The Hintonburg restaurant that was Back Lane Café is about to rise up from the ashes — somewhat literally.
Jon Svazas, the talented chef who opened Fauna restaurant in Centretown a year and a half ago, has bought the Back Lane business and plans to open a wine bar and Spanish-influenced restaurant in the space this spring.
“When I heard that it was up for sale, I jumped pretty fast,” says Svazas, who took possession of the building at 1087 Wellington St. W. on Feb. 1.
Svazas says he plans to make the most of the wood-burning ovens in the back of the restaurant, offering, in addition to Spanish-style tapas or pintxos, whole chickens and fish roasted over a wood fire and charred rib-eye steaks, served with cider, Spanish style.
“Cooking on wood will be a focus,” says Svazas, who is even bringing the fire theme into the new décor, with a dramatic wall of charred black cedar that was created by burning the boards with a roofing torch until they were ashen and glowed red.
Svazas is somewhat infamous for Fauna taking more than two years to open, due mostly to a dispute with the landlord.
“This one won’t take two years,” he says. “I’m hoping to open by the beginning or April or May, but I’m obviously not one for hard opening dates.”
Svazas says the yet-to-be-named new place will feature “a lot of Spanish, a lot of Mediterranean and some Middle Eastern” influences in the food.
“It will be small bites — not sharing plates, but one or two bites — and wine and cocktails. We’ll have 20 to 30 wines by the glass. Ottawa doesn’t really have anything like that, except for Soif, but that’s on the other side of the river.”
He says there will also be an emphasis on natural wines. “Everyone wants organic and natural food and I do not see why wine should be any different.”
Svazas said he’s happy to have his second restaurant in Hintonburg. “When we were opening Fauna, it was either Centretown or Hintonburg. I didn’t want to be anywhere else.”
He says the new spot, where he’ll work for its first eight months before splitting his time between his two restaurants, will be “a bit more casual than Fauna, but it’s still going to look beautiful.”
He says the design will be mostly modern, with furniture and fixtures from The Modern Shop on Sussex Drive, but he plans to add some vintage brass fixtures and Spanish tile on the front of the bar.
Svazas, who nearly did a degree in industrial design before deciding instead to head to culinary school at Algonquin College, also designed the interior of Fauna, which has been lauded for its stylish modern good looks, with brick walls, a zinc bar and designer lights.
The father of two says he hopes to get the interior of the new Hintonburg restaurant ready, then take a trip to Spain with his wife to celebrate their 10-year anniversary and get fresh inspiration for the restaurant’s cuisine just before opening.
“I’d love to go back to Spain for business and pleasure. The Basque food is just ridiculous.”
George Monsour, who started the Ritz restaurants in Ottawa in the 1980s, owned Back Lane Café in Hintonburg.
Back Lane Café, which was owned by longtime Ottawa restaurateur George Monsour, closed abruptly last fall.
