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Back home again and a new Stratford restaurant for the Linleys

Aaron and Bronwyn Linley returned to the Festival City after living and working in Toronto. Bluebird Restaurant and Bar at 30 Ontario St. opened last week, during the off-season, providing the owners a chance to focus on building a local connection before theatre season starts
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Bluebird Restaurant and Bar at 30 Ontario St., formerly the former Mill Stone Restaurant and Bar.

Bluebird Restaurant and Bar may be a newcomer to Stratford but, for owners Aaron and Bronwyn Linley, returning to the Festival City has been a homecoming. 

Partners in life and business, the Linleys met while training at the Stratford Chefs School and went on to open local restaurant Bijou, which they owned and operated for 14 years, according to Bronwyn Linley.

After selling Bijou, the pair spent several years living and working in Toronto before deciding the timing was right to return to Stratford. 

“We decided that we wanted to open a restaurant again and work together again. We really wanted to create a neighbourhood meeting place,” said Bronwyn. “When this particular space became available – we had so much history here – it seemed like the perfect place to bring us home.”

The duo revamped the Mill Stone Restaurant and Bar's former home at 30 Ontario Street into an intimate and inviting space, where design elements like bistro tables, detailed mouldings and chandeliers evoke a timeless ambience.

“It's really nice and bright but it's cozy at night,” said Bronwyn of the space. “We put our own touches on it and made it a bit whimsical and fun.”

With Aaron at the helm in the kitchen, Bluebird serves up an eclectic, globally-inspired menu featuring dishes ranging from salmon tartare to dan dan noodle-style spaghetti squash.

“We really wanted it to be a place where someone could come in on their own and sit at the bar and have a snack or a small plate and a glass of wine or come in and actually dine,” explained Bronwyn.

“There’s a whole mix of everything to take you through that experience. It's really meant to be very accessible to everybody.”

With this in mind, Bluebird’s menu is divided into snacks, small plates and large plates. The owners encourage diners to explore the menu however they prefer, ordering bites to share before moving on to mains or crafting their own sharing-style dining experience. 

“We really like to travel a lot, so he [Aaron] pulls in elements from all the places we've been and things that inspire him,” she said of the menu. “We were really inspired by modern bistros.”

To complement the food, Bluebird’s drinks menu features a tight list of wines and beers, along with playful cocktails like the Citrus Chili Bomb, which is made with vodka, lemon and orange juice, jalapeno-infused simple syrup and cranberry.

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Bronwyn said the reception from the community since the restaurant’s opening last week has already been positive. She adds that she’s grateful that Bluebird’s off-season opening will give the restaurant time to build a local following before the hustle-and-bustle of the summer tourist season begins. 

“We feel really lucky in a way to be able to open in November. That gives us six months to focus on the people who live here,” she said. "The main thing for us is that this should be a place where it's possible to spend time with family and friends. I want people to come in and spend time with people they love”