No Place To Be Flying

In the backyard behind the diner Rose & Sons, the owner has opened a second restaurant called Big Crow which specializes in grill and bbq food. I dropped by on Saturday to check out this slightly pricier cousin. The venue was welcoming and airy, with long wooden communal benches and entirely canopied. The large, wood-fired grill backs onto leafy elevated land where every now and then a freight train would come chugging by. It was like spending time at a friend who was serious about backyard dining and had the money to back his vision.

For appetizers, I started with smoked mozzarella and roast garlic bread ($9). The bread was nicely toasted on the outside, soft and oozing with cheese on the inside. Full cloves of garlic were found embedded in the cheese, though they were so well-cooked that there was much strong flavour. It was good bread though a bit too salty.

For the main, I opted for a 1/2 rabbit with honey butter and hot sauce ($18), and two sides ($7): pork and beans, and cubanello peppers and eggplant. This dish disappointed. The very small pieces were too bony and not worth the effort, while the large ones tasted like chewy chicken. Only one or two were perfectly sized to impart both a smokey flavour and a hint of sweetness and spice. The peppers and eggplant were tangy preserves; I would have preferred crunchy and grilled. The beans were soft and chewy, but the entire side was seriously under-seasoned and bland. A great-looking space but not a great meal.