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We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
The Strand Brasserie
- Uncle Bobby
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2001 8:00 pm
- Location: East End Toronto
- Contact:
Popped in on Tuesday night. First night -- it had just opened although they had held a couple of private functions earlier on the weekend.
Substantial renovations of the bar and lay-out. Reasonably nice decor along the same lines as the Distillery District restaurants or BeerBistro. Boxy, clean lines, minimal. Only saw the old bar area -- downstairs will be open next week.
Friendly staff in starched white shirts, black pants and long aprons,...like in a bistro. Staff not at all knowledgeable about beer.
The beer? All Amsterdam all the time. Four Amsterdam ("good") drafts and four bottles including Corona and Coors Light. 16oz glasses, $5.85 incl tax. Only had a Nut Brown and it tasted weak. And that's the best beer in their portfolio.
They will not be brewing for the foreseeable future at this location. But the kettles sure look nice.
Bar snacks included grilled red pepper, olives and a sprig of rosemary in a dish, in addition to kettle chips. All starters in the $7-15 range, entrees in the $25-50 range including lots of steak options. Downstairs will have a "pubby" menu. The emphasis on the lay-out of the tables appeared to be on eating rather than drinking. Things were still in a state of flux, too -- no licquor shelves yet, no bar gun.
The manager and his team were pre-occupied with red wines while I was there.
Nothing objectionable, but I've seen it done better in other places. And not at all a beer place.
-Uncle Bobby
Substantial renovations of the bar and lay-out. Reasonably nice decor along the same lines as the Distillery District restaurants or BeerBistro. Boxy, clean lines, minimal. Only saw the old bar area -- downstairs will be open next week.
Friendly staff in starched white shirts, black pants and long aprons,...like in a bistro. Staff not at all knowledgeable about beer.
The beer? All Amsterdam all the time. Four Amsterdam ("good") drafts and four bottles including Corona and Coors Light. 16oz glasses, $5.85 incl tax. Only had a Nut Brown and it tasted weak. And that's the best beer in their portfolio.
They will not be brewing for the foreseeable future at this location. But the kettles sure look nice.
Bar snacks included grilled red pepper, olives and a sprig of rosemary in a dish, in addition to kettle chips. All starters in the $7-15 range, entrees in the $25-50 range including lots of steak options. Downstairs will have a "pubby" menu. The emphasis on the lay-out of the tables appeared to be on eating rather than drinking. Things were still in a state of flux, too -- no licquor shelves yet, no bar gun.
The manager and his team were pre-occupied with red wines while I was there.
Nothing objectionable, but I've seen it done better in other places. And not at all a beer place.
-Uncle Bobby
- Uncle Bobby
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2001 8:00 pm
- Location: East End Toronto
- Contact:
What a waste that they're not brewing. I would have hoped that they could use this place to brew some small, unique batches of beer, like the Rotterdam used to. I always looked forward to the Scotch Ale that they brewed in the winters.
Although it's very sad about Denison's, at least they could make use of the equipment that's there.
Although it's very sad about Denison's, at least they could make use of the equipment that's there.
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- Posts: 190
- Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2003 7:00 pm
- Location: Toronto
They WILL be brewing there, but maybe not for a while. Amsterdam are leasing the brewery facilities from the owner of the restaurant, who also bought the building. I just responded to some enquiries from them and restarted the cooling system for them. Please don't expect to get much more information from me though, as I think they would probably prefer to speak for themselves.
Michael
Michael
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- Posts: 190
- Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2003 7:00 pm
- Location: Toronto