What A Gem

Wednesday night, I made my way to Queen and Broadview for dinner. I don't spend much time in the East end so I was surprised by the amount of gentrification on this stretch, though the Opera House and Jilly's are still around. Ruby Watchco, a dark wood-accented bistro enlivened by a glittering Ruby Watchco sign,  is owned by celebrity chef Lynn Crawford. Although not an open kitchen, there is a partial view into the kitchen in the back. The waitstaff is attentive but unobstrusive. Your only choice is a daily prix fixe menu of $49.

On this night, it comprised of Walnut Hill Ham & Bosc Pear Salad, Ruby's Brick Chicken with Truffle Leek Sauce, Naramata Bench by Poplar Grove Cheese, and a Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie. The salad was hit and miss. The heirloom tomatoes, pear vinaigrette and blue haze complemented one another. But the romaine was strictly filler (most salad isn't worth the effort of chewing) and the salty ham was not a good contrast.

Luckily, The brick chicken was excellent: tender brussel sprouts with smoky bacon lardons, the roasted rutabagas gave off bursts of sweetness with each bite (reminiscent of sucking on eucalyptus candy on a winter day) and the apple mustard chutney tasted more like caramelized pineapple. Lentils is lentils, but drenching them in brown butter was quite appetizing. The brick chicken was soft and tender. I'm not usually a fan of non-crispy chicken skin but Ruby's was tasty without that gelatinous fatty taste. A large and filling main dish, there was enough for the next day's lunch.
After that chicken, I was done. But there were 2 more dishes. I enjoyed the brandied cherries, not too sweet, but the cheese should have been sharper for balance. The pecan pie with vanilla cream was held back by the chocolate base which subdued the nuttiness.

How was the chicken the next day? Microwaved chicken is a foul-smelling and barely edible food but this was superb. In fact, having a night to soak in all the different sauces, the rutabagas, brussel sprouts, and lentils were divine. This was possibly the best packed lunch I've ever had. So not only is the prix fixe a great deal for the quality and portion, but Ms. Crawford should consider adding a pret-a-porter lunch counter because that was some good eating.