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Restaurant Review
July 2009
Articles
FARE BISTRO
416-645-0914
1097 Queen St. E
farebistro.com
Summer, finally. Walks in the sunshine – in sandals – fresh fruit and vegetables everywhere you look, and long luscious evenings with friends. Add in delicious, healthy cuisine, cool white wine and a sexy atmosphere, and you’ve got our list of must-haves for this dinner review. Oh, and it all has to come at a reasonable price. And with a patio.
On all accounts, Fare Bistro fits the bill. Chef and owner Brad Clark took over the spot where Verveine used to be, redid the place and brought his own take on modern French bistro food to Leslieville.
The place looks and feels really nice. A subtle jazz soundtrack adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the modern, casually elegant decor. A comfortable banquette with chairs and linen covered tables lines one café-au-lait coloured wall. The other wall features an inviting polished wood bar with seating beneath some exposed industrial ductwork. The tin ceiling has been painted black which surprisingly gives the room height, and abstract oils by local artist Max MacDonald add culture to the atmosphere.
Out back is an adorable, intimate city garden patio with a high wooden fence, green with climbing vines, and tables with crisp linen and flickering candles. Très romantique.
Clark, one of those fortunate people who know their passion from a young age, has been cooking for 15 years, most recently as chef de cuisine and executive chef at Le Select Bistro in Toronto. In Avignon, France, he trained under the “Master Chef of France”, Christian Etienne. From there he developed his own dynamic style of French cuisine. And let me tell you, c’est très, très bon.
We immediately order one of my favourite French white wines (not available at the LCBO), Les Jamelles Sauvignon blanc ($8/glass). For appetizers, from the Small Fare section of the menu, we skip the Soupe du Jour ($6) which is mushroom (and no doubt delicious, as we find out later that chef has a thing for mushrooms). If you want to go Gallic, you could choose the French Onion Soup Gratinee ($8) with garlic croutons and Gruyere cheese; or Escargots Vol au Vent ($11) with white and brown shimeji, baby oyster, cremini and yellowfoot mushrooms with an herbed brandy demi-glace. But we cannot resist the Warm Goat Cheese Salad ($12), an artful arrangement of a round of tangy unpasteurized French goat cheese flecked with herbs atop a tangle of blonde organic frisee lettuce (all the greens at Fare are organic), purple pieces of fresh figs, and a walnut vinaigrette. A few house-made potato crisps add a crunch of texture. Upon the first bite we catch our breath and go “ohhhhhh.” The dish is so exquisite.
The Grilled Calamari ($10) is equally wonderful. With a perfect, slightly chewy but not remotely rubbery consistency, this calamari tastes of the grill and comes with roasted sweet red peppers, grilled zucchini and eggplant, Nicoise olives, fresh basil and balsamic drizzle.
Clark is big on local and organic foods. “There’s definitely an organic presence,” he says, referring to his menu. “I visit that kind of thing in my specials.” He mentions a risotto special with organic arugula and fennel as one of his favourites.
So as not to compromise quality, Clark will only select the best of the best for his produce; if the organic fare is under par for his standards, he will turn his attention to local options. “That’s why I go to farmers’ markets and meet the farmers and network the old fashioned way,” he says. Clark is busy establishing relationships with Ontario farmers to plump up his menu with the freshest and most sustainable high quality produce available.
For seasonal, fresh, local Ontario products, he has been known to frequent Brickworks Market. “It’s a nice opportunity to get out and take a vacation from kitchen work,” he laughs. But on a more serious note Clark adds, “If what regional has to offer isn’t up to par, you have to get certain things from where they’re best. If that’s Ontario, all the better.” For example, the gravlax he cures in-house is made with naturally raised Scottish salmon. But he’s happy with close to home cheeses and ciders from Prince Edward County.
We skip the Fish Fare, which on this evening includes Grilled Rainbow Trout ($22) with warm spinach salad, roasted walnuts and balsamic reduction with a honey mustard glaze. The Beef Fare has the French bistro classic of Steak Frites ($24), Roasted Chicken ($20) is half a boneless free range chicken with mashed potatoes and herbed garlic jus. Duck Confit ($25) features Quebec raised free range duck leg with red wine reduction, fresh herbs and demi-glace. The Bison Bavette ($24) is a skillet seared bison sirloin triangle with Bordelaise sauce and frites. And, Beef Tenderloin ($30) comes from AAA-grade Alberta beef with a Madagascar green peppercorn sauce.
Though they all sound delicious, we make our choice from the Feel Good Fare section on the menu and try the Mushroom Risotto ($19), which turns out to be a brilliant choice that convinces us henceforth to order anything that Clark makes with mushrooms. The risotto is an unctuous, creamy, slightly chewy, fragrant mushroom heaven, with white and brown shimejis, baby oyster, cremini and yellowfoot mushrooms. Chef stretches out Fare’s fresh mushroom season by getting them from across Canada, starting with the east coast, where mushroom season is earlier than here.
For dessert, we go right for the cheese platter ($18), which includes: Le Riopelle de l’Isle, a soft bloomy rind cheese from Quebec, the perfect, creamy, decadent dessert cheese; Baluchon, an organic raw milk semi-soft washed rind cheese from Quebec, mild with a bit of a bite; and, Fourme d’Ambert, a cultured cow’s milk cheese with blue-green marbling from the Forez Mountains in France, with a sophisticated tang that’s not overpowering. This is all punctuated by grapes, strawberries and slices of baguette.
Fare Bistro also has a very reasonable prix fixe menu. For $29 you can get three courses: starting with Soupe du Jour or Mesclun Salad; main choices are Grilled Pork Rib, Roasted Chicken, Rainbow Trout, Steak Frites, or Mushroom Risotto; desserts are house made (and $8 on the regular menu), Crème Brulee with a caramel crust or Chocolate Terrine with berry coulis and white chocolate sauce.
I have to tell you, I would travel far to eat this chef’s food. I think exquisite is the right word for what I tasted – delicious, satisfying and nourishing on a lot of levels. It feels to me like there’s quiet mindfulness and consciousness behind the cooking at Fare Bistro, as well as creativity and skill. As I said earlier, c’est tres tres bon!
Fare Bistro is open Tuesday to Sunday from 5:30 p.m. onward.
Review by Alexa Petrenko
FARE BISTRO416-645-0914
1097 Queen St. E
farebistro.com
Summer, finally. Walks in the sunshine – in sandals – fresh fruit and vegetables everywhere you look, and long luscious evenings with friends. Add in delicious, healthy cuisine, cool white wine and a sexy atmosphere, and you’ve got our list of must-haves for this dinner review. Oh, and it all has to come at a reasonable price. And with a patio.
On all accounts, Fare Bistro fits the bill. Chef and owner Brad Clark took over the spot where Verveine used to be, redid the place and brought his own take on modern French bistro food to Leslieville.
The place looks and feels really nice. A subtle jazz soundtrack adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the modern, casually elegant decor. A comfortable banquette with chairs and linen covered tables lines one café-au-lait coloured wall. The other wall features an inviting polished wood bar with seating beneath some exposed industrial ductwork. The tin ceiling has been painted black which surprisingly gives the room height, and abstract oils by local artist Max MacDonald add culture to the atmosphere.
Out back is an adorable, intimate city garden patio with a high wooden fence, green with climbing vines, and tables with crisp linen and flickering candles. Très romantique.
Clark, one of those fortunate people who know their passion from a young age, has been cooking for 15 years, most recently as chef de cuisine and executive chef at Le Select Bistro in Toronto. In Avignon, France, he trained under the “Master Chef of France”, Christian Etienne. From there he developed his own dynamic style of French cuisine. And let me tell you, c’est très, très bon.
We immediately order one of my favourite French white wines (not available at the LCBO), Les Jamelles Sauvignon blanc ($8/glass). For appetizers, from the Small Fare section of the menu, we skip the Soupe du Jour ($6) which is mushroom (and no doubt delicious, as we find out later that chef has a thing for mushrooms). If you want to go Gallic, you could choose the French Onion Soup Gratinee ($8) with garlic croutons and Gruyere cheese; or Escargots Vol au Vent ($11) with white and brown shimeji, baby oyster, cremini and yellowfoot mushrooms with an herbed brandy demi-glace. But we cannot resist the Warm Goat Cheese Salad ($12), an artful arrangement of a round of tangy unpasteurized French goat cheese flecked with herbs atop a tangle of blonde organic frisee lettuce (all the greens at Fare are organic), purple pieces of fresh figs, and a walnut vinaigrette. A few house-made potato crisps add a crunch of texture. Upon the first bite we catch our breath and go “ohhhhhh.” The dish is so exquisite.
The Grilled Calamari ($10) is equally wonderful. With a perfect, slightly chewy but not remotely rubbery consistency, this calamari tastes of the grill and comes with roasted sweet red peppers, grilled zucchini and eggplant, Nicoise olives, fresh basil and balsamic drizzle.
Clark is big on local and organic foods. “There’s definitely an organic presence,” he says, referring to his menu. “I visit that kind of thing in my specials.” He mentions a risotto special with organic arugula and fennel as one of his favourites.
So as not to compromise quality, Clark will only select the best of the best for his produce; if the organic fare is under par for his standards, he will turn his attention to local options. “That’s why I go to farmers’ markets and meet the farmers and network the old fashioned way,” he says. Clark is busy establishing relationships with Ontario farmers to plump up his menu with the freshest and most sustainable high quality produce available.
For seasonal, fresh, local Ontario products, he has been known to frequent Brickworks Market. “It’s a nice opportunity to get out and take a vacation from kitchen work,” he laughs. But on a more serious note Clark adds, “If what regional has to offer isn’t up to par, you have to get certain things from where they’re best. If that’s Ontario, all the better.” For example, the gravlax he cures in-house is made with naturally raised Scottish salmon. But he’s happy with close to home cheeses and ciders from Prince Edward County.
We skip the Fish Fare, which on this evening includes Grilled Rainbow Trout ($22) with warm spinach salad, roasted walnuts and balsamic reduction with a honey mustard glaze. The Beef Fare has the French bistro classic of Steak Frites ($24), Roasted Chicken ($20) is half a boneless free range chicken with mashed potatoes and herbed garlic jus. Duck Confit ($25) features Quebec raised free range duck leg with red wine reduction, fresh herbs and demi-glace. The Bison Bavette ($24) is a skillet seared bison sirloin triangle with Bordelaise sauce and frites. And, Beef Tenderloin ($30) comes from AAA-grade Alberta beef with a Madagascar green peppercorn sauce.Though they all sound delicious, we make our choice from the Feel Good Fare section on the menu and try the Mushroom Risotto ($19), which turns out to be a brilliant choice that convinces us henceforth to order anything that Clark makes with mushrooms. The risotto is an unctuous, creamy, slightly chewy, fragrant mushroom heaven, with white and brown shimejis, baby oyster, cremini and yellowfoot mushrooms. Chef stretches out Fare’s fresh mushroom season by getting them from across Canada, starting with the east coast, where mushroom season is earlier than here.
For dessert, we go right for the cheese platter ($18), which includes: Le Riopelle de l’Isle, a soft bloomy rind cheese from Quebec, the perfect, creamy, decadent dessert cheese; Baluchon, an organic raw milk semi-soft washed rind cheese from Quebec, mild with a bit of a bite; and, Fourme d’Ambert, a cultured cow’s milk cheese with blue-green marbling from the Forez Mountains in France, with a sophisticated tang that’s not overpowering. This is all punctuated by grapes, strawberries and slices of baguette.
Fare Bistro also has a very reasonable prix fixe menu. For $29 you can get three courses: starting with Soupe du Jour or Mesclun Salad; main choices are Grilled Pork Rib, Roasted Chicken, Rainbow Trout, Steak Frites, or Mushroom Risotto; desserts are house made (and $8 on the regular menu), Crème Brulee with a caramel crust or Chocolate Terrine with berry coulis and white chocolate sauce.
I have to tell you, I would travel far to eat this chef’s food. I think exquisite is the right word for what I tasted – delicious, satisfying and nourishing on a lot of levels. It feels to me like there’s quiet mindfulness and consciousness behind the cooking at Fare Bistro, as well as creativity and skill. As I said earlier, c’est tres tres bon!
Fare Bistro is open Tuesday to Sunday from 5:30 p.m. onward.
Review by Alexa Petrenko