| rev:text
| - We made reservations a week in advance and went on Friday the 13th of December, and Friday the 13th lived up to its reputation as the people joining us from all over the city were trapped in snow squalls, transit was delayed, and cabs were difficult to catch. It snowed 15cm Friday and the roads were choppy, with temperatures reaching -22C after windchill. We did eventually all arrive and get settled in.
The first thing I noticed upon arriving was THR&CO just down the road at 93 Harbord. I saw the sign and started heading there as the initials matched up; until I realized the number was wrong. I readjusted my trajectory to find The Harbord Room at 89 Harbord in what appeared to be a converted house with no noticeable signage (I see a photo here as I write this, of very small, white watermarking on their windows which would have been camouflaged by snow). I was greeted at the door by a host who offered to hang up my bulky winter coat, and I noticed that the dining room was cozy (maybe a 30 - 40 seater including the bar) and warmly decorated.
I was the second of my party of 6 to arrive, and my friend was there at our table with glasses of water and menus set out on the table. There were 4 or 5 of each red and white wine available by the glass, and a much longer list of wines available in larger formats.
After the rest of the party arrived, we took a peek at the food menu. The food menu is short; but the description of each item revealed each to have many complimenting flavour components. We had a couple of members of our party with dietary restrictions ask our server about ingredients. Our server disappeared to the kitchen to relay the questions and returned with detailed, helpful answers.
For starters, we shared an octopus salad and another pair at the table shared a fried green tomato salad. Each arrived, beautifully presented, in rectangular server platters. The octopus salad was small in portion; but very tasty. Slices of octopus on the bottom, topped with sausage, drizzled in a mild tomato/chili dressing with sprigs of greens, paper-thin shavings on onion, and some roasted chickpeas.
I didn't get to tried the tomato salad; but it looked slightly larger, with more greens and veggies, and a brick of goats cheese included to spread on fried tomato slices.
I ordered the bavette of beef. The server told me that the cut was between the sirloin and porterhouse, then immersion circulated in sous-vide at the temperature of rare beef. When ordered, it would be removed, grilled or torched to brown and sear the outside and bring the inside to a medium rare. When it arrived it was sliced into pieces a bit bigger than bite-sized and placed on top of what seemed like fried, then roasted brussel sprouts drizzled in a little bit of au jus. The meat was cooked to a perfect medium-rare as promised, topped with a line of green poblano pepper salsa, which had a mild acidity and very subtle heat. Around the plate there were 3 or 4 deep fried cheese puffs, a couple of thick steak-cut onion rings, and a dollop of sweet potato puree. The portions of the sides were modest, and the focus was really on the beef and the brussel sprouts.
My sharing companion ordered the chicken, which came two-ways. A large breast was roasted to succulent perfection. The skin was seasoned and and crisped, while the meat was tender and juicy. My experiences were slightly less detailed with this plate; but there was a small buttermilk-fried chicken leg. The batter was light, flaky, and not too salty, the meat inside was piping hot and juicy. You could tell that everything came straight out as soon as it was ready. My friend mentioned there were at least 3 different sauces on her plate and marvelled at how much work and flavour went into each dish.
Two friends down the table ordered the hamburger, which came presented on a wooden board with an assortment of sides and sauces. It was cooked to medium and one of the people who ordered it proclaimed it was the best burger she had in Toronto, topping out Mildred's Temple (I have never been; but I know 2 burgers I'm trying in the new year!).
Unfortunately, we did not get to try dessert because we booked a time slot prior to a private party (we were informed of this when making the reservation, so not a big issue).
Another thing I noticed later on in the evening was I was not crazy thirsty like I usually get after dining out at a restaurant. I can't say for sure; but it seems like they were able to develop plenty of flavour in all of their food without the overkill of salt.
Looking forward to return for a burger and dessert!
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)