The Garden @ Eleven
11 Jarvis Street
416-981-1919
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and a bottle of wine: $150

It’s an ordinary night out with the girls and we decide to try a restaurant getting plenty of mixed reviews of late; Eleven. When we arrive, the sign out front reads ‘Eleven’ so we know we’re at the right place. It’s not until we sit and read the first line of the menu that we realize we’re in a completely different restaurant. With a new chef, a new menu and a new name, owner Steve Lee has once again reinvented 11 Jarvis Street and called it The Garden @ eleven.

The room remains unchanged. White chairs, white table tops and hanging silver orb lights give the room a cool, contemporary feel. However, dark hardwood floors and thoughtful service warm things up. Once settled, Lee, who has been loitering behind the bar introduces himself and elucidates the recent change. Turns out Lee and ex-chef Brad Moore had a difference of opinion. No time was wasted though. Within only days, Chef Pat Riley, formerly of Perigee, has taken over the helm and created a new menu. “An Asian spin on Canadian food” is what Lee is calling it. Lee further explains that Chef Riley has created a menu where vegetables and starches are primary and proteins come secondary.

Before the girls even touch on the latest gossip, a well-put-together dish of mixed breads including ciabatta, papadums and mini cornbread muffins is served aside a smooth and perfectly nutty cashew pesto. I ask for the recipe.

Just as we begin to nosh, our appetizers arrive. Asparagus two ways ($9.50) comes poached and grilled and is served with truffle aioli and a soft boiled egg. Albeit tasty, it seems more European than Asian or Canadian. The seared sea scallop ($13.50) is cooked perfectly and served with apple celery root slaw and prosciutto.

The inside out chicken pot pie ($16.50) is comfort food at its best. Creamy chicken and spring veggies served atop golden phyllo pastry promote conversation of Mom’s chicken pot pie. Spring vegetable gnocchi with smoked chicken ($14.50) is served in a very fresh, almost too-tomatoy sauce, but having a taste of both boiled and deep fried gnocchi is a treat. The asparagus mushrooms and pulled pork ($17.50) is puzzling. The pulled pork is actually carvings of a ham hock accompanied by slices of deep fried bacon. Not exactly what one might expect, but hey, we weren’t even at the restaurant we thought we were going to, so it was fitting.

All desserts are made on-site with the exception of ice cream. The strawberry rhubarb shortcake parfait calls, but because summer diets are here, the girls decide to share a dessert. The deep dish butter tart pie ($7) is served with a red grape sauce and is topped with a dollop of whipped cream and is rich enough to satisfy our collective sweet tooth.

The wine list is limited but it has every option a diner would ask for ($35 to $70) with many options by the glass ($7 to $12).

Although its identity may still be unclear (the bill read ‘Eleven’); things will come clear for The Garden. With service this hospitable and summer approaching, who wouldn’t want to try this not-quite-so-vegetable-first-menu on a gorgeous garden patio this summer?