TORONTO — Piquette, an intimate 30-seat wine bar on Queen Street West in Toronto, has opened its doors. The restaurant — owned by Grant van Gameren — offers a rotating list of more than 80 labels, alongside a menu of shareable dishes.
van Gameren, along with general managers and Bar Isabel alumni Ellen Shrybman and Nathan Morrell, have combined their many years of experience in food, drink and hospitality and meaningful connections with local and international winemakers and vintners, to provide a comfortable, personalized approach to the wine-bar experience.
Guests are encouraged to speak with Piquette’s knowledgeable staff to find the perfect wine and food to suit their mood, taste and budget and to learn more about the origin of the wines.
The wine list will be regularly updated to highlight notable and hard-to-find labels, with a focus on winemakers and vineyards from around the globe.
Under the direction of van Gameren, the menu of small dishes is kept simple and fresh and will showcase charcuterie from Scott Draper, as well as composed dishes from van Gameren himself. Dishes include amberjack crudo with local cucumbers and fennel with tonnato, habanero and bonito, but the menu will change regularly.
Designed by Toronto-based Ali McQuaid from Futurestudio, Piquette provides a warm and inviting atmosphere. Collaborating with Jeff Crews, a local millworker, McQuaid designed a beautiful, temperature-controlled oak cabinet to host the wines available by the bottle. Sleek bar- and table-tops are done in leathered blanco Cachoeiro marble and polished green bonette marble from Cosentino.
