A friend of mine was visiting from New York, and instead of taking him to the usual trendy Toronto bars, I opted to keep things local and a little more real. So we explored Cabbagetown. It may not be SoHo or The Village. But it's not as if New Yorkers have never heard of this east-end Toronto neighbourhood: No less than The New York Times once described it as "the largest enclave of Victorian homes in North America." And it's got its fair share of celebrities, just like the Upper East Side, sort of: TV mountie Paul Gross, and Nicholas Campbell of Da Vinci's Inquest.
Okay, so it's not New York, but Cabbagetown, we discovered, is a great place to take a cool New Yorker, or anyone else from out of town. And if you're visiting Toronto on your own, the neighbourhood is dead easy to get to: Just amble a few block east of Yonge, along Carlton or Gerrard streets, and you'll soon be in the thick of it. Here's a look at five local bars, with a rating from one to four stars for each. Tapas Restaurant & Bar ***½ 226 Carlton St. This may be an architecturally very British neighbourhood. But it's salsa time at Tapas, a Spanish-style restaurant that hosts a Latin dance bar downstairs on the weekend. The walls are covered with pictures of matadors; prosciuttos the size of footballs hang down over the ceramic tile bar. Even thicker than the crowd was the accent of our Spanish bartender, who managed to tell us that the house specialty, stored above the bar, was red wine from the Rioja region in north-central Spain. We ordered a number of the small dishes that give the bar its name: Tapas means "lid," and in Spain refers to the small servings of food served in bars. This place isn't what you'd call hopping -- although to be fair, we weren't there when the dance bar was open. But it's a fine place for a quiet date or drinks with an old friend. Pimblett's Restaurant *** 263 Gerrard E. If Edger Allen Poe were to rise from the dead and choose a bar for inspiration, it would be Pimblett's. This place is the essence of the mix of opposites in Cabbagetown: gay and straight, rich and poor, tasteful and gaudy. The bar is in the basement of a Victorian house, which has a restaurant on its first floor. The space, scattered with a darkly lit mix of bizarre curios, feels not unlike a theatre's prop room. Somewhere in the middle of the deer's head, birdcage, model sailboat, hardbound book piles, and mannequins dressed like the queen, sits the bar, itself illuminated by candles and glass vases of fresh flowers. As we arrived, Shirley Bassey was singing one of a catalogue of James Bond themes. Quirky and warm, this is a bar to ease into Tetley's bitter, a beer as dark as Pimblett's wood panelling. Ben Wicks Restaurant *** ½ 424 Parliament St. Looking like a Boston chowder house complete with nets hanging from the ceiling, heavy wooden tables and chairs and an upright piano, the Ben Wicks was named after its original owner, the famous political cartoonist, and the walls sport some of his best work. The crowd appear to be slightly older and predominately male. The entertainment varies, but is at its best the first Saturday of each month, and even more frequently in the winter, when a jazz or blues ensemble warms the place up. And the drinks? I had Oban on the rocks and my friend a Llagavolen. That seemed only appropriate, as whisky was definitely the most represented liquor behind the bar. After a couple of shots, we discussed why most Cabbagetown bars require a downward flight of stairs to enter, but couldn't resolve the mystery. The House on Parliament St. ** ½ 456 Parliament One of the two main watering holes for Cabbagetown locals, the HP is the kind of English pub from which you you can pinch beer mats from the bar. Sports is on on the TV above the bar. The clientele in this low-tin-ceiling and broad-Persian-carpeted space runs the gamut. Martini glasses and whiskey bottles are given equal room behind the bar. The food is best described as suited to an English palate. Miniature model Messerschmitts and Spitfires above the mirror behind the bar are meant to remind you, one supposes, of the Battle of Britain. Glancing at the television on our way out, Manchester United had defeated Olympique Marseille, 2-1. Winchester Tavern * 537 Parliament St. Other bars may contain the spirits of Cabbagetown, but the Winny, as it's called, is the most impressive building in the neighbourhood, bar none. The grandeur of this former hotel, built in 1888 as the Lake View, stands in contrast to its contemporary clientele. Cabbagetown is too all-embracing for a Burt-Reynolds-style bar room brawl; but if it were to happen, it would happen here. Live rock and country music are performed in the back room six nights a week. But for all the cool surroundings, the drink of choice is nameless tap beer in a stunted glass. The main food is links of pickled sausage and eggs in jars on the counter, back-lit like lab specimens. An evening here can turn into a long evening indeed. *** ***
Correction
The Winchester pub (537 Parliament St.), formerly known as the Winchester Tavern, has undergone renovations since its purchase by new owners two years ago. It now features live rhythm and blues music and has a full range of imported, domestic and premium beers on tap along with wine. The varied menu includes such items as mussels, calamari, salads, burgers, pizzas, wings and nachos. The regulars include a professional clientele. Incorrect information appeared last week. (Friday, June 24, 2000, Page T8)