Leslieville gets a new French accent
Greta Solomon’s K (out of 4) GOOD
Address: 1118 Queen St. E. (at Brooklyn Ave.), 647-347-8640, facebook.com/ greta solomons diningroom Chef: James Vigil
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 6 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6 to 11 p.m. Reservations: Yes Wheelchair access: No Price: Dinner for two with wine, tax and tip: $90
One enters Greta Solomon’s through unmarked French doors.
The entrance is the only inconspicuous element of the six-month-old Leslieville restaurant.
Greta’s personality is big and colourful, just like the outsized anthropomorphic portraits on the wall and the funky jewelry on owner Darlene Mitchell.
The hospitality veteran calls hers a “dining room” rather than a restaurant because “it’s kind of an extension of our house.”
The kitchen, though, is the size of a mop closet. From it emerge such updated French classics as lighter-than-usual crème brûlée ($7) on a menu where everything is under $20. The vibe Greta Solomon’s is as much a mood as it is a restaurant.
The feeling is unrushed and cosy on a cold fall night, with fogged-up windows and Serge Gainsbourg playing softly. Conversation hums. Even the coffee machine is quiet.
Mitchell tastefully redid what was Glas Wine Bar with blue velvet chairs and handsome glassware. She sets the tables with ceramic water pitchers and tiny chalkboards to mark reservations.
Laguiole steak knives show an attention to detail echoed by the service, which is as unobtrusive as the front door. Wednesdays mean halfpriced oysters and sparkling wine. Question mark Skip the French onion soup ($10) with its greasy, cinnamon-flavoured broth and dearth of onions.
A daily fish special ($18) fails, the monkfish seized up tighter than a truck driver’s back.
Homemade pain au lait bread ($5) is flaky one night, stuck together like an underbaked scone on another. Ditto New Orleans-style beignets ($8), raw in the middle sometimes, puffy as down pillows another. (The coffee/chocolate dipping sauce, though, is off the hook.)
Chef James Vigil (ex-Pangaea) blames the baking flubs on fluctuating temperatures and humidity.
“We’re trying to find the right balance,” Vigil, 27, says. The good One thing is for sure: The cassoulet ($18) is consistently excellent.
From the crisp breadcrumb lid down to the bottom of the two-handled earthenware dish, each forkful is a pleasure. Vigil inverts the classic ratio of 30 per cent meat to 70 per cent beans. There are creamy bits of lightly smoked pork belly. Slippery chunks of duck confit. Fresh andouille sausage. In texture and flavour, it fires on all cylinders like a classic Renault.
Filet de boeuf ($19) suffers only in comparison. The strip loin is fine, cooked as requested and served with thin béarnaise. The rest The most interesting dishes are the most newfangled. Kale makes friends with blue cheese in a wintery salad ($10). Horseradish works with smoked sardines ($10). And a poached pear ($7) is the rare dessert that isn’t too sweet, thanks to tart orange sauce and understated pastry crème. Duck breast ($18) is certainly done differently. The meat, bruisy purple as it should be, is partnered with three kinds of parsnips: purée, caramelized roast chunks and snappy fried slivers. But it’s the painterly presentation as much as the flavours that wow.
You may miss Greta’s entrance but you shouldn’t miss the experience. apataki@thestar.ca, Twitter @amypataki