Foods from 327 Wine Bar
Comments
2013 Apr 16
As a chef I tend to be highly critical of restaurants. However when I stepped into 327 recently I was pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere is intimate without being pretentious. The owner sat and served us( also a chef) while his partner was in the kitchen( apparently they switch every two weeks.)The wine list was varied and almost everything was served by the glass. I opted for the vegan chili which was incredibly good and my companion for the evening had the steak which was properly cooked and seasoned. The service was perfect.We were looking for unpretentious simple delicious food and good wine in a welcoming atmosphere and we found it. Well done 327, I will be back!!
2012 Aug 28
Thought we should try one of the other new places along the revitalized restaurant strip of Somerset between Bank and O’Connor.
The inside has been completely revamped from its Benitz days with the bar moved to the centre of the room and a semi-circle couch placed where the chef’s table was. We were lucky enough to get one of the five tables out on the front patio.
The place bills itself as a wine bar and the wine list, although not overly long, does offer all wines by the glass and has a substantial number of Canadian wines (more whites than reds are Canadian). We were very happy with our wine choices – sparkling Whitecap/Hinterland Wine Company and Frontenac Gris Rosé/Karlo Estates, both from Prince Edward County.
Unfortunately the food and service did not keep pace.
We shared the charcuterie plate ($18) which allows you to choose two meats and two cheeses from their four choices of each. We chose Riopelle triple cream brie, St. Elizabeth blue, prosciutto and capicola. The platter was nicely presented with two ceramic soup spoons filled with mustard and a sweet plum (?) chutney. We enjoyed this although they substituted Hercule de Charlevoix for the St. Elizabeth (without explanation).
We then moved on to mains. Choices made were:
- A 5 oz. tenderloin with a small slab of St. Elizabeth Blue (so they were not out of it – I guess just a mistake on the charcuterie plate) sitting on a large bed of fries – the verdict on this dish was it was average, cooked slightly more than medium as requested and served with way too many fries
- The fish special which was described as a piece of maple glazed coho salmon and a haddock fish cake on a bed of fries – the piece of coho was nice and probably would have been better without the overly sweet, slightly congealed maple sauce (this was definitely more than a glaze). The haddock fish cake was overly breaded, thin and dry.
Although the server was quite knowledgeable (we asked him quite a few questions about the wine list), there were just too many annoyances - the wrong cheese on the charcuterie, one of the second glasses of wine ordered that never materialized and the amount of time it took to have the water glasses filled.
I doubt I will be back.
The inside has been completely revamped from its Benitz days with the bar moved to the centre of the room and a semi-circle couch placed where the chef’s table was. We were lucky enough to get one of the five tables out on the front patio.
The place bills itself as a wine bar and the wine list, although not overly long, does offer all wines by the glass and has a substantial number of Canadian wines (more whites than reds are Canadian). We were very happy with our wine choices – sparkling Whitecap/Hinterland Wine Company and Frontenac Gris Rosé/Karlo Estates, both from Prince Edward County.
Unfortunately the food and service did not keep pace.
We shared the charcuterie plate ($18) which allows you to choose two meats and two cheeses from their four choices of each. We chose Riopelle triple cream brie, St. Elizabeth blue, prosciutto and capicola. The platter was nicely presented with two ceramic soup spoons filled with mustard and a sweet plum (?) chutney. We enjoyed this although they substituted Hercule de Charlevoix for the St. Elizabeth (without explanation).
We then moved on to mains. Choices made were:
- A 5 oz. tenderloin with a small slab of St. Elizabeth Blue (so they were not out of it – I guess just a mistake on the charcuterie plate) sitting on a large bed of fries – the verdict on this dish was it was average, cooked slightly more than medium as requested and served with way too many fries
- The fish special which was described as a piece of maple glazed coho salmon and a haddock fish cake on a bed of fries – the piece of coho was nice and probably would have been better without the overly sweet, slightly congealed maple sauce (this was definitely more than a glaze). The haddock fish cake was overly breaded, thin and dry.
Although the server was quite knowledgeable (we asked him quite a few questions about the wine list), there were just too many annoyances - the wrong cheese on the charcuterie, one of the second glasses of wine ordered that never materialized and the amount of time it took to have the water glasses filled.
I doubt I will be back.
LNB
The Food also is wonderful, both Brad and Tim, the owners are chefs and work their kitchen presenting ever changing seasonal menus. Their suppliers are the best in the business, fish and seafood from Whalesbone, cheeses and charcuterie from high end suppliers and same for their steaks. Nothing is left to chance.
Wonderful place for a great evening. I have to try their new lunch menu, they recently opened from Tuesday to Friday at lunch time.
Trying to get in, it is a pretty popular venue.
The 327 Wine Bar on Somerset is a welcoming place for wine and food lovers.