Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope you’re enjoying the unofficial last week of summer. Now that my favourite season is drawing to a close, I’ve been trying to enjoy all the summery activities – from beach outings to wine tours to patio drinks – while tweather permits. And just when I thought it was too late for summer travel plans, the other week Tania and I decided to take a quick trip to Paris… Paris Texas, that is! No, this isn’t the Paris in France, Texas or even Ontario… it’s a brand new country-themed restaurant and bar that just opened on King West.
Founded by the same folks behind Pizza Wine Disco in collaboration with Municipal Goods and Liberty Entertainment Group, Paris Texas – which opened in early July – is a country and western themed bar, restaurant and event venue. The restaurant has a saloon-inspired interior (that turns into a club at night) and a sprawling outdoor patio with views of the CN Tower. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I love Southern food almost as much as I love checking out new restaurants, so I couldn’t wait to take a trip to Paris Texas!
We sat on the patio, which is decorated with blue banquettes, whitewashed wood furniture and faux cacti. The focal point of the patio is a showstopping 20-foot-long marble bar.
We started with drinks, of course! Tania ordered a glass of Miraval Rosé (one of our favourite wines) and I got the Fuzzy Peach cocktail: a mix of Bulleit bourbon, peach rooibos tea, house-made peach puree and fresh lemon, garnished with fresh peach slices. It was light and refreshing – not too sweet – and I loved the peaches.
We ordered three dishes to share: the Texas Corn Bread, Summer Greens Salad, and Chicken & Waffles.
I’ll preface this by saying I’m pretty picky when it comes to cornbread. I make it at home regularly – and not to brag, but it’s a really, really good one – so I have high standards. It takes a lot for a cornbread to impress me, but this one did! It’s baked in a cast iron skillet and topped with maple honey, bourbon butter and chives. It was seriously so good that we took what we couldn’t eat home with us (and finished it that same night…)
The Summer Greens Salad is tossed in a raspberry yogurt dressing and topped with candied pecans, raspberries, goat cheese and sliced watermelon radish. You know those salads that taste so decadent you know they can’t possibly be healthy? This was one of these. Between the sweet dressing and the decadent toppings, this salad could rival any dessert they had on the menu. It was amazing.
Our favourite dish was their famous Chicken & Waffles. According to Toronto Life, chef Eric Phung spent two months perfecting the recipe for the twice-fried chicken, which is brined for 24 hours before being battered in a flour-cornflake mixture and deep-fried. The chicken is served with savoury cheddar waffles, a small dish of compressed watermelon, and bottles of house buffalo sauce and maple honey. The two months it took to get the recipe just right were two months well spent, because the chicken was delicious! I didn’t try the buffalo sauce (just not my thing) but I loved the maple honey so much that I wish I could have bought a bottle to take home. And I’d never tried compressed watermelon before, but I’m officially a fan – it really concentrates the flavour of the fruit.
We loved our dinner at Paris Texas, and will definitely return soon to try their Sunday brunch. Restaurant reservations can be made here. If you end up visiting Paris Texas, let me know how you liked it! And if there’s any other restaurants in Toronto you think I should know about, from new kids on the block to old favourites, please let me know – I’d love to hear your recommendations!
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