IGTC Endorses: Ruby Watchco

OK, before my memory fades, here are some impressions and a review of the new hotspot in the East End, Chef Lynn Craford’s home-style, one-set-menu-is-all-there-is boite.

The space is cozy, inviting and only got really loud once it was full around 8:30. It’s been prepared with a lot of thought by the people who do Restaurant Makeover and still has its “new car” shine.

It was insanely hot here in Toronto today so the first thing up was a delicious house cocktail: a raspberry bourbon sour.  Not too sweet, the raspberry and bourbon went well together, made all fizzy by some soda (but no egg white that I could discern). Could have had a couple…

The opening salad was perhaps the best salad I’ve ever had in a restaurant… hmm, could this be true? Let me think? Not too many fab salads immediately come to mind? Most of the truly great ones have involved duck products of some sort… Ah yes! Of course!! OK, this is the SECOND best salad that I’ve ever had. The first was most definitely the foie, pansy petals and iberico ham salad that Ramon served at his old fancy place, Cluny, in Madrid. Oh my… my mouth waters at the memory of that one… : )

So you get the idea; this was one good fucking bowl of greens, peach and pink shrimp. As far as the shrimp goes, given the immediate association most people make between small pink shrimp and the ubiquitous and flavour-free ring in which they normally appear, my mouth was almost expecting them to be a) ice cold and b) watery and nasty. Oh so wrong on both counts… These tasty little bastards had been warmed to the temperature of the other ingredients AND were extremely flavorful. Good show!

The “living mizuna” mentioned on the menu above was essentially a spinach substitute and the toasted cashew vinaigrette pulled it all together. YUM.

With that excellent course finished, it was time for the main event: a grilled flank steak with heirloom tomatoes and caper relish.  This nicely rare meat came with some zucchini fritters (that disappeared quickly), a bowl of new potatoes and beans (that we won’t talk about) and, perhaps the greatest discovery of the entire meal: grilled sweet corn with chipotle aioli, lime salt, queso fresco and some fresh cilantro.  Corn has never tasted so succulent and tangy. Wow. the combination of cilantro and the sweet yet grilled kernels was absolutely fantastic.  This is definitely something to replicate at home.

Ruby Watchco’s cheese course tonight was a 10 yr old Ottawa Valley cheddar that came accompanied by some spicy pickles. The cheddar itself was extremely mellow and moist. Not heavy at all.

For dessert there was a blueberry shortcake made of almond sponge lathered in sweet cream from a farm named Hewitt. Good stuff, even for a non-dessert person like me.

Wine: Italian rose. Tart, not as fruity as expected but that was just as well, given the range of flavours on the plate(s).

Service: Fantastic. The Bulgarian server (who is almost finished her sommelier course) was wonderful, as was the rest of the staff.