Best New Restaurants 2012: No. 4 Keriwa
On the ceiling of Toronto’s only Native Canadian restaurant, dangling feathers bounce to the bass of Motown hits. On the walls: photos of a man in full Aboriginal regalia dancing through the streets of modern Paris. We get it: Keriwa blends the traditional and the contemporary, the rustic and the urban. It’s a message adapted by Bannock, Toca and other Canada-themed restaurants, but in this hunter’s lodge of a room, the combination is seamless. The place is filled with Parkdalian daters clinking glasses of red wine or guzzling pints and enjoying the smoke-kissed creations of Aaron Joseph Bear Robe. The chef comes to Queen West from the Siksika Nation by way of Calgary’s famed River Café and Singhampton’s Eigensinn Farm, where he lived and worked. He also spent time at Splendido. This history explains why Bear Robe has such faith in his ingredients; he gives each one dignity and distinction. The bison pemmican pierogies, for example, fire a series of textures and tastes across the palate: golden-crisp exteriors, rich and gamey interiors, sharp juniper berries and mellow crème fraîche on top. Bison comes as a main, too, in a silky broth with earthy kale, nutty pumpkin seeds and tart apple matchsticks. Though the menu speaks to the Aboriginal theme, Bear Robe wisely abandons the concept when the dish doesn’t call for it. It’s this understated confidence that nudges Keriwa above its contemporaries. 1690 Queen St. W., 416-533-2552. See our listing for more information »
Wow! This restaurant sounds great! Pretty sure those Bison pemmican pierogies are calling my name. Great write up, I wonder if this restaurant will make it onto http://bestrestaurantstoronto.ca anytime soon?
i can’t stand this restaurant or its douchey attitude owner…i really, really wanted to like this restaurant…but they often phone it in…in the middle of the coldest snap of winter they offer 2 cold soups and 2 salads as the specials to augment their tiny menu.
many like it and have a great experiences…both of mine sucked…the ‘sommelier/manager’ didn’t even know where one of the local wines was from? idiots and wanna-be’s….
stop promoting your own site TED!
@Impeachford: Strange, I was there not too long ago and the wait staff knew their shit, the manager you speak of is now gone, and the new menu is super yummy.
This restaurant is number 1 in my stomach! The food is out of this world, fresh, healthy, organic and very tasty! I appreciate their seasonal approach by changing the menu monthly, which I think is a challenge within it’s self! Good job Keriwa Cafe! I have had dinner there several times and will continue to support as long as they keep feeding me their delicious food! I would like to reply to @Impeachford: I am sorry you feel this way, but I have never heard anything like this from anyone who has been there before, maybe you have the wrong restaurant in mind? This place has a very knowledgable wait staff and the chef/owner has a very approachable positive attitude ! He even came out once to serve me my dinner himself… no complaints there :) Keep up the amazing work!
Keriwa Cafe is a cozy little restaurant with ambience that has been a ray of sunshine for Toronto. I had the pleasure of dining there twice and loved it every time. I love the traditional museum piece dress of the chef’s grandmother. How authentic is that??
I would disregard the rude comments and poor word selection of Impeachford which indeeds reflects himself. Of course not every restaurant suits everyone but this one is just unique and that is what I like. The staff is just so pleasant and so happy and it seems much like a Sunday dinner at Grandma’s house but lots of fun to boot. Keep up the good work you people. Plus, I shouldn’t say it but the Chef is very easy on the eyes as well and adds to the ambience.
hi food looks good
Food was good, especialy for the value. Had a good time ther!
I’ve been twice, and in both instances the meals were awful. Other than the homemade red fife bread that we started with, everything else was disappointing. WAY too many competing flavours and sauces in every main. At one dinner our appetizers were house smoked whitefish fritters that were all fritter and almost no whitefish so they just tasted like corn. With a boring spicy sauce. The truffle desserts were awful in flavour, great in texture. The wine they recommended tasted like vinegar. To top it off, it was way overpriced. I can’t believe this place made the top ten list, how disappointing Toronto Life.
had our first visit there this week and really enjoyed it. one of the best meals we’ve had in the city this year!
What are you thinking Toronto Life??
Visited back in June and will never go back. $100 for a bottle of basic Niagara wine. The Whitefish tasted like mayo, nothing else really stood out and the service was extremely rude. I really wanted to like this place, brought my friends here for their birthdays, but I was just embarrased. And totally overpriced!
Oh… and my pork shoulder like nothing like what is shown in the photo above. Just saying…