Tag Archives: Bistro / Cafe / Light Food / Bakery

7 West

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Last night I went to 7 West after a movie. There aren’t a lot of places that are 24 hours & decent, but this is one of them. They haev recently changed their menu, and so though the prices are not as cheap as they once were, there is more variety in the food, and it has been upgraded somewhat. I do think that $3.50 for juice is not quite reasonable. Our server was fabulous, very attentive, quick, and he was very flexible, allowing me to get an extra item on my salad – no problem. I ended up with a sandwich ($10) that contained prociutto, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado & buffalo mozzarella. Thankfully, they were generous with their meat portion to the point that I had to take half of my sandwich home. The sandwich was accompanied by a massive salad, containing many types of vegetables & chickpeas . it was gooooood. My friend had the rose ravioli ($13)- her usual dish, and she liked the plate clean!

Despite the price increase, this was overall a positive dining experience, and little surprise, I will be back.

 

Mercatto

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15 Toronto St.
(416) 366-4567

 

For several years, Mercatto has been attracting the “see” and “be seen” crowd of young, downtown urban professionals. There is plenty of eye candy to scope out here, and the food ain’t half bad either. If not nearly as well known, Mercatto is comparable to Terroni’s in terms of a gourmet lunch serving up a variety of fancy paninis and pizzas. The dining room is larger and more lit than Terroni’s and there is a small patio out front. The kitchen is visible behind a food display counter. I believe they do catering as well but I am not 100% sure.

I have frequented this restaurant several times for lunch, and on my most recent visit, I stuck to the typical yet delicious grilled vegetable sandwich. Served on a large, ciabatta roll, this sandwich is equipped with grilled zuchinni, red pepper, spanish onions and some creamy goat cheese. A salad accompanies the dish with a tart and tasty vinagrette. My “lunch buddy” ordered the most expensive item on the menu: a grilled calamari salad ($13.95). I had a taste of this dish and it was fantastic. Four large pieces of calamari placed in a clock like formation around the salad, with smaller pieces in the centre. Grilled and seasoned to perfection.

Though, I do not work in this area anymore, I still try to come down to this lunching spot to look just as much as to eat.

Athens Pastries

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509 Danforth Av
(416) 463-5144

Located right in the heart of the Danforth, right near Chester subway, this pastry shop serves a limited menu of quick pastries, take out only, [ you can order and sit down at the 5-10 tables but they do not serve you]. In the summer they have a small but cosy terrace that sits about 4 small tables. Sells mostly spinach, cheese, and cream pies, and sells other light dishes, as well as an assortment of North American, Greek, Turkish, coffees as well espresso and cappucino and other shi shi poo poo coffees. They also sell a large variety of soft drinks. They always have a sign saying “Help Wanted” which is weird [maybe the management treats the staff crappy] In any case, the food is good- not greasy, but yummy…I always order Spanakopita, which is Spinach and Feta Cheese pie wrapped up in Philo Dough. The lighting is quite bright and staff are friendly.

Eat Cafe and Catering

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1321-dundas west
416 . 537 . 3000

 

The burgeoning Dundas West strip excites me for a number of reasons. Most notably because I live there, and the emergence of new restaurants, bars, and art galleries is a great sign for the area and for places to frequent. Eat Cafe, a block or two west of Dovercourt is one such place that opened in mid-summer (2003).

Having already garnered positive reviews from a few publications, I was hoping to find a new restaurant to rival Saving Grace for the preeminent brunch establishment in the immediate locale. Unfortunately, this will not be the one to do it.

From what I discerned about Eat Cafe, I was looking forward to elaborate and creatively conceived dishes that have become synonymous with the trendy, brunch industry. Though the varied menu suggests this would be the case, the end result does not. The first surprise was the simple and minimalist decor that greets you when entering the tiny room with few tables. Not that this was dissapointing, I don’t need to be wowed by elaborate restaurant designs to enjoy the food. The bigger dissapointment came when we received our meals. Having thoroughly enjoyed the appetizers consisting of a spicy, spinach hummous which wasn’t very spicy but quite tasty and thinly, sliced and seasoned bread with some delicous pate; we were anxious to eat our main dishes which sounded much better than they tasted. For some reason, I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours and was eager to dig into a lucious meal to satisfy my aching belly. I was able to sample four of the five dishes we ordered including my own. I think my order was the best of the bunch, a banana and apple stuffed french toast with candied walnuts. However, like the merguez sausage that one of the members of our party complained wasn’t hot; I found it had been cooling a little too long to thoroughly enjoy. I am not one to send food back to the kitchen, but I think in retrospect I would have enjoyed it more if I did. Eat Cafe also has a diverse lunch menu which two people at our table sampled. I tried one of the paninis they ordered and found it bland tasting despite the genoa salami and roasted red peppers among other toppings that graced this sandwich. This bland taste seemed to be a common theme from the comments heard around the table.

It does not look like Eat Cafe will become the regular brunch venture I was hoping; however, they are starting to serve dinner in the fall and while the food was not totally up to snuff there is room for improvement on a diverse menu that begs to be enjoyed.

Now Lounge

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189 Church Street
(416) 364-1301

The first time I went to the Now Lounge, I was taken there by my employer who was attempting to woo me into accepting a full time position. I was impressed by his apparent insight in treating me to a funky meal at this my favourite local newspaper’s establishment. I also enjoyed the photo exhibit adorning the walls of this lounge cum restaurant which came to realize was a continuously changing feature of the joint. Part and parcel of the company’s culture, I was told, was the tolerant attitude they shared, owing to the store’s location on Church St., down the way from the gay village. I took this bit of news positively, though I don’t know why a company’s location should have anything to do with tolerant values. The delicious grilled vegetable sandwich with goat cheese didn’t hurt matters and by the time I graduated University I firmly secured my place amongst the cogs of corporate machinery.

Now Lounge became somewhat of a lunch staple at my downtown workplace as subsequent visits continued to please………… until suddenly the chef quit and the restaurant closed down for “retooling” for what seemed like forever. When it re-opened months later with little fanfare and a much shortened menu, the tasty grilled veggie sandwich that I had once enjoyed was gone as was my satisfaction level. I reverted to eating a plate of nacho chips with sour cream, salsa and cheese. The service also declined and on more than one visit I was forced to ask my waitress how much longer it would take for my food to arrive.

Despite the decline in general quality, the laid back ambience and the photo exhibits continued. On one occasion during a “twins exhibit”, a co-worker from the same company quipped that Now was the first “gay bar” he had been. Maybe Now’s decline in quality and clientele owes to the fact that I no longer work at the same place.

Pulp Kitchen

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Pulp Kitchen
898 Queen Street E
416 . 461 . 4612

 

Discovering that Bonjour Brioche was closed for a week, we mosied further east along Queen St. for brunch. After a heated debate and coin toss we settled on Pulp Kitchen, a vegetarian restaurant and juice bar.

The restaurant is medium sized, with an open space that separates the tables from the kitchen. The menu is all vegetarian, including an “eggless” omelette and a large selection of interesting juices. I chose the “Beans and Bangers” which I was informed was comprised of sausage and beans. I’m not sure what the sausage was made from but it definitely was not meat.
As I ate my meal, which was generally quite good for hot dogs and beans, I came to realize that something was missing. The menu had definitely claimed that the food came topped with a “corn chutney”; however, much to my dismay I discovered that it simply was not there. This was one of the main reasons I ordered this particular dish as I did not want plain weiners and beans for $7.95. When I pointed out my discovery to the less than pleasant waitress, I was informed that they had run out. There was no apology and she only said that there would be an “adjustment” on the bill which amounted to a whole dollar. Suffice it to say, I was less than pleased with the service we received and the meal I did not order.
There is nothing that irks me more in a restuarant then unpleasant staff and getting an order right.

Rugelah Challenge, The

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The Rugelah Challenge

Rugelah is a traditional Jewish desert that consists of rolled dough and cream cheese and is filled with different delights. My favourite type of rugelah is definitely chocolate; however it comes in all sorts including raisin, cinnamon, and fruit. Rugelah is sold in many Jewish-style bakeries throughout the city, but it is not particularly cheap and usually costs in upwards of $10 per pound.

It is a family tradition that each weekend; before traveling two hours north to the family cottage in Huntsville; one member of the family (usually my mother) picks up a fresh batch of rugelah. It is almost always devoured within the first night of the weekend.

One weekend, my family decided to hold a blind taste test of three different samplings of rugelah from various bakeries in the city. The three bakeries chosen to participate in this challenge were: Haymishe Bagel (3031 Bathurst st – 416-781-4212), What a Bagel (3500 Bathurst St. – 416-785-7222), and Longo’s (York Mills and Leslie).

In my mind, I thought Haymishe would easily win this challenge due to the delicious Jewish fare I am accustomed to consuming there. However, after each member of the family tasted each rugelah without prior knowledge to which one was which it turned out Longo’s was the victor.

I must admit this challenge is a bit skewed since it did not include probably the most famous Jewish Bakery in Toronto: Harbord Bakery. I promise to include Hardbord in the next challenge and update this review.

Hair of the Dog

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Hair of the Dog

 

Hair of the Dog was on my list of restaurants to visit for quite a while. I wasn’t completely sure if it was a lounge, or a bar/restaurant with sub standard food. In any case, I finally visited this establishment at the southern end of the Village on Church St. near Carlton and thoroughly enjoyed my experience.

Initially taking a seat on the main level of the restaurant, I found the room to be excessively loud for the romantic tone the dim light suggested. It was so loud in fact, that we asked our accomodating (not to mention attractive) waiter if we could be moved to a patio table. This was a wise decision as it was much more subdued under the covered patio and I could actually enjoy my conversation without cupping my hands around my ears.

The menu was extensive and had several interesting sounding dishes for what I would consider a typical, non-nationality specific restaurant. I settled on the special, which was a lemongrass curry chicken on a bed of basmati rice and baby bok choy ($13.95). I am a big fan of curry and prefer eating my entire meal covered in the sauce. Unfortunately, this was a bit lacking even if everything else, including the curry, was well prepared and tasty. There was a decent list of martinis, one of which called the Midnight Dream that I enjoyed.

For a restaurant that doesn’t specialize in exotic food, Hair of the Dog makes efforts both in service and in atypical food to keep the customer happy.

Niagara St. Café

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Niagara St. Café
416-703-4222
167 Niagara

 

This cozy little café is located south of an interesting looking Buddhist Temple just below King St. The outdoor patio was full so we had a seat inside where we waited, and waited, for our food.

Yes, it took quite a while for our meal to arrive but when it did most of the annoyance of the wait was quickly diminished. It was obvious that a lot of effort and love was put into this food. I had the “Eggs Natalie” which consisted of fluffy eggs with spinach served on a delicious warm biscuit with a side of small, crispy potatoes. I think I’m missing an ingredient but it was very well made even if it lacked an eclectic array of tastes. My partner in brunch had one of the specials of French toast covered in sweet, dripping raspberries and similar fruits. There was also a sweet, eggy looking sauce, which I do not know the name of but was also quite delicious. She was duly impressed.

I will probably not have anywhere to visit immediately afterwards the next time I visit Niagara St. Café. I would also choose something different from the wide selection of natural and organic foods on the plentiful menu.

Riverdale Perk

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633 Logan
Phone: (416) 462-3538

Under recent new ownership, this neighbourhood café has simple, fresh and cheap food.
Only containing six tables, everything they sell they make themselves, including the fresh baked muffins, scones, croissants and the great lunch specials. I always order the same thing: a grilled vegetarian wrap with salad with a raspberry vinegrette. You can sit on the picnic tables outside in the summer, or head west two blocks to “deep” Withrow park where all of the hip Riverdale folk hang out with their kids and dogs. Local artists get wall space alongside the huge windows. With hip, cool, friendly staff, a different medley of fresh coffee, fresh pastries, and a small menu with distinct “neighbourhood cafe” feel, one is sure to always come back to the Riverdale Perk. The only drawback: they only accept cash.