It was the coldest day of the year. Perhaps in the history of life. Crammed on the Queen Streetcar I rubbed the tips of my fingers together to avoid going numb and smirked as a group of passengers in my screeching sardine can rambled on about the benefits of the “polar vortex.”
As soon as the doors blasted open I ran like a mad man down York Street. Swinging open the doors I was greeted by a trilogy of smiling hosts. My eyelashes had managed to freeze together, blurring the here from there but slowly the space came into focus. I had arrived at The Drake One Fifty.
Whisking my way past the central bar featuring turquoise vintage bar stools I followed the clickity clack of heels as my hostess seated me by a window overlooking the restaurants spacious dining room. A 30’s black and white film projected itself overhead as I untethered myself from the arctic drama outside and flopped myself onto a comfy bench. I took a deep breath before marching through the menu…
The hospitality meets arts + culture powerhouse The Drake Hotel opened up shop in the cities core in early October with much anticipated buzz. One Fifty now offers up a freshly baked slice of The Drake’s iconic west end hipster urbanite aesthetic to the cities Finance Folk. The restaurant now adds itself to an ever growing list of Bay Street Zone restaurants looking to shake things up by offering a relaxed yet refined culinary experience in the cities most uptight neighbourhood (Of Note: Richmond Station, The Gabardine and Reds Wine Tavern).
I was joined at the table by Lucky a friend who I hadn’t seen in the flesh in over a year. Once we had both warmed up at the table we selected our favourite dishes and spent the next few hours catching up on lost time. Executive Chef Ted Corrado has developed a mouth-watering menu, his take on a Canadian brasserie experience. The eye popping bar and its short-but-sweet cocktail offering makes The Drake One Fifty a new hot-spot contender for best sip and nibble for the pre-theatre crowd as the Four Seasons Centre is a hop, skip and a jump up the road. The burger was most memorable featuring pickled red onion, crispy bacon, sharp cheddar and creamy russian dressing. Lucky and I both chirped on our way back into the blizzard, “you basically have to order that burger every time you walk through these doors.” A promise I’m willing to keep.
The Feast:
Radicchio and Burrata
burrata, mache, black garlic dressing, marcona almonds
Forager Pizza
fior di latte, ramps, wild mushrooms, pecorino
Rabbit Confit Torchetti
sun dried black olives, spinach, chanterelles, pecorino
Roast Squash and Polenta
baby kale, wild mushrooms, duck egg, pumpkin seeds
The One Fifty Burger
cumbrae’s thirty day aged short rib, perth bacon, cheddar, pickled red onion, bibb lettuce, russian dressing, hand cut fries
Olive Oil Cake
preserved ontario peaches, thyme frozen yogurt, pistachio
