Beer Bistro - Because we were lazy, Toronto Edition (Toronto, ONT)

Beer Bistro

After walking all around Toronto on our first full day (CN Tower, Chinatown, Little Italy, University of Toronto, street fair at Eaton Centre), we were quite beat and ended up crashing at our hotel in the Financial District of Toronto, home of the Toronto Stock Exchange. After reading a bit on Chowhound, we found a restaurant called Beer Bistro a block away from our hotel, and surprisingly, was open during the Victoria weekend. Beer and food, count me the EFF in!

Dining Room

For a beer bistro, the decor was quite simple, yet elegant. I enjoyed the simplicity of the place.

Bitburger Premium Pils

For my first beer, I went with a Northern German Pilsner. Clean, crisp, and quite refreshing. Quite a nice way to start my night.

More Beer

The picture above shows two other beers my friends ordered on draft. On the right was a Weissbier, brewed by a local Toronto brewery, Denison's, which was quite simple and refreshing. While the one on the left was the Ephemere Cassis, which was a beer made with black current for more of a fruity finish. I quite enjoyed that one.

"Cheese Nacho" Mussel Bowl

Served with a loaf of Cantillon sourdough, this bowl of "cheese nachos" was a hit at the table. Steamed in beer broth, topped with cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, avocado, and tortilla chips, the mussels were actually quite flavorful and meshed surprisingly well with the cheddar cheese. Great start to the meal!

Grilled Atlantic Salmon - wok steamed fall vegetables, white beer beurre blanc

The salmon was surprisingly flavorful and tender and the vegetables added a nice complement to the fish. Not too shabby for what it is.

Grilled Stuffed Chicken - oatmeal stout goat cheese, polenta, blistered tomatoes, fine beans, balsamic stout glaze

Stuffed with goat cheese, the chicken was fairly moist. The polenta added a nice starch base in the dish and the vegetables were a good complement to the dish. Although not great, it was pretty decent.

Belgian Frites - house made mayonnaise & smoked tomato ketchup

For my dinner, I started off with some frites, nothing better than some fried goodness. The crispy fries went well with both the ketchup, and the mayo, which was something new to me. Though frankly, I much preferred the ketchup over the mayo.

Beer Bread Pizza - Maudite Short Rib (beer braised shredded beef, horseradish parmesan, beef bacon confit)

I guess I was in a pizza mood and ordered the short rib beer bread pizza. The beef, braised in Maudite beer, which is a spicy beer brewed in Quebec was tender and delicious. It went especially well with the 2nd beer I decided to drink, which was also the Maudite. The bacon added a nice smokyness to the pizza. All in all, no complaints from me, quite delicious!

2nd round of beer (From Right: Unibroue's Blanche de Chambly, La Maudite, Urthel Hop-It)

The Blanche de Chambly, a Belgian-like beer brewed in Quebec was light and refreshing. The taste of coriander and orange peel was evident in the taste of the beer. I went with the La Maudite, which was a spicy beer brewed in Quebec, which went especially well with the pizza I ordered. A Canadian classic, which I can clearly see. Finally, the strongest beer on the menu (@ 9.5%), Urthel Hop-It, from the Netherland. Though strong, it had a fairly pleasant sweet aftertaste upon drinking it, delicious. All the beer we ordered during the night were on tap, though Beer Bistro does have a nice collection bottled beer as well. Like with most bars, I'd usually recommend the beers on draft if the selection is good.

Pavlova

Time for dessert, we decided to share two desserts amongst the three of us. We first started off with a Pavlova, a meringue based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Ánna Pávlova. Though named after a Russian ballet dancer, the Pavlova is actually a dessert from New Zealand which was named after Anna Pavlova in honor of her performance there. The meringue had a crispy outer layer, but the inside was light and creamy. The fruit accompaniment went quite beautifully with the meringue. Though this dessert is enjoyed often during the holiday season in Australia and New Zealand, we enjoyed it during our dinner as well.

Creme Brulee

Ah, the classic creme brulee, probably my all time favorite dessert. From the Bellagio buffet to Canada, if I see it on the menu, chances are that I'll order it. The version at Beer Bistro was good, but not fantastic, though I have no complaints about this version. Creamy and delicious as always.

(From Top: Grey Goose Vodka, Jameson Whiskey, Glenfiddich Scotch)

Not ready to call it a night, and trying to relive our College days, we decided to buy a round for the table with the spirit of our choosing. Since I'm the only sane one of the group (I kid), I went with my old friend, the Goose. The other two spirits of the evening were Jameson Whiskey, and the Glenfiddich Scotch, which I wouldn't say is a favorite of mine.

Shots of the bar area & View from the Exterior

All in all, a pleasant dinner, even if its nothing complicated. Quite possibly the best Toronto meal at the time of our trip, though Nota Bene (future post) was probably one of the better meal I had in 2009. As we stumbled back to our hotel two blocks away, we came away happy with the meal and excited the Victoria weekend was over. Time to hit up St. Lawrence Market in the morning for breakfast! If you're in the Financial District area of Toronto, be sure to check out Beer Bistro for its selection of beer and food.

Final Rating 8 out of 10

18 King Street East
Toronto, ON M5C 1C4, Canada
(416) 861-9872
www.beerbistro.com