Country: France
Must-try Dish: Beef Tartar
Dinner Guest: Suited Sebastien, Dani P, The 4th, Young Matt, Jolly Jen

My standards for a beef tartare were raised in an experience that I fondly refer to as “The Tartare that Changed It All.” 

This unique and velvety tartare melted in my mouth and I have yet to meet another one that can compare. I discovered it by mistake at a restaurant in London, the real London in the United Kingdom, at a place in my former neighborhood called Trinity. With my eyes on ordering a four course set menu for the evening, I opted out of paying an additional £30 ($50) for shaved truffle in my tartare, but was thrilled when the kitchen had made an additional one and the house offered it to me free of charge. I won’t be refusing truffle ever again, regardless of the fee. 

Fast forward to present day in Toronto, when the exciting idea of a tartare crawl around the city was proposed in hopes of discovering where I could satisfy my craving for this raw delight. To my surprise, an entire crew of seven wanted to join this sophisticated (and decadent) adventure of wine and the good stuff in one single day. 

Mandrea Bike set out a few asks for where people go to get their tartare fix, and we ultimately settled on five places that were of mostly walking distance from the Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood. 

Here are the findings in order of preference: 

Côte de Boeuf – 130 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 2Z5
Rating: 8.5

The clear favourite of the day, we stumbled upon this place by mistake because it’s sister restaurant Union was out of it’s delicious tartare. But it worked out well since we found a new restaurant, as well as the day’s top tartare. 

There’s a sort of French demeanor in this place, exactly like being in an unsuspecting French bistro in the middle of a small city in France. The presentation of the tartare was minimalistic, by far the least decorated of the day, but that is precisely what you would get in the old country. 

Where Côte de Boeuf’s tartare was superior was in its flavouring. The tartare itself was mixed with truffle oil, which gave it a delicate texture, most similar to the Tartare that Changed It All. Although truffle can be a dominating taste, there was only enough added to keep it from being overpowering. The bread served alongside it was roasted in duck fat, making it the most delectable vehicle to enjoy tartare that we had all day. 

As for the restaurant, it’s a bit of a hidden nook, but going inside does truly take you to France. Mandrea Bike and the rest of the group all vowed to return and see what other plates are on offer in the future. 

Paris Paris – 1161 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1X4
Rating: 7.5

This was our first stop of the day, and helped us set a standard for what we were tasting and how we were rating it. Two bottles of red and two tartares later, we had a plan in motion. 

We should note that Paris Paris’ tartare is packed with dijon, and therefore a full nasal kick that isn’t at all for the faint of heart. Luckily, the majority of our group loves that burning sensation in their noses as they mow down on tartare. The flavour wasn’t overpowering, but it certainly gave off an edge from the mustard, while still allowing for the beef to come through in the taste buds. The presentation was nice, without being memorable, despite having an egg with it. This was fitting considering it was still brunching hour. 

If you’re on the Dundas and Ossington strip, you won’t be disappointed having a bite, or more at Paris Paris both day and night. 

Apres Wine Bar – 1166 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1J5
Rating: 7

This hip spot was much anticipated as they mix their tartare with bits of potato chips. If you’re going to give some points for originality in the recipe, this is where it would be! 

We strolled into Apres in the early evening, as restaurants along Queen West were starting to fill up with the Saturday night dinner crowds, and miraculously got a table, as long as we could guarantee to be out within an hour. Easy, right? 

We promptly ordered the tartare that we’d all been waiting to try, only to discover it wasn’t on the menu. This was naturally a crushing blow, but our server came through and informed us that this was a clerical mistake, and in fact tartar was definitely still available.

Although the presentation wasn’t anything special there was a balanced taste where the beef could dominate since the chips only added secondary flavour and an exciting crunchy texture. This is more of a classic tartare, the most traditional of the day, with its own unique little twist. 

Liberty Common – 42 Liberty St, Toronto, ON M6K 3E7
Rating: 6

Top points are given here for presentation of the tartare, as it came out flaming on a cedar plank to our table. You don’t just get a chunk of meat here, they portion each piece of tartare on a small crostini, and we therefore ordered two per person. The texture of this one was different, as there were chunks of gherkin-style pickles in each bite. This ingredient in such excess seemed to be a make-or-break for our group. It’s a strong flavour, and for some it wasn’t appealing when paired with the beef. But some loved it. There was too much of a contrast among us. 

Despite having incredible service, the win for best in show in the presentation category, and some tuna tartare freebies, there were mixed feelings about this beef tartare because of the pickles inside it. You really have to be a pickle person to love it, otherwise it’s too much of an overpowering flavour and really takes away from the taste of the beef. This particular recipe had our group split. 

Gusto 101 – 101 Portland St, Toronto, ON M5V 2N3
Rating: 3

Gusto 101 does a lot of things right, this is obvious by the lines of people waiting to get a table everyday of the week. They have cheap wine, delicious food and a trendy atmosphere. However, they don’t do the tartare well. 

The tartare itself is mixed with small mushrooms, whole mushrooms, that almost seem soggy within the meat. It seemed like a cheap, cutting the corners sort of approach to parallel a truffle flavoured tartare, and no one was impressed. In fact, it was the only place that we didn’t finish what was on our plates. 

The presentation was mediocre. The taste was poor. The originality was nul. Don’t get me wrong, it was edible, but the consensus of the group was more or less, never again. We all agreed that we would dine there again and eat other things, but likely anywhere else in the city serving tartare will offer something better.

I want to note that the ideal beef tartare must be well balanced. Although we enjoyed all the tartares of the day (for the most part), not all of them were balanced and other flavours dominated the beef. It’s also a very personal thing, choosing the flavours that go well with your raw beef, but we hope that this first chapter in search of the best tartare in Toronto can guide you to some new, interesting restaurants and tasting experiences. 

If you do come across some must-try tartare, let us know since our search will continue in 2020. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)