Painters Hall Bistro: Where you should be eating this Saturday Night. Unassuming could be used to describe the facade of Painter's Hall Bistro, if one were being kind. Truth be told, the outer exterior of Painters Hall almost had us turn around and head home, thinking we had mistakenly come upon an old pool hall, not the classy restaurant we were recommended. Do not judge a book by it's cover is the way the old saying goes and should you not remember this when you happen upon Painters Hall Bistro in your travels, then you will be missing out.
Deciding to put our trepidations aside we walked up the sidewalk and up to the front door. Upon opening the door, we knew we had come to the right place. Inside we were met with a warm and inviting ambiance matched by its decor. There was a dining room and a lounge each with its own unique, inviting feel.
We were then greeted by our server that quickly made us forget that we had even left home at all that evening.
Then, promptly, it was showtime! We were greeted by Greg Rennet, Painters Executive Chef. He presented us with an amuse, my boyfriend liquid hot pizza in a class and deep fried rabbit for myself. Each had bright flavors and a creative presentation, making it a great start to the night. Next, we tried the servers wine pick, an Australian Petite Sirah, which, unsure of what to go with, she sold it to us by saying, that if we didn't like it, she'd drink it, so we did and she was right on the money. Next, Mike and I had the watercress custard tart which was served with a tasting glass of a souvenir from the Chefs latest trip to California. It paired perfectly with the tart and this coming from Mike and myself who are not at all white wine drinkers.
By now so excited at this point to go on, out came... butter. I find it increasingly difficult to focus on words and specific ingredients as a fine dining experience carries on in to the night. This is quite often a sign of an incredible meal, or, at times, inebriation. However, on this night I assure you it was the former. A plate of pork belly and scallop was presented to me and as I took the first bite into the crisped creamy fat of the belly I was carried off to la la land. Words began to fail me. Mike asked me what I was eating and tried to tell me about what was on his plate and my greatest concern had become appearing lucid. I took the next bite from the scallop, lovingly cooked to perfection, perhaps a minute and a half per side. Mike enjoyed a poached pear salad of which the pears were really good but, I regret to say not enough attention was paid to them by myself, for reasons previously stated. Next came the salmon. I am not generally a fan of salmon unless it is raw. Strange perhaps, but true. So this salmon stopped me in my tracks as the beauty was in the simplicity of it's preparation. The flavors were clean and unadulterated and the flesh perfectly moist. Usually with salmon, I want it smoked, candied or marinated with ginger and honey. This salmon was perfect naked.
To top it off, as though the Chef had known my love rice with fish, the salmon was paired with a creamy caper and raisin risotto. As we continued to drink our Sirah, out came the final tastes of the evening - and they did not disappoint. Out. Came, The ice cream. Yes, ice cream. Usually, such an end would be an almost bitter finish to an otherwise breathtaking evening. This evening however, that was not the case. I was met with ice cream varying from beet and goat cheese, to cranberry. Needing to take my time and savor every bite, I did not make it to every flavor but gladly ate those already melted, from the bottom of the bowl.
So, on those nights that you are wanting to escape the crowded city for something wonderful and new and for that matter, even on those nights that you feel too tired to make the trip, make it. We discovered that because of Painter's Hall Bistro, it is certainly worth the trip to Barrie.
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