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The Craft Brasserie & Grille

Discuss Ontario's brewpubs, pubs, beer bars and restaurants here.

Moderators: Craig, Cass

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TwoPint
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The Craft Brasserie & Grille

Post by TwoPint »

There's a sign at the corner of Atlantic and Snooker in Liberty Village saying "Coming Soon: The Craft Brasserie & Grille". It's advertising "over 100 craft beers on tap".

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El Pinguino
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Post by El Pinguino »

Interesting....and isn't Big Rock and 3 Brewers coming to Liberty as well? Wonder if Liberty Village Brewery is going to feel the pinch, or embrace these new places....

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TwoPint
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Post by TwoPint »

They have a new Facebook address: https://www.facebook.com/TheCraftLiberty

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TwoPint
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Post by TwoPint »

Blogto is reporting a May 15 opening and "120 beers on tap (75% from Ontario craft brewers)".

nickw
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Post by nickw »

The beer list, and it sure is a big one.

http://thecraftbrasserie.com/craft_beer.html

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shintriad
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Post by shintriad »

nickw wrote:The beer list, and it sure is a big one.

http://thecraftbrasserie.com/craft_beer.html
Damn. That's impressive. Based on how The Local has been performing, and the continued success of Brazen Head and Williams Landing, I'm pretty sure this place will be packed every Thursday night. Hoping 3 Brewers and Big Rock take some the heat off the place!

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lister
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Post by lister »

Crap, I'm going to have to head over to Liberty Village at some point for the Rogue Hazelnut Brown. I usually miss it when Bier Markt has it on for the seasonal Rogue tap. Doesn't help that their definitions of seasons are different than everyone else's.
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Malcolm
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Post by Malcolm »

Nice: Walking distance for me, huge beer list.
Not nice: 16 oz pours. That sucks.

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skootles
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Post by skootles »

Decided to hit up Big Rock and The Craft last night as they both happened to be right around the corner from my office. Big Rock's patio thing was "cancelled" so they just stood there handing out free beers and 6-pack coupons (not that I was complaining).

Went to The Craft and the mrs and I ordered two flights each. They said that they were 5oz samples but they were very generous with the pours, it seemed. Here's a photo of one of the flights (after a bit of sampling, especially from the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale):

Image

One thing I really liked was the chalkboard on the flight holder. I found the glassware choice a bit weird though, and I bumped the base/stem against the wood every time I pulled a glass out. I can imagine someone easily breaking one by accidentally knocking it against that.

In terms of availability they had about 20 beers that they didn't have available but the bartender who took my order was smart enough to have a list handy. The bar staff were all really nice and attentive too. They had a little trouble finding all of our selections at first but given that it was their second day, I wasn't about to fault them for not knowing exactly where the taps for each beer were just yet.

Food seemed fairly overpriced, but the food we did have (fried chicken sliders, shrimp tacos, garlic fries, and some chips with shrimp quacamole) were delicious. I was fairly happy overall with the beer selection. A lot of regular stuff from breweries (compared to, say, Bar Hop or BarVolo). My only real concern is that they might not rotate beers out very often, given that the beer menu was printed on pretty nice quality paper (unlike places like Amsterdam Brewhouse where they're just regular thin pieces of paper that could be easily and cheaply reprinted often).

Overall I recommend checking it out. We were there for maybe two and a half hours and even when we left the place was busy but not crazily packed or loud like The Local gets. This could be a combination of it being a new restaurant and the long weekend though.

Malcolm
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Post by Malcolm »

I dropped in with a friend last night and it was pretty quiet. Started with Arrogant Bastard and moved through the menu, which can take awhile. So yes, I suppose 16oz pours aren't a particularly bad choice with so many options.
The beers tasted pretty fresh, but we wondered how they could sustain freshness with so many choices. Staff were very friendly and it's a very well put together room. Might be a decent choice for Jays games, with TV's all around the bar.

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cratez
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Post by cratez »

I stopped by for a couple pints and some dinner last week. The servers were quite friendly and I like the setup of the bar - large and approachable with ample seating and a few games on the flatscreens. Had the Cuban Stack sandwich and a salad to eat; both were very tasty. The tap lineup is among the best in the city and I was impressed with the number of drafts from smaller Ontario crafters and recent upstarts. Lots of Quebec and U.S. options as well. Ended up going with a Clifford Porter and Rainhard Armed 'N Citra, the former of which was outstanding. I agree they may encounter issues with turnover going forward, but overall I was extremely satisfied with my first visit. They're basically the Yard House of Toronto, and providing they can move their kegs in a timely fashion, that's not a bad thing in my books.
"Bar people do not live as long as vegan joggers. However, they have more fun." - Bruce Elliott

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Cass
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Post by Cass »

I made the mistake of trying to go after a TFC game :(

Hopefully I can make it there soon!

napoleon
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Post by napoleon »

Glad to hear it's good. When they first opened they had some pretty rocky Yelp reviews, but sounds just like growing pains. Their later reviews have all been 4 and 5 stars, so now is probably a better time to go anyway compared to when they opened.

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Craig
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Post by Craig »

Yelp reviews are pretty much by definition 4 or 5 stars, provided you pay them.

napoleon
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Post by napoleon »

Craig wrote:Yelp reviews are pretty much by definition 4 or 5 stars, provided you pay them.
Just an urban legend.

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