Chaise Cafe & Lounge

This place has been flying under the radar far too long. I was there for a business lunch about a year ago. But I was back last Sunday for another get together. This time was for dinner. We arrived about 6:45 for dinner. The restaurant wasn’t very busy but it was a Sunday. There was another couple dining at the table behind us. I believe the lounge upstairs was full as it was Super Bowl Sunday.
Our group of eight opted for the set
Menu which we were glad we did. For $ 25 one gets an appetizer and entrée with unlimited seconds afterwords. Our server was very knowledgeable and very entertaining! Also, If you choose, for another $ 7 one can an add unlimited pasta which is what we did. The Appetizer was a non traditional Ceasar and beet salad but served in separate plates. To die for. After that it was a little disappointing. The pAsta was a fettuccine in a cream sauce which was a little bland and I thought the sauce could have been thicker. That’s probably done purposely. Some people don’t like too much garlic or spice in their meal. Ware the opposite. Following that a delectable tray of meatballs, chicken and pork followed. That was very tasty although I thought the chicken was slight dry.
We opted out for dessert but had a second helping of salad and pasta. This time we sampled the penne Rose which offered more taste for the adventurous!
Overall. It was a memorable experience and for 32 $ plus wine you can’t go wrong. I would recommend CHAISE to anyone who appreciates Italian fare. I would recommend not going during peak hours as the service is relaxed but still attentive. If you are in a rush then perhaps go when you have more time.

I’d eat here pretty much all the time if I could get away with it. The chef cooks to spec. The food is always great. Servers are friendly and fun. The family style prix fix is an amazing multi course meal that seems to never end. Great place if you want to make an impression without looking like you’re trying.

Did the fixed-​price dinner with two other people. Great value and a decent dining experience. The menu is unlimited which is great, however the portions are decent sized and more than enough for the three of us. Lost points on service as there seemed to be only two servers responsible for the floor and the lounge area. The options were brought out to us from the menu and we were slightly disappointed in a couple of the choices. Pepperoni pizza and spaghetti… seemed like a lack luster choice from the menu options. Hard to ask for other options as it felt wasteful.

Had a wonderful dinner here last evening: Lamb ravioli with grilled green tomatoes and zucchini; palate rejuvenation from a carmenere cab sauvignon. It was very flavourful, and just the right size to go with the rest of the meal. I don’t generally have dessert but I did have their evening special: a unique cinnamon bun bread pudding topped with apple «syrup». It did not disappoint.
As always the potato «chips» were a delight with the tasty spread. I’ve now been here 4 times, but this is the first time I’ve tried the homemade oils provided on each table. Both were very tasty, but our server (Lindsay) accurately rated one as a ⁶⁄₁₀ and the other ⁸⁄₁₀ for «heat». But I like spice so all was good. Can’t wait to try them on their pizza some time.
My wife had had the house soup which she let me try — a tasty broth combination of kale, potato and sausage. It’s now on my must try list.

This place opened in April 2013 and considering that they are a new eatery with a fairly young chef, I would say this place has great potential. The décor has been updated from the previous Italian restaurant but the exterior hasn’t changed much except for the small signage advertising Chaise — I’d recommend a bigger signage to attract more people as they might not notice this restaurant amongst all the residential homes on Provencher.
The interior space is warm and cozy with a lounge on one side of the home. The second floor has a more intimate lounge area though the leather couches seem to large for the room that it’s in but would make for a nice small party are with friends. There’s even a media/​private room upstairs that has a TV in place.
They have a baker in house who makes really nice breads. The complimentary warm fresh bread is absolutely delicious! Also, the calzone breading was so good — it wasn’t overly doughy and made for a great starter to share or a good lunch item if you add on a soup or salad. The roast chicken calzone ($ 8) was filled with chunks of chicken, roasted red pepper and garlic sauce. It was a subtle dish even with the garlic sauce, I’d definitely try their calzones again.
The entrees are $ 10-​$ 18 with offerings of pizza, pasta and other mains. The mains come with 2 sides that you can choose such as brown butter whipped potato, cheesy cauliflower with corn crumb topping, potato chips with smoked onion dip or fresh seasonal veggies. It truly is a great deal to get an entrée for these prices. I opted for the AAA MB hangar steak with the chips and the cauliflower as sides for $ 18. The hangar steak was tender and perfectly seasoned and cooked — this one is a winner. The chips were freshly made and were delicious while the cauliflower side was just ok. The slow roasted ¼ chicken ($ 18) came as a leg/​thigh dish and surprisingly it was quite dry. I wouldn’t order this one again as you couldn’t really taste the citrus thyme and cloves. But the whipped potatoes and seasonal veggies were good.
Wines by the glass were maybe around $ 7 or so… which is very good pricing compared to many places that now charge around $ 10.
The chef came out and asked how the food was and our server was very enthusiastic about the restaurant.
There were some minor misses but nothing glaring for a new eatery. Overall the taste and price is on the mark and with time, this may become a very popular St. B neighbourhood bistro!