Torontonian Restaurant Appraisals: Quince Restaurant
Rated by Eye Magazine as ‘outstanding’, but receiving mixed reviews from Toronto Life who eventually rated it one of Toronto’s Best New Restaurants in 2007, Quince falls into the category of a must-try – a Mediterranean-inspired bistro with reasonable prices and a reputation for fresh, innovative flavours. The founders of Quince are Jennifer Gittins and Michael van den Winkel, a husband and wife formerly known from the high-valued Stork on the Roof. Their new place, opened in fall of 2006, is located just a few blocks south of the busy intersection at Yonge and Eglinton.
Quince is surrounded by a cosy patio graced with teak furniture and a plenty of bright-coloured cushions, but still placed directly across the street from the abandoned hulk where an ill-famed nudie bar named Cheaters was once placed. Two doors down, next to the famous restaurant Coquine, a neon sign proclaims “Adult Video & Novelties”, a bit of a surprise in a neighbourhood touted for its blossoming business district and family-friendly parks. But in the last twenty-five years, there has always been an eclectic mix of places on this part of Yonge Street between Eglinton and Davisville. Clothing shops, bead and paper shops, home decor, but also adult venues – all this can be found around here.
We are warmly welcomed at Quince’s door by the hostess, who offers us a spot near the bar on low, cushioned banquettes. Pleading excessive height, we’re offered a selection of tables, which is a pleasant surprise for a Saturday night in this busy neighbourhood. “What’s downstairs?” I ask. We get a reply from our hostess: “Oh, that’s our private dining room.” You can have lunch or dinner there. The space boasts its own bar and lounge and all is nicely decorated, although the tile floor reveals it’s in the basement. Tonight it’s off limits to couples, being available for corporate or private groups of maximum 40 people or cocktail receptions of 70 people at most. For these events, the staff suggests you a menu along with matching wines, so that you don’t have to care about all the details yourself.
We choose our table and almost instantly, our waiter appears with a short list of specials. Make that a brief list of specials with a long explanation of ingredients, preparation methods, and how they’re going to work together. We can see that the waiter is apparently an expert, he doesn’t even need to refer to his notebook as he tells us what is garnish vs. a side dish. The waiter could be best described as personable, friendly and efficient. He gives me a moment to decide if ordering a whole sea bream is such a good idea, just points out apologetically: “Most people order a side with it, it’s just the fish.” And in the meanwhile, we can have a look around. I appreciate the smartly designed lighting that enhances the whole space of the dining room and adds nice warmth to it. The space seems to be noticeably large but still somewhat intimate at the same time. I also appreciate the pleasant volume level – although nearly all the tables around us are full, we can still talk easily and listen to the ambient music – probably D’Angelo and Stevie Wonder. Modern art in earthy hues decorates the loft-style exposed brick walls and adds balance to the exposed ductwork, which has been painted in chocolate browns to remove any trace of sterility. Great for voyeurs, a semi-open kitchen offers a glimpse of the wood-fired oven behind the bar. If you are interested to read the rest of our review, see the full Quince restaurant review.
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