TORONTO: Globe Bistro

Disclosure: This dinner was part of the Eat Local, Eat Real food blogger sessions, organized by a marketing company representing Hellmann’s. There was no obligation or contract that required me to write about it.

Globe Bistro‘s raison d’etre is prominently displayed on its menus and website: “Think global. Eat local.” So it was a perfect place for a dinner of food bloggers brought together to talk about local food.

The restaurant itself is chic and cleverly redesigned, incorporating pieces of the structure’s former lives. Diners tread on restored hardwood floors from the lanes of a former bowling alley and ascend past nooks and multiple levels left from the theatre the building was originally constructed for in 1910.

Globe Bistro also has a wonderful hidden rooftop patio that I’d make a beeline for if I lived or worked in the area. Who’s going to turn down breezy summer shade, $5 cocktails and $7 appies (hello! lamb falafel) during happy hour (5-7 p.m.)?

As a private party, we sat on the “stage” overlooking the main dining room. Service was impeccable and gracious. Candles lit under glass domes on the table gave everything, and everyone, a gorgeous glow.

Chef Kevin McKenna has worked at Eigensinn Farm, where its chef/owner Michael Stadtländer was doing local before most of us knew why it was important.

Chef sent out an amuse-bouche of smoked Atlantic black cod belly with Meyer lemon emulsion. It was tasty, but to be honest I was wondering how local the rest of the meal would be. After all, the fish came from a few provinces away, and Ontario isn’t exactly a perfect environment to grow lemons. I’m glad I kept my mouth shut, because what followed was a bounty of Ontario delights.

I’m a sucker for tartare, so any place that does it well holds a special place in my heart. Globe Bistro’s is made with grass-fed Ontario bison which was fantastic. Some tiny fried ox-eyed capers were a wonderful burst of flavour next to the tartare.

But what got us all chattering was the deviled quail’s eggs on the plate. Very clever, and delicious.

The first course was paired with a fresh and bright 2007 Malivoire gamay. That one’s going in my notes to track down.

Second course was a Creemore Arctic char, which caused a bit of confusion. Creemore, Ont. is where microbrew beer comes from, right? And char comes from the Arctic, right?

We got schooled! While Arctic char is indeed native to the north, it’s also farmed in the springs around Creemore. Arctic char is also lauded as an environmentally sustainable alternative to farmed salmon.

The fingerling scallion hash, braised rapini, saffron red peppers all served to gently compliment the crispy seared fish, along with a touch of bagna cauda sauce. I didn’t taste any anchovies in the sauce but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing when the char itself was so tasty.

The first word in my head when I tasted the 2007 Sandhill pinot blanc, served with the fish, was “filling” in that tropical fruit flavours swished around in my mouth. But Google tells me the better way to describe it is that it had “round mouthfeel.”

The photo below doesn’t do justice to the interestingness (bah, can’t reach my thesaurus) of the nose-to-tail suckling pig. Nose-to-tail is the trendy term for the re-emerging usage of all parts of an animal, reflecting a tradition of thriftier times — though if you look at some cultural cuisines like Chinese fare, I don’t think it’s ever gone away.

Here, a pork loin has been cooked sous vide and rolled with pork crackling. Next to it, house-smoked ham was laid out with a creamy smooth Welsh rarebit.

And to top off this “pork around pork, next to pork, next to some more pork” plate, was a small piece of fried brawn, which is made from boiling the trimmings of a pig’s head for hours, reducing the liquid to a gelatinous broth, leaving it to cool and set — and then battered and fried.

OK, it’s basically fancy head cheese, but I like the extended explanation for maximum effect.

I enjoyed each component, as well as the side Brussels sprouts and dash of blood orange jus, but felt there was no knockout punch. The Welsh rarebit held the most flavour for me. The rest of the plate threw some good jabs but I’d call the round a draw.

A young 2007 Rosewood Estates pinot noir, paired with the pork, took us into the plate of Ontario cheeses. By now, the conversation was in full swing on all sides of the long table.

We were pretty much lulled by good wine and good company when Globe Bistro smacked us with dessert. You know how waffles, maple syrup and bacon just go perfectly on the same plate? Well, try maple crème brûlée, bacon brittle and bacon doughnut.

Bacon brittle. And bacon doughnut. Bloody hell, they were good. Gobsmacked with bacon, I was.

I haven’t had a memorable meal like this in a long time. Well done, Globe Bistro.

Globe Bistro, 124 Danforth Ave., Toronto, (416) 466-2000. Click here for hours of operation.