last saturday was a blast- so much so that i got up in the morning and i said to myself “it is saturday’s like that one, that are going to help me get through grad school in one piece.” this was the series of events: dinner atmuseumtavern, then bowling (at a sketchy, but totally awesome glow in the dark bowlerama on bathurst), then a 1:30 am stop at “burger shack” on eglinton for fries, and chocolate and banana milkshakes (which were awesome!!!!!) come on, would you pass that up? it was an awesome time, even if i did really, really suck at the bowling bit. i mean, at one point, i swung my arm back and the ball flew backwards… yep. the way it happens in g-family rated movies. thank g-d for cheap tequila shots (complete with salt packets from the concession stand- awesome).
let’s talk about what i am good at, then. and that, of course is food.
so a few weeks ago, after the awestruck food festival, my friends and i popped into a newish spot calledmuseumtavern for a drink. my friend had apparently heard it was good, so we figured it was close to home and worth a shot. i was totally blown away. while i didn’t have a chance to sample the food that night, we did have some incredible cocktails that really sold me on the place. the cocktail menu is both authentic, creative, and extensive. pretty much everything (especially on the signature cocktail list) was enticing, and it was really hard to choose, but that night i went with the peach cobbler. with rum, fresh peaches, lime, saffron-sage syrup, and lots of crushed ice, it was super easy to drink (and fun to nibble on later).
on saturday, i figured i needed to try a few others on the hit list. over the course of the night we had sampled:
peach cobbler- see above
cherry smash (vodka, lime juice, cherries, minted green tea syrup, lavender water spritz) – better than the peach cobbler. this had a delicious herbaceous quality with lots of meaty dark sweet cherries.
prime minister (vodka, tomato juice, grain mustard, dill, horseradish, lime juice, worcestershire sauce, tobacco, secret sauce, black pepper)- a really aromatic take on a caesar that was really extra spicy. when i’m in the mood (and i usually am) for a spicy caesar, this will be a good go to.
watermelon collins (gin, watermelon, basil, lemon, pink pepper-aloe syrup) – while i can’t say for sure whether this tasted of pink pepper-aloe syrup (because like, what the heck is that?), i can say it was delicious. my favourite of the bunch, i think it was gonezo in like two very concentrated sips.
old fashioned (bourbon, sugar, bitters) –oy. not for this girl, but it was super authentic, and well received.
okay lets talk briefly of service. it was prompt, attentive, maybe too attentive. sometimes servers need to know when to back off and just give the diners a bit of time and space. ours struggled a bit with this concept, as she came back to take our orders literally every 2 minutes, and we weren't even lingering! within a moment of us sitting down, she had already offered to take our food orders. a few minutes later, she asked again, and a few minutes later, again. after a while, she got the hint and i gestured her over when it was time, but it was a little annoying. in contrast, drinks seemed to sometimes take a while. i can appreciate that they put a lot of care into their cocktails, but when you order a drink, and don't get it until you're sitting with the bill in your hand, it's kind of annoying. okay onto food. after a pretty stern warning that the mains were pretty big, we opted to share two appetizers and leave it at that before moving onto mains. here is what we had:
duck buns (hoisin, green onion, sriacha)
delicious. super fluffy folded bun, packed with moist sweet and spicy meat. i would happily order this again for myself.
queso blanco fundido (with chips, cheese sauce and pickled jalapenos)
also really delicious. the chips were home made, warm, with a wicked crunch and a nice salty bite. the sauce was smoky, salty and sweet, its richness perfectly off set by the tangy spicy peppers. my only complaint (and this is such a common misstep), was that unless you were loading them up, there just wasn’t enough chips for the quantity of dip.
great lakes fish and chips with housemade tartar, and tavern slaw
pretty delicious fish and chips. the fries were perfectly seasoned, cut thin, with lots of surface area for crispy crevices to develop. the fish was a massive portion (two piecer) that was flaky, with a massive crunch. i happen to love when the batter kind of bunches up in places, yielding bites that are just crunchy, deep fried goodness. what? don’t even pretend you don’t love that.
half roast chicken with barley hash, chicken gravy
the chicken was cooked beautifully, with a crispy skin and a moist flesh, but the barley hash (and the gravy i guess it was swimming in) was unpalatably salty. i am a girl who usually complains about under seasoning, but this was near inedible.
halibut with succotash, ham hock, lemon emulsion
the halibut had a beautiful crispy exterior, but was a little bit dry and overcooked. thankfully, the succotash was really delicious, especially with the generous chunks of pulled pork tossed in.
ontario rainbow trout with zucchini, artichoke and sherry vinaigrette
unlike the halibut, the trout was much closer to perfection, though perhaps a little under done in some middle regions of the fillet. unfortunately, like the barley, this one also suffered from a bit too much seasoning, pointing to some inconsistency going on in the kitchen.
devils food cake with honey roasted peanuts, and peanut butter ice cream
i don’t even like chocolate, but this was a pretty nice plate. a generous individual layer cake (there were about 6-8 layers in there), enrobed in a luscious ganache, that was rich on its own, but really pleasing with the aromatic ice cream. i also loved the little cookie crumble garnish that added a really nice textural contrast with the ice cream.
key lime parfait with caramel and lime butter cookies
this was more my style (i did end up eating most of it), mostly because of the generous thick caramel layer. i never really thought that lime and caramel were a suitable match, but as i was driving home from the grocery store today i kind of changed my mind. the cloying sweetness of the caramel does cut some of bright acidity and mild bitterness of the lime. throw a little textural cookie contrast, and creamy neutralizing whipped cream in the mix, and you’ve got a nicely balanced dish.
so for: 2 apps, 4 mains, 2 desserts, 9 cocktails, and 3 large bottles of water, the bill came to about $350 including tax and tip. while it was certainly less refined, i definitely enjoyed the meal in its entirety atmuseummore than the evening before at franks where we paid about 30-40$ more (per two people). so will i return? yes. probably more than i should, particularly because it’s so close to home. i can’t wait until summer again when i can enjoy that watermelon collins on the patio!
food porn abbeyskitchen.com