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| - Let me be very clear - this is good, rich, hearty, filling food. Good lord did I ever sleep like a baby after my meal here last night. It's a great restaurant if a meat-heavy meal is what you're in the mood for.
Seven of us went here for dinner last night. No need for a rezo (probably because it was a tuesday night and raining cats and dogs) and we had a great big table all for us. The place is aesthetically surprising - you'd expect it to be a smaller, homelier place, but instead it's an expansive seating area, a long attractive bar and what looks to be a drinking/dancing floor in the back, but which may have just been absent of tables that particular evening. Local celeb Kent P. ordered some fancy cocktail. I had a glass of the riesling which was just fine for an Ontario wine with some unbearably lame name like "Smooth Criminal" or something equally embarrassing. Two flutes of prosecco for ladies and some beers as well. Bottles were well priced at $5 and the wine a bit steeper at around $11 a drink.
Starters were great. Onion soup and snails, a light red lettuce salad, seared fish , but the show stopper was certainly the terrine plate. The 'small' - it comes in two sizes - was big enough for the seven of us to all eat from. Each part was fantastic and while I can't remember each treat I do know that a duck mousse was particularly good.
We ordered three bottles of wine, a reasonable Montepulciano for $40 which went great with everything. Many plates at the table, but in my humble option the 10 oz steak which I ordered took the cake. A bit well done for my liking, but still delicious. And with marrow and butter it was hard to be displeased. Kent's shoestring fries came out cold - not uncommon with shoestring - but my cottage fries were very crispy and good. A side of sprouts with ham and hot peppers was also delicious.
We skipped dessert and coffee but I would guess that they would have been as good as everything else.
Generally the whole experience was nice. Good company and good food. But in many ways Parts & Labour just reminded me of a less exciting Hawksmore - the very popular London steakhouse. It was good hearty food and I enjoyed it all, but apart from a few interesting side notes, like the marrow butter, nothing jumped out as too exciting.
Ultimately it's the same criticism I levelled (perhaps unfairly) at the wonderful people at Woodlot - everything was regularly cooked good food. The steak at P&L was great, but not amazing. Even the terrine could have been easily found at any one of the boutique food stores in Toronto. Maybe that is a foolish ground for criticism, but I do want more than the convenience of not cooking when I eat out.
Parts & Labour was good, but attentive staff seemed indifferent to our meals (the head waiter - perhaps owner? - however, was fantastic) which were not that different from what I make at home. That wouldn't be a big deal except that our night ended up costing $100 each with tip. Not too crazy for a good meal, but a bit deflating when you think about getting your steak, sprouts and terrine at the Friendly Butcher, three bottles of Chateauneuf at the LCBO and having just as nice a night in.
Good, but not great.
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