When David Smith was asked to join The Drake Hotel in the summer of 2021 as the chef de cuisine, he was excited to become part of a longstanding operation. Previously, he worked at Le Sélect Bistro for five years. But at The Drake, Smith has had the opportunity to expand his scope as a chef. “There’s always so much going on with so many different moving parts, like a huge show or event, he says. “I’ve never worked in a hotel before and it’s something I felt I could sink my teeth into.”
Smith joined The Drake at a time when the hotel was recovering from the brutal hit of pandemic lockdowns. On top of that, the hotel was on the heels of expanding into a new five-storey Modern Wing, which would add 32 new rooms, plus a new lobby lounge.
That posed a unique challenge for Smith and the team: to keep The Drake’s menu fresh and modern while still honouring the enduring items that have kept its restaurants popular for decades. “There are a lot of big, nostalgic items created under previous chefs that are still on the menu,” Smith explains. “I was sort of slotting myself into the traditions and the continuity of this place.”
The Drake Hotel’s legacy dates back to 2004, when West Queen West was shaking off its reputation as a rundown area known for poverty and crime. The hotel played a major role in boosting the street’s presence, and by 2014, West Queen West was named one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods by Vogue. Since it opened its doors, The Drake and its collection of casual and classy eateries in and outside Toronto (the Drake Devonshire and the Drake Motor Inn were central to the rise of Prince Edward County’s hip Wellington hood) have become fixtures, with notable chefs like Alexandra Feswick, Ted Corrado and Anthony Rose passing through its kitchens.
David Smith, chef de cuisine at The Drake
Ashley van der Laan
Each of The Drake’s chefs have had an opportunity to put their own touch on flagship items. “The way we keep dishes continuously on our menu is by infusing different types of ingredients to make them seasonally relevant,” Smith explains. He points to their Chicken + Waffles — an item that has been on the menu since 2008. “The chicken and waffles is the anchor, but we can incorporate what is on people’s palates today. There are new twists that keep it relevant.”
Smith is particularly proud of developing two new dishes for The Drake since his arrival: a falafel bowl and a reuben sandwich. “I’m really excited about our falafel bowl,” he says. “I’ve never worked in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine.” The reuben pulls from Smith’s time in Montreal, where he went to university. “I lived right by Schwartz’s,” he explains, referencing the landmark Montreal deli that’s been serving smoked meat sandwiches since the 1920s. “The reuben was my go-to meal. So there’s a huge sense of nostalgia.”
For Smith, the challenge of navigating a kitchen’s journey post-pandemic and through an expansion is one that he’s ready to take on. “It’s really exciting to be part of a revitalization,” he explains. “We’re adapting to a new world. We’re looking forward to seeing where we can take what we do in a culinary sense and bring it into this 21st-century environment.”
The Drake Burger
Ashley van der Laan
“The burger has been on the menu since day one. When we launched it in 2004, there weren’t as many burger destinations in the city. In its earlier years, it was renowned throughout Toronto. We’ve been keeping that tradition going. It’s made in-house with very high-quality local butcher meat — a mix of chuck and brisket. The cheese sets it apart: It’s a thick-cut, aged white cheddar and it’s very umami-based. We add our own Drake dressing and it’s on a Blackbird Baking Co. bun. It has a luxurious feel to it. It’s still one of our big sellers. We make so many of them that I dream about cooking burgers in my sleep.”
Chicken + Waffles
Ashley van der Laan
“This is another menu item that The Drake’s been doing for a long time, since 2008, before chicken and waffles became a thing in Toronto. So again, it’s a frontrunner of a trend. For the chicken, what you’re looking for is a nice crispy exterior and a succulent, moist interior. We found that thighs are the go-to for that. The waffle recipe that we have currently has a little bit of lime in it which adds a depth of flavour, acidity and some sweetness — so it’s a little different. We’ll switch up the toppings too with different compotes and sauces. Right now we’re serving it with a barbecue-style sauce and some pickles.”
Spicy Salmon Maki
Ashley van der Laan
“Our current sushi chef, Anson Lu, has been with us since 2008. Sushi is his domain. It’s his baby. At any sushi venue, you’re going to have a salmon maki, but Anson really makes it his own. There’s the spicy ponzu mayo, and he’s got these awesome crispy onions on it. Everything is just elevating it a little more. Sushi was originally introduced at The Drake to go with our cocktail program. They’re small bites that could go with cocktails, instead of committing to something like a burger. Food at the lobby bar, in the new Modern Wing, is more focused on tapas-y small bites, so sushi is a popular order there.”
Blueberry Scones
Ashley van der Laan
“The blueberry scones are a staple ... It’s a super tender, fluffy blueberry lemon butter scone. We fly through them at breakfast and brunch, and we always have some for sale in the café for guests that want to grab a coffee. But we also serve them on plates with a seasonal compote. We’ll change up the compote, depending on what things are in season. I get to work with our local farm partners in Ontario, like 100km Foods. Right now, we’re doing an apple cherry compote with these really nice Montmorency cherries. We’ll make jars and jars of it at the beginning of the season. I have a little area downstairs where I’ve got rows of pickles and jars of compote.”
Chocolate Espresso Cake
Ashley van der Laan
“We’ve always had a decadent chocolate cake on our menu, but there’ll be different versions of it, like adding a fruit component. Right now, we’ve put a shot of espresso in the mousse that goes on top of the cake.The actual cake itself has a chocolate brownie base. The recipe for that evolved from a pastry chef that I worked with at Le Sélect Bistro, her name was Anastasia and she had worked there for 45 years. Our current pastry chef, Jiao Lyu, reinvented the recipe from a standard chocolate cake and added some really exciting elements, like an almond brittle, which brings a crunchy, textural element to it, and the espresso mousse.”
The Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St. W.; thedrake.ca
