Sparrow Shuffles Chefs, Revamps Kitchen

Sparrow, the popular Mile End bar and pub that prefers to play it cool on social media, to the occasional bewilderment of customers, was papered over this past weekend and ostensibly closed for brunch. A trip to Cardinal Tea Room above Sparrow led to a conversation with partner Murad Meshgini about the restaurant's makeover.

The crux of Sparrow's closure is the departure of chef Jeremiah Bullied last week. Bullied is off to pursue other projects and the restaurant has taken the opportunity to renovate the kitchen with new tiles and appliances, hire a new chef and retool the menu. Management also plans to integrate Sparrow more seamlessly with Cardinal Tea Room, from a practical and operations standpoint.

This will include desserts from Cardinal pastry chef Kathy Daehler at both restaurants, a proper tea service at Sparrow and a likely end to the pub's cash-only policy (debit at minimum, Visa possibly).

New chef Jay Taylor (Biarritz) will inject Sparrow's new menu with some finesse and technique. The price points will be similar but look for more refinement from the restaurant when it re-opens for dinner next week. Meshgini reports that the kitchen will be open until 11:00 p.m., with a bar menu until midnight. Another idea that may come to fruition: prix fixe Sunday roast dinners.

· Sparrow [Official Page]