Pub Crawl – The Abbot on the Hill

The Abbot on the Hill
1276 Yonge Street
(416) 920-9074

There's an old saying that says a person's success isn't measured by money or fame, but by the number of friends that they have. It's an adage that may ring a bit hollow in the days of MySpace and Facebook and Twitter, where people have hundreds of "friends" that they don't even know, but it still has a grain of truth to it.

By the same token, it could be said that the success of a pub can be measured by its number of regulars. More people filling the stools and seats will mean more money in the till, of course, but it's the sense of family and community that develops at a well-loved and oft-frequented local that makes it a truly special place.

Using that criterion, the Abbot on the Hill could be considered one of the most successful pubs in Toronto.

This wasn't always the case, though. Opened in 2004 as an off-shoot of The Abbot, a pub in the north end of the city, The Abbot on the Hill wasn't exactly welcomed into the neighbourhood with open arms. According to current co-owner Adam Grant, many locals in the Yonge & Summerhill area mockingly called it "The Rebel House North", accusing it of ripping off the popular pub a few blocks south right down to the microbrews on tap and many similar items on the food menu.

Grant and his girlfriend, Melissa Curcumelli-Rodostamo, were both servers at The Rebel House at the time, and they heard some grumbling from their customers about the interloper in the 'hood. So it's somewhat ironic that they are now partners in the place, although it wasn't exactly planned to happen that way.

The pair was actually looking to open a new place with Grant's brother-in-law providing the financial backing. But during a meeting at the original Abbot, Grant decided that he'd rather not mix family with business and called the deal off. "After the meeting, I was sitting at the bar having a beer," he remembers, "and the owner, Chris Davis, came by and asked what was going on. I told him that I was kicking myself for losing the best chance I would ever have an owning a restaurant, and he said 'Do you wanna buy the Abbot on the Hill?'."

Cautious due to the pub's reputation, Grant and Curcumelli-Rodostamo took some time to think about it, and also did a bit of nonchalant fishing for opinions. "There was a regular at the Rebel House named Chris Woodward who I really respected. I asked him at the bar one night 'So, have you ever been to the Abbot on the Hill?', and he said 'Oh, it's an awful place!' But then, even though no-one knew that we'd been dating and that we were looking to buy into the place, he said: 'You know what it needs? It needs somebody like you and Melissa to take over.' I know it sounds silly, and I know that we hired consultants and had other people give us their opinions, but it was this one guy who made me think that we could do it."

Three years ago this spring, the duo took the plunge and bought in for a 50% stake of the Abbot on the Hill, essentially becoming competition for their previous employers. But as Curcumelli-Rodostamo notes, there were no bad feelings. On the contrary, "When we told them that we would be moving in up the street and becoming their competition, they were so supportive. They said 'We'll do anything for you', they sent customers up here - they were just awesome."

One thing that helped ease the transition was the couple's decision to revamp the pub into something quite different from what it was before - and therefore, quite different from the Rebel House. Curcumelli-Rodostamo had previously worked at the Chelsea Ram, an establishment that was the first Michelin-rated pub in London, England, and which more importantly had a loyal community of regulars who were like an extended family.

Inspired by her experience there, she and Grant relaunched their Abbot as a UK and European style gastropub. In deference to the local beer focus of the Rebel, they went for an imports-only model, and started working with agents like Bruce Ashley Group, Premier Brands and Roland + Russell to stock their draught taps and bottle list with unique and often exclusive brews. Breweries represented in their well-chosen selection include Fuller's and Adnams from England, Warsteiner and Hacker Pschorr from Germany, Het Anker from Belgium, Isle of Skye from Scotland, and Schloss Eggenberg from Austria.

The food menu was also given a big overhaul, with most items now being made from scratch by executive chef Kevin Beall and his team. The core of the menu features well-executed versions of pub classics like beer battered halibut and chips, bangers & mash with housemade sausages, authentic shepherd's pie made with ground lamb, slow roasted pork ribs, and curries both mild (chicken tikka masala) and incendiary (beef vindaloo).

There's also a bistro influence as shown by dishes like steak frites and braised lamb shank, while those enjoying one of the several German beers that are available often choose sauerkraut fritters and schnitzel as an accompaniment. And one popular hold-over from the old menu that they'll likely never get rid of is the signature Buffalo shrimp appetizer, featuring a half-dozen plump shrimp in a crispy batter and tangy hot sauce, served with blue cheese dip.

With the beer and food brought up to snuff, it didn't take long for the locals to take notice. The previously mentioned Rebel House regular Chris Woodward was supporter right from the beginning, as were many others in the neighbourhood, and the result has been the creation of that sense of community and family that Grant and Curcumelli-Rodostamo had hoped for. Regular events like Monday night beer pairing dinners and a Wednesday night Pint Club have helped build bonds with patrons, and they've also developed good relationships with other bars and restaurants by inviting proprietors to private beer launches, and serving a late night prix fixe dinner called Waiterlicious to staff from restaurants participating in Winterlicious. "It was tons of fun," says Grant, "and whoever had the best story about the worst customer got a free meal."

Also notable is the work that the pair and their staff do for various charitable organisations, many of them suggested by their regulars. They hold several events a year in support of a number of Canada's Olympic athletes, have raised money for war veterans, and support several children's charities including Project Sunshine, the CP24/CHUM Christmas Wish Toy Drive and Kids Helping Kids. The latter charity was the beneficiary of their Christmas Day open house this past year, where customers are served free food and drink in exchange for a donation. This annual event is especially meaningful to all at the Abbot, as Grant explains:

"On Christmas Day a couple of years ago, Chris Woodward" - the Rebel House regular who inspired them to buy into the Abbot - "came in and had a couple of pints. He went home, and his family thought that we'd over-served him, but then we found out in early January that he had a brain tumour and had six weeks to live. So Christmas has a great significance for us, we always want to do something charitable. We always keep a picture of Chris behind the bar, and his friends from England come in a couple of times a year and drink from his stein. He was just a great guy."

We're all quiet for a moment after Grant finishes, and he apologizes for bringing the conversation down. We assure him that there's no apology necessary, as it's stories like this that make places like the Abbot on the Hill special. Places where newcomers can quickly become regulars, and where regulars feel like family.

Grant and Curcumelli-Rodostamo are quick to credit their staff and patrons for making this happen, and that kudos is well-deserved. But it's also obvious that Chris Woodward was right when he said that what the Abbot on the Hill really needed was for someone like the two of them to take it over. They're the main reason that the staff is loyal and happy, and the seats are filled with satisfied customers night after night.

We're sure that Mr. Woodward must be proud of them, wherever he might be.