College Street Bar
574 College Street
416-533-2417
Dinner for two (apps and mains only) with all taxes tip and beer - $75

In 2005 College Street Bar was revamped and showcased on “Restaurant Makeover”. I must say the new look seemed very stylish and sleek, but when we arrived for dinner I realized they must have run out of money when it came to the lighting. It was so dimly lit that both my dinner companion and I struggled to read our menus. Trying to focus on the menu was also made difficult due to the noise of the birthday party table we had been seated right next to. When I say “right next to” I mean we were so close that the waitress had to squeeze past every single time she went by. Even though I’m a fairly small person, I had to keep leaning closer to the wall to let her pass, at which point I banged my head into the low hanging mirror, sending it rocking. After making sure I wasn’t about to receive a concussion from the mirror toppling over I managed to focus enough to place an order.

As in most Italian restaurants, our bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dip arrived and, as is customary for me, was devoured quickly. The bread was fresh and the dip had some nice herb seasoning that added nicely to the flavour. Our lamb spiedini ($8.95) came soon after, and we ate two skewers before I remembered to take a picture. My desire to devour the food in front of me plummeted sharply after tasting how bland the lamb was. Having gristle and fat occasionally surprise my tastebuds didn’t help keep my interest up. The only positive note was that the lamb didn’t taste overly gamey.

None too soon our entrées were delivered. My fusili ($14.95) seemed innocuous enough, but my companion’s Black Angus striploin ($22.95) had some strange object sitting on top. We both tried some and couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to be. Was it onions? Or was it potatoes? Why did it look like a yellow hockey puck? The menu said “crispy onions”, but what I tasted was cold, rancid grease. On the bright side I was offered a bite of the striploin and it was actually very moist, tender, and covered in a gorgeous roasted-garlic reduction sauce. At some point I stopped sampling my companion’s food and started in on my own. The best part of the fusili dish was the braised fennel, and the worst part was the mild sausage. After having a bite I decided to shove the sausage pieces aside like the unwanted guests they were. The pasta was a nice accompaniment to the braised fennel, but could have used a bit more flavour. In hindsight I should have ordered a zestier dish, but made do with the mild affair.

Once our meal was done I went to wash up and noticed some of the surroundings I’d previously missed, such as the DJ booth near the back that wasn’t in operation at the time. It was difficult to observe much since I had to weave my way through people standing near the bar. Overall the place does indeed look trendy. However, considering that we weren’t there during “lounge” hours, I believe that College Street Bar could really benefit from brightening up the lighting a bit and spacing out the tables. What was supposed to be a relaxing dinner instead turned into a “get me out of this dimly lit sardine can” experience. I was dismayed that our waitress did not seat us at another table as we had requested when first entering the place. She did, however, do a fairly good job at managing us along with her party table. From now on if I want a dinner experience I’ll go elsewhere, but may stop by later on in the night to enjoy the lounge atmosphere of College Street Bar.