The Open Cork Restaurant
Casual fine dining, romance & sports in east Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Friends tell me that being at The Open Cork restaurant on Dundas Street in east Mississauga Ontario, Canada, makes them feel like they are in a welcoming, cosy neighbourhood pub (see googlemap location). Casual, fine dining with luxe appointments adding romance, The Open Cork maintains a comfortable ambiance with big screen televisions in the bar. See what keeps the Open Cork's loyal clientele coming back for more!
Romantic Fine Dining (& Sports) at The Open Cork
With cozy flickering fireplaces bringing comfort on cool days and a flower-bedecked patio for celebrating summer's heat, The Open Cork in Mississauga is a restaurant for all seasons. And for all reasons, from business meetings, romantic tete a tetes, after-work drinks or cheering your team for a big game. With its updated decor exuding comfortable elegance and its Italian-Californian cuisine offering lighter yet satisfying fare, The Open Cork caters to a wide range of tastes and occasions.
Open Cork's owners and ambiance . . .
The comfortable ambiance is by design, say owners Peter Pitsikos and Mark Gharibo, who launched The Open Cork in 1999, in the busy Dundas Street East district.
"We decided we wanted a nice place that the over-25 crowd would want to go, a place where they'd feel welcome and comfortable whether they were dressed up for a special night on the town or just out for a casual drink," says Gharibo. "We wanted an upscale place with fine dining, yet with the atmosphere of a neighbourhood pub, where clientele get to know each other. A nice, friendly, welcoming place," says Pitsikos.
Decor and more . . .
All told, The Open Cork can seat 250 in its main rooms, and a hundred more under eye-catching bright yellow and burgundy rectangular umbrellas during patio season. The main dining room features a floor to ceiling plate glass wine cabinet, with bottle holders designed to showcase each bottle. Extra deep, high back banquettes that comfortably seat two per side run under a vaulted ceiling along one wall.
Opposite, a fireplace in a glass tile surround glows under a coved ceiling where recessed lighting softens the mood. "Our entire lighting system is on dimmers," says Pitsikos. Table linens throughout are cream and deep wine, chairs are upholstered in deep wine-coloured leather. "All glass, window coverings and mirrors were done by Creative Art Design of Markham," he says.
Where the main dining room meets the back dining room, there's a fanciful yet practical round room with round table, chandelier and leather banquette seating that creates a private dining or meeting space for 8-10, complete with two flat-screen, wall-mounted LCD televisions. "This area is popular for business meetings," he says.
The back dining room seats 50 in custom built armchairs upholstered in chocolate brown Argentinian leather, warmed by a countertop-style gas fireplace, open on three sides and lined in river rock, that the partners designed. Opposite, a wall of dark, irregularly stacked wood strips further warms the room, reflected in the mirrored back wall.
Sport Bar, Bar None and room for more . . .
The piece-de-resistance of the 100-seat lounge is a projection television with 10-foot screen. "The screen comes down for really big sporting events, like the Super Bowl or World Cup," says Gharibo, who notes that when the lounge first opened, a trade publication named it one of Canada's Top 6 lounge designs. "We wanted a lounge where people could come for the evening, or meet for drinks before and after dinner," he says. "Monday nights from 9:30 to closing, we have live music here, with Reno performing classical rock and Top 40 hits."
At the rear of the lounge, a private room seating 35 with A/V equipment for videos and Power Point presentations is a popular meeting venue. As well, says Gharibo, "On Sundays, we do a lot of private parties here -- Christenings, baptisms, retirements, wine tasting groups."
Open Cork Cal-Ital Menu
The Open Cork 'Cal-Ital' menu blends traditional and international, with dishes to suit most tastes, including vegetarian. "And we'll prepare specific requests off-menu as long as we have the ingredients on hand," says Pitsikos. "The lounge menu is available from opening until 1 a.m. and has gourmet pizzas, like the signature seafood pizza with grilled shrimp and calamari, and sandwiches, fresh oysters and cheese platters. Mussels are very popular, too. They're cooked in saffron cream, marinara, basil garlic or white wine sauces. There's baby calamari in coated with special seasonings and deep fried, or pan sauteed or grilled and served with a chunky salsa with Pernod, feta and grilled peppers."
Chef's Specials of the day
The dining room offers daily Chef's Specials, usually a choice of chicken, veal, pasta, sandwich or meat for lunch (daily 11-3 ) and dinner (daily 5-11), with seasonal variations, says Gharibo. "In summer, we serve dishes like grilled pear and strawberry salad, and more fish," he says. "Our steaks are New York strips, sourced from Sterling Silver, a premium beef with a reputation for the highest standard of quality. We like its consistent marbling, which we think is better than Black Angus. We develop dishes with the chef, and the most popular evolve into signature dishes."
Soup and chowder, a large selection of salads and antipastos featuring snails or seafood and bruschetta enhance mains or stand alone. "Our desserts are all homemade, including our signature tiramisu, tartufo, Caramel Pecan Flan and Cookies and Cream cheesecake," says Pitsikos.
Premium beers and a good selection of wines (10 whites, 12 reds), including a vintage list Chateau-Neuf-de-Pape, round out the full bar service. "At The Open Cork, we strive to meet our clientele's discriminating tastes and to make every visit memorable," he says.
The Open Cork 2101 Dundas Street East Mississauga ON 905.624.9777
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