Mar. 04, 2009 - Issue #698: Mind The Gap
Hundred Bar + Kitchen: We go in style
Upscale Hundred Bar + Kitchen the perfect choice for pre-Citadel meal
But at the corner of the block, stuck on the main floor of the McLeod Building, we have something of a non-ethnic entry, a restaurant risen phoenix-like out of the ashes of a football player’s short-lived sports bar. This is Hundred Bar + Kitchen, the newest member of the Century Hospitality conglomerate that also owns the Century Grill, De Lux Burger Bar and Lux Steakhouse + Bar.
Hundred is one fancy, schmantzy high-ceilinged place, dressed in black wood, stone and burgundy leather banquettes, tall stools and some hidey-holes for those who wish not to be seen. Wrapped chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and it is a lively place, with black-uniformed bodies surfacing from hither and yon, as if hidden passages admit them and then secrete them away.
The dress code is smart casual, but that still doesn’t prevent the back-visored baseball cap boys from getting a table ... or even from honouring a suggestion that they remove their hats at the table. Otherwise, it’s a perfect place for a pre-Citadel drink, a nosh of tapas and a reasonable meal, with upper-end prices.
The menu is a quite playful take on the tapas approach, in which small and varied servings will eventually make up for a bigger whole. This is not a thematic approach to food, where one course builds to a fever pitch of nirvana by the time the end of the night rolls around. Rather, this is what you might find on Grey Cup Day, far better cooked, prepared and plated than in your own low-ceilinged rumpus room. It’s even comfort food!
There were two of us on a Sunday evening, and we were led to our reserved high table, next to a pair of young ladies whose conversation was far too easy for us to avoid. About a half-hour into the visit, the lights were romantically dropped, rendering a reading of the menu and later viewing of our food a bit problematic. Still, hunger soldiers on. On the appetizers front, we request a bowl of freshly chopped, freshly fried potato chips ($8)—not French fries—with a five-cheese sauce that will readily knock your conventional Philly cream cheese dip off the edge of the world. Fine. The sea-salted chips arrive warm, in plentiful quantities, but some are done just right, the rest too dark and thus bitter in flavour. We try the thick Stella Artois onion rings with homemade ranch dressing ($7), which have the mouthfeel and vision of well-crafted tempura batter. Alas, the flavour of the fine Belgian beer does not make much of an appearance. The cheeseburger perogies, however, are quite an eye opener, with six to a plate, browned texture on the outside, dotted with sour cream and topped with caramelized onions and bacon. There is something ethereal to this most basic of peasant fare that raises it above any other perogy you might have tried. The lean beef has something to do with it, as well as the assertive flavour of the cheddar cheese. Still, it’s that toothsome crunch that tells you you’re in the right neighbourhood.
I wish I could say the same for the foie gras French toast ($19). This has the makings of a stellar opening gambit for any evening—seared goose liver atop a thick slice of toasted raisin brioche dressed with Saskatoon berry syrup and compote. From the components alone, this is a rich dish, but the overall effect is sweetness. Foie gras is fat, yes, but you should be able to taste it, and not just what would constitute French toast on a Sunday morning. The scattering of saskatoons makes an effort to add some edge, but it’s just not enough.
Aim for an entrée? There are a series of flatbreads—aka thin-crust pizzas—in varieties of Earth (grilled peaches, cambozola, caramelized onions, tahini crust, $14), Surf (sautéed prawns, olives, artichoke hearts, spinach and basil pesto with crumbled goat cheese, $15), or Turf (Italian sausage, pancetta, roasted red peppers, spinach, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomato pesto, $16)). The latter is sturdy in flavour, colourful in presentation, and the keeper of the bunch because of its distinctive meat and vegetable options.
And just because it’s a cold Sunday, let’s finish off with a true entrée, an order of beef short ribs ($30). These are slow-braised, exactly as expected, yet on some of the plate the meat is cold, and in the centre, just right. It’s a bit stringy and not as well-flavoured or tender as a long braise in wine, stock and pan juices should be. In fact, a nice swirl of pan juices on the plate and over the meat would help immensely. It’s supposed to be brushed with a barbeque sauce, but that flavour is MIA. The caramelized shallot mashed potatoes would be a nice touch, if only the shallots had a bit more presence, and the selection of correctly cooked single pieces of carrot, zucchini, asparagus, sweet pea pod gently pressed into the top of the mash is certainly pictorial.
Dessert is a trio of red velvet cupcakes with creamcheese frosting ($9) that proves to be the surprise of the evening. These are dense, and far less sweet than you might expect. The flavour is intense when you remove the overabundance of sugar and taste the remaining chocolate cake flavours for what they are. You should be able to see the red tones of this Southern delectable, but not even dessert will kickstart electricity!
One thing to note is that Hundred has a very good wine list and deals on Sunday that allow you to order any bottle that is available by the glass for half price. So, a very fine Liberty School cabernet from California that runs $13.50 per glass is yours for half the $54 carriage on Sunday, roughly the same price as the liquor store. V
Mon - Wed (11 am - 12 am), Thu / Fri (11 am - 2 am), Sat (5 pm - 2 am), Sun (5 pm - 12 am)
Hundred Bar + Kitchen
10009 - 101A St, 780.425.0100
More info about Hundred Bar + Kitchen →
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