The high-stakes Italian steakhouse that might be Grant van Gameren’s final act, Canada Reviews

If there isn’t enough reason to head to Prince Edward County, then perhaps you can be enticed by a new restaurant from chef Grant van Gameren.

That’s right, the prominent restaurateur behind some of Toronto’s standout spots — Bar Isabel, Bar Raval, Martine’s Wine Bar and Michelin-starred Quetzal, to name just a few — is opening his second Picton restaurant, three years after Harry’s Charbroil. The Italian-inspired Rosetta is set to open on Picton’s main street this month.

“We love it. I’ve never lived in the country before and I love the land and the peace and quietness of it all,” van Gameren says about moving to Prince Edward County from Toronto during the pandemic. “It’s a really nice place, a really nice community of people that we fell in love with.”

In launching Rosetta, van Gameren is teaming up with fellow Toronto-turned-Prince Edward County restaurateur Jesse Vader, the force behind Paris Paris, Superpoint, Favorites Thai BBQ and Picton’s own Darling’s, among others.

Some of Rosetta’s ingredients will come straight from van Gameren’s own six-acre organic farm, which he runs with his wife, chef Sunny Stone, and their young children.

“I feel like chefs are the type of people who love to conquer things and learn more about their trade,” says van Gameron, noting he had never grown vegetables or even had the space to do so when he lived in Toronto. “As chefs, we’ve always really appreciated working with farmer but when you do it yourself, you really understand on another level the amount of work.”

Led by chef Luke Haines, formerly of Bar Raval and Martine’s, the menu offers Italian-inspired classics with a steakhouse edge, plus a robust seafood and raw bar program. Expect seafood towers, fresh pastas, oysters, and grilled meats, all paired with classic cocktails.

“A really well-crafted cocktail is a big part of dining out these days,” van Gameren says. “But at Rosetta, we’re not doing an over-the-top cocktail list. I like a cocktail like I like my desserts — simple, delicious, well-balanced, but not too much fluff.”

Though the restaurant is launching with a dinner menu only, van Gameren says a lunch program will be introduced in the spring or summer. Rosetta will also offer a “smart” take-out menu — scaled down from the dine-in menu, though fit for the whole family.

“Any parent knows that your day gets away from you,” he says. “When it’s four o’clock and you haven’t figured out what you’re going to do for dinner or if you haven’t pulled something from the freezer or started the lasagne — or if you’re just too tired and don’t want to cook — we definitely want to help with that situation and have a great tasty, family-style type of food that you can pick up.”

At Rosetta, van Gameren promises an “old-world European” feel, rich with painted wood accents. County Precision in Picton has crafted custom stained glass and vintage hand-lettered mirrors throughout the space. With van Gameren noting that he and Vader both believe “vibe and energy are really important,” diners can expect dim lighting and carefully curated background music.

Though he has years more experience catering to Toronto’s year-round attention, van Gameren is not oblivious to the challenges of running a restaurant in a town that relies on seasonal tourism, but he’s seen success from the region’s other establishments.

“Prince Edward County is really built on a lot of entrepreneurs and a lot of new entrepreneurs, young entrepreneurs are moving out here and realizing they don’t have to be in the city anymore to be doing,” he says. “There’s a lot of businesses well-established in the county for decades and then the other ones that are new and opposing up, so there’s a lot of opportunity. We want to create a restaurant that can be enjoyed by the locals as well as the tourism.”  

As for the challenge of managing businesses across Toronto as well as in Prince Edward County, van Gameren says the result of making it all work equates to less time in the kitchen, more time putting out fires, and a strong trust in the team he works with.

“Luckily, I have a really amazing, talented, hardworking team of partners and managers,” he says. “We just collectively do it together. So, I don’t have 100 per cent of the problems and they don’t have 100 per cent of the problems.”

After umpteen restaurant openings — and lots of driving back and forth on the 401 surely—van Gameron has earned the right to say he’s tired and Rosetta might just be his final act—but he’s said that before.

“We’ll see,” he says. “Ask me again in a year and maybe it’s changed.”