Bread is the thread
The barn floors are in, and Union is feeling like a French tavern. There is something about the way Paris eats and feeds itself that I’ve always wanted to capture in a restaurant. I wanted to build something from what I saw in the taverns, tabacs and cafés I used to frequent; something that would lift me up and give me refuge. I saw them as fuelling stations: the warm lights, the mirrors, the marble bars, the vested waiters, the coffees, the demis and the wine—the bustle and the clatter of it all. Just being there makes you hungry.
There’s one other thing that every Parisian eatery has, a common thread that pulls it all together: a good baguette. A good baguette makes everything better. It’s a companion for saucisson, rillettes, cheese, preserves and butter. It’s there to wipe up sauce and soup and jus. In Paris, no matter how poor or down and out you are, you can always get a baguette. You can always duck into a place and have a sandwich and a demi at the bar, and recharge for pocket change. Union is going to be a refuge, a place to step out of the city and refuel. It’s good food for bad times. We’re not swinging for the fences here; we’re just trying to punch out a few singles and hit some doubles. We’re going right up the middle, keeping it simple and good. Union needed a good baguette. And because of Simon and Danielle at Brick Street Breads, Union’s got it.
When I was in Paris, my friend Chris and I were knee-deep in oysters and wine on a Sunday at the Baron Rouge when he gave me the idea of making yeast from apples. I immediately thought of the apples at the farm. Once back in Toronto, I called a few bakeries, but no one was interested in helping me out. Then I called Simon Silander at Brick Street, and he was all over it. I brought him some apples I got off a big old tree just outside the farmhouse, and he made this great levain or “mother” (a growing colony of yeast he can use when he starts baking). He’s been feeding it for the past four months. That’s a baker for you. He’s going to use flour from Oak Manor Farms, a farm and now a mill that went organic in the early ’70s when the owners saw how the pesticides were killing their land. So Union now has its own line of bread, made from yeast born from apples at the farm and good Ontario organic flour by a great bakery. It’s the thread that’s going to be there every day and tie it all together.
Teo! We have someone, a bit like yourself, in Montreal: Martin Picard.
Theo have been following your journey. As an x montrealer have longed for an unpretentious place such as this, i also believe a good baquette pulls it all together.. I have delighted in your journey and also would love an opening night reservations if you can reply to my email address.. Will you be open this saturday?? March the 7TH? celebrating my birthday with some friends and have been charged with picking out the place.. keeping my fingers crossed
Laura’s on the list. Happy Birthday!
I was wondering if you have already done hiring, or if you are going to be. I would love to work at a place like yours.
I’m just looking back at the photos of your food from last week and am getting every more excited about the opening.
perhaps the blog should be changed
to “opening eventually”
“Opening Soon” is a great concept for a blog, but when it drags on for over 7 months it becomes suspect. When places seem to open overnight on Osssington, this particular story is becoming a local joke.
It takes time to open a restaurant, and even more so to do it right. It’s not a joke to have standards and want things done professionally and with integrity.
Sure it takes time, but the menu and philosophy is the easy part. I’m still laughing.
I’m the only one in this world. Can please someone join me in this life? Or maybe death…
Pardon me. Does somebody understand how to find an actual EA from fake and a clear trading signal from fraudulent? thank you
Hack again?!
Hack again?!
Did you downloaded Wikileaks docs? Give me link plz
Thanks
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Good evening!
Happy New Year!
Health, luck and love!
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clearly you dont understand that restaurants have setbacks that prevent it from opening on time which is common in our line of work (which he has explained in his blog) so respect the man who was chosen to exemplify with beautiful detail on how opening restaurants is no easy task let alone explaining his vision on why his place will differentiate from the rest of his peers and restaurateurs. and just so you know those places you mentioned that opened overnight on ossington are no longer leaders of the industry. (bohmers a joke now, and the others arent even worth mentioning. so with all that said union is by far killing the strip of gentrified bullshit restaurants and without the help of hipster food bloggers and pretentious writers that dont understand teos vision let alone how the industry works. if you dont believe me you should come by and pay a visit or better yet ask any business owner on ossington whos doing it up here in terms of quality, integrity and longevity. and mind you unions been open for over five years so its not a flavor of the month deal like most places. hopefully you dont food blog for NOW magazine or another cappy hipster magazine. cause it would break your heart knowing that unions the damn truth son.