 hile many restaurants are now using organic or naturally raised produce, meats and seafoods, a new Parkdale eatery reaches new heights for the city's purists (catering to not just hippies anymore). The intimate 30-seat French-Bistro styled restaurant, conceived by quintessential Parkdalians (that share a love for the local), aims to provide “an ever-changing chalkboard menu created with naturally-raised, organic meats and produce.” The chef is angling to work almost exclusively with local farmers to obtain hormone- and antibiotic-free meats and produce (though doping in the Bovine breed is still nearly impossible to detect). But who, might you ask, is up to the challenge of purveying the purest form of beef available?
 Enter Chef/Owner Mark Cutrara. After a lengthy stint in the hospitality industry working as a chef at noteworthy spots Silver Spoon and more recently opening Globe Bistro, Cutrara has expanded his chef-worthy credentials to now include butcher on his CV.
This past winter, he cut his teeth as a main meat man at the Healthy Butcher, also on Queen West. This newly-acquired talent allows him to smoke and cure fresh meats right on the premises in his specially designed prep-kitchen. Needless to say, after he's finished slicing, dicing, and smoking prime cuts of beef, the cowbell will be the only inedible evidence remaining of the animal as the chef plans to use every piece of the cow in the resto's various dishes. While the focus appears to be more geared toward carnivores, Cutrara says there will be daily vegetarian options available for the amounting number of Parkdale vegheads.
Cutrara's Cowbell (perhaps more aptly titled Sonnaille, the French translation of the word) is a unique dining opportunity (more of an anomaly really) - a little showcase for him to spoon out pleasure with a master's hand. Passionately aware of the need for a local community atmosphere (that doesn’t involve sharing drug paraphernalia), the father of two decided to launch Cowbell as a means of providing a livelihood not only to his family, but also for many local suppliers of food, beverage and even furniture. And yes, he does answer to Saint Mark.
The cozy ambiance is undeniable when first entering the restaurant. An aura of country hospitality is noticeably enhanced by the design and décor created by interior designer Ron Nuhn. As for said furniture, the restaurant has been outfitted with finds from nearby antique stores (that nicely side-steps the Restaurant Makeover aesthetic that is currently plaguing the city), including old mosaic tile flooring and antique wall sconces. Heavy wood tables (reclaimed from a Woodstock Presbyterian church dating back to the 1880s) fill the majority of the room, paired up with cushioned pews.
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 AT A GLANCE
Cowbell
1564 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario
416 849-1095
Contemporary
Parkdale
Venue:
Restaurant
Hours:
Tue. to Thu.: 5:00pm-10:00pm Fri. & Sat.: 5:00pm-11:00pm
Price Range:
$$$
Payment:
Visa, Master Card, American Express
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THE BUZZ
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IN THE AREA
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27 Reader Reviews | I've dined here twice with inconsistent experiences. Fantastic food and service the first time; beef carpacio that melted in my mouth! The second time the food was nice but did not compare to the first experience save an amazing duck terrine.
The service was very very bad second time. Our group have all worked in/owned restaurants so we are very forgiving. Unfortunately our waiter was surly and downright rude and put a dent in our enjoyment.
1. Anna's Review :: November 17, 2008 Anna's Rating: 3 Stars |
The restaurant itself is comfortable and intimate. The service was good inspite of the some of the reviews I've read. Our party was famished when we arrived and sampled almost all of the appetizers listed on the board. The trotter terrine was by far the best I have tasted this side of Paris. The main course selections were a short eclectic mix. The red angus beef was cooked perfectly, but the duck breast I chose was alittle on the tough and chewy side.
The cheese course was average. I expected more of a variety - seeing that there are so many interesting cheeses available in Toronto.. (Not something I could have purchased myself at the local grocery store).
This place could really shine if they upped the game alittle..
2. Carolyn's Review :: August 15, 2008 Carolyn's Rating: 3 Stars |
chef guy from Toronto [dfast_1@hotmail.com]
August 2, 2008
well i would just like to start by saying that salt is an ingredient that needs to be used more here.
the charcouterie plat was pretty good, fantastic rilette, great cacciatore style salami. As for the duck breast, it was 1/2 an inch thick per slice and no rendering of the fat which caused a very chewy effect. sausages were great but needed a coarser grind in my opinion, bitterest beests ive ever had and chou-croute so sour it was like eating a lemon. Service isnt bad but you can see the dishwasher from the bar with his mop of hair and bright yellow gloves, not a problem for me but possibly for others.
3. Anonymous's Review :: August 02, 2008 |
well i would just like to start by saying that salt is an ingredient that needs to be used more here.
the charcouterie plat was pretty good, fantastic rilette, great cacciatore style salami. As for the duck breast, it was 1/2 an inch thick per slice and no rendering of the fat which caused a very chewy effect. sausages were great but needed a coarser grind in my opinion, bitterest beests ive ever had and chou-croute so sour it was like eating a lemon. Service isnt bad but you can see the dishwasher from the bar with his mop of hair and bright yellow gloves, not a problem for me but possibly for others.
4. Chef Guy's Review :: August 02, 2008 Chef Guy's Rating: 1 Stars |
I really wanted to like this place. I love the concept and admire their choice of location. Unfortunately, Cowbell managed to serve up quite possibly the worst dining experience I've ever had. Harsh... I know, but there really aren’t any other words to describe it.
We were a party of six and we were there to celebrate a birthday. To their credit we were seated on time and the hostess was pleasant.
Perhaps it was where we were seated but the music was so loud it was hard to have a conversation. The food was decent but very over-priced and the service was awful.
Over the course of the evening our waiter went from apathetic to just plain rude. After taking over twenty minutes to serve us, he forgot to take one of our orders. He routinely kept filling up our wine glasses after we asked him to stop and would talk down to us when we had any questions. At the end of the night, when we told him we had phoned in birthday dessert arrangements with the Cowbell management he snobbishly retorted, "Oh I'm sorry my crystal ball is broken." We told him we felt he was being rude and we were going to pass on dessert. The waiter then returned with a plate containing the bill and a single candle stuck on it and placed it in front of the birthday boy.
As a rule, I usually only take the time to write positive reviews but Cowbell was the perfect storm of bad dining that night and they need to be called out.
I'm sure the service is not bad every night but with endless options of good dining in Toronto, Cowbell is not long for this town.
5. Andy's Review :: July 23, 2008 Andy's Rating: 1 Stars |
Our first Cowbell dining experience - just last night - was very positive. Every morsel of fresh, locally produced food was a taste bud-tingling delight. Between the two of us, we had the asparagus salad and charcuterie appetizers, pork and duck main courses, and cheese plate and coffee cream tart desserts - all scrumptuous and attractively presented. The setting is pleasant, and the service was perfectly attentive without being intrusive. This was a lovely, special occasion dining experience.
6. Vicki Z's Review :: June 12, 2008 Vicki Z's Rating: 4 Stars |
We decided to try out Cowbell a few weeks ago. I had been excited that a good restaurant was opening up in the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, we were disappointed. Very disappointed.
We had reservations for 9:30 and arrived a few minutes early. There were 2 couples ahead of us waiting to be seated. One couple had a reservation and the other said they had just walked in hoping to get a table. A host approached and told us they were running a bit behind. The two other couples were seated within about 10 minutes. Not us. We were forced to stand in the tiny doorway for 30 minutes waiting for a table. We were not offered a seat at the bar nor a drink. The host came back once and said that the people at "our" table wouldn't leave, despite the fact that he was encouraging them to leave. It was incredibly rude of them to let us stand there for 30 minutes, seating walk-ins before us, and also to push other people out the door - people who probably spent quite a bit of money on their dinner.
Finally we were seated. We had high hopes that the evening could only get better. It didn't. When our waiter approached and asked how we were, my brother told him about our ordeal, and his response was "oh?". No apologies at all, no offers to make up for our wait. The service was inconsistent and not very good. A number of menu items were no longer available by that time of the night. The food was ok, but certainly not great and not worth the $30 average/entree. We will certainly never return to Cowbell and I would never recommend it to others. Save your money for one of the many restaurants in TO with great service and food to match. No one deserves to be treated like that.
7. Anonymous's Review :: June 10, 2008 |
We decided to try out Cowbell a few weeks ago. I had been excited that a good restaurant was opening up in the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, we were disappointed. Very disappointed.
We had reservations for 9:30 and arrived a few minutes early. There were 2 couples ahead of us waiting to be seated. One couple had a reservation and the other said they had just walked in hoping to get a table. A host approached and told us they were running a bit behind. The two other couples were seated within about 10 minutes. Not us. We were forced to stand in the tiny doorway for 30 minutes waiting for a table. We were not offered a seat at the bar nor a drink. The host came back once and said that the people at "our" table wouldn't leave, despite the fact that he was encouraging them to leave. It was incredibly rude of them to let us stand there for 30 minutes, seating walk-ins before us, and also to push other people out the door - people who probably spent quite a bit of money on their dinner.
Finally we were seated. We had high hopes that the evening could only get better. It didn't. When our waiter approached and asked how we were, my brother told him about our ordeal, and his response was "oh?". No apologies at all, no offers to make up for our wait. The service was inconsistent and not very good. A number of menu items were no longer available by that time of the night. The food was ok, but certainly not great and not worth the $30 average/entree. We will certainly never return to Cowbell and I would never recommend it to others. Save your money for one of the many restaurants in TO with great service and food to match. No one deserves to be treated like that.
8. R.'s Review :: June 10, 2008 R.'s Rating: 1 Stars |
Our experience at Cowbell was very positive. The service was great. The food was creative and delicious. The bathroom was clean, cozy, well stocked with hand towels and fancy toilet paper.
Perhaps some of those kinks previously reported have been ironed out. I would definitely return.
9. Anonymous's Review :: May 09, 2008 |
Our experience at Cowbell was very positive. The service was great. The food was creative and delicious. The bathroom was clean, cozy, well stocked with hand towels and fancy toilet paper.
Perhaps some of those kinks previously reported have been ironed out. I would definitely return.
10. Susan's Review :: May 08, 2008 Susan's Rating: 4 Stars |
Read the initial review and decided to try Cowbell. Arranged a dinner for 5 - reservations in advance for 8pm. Arrived at 8 - seated within a couple of minutes. The server proceeded to inform us that "it was busy, and that our table would need to be clear by 10pm for another reservation." Nice.
For the record, I have had the privilege of dining in some of the finest establishements in the city - and I have never experienced that type of reception or attitude.
We left within 5 minutes, and will not be going back. End of story.
11. Anonymous's Review :: March 16, 2008 |
Read the initial review and decided to try Cowbell. Arranged a dinner for 5 - reservations in advance for 8pm. Arrived at 8 - seated within a couple of minutes. The server proceeded to inform us that "it was busy, and that our table would need to be clear by 10pm for another reservation." Nice.
For the record, I have had the privilege of dining in some of the finest establishements in the city - and I have never experienced that type of reception or attitude.
We left within 5 minutes, and will not be going back. End of story.
12. James's Review :: March 15, 2008 James's Rating: 1 Stars |
Please, this place is not a hole in the wall, it's actually very tastefully done. While my meal there was not the best I've ever had I found the service to be very professional. Yes, the steak was a tad tough but that is really the nature of pasture raised meat. For the record, just because meat is local and organic doesn't mean it is grass fed and pasture raised. Cumbraes does not sell grass fed beef. With all the news about grain crops dwindling I think we should all move from corn fed beef to grass fed beef, which is what a rumen is naturally meant to eat! Cowbell is a rare restaurant with a clear vision about local foods and using the whole animal, exactly how people ant not long ago.
13. Anonymous's Review :: February 19, 2008 |
I agree with the last comment. I went there anticipating a great meal. I ordered the steak frite. The meat was tough and full of fat (and $36). I complained and they took it 3/4 of the remainder away - but they didn't take it off the bill. I spoke to the chef directly to complain and asked him to justify how he could serve this fatty and tough meat. He said "no one else complained" and refused to remove the charge. Big deal over nothing - I've been eating organic and local meats and there is no excuse for the crap fed to me that evening. I would never step foot in that place again. For the record, I had a mind blowing local steak at "Globe." It was the same price.
14. Anonymous's Review :: February 15, 2008 |
Our Valentines' dinner was dreadful. Cowbell has been erroneously over-rated. If you are about to take in the recent hype this hole in the wall is getting and decide to go...please brace yourself for disappointment as inexperienced amateurs are in charge. The $30 steak frites turned out to be the toughest piece of inedible gristle imaginable....upon discussion with the ploddingly slow and inexperienced yet tryingly stuffy wait staff, they recommended and brought out a sharper knife and explained that we were not the only patrons who thought that their "meat" was "a little bit too chewy" - Good grief, not going back again soon......I hazard that unless their approach changes significantly the good press spin will surely evaporate and the lights will go out within the year. Ps. the wine list is lifeless and deserts are dated….amateurs hard at work.
15. Anonymous's Review :: February 15, 2008 |
I agree with the last comment. I went there anticipating a great meal. I ordered the steak frite. The meat was tough and full of fat (and $36). I complained and they took it 3/4 of the remainder away - but they didn't take it off the bill. I spoke to the chef directly to complain and asked him to justify how he could serve this fatty and tough meat. He said "no one else complained" and refused to remove the charge. Big deal over nothing - I've been eating organic and local meats and there is no excuse for the crap fed to me that evening. I would never step foot in that place again. For the record, I had a mind blowing local steak at "Globe." It was the same price.
16. Anon's Review :: February 15, 2008 Anon's Rating: 1 Stars |
Our Valentines' dinner was dreadful. Cowbell has been erroneously over-rated. If you are about to take in the recent hype this hole in the wall is getting and decide to go...please brace yourself for disappointment as inexperienced amateurs are in charge. The $30 steak frites turned out to be the toughest piece of inedible gristle imaginable....upon discussion with the ploddingly slow and inexperienced yet tryingly stuffy wait staff, they recommended and brought out a sharper knife and explained that we were not the only patrons who thought that their "meat" was "a little bit too chewy" - Good grief, not going back again soon......I hazard that unless their approach changes significantly the good press spin will surely evaporate and the lights will go out within the year. Ps. the wine list is lifeless and deserts are dated….amateurs hard at work.
17. Graham Wunsch's Review :: February 15, 2008 Graham Wunsch's Rating: 1 Stars |
Unfortunately, I can't give this restaurant a rating because I never happened to actually get through the door - twice!
I thought Cowbell would be the perfect place to host my sister's birthday party, especially because of her great love for fine cuts of meat. The fact that Cowbell supports local farmers was an even greater draw for us socially and environmentally conscious 'foodies.'
I emailed Cowbell regarding the possibility of reserving a table for 10-15 people. They got back to me three weeks after the fact by phone to inquire whether or not anyone had "gotten back to me." When I told the person "no" and that we had booked elsewhere, he promptly said his good-bye and abruptly hung up.
Against better judgment, I decided to give this place a second chance despite this unpleasant phone experience. It was a Tuesday evening and the restaurant had a smattering of diners - it was definitely not packed!
We were greeted by a pretty bitchy waiter, who actually blocked us from entering the restaurant, and proceeded to tell us that it was completely reserved for the night (yeah right!). However, we were given the option to eat at the bar. Fair enough. When we decided against this, the waiter quickly rushed us out the door. In fact, she grabbed a Cowbell card and hurriedly escorted us out of the restaurant. It was embarrassing and left a really bad taste in my mouth - even though I didn't even get the chance to eat anything there!
Needless to say, I will not be going to Cowbell ever again. The place had a lovely atmosphere and I am sure the food is delicious. In the end, it may be too big for its britches.
18. Anonymous's Review :: January 17, 2008 |
Unfortunately, I can't give this restaurant a rating because I never happened to actually get through the door - twice!
I thought Cowbell would be the perfect place to host my sister's birthday party, especially because of her great love for fine cuts of meat. The fact that Cowbell supports local farmers was an even greater draw for us socially and environmentally conscious 'foodies.'
I emailed Cowbell regarding the possibility of reserving a table for 10-15 people. They got back to me three weeks after the fact by phone to inquire whether or not anyone had "gotten back to me." When I told the person "no" and that we had booked elsewhere, he promptly said his good-bye and abruptly hung up.
Against better judgment, I decided to give this place a second chance despite this unpleasant phone experience. It was a Tuesday evening and the restaurant had a smattering of diners - it was definitely not packed!
We were greeted by a pretty bitchy waiter, who actually blocked us from entering the restaurant, and proceeded to tell us that it was completely reserved for the night (yeah right!). However, we were given the option to eat at the bar. Fair enough. When we decided against this, the waiter quickly rushed us out the door. In fact, she grabbed a Cowbell card and hurriedly escorted us out of the restaurant. It was embarrassing and left a really bad taste in my mouth - even though I didn't even get the chance to eat anything there!
Needless to say, I will not be going to Cowbell ever again. The place had a lovely atmosphere and I am sure the food is delicious. In the end, it may be too big for its britches.
19. Liz's Review :: January 17, 2008 Liz's Rating: 1 Stars |
I'd heard amazing things about this restaurant so I decided to give it a shot last night and I'm a little mixed.
The food was good (not amazing, just good), but the portions were on the small side and EXTREMELY overpriced. Definitely not the place to go if you're hungry 'cause you'll be stopping by somewhere else for takeout on the way home.
The thing that really surprised me, however, was the service. NOW magazine raved about how friendly and attentive the wait staff were, but our server was anything but. He was cold and humourless and we sat at our table for quite some time before he even bothered to ask what we wanted to eat. He made me quite uncomfortable, actually.
Decent food and a nice place, but I really felt ripped off at the end of the night and didn't feel very welcome. Reccomended only if you've got money to burn and you're not hungry.
20. Anonymous's Review :: December 16, 2007 |
I'd heard amazing things about this restaurant so I decided to give it a shot last night and I'm a little mixed.
The food was good (not amazing, just good), but the portions were on the small side and EXTREMELY overpriced. Definitely not the place to go if you're hungry 'cause you'll be stopping by somewhere else for takeout on the way home.
The thing that really surprised me, however, was the service. NOW magazine raved about how friendly and attentive the wait staff were, but our server was anything but. He was cold and humourless and we sat at our table for quite some time before he even bothered to ask what we wanted to eat. He made me quite uncomfortable, actually.
Decent food and a nice place, but I really felt ripped off at the end of the night and didn't feel very welcome. Reccomended only if you've got money to burn and you're not hungry.
21. Colin's Review :: December 16, 2007 Colin's Rating: 2 Stars |
Never in my eating expierences have I recieved such a bad example of dining as I did at cow bell restaurant.They lost our drinks order, then lost our mains order, cowbell restaurant. Food was overpriced, and the service for the prices of food and wine was not good, remindig me more of a small cafe than a restuarant with $30+ steaks.
The Maitr'd for the night made the whole expirience even worse by not even really responding to the comments we made regarding the service and fact that our food arrived over afive minute period ( with five people on the table waiting for everyone to get their food before eating). To top it off when we asked for the wine just to be left, people kept topping it up. We had to ask not once but five times!
Toilets that do not have hot water, toilet paper or look clean. the food was sub-standard. what wasn't overdone was underdone, and it was all what you may think of as "North American Industrial Food". It got so bad that we were taking bets on HOW the next dish/course would be screwed up - not on WHETHER it would be .
was just that sort of place; a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You know that you'll never again scale those dizzy heights of culinary ineptitude.
22. Anonymous's Review :: November 23, 2007 |
Never in my eating expierences have I recieved such a bad example of dining as I did at cow bell restaurant.They lost our drinks order, then lost our mains order, cowbell restaurant. Food was overpriced, and the service for the prices of food and wine was not good, remindig me more of a small cafe than a restuarant with $30+ steaks.
The Maitr'd for the night made the whole expirience even worse by not even really responding to the comments we made regarding the service and fact that our food arrived over afive minute period ( with five people on the table waiting for everyone to get their food before eating). To top it off when we asked for the wine just to be left, people kept topping it up. We had to ask not once but five times!
Toilets that do not have hot water, toilet paper or look clean. the food was sub-standard. what wasn't overdone was underdone, and it was all what you may think of as "North American Industrial Food". It got so bad that we were taking bets on HOW the next dish/course would be screwed up - not on WHETHER it would be .
was just that sort of place; a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You know that you'll never again scale those dizzy heights of culinary ineptitude.
23. Bennetola's Review :: November 23, 2007 Bennetola's Rating: 1 Stars |
I can't review this restaurant as I didn't end up eating there. I called for a reservation - they never called us back. when we called them, they said they couldn't accommodated us at the time we wanted, but they could do 60 minutes earlier, only if we were out in 90 minutes. They really didn't seem to want our business and weren't very nice about it!
24. Anonymous's Review :: September 12, 2007 |
I can't review this restaurant as I didn't end up eating there. I called for a reservation - they never called us back. when we called them, they said they couldn't accommodated us at the time we wanted, but they could do 60 minutes earlier, only if we were out in 90 minutes. They really didn't seem to want our business and weren't very nice about it!
25. MEMEME's Review :: September 10, 2007 MEMEME's Rating: 1 Stars |
I desparately wanted this restaurant to be great. As local residents we have been waiting for this type of establishment to open up, rather than have to travel to the other side of Dufferin.
To a degree we weren't disappointed. The decor is welcoming and comfortable, there is a nice patio at the front, and the layout works. Nice job by the owners.
The service is excellent - attentive, friendly, knowledgable and accomdating. Not easy to do, so kudos again.
We had two issues with Cowbell - that could also be said for many other restaurants... when will someone get it all right?
The first is the food - yes, it's organic/local/home grown - and what we had tasted pretty darn good - it's just that we have a problem paying $27 for a $2 cut of steak, and $20+ for a chicken drum stick. The portion sizes were also on the small size. (As an aside, it is interesting that we look at American as glutons for their portion sizes, and they look at us as suckers.) It was by the way, one of the best $2 cuts of steak I have ever had. Looks to me like the chef is using his considerable talents to turn cheap ingredients into high prices. The bottom line - tasted great, but I couldn't help feeling a little ripped off.
The other is with the noise... when you can't hear the person sitting across from you well, it's too loud. A lot of this is due to the choice of building materials - they need something soft in the room to soak up some of the noise. If you are looking for a loud boistrous place to hang with a bunch of friends, this is it. Romantic first date or winding down on Friday after a long week at work.... I'd check out the Beaconsfield.
26. Anonymous's Review :: August 11, 2007 |
I desparately wanted this restaurant to be great. As local residents we have been waiting for this type of establishment to open up, rather than have to travel to the other side of Dufferin.
To a degree we weren't disappointed. The decor is welcoming and comfortable, there is a nice patio at the front, and the layout works. Nice job by the owners.
The service is excellent - attentive, friendly, knowledgable and accomdating. Not easy to do, so kudos again.
We had two issues with Cowbell - that could also be said for many other restaurants... when will someone get it all right?
The first is the food - yes, it's organic/local/home grown - and what we had tasted pretty darn good - it's just that we have a problem paying $27 for a $2 cut of steak, and $20+ for a chicken drum stick. The portion sizes were also on the small size. (As an aside, it is interesting that we look at American as glutons for their portion sizes, and they look at us as suckers.) It was by the way, one of the best $2 cuts of steak I have ever had. Looks to me like the chef is using his considerable talents to turn cheap ingredients into high prices. The bottom line - tasted great, but I couldn't help feeling a little ripped off.
The other is with the noise... when you can't hear the person sitting across from you well, it's too loud. A lot of this is due to the choice of building materials - they need something soft in the room to soak up some of the noise. If you are looking for a loud boistrous place to hang with a bunch of friends, this is it. Romantic first date or winding down on Friday after a long week at work.... I'd check out the Beaconsfield.
27. Parkdale Fan's Review :: August 11, 2007 Parkdale Fan's Rating: 2 Stars |
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 1564 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario |
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