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A Windsor chef said he was “shocked” to find his restaurant earning a coveted spot among ‘Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants’ in the latest rankings of international restaurant reservation service OpenTable.
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“For us to be put up in line with them — it really means a lot,” said chef Cody Northgrave, who owns Take Five Bistro with fellow chef Paul Sauve
The popular steakhouse, which opened on Erie Street in 2011 and has since carved its own culinary niche among trattorias in Windsor’s Via Italia neighbourhood, is the city’s only restaurant to make the 2024 cut.
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“It kind of shocked us because there’s so many fantastic restaurants in Windsor,” Northgrave told the Star.
“It’s great that we made that list and that we’re up there with a lot of the really high-end, beautiful places from around the province and the country.”
The Top 100 list is culled from more than a million online restaurant reviews submitted between October 2023 and September 2024 by OpenTable diners. Restaurants that meet a certain number of reviews are measured based on average ratings, percentage of five-star reviews, and more.
But beyond Take Five’s menu focused on prime cuts of meat — the black and blue ribeye and the white cheddar bacon filet are customer favourites — Northgrave said that it’s the quality of service that helps set them apart.
“It really comes down to the first and last impressions that the customer has, and I feel that comes from our servers,” he said.
“Without fantastic service, I don’t think our food would be as good as it is. It definitely adds to the experience. People know that when they come there, they’re going to be taken care of, they’re going to have good service, and hopefully a great meal.”
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The Erie Street steakhouse has established itself as a go-to spot for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and romantic date nights. Several seafood dishes are also offered, along with a prix fixe menu available Sunday through Thursday, featuring a three-course meal for $41 per person.
Over the years, the steakhouse has appeared numerous times on OpenTable’s top 100 lists.
In 2019, it was one of three local dining spots featured on the 100 most romantic restaurants list. In 2016, it earned its place as one of OpenTable’s best steakhouses in the country, alongside Nero’s Steakhouse in Caesars Windsor.
Another draw of the restaurant, Northgrave said, is its ambiance. Take Five Bistro was designed to resemble traditional Chicago and New York-style steakhouses. When diners step inside, they are met by an understated esthetic with dark wood tones, white table clothes, and accents of rich red.
“You’ll get a welcoming kind of cozy vibe,” he said. “It’s a very dim atmosphere. I feel like it adds to the character.”
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OpenTable’s 2024 Top 100 list, in alphabetical order, features restaurants across nine provinces.
The big centres of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary dominate, with 36 of the 53 listed Ontario establishments located in the Toronto area. London’s Cintro on Wellington is the closest establishment to Windsor’s Take Five.
Visit the Take Five Bistro website at takefivebistro.com for more information about the menu and hours.
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