I had not seen my friend, Emily, for some 20 years — since just after high school. When we found out (via Facebook, of course) that we lived in the same basic region, we decided it was time to catch up. She was coming by train and I suggested Reds, in part for its proximity to Toronto’s Union Station.
Forgive the back-story — there is a point to all this. When she told the hostess that she thought she would recognize the other party but that we had not seen each other since high school, our bartender, Michael Molinar, greeted us with two glasses of cava, congratulating us on our reunion.
It’s this sort of over-and-above treatment that makes a serious drinker like me think that Reds is on a whole other plane when it comes to service. I had been there before and been seriously impressed by bartender Jeff Graves, who made me feel extremely comfortable waiting for my friend for about 20 minutes one night at a fairly late hour, which is not always the easiest thing for a woman on her own — even a seasoned barfly.
I’m a fairly picky eater (and drinker). They accommodate — with grace and sincerity — requests that I probably would have openly rolled my eyes at back when I was behind the bar. I wouldn’t treat me nearly as well as they do. Molinar and Graves bend over backwards to make concessions for allergies and dietary constraints on their totally creative and progressive menu of bar snacks and entrees. The deli plate is solid, as is the beet salad. The menu would be attractive in any place; for a corporate joint, it’s really good.
But what do I really think? It’s almost embarrassing to be so effusive in praise for a place–especially one that shouldn’t have as much cred or cache as an independently owned wine bar–but, in truth, this place hits every mark. And I haven’t even gotten to the wine yet.
Reds is one of a few places (I could count on one hand and have fingers left over) in Toronto that can afford to stock and care for a serious selection of wines. It is distinguished, from my point of view, for being one of the only places I can reliably find a very good Gruner Veltliner, not to mention some excellent Pinot Noirs. They have a good Canadian selection, but don’t neglect world-wide greats.
I know what I like in wine (and more importantly, what I don’t), but I also like to try new things. The wonderful thing about Reds is that, both times, I’ve been perfectly comfortable putting myself in the capable hands of the bar-men and wound up with a perfect glass, as though they’d been serving me for years. Their knowledge and intuition about customer preference is truly remarkable.
I’ll be back, for sure. And it won’t take a high school reunion to get me there.
