Introducing: Tavern by Trevor, a new spot for brunch and bar snacks (deep-fried foie gras!)
Name: Tavern by Trevor
Neighbourhood: Entertainment District
Contact Info: 147 Spadina Ave., 416-546-3447, tavernbytrevor.com, @tavernbytrevor
Owners: Mike “Yuker” Yaworski (owner of Wide Open) and Trevor Wilkinson, the man behind Trevor Kitchen and Bar on Wellington
Chef: Trevor Wilkinson
The Food: Wilkinson calls his food “new Canadian cuisine.” Menu-wise, that translates into over-the-top comfort dishes drawn from a bunch of different global cuisines: Japanese-inspired shrimp tempura, for instance, and Cajun po’boys, plus a handful of rejigged Canadian classics, like bison-and-pork tourtière and pork-belly poutine. In an extremely haute take on the jalapeño popper, hunks of foie gras are deep-fried and served with ice-wine grape jelly.
The Drinks: Draught beer, wine and traditional cocktails, like old-fashioneds and negronis.
The Place: The simple room is decorated with plenty of barnboard and a pair of comic-bookish murals. Sports fans can follow games on the flat-screen TV behind the bar.
The Numbers: • 46 years’ industry experience between Yaworski and Wilkinson • 40-year-old tourtière recipe passed down to Wilkinson from his mother (the bison is his addition) • $19 for the most expensive dish: steak frites • 14.5 centimeters: the height of the brunch BLT • $11 for any bar snack on the menu • 6 ounces of kobe beef in the house burger
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Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.
