Introducing: Reds Midtown Tavern, the downtown power-restaurant’s sleek second location
Name: Reds Midtown Tavern
Contact Info: 382 Yonge St. (in the Aura condo), 416-598-3535, redsmidtowntavern.com, @redswinetavern
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
Owner: Peter Fowler, the CEO of restaurant superpower SIR Corp, which also runs Bay Street hotspots Far Niente, Four and the original Reds Wine Tavern
Chef: Matt Robertson, the former sous chef at Canoe and TOCA
The Place: The space is a dead ringer for the Adelaide Street location, from the communal redwood tables and leather banquettes to the trio of chandeliers made from recycled wine bottles. One unique detail: an illuminated glass case displaying 27 antique Zippo lighters.
The Food: The same menu as the original Reds: casual burgers, sandwiches and wings, plus some less conventional options, like chili-spiked lobster guacamole and potato flatbread topped with chimichurri aioli.
The Drinks: The bar has 30 beers on tap, two-thirds of which are local craft brews, and an extensive wine list. The cocktail menu includes holdovers from the original Reds, like the maple-bacon Manhattan with bourbon-soaked cherries.
The Numbers: • 7,000 pounds of poured concrete for the bar top • 720 bottles of wine doubling as décor • 78 storeys in the Aura condo tower • 3 chandeliers fashioned out of wine bottles • 2 shuffleboard tables • 1 old-school cigarette machine
