The North Restaurant — Restaurant in Barrie

Valentine's Day Disaster! Things have sure changed at The North Restaurant over the past couple of years and I dare say not for the better.

The North, in its earlier days, always went far over and above to make sure that an evening out enjoying Marco Ormand's culinary expertise was nothing shy of a delectable delight. Fast forward to today - It's no longer the case. During our last 3 visits we noticed a real downward shift in the quality and creativity of the menu and the enjoyment of the dining experience.

Being vegetarian, we can appreciate the fact there will be fewer selections available to us - that's only natural. It has always been that way for vegetarians in this meat-eating world, no doubt. But The North was always the one place locally we could count on for a meal that would be consistently second to none.

This evening (Valentine's Day 2019) we chose The North once again for a special evening out. (MISTAKE!)

Firstly, in all fairness, let me say that we understand special days are busy ones in a restaurant and will usually necessitate an abbreviated menu. When a restaurant gets busy especially with reservations it's impossible to custom-make orders, we get it. But the fact is we specified our vegetarian requirements in our reservation, something we have always done in the past, and as always we were assured that there would be something for us. So here was the fare...

Aside from a selection of appetizer sized salads, we were surprised to find only ONE vegetarian offering on the menu that was meat-free. So one of us ordered it which happened to be Rizotto, and the other ordered a pasta (Penne in tomato sauce) but without the meat. Well the Rizotto, I have to say, was delicious, but at the $25 price tag for the very small portion, it ought to have been. I mean, c'mon.. it's rice! We make Rizotto variations all the time at home (from scratch) so we know what goes into it, including the special type of rice, slow cooking process, layering of liquids, absorption time etc.

I guess $25 might not seem like much if you're impressed by the name "Rizotto", and have no clue how to make it. Believe me it's not only inexpensive to make but dead easy to master once you've tried it a few times.

The Penne that came to the table was quite unremarkable - undercooked (less than al dente), smothered in tomato basil sauce that was just flat with no flavour at all, and although beautifully presented, was barely at room temperature. I didn't eat it, it was awful.

Our server was really great. She apologized and took the pasta off the bill, so you might be asking, "Ok so what are you complaining about then?" Well, here's the issue.... The North, in our humble opinion, has gone down a few pegs. The effort they used to put into their menu creations is clearly no longer what it used to be. The overall dining experience is no longer a "wow" but far more average like a lot of the other local so-called "upscale" restaurants here in Barrie.

So far we have been somewhat disappointed during our last 3 visits so sadly, we won't be back.

Our dinner tonight came to $122 (incl tip) for:

2 appetizer salads 1 entre (the Rizotto) 2 glasses of white wine 1 creme brulee.

We didn't stay for coffee or after dinner-drinks.

After this 4th attempt to be loyal customers, we walked out this time vowing that we will have to try our luck elsewhere in future. Unfortunately we simply can no longer recommend it to friends and associates.

One thing I've noticed is that there are never any responses to the reviews from Marco, so he is obviously disinterested and...

Hidden gem found in the heart of Barrie. From the moment you enter the establishment you are imbued with the sense of home comfort mixed with high class dining that can only found at 5 star restaurants in the city. Starting from the professionalism of the server (knowing when to come grab your empty plate to light conversation) right down to the food served on your plate, you will not be disappointed. I recommend (if it's your first time) that you start with the chef's special, which is a 7 course meal that shows the range and experience of the young chefs working hard in the back. They hit every part of your palate with dishes ranging from Lobster Ceviche to a gorgeous cut of venison, seafood to traditional recipes with a twist right down to a beautiful display of desserts, everything cooked to perfection and fresh, the hardwork of prepping and choosing fresh ingredients throughout the day shows in the meal and the reactions of other customers in the restaurant (we frequently heard "wow" throughout the night). My girlfriend and myself are avid home cooks and big foodies and in our opinion, this is the BEST restaurant in Barrie and the Simcoe county area. The price range is amazing and the wine list is varied from imports to local wines. If you are taking someone out on a date or just want to impress your friends then this is the restaurant to go to. 5 star restaurant and I'm hoping will become Michelin star quality over the coming years. Thanks for the good time and we will most definitely be coming...

CAUTION!!! HIDDEN CHARGE ADDED TO BILL!!! Have a close look at the out-of-date menu posted on the website. The Half “Dozer Oyster’s” and Smoked “Beed” Tenderloin should have been a hint at the experience awaiting us. This restaurant is not as fine or fancy as its high prices suggest. I will say the proteins we ordered (grilled calamari, duck breast, rack of lamb) were very well cooked, and the complimentary curried zucchini spread was very nice (though the bread was stale with the texture of drywall). But the vegetables were over done, the rice was undercooked, and everything was absolutely drowning in excessively salty sauce - I needed a spoon just to find the rack of lamb hiding at the bottom of my dish and my wife’s duck was completely submerged. I’ll give credit to the creativity and the attempt at presentation but the resulting meal was a disappointing failure. I could further comment on the unbalanced table, the flaking paint on the wall, the tacky pillows, the floor lamp in the corner that leans at an awkward angle, the bent and twisted Venetian blinds, the food-stained and crumpled paper menus, the out-of-place 90s soft rock playlist, or the tank-topped “bros” (not patrons) with beer bottles in hand passing through the dining area on their way in and out of the restaurant’s back door, but none of that distracts from just how disappointing the food experience was. This restaurant should close immediately and the owner/chef...