Seven Windows

432 Aberdeen Avenue
Hamilton, Ontario
905-523-7707

Type of cuisine:  Bistro
Date of Review:  August, 2009

Overall Quality Ranking:  Excellent

Cost:  Expensive
Gluten-Free Menu Options:  Good
Gluten Free Diner Comfort ranking: As Relaxed As It Gets

Description: We have been here on previous occasions, but you might consider this visit, a wedding, a particular test.  I personally don't have the skills to serve dozens simultaneously, but anybody can couch quarterback.  How did the professionals fare?

Seven Windows has prepared good, fresh, food at our previous visits.  Their menu has plenty of variety for the gluten-free diner, although on this occasion the menu was fixed.

To start the evening, there were several hors d'oeuvres.  I can comment on a nice skewered grilled chicken and a satisfying hot mussel in a cheese and herb broth.  Dinner began with vichyssoise, rich in olive oil and bright with chives.  Another diner thought it heavy on the salt, but I did not.  The second course was mesclun greens with goat's cheese wrapped in leeks, accompanied by glazed figs.  It was piquant with garlic and it was fabulous.

Next was lobster ravioli, a food format that typically puts the "Gosh darn!" into gluten-free.  But our chefs came through, producing a gentle mountain of lobster on a light buttery broth.  Out-lobstering my table-mates, I did not feel the poor cousin.  It would be a bit ungracious to point out that the lobster seemed a touch dry, but we are critiquing, after all.

Beef Wellington with a bearnaise sauce anybody?  Not if you are gluten-free!  Again, while serving a large crowd, the chefs came up with a simple but satisfying dish of beef and vegetables.  My grateful meter was now pushing well into the red.

Dessert?  A pavlova, a gluten-free meringue with berries.  It was good enough to have two.... ...I would imagine. 

As for service, it was warm but we concluded that they were short of servers.  Wine was rarely offered, and water was almost off the menu.  The courses moved along quite slowly, with some patrons missing out on dessert as a result.  There was no rush, of course, and each course was very well prepared and still hot, but ideally it would have been stepped up a bit.

Seven Windows is visibly upscale, with rich wood and linen giving it a comfortable feel.  The light is good, as there are really more than seven windows.  If you want a darker setting, consider asking for a seat in the old vault, which invokes great Hamilton mafia images.  Unfortunately, on this hot summer night, the air conditioning was outmatched by the heat of the kitchen and the guests.  It was bye-bye vest and tie before long.  On other occasions, the climate control has not been an issue. 

All-in-all, Seven Windows is a commendable bistro.  The value ranking takes a hit on price, however, which is high for the Hamilton market and no deal from a Toronto perspective either.  While I am the first to cheer on a Hamilton restaurant, I wonder whether it is sustainable at these prices.  With their attention to the gluten-free eater, I am hoping they stick around.