Best New Restaurants 2012: No. 6 Barque
There’s no limit to what chef-owner David Neinstein will load into his magnificent smoker: pork shoulder, beef ribs and whole chickens, of course, but also pineapple for dessert and lemons for his bourbon sours. The first-time restaurateur learned the secrets of the trade in an Oklahoma smokehouse and cannily adapted the southern tradition for farm-to-table-obsessed Toronto diners. The civilized room is decorated with familiar shades of barnyard brown, artisanal hot sauce bottles and house-made pickles, and the crowd is composed of 30-ish Roncesvalles yuppies and their boomer parents. The meat, however, is pure ’cue-shack fare: rosy-to-the-bone baby back ribs crusted in dark, peppery bark, 12-hour brisket that falls apart into succulent wisps, chili wings that leave a red ring around your mouth. We’d be satisfied if the menu ended there, but chef de cuisine Bryan Birch offers a handful of plates that maintain the southern spirit while reflecting his classical training. The cornmeal-crusted halibut, for example, flawlessly seared and served on a puddle of nutmeg-tinged sweet potato purée, is worthy of white linen. 299 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-532-7700. See our listing for more information »
(Images: Raina and Wilson)
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Really? I didn’t even finish my ribs. And I always finish everything. Not sure this deserves to make the list.
Went to barque recently to celebrate a friends birthday and had some of the worst service we have ever experienced at a restaurant. First, we waited at about 20 minutes to get a drink. Then our appetizers were apparently sent to the wrong table, so we did not receive them until 1 hour after we arrived. We wanted to order wine and more drinks, but there was no waiter to be found so we could not. Our dinner arrived about 90 minutes after we arrived. Our waiter then asked us if we wanted dessert, and we said we did and he wemt to get menus. Two minutes later the supervisor came to the table, told us that our table was needed for another party, and that we could not have dessert but had to leave. He offered us a truffle to quickly woof down before leaving.
Then he proceeded to accuse us of arriving late for our reservation (we arrived at 6PM for a 6PM reservation, he claimed the reservation was really for 5:30 despite the fact that we have a confirmatory voicemail from the restaurant confirming our 6PM reservation). He repeatedly told us we were mistaken. At no point did the restaurant tell us that we needed to vacate the table by 7:30 for another group, until 7:45!
He then offered to pay for our appetizers for the inconvenience, but when the bill arrived ALL the appetizers were still on the bill. Eventually the appetizers were taken off the bill and we left — to go to another restaurant for drinks and dessert where we had a lovely time.
The staff at the restaurant that night appeared to be overwhelmed and obviously could not cope with a busy and full restaurant.
So if you don’t mind waiting interminably for a drink, then having your food lost, then being asked to leave after slow service before completeing your meal and after being accused of arriving late when you were on time, all so that you can enjoy mediocre food, then this is the place for you!
Barque bites seriously and that isn’t a good thing. As if you don’t like their food they force you out the door with it after paying which I binned two minutes later. I had an overly soggy trout sandwich which I complained was not cooked to my satisfaction as the bread was soggy I didn’t get past half the sandwich. My waitress was rude and denied that it wasn’t cooked properly instead of taking back left it there. I won’t ever go back to this place again and it definitley does not deserve to be on this list.
I’m glad to be a part of this! Every corporation stteard out as a small business. I myself stteard a little store in our block before deciding to . Without my humble beginnings, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Barque bites. Don’t go. Gross food. Gross people.
I had an incredible experience here! My friend ordered the brisket, chicken, and ribs and thought the meal was delicious. He said it was the best ribs he’s ever had. That’s unfortunate some people have had bad experiences. We found the wait staff very pleasant and helpful. I’m a vegetarian and although they only have one meal for me, it was delicious. I would recommend making a reservation. We heard people having to wait 45mins to an hour.
Love this place. Went with the spouse, then took her parents. They loved it, and her dad is a classic BBQ man. Great atmosphere and superb food.
Is the street bum in the photo the chef! Thanks for the early warning signal :)
Horrible food! Do not waste your time or money! There are so many better establishments along Roncesvalles.
It was crowded, noisy and a great atmosphere. It has great ribs and dipping sauce. Our servers were pleasant. We didn’t make a reservation but you should.
We didn’t have a reservation and waited an hour to sit up at the bar. Despite this we didn’t get drinks very promptly (despite staring down the bartender), never mind how slow the food was. Food was mediocre and not worth the wait or price. Agree with Jane – many better places on Ronces.
I’ve eaten here a few times and I’m not sure it should make the top 10 list. The food is okay…nothing special really. Enjoyed the eggs benedict, salads are nice, but the ribs…the thing that seems to be so popular is well…what can I say…I’ve not returned for them. Love Fat Cat on Roncy in terms of variety…good food, good value, friendly service!
I met Chef Neinstein once.
He was a Hipster Doofus.
What a joke this place is dry flavourless food overpriced ripoff!! left this place still hungry
Glad to see the comments on this, and totally agree with the majority. EVERYONE raves about this place, to the point where I’ve gone three times and have never been satisfied. The brisket – a mainstay in any smokehouse – was more dry than my grandmothers roast beef (slathered in BBQ sauce does not count as melt in your mouth), and service is beyond typical Hipster pretension. I keep thinking that I’m missing something or hitting an “off night”, but have really come to understand the power of the hype machine. Top 6 in Toronto?! I think not. If anyone has a suggestion for some real southern BBQ in the GTA, I’d love to hear it!