Brian Clarke says he named his new Stratford restaurant, Elizabeth, after his grandmother who inspired him to become a chef – it’s a familiar story but one that played out a little differently for Clarke than for most aspiring cooks.
“Every chef has this story of how they learned how to cook with their grandmother in the kitchen but mine was the exact opposite – she refused to allow me in the kitchen,” said Clarke.
“When I was younger, I always wanted to cook with her and that was one of the deciding factors of me wanting to be a chef - it seemed like there was a mystery in there.”
Clarke was head chef at Bayfield’s Black Dog Village Pub & Bistro before the pandemic forced the restaurant to temporarily shutter its doors. As COVID restrictions eased, Clarke felt inspired to strike out on his own.
“I always thought Stratford would be the perfect place to open a restaurant because I liked dining in the city,” he said. “There are really good restaurants that are opening and really good chefs coming into town.”
Clarke partnered with his wife, Sarah Sylvester, owner of Stratford's The Little Shed Flower Company, to open Elizabeth in the former Features restaurant space at the corner of Ontario and Waterloo streets.
Clarke and Sylvester renovated the space themselves, drawing on Clarke’s grandmother for the restaurant’s mid-century modern aesthetic.
“She was a classic lady from the ‘50's and so the colour scheme reflects that – it's green and gold."
Clarke said Elizabeth’s menu is small and chef-driven.
“I like to call this an elevated neighbourhood restaurant. It's a place that you can go to for special occasions or three times a week and just enjoy yourself. We're really focusing on trying to get everything we can from Canada and as close to the restaurant as possible.”
Rather than focusing the menu on a particular style of cuisine, Clarke says he simply wants to create delicious dishes, adding he often takes influence from other chefs and restaurants he admires.
“We tried to make the menu so that it was different from everywhere else in town, so that we fit into the puzzle of Stratford,” he said.
The menu at Elizabeth constantly changes based on the ingredients available, but Clarke said you can expect dishes like street corn ribs with pickled cabbage or duck confit with sweet potatoes and blueberry bordelaise sauce. He adds that menus will always have plenty of vegetable-focused dishes to make the restaurant accessible for diners with various dietary restrictions and preferences.
The drink menu emphasizes classic cocktails and Old World wines offered at approachable price points.
“There's a lot of attention to detail made in terms of what we brought in and who we're working with and where the products are coming from."
“We're focused on building a team of people that are passionate about hospitality and really striving to give the best service possible.”
Elizabeth is open Tuesday to Saturday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. You can check out the website here: https://www.elizabethstratford.ca/
