The Boulevard Restaurant – Scotia Place

Being the successful bidder of an auction item to accompany Pete Desrochers on a restaurant review, my wife Adele and I chose The Boulevard, the renaissance of Flora Corazza’s Via Vai restaurant formerly in the west end.

Set in the lobby of Scotia Place, the location has its strengths and drawbacks. Entering the restaurant was a little confusing as the street entrance revolving door was locked, so be sure to use the lobby entrance. The room was softly lit and very inviting with a small area set aside for cocktails and a well-stocked glass encased wine cooler. The décor and tabletop were what I would describe as “eclectic”, mixing modern art and contemporary cutlery with traditional wine glasses and chandeliers.

As timing would have it, we arrived on the first night of a new menu. Our knowledgeable and attentive server explained the feature appetizers, and recommended some choices for main courses. I selected a crab cake, Pete the escargot and Adele the gnocchi as our appetizers. The gnocchi order was somewhat humorous, as my wife had heard “Enoki” and was expecting a mushroom dish, so we ended up switching. She thoroughly enjoyed the crab cake and found it appropriately crispy on the outside and the crab filling very light. A nice starter. The gnocchi I inherited was a little stark, with the small white dumplings in cream sauce served in a white bowl. Some coloured garnish might have helped. Pete’s escargot were presented in the shell with drawn garlic butter, again no garnish or bread to dress the plate. He enjoyed them, but the one I tasted was a little rubbery.

For our main courses I chose duck, Adele the sable (a dense fish similar to shark) and Pete the beef tenderloin. Our server pointed out they roll their already aged beef in herbs and re-age it for an additional 30 days, and it showed. The tenderloin was cooked exactly to his specifications, and he really enjoyed the dish. The sable was served in a butter sauce, which she felt left it tasting a little oily, and a chutney that, in her opinion, did not enhance the flavour of the dish. My duck arrived as described, crispy skin on the outside with very tender meat. The flavour was good, but I was disappointed at the temperature, barely luke-warm. My accompaniment was a ragout of root vegetables and mushrooms, which was very nice. In our dinner conversation we discussed that the creative use of vegetables is a good sign of a kitchen’s versatility and creativity. Tonight it was green beans, which I thought was an unusual choice for three distinctly different dishes.

With the transition to a new wine list coinciding with the menu change, our first choice, an Italian Merlot, was not available. Our server recommended the Wente Merlot, a fine choice. An interesting procedure was the decanting of all wine. As our server explained it allowed younger wines to open much faster than in the bottle. The only shortcoming of this practice is the tasting. Had the wine been off, the full bottle had already been poured, and I was not presented with the cork.

…/2

Dessert options were decadent as expected. Pete selected a chocolate salami (yes, you read it right), my wife the tiramisu, and I chose the crème brulée. The chocolate salami was less rich than Pete anticipated yet it still satisfied his chocolate craving. My crème brulée was Frangelico infused with toasted hazelnuts sprinkled on top – a nice twist on a traditional dish, which I really enjoyed. Tiramisu is one of my wife’s favourite desserts, so it was her logical choice. Theirs was again unique, and she commented it was much fluffier than the conventional style she was used to, but still had a lovely rich texture. She complemented her dessert with a cappuccino, which had a special touch of being drizzled with chocolate syrup on top.

In sampling the appetizers and entrees, I felt no one dish delivered that “Oh, wow is that ever fantastic” response. Understanding that this was the first night of a new menu, I also recognize that each dish will find its legs after a few more preparations in the kitchen. However the desserts were all lovely and deserve praise.

The cost of dinner for three before tax was $240, or $80 per person. The Boulevard is a very nice restaurant, but as a very high-end establishment there is room for improvement. Adele and Pete were a little more forgiving in how they would have rated the restaurant than I, and given time I’m sure the new offerings will exceed expectations.

BEST POINTS: Excellent service, fabulous desserts

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: More intense flavours, temperature of food.

RATING CATEGORY: 7.5 out of 10. A great setting for entertaining clients.