I have nothing but praises for The Whippoorwill. Recently named both Best New Restaurant and Best Burger Over $10 by NOW Magazine, The Whippoorwill (Twitter: @WhippoorwillTO, Facebook: The Whippoorwill Restaurant & Tavern) is doing everything right. From its cozy, retro/vintage decor, friendly service, to bar manager Japhet Bower's (@jollyinebriate) artfully crafted cocktails and chef Tyler Cunningham's (@ChefCunningham) globally inspired comfort plates, it's no surprise why this Bloordale restaurant is currently one of the most talked about restaurant in the city.
I had to the pleasure to visit The Whippoorwill a couple of weeks ago for their new fall/winter menu. I remember leaving the restaurant very content with a very full belly much like my first visit there three months ago (click here for my first post on The Whippoorwill).
Dinner started off with a very appropriately named cocktail called Blogger Love (Japhet named it on the spot for us haha). As the evening progressed we were served the Diablo Verde and This Little Piggy:
COCKTAILS (left to right):
1. BLOGGER LOVE (off the menu): Cava, aromatic bitters, brown butter
2. DIABLO VERDE - Tromba blanco tequila, green chartreuse, lemon, house-made poblano syrup, maldon, scrappy's grapefruit bitters
3. THIS LITTLE PIGGY - Napoleon cortel brandy, grand marnier, briottet chestnut, sage, lemon, scrappy's celery bitters
Chef Cunningham prepared for us the following dishes from his fall / winter menu:
WINTER SPICED BEET SALAD
Walnut pesto, muscatel vinaigrette and Thornloe Stilton
BEEF CARPACCIO
Shaved mushrooms, chives and tahini
ROSEMARY CURED COHO
Creamed horseradish, puffed quinoa, salted cucumber and mustard oil
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER
Cumin, sultana raisins, caramelized onion, almonds and parsley
POTATO GNOCCHI
Braised beef cheek and brown butter powder
GREAT LAKES PICKEREL
Roasted squash, pine nut crumble, Cerignola olive and spiced squash sugo
KOREAN RIBS
King mushroom, scallion and sesame seed
BRAISED DUCK LEG
Sweet & sour cipolline, Swiss chard and pot roast carrots
BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING
with salted caramel
ICE BOX CAKE
Cocoa, graham cracker, toasted hazelnut and preserved blackberry
APPLE CRUMBLE
Spiced rolled oats and tamarind ripple ice cream
LEMMY - Alberta premium dark horse rye, murphy's irish stout reduction, maple, agave, lemon, sailor jerry's spiced rum foam, scrappy's celery bitters
Dinner was a success! In terms of appetizers, my favourites were the winter spiced beet salad, the roasted cauliflower and the rosemary cured coho. The vegetable dishes had great hearty flavours (i.e. the strong stilton with the beets and the fragrant cumin with the cauliflower) while the thinly sliced rosemary cured coho, served on top of creamy horseradish and sprinkled with puffed quinoa, packed incredible textures all on one plate. Sticky and coated with succulent glaze, the Korean ribs were delicious (love those king mushrooms!) and so was the braised duck leg with its incredibly crispy skin. As expected, the three desserts at The Whippoorwill that evening were ridiculously good. The ice box cake was my absolute favourite with its densely layered chocolate and graham crackers. Mind you the Lemmy, reminiscent of a root beer float, also makes one incredible yummy liquid dessert!
Also on The Whippoorwill's fall / winter menu:
- Shaved apple salad with pumpernickel crumble, paremsan cheese and braised red cabbage vinaigrette
- Caldo Verde (traditional Portuguese soup)
- The Whippoorwill Burger with ground prime beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, Russian dressing on a buttered bun
- General Tso chicken wings with scallion and chillies
- Pork meatballs on toast
- South Indian curried mussels with green chili, curry leaf and black mustard seed over basmati rice
*This meal was complimentary. The opinions and views expressed on this post are my own*
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