dbar

I've been to Café Boulud (Twitter: @CafeBouludTO, Facebook: Café Boulud Toronto & d | bar) more than a handful of times now so I thought it was time to give dbar some love too! It seriously didn't take much since I am all for cocktails (any time of day) and burgers (I'm a sucker for burgers and have heard lots about dbar's firehouse burger). So after a day of intense window shopping in downtown, I made my way to dbar last Sunday night with my friend Rob for a quick bite.

Located on street-level at the new Four Seasons (@FSToronto), dbar's decor is contemporary, modern, yet sophisticated. It is very comfortable and spacious especially with their floor-to-ceiling windows.

dbar's food menu offers more of a casual fare compared to Café Boulud upstairs. The items on their menu is ideal for sharing and is divided into six sections: To Share, Appetizers, Charcuterie, Sausages, The Grill and Dessert.

Once Rob told me that Andrea Bargnani from the Toronto Raptors was sitting at the table beside us, we couldn't help / stop making Primo Pasta & Sauce aka "Primopastasowse" jokes on Facebook and Twitter.  Yes. We are a mature bunch. 

Sorry. I digress.

Albert Kirby (@aKirbyDrinks), manager of dbar, recommended us some cocktails to start. From left to right, we had:

Neo-Negroni: Bombay Sapphire Gin, Campari, Green Chartreuse, Dry Vermouth, Lemon Twist ($18)

Atwood: Havana Club Anejo, Grapefruit Juice, Nepitella Syrup, Crispy Basil Leaf ($13)

Old Fashion: Wisers Rye, Muddled Cherries, Rhubarb Bitters, Simple Syrup ($15)

We shared the following plates:

PATE DE CAMPAGNE ($14)
Country style pork pate, pickled vegetables, Kozlik's mustard

BEAUJOLAISE ($16)

Pork, mushroom, onion, bacon and red wine link, lentils du puy

FIREHOUSE POUTINE ($16)

Pulled pork, jalapenos, house made gravy, squeaky cheese 

THE FIREHOUSE #312 ($19)

Beef patty topped with housemade bbq pulled pork, jalapeno mayonnaise & Boston lettuce, cheddar bun & fries

Great vibe and great cocktails at dbar. I liked how their cocktail list is separated into four sections: "Sophisticated" (light, delicate cocktails for the discerning palate), "Confident" (full bodied flavours; bold, brave, and daring), "Eccentric" (cutting edge cocktails; lively, mischievous and creative) and "Classic" (famous in their eras, these traditional flavours will never fade). Believe me, these sections and descriptions really help during those indecisive moments, something I experience quite often. And I have to mention this: dbar has really cool cocktail glasses. I especially liked the neo-negroni glass.

In terms of food, I enjoyed the beaujolaise sausage the most that night. It was wonderful. The sausage was tender and meaty, had great texture and excellent flavour. The bed of green lentils were also first-rate. As for the firehouse poutine, the jalapenos kinda threw me off. Although I like spicy food, I personally don't prefer spicy in my poutine, but if you do, methinks you would really enjoy this :) Last, but not least, the firehouse burger. My only complaint about the burger was that it was done to a medium, whereas I prefer my burgers medium rare. This is again a personal preference 'cause I mean, I like my steak rare, or even blue-rare..so go figure! Besides that, I liked the flavours in the firehouse burger, particularly the housemade bbq pulled pork and jalapeno mayonnaise.