BAR OF THE WEEK
NORTHWOOD 815 Bloor St. W. (At Crawford) 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Seven days a week 416-846-8324 Twitter: @Northwoodbloor
Picture Central Perk, the main hangout for Ross, Rachel and the gang from the ’90s television classic TV show, Friends. Now, add booze. You’ve got Northwood. Since it opened right across the street from Christie Pits about two weeks ago, the brainchild of Richard Pope (also of Mr. Pong’s along Dundas St. W.) and Ange Reynolds walks a line between coffee shop and cocktail bar, adding a little bit more life to that often-overlooked stretch along Bloor West between Koreatown and Bloorcourt Village. Northwood serves up java and pastries, along with plenty of bang for the buck behind the bar compared to nearby Annex establishments. Casting a wide net? You bet, but Reynolds and Pope say luring the afterwork crowd who live in the area for evening drinks and young families for an early morning weekend bite is just a part of the plan.
Ultimately, the pair wants to make Northwood a grassroots gathering spot for local artisans and up-and-comers, and a frequent venue for community-minded events.
THE VIBE: Lots of optimism here — you feel it as you walk in the door. The venue on its own is pretty basic: drywall blown off to expose original brick, reused woods to fashion the bar top and tables, revarnished floorboards and chairs, etc. Decor includes odds and ends that Reynolds and Pope collected from family and sellers on Craigslist. The large antique pig-iron liquor cage is a real gem; it was collected from the former Casa Mendoza, a resto-motel along Lake Shore Blvd. W. at Humber Bay, demolished
to make way for condos last year. Thinking it was a sin to just discard it, Pope snapped up the cage, which he estimates to be about 80 years old.
THE DRINKS: A list of 10 cocktails here courtesy of Ana Wolkowski (formerly of Disgraceland). At $10 each, they’re real value as well, especially considering most of the 10 are threeounce pours. Classics are tweaked, such as the Spiced Old Fashioned (Rittenhouse Rye, clove, maple and vanilla, orange and bitters). Though you may want to try original creations such as the 10th & Arch (Bulleit bourbon, maple and tonic simple syrup, barley tincture, bitters served with apple garnish). A peppy little number, this one: it goes from zero to bourbon in one sip with a sweet finish to ease off.
Wolkowski’s mission is to take some of the snobbery out of cocktail enjoyment, arguing that if you price it too high or make something too elaborate, customers will just go to beer. And there’s enough of that to go around, too. Beau’s Beaver River IPA and Junction Brewery Conductor’s Ale are two of the four Canadian crafts on draught at about $6.50. Bottles and tins range from Stroh’s ($5) to Magners cider ($8).
THE FOOD: No formal menu right now, but there’s a weekend prix fixe brunch for about $20. Last week’s courses included grapefruit and blanched sunchoke with choice of braised pork belly, duck confit or vegan sushi and vanilla cardamom soy panna cotta. In the meantime, there are muffins and pastries for about $2 to $3 (gluten-free choices available), alongside Pig Iron coffee ($2.75-$4 depending on how fancy you like it). DRESS CODE: Casual MUST KNOW: Visa, Amex, debit and Discover accepted. Food menus of the day will be updated on Twitter and Facebook.