Hawthorne Food and Drink
60 Richmond Street East | 647.930.9517 | Facebook
Hawthorne Food and Drink, a cozy glass box on Richmond St. E., is many things: part restaurant, part non-profit training program providing culinary experience to youth, part malt shop where the bar makes its own sodas served in retro cowboy boot glasses.
It’s also a pleasant departure from the ubiquitous “rustic Italian” food meme that has seized Toronto. Offering fusion food instead, Chef Binh An Nguyen picks and chooses standout samples of various global cuisines. Menu items invite diners to tour the globe, with stops in northern Eurasia (Russian unorthodox salad, $9), Latin America (lamb empanada, $9) as well as China and Vietnam (peking duck pho, $9). It’s no accident that one of Hawthorne’s favourite dishes is the #FourSquare meal (lunch, $16; dinner, $22), four small plates reflecting a sampling of the current and/or upcoming menu.
Ironically, for a restaurant that features cuisine from a variety of locations, Hawthorne’s own location is…regrettable. The floor-to-ceiling windows bring in a lot of light, but offer views of a poorly tended parking lot and an ambulance station. However, with the pace of condo development being what it is, Hawthorne may just be ahead of the curve and clever enough to have locked down what will, no doubt within months, become prime real estate.
Mindful of the training-program aspect of the place, I’m prepared to be forgiving of uneven service provided by rookie staff. No need for forgiveness here — I’m greeted warmly by both my server and the bartender when I arrive. There’s an immediate offer to hang up my coat, and as soon as I’m seated, water appears, the wine list is offered and the specials are recited. The music is low; a kicky mix of disco, Rolling Stones and jazz covers, and my server doesn’t look horrified when I reject his choice of table for my own. Many other restaurants in the downtown core could learn a thing or two from Hawthorne.
The wine list is small. Tiny, in fact. But then Hawthorne is really more about cocktails. On a previous occasion, a client and I sampled a few from Hawthorne’s selection — a two-page list that includes the classics and modern interpretations of them. The drinks are superb. Days later, when I’m filling out my expense report, I notice the receipt doesn’t have the usual “alcohol — $12,” and instead identifies each drink by name. With names like “Sexing the Cherry” and “Bordello’s Door,” I decline to submit this particular receipt to accounting.
My dining companion arrives and we start with two shared plates: wok-charred edamame with peanut chili salt, sesame seeds and tamari molasses ($7) and lemongrass BBQ ribs with nam pla rub, hoisin collard greens and beans ($11). The ribs are individually cut, making them easier to handle, and an elegant finger bowl thoughtfully accompanies the dish. The intense lemongrass and smoky flavour combine to create a rib that defies ribs as I have heretofore understood them. The edamame are spicy-sweet and the charring gives them a smokiness that combines beautifully with the tamari and the peanuts, although the dish could use more heat from the chilies. Squeezing out the tender beans inside is a bit of a sticky mess, but worth the effort.
We split the “perfect steak frites” ($23), and our server tells us today’s cut is a blade steak, helpfully pirouetting and pointing to his shoulder blades by way of demonstration. Blade is a flavourful cut, though tough, and must be cooked in a way that tenderizes the meat yet doesn’t diminish the flavour. I can’t fault the kitchen for cooking it sous-vide, but because there’s no browning involved with that method, it leaves the steak sitting wan and pale next to the bright colours of the accompanying vegetables. And for all that, the steak, while remarkably tender, isn’t really that flavourful.
I pair the steak with a side of fiddleheads and mushrooms ($4). Fiddleheads are the embodiment of spring and it’s a wise chef who resists the urge to meddle with them. Hawthorne’s kitchen is respectful of the green, subjecting it only to a light sauté, and the result is a crisp, grassy flavour with a bit of nuttiness.
Dessert is a minted chocolate ganache torte with a brownie crust and a chili caramel sauce ($7). It’s a solid dessert, but isn’t particularly memorable.
The bill arrives, accompanied by two porcelain spoons containing small glistening cubes of lemon and rosemary jelly. “A palate cleanser,” says our server. I toss mine back and am immediately hit by the intensity of the lemon and its tartness, something I adore.
Hawthorne is a short distance from the financial district and worth the walk. The tables are filled with a variety of patrons instead of the usual suits of Bay Street. Great for after-work drinks or dinner with a colleague, Hawthorne manages to be both companionable speakeasy and terrific restaurant, although the intensity of flavour the kitchen achieves with its small plates doesn’t always translate to the mains.
Judge Foodie’s verdict:
Highs: Exceptional service, interesting and varied menu, nice size and feel
Lows: Uninspiring view
Kirsten Thompson is a Toronto-based research lawyer and commercial litigator. Since her call to the bar in 2000, she estimates that her restaurant to courtroom ratio has been approximately 14:1. Thoughts? Comments? Ideas for a review? Email her. Follow Judge Foodie on Twitter: @Judge_Foodie