(Image: Catherine Gerson)
With a name nodding to a notorious old-world culinary delicacy, Ortolan quietly opened its doors two weeks ago in the space formerly occupied by Kathy’s Kitchen in Bloordale Village. Taking a little bit of Ossington with them, chef-owners Damon Clements (Delux) and Daniel Usher (Pizzeria Libretto) have pooled their respective experiences in French and Italian cuisines to branch out on their own on the quickly changing strip between Dufferin and Lansdowne.
Seating a mere 26, Ortolan feels as tiny as its namesake bird, with dark wood and white walls playing off the industrial lighting. Four of the metal bar stools face outward, giving patrons a perch from which to watch the activity on the street. So far, Clements is impressed with the open-minded customers who have, surely by accident, found their way into the unmarked restaurant. “We were tired of cooking for the masses,” he told us. Instead, he intends to serve rustic, “old-school” fare his way. “It’s not going to be clean or pretty if that’s not the way it tastes.” However, gutsy gluttons take note: the restaurant will not be serving its (illegal) namesake avian delicacy.
When we visited, the short chalkboard menu featured sardines done two ways ($8), cicoria and anchovy (7$), and raddichio done “veneto style” (7$). Mains change frequently, but currently include a branzino with lemon butter ($17) and a flat iron steak with salsa verde ($16). Desserts, dubbed “Sweet Nothings,” include well-known staples like chocolate mousse and poached pear tartelette (all $8).
There is equal focus in the wine selections with several local and French options, all served by the glass. An unconventional Bordeaux Blanc ($9 per glass) and Niagara Zweigelt ($8 per glass) stand out on the predominantly French list. Two Mill Street beers on tap and two options by the bottle round out the beverage choices.
When we dropped by, we couldn’t help but spy Guy Rawlings, fresh from his stint as chef at Brockton General, getting ready to wait tables that night (perhaps in preparation for the opening of his own new restaurant? he wouldn’t say). In a move familiar to Black Hoof patrons, Ortolan will not be accepting reservations or credit cards.
Ortolan, 1211 Bloor St. W., 647-348-4500.
I’ve lived in Toronto for almost 50 years and never heard of “Bloordale” before this.
April 25, 2011 at 6:58 pm | by nobodywhere is the area called Bloordale, pls define?
April 26, 2011 at 12:02 am | by bullNeighbourhood names often change as the neighbourhoods themselves change and develop. Bloordale, as stated at the end first paragraph is the “quickly changing strip between Dufferin and Lansdowne.”
April 26, 2011 at 1:06 am | by amyIf you need to ask where Bloordale is, this restaurant’s probably not for you ;)
April 26, 2011 at 9:53 am | by Vincent PollardWhy Vincent I’d say that’s rather cheeky
April 26, 2011 at 12:35 pm | by fantasticGuy Rawlings celebrity chef…..only in Bore-onto
April 26, 2011 at 3:18 pm | by oneofthemassesSeriously, never heard of Bloordale? I think it’s actually written on the road signs there. I’m with Vincent.
April 26, 2011 at 6:12 pm | by JesseBLOORDALE ???????????????????????????????
LATIN FOR NOWHERE
April 26, 2011 at 7:43 pm | by MichaelI went to this place a couple weeks ago. I’ve lived in the neighbourhood for year and I have to say the service was pretentious at best. I had the feeling I wasn’t cool enough. I miss Kathy’s Kitchen.
April 26, 2011 at 11:14 pm | by HenryAnd by the way, we’ve always called “Bloordale”, Emerson-Wallace. It comes from the two streets that intersect the neighbourhood.
April 26, 2011 at 11:17 pm | by HenryPeople, come on. Why are you so focused on the neighborhood name. Let’s just say the restaurant is on Bloor Street between Dufferin and Landsdowne. I’d like to actually read a comment about the food.
April 27, 2011 at 10:30 am | by CatherineHas anyone seen the review of Ortolon at Blogto? It is a real eye-opener.
April 27, 2011 at 10:41 am | by JozefWho cares what to call the area. The main thing is the restaurant.I went there and found the food to be superb!! The service was friendly and very helpful. I saw that other post at Blogto and think there must be something wrong with the person who wrote. The food is amazing but so was the service.Our server was very welcoming, informative and very patient answering any questions we had. So I think people should go and see for themselves how wonderful this place is.
April 27, 2011 at 2:02 pm | by Torrey@Torrey: totally agree, we had a similar experience when we went a couple of weeks ago. I’m really surprised by the scathing review at BlogTO. Go for yourselves and see!
April 27, 2011 at 9:36 pm | by Fraidy MercuryResto sounds lovely. But I thought the area was called Blandsdown ;-)
April 28, 2011 at 11:39 am | by pickypants