The bistro is located at a busy corner in downtown Barrie. Actually a lot prettier than I thought it would be, some nice stores, coffee and tea shops etc. Nice.

The first thing we noticed when we entered the bistro was the smell of cooking oil. This came from the open kitchen at the back of the place. Bad ventilation is most likely to blame. The decor is pretty basic in an 80's kind of way. Old blue carpet, black metal chairs. Tables are nicely laid out, with generous space allowance. White linen, fabric napkins, in black. Not to my taste but I suspect that the owners simply didn't have the money needed to renovate the place.

The service was excellent from the minute we entered the place. I suspect that the woman in charge was the chef's wife. Friendly and clearly very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the food. The wine list was decent and well priced - we picked a bottle of Californian Cabernet for just over $40.00.

The food: I started with a crab cake, which was excellent. Fresh, nicely caramelized on the outside and juicy in the middle. It came with a flavored mayonnaise, red cabbage sprouts and pomegranate seeds which were all entirely superfluous. This set a bit of a theme. The food is good, but it tries too hard, especially for a bistro. My entree was beef ribs with a herb risotto and fresh vegetables. The ribs were wonderful, falling off the bone goodness. However, the BBQ sauce they came with completely overpowered the delicate herb risotto and the flavored oils that it was dressed with. A real shame, as the risotto was excellent and the oils prepared with care and attention.

One of my fellow diners informed me that his pudding, a nut tart with home made ice cream, was wonderful.

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