Ossified: The avenue is changed forever (Photo by Dawn Paley)
How much more can Ossington take? A lot, it seems. The avenue’s seemingly endless gentrification will take another step this summer when chef Paul Boehmer opens his first restaurant, Böhmer. After considering Queen West and Yorkville, the former Rosewater Supper Club chef set his sights on a 5,000-square-foot single-storey building at 93 Ossington Avenue. “I see a real surge of restaurants on Ossington. It’s bringing the whole street alive, and it’s full every day,” says the chef, whose credits also include Scaramouche, Atlas and, more recently, Six Steps. “If you capture a reasonable market—like, don’t charge $45 for an entrée—and keep it to a price range where people can afford it and hang out, they’ll keep coming back.”
Boehmer sums up the menu with one word: local. “I’m going back to my roots, to when I apprenticed with Michael Stadtländer 25 years ago,” he says, noting that caribou and foie gras will be some of the items featured. “I’m also working with Michael Potters [Harvest, Spoke Club], and there’s going to be a market concept on the side where we’re going to sell preserves and vinegars.” He estimates appetizers will cost $10 to $20 and mains $20 to $30.
The dining room will have a recycled wood motif, done by local furniture makers Brothers Dressler. The decor will be a collaboration between Boehmer and Roy Banse, whose clients include the Toronto Film Festival and condo builder UrbanCorp. And to get the neighbourhood involved, he plans to display artwork and photography by locals.
As for the vanity moniker, Boehmer says it wasn’t his idea. “I got convinced by my friends—mainly Adam Calhoun from Oyster Boy, who insisted on it. So the signage is my signature.”
“If you capture a reasonable market—like, don’t charge $45 for an entrée—and keep it to a price range where people can afford it and hang out, they’ll keep coming back.”
Novel concept – ‘don’t gouge people’ – it’s just crazy enough to work! I Just pray more upscale business ventures keep moving in! It was such a tragic strip before.
Who needs a neighbourhood where you can walk down the street without tripping over drunk hipsters at night or fat investors surveying the possible store locations during the day.
May 5, 2009 at 4:03 pm | by Petewho needs another spot on ossington. Boehmer, How can you choose ossington over Yorkville??? Do you really leave in beautiful To….Maybe you can’t afford to pay the rent on Yorkville.
May 12, 2009 at 4:45 pm | by didiGood luck on oss
Didi
Great to see you opening a new place Paul. Lynne and I wish you the best success with your new venture. Will come into town for the occasion!:-) Cheers Ann (former stadtlanderite LOL)
May 18, 2009 at 4:35 pm | by Ann Stirling“Boehmer, How can you choose ossington over Yorkville???”
“Didi” (LOL), could it possibly be that Yorkville is a soulless enclave of cranial-rectal inversion par excellence, crammed with lost people wasting time and money, and a number of hopelessly pointless, dysfunctional bars? The only thing there more consistently present than the smell of delusion and desperation in the air are the Ferraris in front of that place that burned down. I mean, have you actually been to One and looked around? LOL … ugh.
May 29, 2009 at 7:05 pm | by WhatSo“Boehmer, How can you choose ossington over Yorkville???”
uh, Didi? yeah….I’m with WhatSo (and I can imagine most of the sane people in this city are….)
August 23, 2009 at 10:15 pm | by michiI’ve been looking forward to the opening but haven’t heard anything, does anyone know if and or when it is opening?
Any info or update appreciated.
I’m oh so looking forward to tasting chef’s latest!
Drooling
October 1, 2009 at 3:11 pm | by DavidI think the restaurant will be opening very soon by the looks of it. It’s quite beautiful I’m looking forward to it too.
February 5, 2010 at 3:40 pm | by Catherine[...] to recent reports, Paul Boehmer’s long-awaited restaurant at 95 Ossington is set to have a grand-opening party tomorrow night. Doors should be [...]
March 10, 2010 at 12:09 pm | by Böhmer to open soon | Ossington VillageI went into the newly opened Bohmer Saturday night for a quick drink and ended up booking my birthday dinner for 21 ppl next week based on the really cool decor and promise of a fab meal. Sooooo looking forward to “another” great restaurant on Oss. With Union and Foxley, this is becoming quite the resto strip.
March 13, 2010 at 9:53 pm | by Ted