Bar One
924 Queen Street West
415-535-1655
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and a bottle of wine: $120
When a restaurant opens in an artistic, upwardly mobile neighbourhood, it stands to reason that only the most modern design elements will be on display, showcasing how on trend this place truly is. But what happens when that restaurant has been around a few years, and its trends — communal dining, glossy white tables, mosaic countertops — start showing their age?
Happily, in the case of Bar One, an 8-year-old spot at Queen and Shaw, the quality of the southern Italian dishes being put on the tables outshines the fads it was built to emulate. Eating there on a casual Monday evening that saw a steady stream of patrons throughout, my table encountered relaxed, but attentive service from the moment we were seated. Touting an only two-day-old change in menu (“not for the season, just because they wanted a switch”), the staples for which this restaurant/bar has become known remain — pizzas created with every imaginable (and region appropriate) topping, pastas offered by sauces and accoutrements, rather than noodle type, and antipasti that covers the gamut from green salads to seared scallops.
I chose the caprese salad ($16) and was pleased to receive a generous portion of buffala mozzarella, placed atop huge slices of heirloom tomatoes and accompanied by basil and prosciutto. The creamy mozzarella played well off the sweet, watery fruit, though slight oversalting of the prosciutto overtook a few bites. My companions selected the apple and toasted almond salad ($12), a simple plate of greens made up of crisp Romaine, highly textured Boston bib and pea sprouts in a gorgonzola dressing. The slivers of almond and apple acting as garnishes became the highlights of the dish, cutting through the strong taste of the dressing to return it to lighter fare.
For our mains, we opted out of the specials (pork, seafood pasta and steak) and heavier secondi (duck breast, lamb chop, ribeye) and stuck to the classics — pizza, pasta and yet another salad.
The alla pollo pizza ($14) was perfectly sized for one hungry person, its parmigiano, oregano and fennel seed mingling to create a surprisingly spicy kick at the end of each bite, with grilled chicken atop that steered clear of the dried out overcooking so often seen in this context. The heavy garlic, however, did elicit a few complaints the next day, a casualty of enjoying restaurant-prepared pizza.
I ordered the a munti pasta ($16) with whole wheat spaghetti, based on the server’s recommendation, and could scarcely believe the thick noodles under all the cremini, button, oyster and Portobello mushrooms weren’t the real deal. A watery tomato sauce was less than filling, but all that delicious fungi more than made up for what the sauce lacked.
The grilled chicken breast salad ($16) proved to be an ideal lighter main, combining tart arugula with sharp asiago in a non-cloying lemony vinaigrette for a simple, satisfying dish.
Finishing off the meal with “intense chocolate goodness,” in the words of our server, the incredibly rich chocolate cake ($8) plated with caramel sauce and crème fraiche brought giggles of delight from me and my companions as we dragged our forks through the thick layers of dark cacao.
Without an excess of flash or foam, each dish played its role in composing a fresh, filling meal with the purest of intentions—leaving customers happy, and talking about coming back. And as evidenced by the am-oriented shots accompanying this piece, that's exactly what I did on a Saturday morning shortly after. 
The ovo bucco ($9) is Bar One's take on what my mom confusingly called "egg with a hole in the middle," known to most people as egg in a basket, and filled for these gourmand purposes with brie, spinach, tomato and smoked salmon. It towered in an intimidating fashion on my plate until I got the courage to dive in and discover small slices of cheese that could have used a bit more time melting between the layers and a hit of spicy hollandaise that gave the dish a needed kick.
My companions enjoyed the omelette of the day ($10), a two-eggs-but-looks-like-twelve concoction filled with goat cheese and spinach that still managed to feel light, and the Bar One brunch ($12), a smorgasbord of breakfast favourites (eggs, bacon and roasted potatoes) that may not have looked beautiful, but stayed true to all of its flavours without the excess of grease so often found in this meal. Accompanying chocolate chip pancakes were thick, but not heavy, filled with enough of the chocolate to please even the pickiest sweet tooth.
And throughout, my absolute test of a brunch spot — how attentive they are to my coffee needs — was fulfilled, guaranteeing returning patronage and one happy, caffeinated customer.
