Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sugar Cafe [closed Fall 2007]

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942 Queen St. W.
416.532.5088

 

Queen West is my favourite part of Toronto, and it seems whenever I am down there I recognize at least a few people on the street. Sure enough, sitting by the window in Sugar Cafe I happened to see several people I knew or at least had noticed before. There was the cute, gay rapper I had once seen on the U8TV cameras and a frequenter of the Vazaleen party, my former math teacher from grade 10, and two other queers I knew back in the day. Quite the melange of people to be sure.

As for brunch, there’s not really much to say. A small, standard menu with the typical Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, and musli yogourt did not impress me much. Neither did the prices, especially considering the size or lack thereof the meal. I settled on the grilled veggie sandwich on foccacia which I have never seen on any brunch menu. Not that it wasn’t tasty, it definitely was, but it was the long wait as well as the petiteness of the sandwhich which really left a sour taste in my mouth. To top it off, we were charged $4 each for the two coffees we each had. If you’re going to skimp out on the meal, at least provide free re-fills.

Azul

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 181 Bathurst Street
phone number: 416-703-9360

Azul was my introduction to the Toronto brunch scene, so it must have some good qualities. A trendy little restaurant in the Queen West area, just north of Queen on the east side of Bathurst; Azul serves up a bevy of meals from brunch to dinner. They also have a wide juice selection which to my memory I have yet to sample. One thing I do like about Azul is their coffee. Besides being delicious, it is served in a large thermos-like container so you can re-fill yourself instead of waiting on the staff.

This time around, I had the Eggs La La, which were poached eggs on a crusty bread with avacado and tomatillo salsa. It came with a sparse amount of potatos and a tasty side salad. I like when brunch is served with salad, since it balances out the heaviness of the rest of the meal. The eggs were good, though nothing stood out as a great combination of taste that other brunches have provided. Lawrence had the Eggs Azul which were similar to the La La but was served on corn bread, an interesting and tasty choice. Definitely recommended, though hardly the best that Toronto has to offer.

http://www.toronto-underground.com/index.html?/food_drink/local/fusion.html
http://www.martiniboys.com/pages/reviews/azul.htm

Hello Toast (Now called Toast on Queen- Nov 2005)

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Now called Toast on Queen- Nov 2005
993 Queen Street East
phone number: 416-778-7299

I had feared a long wait to get into Hello Toast at 12:30 on a Saturday, but after 10 minutes we found ourselves a half couch/half seat table in the back room. The decor was quite interesting, with toasters jutting out of the wall above the door leading to the kitchen and artwork placed outside the window on the exterior wall of the adjacent building. Looking around, I noticed many people sipping on Bloody Caesars. My friends were quick to inform me that this is the drink of choice for hangovers.

I, as well as the majority of my crew ordered the omelette of the day. This consisted of caramalized onions, aspagarus, mushrooms, smoked salmon, melted goat cheese, and sweet chili sauce. It also came with potatos and side salad with a raspberry vinagrette. The omelette arrived on my plate oozing at the seams with creamy goat cheese. I was expecting it to be a bit spicy due to the chili sauce but instead it was very sweet from the combiniation of the cheese and chili. Delicious. The potatos were quite standard and it was nice to balance the meal with the salad.

Unfortunately, my brunch cohort’s omelette was missing goat cheese and another member of our party asked the waitress for a plate of goat cheese to compensate! This slightly embarassing situation didn’t mar what was an overall tasty meal (at least for me anyways).

http://www.torontounderground.com/food_drink/local/brunch.html

http://www.martiniboys.com/pages/reviews/hellotoast.htm

Palmerston, The

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800 Dundas West, at Palmerston
416-703-9164

Having moved down to “Little Portugal”, I find myself in the middle of a terrific amount of new brunch spots to sample from. One of those places that I probably would never make it to if not for living downtown is the Palmerston. A small (extremely small) kitchen just north of Dundas on Palmerston (duh). Going in with six, loud, hetereosexual males we find that we take up all the small two person tables at this establishment. A smiling, relaxed lady is behind the counter taking orders off the chalkboard menu, the only one that exists in the restaurant. There is no wait staff and you pour your own coffee into styrofoam cups. Simple, yet efficient and different. I start off with a mango scone which is piping hot and tenderly soft inside. The bits of mango serve as a nice complement to typically delicous scone. The rest of the menu is sparse but my choice of scrambled eggs with coriander and melted brie on a baguette is delicious.

http://www.nowtoronto.com/minisites/restaurant/food2.html

Easy Restaurant and Catering

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1645 Queen Street West
phone number: 416-537-4893

After catching two movies at the Toronto International Film festival I made my way west (far west!) on Queen to Roncesvalles where Easy is located. It was 3 p.m. and I wasn’t sure brunch was still being served, but fortunately we were in luck.

A medium sized room that characterizes most trendy brunch places in Toronto was still relatively full at this time of the day. The menu was varied, ranging from your traditional eggs, bacon, and toast to the more lavish Spanish named meals. Of course, I couldn’t let something called Huevos Divorciados pass my by (especially having only eaten multigrain toast with low fat peanut butter and sugarless jam that day). This delectable meal came with two sunny-side up eggs served on a corn tortilla, with spicy salsa, guacamole, refried beans, black beans, home fries, and a salad. If that wasn’t enough I ordered a “Power Peanut” smoothie which consisted of cholocate, banana, and peanut butter. Suffice it to say, I was stuffed at the end of this one.

http://www.toronto-underground.com/food_drink/local/brunch.html

http://www.martiniboys.com/pages/reviews/easy.htm

Saving Grace

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907 Dundas Street West
*new phone number (July 2005)*: 416 703-7368
old phone number: 416-899-9186

Saving Grace ranks up as the best brunch place I have eaten in Toronto and it all boils down to one item on the menu. No matter what one says about decor, ambience and wait time (not that there is a problem with any of that here), the most important factor in a restaurant is still the food. Saving Grace kicks ass in this respect.

The menu item I am refering to is the toasted raisin bread sandwich with avacado, old white cheddar cheese, lettuce, and rosemary mayonaisse. To be honest, I was not even the one to order this delectable treat (I lost again), but my brunch compadre was fortunate enough to make the correct choice. One bite of his sandwich sent me over the edge. Since that time, I have tried, with varying degrees of success to imitate this fine specimen of food; however, nothing I do comes close to wonders that are this sandwich.

Other notes on Saving Grace would be the amusing waiter who kept refering to me and my friend as “babe” throughout the meal. I liked this touch. The closeness of the tables provides a very residential touch to the smallish room, and allows you to check out the orgasmic expressions of all who taste “The Sandwich”.

Other reviews on Saving Grace:

http://www.toronto-underground.com/index.html?/food_drink/local/cafes.html

http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_05.11.00/foodanddrink/food.html

Lakeview Lunch

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1132 Dundas Street West
phone number: 416-530-0871

After having visited a bunch of the trendier brunch places in recent weeks, Lakeview Lunch went in a bit of different direction. A typical 50’s style diner with booths and old movie posters lining the walls, I half expected personal jukeboxes at our eating station reminiscent of good old Lime Rickeys.

The menu was large serving an all day breakfast ranging from your typical eggs,toast and home fries to across the globe omelettes like the “Tel Aviv” or the “Athens”. The good thing about the breakfasts was that they came with baked beans, a personal favourite addition to any breakfast. The lunch menu was also quite large and we debated getting a cappacino milkshake.

I ended up settling for the Lox Eggs Benedict which was your typical eggs benedict with hollandaise on an english muffin with some lox. Nothing special and the lox weren’t that tasty. The homefries were flat and soft but not too bad. My friend chose a sandwhich off the lunch menu consisting of avacado, cheese, and some fancy mayo served on a huge bed of fries. He said it was delicious and from the bite I had I would have to agree.

For other reviews on Lakeview Lunch check out:

http://www.toronto-underground.com/index.html?/food_drink/local/fusion.html

http://www.martiniboys.com/pages/reviews/lakeview.htm

Bonjour Brioche

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 812 Queen St. East   Toronto, ON
416 406-1250

Having risen early (6:30 a.m. on a Sunday!) for an “all-staff meeting” for work, I was rarin’ to eat some good brunch by 10 a.m. Bonjour Brioche did not dissapoint. Located just west of Hello Toast on Queen St., Bonjour Brioche has a slightly upscale menu and also serves as bakery, with baguettes and ‘brioches’ (sweet buns with a different something inside). After waiting about 20 minutes we were seated in the shade on the patio, which is on the side of the restaurant. Scanning the menu, I was recommended the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and topped with caviar. However, upon further inspection I went with the ‘Tart of the Day’ which consisted of roasted garlic, mushroom and asiago cheese. I’m not sure how a tart differs from a quiche as they seem very similar, but this one was rich and tasty. Brigette also tried a tart but her’s had spinach, ricotta and olives inside. Her’s was milder tasting but also delicious. Marina had the omelette of the day which consisted of smoked salmon and creme fraiche, while Mark (not Polger) had the french toast which was incredibly rich and sweet (maybe too much so). Everyone came away fully satisfied.

http://www.toronto-underground.com/index.html?/food_drink/local/brunch.html
http://www.martiniboys.com/pages/reviews/bonjourbri.htm

By The Way Cafe

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400 Bloor St. W.
(416) 967-4295

Located right at the corner of Bloor and Brunswick, right spack dab in the Annex, this quaint little cafe is quiet, dimly lit, intimate, and serves vegetarian friendly fare.

It also has a beautiful wall mural and has the ambiance of a romantic cafe. There is an identical lunch and dinner menu (prices are slightly higher for dinner) and there are daily dinner specials. Dinner specials range from $12-$16.

The place is small and the prices are a bit high for me, but there’s something special about this cafe. SIMPLICITY!

There is a large summer terrace (patio) that is available all year around (it’s heated during the winter.) They also have a marketing technique where you can join a mailing list and you get a coupon for a free entre on your birthday. Offer is only available the month of your birthday from Sunday through Wednesday.

Soft drink prices are retarded ($3.00 for a small) and the menu is mostly Mediterranean. I usually have the Mediterranean combination platter with hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh and Israeli salads. The platter comes with pita and it $9.00.

The last time I went, I had the honey carrot ginger soup (all soups are vegetarian, unless specified) and the veggie burger. The veggie burger ($10.00) came with fries but I substituted it for grilled zucchini and peppers for an additional $3.00.

I also had the option to order the veggie burger with a bun or pita (I chose pita.) Wendy had the chicken breast stuffed with chevre, and pesto. The dish was served with aromatic rice. Wendy also ordered the African lentil soup and when I tasted I thought it was one of the best soups I’ve had in a long time. Wendy’s chicken dish was $16 and our soups were $4.

Presentation is beautiful at By The Way Cafe.

By The Way Cafe also serves weekend brunch with a variety of dishes including eggs, omeletes, waffles, sandwiches, soups, and French toast. Unofrtunately they charge extra for egg white omeletes (+$1.50) and substituting salads for their standard fries and toast (which comes with every egg dish) (+$2.50). Nonetheless, the food is outstanding and service is stellar, BUT it’s TOO expensive. Accepts all cards and Interac. Beautiful heated outdoor terrace open most of the year.

Cafe Demetre

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 400 Danforth Av
(416) 778-6654

188 Eglinton Ave East
(416) 485-4610 

3280 Dufferin Street
(416) 789-CAFE (2233)

2962 Bloor Street West
(416) 234-CAFE (2233)

If you are looking for a trendy hotspot for desserts (cakes, pies), home made ice cream, sundaes, granitas, gourmet coffee, ice cream floats, come to Cafe Demetre. This place is a chain and it located in many neighbourhoods in Toronto and outside the GTA. Expect to see people who dress up for dessert. Prices are not cheap but portions are huge and made for the gluten in you. There are few healthy selections.

I usually order the yogourt in a tall glass with seasonal fruit and granola or the fruit grannitas which are pureed fruit,and crushed ice. Service is kind of slow (it’s very busy) but staff are friendly and accomodating.  The decor is bright and colourful and filled with Disney paraphernalia.

It has an almost child-like quality to the decor, fun, colourful, funky chairs, almost 1950’s diner style dessert hangout. Many cake varieties with huge “take home” portions that leave people full. A great place to take someone on a date but the place can get noisy and rowdy on a Saturday night. Expect lineups on the weekend, even during the winter.