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| - It's a grand change from most other dining options in the northern downtown core (which there are not that many that don't go by a ubiquitous corporate chain name or open only for the M-F-9-5 Bay Street crowd), but The Gabardine makes me feel like a Don Draper-type character trapped in a 1920s Manhattan tavern or hotel bar, surrounded by modern hipsters. That seems the best way to describe a place that feels dimmed and "vintage classy-manly," with its seats filled with a mix of Bay Street suits and hip young faces. I guess I quasi-fit right in... in through the narrow entry and were in the early weekday evening seated soon after another pair had just left. It's bigger than it looks from the outside.
The $18 sirloin burger, served with tasty well-seasoned fries, seemed kind of basic in the toppings department beyond the couple sticks of bacon. The ground patty was a grand big inch thick (based on my trusty thumb ruler) and juicy, but bite after bite reminded me much of a $6 sirloin burger I had in Buffalo. Well, maybe that is not a fair comparison, but it wasn't an impressive burger either for that price. Eh, you can sell me on how the meat is humanely raised or some other Portlandia-type gourmet rationale, and maybe I'll shell out a fair $12-ish for the whole meal. But $18? I'd bloody rather run to their kitchen, find a bone saw, detach one of my arm and offer that as payment. Which is pretty much my eyegouged response to most of the menu, though it should be said all their entrees are definitely largely portioned for their price points. To really feel like you got your money's worth, come with an empty stomach.
There was also the chicken pot pie on the table that I ended up finishing. In retrospective, this is a much better choice. It's a giant beast, and its thick crispy crust hides an endless slurry of heartwarming creaminess that never seems to cool down. Perfect for telling an extreme winter cold to bugger off to hell.
Their mac 'n cheese, served with smoked ham slices on top, looked so tempting like something I should try in the event I ever find myself here again, hopefully with all four limbs intact. I also enjoyed also their various house cocktails, but not so much the hint of snottiness emanating from some of the staff.
{TTC: 6 bus to the Richmond/Adelaide block, or any Queen streetcar to Bay Street and walk south a block.}
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