Jenabee333 "Love Me, Love my appetite!"

You’d never suspect that such a place would exist, but next to the Money Mart and the papered up windows of what used to be a 7-11 at Bathurst & St. Clair, is the most wonderful little Peruvian restaurant that ever there was.

Pepe, the owner will greet you and show you to a quaint table in a small room decorated with paintings of all things Peruvian: mountains, llamas, Peruvian people making treks up mountains on llamas…The colours in the room are traditionally bright with lots of turquioise, red and emerald green. The music that plays is an eclctic mix of Peruvian and 97.3 easy rock-type tunes.

Start with a Pisco Sour, the national cocktail of Peru. It is made with fresh lime juice, egg, Pisco,(which is a form of Peruvian grappa that tastes more like tequila), and topped with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

The menu is a staggering five pages long with everything under the sun. Whatever the level of carnivorism or veganism is amongst your guest, everyone will find several items that will satisfy.

Before your food is ready, a basket of warm bread will arrive at your table with a little cup of one of the hottest and flavourful sauces that you have ever tried. My bet is that it is made from Aji peppers, which are found all over Peru. I think I may have the recipe pieced together from tasting it, but Pepe would kill me if I divulged the secret!

My personal favourite is the Sea Bass Ceviche. Tender morsels of sea bass marinated in lime juice with red onions and cilantro. The best ceviche I have ever had.

Forget French fries and have the Fried Casava. Lighter than a potato and crispier on the outside with a soft fluffy middle and served with a mayonnaise-based sauce for dipping ( I like to use the remnants of the hot sauce that came with the bread!)

The calamari stuffed with rice is out of this world!

I haven’t had a thing on the menu that isn’t fantastic!

The service is slow, but caring. Don’t rush them…. enjoy the company of your guests and be careful how many pisco sours you have…ok, DON’T be careful…get really drunk and dance with Pepe at the end of the night…uhhh, I’ve never done that before, I just heard that someone did it…

Make the venture and tell Pepe that Jen from up the street sent you!

Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar is a testament to chefJamie Kennedy’s vision of local, fresh cuisine based on indredients that are grown as close to home as possible and prepared with his signature flair in the tapas tradition.

Try to sit up at the wine bar if you’re game. Although it may not be as romantic as the dimly lit, minimalistic tables that add to the crisp and slightly earthy decor, it is worth it for the show. The cooks in this open concept kitchen know their business and it’s excellent to watch it all happen: chopping, flames, the sizzle of the grill and the clanking pf plates as they hit thel line ready for service.

The servers attend meetings each day to be schooled on new foodstuffs that grace the menu. Suggestings for wine pairings are made swiftly yet without the intention of gauging your pocketbook. We wanted a port with our cheese plate, but may of them were out of our price range. One of the waiters was quick to suggest a fantastic spanish red that had many of the rich characteristics of port, without the steep pricetag of may of them on the wine list.

We went in mid May and appropriately, the menu was indicitave of the season, teeming with late spring favourites like asparagus and fiddleheads (which I always love with a sharp and grassy sauvignon blanc).
The fried oysters were deicate and left nary a hint of greasiness on the palate. Crispy Duck Confit was rich and satisfying and the platter of pates and meats was a lovely variation of lardo, local pates and pickled vegetables.

If you’re looking for a place to take someone who is in the know about their food and appreciates cuisine that is prpared with local freshness in mind, try Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar. You won’t be able to make a reservation, but it will be worth the wait!

Here are a few things to love about Swan:

They only serve Americanos…NO REGULAR COFFEE, so when you go in, you are only allowed espresso based beveages for your caffeine fix. There is nothing like a steaming hot Americano with a sexy layer of crema floating on top!

Super-Fresh Eggs.

Instead of Bacon, you can have Smoked Trout with your eggs!

They grate fresh horseradish for their Bloody Caesars.

The Hangtown Fry: A scramble of eggs and smoked oysters.