve had at a ramen house. As mentioned, all the components of the ramen were well executed but the liberal use of the Mayu black garlic oil may not appeal to the masses. I wouldn’t hesitate to return on a cold winter day, but I may bring a bunch of green onions just in case.

Review:Toronto:Duke’s Refresher + Bar

December 13, 2013December 14, 2013 spennyrdLeave a comment

I often stay at the Eaton Chelsea so I’ve been watching the completion of Duke’s Refresher and Bar with great anticipation. One of at least 3 restaurants associated with the Aura condo complex at Yonge and Gerrard, Duke’s promises a “Coyote Ugly” experience with good food and a great atmosphere. I must admit, like any warm-blooded male, the thought of being drenched by a fire hose by a woman standing on top of a bar is somewhere on my bucket list.

I dropped in prior to another engagement I had to check out the place and all the elements were in place. The music was loud, the beers were pouring, the decor was loud and the barkeeps looked like they could have been on the set of the movie itself. I planned to drop by later with a buddy of mine to grab a few drinks, eat a bit of food and catch the rest of the football game.

We got there a little after 10 and the place was packed. The layout boasts a number of tables and we were seated at a couple of chairs along the long bar. We were immediately warmly greeted by a bartender and manager who welcomed us to Duke’s. We were presented the menu which includes over 40 tap beer ranging from domestics to craft ales. One of the unique aspects of this place is the ability to order 3 ounce samplers of any of them for a dollar and change. We did exactly that, ordering 7 or 8 craft beer to start.

The beer were served quickly and in the correct order. Other than that, the conversation was a bit painful. At this point I need to clarify something. If you’re picturing the bartender looking like Penny from the Big Bang Theory, you’d be wrong. Instead, he was like Zack Johnson, her on and off boyfriend on the show. Every beer I liked was his favorite and with every comment I made about the beer (for example, the hoppiness of the Amsterdam Boneshaker) was answered with one word…”Interesting”.

While looking at the menu, I noticed the Einstein club, which allows patrons to buy a 24 oz stein for $20 which stays on the shelf ready to be filled anytime they come in. They are also made privy to future special engagements available only to club members. It’s a concept I’ve seen in a number of Michigan bars, so I wondered if Duke’s was based on this American model. So, I asked Zack about this and he said “I thought it was Detroit but you might be right, I think it was Michigan”. In the end, despite being opened less than a week, the Einstein club was full and I was unable to reserve one of the many glasses on the shelves behind the bar.

Looking around, about 75% of the staff were male. I have no problem with male waitstaff, but my bucket list dream of being doused by water in a bar was…well…extinguished. Unfortunately, it didn’t mean that other aspects of Coyote Ugly wouldn’t come into play later.

After settling on a pint of Beau’s Tom Green Milk Stout (which is quite delicious), we ordered a couple of things to get a feel for the food menu. The menu focuses on traditional bar foods such as wings, nachos and burgers but also throws in trendy Toronto foods such as fried chicken, sliders and bibimbap. As per normal, I am drawn to anything with a fried egg, so the Pig & The Egg ($12.95) sandwich seemed like a good call, described as a bacon focaccia sandwich with a fried egg, sausage, bacon, pulled pork, American cheese and braised onions. The bread would have been divine even if two slices of bacon weren’t etched into it. The egg was cooked properly…giving me a yolkasm (meaning the feeling you get when you pierce a yolk and get the perfect drip). The triple hit of pork worked as well. It was a gimmicky sandwich but one I’d order again. We asked for the fries to be upgraded to the infamous garlic ones which they gladly did for a couple of bucks. They were well seasoned, unique and perhaps infamous but I think the bar has been raised for terrific fries and these fell a little short, tasting more cafeteria than downtown Toronto bar.

The pig and the egg $12.95 with infamous garlic fries ($2 upcharge)

Sticking with the egg theme, we decided to give the bacon and shrimp bibimbap a try. Garnished with avocado, kimchi and egg planted atop a bed of rice, it was a noble attempt at this signature Korean dish. The avocado was ripe, the kimchi was decent and the shrimp were cooked perfectly and in reasonable number and the egg produced another yolkasm (this could be my first multiple). The accompanying hot sauce was thick and delicious, a nice change from the Frank’s that dominates many other menus around the city. If anything the bacon was scarce and almost absent and the dish could have used the saltiness from a seasoning perspective.

Back to the Coyote Ugly thing. The water spray was out of the question. Unfortunately, the dancing wasn’t. Halfway through a bite of sandwich, the manager (also a dude) hopped on the bar and greeted the crowd. A chant of “Dance, Dance” ensued and I hoped something would prevent what was about to happen. Instead, Zack joined him on the bar and a Dance, Dance revolution session broke out. I was speechless.

My Take

Duke’s Refresher + Bar is more a bar than a restaurant located in an area which is desperate from nightlife other than strip joints and pubs. They offer unique drink options like taster size beer for less than $1.50 and the Einstein club. It likely won’t win a slew of culinary awards, but the food (at least what I tried) was decent bar food that matched the overall theme of the place. The staff is friendly,courteous and fun although this may be a bit a crap shoot depending on your expectations. In my case, maybe I expected walking onto the set of Coyote Ugly but instead ended up as an extra in an odd episode of the Big Bang Theory meets From Dusk Till Dawn.