Ruby Watchco

I’ll admit I’m posting this review a bit late… it’s been sitting in my drafts pile for a while.
I’ve been to Ruby Watchco a few times now and while I love Lynn Crawford and the concept of this restaurant, something has changed between my first couple of visits and my last one. I thought maybe it was just an off night, but judging from more recent reviews it might be a trend.
The menu that night featured:
Smoked Trout BLT Salad (greens, bacon lardons, corn bread croutons, cherry tomato dressing)
Slow Roasted Rack of Pork with Plum Sauce (with Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Sour Cream & Scallions, Ontario Kale, Sweet & Smokey Mustard Dressing,
Grilled Carrots with Charred Almond Aioli)
Supplement of Ruby’s ribs and wings with honey mustard sauce (+$ 18)
Artisanal cheese with roasted tomatoes, olives and confit onion
Zucchini Pecan Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
We started off with a cocktail that was ridiculously sour. I like sour, but this was undrinkable. The server told me it was supposed to be that way, so I asked her to try it and tell me if that was really true. Needless to say they brought me something else to drink…
The smoked trout salad was wonderful, as were all of the sides.
The pork however was incredibly tough and served with just a regular dinner (non-​serrated) knife. It was so tough that when the server asked how everything was I let her know. She reported back to the kitchen and Chef Lynn emerged. She seemed apologetic until she said «I don’t want to insult you by saying that’s the way it’s supposed to be if you don’t enjoy it». Um, if that’s how it’s supposed to be, then give me the freakin’ appropriate knife with which to eat this tough hunk of protein! To her credit though she offered to make us something else, which I did appreciate, even after being backhandedly insulted… She brought us a flank steak which was lovely and flavourful (and served with an appropriate knife).
The rib/​wing supplement was tasty but rather small for the price. The zucchini pecan cake was the star of the night! I actually wasn’t looking forward to it as it didn’t sound particularly interesting to me (not usually a fan of carrot or zucchini bread or cream cheese frosting) but it was AMAZING. So good.
Overall it was an okay meal with a number of hiccups. Definitely not as good as my past experiences there. I know food prices have gone way up since Ruby Watchco opened yet they’ve kept their price relatively the same, but I’d be willing to cough up extra $$ for the food to return to the way it was.

So disappointing. Perhaps our expectations were too high after reading all the good reviews and perhaps they were having an off night — but for the cost of our two meals plus wine pairing it was quite underwhelming. Yes there were a few interesting tastes in both the opening salad and the Earl Grey Tea panna cotta dessert. Yes the cheddar cheese biscuits were lovely. But additional starter of chicken liver pâté was not as good as our own homemade version. Nor did the boring cod fish and side dishes of cabbage and lentils and cheese course redeem the meal. Service was okay, not stellar. Am I wrong to expect stellar for $ 200 plus?

Make reservations in advance, but be sure that you choose a day where the menu excites you. My friends and I unfortunately went on a day where the star of the menu was pork chops. We’re not huge meat eaters, so the huge chop was too much for us to handle. Also, we didn’t enjoy the goat cheese dish as well. +1 star for the great service and for Chef Lynn being present. She even took a picture with us!

We booked Ruby Watchco for my birthday dinner this year (29 and feeling fine!). I had also been sitting on a gift card that I had received from last year’s birthday gift!
Arrived for our 6pm seating on a Saturday night and first impressions — loved the cozy space and spotted Lynn Crawford working the pass. We were seated at a table for 2 beside the dreaded plate/​utensil cupboard in afore mentioned reviews but I didn’t find it to be too bad.
Our server went over the set menu ($ 54 per person) and took our drink orders. We decided to go with the wine pairings for the meal at $ 39 per person. On the menu tonight was Ruby’s Caesar salad, beef tenderloin, a cheese course and lemon panna cotta dessert. We also ordered the additional appetizer of beef tartare ($ 18).
The first issue of the night was when our main came — our food runner delivered two delicious looking beefy hunks of meat with sides of fingerling potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. I was prepared to dig in when we noticed that our wine pairing had not arrived.
We decided to wait for the wine… and wait, and wait. Our server finally noticed us about 15 min. after our food arrived and brought over our wine (with very little apology). By now, the meat and sides were cold. I’m not that guy to send back an entrée so we ate it anyway. Mood slightly soured but night not completely ruined… yet.
Cheese course came next, along with a more timely glass of wine.
And then the lemon panna cotta dessert with shortbread cookie which was the perfect end to the meal.
When we received our bill, we noticed that the beef tartare was incorrectly billed at $ 22. We mentioned this to our server and she was not happy. We watched her snatch the bill from our table, rush to the back, speak angrily at the kitchen staff and then huff all the way from the register back to our table.
No apologies, just attitude from the server leaving me with a feeling that I had been «Pretty Woman-​ed». We can afford to eat here, we’re just not happy when mistakes are made on our bill.
If I wanted to be judged and made to feel inferior on my birthday, I would have had dinner at my parents’ house, and it would not have cost us $ 250+.
Food and wine was overall great but it’s hard to enjoy when the service was bitter and inattentive. I think it was just that one server in particular, not the entire staff because we did have some nice interactions with the food runner and guy who took away our empty dishes. Just not worth it to me to go back and play server roulette.

this is a highly rated rest and we were excited to experience. it was highly underwhelming. there is a fixed price menu 4 courses that started with a nice salad which wasn’t anything special. average 8 – 11 dollar salad that you see even at canteen– tiff building — second course wasa steak meal which was quite nice along with veggies, third and fourth course were nothing of note: cheese and beat followed by a very average pana cotta. the price per person after tax and tip without alcohol was 71! highly overrated. this meal should not have been more than 40 bucks anywhere else.
service wasnt anything special. i wouldnt go back to this resto. you get a much better bang for your buck elsewhere in the city

We were excited to try this place and at the end we were all quite disappointed.
First of all it is a fixed menu and the main course was steak. They don’t even ask you how you want to steak cooked. It’s medium for everyone! No steak knife! And we had a vegetarian person in our group that didn’t eat the main course!
The other problem was that they charged a set price per person but they bring «family style». We got 2 small dished of salad for 6 people and table of 2 would receive the size of plate.
The 3^rd course was just a piece of cheese! And the last course was an average panacotta.
They charged us $ 6 for tap water as well. At the end our bill without alcohol came to $ 72 per person which is a lot compare to the food that you get and the cost for restaurant to serve one dish for everyone should be a lot less!
I would not go back.

Phenomenal full-​course experience of generous portions, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, with the utmost passion and care put into creating each plate. I would absolutely recommend this place to a foodie or local-​vore. (Tip: I also suggest ordering any of the little side options that might be offered as they are just brilliant… I had a liver parfait to go with the cheese plate and nearly died from the pleasure of it)

Simplicity overpowers any outrageous nouveau culinary style and technique. The result is a fabulously delicious meal. The prix fix menu changes daily and is posted on their website. The main was a perfectly done beef tournedos, we had the decadent optional foie gras, preceded by a fresh salad with an avocado dressing. The cheese course was satisfying, while the chocolate torte was exceptional. Food was excellent and so good without over-​trying. Service was very good, as our server Don is a seasoned and personable server. Décor and ambiance have a hip swankiness. Drinks are really tasty, while wines are plentiful to choose from and not excessive in price.
Next visit will be determined by the daily menu, where something will grab my attention, compelling me to return.

I enjoyed my meal tonight so much that it inspired me to write a review.
My boyfriend took me here as part of my birthday present, and it was both our first time at the restaurant. We were running late for our reservation, which was for 6:30 p.m., but the host graciously held our table considering it was a busy Saturday night. The restaurant is a small alcove on Queen St., and the relaxed atmosphere sat with me well. It was nice to be able to hear my date over the music and the chatter of the surrounding tables. The table we had gave a partial view of the kitchen, and I saw Chef Lora Kirk attend to every dish as they came out to the dining room.
DRINKS:
We opted for cocktails. I don’t remember the names, but my boyfriend had one with bourbon, molasses and a bacon rim. He described it as a «hangover drink» and he loved it. I loved mine as well, and it had Kraken rum, maple syrup and apple cider.
FOOD:
Smoked Fogo Island Cod Salad — The next time I eat a bad salad, I will think of this dish. It was simple and flavourful and the cod added just the right dimension to it. I enjoyed the cornbread croutons very much, which had the perfect sweetness, crunch and crumble.
Bone Marrow with Bacon Salsa Verde — This was an extra $ 18, an extravagance we allowed ourselves because hello, it’s bone marrow! It came with bread crisps that didn’t threaten to break your teeth. This entire dish was beyond what we had expected. The flavours reminded me of something my mom would make — homey, oily, decidedly fatty and meaty.
Grilled Veal Chops with Red Eye Gravy — The veal was tender and fat skirted the meat. The real stars of the show, however, were the sides that accompanied this dish — roasted parsnips and mushrooms, cauliflower and potato gratin, beets and apple slaw with blue cheese dressing. Altogether, this dish was a prize for the tastebuds.
Ten-​Year-​Old Ottawa Valley Cheddar — This cheese course was a great palate refresher after the previous courses. I’m generally not a fan of olives, but I enjoyed the olive tapenade and honey with the cheese.
June’s Almost Famous Carrot Cake — The texture was somewhere between a pound cake and bread pudding, which I found surprising. It was different than any other carrot cake I’ve tried, and it was delightful. It was coated with coffee frosting and caramel that were just the right amount of sweet!
Overall, this was a pricey meal, but it was such an incredible dining experience that it put Ruby Watchco among our top five favourite restaurants. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would go again!

First class restaurant.
A must visit. Loved everything from the wine to the service.
The food was amazing. A few items blew me away.
Will be returning soon.

Have been here a few times. Always an excellent experience. Such a great atmosphere and I’ve always had good servers.
Not for the picky eaters as it is a set menu and she gets quite creative.
Drinks are good and have their own twists which is fun.
Food is excellent. Not every single this I’ve ever gotten has been excellent but nothing has ever been even close to bad.
Just a really nice night out and experience. Already planning to come again soon.

One of the better meals I’ve ever had. It doesn’t take long to go through the menu because Ruby Watch Co. creates a set menu each night. For tables of more than one, the dishes are served family style — it’s good to share!
I’m not a big meat eater, so thankfully, the restaurant gives folks the option of seafood when it’s a meat night. I made the request in my OpenTable reservation.
Service was friendly and professional. I had the first reservation of the night, and the staff was ready to go!

First time to the restaurant on a friend’s recommendation. Interesting atmosphere. They change their menu daily. One prix fix menu with salad, entrée, cheese and dessert for about $ 54 dollars. Also offer wine pairing. I opted to have wine a la carter with salad and main but not dessert.
Started with delicious salad of greens and pecan. We had a table of 6 and there were 2 big plates to share. Everything came in dishes to share. Main course was a spicy pretzel coated trout. With mushroom risotto, carrots and kale with Apple as sides. Everything was delicious. One of my friends did not like fish so he got the chicken instead but we all shared the sides. We also had aged cheddar with endive and pear. The dessert was spice/​cinnamon cake. We ordered the bone marrow supplement to share. It was like butter on bread. Tasty.
All in all very good meal. Will go back to try another prix fix. Bonus points: Waiter was willing to calculate for us to split the bill (because some had wine pairing, some didn’t drink at all)

Who’d knew a television celebrity chef would have a restaurant in the part of town so close to home and where I grew up? Somewhere in between wondering what the hell the name «Ruby Watchco» meant, one day I actually went in and ate here.
Lynn Crawford’s ethos of wholesome fresh local food is reinforced in its daily menu, which always changes according to seasonal availability, so you may something completely different the next day. What y’all be enjoying for dinner will be posted online and at the door; y’all be eating the same high quality planned-​to-​the-​molecule meal as everyone else tonight; and y’all be paying the same $ 49/​person prix fixe bill.
It’s quite a restaurant concept, this supper club style we-​will-​decide-​what-​everybody-​will-​eat-​tonight and everyone-​eats-​the-​same-​food-​communally as if like showing up at a relative’s dinner scheme (it’s not that different from the all-​familiar Asian-​style dining). The main influence you have with your meal is whether you have a dietary restriction (like allergies or lactose intolerance), which they accommodate by throwing the concept out the window and serve instead individually prepared dishes for each party member, making substitutions as necessary to make the adapted meal resemble the intended gastronomic experience for everyone. Trust me, this is what I had to put up with in my party.
What I really had to put up with is the constant plate changing, which gets annoying when you’re served individual dishes (see previous paragraph) because that throws the staff off the moment they take your blank plate away. If you’re seated next to the centrally located cupboard where staff are constantly there grabbing plates or replenishing them with freshly cleaned ones, that can be a bit disruptive to your dining. But you do also have to put up with the cheerful, overly friendly personalities of each individual server you encounter.
As for the food, each course (we were served a four-​course setting on our visit) seemed scientifically planned out for maximum flavour and flavour compatibility, never mind meticulously plated presentation. Each dish and bite was a medley of carefully considered and totally elevated complementary tastes – it’s juicy, it’s crunchy, it’s sweet and tangy, it’s a foodie parade in your mouth. More surprising still, was the pork chop that was part of our dinner. I was expecting for a place like this a pathetic small portion. Instead came a big manly ass piece of meat, like something I’d serve my dog and it’ll take her a week to finish. It was large and it was bloody hell tender and moist and savoury, perhaps one of the most well-​prepared pork I ever had, and a delicious menace to finish.
Reservations is highly recommended, as I always see the tables packed at peak evening dinner hours. There is a bar as well, which I guess could accommodate unlucky walk-​ins, but I never in my dining session saw anyone there. Well, maybe a couple sitting there while waiting for others in their party, but other than that the bar is usually empty for an otherwise loud and popular east-​end restaurant.
{TTC: the 501−2−3−4 trams to Queen/​Broadview. There’s also a big ass Green P municipal parking lot behind the restaurant on Broadview.}

Five stars for this little gem! My dad and I went here last night for dinner, and we were blown away by our meals. We started off with lump crab served on pea cakes, which were surprisingly delicious. I don’t know what they did to those peas, but they were buttery and smooth and just perfect. The crab was very good too, even for my dad, who isn’t a huge fan of crab. 4.5÷5 for the crab.
We also each ordered Sangrias. My dad liked his, but I found mine too bitter, which may be a reflection of my preference for incredibly sweet drinks as opposed to a comment on the drink itself… I asked them if they could add some syrup, which they did, and that made it a bit better. ³⁄₅ for the Sangria.
Next we had a salad with melon and prosciutto, which was crispy like bacon, and absolutely divine. I’d never had prosciutto done that way before and it was delicious, perfectly balancing out the sweetness of the melon. Yum! ⁵⁄₅ for the salad.
They also brought out some biscuits, which were absolutely to die for. Literally the best biscuits I have ever had, and after living in the south for awhile, I am obsessed with biscuits, and I make my own on a regular basis and get frequent compliments on them. But these… these biscuits blew mine out of the park. I have never had such a moist, creamy, fluffy biscuit in my entire life. They barely even needed butter. I gobbled mine up and almost gobbled my dad’s up too, but he wouldn’t let me. :(So I had to ask them to bring me another one. They gave me the recipe for the biscuits so I can make them myself, and I am very excited to try it out. ⁶⁄₅ for the biscuits.
For our main course, we had flank steak with green onion on top. The green onion balanced out the steak very well. The steak itself was a bit tough, but very flavorful, and flank steak is naturally a bit tough, so I wouldn’t hold that against them. ⁴⁄₅ for the steak.
With the steak, they brought out potatoes, which were the only part of our meal that was just meh — nothing wrong with them, just ordinary potatoes. ³⁄₅ for the potatoes. They also brought out yellow string beans, which were delicious! I have never had string beans so smooth and buttery and cooked just right…5/5 for those.
Another ⁶⁄₅ for the corn on the cob they also brought out. The corn literally blew me away. Corn is one of my favorite things, and I have it wherever I can, and my dad makes really great corn on the cob too, but this… the corn was out of this world. They grilled it with chipotle aioli, and it was so creamy and flavorful and just… guh…I have been dreaming about that corn all day today. I have never had such delicious corn in my entire life.
The next course was blue cheese, but neither my dad nor I are huge fans of blue cheese… we both tried it and found it way too «blue» for our tastes. So they took it away and brought us our final course, which was raspberry cheesecake with a chocolate «crust.» I hesitate to even call it a cheesecake — it was more like a cheese pudding. It was very thin and creamy, like a panna cotta (although I believe it was made from raspberry infused cream cheese), and the raspberry taste was very strong. It was an interesting concept and I enjoyed it, but the raspberry taste eventually was overpowering so I couldn’t finish the whole thing. ⁴⁄₅ for the cheesecake.
The wait staff were very attentive and the ambience is great for a nice dinner out. The price is also pretty reasonable, considering the quality of the food. Five stars for some of the yummiest food I have had in my life and some other interesting creations, and I can’t wait to come back here and try some more!

Ruby watchco serves prix fixe four courses, family style, and menu changes every few days dependent on availability of fresh and seasonal ingredients! Not a good choice for picky eaters but definitely will be enjoyed by a foodie with a wide palate. Very delicious.
So now everyone knows its prix fixe. Don’t complain and give this place a 1 star «OH BECAUSE I DONT LIKE IT THAT I CANT PICK ANYTHING» — Dont be lame.

A $ 49 family style prix fixe. You can also get wine pairings for $ 39.
The servers are great — really friendly and attentive.
–We started with the chopped salad. The beets were the star of the dish.
–Our main was barbeque chicken and sausage. Not super amazing, overall very tasty.
–There’s a cheese course that includes pretty large servings of cheese.
–Dessert was a rice pudding. It wasn’t overly sweet, but I’m not a huge fan of rice pudding.
I didn’t love the menu we had, but I loved the experience and would definitely come back since the menu changes regularly.

Can’t say enough about this place. If was running a restaurant, it would be something like this. I have always left satisfied and with a smile on my face. The whole experience was enjoyable and it helped that I went with good friends.
I would highly recommend making reservations weeks ahead. There is a slight chance you could get a table walking in but I very much doubt it.
The restaurant’s owner is Chef Lynn Crawford. For those who don’t know her, for shame! Famous chef and a wonderful person. She’s all about fresh seasonal products and she makes deliciousness with them. If you’re lucky enough, you may get a glimpse of her cooking in the back and expediting. She is friendly and does walk around the restaurant talking to people when she gets a chance. I’ve seen her almost every time I’ve dine there.
The restaurant is a set menu depending on what is in season at the time and is a family style concept. In other words, the food is shared amongst your group. I have been there 3 – 4 times and never been disappointed. My wife always hopes that they have biscuits, which are so fresh and yummy. Getting their mixed drinks are a must. They are soooo good here. I get more than a few without any arm twisting.
The servers are a wonderful bunch and they treat you like they’ve known you forever. They always check to see if everything is okay, and not in a invasive way and not because they have to either. It’s nice to see people that love what they do.
One of my highest ratings, which I do not give out much. What are you waiting for, let go! I’m hungry.

Amazing!
I had never been here before so I didn’t know how the menu worked. 4 courses and you can add on the extras (which is in brackets for the 2 courses) so of course we ordered everything! I forgot to take a picture of the menu so I can’t remember all the details, but I can say that you will not be disappointed! It is quite impressive that the menu changes daily! Each dish felt like there was a lot of thought and care put into it. The most memorable dishes to me were the beef carpaccio and the BBQ duck. The drink of the day was a muddled strawberry with lemon and lime with rum. It did not taste boozy at all but whoa was it strong and delicious! I enjoyed the family style of eating, it’s always fun to try everything on the table!

I went here for my birthday last month with my mom and really, my only complaints were that it’s pricey, it’s overall too much food (how is this even a compliant? But I did get a bad stomach ache afterwards — my own damn fault for eating too much), and it is sometimes tricky to find a day to go if you have specific dietary preferences (like my mom, who does not eat pork or red meat, although it does say they accommodate for vegetarians). I totally splurged and got the recommended wine pairings with each course — just an amazing mix of food and drink in a lovely atmosphere. Our waiter was kind, generous (gave me extra wine for free because it was my birthday), and full of personality. Each course in the meal was completely delicious, aside from the cheese (I’m not a fan of mouldy tasting cheese, but on the other hand my mom loved it).
The best part though, for someone who loves the Food Network, is that Lynn Crawford was there mingling with all the customers. She came over and filled our water glasses and we talked about tattoos for a bit (saw her tattoo sleeve poking out from her chef’s jacket). Perhaps we could have had a better conversation had I not been so drunk and star struck. But what a great experience!