National Post
January 21, 2006
By Amy Rosen
Two great Jamies that taste great together! I think Jamie Kennedy’s two namesake restaurants are the best things to happen to the Toronto dining scene since the advent of free olives. And I think sommelier Jamie Drummond is the best thing to happen to Jamie Kennedy’s restaurants.
The Scotsman (who sidelines as techno DJ Non Doctor) has fashioned a wine card upon which Old World and top Canadian producers are all given their due, and where 98% of the restaurants’ wines are sourced from outside of the LCBO’s listed product, meaning more esoteric an left-field offerings than anywhere else in the city.
Drummond buys the wines in small lots – quality over quantity – making for a revolving door of new and interesting pours. Incredibly, the list changes every three to five days so the wines will match well with the menu of new food products sussed by chef Kennedy and crew. Examples: from the Wine Bar menu, sautéed duck livers with organic Ontario quince served on sourdough is paired with 1999 J.M Sohler Tokay Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive, Alsace. From the higher end JK restaurant menu, Cataplana for two (whitefish, black bass and lobster in a tomato-based broth) is paired with 2003 Terra Gaudas “O Rosal” Albarino-based blend, Rias Baixas, Spain. “I feel it is paramount to offer so much more than the standard fare one finds in so many restaurants,” Drummond says. “We are a wine bar, after all.” There are 23 wines by the glass, with prices ranging from $7 to $37 a glass. “With the wines changing so often we have a steady stream of would be wine connoisseurs and students of wine coming in to educate themselves,” he says. “In any given day, you can spot a myriad of winemakers, wine journalists and wine agents sampling the day’s offerings. JK appears to have become a hub of sorts for Toronto’s wine community.” Basically, if you drink it today, it’ll likely be gone tomorrow. But that’s okay – you’ll try something new next week.
An unoaked sommelier, crisp and youthful with subtle floral nuances, Sara d’Amato is an unexpected choice for Truffles restaurant: A diminutive redhead, she doesn’t have any obvious dimples, but they’d suit her.
Fresh out of Niagara College’s winery and viticulture program, 27-year-old d’Amato is the newly in stalled sommelier at the very established CAA/AAA Five Diamond restaurant. And she’s out to make ordering wine fun again.
“I want to make people interested in wine and hungry to learn more,” she says. “I want them to find a new love in wine here.” She says her youth is anything but a drawback. “Your palate isn’t just a genetic thing; it’s also influenced by your life experiences. So people who have had more experiences in their lives may have more to draw from, but they also have more biases.”
On the flip side, younger people often have fresher, more innocent palates, receptive to change. D’Amato thinks instead of trying to figure out what we all should like - and should be drinking – we should instead trust our won tastes. Especially when it comes to food and wine pairings, where some of the most interesting matches can be found in the unexpected. To wit, she recently paired a lobster and oxtail dish (a unique combo in its own right) with Chianti, to the surprise of many Truffles guests. But it worked.
“There was the weight of the bone marrow from the oxtail, that meaty, musky character, along with the beautiful lobster, light and elegant,” she says. “Chianti has some acidity to cut the richness, which makes it ideal for pairing with foods. It has a bit of edginess, and some weight to it, too.”
Plans are underway to aid the oenology-challenged at Truffles.
For starters, the long wine list, which is so large as to almost dwarf d’Amato, is being edited. “A lot of people don’t know where to start.” The revised list will include more Canadian selections, as well as explanations of wine terms and trends, such as screw cap and organic biodynamic. “It will be more user-friendly,” she promises.
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley. Pop! pop! pop! go the corks. Soon after settling in for chef David Lee’s outstanding November tasting menu at Splendido, the Champagne trolley began to stealthily trundle towards us.
“Yes, obviously,” is our response to the cart captain’s query. After all, what kind of ass, about to enjoy sweet Dungeness crab and artisinal foie gras, is going to reject an offer of bubbly? Not this ass. Especially when there are three types by the glass, five to six by the half bottle, as well as classic champagne cocktail from which to choose, all prepared tableside.
I’ve often thought tat if life is a circus, then tableside food preparations must be the Russian bear in a beanie on a tricycle: Kind of sad, but always entertaining. Even so, by-the-glass trolley options are Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Blanc and the Brut Imperial Rose, as well as their premium offering, Louis de Sacy Brut Gand Cru. Prices range from $21 to $33 per glass.
In addition, there is a selection of 375 ml bottles for couples to share, including Moet Brut Imperial, Veuve Cliquot, Deutz, Louis de Sacy Brut Grand Cru and Louis de Sacy Rose Brut Grand Cru. As well, their wine list holds a good selection of Champagnes, where prices start at $120 for 750ml bottle to $700 for a Dom Perignon 1995 Rose.
Splendido sommelier Carlo Catallo says that since they introduced the trolley in September, the increase in Champagne sales has been “absolutely incredible. [Splendido’s co-owner] Yannick Bigourdan and myself thought the idea of a Champagne trolley would fit the image of the restaurant,” Catallo Says.
“And it also addressed our concern that people in Toronto didn’t drink enough Champagne.”
