Photos by Jennifer Roberts for The Globe and Mail. Read Chris Nuttall-Smith's full review of The Commodore here.
The chef
Jon Vettraino, 35, worked at Buca in its early days, and Starfish at its peak, and spent a year each at Splendido and 416 Snack Bar (which, it’s worth noting, is excellent, if intentionally unpolished), among other spots. He wanted a place that celebrated well-sourced ingredients, treated simply.
The room
The owners hired designer Marx Kruis to give the space the feel of an ageless bar on the Spanish coast: glossy white-painted slat wood vaulted up from walls, reflecting back light like the understory of an ancient cliffside carob tree.
The food
The Commodore serves small plates/snack bar food, but at a level with precious few parallels around the city. (Bar Isabel, to which The Commodore’s owners owe a debt of inspiration, is also a standout in that category.) It’s a snack bar, but with great design and good service, and without the most common snack bar irritants. It’s a snack bar with grown-ups at the helm.
