Hungry? Bored? Regina's got The Cure

Stepping into The Cure Kitchen and Bar in downtown Regina, a bench-to-ceiling built-in bookshelf along the back wall catches your eye. Donated by a former University of Regina professor, the books have become a part of the restaurant's identity: homey, bohemian and eclectic.

It's rustic and urban at the same time, with black paint and industrial furnishings juxtaposed with antique furniture, an old piano on stage and a cow skull hung on the wall. Paintings by local artists add pops of colour to exposed brick.

If the dcor looks familiar, that's because it is: The Cure is the reincarnation of a previous establishment, the Artful Dodger, which operated seven blocks east on 11th Avenue and closed in 2017. The Cure's four co-owners worked together at the Artful Dodger and were given the opportunity to buy it out. They did, but also decided to relocate to 2323 11th Ave. and rebrand. They opened in 2018.

"It was a cool process in that we got to start from scratch," says co-owner Morgan Choquer.

She and her partners wanted to bring something they didn't feel existed in Regina: "a space that was kind of like a big city restaurant, where you go see live music or an open mic night or a comedy show; that has great food and supports local artists; that brings in cool DJs on the weekends. We wanted to add something to Regina's nightlife landscape, and we also wanted to better connect with the downtown lunch crowd than we could at our previous location."

The Cure name works on a number of levels. Music is a key element to the restaurant's ethos, and the co-owners are all fans of the British '80s pop band of the same name. There is also the act of curing meats, which head chef Alan Heriberto Lopez Bayliss does himself.

Lastly, "We're trying to be the 'cure' for whatever our customers need," Choquer said. "If you're bored, we have a cure for that. Hungry? Come on in. Looking for something to do on a Friday night? We can help."

Handcrafted with love

The food at The Cure is the handiwork of Lopez Bayliss, who says he wants customers to "taste the love" he and his staff put into the cuisine.

"I want everything to be as fresh as possible: seasonal vegetables and herbs, depending on what we can source at a given time," he said. "The bread we bake ourselves. We braise our own brisket. All of our sauces are made from scratch. We make our own desserts as well."

Lopez Bayliss hails from the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora, but he learned to cook at a Regina tapas restaurant while studying engineering at the local university. Eventually, his passion for cooking blossomed and he decided to make it his career.

"My family are not restaurateurs or professional cooks. When I told them I wanted to be a chef, they were shocked. 'What? We thought you wanted to be an engineer!' they said," he recalled, laughing.

Unsurprisingly, the Mexican dishes on the menu really shine. The chicken enchiladas are the most popular order.

The Cure has a set all-day menu, but also a monthly fresh sheet, where Lopez Bayliss can do a bit of experimentation. Right now, for instance, he's "really into French cuisine."

"I love their focus on sauces," he said, "and the different methods. I'm trying to bring a bit of that type of style to our menu, a little bit at a time."

Adapting to pandemic times

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an enormous challenge for the entire restaurant industry, and The Cure partners had to get creative since reopening after the spring lockdown. They converted a section of the parking lot in the back to an outdoor patio, and even hosted their first socially-distant live music event in July. Since then, they've put on comedy and drag nights as well.

"We didn't realize we had so many regulars until we reopened, because people came back telling us they missed coming here. Some of them come back once a week now and it means a lot to us," said Choquer.

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"We've gotten to know our regulars better and they've been able to give us lots of feedback about dining in a pandemic: what they like and what they don't like and we can adjust as we go."

Soon, the patio will have to close as the weather gets colder, but Choquer remains optimistic.

"We can't bring in a big crowd and allow dancing yet, but we're looking forward to being able to do that again, eventually."