Globe Bistro

[jenc]

The light on Globe (obligatory logo/candle shot)

For fun, three friends and I went to the newly opened Globe Bistro on the Danforth. edit: woo! topic 100,000!

The Space

The restaurant itself is really well appointed. The renovation from the previous resto shows well. It is quite large with a second level of seating. Got quite full as the evening progressed. We were seated near the back of the resto for the 6:30 seating.room shot and decoration. Thought the deco near to us was a rather nice effect.

The Menu

Globe's menu. We had the daily soup, Dungeness crab Empanada, Charcuterie Board for two, Ove roasted black cod, Butter poached yarmouth lobster, Cheese boutique aged ribeye and the Caribou Leg.

Appetizers

Bread was warm to the table, but you know, I can't remember what the other dip was, but it was good. The raw oysters we had were okay. Good taste, but again, nothing overly exciting. The crab empanadas were flaky and tasty fillings, but I felt it could be spicier. That's more to my taste than anything else. My dinner companions enjoyed this alot, but I found that other than the strong taste of crab (good), the rest was unexciting. (Am I turning into too much of a food snob here!?). I also found the plantains bland. Needed to be fried more or something for tastiness. The charcuterie plate. Nice, but not worth the money - since you can put together a plate like this quite easily and from the same sources, if I recall correctly. Still, yummy. I did like the foie gras - citrusy taste coming through there. My sister suggested that it would have been better to just order the foie gras torchon(? tranche?), opposed to the starter plate had we known. The figs were a nice play off the saltiness of the meat. Parsnip purée was by far the BEST dish of the evening. The heavenly smell of truffle wafting off this dish was divine, the taste of the soup superb. The frothy texture was smooth and delicious. Appetizer WIN!

Mains

To me, the Caribou meat was a little mushy, but the soufflee was good. A decent mix, but not to my taste. The cod was light and flaky, but still a little overdone. Not too many comments on this one? My notes are sparse here. I recall the green bean things on the bottom not working for me. The lobster is Globe's signature dish and I was a little dissapointed. The vanilla kale (substitute for the asparagus that night) was a bit too sweet for the lobster and the lobster itself was a bit too overdone. The foam was very yummy, (they're really good at the foams, it seems...). You know, it was steak, but man was it ever good! The blue cheese foam pairs excellently with the beef. Really nicely prepared and a great cut. Would order this again. I think the fries detract from this dish, but I suppose that mash wouldn't plate as well with the foam.

Dessert

We had actually gotten the menu earlier, so we were quick on the draw for dessert.

The Maple sugar tart, I was fearing the overdose of Maple, but happily, the maple taste was subtle. The pastry a little hard, but still flaky enough. Not too sweet. I found the black tea cream to be absolutely fantastic. The staple creme brulee had a smooth texture, but the top wasn't crunchy/crispy. Tasted like it came from the fridge vs getting freshly torched. Vanilla and lemon shines through. Quite good. This dessert came with "sides." The baby biscotti that it came with was quite tasty, (I didn't think it was anything terribly exciting mind you), and the Citrus salad on the side was very refreshing. I quite enjoyed it. The Hot chocolate demi-tasse was strong, but not the liquid chocolate our waiter had described, (try Angelina's african hot chocolate in Paris sometime...). The marshmallow was nicely done, with that yummy cripsy and slightly burnt taste. One comment about the brownie was that the mint is a bit artificial tasting. I thought perhaps some fresh crushed mint would have been nice. If you get this, drop the marshmallow into the hot chocolate. I missed out on this ;;_;; I hear it was super tasty. For the Shoofly cake, Ev commented that the molasses was too heavy, but I rather liked the dense cake. The orange peel is a nice taste to the not-too sweet dessert. Sis mentioned she'd like more of the caramel sauce. The trio of tootsie balls were more fudgy that tootsie, in my opinion. Overall, a decent dessert, and I quite liked it, but maybe not the first thing I'd reorder.

Overall

For fun, three friends and I went to the newly opened Globe Bistro on the Danforth. Overall, the food was good and there were a couple very high points over the course of the evening. General concensus was that we'd return sooner than later. Service notes: we were well attended to, but oddly not offered tea/coffee at the end of the evening. We're not sure if our prompt order of dessert, (we'd already perused the menu mid way through dinner), or the fact that we had to be out for the 8:30 seating had anything to do with it.

Same review, but broken down by dish and photo on flickr.

Edited March 7, 2007 by jenc (log)

[Renka]

Here's my little addition to jen c's (my "friend's" ) review.

Images of all the dishes that were ordered and attached comments can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sifu_renka/se...57600039253532/

Located on the Danforth, Globe Bistro is the next hottest place to visit for food aficionados, mainly due to the growing appeal of eating fresh and local. Upon entering the premises, one is greeted by a darkened lounge/bar area for casual drinks and chit chat. Passing through a narrow walkway, an open peek into the kitchen is offered before stepping into the full dining area. The main dining room consists of a lower and second story dining area with a 16 foot vaulted ceiling. Of interest, the floors still reflect its past life as a bowling alley. Helpful service is attentive when the dining room is relatively free, but hard to flag down as the evening progresses and when rushed for the next seating. We were happy to note that our server, Andy, was candid with us regarding evening recommendations, particularly when three of our dining companions wished to order the Oven Roast Black Cod. Not only did he mention that that was not a personal favourite, he also noted that there was apparently a plate that was just sent back to the kitchen. I already knew from another friend's experience at Globe that the cod was not a stellar dish, but the fact that Andy was kind enough to ensure that our dining experience was top notch by reiterating this personal opinion was a bonus.

Food wise, prime products are sourced mostly from Cumbrae Farms and La Ferme, where Chef Ben Heaton spins them into a respectable selection of land and sea. Although lacking oomph to propel Globe as one of the top dining destinations of Toronto, the attention Chef Heaton pays to showcase the best of the best is apparent and would continue to provide picky palates with much to laud about.