Taylor's Genuine Food and Wine Bar - Finally Paid It A Visit

Taylor's Genuine Food and Wine Bar opened Thursday, June 17 to much fan fare. It has taken me two months to finally get there to give it a try. The opportunity presented itself when 2 gal pals wanted a lunch out and left me to make the choice. I gladly bore the responsibility of trying to pick well.

As we darted out at the end of lunch to our long overdue parked cars, our parting comments on the experience were loaded with F-bombs. Actually repetitive F-bombs. You know the kind that foodie types like to lace through their vocabulary. Fresh! Flavourful! Fantastic! Fine! Filling! I really regret that it took me so long to make it to Old Ottawa South to see what owners, John and Sylvia Taylor were up to with their second restaurant. The same 'F-bombs' are probably similar 'expletives' that are coming from the patrons at their flagship restaurant, Domus Café, found in the Byward Market.

John Taylor is known for his passion for fresh, seasonal, local produce. And that passion came through loud and clear at Taylor's Genuine Food and Wine Bar today. It appears he has also made a great choice in having John Svasz on board in the kitchen. It is always a bit of a coup when ever single dish brought to a dining table is a stand out.

I decided to go for the soup of the day ($7) which was a chilled yellow bean with CPCO (cold press canola oil), basil oil and cider reduction.



I then followed with the Genuine Tomato Salad ($12). Blue cheese, lardon, buttermilk dressing and Crazy Dave's Greens.



Gal pal #1 went for the small, 4-item ($20) charcuterie & cheese board. She picked:

• Duck and Foie Gras Rillettes
  
• Elk Ranch Salami
  
• Counting Sheep, sheep's milk cheese, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, Prince Edward County, Ontario
• Wild BC House-Smoked Albacore tuna
  

It was accompanied by chutney's and rings of fresh zucchini.



Gal pal #2 had the Risotto ($18). Chanterelles, house-smoked bacon, peaches and cream corn, and parmesan. I tasted her risotto and it was eye-ball rolling. Just the right doneness and the flavours were deep. The richness of the broth came through. The texture was more moist than creamy. I really liked that about this dish preparation.



We started our meal with a plentiful bowl of fresh bread. Our drinks were white wine spritzers ($8).



The lunch portions were ample and no one had room for dessert. But one could figure that they wouldn't disappoint.

The location of this new restaurant is in the old Second Cup at Sunnyside and Bank. So the footprint is small. Barely room to swing a cat. (I often wondered where that saying came from because as a cat lover, it does seem mean.) But it is the perfect size to create the intimacy you would expect of a wine bar serving food. I liked the bar stools! The same as the ones we have at home. The colours are soothing. The setting is less dressy than Domus Café. No linen table cloth. Just the solid wood table top. No linen napkins. But a classy imitation paper version. I am not sure about the antlers though. Kitschy Canadiana? Something the Taylors can pull off I suppose.



The service was pleasant, prompt, informative and attentive.

Lucky for Old Ottawa South to have such a high calibre restaurant in their midst. I am sure their appreciation for this jewel means that the Taylors will be treated well.

Taylor's Genuine Food and Wine Bar
1091 Bank Street at Sunnyside in Old Ottawa South
613.730.5672
website: www.taylorsgenuine.ca

Mon to Sat: 11:30 am - 2 pm; 5:30 to 10 pm
Sun: 5:30 to 10 pm

Taylor's Genuine Food and Wine Bar - Opening Night Menu

Asparagus Bisque..and with a cheddar cheese scone...lardon.... white truffle oil.....Mmmmmmm!

I was able to get a copy of the dinner menu from the opening night (Thursday, June 17) of Taylor's Genuine Food and Wine Bar! You may want to get there as soon as possible. And the big question is, how will you ever decide? Good luck with it all!

What catches your fancy? I would love hear what you might pick.

Appetizers

Asparagus Bisque
Cheddar cheese scone, lardon, white truffle oil
7

Roasted Tomato & eggplant soup
Goat cheese, fried basil, reduced sherry vinegar
8

Sun-tech Tomato Salad
Crispy pigs cheeks, Celtic blue cheese, buttermilk and chive dressing, Crazy Dave's greens
12

Asparagus Salad
Asparagus, Glenngarry Figaro cheese, candied lemon zest, arugula, lemon truffle and honey emulsion
13

Mains

Steak
Pan-seared soy marinated Bavette, baby carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, smoked mash, Jus
22

Pickerel
Pan-seared, wilted greens, chorizo polenta cakes, Crazy Dave's sugar snap peas, radish
24

Lamb sirloin
Roasted Sun-tech cherry tomatoes, licorice paint, lemon Israeli couscous risotto, parsley oil
26

Guinea Fowl
Pancetta wrapped pan roasted breast, mustard spaetzle, asparagus, Le Coprin mushrooms, bacon, wilted spinach, Jus
23

June 21st update: Taylor's Genuine plans to have a vegetarian main on the menu by the end of the week. Before then, if you tell them when you call with your reservation that you are interested in a vegetarian main, then they will do up a vegetarian pasta dish.


Taylor's Genuine Food and Wine Bar
1091 Bank Street at Sunnyside in Old Ottawa South
613.730.5672

Taylor's Genuine Food and Wine Bar - Hot News!!!

Taylor's Genuine Food and Wine Bar will be opening this Friday! I was looking at the Domus Café website this evening and saw that they had put a new update today on their Announcement Details page, indicating their other new venture in town, Taylor's Genuine Food and Wine Bar is opening this Friday. (There appears to be a typo because is says Friday, June 15th - the 15th is today - so likely not!)

To read a bit more, feel free to go back to my May 8th post on the Taylors' new place.

I for one can't wait! Are you making plans to check it out?

Update on June 17th: I called today and they started dinner service today. Will not be doing lunchtime until Monday. Good luck getting in!

Taylor's Genuine Food and Wine Bar
1091 Bank Street at Sunnyside in Old Ottawa South
613.730.5672

On Monday, We Just Need A Bit of John Taylor

I have two very special friends coming to town tomorrow and we are lined up for a lunch date on Monday. I was asked to pick the spot since this is my town. When I started to ponder this weighty decision a week or so ago, I had secretly hoped that Monday would see us sitting at Sunnyside and Bank, enjoying our lunch at Taylor's Genuine Food & Wine Bar. As the launch is still days away, to get our fix of chef John Taylor, we will instead be nestled in at his Byward Market establishment, Domus Café at 87 Murray Street. Ottawa is not a town my visitors come to often, so I hope that this experience will give them a taste for the depth of our culinary landscape here in the nation's capital.

As you can imagine the opening of Taylor's Genuine Food & Wine Bar is much anticipated and I too am on that list of those keenly waiting. There have been some great articles written up recently and I invite you to read more about this new additon to Old Ottawa South's food scene.

Our New Wine Bar by William Burr published in the May edition of The OSCAR. Page 9.

It's Genuine: John Taylor's Food and Wine Bar by S. Bergwerff published on May 5th.

Here's the exclusive inside look at John Taylor's new resto -- Video by Ron Eade posted on his blog Omnivore's Ottawa on May 7th.

For John Taylor, with all this interest, it must feel like a pretty nice way to start into this end of Ottawa.