Two years ago, Toronto welcomed a prestigious addition to its fine dining circuit. In no time at all, Black+Blue Toronto, located on downtown King Street in a vast building that used to house the Toronto Stock Exchange, became a cornerstone of the city’s dining scene.
Black + Blue offers a luxurious and dynamic atmosphere that highlights the finest and rarest cuts of beef and a top-tier seafood program. As part of Glowbal Group, a Vancouver-based hospitality brand synonymous with bold flavours and unparalleled guest experiences, Black+Blue exemplifies the group’s commitment to excellence.
Morgan Bellis is the executive chef. Black+Blue opened in 2023 amid much fanfare. The two-storey, 9,000-sq.-ft. The restaurant is located in the First Canadian Place and features a posh outdoor patio sporting hanging greenery and two private dining rooms.
This place exudes class. We felt that the moment we stepped inside. It was a summer Wednesday evening and the place was filled to capacity. That meant over 300 people. Customer service is key here. Manager Michael Bowers and Matre’d Jesse Melbye circulate throughout the dining room. While we had veteran (and beyond extraordinary) Susie as our server, she was assisted by a team of colleagues. Everything went so smoothly. While Chef Bellis was off that evening, sous chef Michael came to our table at one point to ensure the food was to our liking,
The Glowbal Group is owned by Emad Yacoub, a true success story. He began his culinary career as a kitchen assistant in Toronto and eventually moved to Vancouver, where he became a top restaurateur. He will soon debut another one of his brands here, Rileys.
In Susie, a one-time Griffintown resident, we certainly had a server with encyclopedic knowledge of the offerings. Full of charm and charisma, she walked us through the vast selections and offered us something we had not really experienced that often in our lifetime: a specially curated menu, complete with optional wine pairings selected to complement each course perfectly.
We started with some drinks, a prosecco for me and two rosé sunsets for the other members of the table. Later, there would be some glasses of Chablis. One of Susie’s colleagues, Tyler, was next to visit us with a tray of all of the restaurant’s different cuts of meat. That was true education and helped us a lot in making our final decisions in related to the curated menu.
Black+Blue proudly displays its beef in the center of the dining room. The pale pink and orange wall is made of Himalayan salt bricks and the salt purifies the air and naturally removes moisture. This dry-aging process infuses an unforgettable flavor as it tenderizes the meat. All of the steaks are kept in the cooler for 28 to 45 days, which ensures a flavor concentration of the highest quality.
Canadian prime-grade beef features abundant marbling (red meat laced with an even fat distribution). The presence of this fat creates a more tender and juicy cut of beef that cooks well in all conditions. Only two percent of graded Canadian beef is rated prime. USDA prime is the most tender, flavorful and highest quality beef that comes from the US. Black + Blue offers the long-bone ribeye steak, charred to perfection. Japanese Wagyu cattle are known worldwide for producing meat with exceptional marbling, naturally enhanced flavor, tenderness and juiciness. All of the restaurant’s Japanese Wagyu cuts have a quality score of A5 and a marbling score between eight and 10. Black + Blue also takes great pride in being one of the select few dining rooms in North America that offers certified Kobe beef ribeye and striploin cuts. The secret behind this prestige cut of meat is the umami flavor that’s embedded in the “shimofuri” marbling. The fatty “sashi” content dissolves at low temperatures, which literally means it melts in your mouth.
The meal began with some appetizers: a burrata salad, some extraordinary beef carpaccio with small pieces of toast, bluefin tuna roll and the king salmon roll. We savored every morsel of these culinary masterpieces that Susie had suggested. The beef carpaccio came topped with horseradish crema, pickled shimeji mushrooms, crispy shallot, fried capers and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.
For the main course, Susie truly guided us in the right direction. She arrived with our dinner on a mobile carving station. There was a perfectly grilled Waygu striploin, which she cut into five slices.
The Beef Wellington was a real treat and Black+Blue has truly mastered the recipe. This was an impressive beef tenderloin, wrapped in a crêpe puff pastry and including mushroom duxelles, truffle jus, seasonal vegetables and pommes purée. Susie cut three mouthwatering pieces for us, with some absolutely delicious sliced carrots. Also on the side were plates of Wagyu fried rice and lobster mashed potatoes.
For dessert, came the most decadent surprise of them all: the Black+Blue butter cake. This is a rich vanilla cake with a cream cheese base, topped with white Chantilly cream drizzled with salted caramel sauce and garnished with fresh berries.
Melbye gave me a tour of the venue, from the elegant second level and private rooms to the patio, which features open windows and a convertible roof in the warm season, while
See my video chat with Matre’d Jesse Melbye.
The main floor of the restaurant is fully accessible, including both entrances, the garden patio and access to restrooms. The second-floor mezzanine can be accessed by stairs only.
We can’t wait to return and have another curated menu prepared for us and we will certainly want to experience their Vancouver location on our next visit there. Black+Blue Toronto is located at 130 King St West. For more information, log on to www.blackandbluetoronto.com, e-mail info@blackandbluetoronto.com, or call 647-368-8283. Hours are 11:30 am to 2 pm, lunch; 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm, happy hour; 3 pm to late, dinner; 11 am to 2 pm, weekend brunch.