C'est What?
67 Front Street East
416-867-9499
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and beer: $50
It was my intention to start this review talking about how some friends of ours have effectively boycotted C’est What? due to the restaurant’s occasionally peculiar seating rules. During busy periods, you’re not allowed to just go in and take up a table drinking beer, you must order food; and if you’re meeting someone, they’ll only seat the whole party at once, often causing the early arrivals to stand around waiting. I’ve never had this happen to me personally, but apparently it happens to local beer geeks enough that many of them won’t go near the place.
Turns out, they’ve had a change of heart recently. It wasn’t the availability of a rare and wondrous brew, or some special beer-tasting event, but a particular photo of TasteTO tech geek (and beer geek) Greg Clow doing his best Fred Flintstone impersonation with a plate of beef ribs. It seems that plates of ribs are enough to melt the constitution of the most die-hard bar boycotter.
Funnily enough, that most recent visit was undertaken with the plan to write about the new expanded menu, specifically the addition of some new vegetarian options. For years, the carnivorously-challenged had only two entrée options with their C’est What? brews; a passable veggie burger or the Birkenstock Noodles, both of which were good, but got tiresome after years of nothing else.
The new veggie options are like a little trip around the world, with roti ($7.95), Moroccan stew ($9.95) and a spicy coconut stir-fry ($9.95) on offer in place of the old hippie noodle dish.
However, the day we were there, none of it was working for me and I opted for the new calamari dish. The once clichéd deep-fried calamari is now sautéed and served in a white wine sauce with herbs and tomatoes. The squid itself was tender and perfect, and while the sauce was indeed tasty, it was oversalted and was a bit too heavy on the fresh rosemary. I was picking rosemary leaves out of my teeth afterwards.
It took Greg a while to choose between the Tourtiere ($9.95) and the porter ribs and frites ($13.95), and what arrived on the table did indeed resemble the rack in the opening credits of the Flintstones. Fresh off the vegetarian wagon, Greg exercised his caveman instincts and ate all three massive ribs with gusto.
The dessert menu seems not to have gotten a facelift, and while the four existing options are all very good (apple pie, brownie sundae, ice cream, chocolate espresso pudding), it would have been nice to see something new and creative, especially with the great strides local chefs have made in pairing (and including) beer with desserts. Who wouldn’t kill for that chocolate pudding made with the house coffee porter instead of orange liqueur, for instance?
The beer menu continues to offer some of the best selections in the city, with a variety of local micros on tap, as well as the house brews.
The menu update is a positive change, and C’est What? will continue to draw crowds of beer lovers despite the concerns over service. It was busy when we were there to do our review at lunch on St. Patrick’s day, with the bar already experiencing the overflow from local pubs putting on specific holiday celebrations, but the service we experienced was impeccable; even when my calamari got confused in the kitchen for the sweet potato frites and I was presented with two plates of fries, the mistake was remedied quickly.
With a new assortment of menu options to compliment the keepers (yes, the much-loved Lambburger is still available), it’s going to be difficult for the die-hard boycotters to stay away. Could C’est What? do with some improvements to their service? On occasion, yes, but that goes for most restaurants. Is the food and drink worth putting up with some attitude? That depends on how much you like the ribs, I guess.
Best. Pub. Ever.