Depending on which type of foodie you are, you're probably familiar with Brad Long as either the man behind Veritas or the flashy TV personality often seen on Restaurant Makeover. Either way, he's as much a "big name chef" as any we know in the city, which surprised us when he decided to open a new venture not only outside the major dining areas of Toronto, but practically off the radar. Brad insists that the location of his new bar, My Place: A Canadian Pub is actually a positive, just a short jaunt from the busy areas of The Kingsway, Swansea, and Baby Point.

"It's that old epithet: location, location, location," says Brad. "This place had all three." I've never heard a pub at Jane and Bloor praised for its location, but then again, as a resident of Downtown Toronto that rarely leaves Downtown Toronto, I'm not My Place's target market. My Place (or, I guess Brad's place) is not meant to be a destination, but rather a spot to serve the neighbouring communities. For a celebrity chef, that's a surprising move.

A big part of the decision had to do with the space itself, formerly occupied by two bars, Billy Bob's Saloon and The Fan. It's freakin' huge! At over 18,000 feet, the venue acts as a canvas for Long to try a little bit of everything. Split into a number of "zones", My Place has a long bar, several dining areas, space for live entertainment, a basement sports bar (which could conceivably be a bar on its own), and, most impressively, a huge rooftop patio. It seems populism is My Place's M.O., so elitists should probably back off.

Still, for such an accessible pub, it's still satisfyingly high-brow. Since his days at the CN Tower's 360 Restaurant, Brad Long has been trading in Canadian Cuisine. But what the hell is Canadian Cuisine? "That's a question I've been trying to answer for the last 15 years," says Brad. The expansive menu of My Place allows him to continue to explore it on another level.

The philosophy is to start with the ingredients ("as logically organic and logistically Canadian as I know how to be") and work out from there. Dishes like Shredded Berkshire Pork Shoulder, Bison Brisket Sandwich, and Grass Fed 14 Ounce Ribeye use Ontario produce to its full potential. Add a bar full of craft beers on tap, a great Ontario-centric wine list, and you'll see that accessible doesn't necessarily mean lowest common denominator.