Earth Bloor West — 2448 Bloor Street West (near Jane subway station)
You can’t fool me again with the promise of pretty colours in the fall. I know what comes after. To that end, I am determined to make the most of what we have left of summer and, lucky for me, there’s a brand new patio in town where I can carry on with my quest for great places to enjoy a glass of wine. This would be the lovely rooftop of Earth Bloor West in Toronto.
Earth Bloor West is east-end Globe’s Bistro’s foray into the west. But the magnitude of the new settlement is immediately striking and impressive. I seem to recall a ginormous, bad sports bar named Billy Bob’s being in that spot. Sports bars, though, with their big screens and oversized chicken wings, can fill such a large space, and it’s ambitious, to say the least, to bank on two large floors (plus patio) filling with locavores. We may be venturing pretty far west, but, hey, we’re not quite Portland.
Mike, our extremely helpful waiter, gives us a tour of the private dining rooms available for functions and private parties, describing the space as almost Escher-esque, since one private space seems to lead into the next — a smart way to transform a large space into several intimate dining areas. The most striking, of course, is a large chef’s table with a nice view of the large kitchen.
But back to the wine — and the upstairs patio. It’s a bit of a climb, but totally worth it. A high fence keeps the sun out of our eyes, and the large wooden space is softened by planters with nasturtiums and other edible flowers. Mike offers us a glimpse of the wine list and I’m happy to see a good selection of varietals, both by the glass and bottle. While the purists will certainly raise an eyebrow at this, it’s a relief to me that the wine list is not on a strict 100-mile diet. I like Niagara as much as the next guy but, it’s nice to have a few Old World and non-Canadian New World options sprinkled in. I choose a crisp Mike Weir Sauvignon Blanc, followed by a Loire Valley Sancerre. My drinking partner enjoys a Fielding Estate Rosé, a perfect complement to a light patio meal.
There’s no pressure to eat a full three-course meal here, but the Pig Bits, Elk Tartare, Canada’s Finest Plate (pork shoulder and rapini) and the Doughnut with Spicy Carrot Ice Cream prove too tempting. All are excellent.
This all begs the question: What to do when the gorgeous rooftop patio closes for the season? It’s a bit of a bad news/good news scenario. In the fall, as we kiss our good weather goodbye, we can retreat into Earth Bloor West’s smart wine bar — a cool, modern space with a bold red granite countertop. Perfect for exploring their Meritage in the winter months, which I can tell already I’m going to need.
Cheers.
