Cowbell
1564 Queen St. W. 416-849-1095. Dinner for two with wine, tax and tip, $120.
Cowbell: The very name is so in-your-face. Calling a restaurant Cowbell trumpets its intentions. Conjure up a cowbell: a battered old tin bell hanging around the neck of a large lowing creature destined to be ... meat! Cowbell is carnivore heaven, dedicated to the idea that flesh is meant to be eaten.
As a lifelong carnivore, I have frequent occasion to repent my evil ways.Every time a nutritional pundit preaches the virtues of grains 'n' veg and the vice of animal fat, I cringe and vow to embrace broccoli and brown rice. But then comes foie gras on a menu, or steak tartare, or a lovely pink lamb chop, and I weaken.
Chef Mark Cutrara, who learned his chops at JK ROM and then did wonderful work as sous-chef at Silver Spoon, had been hired as chef of Globe Bistro when it opened on the Danforth in late 2006. Globe put provenance front row centre; Cutrara sourced local organic ingredients as much as possible and made a fine job of it. But he was clearly already on track to open his own restaurant. By January, 2007, Cutrara had decamped to apprentice at the Healthy Butcher in order to learn more about local organic meat. He opened Cowbell in his home neighbourhood of Parkdale in July.
Cowbell's premise is simple: It aims to bring local organic food, especially meat, to the table in an informal bistro setting. Its success is perhaps indicated by the place being full every night. It doesn't hurt that Peter LeFave (whose delicious Hal's Burgers closed in July) is waiting table. LeFave is one the suavest front-of-the-house guys in town, as smooth as hollandaise in Paris.
Cowbell hits the sweet spot on so many levels, including the decor, which is bistro all the way - tiny white floor tiles, taupe walls, chandeliers and brocade banquettes, a garage door at the front to let in the street, but trimmed in wood to keep it cozy, which is the room's byword. They're retailing warmth. Cowbell reminds me of Le Vaudeville, my favourite bistro in Paris - equally warm and cozy, informal and yet tasteful. Go to Le Vaudeville on a Sunday night and it's packed with the haute bourgeoisie returned from the cottage in Normandy.
Cutrara, like the 19th-century French bistro chefs he aims to emulate, changes his menu daily based on what he finds at the market. He butchers, smokes and cures his meat, all of it naturally raised and organic. Vegetarians and fish lovers may wish to dine elsewhere. Our first clue as to Cutrara's mastery of meat is the presence - on a Saturday night no less - of Chris McDonald, chef/patron of the redoubtable Cava. McDonald is one of the five best meat cooks in town.
On the blackboard that evening is a cold soup of potato, garlic and onion. Aging Francophiles will understand that Chef is channelling the vichyssoise of yesteryear, and find it scintillating. He was also offering a dazzling steak tartare, perfectly spiced, and less exciting stuffed eggplant.
His mains are the sort of thing to bring strong carnivores to their knees. I am often ambivalent about choucroute garni (and, let's face it, about all Alsatian edibles, thanks to their tendency to the leaden); but Coutrara's is the ideal choucroute - a plate of splendidly delicate house-made sausages, pink moist ham and perfectly cooked parsley potato. As for the garni, sauerkraut hasn't had it this good in this town since Michael Stadtlander left. The kraut is about as delicate as cabbage gets, its vinegar applied with a light hand and the cabbage barely pickled.
Lamb shoulder and chop is the ideal "lamb two ways." Although his chop is not the huge red extravagance that you find at a $200-a-couple restaurant, it is perfectly cooked and full of flavour. His lamb shoulder, however, is a great triumph of deep flavour and tender texture brought out by careful cooking and sensitive seasoning. His barbecued beef ribs are almost ethereal, so so sweet and meaty and rich and moist. His steak frites is equally lovely - tender steak and big fresh frites.
Francophiles will slaver over tarte tatin, thanks to fab crisp/tender buttery crust and unctuous caramelized apple filling. In retrospect, Cutrara's rather precipitous jumps from job to job have all been leading purposefully to this great moment. Chiado to Messis to JK ROM in three years, and then Globe Bistro to Healthy Butcher to Cowbell in one year - all of it was preparatory for the dream that is Cowbell.
The good news is that Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar has expanded into the former Jamie Kennedy restaurant space and is now taking reservations. Hallelujah! The downside of the splendid wine bar has always been that tedious wait for tables. The bad news is that the also delectable restaurant had to close to make room for the wine bar to grow.
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