Black Rabbit: Beautiful Venue, Mediocre Food

Up to 90% of restaurants fail within the first year of opening, a sobering statistic for the entrepreneur-ing restauranteur. And while a whole deluge of reasons can be created for any specific spot failing, it ultimately comes down to them not being profitable. And so new owners try to open in peak spring and summer season to capitalize on the wealth of new diners and tourists. And so with 2015 rounding past the summer breeze, I noticed a new spot on Osborne Village, the Black Rabbit Bistro Lounge.

Located prime in Osborne Village, one could not ask for a nicer location with ample foot and car traffic alike. Indeed Black Rabbit is a looker: with a modern but tasteful exterior and large beautiful windows for walkers-by to peek inside. Uniformly so, the interiors are also breathtaking to behold with a sheen of new veneer on the hardwood, a host of comfortable seating and a extensive bar with a dizzying array of local and international liquors. Not to be outdone, its piece de resistance is cavernous backyard patio with just the right amount of privacy for large parties to enjoy the sun.

The menu is a simple one pager and can be described as upscale bistro cuisine. A number of small plates (i.e. appetizers) and salads adorn half the menu and feature classics such as beer pattered fish, poutine, chicken wings while also offering some unique touches like a ricotta gnocchi and sticky pork ribs. The mains include the overdone but necessary gamit of burgers, pasta and main dishes. The most creative of such lie within their pastas which feature a nice combination of seafood (shrimp and crab) linguini or a pappardelle with crimini and oyster mushrooms. The more carnivorous or hungry folk can dine on a steak (sirloin cap or ribeye) or a cornish hen. Certainly enough here to please most, but I find the lack of unique options discouraging which ultimately make the menu feel a bit boring.

A group of three shared the Mussels with White Wine and Fresh Herbs. A fine dish to start with, the mussels were importantly large and volumous with a slighty chewy and meaty texture. The classic pairing of the white wine sauce works here to add a hint of tartness and richness to the mussels while a topping of fresh herbs finishes it off with a hint of freshness and aroma. Make sure to take the accompanied slices of toast to soak up the remaining soup at the bottom!.

Bearing their namesake, one would expect the Black Rabbit BLT to be a unique signature dish. Alas, the sandwich is immensely dull and feature exactly what one would expect: a few slices of bacon, lettuce and tomato. Black Rabbit tries to infuse more flavour by incorporating an aioli which does add a sense of sweetness as well as using toasted sour dough, whose crunchiness added a nice textural element. Ultimately though the dish seemed safe, ordinary and not worth the price charged. Note: each dish comes with your choice of fries, soup or side salad.

The Brisket sandwich was marginally better pairing tender brisket with mozzarella and a red cabbage slaw all housed in a brioche bun. The key ingredient here, the brisket, was tender and cooked well but lacked flavour and seemed overpowered by the tangy red cabbage. Further distracting things is the smoked mozzarella which added a nice smokiness but further hid the inherent flavour of the meat. Again, the sandwich comes with your choice of fries, soup or side salad.

Black Rabbit is a beautiful restaurant which serves mediocre and uninspired bistro pub style food. While certainly worth the visit for a quick drink or two, the food ultimately is not unique enough to recommend over numerous other pubs in the village.