Restaurants
Wine Bar
Wine Bar is the re-branded Church St. restaurant that used to be known as Jamie Kennedy's Wine Bar before financial troubles forced him to sell it. The menu, though, still places a strong emphasis on local, seasonal fare and poutine (a braised beef cheek version) remains a crowd pleaser.
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Our clients have always been "wowed" by the selection and the quality of the food they're presented at the Wine Bar. On our last visit, our waiter recommended a fantastic italian wine that our table of 8 thoroughly enjoyed. I'm sometimes hesistate to try italian wines, preferring Australian or California brands, but this bottle was a perfect complement to our meal.
We received outstanding service from our server throughout the evening and he made us felt like VIP's.
The dishes here are presented with skill, thoughtful care and I don't see how any true "foodie" wouldn't enjoy the experience and the variety of the flavours on the menu. If you enjoy watching the Food Network, come here and actually TASTE food creations like you see on tv made with quality ingredients.
The ambience is relaxed rather than stuffy, and makes for a ideal place to bring business clients as the food comes out in stages allowing you to talk over dinner while enjoying great food and wine. Makes a perfect place for date night too.
Their menu is constantly changing to take advantage of seasonal foods, so each time I've visited it's always a culinary adventure for me as well as my guests. Some of the standout dishes I remember were the Qualicum scallops, their gourmet poutines (which they seem to change regularly), mushroom flatbreads and anything involving roasted beets.
We discovered the best Canadian blue cheese any of us had ever eaten here one evening on their cheese sampler plate, a Quebec cheese called Blue Haze that has a smoky taste resembling bacon. OMG...decadent and delicious and one we were able to convince Whole Foods to carry now (after repeatedly asking if they had it available at the cheese counter).
Though it's sometimes hard to get a seat the "chef's bar" when they're busy, I would recommend trying that experience too. You get to sit and watch the Chef's prepare the food in front of you and ask questions about the ingredients they're using and see the process first hand.
If you want to bring someone from out of town for a truly memorable experience, this is an excellent downtown Toronto restaurant to come and experience.