GASTRONOMY
I
f you have found yourself along
Toronto’s Queen West strip
without walking through the
doors of Barchef, you seriously
need to reconsider that decision.
Nestled amongst a host of the city’s trendier
restaurants and lounges, Barchef is in a class of
its own turning a cocktail into nothing short of a
complete sensory experience. It is this experience,
not just the taste, the visual or the atmosphere,
that you will be telling your friends about months
after you pay your final tab. What would you
compare it too? In truth, there is no comparison.
Walk through the doors. Poke your head inside.
The simplicity of its sexy, dark and open atmosphere welcomes and draws you in with a seductive
purpose. Stroll up to the bar and meet Owner/
Mixologist Frankie Solarik. It will only take a minute
for you to see how obsessed he is with this craft.
He is truly excited not just about drinks, but the
entire process of innovation and experimentation
resulting in the most awe inspiring menu in the
city. Through years of bartending, Frankie has
refined his approach to cocktails to challenge
conventions of flavour without limits. As a patron, you can truly feel the amount of care that
goes into every recipe, every pouring sequence
and the presentation that pulls it all together.
Frankie is an artist and you can see that every
bartender strives to live up to his standard. This
is what makes Barchef so genuinely special.
“I wanted to present cocktails of a worldwide
caliber but without the pretentious attitude”, says
Solarik. “Our approach is always flavour first. The
core of a great cocktail is its composition”. One taste
of a Barchef creation and you know that Frankie
is true to his word. Accompanied with each sip is
a myriad of complexity that challenges the palate
and pushes your comprehension of what is possible
behind a bar. You’ve tasted gin but have you tasted
it paired with black truffle infused snow? You‘ve
had Campari, but as spherified ice surrounded by
frozen moss steaming a spontaneous thaw? You’ve
had a Manhattan, but have you had it served to
you under glass on a bed of smoking hickory,
infusing its rugged essence into every aspect of
your sensory perception? Frankie is right. Without unbelievable flavours, the rest is just empty
showmanship. And that’s just the point. After the
“I wanted to present cocktails of a worldwide caliber
but without the pretentious attitude”
33
1961 Magazine Fall 2014