Food & Drink

Introducing: Reds Wine Tavern, a revamp of the Bay Street power lunch destination

Introducing: Reds Wine Tavern, a revamp of the Bay Street power lunch destination

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(Image: Gizelle Lau)

It wasn’t long ago that we watched as Ryan Gallagher brought his good-natured competitive streak to season two of Top Chef Canada, making it all the way to episode nine. In August, SIR Corp. announced that Gallagher would be leaving Ruby Watchco to find himself back in the Financial District (he worked as an insurance broker at Brookfield Place many years ago), as the executive chef at the relaunched Reds Wine Tavern. The two-storey restaurant, which opened back in 2000 as Reds Bistro and Wine Bar, shut down briefly in September for renovations. The result: a lively space full of—you guessed it—exposed brick, warm lighting and communal wooden tables that’s nevertheless still sophisticated enough for the district’s businesspeople.

The menu, which Gallagher describes as “not stuffy,” focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients, especially on the daily seafood menu supplied by Foley Fish Boston. A new list of “shareables” includes a tavern cheese and butcher board ($29), Atlantic lobster rolls ($23) and lobster guacamole with corn chips and jalapeno sour cream ($18). There’s salads hefty enough to be entrées, like a grilled yellowfin niçoise ($27), mussels ($18.50) and comfort food mains like a “butcher” burger ($17), chicken pot pie with foie gras gravy ($18) and buttermilk fried chicken ($18). The extensive wine list is curated by sommelier Jasmine Black, and along with a tome listing 350 wines by the bottle, the bar offers 77 wines by the glass. There’s also a new cocktail menu, including five different takes on the caesar ($10.50 to $12.50), and creative spins on classics like a saffron negroni ($9.50) and a maple bacon bourbon manhattan ($10.50). The new Reds features two large private dining rooms upstairs for larger groups, as well as a chef’s table from which Gallagher’s fans can, if they’re lucky, spy the Top Chef Canada star in action.

Reds Wine Tavern, 77 Adelaide St. W., 416-862-7337, redswinetavern.com, @redswinetavern

Topics: Bay Street comfort food Financial District New Restaurants Openings Reds Wine Tavern Restaurants Ryan Gallagher SIR Corp Top Chef Canada Toronto

3 thoughts on “Introducing: Reds Wine Tavern, a revamp of the Bay Street power lunch destination”

  3. My boyfriend and I went to dine at Reds for “date night” a week or so ago after a recommendation from a friend. The atmosphere was incredibly warm. They were quite busy for a Wednesday night. The lower area was buzzing with people, looked like the typical after work hangout for the downtown core. Upstairs set an entirely different mood. The friendly host staff quickly found our reservation and led us to our table upstairs. We were starving and ordered the mussels and caesar salad to start. Best caesar salad! DELISH. It went down incredibly well with a glass of wine. Wait staff was friendly. We also ordered the Swordfish and Pork Chop entrees. The presentation was beautiful and the fish was super fresh and tasty. It was a great night overall. Looking forward to coming back and trying more items.

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