Saloon relaxing for drinks, dinner
I learned over the phone Grand Trunk doesn’t usually take reservations, but was assured my party of two should be “A-OK for 6:30 pm.” The restaurant was nowhere near as salooney as I expected: there are some subtle nods in that direction, like the streetside neon Saloon sign, the steer skull and mirror above the bar, and a large chalkboard advertising cocktails at one end of the space. Otherwise it’s tastefully decorated with some intriguing art on the walls.
Grand Trunk is reputed for its cocktails so that’s where we began. The La Louisiane, featured pecan vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemon, raspberry, and blended orange, licorice root and vanilla bitters ($9). The flavour was satisfyingly rounded, but I wasn’t detecting the nuts, so asked our waitress for a sip of the vodka on its own. She readily obliged: made in house by precisely infusing vodka and pecans, it was certainly nutty and worthy of sipping on its own. My youthful guest had one of the specials on offer, a refreshing Pineapple Basil Margarita ($9).
We had some difficulty in choosing among the tempting items on the menu, many of which my companion was familiar with. We opted for the Chorizo Scotch Egg ($11) which came with an avocado crema, toasted pecans, pickled watermelon rind, hot pepper jam, and garnished with cilantro leaves. The egg was nicely runny and the cool avocado counterpointed the hotter elements.
For our second shared starter we opted for the Louisiana Gumbo ($9). Smoked chicken and andouille sausage came in a satisfying dark roux with stewed okra. The dried and ground leaves of the sassafras tree used by Cajuns as a thickener, known as “File”, gave the dish its distinctive consistency, though ultimately I was glad we shared it: tasty as it was, the large serving was lukewarm, and, apart from a spoonful of rice, tended to be a bit one-note.
As a main we were tempted by the Tuesday special, a bucket of chicken, however opted to share the Shrimp Creole ($24). Gulf shrimp came atop Cajun stewed tomato and pleasantly crunchy Okra, Tasso ham, a flavourful cut off the hog’s shoulder, and more of the rice that came with the gumbo. The kitchen kindly split our dish onto two plates and provided some cherry bomb pepper sauce with a great vinegary kick. The shrimp were well cooked but, in my view, plopped atop the rest of the dish they weren’t integrated with the other elements. My guest demurred and called them a nice contrast. To each their own, but on the whole the dish, easily enough for two to share, was a hit.
Our dessert foray was less than successful. The Pecan Praline Fudge ($7) was so sweet I took most of it home and ate it for the rest of the week, a tiny spoonful at a time. The Lemon Buttermilk Pie, with caramel corn and milk jam had come highly recommended by my scouts. Sadly the crust on my slice was raw: on investigation by the kitchen, the other pie was found to be similarly undercooked. To console myself, I ordered their signature cocktail, called Coffee and Cigarettes ($10). I asked them to hold the cherry syrup in the complex mix of bourbon, coffee infused vermouth, smoky Havana cigar bitters, and other elements: the assertive drink was a superb conclusion to an enjoyable meal.
The Tuesday after Labour Day is the quietest day in the restaurant year, so there were few patrons that night. We sat at the bar after dinner and chatted with co-owner, Darryl Haus: he told us Grand Trunk is relying on local customers who can walk to their downtown location, and are doing well despite the LRT construction. I’ll enjoy returning on occasion to see how they are doing.
Assessing food, atmosphere, service and prices, Dining Out restaurant reviews are based on anonymous visits to the establishments. Restaurants do not pay for any portion of the reviewer’s meal. Alex Bielak can be reached at www.twitter.com/alexbielak