Walking into Böhmer for dinner I was immediately struck by the décor. Bright, elegant and minimalist without an air of pretention. I joined our party at the rear past a long, beautiful wood bar along the side wall opposite an equally long communal wood table down the centre of the restaurant. Two large wood chandeliers resembling giant tree roots are prominent and shimmer with crystal. Clearly, a healthy investment in the dining room and I hoped the open kitchen in the rear would also deliver a top-notch experience. The hostess and wait staff were immediately pleasant and welcoming. It was looking to be a good night.
Open almost a year now on the Ossington strip, chef Paul Boehmer’s menu provides an exceptional tour of local and seasonal fine dining choices at reasonable prices. Our party of three started with a platter of Oyster Boy oysters (fresh horseradish and mignonette), venison tartare, and a lobster-avocado salad. The venison ($17) was generously-sized and prepared in the classic French manner. I don’t know what they do to make their in-house bread but all I can say is it was mouth-wateringly delicious. We skipped the signature cocktails and opted for the classics instead. I am a big fan of the French 75 gin and champagne cocktail and have to give Böhmer an ‘A’ for it, second only to Table 17 on Queen Street. Notable for mention on the cocktail list is also the Vesper Martini, James Bond’s original favourite.
The wine list features a heavy Ontario presence while also offering a decent and affordable selection of Spanish, Italian, French, and new world wines from $36. You’d be hard-pressed to find one or two you wouldn’t want to try.
Everyone ordered something different for dinner, which made for great sampling. Making an infrequent appearance on the menu, according to our server, was guinea fowl. Prepared in a manner similar to their popular chicken fricassee (i.e. pulled off the bone) it was a fine fowl indeed. The only downside was the fingerling potatoes: more like giant toes they would have benefited from a little extra roasting. The lamb loin was perfectly cooked to a tender medium-rare served up with spinach and a lentil salad. Again, the toe-ling potatoes could be better roasted. The duck breast – also perfectly cooked medium – came with a hearty pumpkin ravioli. I loved the ravioli; my colleague did not but she loved the jus sauce, which I found were too much like caramel. The side of pomme frites was thick-cut but nicely fried. The mayonnaise resembled neither aioli nor mayonnaise, rather something between sour cream and mayonnaise. Shoestring frites lovers should take a pass. After two bottles of sangiovese, we dove into an amazing Ontario five-cheese plate, a steal at $16 for the portion size and the quality of product (including offerings from Thunder Oak Cheese in Thunder Bay). Notwithstanding the fingerling potatoes, pride of preparation and quality of ingredients was evident in our meals. In fact, adorning the walls to the restrooms are photos of farmers, butchers, and chefs in action as a testament to chef Boehmer’s commitment to his craft.
Somewhat vacant (it was a Tuesday night and the eve of Toronto’s Snowpocalypse) the only minor let-down was the occasionally slow, yet friendly, service. Böhmer is a quality experience overall and one worth repeating. Any restaurant that can pull off an eclectic mix of A Tribe Called Quest, Led Zeppelin, Hall & Oates, and the Smiths with the deft grace of a house-party playlist also gets an ‘A+’ for ambience. And, as befits any night on Ossington Avenue, a wild ride of great bar-hopping will inevitably follow a great dinner.
Böhmer, 93 Ossington Avenue, 416-531-3800, www.boehmer.ca reservations 5-7 p.m. or 9:00 p.m.
Photo credit: Böhmer’s website
