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Altezza
04-14-2007, 06:32 PM
Restaurant name: Jamie Kennedy Restaurant / Wine Bar
Location: 9 Church Street, Toronto, Ontario
Type: Tapas w/ wine; Contemporary Canadian Cuisine
Food rating: 4.5 / 5
Ambiance: 4 / 5
Service: 4.5 / 5
Value: 5 / 5

Cost: $150 for one appetizer, two mains, and two half-glasses of wine. Keep in mind this was for lighter dishes. Otherwise, expect to pay more for a "regular" meal.

I haven't been to Jamie Kennedy's in a couple of years and I hadn't dined there for dinner (only a lunch) so I decided to give it another run while I was there recently. We went for a very casual late-night dinner. Neither my guest nor I was very hungry, so we opted for lighter dishes.

Although the restaurant is decorated with a very minimalist approach, it offers a very warm and "inviting" sensation. What started as an experiment by Jamie Kennedy has given a more casual feel to fine dining. In fact, that was what he wanted to provide..."fine" dining with a more casual experience, more casual presentation, and at a lower price point. One half of the location is devoted to his wine bar, while the other half is the restaurant. He does also have another restaurant of higher standard, Jamie Kennedy Gardiner.

Service and food were excellent as always. From what I understand, he uses organic ingredients local to the Ontario region. After being seated and greeted by our waitress, an expert (not quite a sommelier) from the wine bar explained their recommended pairings for our meal. Free of the snobbish attitude, each wine was explained in great detail. My guest and I each opted for half-glasses of wine based on his recommendations.

Jamie Kennedy is a well known Toronto "celebrity". If you're looking for a contemporary casual dining experience, you can't go wrong here. My only complaint was that the menu was a bit "sparse". But apparently the offerings change everyday.

Gondi Stylez
04-16-2007, 12:27 AM
good to see that you enjoyed it! jamie kennedy is a great chef and i have never been dissappointed eating in his resturant! he has also worked on various occasions with mark mcewan who is an incredible chef!

next time your in TO check out North 44 (mark mcewan), rain (guy rubino) or any of micheal bonacini's resturants (part of the oliver bonacini resturant line; id recommend canoe or even jump and biff's if you wanna lounge more)! if your into fine dining you cant go wrong!

Altezza
04-16-2007, 02:10 AM
It's probably been about 4-5 years since I've dined at Canoe. Maybe I'll give it another try the next time I'm in TO (likely in near future). I don't remember all that much about Canoe, but it was a great experience. The view was beautiful along with the kitchen layout. What I remember the most is the cylinder of ice encapsulating a maple leaf that was used to serve the sorbet.

North 44 is on my list to try since I've never been. Scaramouche is next on my hitlist though.

Thanks for the recommendations. Anything else you recommend?

Gondi Stylez
04-16-2007, 02:57 AM
Here is my "hitlist" for TO dining (in no particular order):

1. North 44 (Mark McEwan's primere resturant; I had Foie for an app. and Duck 3 or 4 ways for main my most recent time and it was amazing)

2. Rain (one of the best "fusion" Japanese resturants; im a HUGE Guy Rubino fan though!)

3. Canoe (Michael Bonacini is what I would call a food visionary; his food is always cutting edge and is incredibly refined; service is second to none - has the most intense server training in the entire industry - there is a textbook too, haha!)

4. Mimosa (tapas bar pretty much; I love tapas style food and it has a French twist)

5. Scaramouche (I've never eaten their but a client of mine when I did catering ate there frequentley and would constanly rave about it)

6. Bymark (Haven't eaten here yet either but plan too this summer; its Mark McEwan's new resturant and I doubt it will dissappoint)

7. Vertical (My cosuin eat's here every so often and when I've been down I haven't had the chance to go because it's closed on the weekends... but they have a seasonal menu and their grilled whole red snapper is killer... according to my cousin and she's pretty picky!)

8. Mistura (Massimo Capra is the EC and he is a killer down-home Italian Chef! I met him 2 years ago at the Food and Wine Expo and he is great! Can't go wrong for sure)