Cecilia Buy

On the Front Restaurant & Lounge in Sarnia

Some people seem to have been born with a gene that destines them for the hospitality business. Whether they work in a hostelry, in a kitchen, as a server, behind a bar, or in a manager’s office; whether they consciously chose their path, or simply found themselves upon it and unwilling to turn at a cross-road, these people often experience (in spite of the inherent hurdles and hardships) a sense of fulfillment in their fields, and a passion for their careers, that eludes many of us.

Others, however, have the hospitality business thrust upon them. Such was the case for Deborah (Debbie) Renaud-McDermott of Sarnia, and her husband Les McDermott. Eleven years ago they took a step into unfamiliar waters. The couple, both from business backgrounds, but inexperienced in the particular and often peculiar restaurant business, became silent partners in a new venture: On the Front Restaurant and Lounge, on Front Street in Sarnia.

A few years after the former office space had been repurposed, and the restaurant was up and running, the other two members of the group (who did have restaurant experience) opted to leave the association. Debbie realized that she and her husband had “two choices – we lose our investment, or we forge ahead.”

On the Front is situated on the top floor of a building (now called First Sarnia Place) which once housed the offices of a chemical corporation. After exiting the elevator at the 14^th floor, one ascends a curved and cantilevered wooden staircase to the restaurant. There is no wheelchair access at present.

The reception area is not brightly lit, but this is made up for as you are led into the restaurant proper. Banks of plate glass, wall-to-wall on two sides of the large room, provide a bright and airy ambience. When you step up to the windows you are rewarded with stunning views of the vibrantly coloured waters of the  St. Clair River, the Blue Water Bridge, the cityscape on the American shore, and the busy flow of life on a river that serves both commercial and recreational traffic. A patio allows patrons to enjoy this all al fresco, weather permitting.

The floor has been separated into utilitarian areas. Central is the lounge, furnished with small café-type tables and banquettes. Patrons can also choose to dine here. Left of the lounge, behind a curved wall, is the former corporate boardroom, now used for private events, business meetings, or for dining room overflow on busy nights. This room also enjoys large windows and attractive views.  Tables can be variously arranged to accommodate up to forty people. “ We say our part-time job is furniture moving,” laughs Debbie.

Continuing through the lounge you enter the carpeted dining room. Seating is a mixture of booths and tables. Whichever you choose, you will have a view into the open kitchen. If that doesn’t hold your attention, and you can wrest your eyes from the window view, you can admire the art displayed throughout the restaurant and lounge. Currently installed are a number of lively acrylic paintings by local artist Judy Brady.

Few will find offence in the menu offerings at On the Front. Starters include Caesar salad, baby spinach salad, and (“‘by far the most favourite appetizer”) bacon-wrapped scallops.

Main courses include rack of lamb (Australian, and available as a full or half rack), Chicken Supreme, bouillabaise (ingredients sourced from Purdy’s, a local and well-known purveyor of fish and seafood), and a ‘pan seared organic [read farmed] Norwegian salmon’.

Beef gets its own menu  page, which notes that all steaks are ‘certified Sterling Silver beef’. While Angus beef, for example, denotes a breed, Sterling Silver is a brand. Owned by Cargill, Incorporated, the brand is based in Wichita, Kansas, and prides itself on the management practices and processes that they use. Among these practices is the use of x-rays on some cuts, to determine amounts of marbling and fat.

The beef menu contains a handy guide to grilling standards, which provides the definitions of ‘Well Done’, and ‘Rare’, for example.

Jeff Crump, chef at Ancaster’s Old Mill (and author of the recently published ‘Earth to Table’) admits that ‘eating local is a massive trend at the moment’, but notes that it’s hardly a new behaviour in human history, and that besides being ‘produced fairly and sustainably [local food is] delicious.’ Trying to serve the best to their customers presents difficulties, though, to many chefs. They lament limited supplies and sources, and the unavoidable shortages of certain items outside of their growing season, or availability of others within the region. There is another consideration, voiced by Deborah Renaud-McDermott: “we have to consider price, what people are willing to spend. We also have to cover our costs…I’d love to be able to do it [but it is] more expensive, unfortunately.”

The inclusion of Maytag blue cheese in the spinach salad will give the culturally erudite a clue as to the importance of using locally sourced foods in this kitchen. (Don’t feel bad: I had to go to Wikipedia, which informed me that “Maytag is a blue cheese produced on the Maytag Dairy Farms outside of Newton, Iowa (the home of the Maytag Corporation). In 1938, Iowa State University developed a new process for making blue cheese from homogenized milk (instead of traditional sheep’s milk).” Maytag Dairy Farms’ website further advises that this cheese is produced by “a time-consuming method of hand making cheese in small batches, using fresh sweet milk from Iowa dairy farms.”).

Chef is responsible for setting the menu, which is then vetted by Debbie with an eye to cost considerations. Regrettably, I did not have an opportunity to speak with On the Front’s  current chef, to discover his food philosophy, or to ask any other questions pertaining to the menu.

The wine list is neither over-long nor over-ambitious. It was “initially started by someone from the LCBO,” says Debbie. “We’ve made minor changes.” The list consists of a number of familiar names, many European and North American, and changes from time to time based on availability, and on recommendations that Deborah receives.

Of working in the restaurant business, says Debbie, “It’s interesting, it’s fun, it’s definitely hard work. You can say good-bye to a social life.”  Acknowledging that service is a vital part of running a restaurant, she credits her staff: “One of the things I’m very proud of is the staff in the front of house, very loyal and hard-working.” Other facets of her job also provide satisfaction. On the Front sponsored the Starbright Summer Festival this past summer. “It was a pleasure to do,” she enthuses, adding that it was also “ a good thing”  for the business.

Deborah Renaud-McDermott is living proof that you don’t need that mysterious hospitality gene to keep a restaurant running. You need determination, a solid understanding of the business, an eye on the bottom line, and the will to make it all work.  And it helps to have a room with a view.

On the Front Restaurant & Lounge

201 Front Street North

Sarnia, ON

N7T 7T9

519 332-4455

http://www.onthefront.com/

Interpreting the Art and Business of the Restaurant

at Pazzo, in Stratford.

First off, to explain that title: Pazzo translates from the Italian most often as  crazy, but connotes as well many of the synonyms we use in English, terms that range from derogative to amusing.

Owners Jeff Leney and Larry McCabe accepted the suggestion from one of their original partners in the business, and as McCabe remarks, “anybody who’s ever started a restaurant would think it’s appropriate…you have to be crazy to do it.”

But this establishment was developed on some very solid and sane foundations.

The two were partners from the beginning, and both brought related experience to their enterprise. “Jeff and I were always involved with restaurants…Jeff did quite a bit more on the kitchen end of things, I was always front of house.” says McCabe.  When the opportunity arose to take over the basement area of the building, “we had a plan for a pizzeria. We did a lot of research. We did a very comprehensive business plan.”

Even metaphor lends itself to the conceit of a solid foundation: one of the basement walls is  an artifact from Stratford’s history. The exposed stones belonged to one of the town’s earliest buildings, and the wall remains as an integral, and necessary, part of the existing structure.

It was eleven years ago that the partners opened Pazzo Pizzeria, below-stairs from an existing restaurant that was under different ownership. About a year later, when the upstairs space became available, Leney and McCabe moved in, and presented Pazzo Ristorante.

The pizzeria and the restaurant present very different faces, but share some complementary aspects.

Both up and down have dedicated kitchens, each with its own head chef. There is a degree of travel between the kitchens that allows the staff to expand their skills and experience. (Each of the kitchen staff is either a graduate of or enrolled in the Chef School). Both kitchens offer menus that Larry McCabe describes as “modern Italian, heavily focused on really good ingredients. We have long term relationships with local people who provide seasonal ingredients.”

Chef Greg Kuepfer, who presides over the Pizzeria kitchen, began his culinary career in his home town of Stratford, and after chef school spent time at the Hillebrand Winery Restaurant, to complete his training. Hillebrand emphasizes both local terroir and foods in its restaurant, and Keupfer’s training harmonizes with the Pazzo credo.

Don’t be misled by the name ‘pizzeria’.  From the  terra cotta coloured open kitchen issue a variety of dishes, from primi through pasti to secondi, and, of course, pizza. The menu mentions ‘simple Italian food’, but there’s more than a hint of sophistication in many of the items, such as this appetizer: “Arugula and shaved white mushroom salad with lemon, olive oil and parmesan”, or the Italian Stallion pizza – prosciutto, italian sausage, italian bacon, spicy calabrese, bocconcini, roasted garlic and fresh herbs.

The Pizzeria provides two main rooms. The first, which you enter from the stairway, has a welcoming bar, and booths with warm red wood tabletops. Because the building is on a grade, there is also an attractive view from the windows on one side. The second room is the one which offers the lively show from the open kitchen.

Stratford Pilsner is featured in the Pizzeria, but of course wines are also available, from Pazzo’s extensive and well-considered list.

‘The Pizzeria has a large local following,” says McCabe. “It’s more consistent, and it’s busier, especially in the wintertime when we’re closed up[stairs].’

The downstairs area boasts a special little component. The wine cellar can seat up to seven for private dining. Seated at a round table, surrounded by beautiful wines, with floor-to-ceiling glass wall and doors , you are separated from the hustle and bustle, but not from the atmosphere of the lively bar and general dining area. And you enjoy the same friendly and professional service that is a hallmark of Pazzo.

Upstairs, in the restaurant, the atmosphere is distinctly less casual and more upscale. The décor and design were created by Ron Nuhn (the interior designer who has been responsible for the styling of some other Stratford restaurants, as well as Toronto’s Cowbell, and Globe Bistro). The overall look is lots of white and silver, but this is a warm and classic elegance, and the chromatics are alleviated by the bank of large windows on the west side of the room, and by the brown and gold wall covering on the east.

This kitchen is the purview of Sean Collins. He, too, embraces the Pazzo philosophy of using interesting and good quality ingredients, and sourcing locally wherever and whenever possible. (Like many other chefs, Collins acknowledges the challenges of sharing a small number of suppliers among a large number of local area restaurants).

Larry McCabe summarizes the restaurant menu thus: “ We try to mix it between standard dishes  (there is a chicken and a beef on the menu), and things that highlight flavour profiles that are not generally seen”. An example of this would be Braised rabbit with lentils, baby carrots and caramelized onion broth. Rabbit seems to be appearing more frequently on menus in our region. (The appetizer menu offers Rabbit terrine with local greens and plum chutney ). Pazzo sources their rabbits from a farm in Arthur. Another item on the recently introduced Fall menu is slow-cooked veal cheeks with sautéed mushrooms, parsnips and Israeli couscous. This is proving to be extremely popular with patrons.

Larry McCabe is justifiably proud of the wine list, which is substantial and wide ranging, with offerings from around the globe. The emphasis, though, is on France, Italy, California, and of course, Ontario. (There are currently about 30 Ontario wines available at Pazzo). This season Pazzo has featured a number of 2007 Ontario whites, among them the Cave Spring Chardonnay Musqué (intense spice and orange flavours) and their Riesling Dolomite (available only direct-to-restaurant). McCabe is looking forward to receiving some very good Ontario 2007 reds, for next season, particularly some from Le Clos Jordanne, whose Pinot Noir has been getting excellent advance billing.

A number of wines are available by the glass. Changes to the list are frequent, depending on vintage changes, and new discoveries. A downloadable listing can be found on the website, should you wish to indulge in some pleasurable anticipation.

Service, that most fundamental of elements, is taken very seriously at Pazzo. Ignorance of details of the food and wine, on the part of wait staff, does not translate into bliss for the dining patrons. McCabe emphasizes that the floor staff are well-prepared for their work. “[We do] extensive wine training, we do seminars, 4 or 5 during the year.”  Staff also have the opportunity to visit Ontario wineries, to acquire a more immediate and in-depth education.  And the staff are also thoroughly trained on the food:  “They have the opportunity to see everything that is coming out [of the kitchen],  to critique it…to learn the ingredients of every dish”.

Pazzo’s patio will be open as long as the weather is accommodating, but the Ristorante will be closing at the end of October. Try to visit before the closing, to appreciate the experience offered by a cast and crew that are truly professionals in their fields. If you’re too late for the dining room, enjoy the same standards, with a different atmosphere, in the Pizzeria.  There’s nothing crazy about having a good time!

70 Ontario Street

Stratford, Ontario. N5A 3H2

Phone: 519-273-6666 or 1-877-440-9666

Fax: 519-273-6554

http://www.pazzo.ca

Tania Auger’s Lola’s Lounge in Sarnia

Bryan Lavery & Cecilia Buy

Drive down Christina Street in Sarnia, and you can’t miss it. A narrow building, with the front of its second floor covered by the outsize signage: Lola’s Lounge writ large in flowing neon script, voluptuously crimson. Red is Tania Auger’s signature colour, and the owner of Lola’s has put her unmistakable stamp on every facet of her restaurant, from furnishings to food, from the window treatment to the wine list.

The bones of the old building show through. Operating continuously since the ‘thirties, the shade of the former diner lingers. The swivel stools at the counter have been replaced with metal-framed barstools, but the curved bulkhead above the liquor shelves remains, now backlit with red neon that casts a speakeasy glow over the bottles, and her collection of vintage Canadian and Italian art glass.

Down one side of the room are the original booths, seats now reupholstered, and each booth with its own coat and hat rack.  On the other side of the terrazzo floor (laid in diagonal stripes of light and dark) the booths have been replaced with tables and chairs. While the room seats seventy it feels smaller, more intimate, that sense enhanced by the large coloured glass lamps suspended over each table, and a jungle of shiny sequined decorations that dangle from the ceiling, with swinging lamps over the bar. Tables are set with bread plates, cutlery and glassware, and a rainbow of cloth napkins. The upbeat music is played to be noticed and enjoyed as part of a high energy dining experience. Even with the bright sunshine pouring through the large plate glass window, the ambience is less of lunchtime than ‘afternoon at the seraglio’/ ‘fifties cocktail lounge.

Tania Auger was born a bon vivant and knew from an early age that she and the hospitality business were made for each other. She arrived in London in her late teens, charisma already flowing, to fill a vacancy at the Lamplighter Inn, working as a bartender. This was followed by stints at Howard Johnson’s and much longer stretches at John and Ingrid Blanke’s Gabrielle’s Next Door. Not long after, she became the barkeeper/doyenne at Singapore. Located downstairs from the ultra chic Asian-inspired Sorrenti’s restaurant, Singapore was an instant hit under Auger’s direction.  The intimate bar was an oasis of smoky cosmopolitan seduction and sophistication with an adjoining secluded back room complete with two Moorish -inspired tented booths. The bar boasted a menu of classic cocktails: stingers, manhattans, rusty nails, Rob Roy’s, and martinis, as well as original concoctions that cemented Auger’s reputation as bartender extraordinaire. At the time Auger was also making her name designing and handcrafting her own collection of avant-garde jewellery.

In 1988, Auger’s entrepreneurial streak continued to surface and she leased the Ritz Hotel in Bayfield, and opened the Shark Inn. After a very successful season the building was purchased by Joan Ivey who bought out the lease and paved the way for Auger to return to London and transform a longtime lunch counter into the legendary 99 King. Auger’s high energy approach, design sensibility and idiosyncratic style went a long way into helping to turn a derelict part of King Street into the restaurant mecca it has become. The restaurant and lounge eventually expanded into three buildings in the premises now occupied by the Cello Supper Club.

In the second year of operation she upped the ante and hired uber-chef Jacqueline “Jackie” Shantz for the long run period.

All good things come to an end, and after a lengthy and successful run, in 1997, much to the dismay of a large and diverse clientele, the doors of 99 King were closed. Tania returned to her hometown, and after a brief hiatus opened a new enterprise, the tony Smoked Oyster and a second restaurant / nightclub, Red Tango. Following the events of September 11, 2001, Sarnia, like other Canadian border cities, felt the effects on trade. The locals, sophisticated American customers, Point Edward Charity Casino’s high rollers and the tourists along Sarnia’s stunning riverfront district stayed away in droves. Undeterred, and never one to look backwards, she ‘bit the hair of the dog’ and opened Lola’s Lounge in the summer of 2002.

“When I first opened I was trying to do funky comfort food ‘cause I still had the Red Tango. I was trying to keep the Tango as the dressy place and this as the more comfort… I finally said, ‘Okay, forget it!’ Painted the place red (gotta have red), raised the bar, and put the mirrors in,” recalls Auger. “People were mad at me for closing the Smoked Oyster. It was not easy, people wouldn’t even come.  It took at least a year to get things going again.”

Seven years later Lola’s has seen some changes and permutations in style, staff, and cuisine, but seems settled in for the long run. Giselle Dennis, Lola’s manager has been by Auger’s side every step of the way, doing the books at 99 King, 4 years at The Smoked Oyster and the last 7 at Lola’s.

Despite a current trend to simplicity and seasonality, Auger, who appreciates the “local” philosophy does not follow trends, she sets them. Her menus have a distinct personality consistent with Tania Auger brand, the imprimatur, retro-chic with a continental riff on the traditional. Hers is an anthology of rehabilitated classics like escargot forestiere, crispy frogs legs, oysters Rockefeller, clam chowder and iceberg lettuce (but this incarnation served with beef tenderloin, blue cheese, boiled egg and avocado.) It is food that is brash, sensual and sexy, food that borders on the hedonistic with big flavours. Menus denote exotic locales, diverse flavours and ingredients. The irony of items such as Mama Mia Meatballs with major mozza & baguette and Fashion Forward Cold Seafood Extravaganza reference what is both camp and kitsch.

Lola’s rack of lamb is a culinary legend  with its spicy maple bourbon sauce, whose ingredients came to Auger fully formed in a dream and Chef Shantz perfected during the 99 King years.

Auger has always paid homage to the American bar and grille sensibility and its culinary traditions, especially martinis, big 10 and 12oz. steaks and the freshest fish and seafood.  Lola’s fresh fish is sourced locally from Purdy’s Fish Market, which is one of Southwestern Ontario’s hidden gems, operating since 1900 in Point Edward. There is also a location in Grand Bend and Purdy’s sells its offerings at the Sarnia Farmer’s Market at the corner of Ontario and Proctor Streets. Saturdays 7 a.m. to noon.

Turns out, you can go home again.  Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. And little man, little Lola wants you. Make up your mind to have no regrets. Recline yourself, resign yourself, you’re through….
Lola’s Lounge

110 Christina St. S. Sarnia, ON

519 336-8088