Saintly partners: Giancarlo Spataro and Adam Graham
For the past two years, trendspotters’ eyes have been fixed on the Ossington Avenue strip. And now the ’hood is getting a fresh infusion of talent from the downtown core. The boys behind King West bistro Brassaii are opening The Saint, a new gastro-pub at 227 Ossington, in mid-April. The forecast feel? Swank style meets community comfort—that is, if the community embraces it.
The project is the brainchild of Brassaii’s garrulous bar manager, Adam Graham, who is teaming up with restaurant booster Giancarlo Spataro (of Jacobs & Co.) as the operating partners of the new digs. Also on board are Brassaii owners Gus Giazitzidis and Peter Tsebelis, as well as designer Marc Kyriacou and former Kontent magnate Michael King. The talent-heavy team is looking to replicate the ethos of the King Street project, only with a new theme: while Brassaii is a traditional French bistro with cutting-edge design, The Saint will be a traditional British pub with cutting-edge design.
Elements of The Saint’s look will include reclaimed wood, marble bar tops and sumptuous oxblood banquettes. But Graham promises that there will still be a down-to-earth feel. “It will be a place where you can watch the hockey game,” he says. The mix-and-match ambience goes for dress code, too: “You can come in flip-flops and shorts and read the paper, or straight from work on Bay Street in a suit. And you won’t be under- or overdressed in either case.”
In sticking to the “keep it simple” mantra, the menu will feature such comfort foods as fish and chips and mac-and-cheese. Graham notes, though, that this won’t be pub food per se, rather “classic fare taken seriously.” The Saint will also support local businesses, offering microbrews and conscientious ingredient sourcing. Music will be an integral part of the vibe. Graham assures us that the relaxed space won’t become a club scene after dinner, but he does hope to make it a late-night destination: “Come ten o’clock, it will be a place to stay until the end of the night.”
This may sound like good news to locals waiting in long lines at The Ossington and Baby Huey—but maybe not. A backlash has started against new places opening in the neighbourhood. The Save Ossington campaign—a tongue-in-cheek art project–protest movement seeking to defend the area against homogenization—will surely be keeping an eye on The Saint to make sure that it fits into the scene. “If you pay homage to the area, and add something, it’s not saturation,” says an unfazed Graham. “And we’re not going to be serving any $10 pints,” he adds, noting that he plans to play up customer service by hiring knowledgeable staff. With an eye for the details that make an it spot feel like home, Graham is confident the formula will work: “It’s gonna be a fun, rockin’ place with good food.”
Those aren’t locals waiting in line at Baby Huey – they’re weekend hipster warriors from other areas.
And who the hell works on Bay Street and lives on Ossington? They have the wrong crowd. Less swank, more reality, please. Otherwise, this is the pub that jumps the shark.
March 17, 2009 at 10:46 am | by Osserare you kidding osser? i live at dundas and dovercourt and go to baby huey all the time with my friend that lives on brookfield. we are locals and see other locals there. and what does ‘more reality’ mean? maybe some peoples reality is different from yours.
March 17, 2009 at 11:20 am | by TDOTFoodieAgreed with TDOTFoodie.
Also, the ‘The Save Ossington’ campaign has its collective head up it’s collective bottom. We need more businesses like The Saint opening up which are dedicated, knowledgeable, and looking to utilize products and services from other local businesses.
Good luck The Saint, i’ll down a drink there.
March 18, 2009 at 2:05 pm | by LMIHIf you know Adam Graham -then you know The Saint will be a great place to be.
March 18, 2009 at 4:02 pm | by MoxieI think the concept of the Saint sounds great. I live in the neighborhood and I agree that we need more businesses in this area that have passion and are dedicated!
I can’t wait for this place to open.
March 19, 2009 at 10:01 am | by CaraHey Osser…Get to know your neighbors, if in fact you even live in the hood! If you weren’t so preoccupied with trying to spy the “weekend hipster warriors” you might stop to notice that “the locals” include a good measure of Bay Street types. If weekend hipster warriors bother you, I suppose you think of yourself as a full time hipster warrior- how pretentious is that! We’ve lived in the neighborhood for 10 years and we know many others who live there and work on Bay Street. Why do you think the Queen Street car is such an over crowded disaster? Everyone is heading to Bay Street to pay for their mortgages!
March 25, 2009 at 10:03 am | by ReplyI’ve known Adam from working with him years ago. I have nothing but confidence in what he’s doing. Our neighbourhood needs something new. Looking forward to it.
March 26, 2009 at 1:12 am | by Anthony SGood luck to you both!
i work on bay st and live on argyle. argyle lofts. hottest area in the city…….( osser) i work on bay st and live 1 block away on dovercourt…. doh!!!
March 26, 2009 at 7:29 am | by robthe save ossington campaign is meant to be a little tongue in cheek. there’s plenty o’ room for the saint and baby huey on ossington – they key is going to be maintaining that mix.
March 30, 2009 at 8:10 pm | by Macks“i work on bay st and live on argyle. argyle lofts. hottest area in the city…….( osser) i work on bay st and live 1 block away on dovercourt…. doh!!!”
Exactly the point others are attempting to make: Argyle lofts came up about 2 years ago, proliferating the area to ridiculous levels. (At the time, Foxley was the new kid on the block, long before Libretto, Watusi, Baby Huey, The Ossington, etc cropped up). This is what the neighborhood is worried about. My rent increased dramatically once the landlord got wind of the area picking up, and my partner and I moved shortly thereafter.
March 31, 2009 at 10:50 am | by westenderWhat I find amazing is how the PR people can convince people like martini boys and TOLife to talk about the vibrancy of the place before it’s even open yet. I’m looking forward to this place opening and definitely looking forward to having a beer there. Don’t you think that it should be open for at least a few days before the reviews go up?
March 31, 2009 at 12:36 pm | by Briancertainly the hyper-gentrification of the ossington strip (between queen and dundas) is applauded by some and resented by others. even though i am a dedicated patron to many of the ossington businesses (even newer ones), one does get the feeling that a tangible saturation point is inching ever nearer. that being said, many areas would love to experience a similar kind of massive influx of art, food, and nightlife. unfortunately, increased rent and ‘posers’ do come part and parcel with this trend. there seem to be only two real options: take oss for what it is (and is becoming) and be thankful there is no bohemian embassy going up (yet) OR retreat to more ‘up-and-coming’ neighbourhoods (like the junction) and wait for it to follow.
April 8, 2009 at 2:29 pm | by couture.of.defeat.Is The Saint open yet? I can’t find a website or a phone number for them and I was thinking of going there tonight.
April 25, 2009 at 3:45 pm | by kathThe phone number is showing on canada411.ca as 416 532-2326
No answer and no voicemail msg to advise re: hours, etc. so maybe they aren’t open yet :S
April 28, 2009 at 1:55 pm | by JuneBugi think the guys behind The Saint, and Jezebel are full of shit.
all they do is fly around the world to happening nightspots/restaurants/bars/what-have-you and take pictures, come back to TO, pick what they think will work, or copy what is already in the city, pool their $$$ together and serve up what’s already been done elsewhere – ‘spinning’ it before they even open.
they don’t have an original thought in their collective heads. they are POSERS through and through… they just have some pull, and therefore contacts, in the city.
Read the martiniboys articles on them, Jezebel, and The Saint… jeez… sounds like The Saint + Jezebel Boys wrote it themselves. What the fu*k do these wa*kers know about being British or Burlesque anyway.
$$$ opportunists through and through. You guys suck.
john,
May 5, 2009 at 8:49 pm | by johnbeen in the neighbourhood a long time, and know TO really well