A first look inside Paul Boehmer’s eponymous Ossington restaurant (and details of his new Dean and Deluca-esque retail shop)

14 thoughts on “A first look inside Paul Boehmer’s eponymous Ossington restaurant (and details of his new Dean and Deluca-esque retail shop)”

1. If Mr. Boehmer really wanted to fit into the neighbourhood he would have opened his eyes, looked around and noticed that no one else on the street has such an over the top pretentious restaurant.
   FYI, I live on Humbert and neither I nor my neighbors can afford “Dean and Deluca ” prices.
   Take your Foie Gras back to Yorkville where you belong Mr. Boehmer.

2. Also, as for communal tables, it’s not “boring” to sit by yourself. Perhaps it’s boring to sit by yourself if you’re Paul Boehmer. Communal tables take up less real estate lets face it Mr. Boehmer is all about making MONEY. He pounced on Ossington because he saw an opportunity to make money. He’s not a man of the neighbourhood, this is my hood and I’ve never seen him anywhere on Ossington.

3. Dear Cats,

   Please shut up.

   Thank you

4. Wow Cats, are you not thinking clearly. I’d imagine that your neighbours view their homes as major lifetime investments. I believe up scaling of the neighbourhood as a possible incentive for property values increasing, and wonder if they feel as resentful as you. As for dining alone, which I am certain you do often (take a hint bitterness)….can you imagine having a choice, crazy, right. Did you even think through what you were typing or are you just another example of the lowest common denominator with access to the Web and too much time. As for Ossington being YOUR hood, like the man said Shut up.

5. Well, I live in the neighbourhood and welcome all the gentrification. It’s a nice restaurant and not a nightclub! Bring it on! Next, I’d like to see some more shops and services that cater to more of the young families that are moving into the hood.

6. i live nearby as well and i and 10000% with tiki on this one. bring it on. we need restaurants and shops to make that part of ossington complete. it is so wonderful to have all of these great restaurants on my doorstep and the nightlife, with tending towards douchebaggery, is still pretty hopping.

7. douchebaggery, you are a poet…

8. Wow, ‘lowest common denominator’
   I’m actually a teenager who was raised not be afraid to voice my own opinion. My Parents don’t agree with my view either but they are polite enough to agree to disagree and now I will “shut up”
   Sorry to those I offended, especially Ryan who is crazy (and scary) angry.

9. If the Boehmer guys are reading this, here is the secret to community good will: 4-liter bags of organic milk. Not bottles of organic. Not bags of Sealtest. Bags of organic. (Organic eggs also good.)

   Right now, the closest place to your spot to get bags of organic milk is the College Metro. Residents of “Gourmet Gulch” can’t actually get their grocery shopping done on foot. This irony is, of course, annoying. And, I hope you can understand, this creates some resentment toward the merchants.

   Provide this service, and people might actually come in and buy your luxury vinegars. Otherwise: resentment.

   You probably will lose money on the milk: the various under-capitalized variety stores around won’t carry it for this reason. But in your case, that’s not the point: think of the bags of organic milk as a loss-leader or enticement or good-will gesture.

10. ‘What’s missing from the strip, he says, is a bakery or a shop that draws people during the day.’

    Somewhat of a disrespectful and ignorant statement considering the long standing Venezia Bakery is across the street at 114 Ossington, packing them in from the early morning hours to early evening. Sure it’s no Dean and Deluca but for many people in the surrounding neighbourhood, it’s a daily go-to spot. I’m looking forward to seeing what the new shop has to offer and no doubt it should do well, but as someone who has the time to make their own vinaigrette, I will probably continue to frequent Venezia far more often.

11. Wow betty,did the bar manager fire you at a previous spot? You sound bitter. Hope life turns out better for you.

12. My husband and I and two of our friends ate at Boehmer last weekend. I have to say it was one of the most unpleasant dining experiences I’ve ever had because it was so loud. I’ve never been in such a loud restaurant. The waiter couldn’t hear us order and we couldn’t hear her. We had to yell at the top of our lungs to be heard at our little table for four. We cut our evening short just to get out of there. When we got out on the street, one of our friends said the noise had made her feel anxious so she just wanted to go home. I think the food was competent, but not worth the pain of being there. Surely something can be done to cut down the noise!

13. I liken this place to a tone deaf singer.

    It might get up on stage (that of Ossington), dress up and look the part… but when its time to deliver, something’s just off. I have a number of beefs with this place (and I was very excited to hear about it at first, actually gave it 2 tries, and had it fall flat on its face both times).

    1 – THE FOOD. Any place that shamelessly namedrops Stadlander and Eigensinn over and over better deliver the goods! Shame on me for expecting similar standards. The food does nothing except add to TO’s list of over-priced, over-hyped, nicely decorated, but poorly executed restaurants. The food is COOKED to perfection (veal cheeks that fall apart, pickerel skin that’s perfectly crispy), but the FLAVOURS are nowhere to be found. Same old story – if i’m spending $200 on dinner, give me something new, or at least impress me with something that tastes great! It wouldnt hurt to be satisfied at the end of a meal.

    2 – THE SERVICE – actually, our waiter was very informed, professional, and helpful – although I’m not sure why they keep pushing the veal cheeks when I’ve never seen one person either finish the dish, or say that they enjoyed it afterwards (my gf calls that dish “Michelina’s veal cheeks” – looks like a prepared thanksgiving day entree with the amount of mashed potatoe they serve you)

    3 – THE OWNER – is it antisocial? is it pretentious? is it…. who cares? the days of snooty restaurant owners not acknowledging their customers is long gone. Both times there (one time with the private room reserved all night even), Bohmer couldn’t spare a minute of his time to (not even socialize, perish the thought), but even ask us how everything is… He came into the room, adjusted the thermostat, and sauntered out again. No nod, no welcoming gesture…. pulse? I would probably honestly be thinking this guy was the sh’t if he was snooty like that AND cooked great food. Unfortunately, he doesn’t (but appears to think he does). Oh, and if you ask for bread, the response is, “The chef won’t serve you bread”. I understand the no-nos of cheese on fish, or anything else that potentially ruins a dish… but come on… no bread??

    I hesitated for a minute before I asked for a glass of water… luckily they obliged.

    So Bohmer will stick around for a while – not by any sort of culinary merit – read large place on Ossington thats not hard to get a table at, and is ok for cocktails (almost like Ossington’s version of Spice Route!!! haha). I wont go back.

    ps. Black Hoof’s foie gras kicks the duck out of Bohmer’s hyped version any day

14. Bravo LobbShaw!

    If Bohmer really wants to get in touch with the neighborhood, he should probably walk around and get to know it first. Sure, his shop is high end, and I’m sure it’ll offer many wonderful products – but at the end of the day he’s basing it on an American gourmet foods chain, this is a family neighborhood, not Yorkville . Venezia is a small family owned business specializing in homemade, traditional treats. It might not be as pretentious as Bohmer but, it has been repeatedly placed on Toronto Life’s best lists for its bread. Just to recap – how many of Bohmer’s products have made it on that list?

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