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| - Frankie Solarik has made a name for himself as someone who has stepped out and helped the city step out from the shadow of new York and it's top bars. I love cocktails and fully appreciate places who are pushing things like Walker Inn in LA, The Aviary in Chicago and here at BarChef in Toronto.
Convincing my Hamiltonian friends to tag along with me on my cocktail adventures was not hard seeing as we were here already, but having hit multiple breweries and multiple cocktail bars already we decided to make this our last stop knowing nothing would really top this. We saved the best for last. We came in on a weeknight and were seated without a wait. The dark interior set the ambiance and because the drinks are so captivating the only real way to experience them (it goes beyond garnish and plating) is belly up at the bar. Chatting with the staff we bro'd up pretty quickly and the veil of servitude was gone and it was a little more omakase in that we weren't to be one of the cool kids or just to have drinks we'd never had before. I was here to learn, pick the brains of others and not have this catered experience. We actually didn't indulge in many from the modernist drinks finding the dog and pony show to not be worth the added experience, cost and time.
We started with the spirit forward sipping menu which mentions tasting notes. That helps keep things approachable for the novice who may not put flavors and ingredients together the way chef's and bartenders do, but we were also trying to limit our bar tab. We knew we couldn't last long considering the hundreds of dollars of alcohol we'd each already consumed that day. I found the Pear & Rosemary to be aromatic af. Not overpowering, but in that way you can taste it before you drink it. Symphony No 5 was spot on 5 distinct flavors in balanced harmony. I'll order anything with Chartreuse tho. Dark Necessities kind of threw me off as I don't find the flavors of violet to match with cacao. Rosemary and Maraschino didn't do it for me. I get the concept, but think the execution needed refinement.
We had elyx a single farm vodka which is velvety and will breed a new batch of drinks or at least elevate the category. Valentine Gin was juicy and bursting with flavor. Plantation's 20th year XO was superb, just too good to mix. Eldo 21 year was the perfect balance of age and price, smooth, a hint of extinguished aromatics roasting. I was actually not impressed with their bourbon/whiskey selection relying heavily on readily available offerings like too much Evan, Jim, W.L. Weller, Crown, Club and not enough higher proof, more rare stuff. I get that it's not a whiskey bar, but I really wasn't sure what they were going for in terms of backbar stock. I was very interested in the Dillon's absinthe as I visited the distillery in Grimsby and they did not have it, so it's a private offering. Unlike Dillon's gin's the mouthfeel was great, but to me lacked the vegetal notes and may have been too floral.
We stayed away from the snacks as it seems like Canada is heavy on charcuterie and I find it's not ideal for cocktail pairings. Of the modernist drinks we did have Sailor mojito which gave just enough style, but to me I didn't get the pronounced acidity. Daiquiri adaptation fell flat being pretty "just tiki". The daiquiri is the standard and I didn't feel this elevated it. Black Truffle had great balance of salt, coconut liqueur, but the elderflower was out of place. Essence of Fall was just for the garnish and to have another sphere ice drink. At this point we went to spirits and classics having had enough for one night. Excellent and to spec.
We are right on the limit as we leave having found a new level in rallying multiple times in the day and seeing diminishing returns we also had to make the train. We bid adieu and talked of future trends thanking them for letting us step foot into their creative space. Too often innovation is not appreciated in part because it's not focused and thought to be just creativity for it's own sake. Not here at Barchef. Yes you can come and have drinks you've never had before and come here because it's cool, but it's cool for different reasons and the more you dissect that the more you will appreciate the elevations.
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