I'm almost done....the review was much longer but it had to be no more than 800 words.
The
Edward Street Bistro and Marketplace, located on 14785 Yonge Street, Aurora opened
in the fall of 2010. It’s owner David Mintz had come from successful catering
background in the entertainment industry. Many of its reviews, which used
phrases like “over priced” and “incorrectly served”, are published on the
public restaurant database Open Table. A Star critic praised the creativity of
the food but complained of “
details lacking” in service and inconsistent quality of food. However, Edward’s
did win the Open Table Diner’s Choice Winner for 2011.
The reservation system
allowed me to be met only with an answering machine, asking for my name and
number. I love technology as much as anyone, but for an upscale restaurant I
would have liked to speak to an actual person. This was not available even
though it was Monday night and the diner hour. So I made an online reservation.
I parked in Edward’s
underground parking and was greeted in the bistro by a friendly hostess who was
expecting me and took my coat. She asked me where I wanted to sit which surprised
me; I had made reservations and had asked to not sit by the door. She then had
to remove settings from my choice of table. I received my menu as I sat down
and within 2 minutes I also had water and a breadbasket. My server suggested a
Shiraz, which I enjoyed through the appetizer and entrée. An Australian 6 Rows
Shiraz’09, I’m not a wine expert, but it was delicious.
I had picked
out my entrée, Roasted Ontario Lamb Sirloin, but asked my server to suggest an appetizer
to go with it. She suggested the “Tuna “Nicoise”, seared tuna loin with a wasabi
edamame mousse. I asked how the wasabi was served with the tuna and she assured
me it was positioned to be dipped into as a guest chose. I chose the tuna and
then waited only 10 minutes for it to arrive.
When my tuna came out
and I was disappointed to discover that all of it was placed directly on top of
the wasabi mousse. The eight tuna medallions were wonderfully rare and seared
beautifully on the edges and had a fantastic melt in your mouth texture. The few medallions that were not in the
mousse had a light delicate flavor, which was delicious. The rest tasted like
wasabi. It was served with a mix of salad greens lightly dressed with
vinaigrette with a few baby tomatoes and dehydrated black olives and some
lightly cooked halved baby potatoes. This would have made a nice accompaniment
for my fish if I could have tasted it. I tried to scrape as much of the wasabi
off as I could and hoped my server was more accurate about my lamb.
My lamb arrived 10
minutes after my appetizer had been removed. There were three, thick, glistening lamb steaks, resting on
a layer of steamed green beans, baby carrots and broccoli. Underneath this was a
bed of chorizo sausage and white bean ragu. The lamb was superb, moist and very
tender. It’s edges held a
delicious smoky flavor, gloriously caramelized. The vegetables were tender
crisp, lightly steamed except for the broccoli, which was buried under the meat
and mushy. Underneath the vegetables lay the chorizo and bean base, which was
appropriately seasoned to allow the chorizo to shine. The sausage was neither
dominated by the ragu, nor did it overshadow the lamb. But the star of the dish was the lamb. I
had read several reviews complaining about small portions for the price at
Edward’s Bistro. Although this was a $30 entrée, I was hard pressed to finish
it and felt the generous portions of meat were worth the price.
There were only four
choices on the desert menu and all fairly large. I chose the double chocolate
creme brulee. I was told it was
not a traditional brulee as it had a chocolate ganache center. The presentation
was acceptable, with fresh berries and chocolate shavings as garnishes, but the
dessert may as well have been a cheesecake. It was rich and overly dense with barely
a hint of a brulee-like consistency.
After my meal my server,
who turned out to be the floor manager, took me on a tour of the kitchen at my
request. She was very friendly and informative explaining the organization of
the kitchen. The Executive Chef Brad Kelsall was away with the Sous Chef Dave
taking his place. He was busy, but my introduction was rewarded by a smile and
wave done the less.
The
bistro’s website is www.edwardstreet.ca. The phone number 905 841
9500 (ext 3) is available for reservations for groups. The Open Table states a
range of $30-$50 per person, which I think is low for three courses.
