Eats : CA : ON : Toronto : The Black Hoof
About The Black Hoof
Nose-to-tail eating is taken to extremes, and to truly tasty heights, at this brilliant restaurant-bar and its sister brunch-and-bar bistro right across the street. Co-owner/chef Grant van Gameren's in-house charcuterie is the star, with the tongue sandwich drawing raves, but the pastas and soups are equally inspired. At the Café, brunch dish standouts include pancakes topped with rabbit confit and little bone-marrow doughnuts, all daring and beautiful. Be prepared to wait: The buzz around these two spots is deafening.
The Black Hoof Review By Kent D. : Orange County, CA
I decided to take my fellow yelpers' advice and arrived 5 minutes early to end up first in line in a queue of about 7 or so. At 6 pm there was plenty of seating available on a Saturday night, so don't fret folks on arriving super early like I did. Now take what I say with a grain of salt because I heard a few locals say it was surprising that there was no wait for the night. Perhaps Halloween weekend may have played a role in the smaller turn out. Regardless, I was elated to land a pimp spot by the window!
The ambiance inside was sort of what I expected: it had an eclectic 60's throwback diner sorta vibe with mint green glass tiles below chocolate brown walls throughout the small space. An expansive bar flanked the entrance foyer lined with artsy vintage mint green bar stools. In the background, there was chill music of the indie persuasion playing quietly.
We reviewed the menu on the black chalk board and went with a handful of selections starting with glasses of wine and...
The Charcuterie Plate
Wow, the line up of delectable cured meats was quite copious! In fact, I don't recall our party being able to finish this behemoth of a serving. That being said, it was a fine selection of delectably thin sliced meats sure to satiate a variety of discerning palates.
Honestly, there were way too many to recall but Chorizo, spicy Horse, mortadella, Proscuitto, beef heart, spruce, spicey smoked summer sausage were a few names I could remember the extensive list of cold cuts. They came accompanied with a small bowl of pickled veggies and the match was perfection. The pickled veggies added a welcome brightness and acidity to the earthy and rustic flavors of the cured meats. I would highly recommend the charcuterie and pickled veggies with a glass of wine as a starter before you begin your dining adventure here.
Bone Marrow
Served with course sea salt, a house chimichurri, and crisp sourdough toastettes to spread the marrow on, this dish did not disappoint. The marrow was fatty, rich and a mouthful of goodness in every bite!
Blood Sausage & Popcorn With Mosch & Grain mustard
Whoah, this was the richest and most buttery sausage I've ever eaten! The light and crunchy popcorn was a perfect accompaniment to this decadently rich and flavorful dish!
Spicy Horse Tartare
Not quite spicy but a winning dish all the same! I loved the contrast in textures of the crispy shredded potatoes with the velvety soft and buttery tartare. The fresh dill and the caper hollandaise added a brightness and saltiness that balanced the flavors of this delightful dish very well! One of my favorites!
Deep Fried Sweetbreads With Tuna Crudo Spicy Mayo And Pickled Jalapeños
The deep fried thymus glands were quite substantial and dare I say tasted like chicken! Paired with the spicy mayo, it had a smoky flavor that worked well with the acidity of the citrusy tuna crudo. The added pickled jalapeño rounded the amazing flavor profiles perfectly! Highly recommended
Foie Gras, Nutella & Banana pain per du with lemon gastrique -This was by far the best dish of the evening! They seriously saved the best for last! The combination of the rich and smooth foie gras, sweet and tart lemon gastrique, crunchy hazelnut crumbles, velvety Nutella, peppery chervil, and fluffy banana pain per due was a match made in foodie heaven! Foodgasm guaranteed and "a must" if you dine here!
What I appreciated was the fact that each dish came out at a nice pace, they constantly changed out our utensils/plates, and we never felt rushed throughout our remarkable 2.5 hour dining experience.
As the evening progressed, we noticed many people turned away being told there was at least a 1.5 hour wait for a seat, so i felt very fortunate to land a seat for the night.
Overall, I had a fantastic experience here and it's safe to say I'd be coming back for more when I'm in town...
And let's face it, If Thomas Keller wanted to dine here, how could it bad, right?
Happy Eats!
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Address 928 Dundas Street West Toronto, ON M6J 1W3, Canada | Phone +1 416-551-8854
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Sources : The Black Hoof Photo | The Black Hoof Information | The Black Hoof Review
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