The Wine Mezzanine at Joey Eaton Centre

This is the view from the upstairs Wine Mezzanine at Joey Eaton Centre.

It’s not often that you get a separate wine area in a restaurant that’s not a private dining room. So if you want to really get into some good wines, this is where you should be.

The first circular enomatic wine dispensing machine in Canada ensures that every glass you get is fresh, and if you’re like me – a lush – you’ll appreciate the fact that you can choose either a 6 oz. or 9 oz. glass! And because you’ll have the sommelier all to yourself up here on the upper level, you can talk with people who have a high level of knowledge and who are passionate about wine.

To me, it’s the convenience of having your own personal wine club without any expensive membership fees. And because of the enomatic, you can get wines up to $25/glass and try on some varietals and more eclectic wines that you wouldn’t normally get a chance to have.

Whether you like old or new world, they’ve got it all. And feel free to order some food while you’re up here too. There’s no separate menu or restrictions on what you can have upstairs versus downstairs (Thank you, Joey).

It looks like this is going to be my new home away from home. Wanna join me?

Talking with Chef Chris Mills at Joey Eaton Centre

The days before a restaurant opens can be incredible frenzied and stressful. But Chef Chris Mills, out here to make sure the kitchen of Joey Eaton Centre is working flawlessly, is a picture of calm. It seems like the more pressure, the more steadied h gets. I witnessed this for the first time back when he was in Toronto doing a practice run at The Burroughes for a James Beard Dinner in New York and again, a couple of days before opening day, Chef Mills seems like a man without a single worry.

He and the beautiful Britt Innes, Director of Marketing for JOEY, give me a tour of the new space, which is where a J.J. Muggs stood many decades ago (remember the winding brass and wood staircase and golf green carpets?). A collection of reclaimed woods juxtapose the urban setting and dark furniture.  We walk through a kitchen is jam-packed with chefs proving their skills while the dining areas alight with beautiful servers practicing the art of serving.

We finish the tour in the Wine Mezzanine upstairs (I’ll have a whole separate write up on that here on Friday), where we sit down to talk about the menu and of course, eat.

Despite being in the industry for decades, Chef Mills is passionate about food. He is excited about the menu, which already has a huge and dedicated following on the east coast. There is a charcuterie plate that features local cheeses, thinly sliced cured meats served with marinated olives, candied pecans, quince paste & hand-pulled flatbread that is part of the “globally-influenced menu,” that he’s created while using as many local and seasonal ingredients as possible.

Mills says that the menu has “one-hit-wonders of the world,” with Indian Butter Chicken, and Fish Tacos from Mexico and California and a strong Asian presence as just a few examples. Argentina even makes an appearance with a chimichurri sauce that accompanies a steak.

A lot of practice goes into these dishes. In fact, Chef Mills spends his weekends baking bread and recently he worked on the Butter Chicken dish at home “Twice on Friday and two times on Saturday, making a slightly different version every time.” Playing with evaporated milk , dried fenugreek and green cardamom,” he is trying to perfect the dish even further.

“For every one dish, there’s 200 that don’t make it. There are 6,7,8 dishes I test a week.”

This is just one of the many reasons why the food here is spectacular. When Chris Mills isn’t in the Joey kitchen, he’s in his own kitchen working to bring you something even better.

p.s. He next project? A steak house concept with wood-burning BBQs. I’ll keep you posted.

p.p.s. Their Blueberry Mojito is amazing. I would have had 6, but I didn’t want to be impolite.

p.p.p.s. Check back here on Friday when I tell you all about the amazing wine experience JOEY offers.

Joey Restaurant – Why the Eaton Centre is Your New Dining Destination

There is now a fantastic dining experience in tourist mecca at Yonge and Dundas.

Honest.

Joey Eaton Centre is one of the best places you’ll eat this year.

I know it’s hard to believe. We Torontonians are a fickle bunch and there’s no way that something not on Ossington or King West can be this spectacular, but believe it.

Chef Chris Mills, who I wrote about when he came to town last year for the James Beard Dinner trials, has shown the Toronto team exactly what he wants – and they’ve delivered.

The menu offers a global flavour, so there’s something for everyone. I was thrilled that there is so much to choose from but not have to page through a book of options like some places (you know who you are). The other amazing feature (other than the stellar food) is the price – decent with great sized portions. You’re not going home hungry, that’s for sure.

Here is an overview of what I had:

Those of you with a sweet tooth are going to be knocked out by the STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE ($7.99).

Here’s what I’m going to have when I go back (not at all once, mind you, but close):

BLAZING WINGS ($11.49) – 1lb of fiery hot wings with blue cheese dip. I am dying for a great place for wings.

ITALIAN FLATBREAD ($13.99) – spicy Italian sausage with whole milk mozzarella, basil and olives.  It’s not pizza, y’all, so stop calling it that.

I’ll be posting my interview with the affable Chef Mills on Wednesday and then on Friday, I’ll introduce you to the incredible wine program they’ve got – completely different than anywhere else in the city! Subscribe on the right to get them emailed directly to your inbox or be sure to check back on Wed and Fri.

I’ll also be tweeting about various Joey Eaton Centre features and happenings, so be sure to follow me on Twitter to get all the up-to-the-minute news!