There are two things that chef Nathan Isberg kept in mind when opening his new restaurant: he wanted to do it without investors and stay away from condo-land or whatever is deemed “the next big neighbourhood.” That’s why he snatched up a 33-year-old sports bar at Brock and Dundas West after biking past it last summer. With an initial budget of $600, he gradually transformed it into the cozy nautical-themed tapas-style restaurant now known as Atlantic.

Help came from the most surprising of places: Isberg’s former bosses at Coca, with whom he buried the hatchet after the Queen West spot was suddenly shut down last year. They gave him Coca’s old chairs, banquettes, wine glasses and a table. “We took a bad situation and turned it around,” Isberg says. “I don’t think the investors shut the place down out of malice. I think they weren’t used to working at a restaurant and got flustered.”

With that behind him, Isberg’s taking things slow this time, rather than aiming for a grand opening with instant success. “All the businesses in this neighbourhood have been around for decades, and everyone is doing it out of love rather than for money. If I wanted to be mega-successful immediately, I’d sell steak frites and charcuterie.”

Instead, adventurous diners can rejoice: Isberg is sautéeing crickets. The benefits of eating insects (low fat, high protein) have long been the subject of food trend stories, but Isberg is treating them as a regular ingredient, rather than a novelty dish. The bugs come in live and are placed in the fridge to slow their metabolism. Then he takes off the wings and legs (it takes about five seconds per leg—see images below) and sautées the bodies in a pan with peppers or chilies. He assures us that these aren’t the same crickets found in a backyard, though when asked about his suppliers, he smiles and tells us that it’s a secret. “They taste like what they eat, so I feed them rosemary,” he says.

Less daring diners can order dishes à la carte ($9 for one dish, $25 for three, $33 for four), such as escargot (the classic butter and garlic variety, but with a splash of amontillado), frog legs (tossed with Korean chilies and served with kimchee), pickled quail eggs with avruga caviar, beet and red cabbage salad, and gruyère-and-potato-filled pierogies. Isberg emphasizes a menu that’s “lower on the food chain,” meaning it’s centred on vegetables and seafood. He says he likes to speak with diners first to get a feel for what they like so he can cook accordingly.

Diners hoping to sample the crickets should call ahead. Sadly, Isberg was out of them when we dropped by.

Atlantic, 1597 Dundas St. W. (at Brock Ave.), 416-219-3819.

(Images: Karon Liu)

Original article can be be found by clicking here

Nathan Isberg goes it alone on Dundas West (Image: Renée Suen)

It’s been a year since Coca closed under shady circumstances, and now its chef, Nathan Isberg, is opening his own place, Atlantic, along the rapidly hipifying stretch of Dundas West near Brock Avenue. Isberg says that the new spot is similar to Coca (the food, he means, not the investors who allegedly screwed over the staff). “The menu is going to be flexible in the first while as I play around, but it’ll be Italian based with Moorish flavorings—northern African spices,” he says. “It’s like Coca but more modest and spicier and a little lower on the food chain. By that, I mean there’s no beef or pork or charcuterie. There’s going to be a bit of seafood, but it’s more focused on produce.”

Isberg says the doors will be officially open by April 6.

The results are in: after seven weeks and eleven restaurants, a group of young food critics from Parkdale Public School (aka the Parkdale Pumas) have eaten their way across Queen West and made their final judgments.

Last night at the Gladstone, the Pumas dished out awards like “Scariest Bathroom” and “Coolest Chef” at the Eat The Street Awards Ceremony.

In a mash-up of unusual social experiment meets live performance art, Eat The Street is the brainchild of Darren O’Donnell and his team at Mammalian Diving Reflex. Mammalian Diving Reflex (MDR) is a theatre company creating works that interact directly with the community.

Following last year’s success of Parkdale Public School vs. Queen West Round 1 (which included the Pumas giving haircuts to willing adult participants, cooking up meals at Coca, and shooting a film), MDR rolled out round two in a “critical dinner series” called Eat The Street.

Completely open to the public, Eat The Street was a series of eleven dinners at eleven Queen West restaurants. After receiving a primer on the finer points of critiquing food from Coca’s Nathan Isberg, the kids were unleashed on the neighbourhood.

According to MDR, Eat The Street was a chance for the public to “dine with the future of the neighbourhood and the future of Toronto.” O’Donnell believes that kids should have the same rights as adults, and by giving them the ability to cut hair, make films, or critique restaurants we are giving them an empowered childhood. Opening these events to the public and weaving them into the day-to-day fabric of the community just adds to this empowerment and provides a real-time interactive performance.

At the award ceremony last night they dished out hand-made awards, some of which included:

“Coolest Chef” awarded to Matt Matheson at Oddfellows
(admittedly due to his impressive array of tattoos)
“Scariest Bathroom” awarded to Mizti’s Sister
“Hottest Waiters” awarded to Tyler and Daniel at The Drake
“Best Ice Cream” Skyline Restaurant
“Nicest Waiter with Best Food Explanation” awarded to Jeff at Czehoski
“Hottest Waitress” awarded to Marina from Cadillac Lounge
“Best Momo” awarded to Shangrila
“Nicest Waitress” awarded to Liz from Beaver Cafe
“Least Graffiti in the Washroom” awarded to Saigon Flower
“Best Lassi” awarded to Mother India
“Best Food Presentation” awarded to Addis Ababa
“Best Overall Restaurants” were awarded to The Drake (1st Place), Czehoski (2nd Place), and Shangrila (3rd Place)

Regardless of the criticism of O’Donnell’s work as art, it was certainy clear to me that the kids had a good time and got to experience something that they would not have otherwise been able to. In my opinion, opening up the stage for critical thinking about the food they eat (or anything for that matter) is a worthwhile exercise – and if it means good eats and good company in the process then let the streets be eaten.