Restaurants
Balsam Bistro
Balsam Bistro in the Beaches might not be the most obvious place for a meal. But set back a bit from the street, the restaurant has two spacious patios and a table cloth laden interior where the kitchen serves up a range of pasta options and affordable meat mains.
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It wouldn't be fair to say that the food was necessarily bad, just completely unremarkable and certainly not of a calibre worthy of the atmosphere, much less the prices.
To begin with the menu was pretty unimaginative, but we remained optimistic that the chef's talents would make up for it. Much to our disappointment however, the preparation reeked more of mediocre pub fare than of proper restaurant cuisine. Our friendly and enthusiastic waiter raved about the chicken and it's delicious butter "sauce", however when it arrived the meal amounted to little more than a skin-on chicken breast that had been salted (no sign even of pepper), then fried in butter. This buttery breast was then laid next to some run of the mill mashed potatoes and greens that had grown bitter from over-cooking. If we'd have been eating at a generic pub paying $40-50 for food and drinks that would be one thing, but paying $100 (including tax/tip) was a bit much.
To sum it up: I'd certainly give the place an above average score on ambiance and service; the drink and menu options are "okay"; however the quality of food and preparation made us wonder whether the people managing this restaurant and kitchen have much experience, especially any formal training in a professional kitchen. That said, there is a LOT of potential here: with a proper chef and a little more effort invested in the beer/wine list, this place has all the makings of a great neighborhood eatery.
I highly recommend this true GEM in a true GEM of a neighbourhood:)
Look up and down the Beach - Woodbine to Victoria Park along Queen and there is only one venue I would choose to spend my hard earned cash at - at that's Balsam.
Chef proprietor David Salter is more than willing to prepare special meals on request. Take us for example - giving him a day's notice for a our anniversary he put together a jaw dropping experience matched with appropriate wines and the cost was more than resonable.
Idyllic front and back patio...ideal for relaxing and people watching...this place is going to be a great success after a couple of false starts.
It all started with a highly personal, insulting and frankly unprofessional piece of tacky journalism by Amy Pataki the unqualified dining hack at the Toronto Star. The previous chef was asked to leave in December 09, and the big re-start button pushed.
That re-start button turned Balsam into an intimate dining spot, with careful cooking, easy and friendly front-of-house staff and some rather interesting nightly specials.
The front and back patios were the best in the Beach and lovely to enjoy of a balmy summer's night.
And now, if Balsam has indeed gone, what are we left with east of Woodbine? Some plastic Italians, some even more plastic sushi, pizza and Thai joints, wings...
I can only hope the dark lights, the shuttered door is temporary and hope the hood rallies behind one of its one, living there all his life and dreaming of running a bistro in the place he loves.
Anyone want to comment? Positively...of course!