Chococrepe

Posted on August 4, 2012 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Trinity Bellwoods

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4 Stars

- Crepes aren’t just for dessert folks.  That’s what Dewey Truong, owner of Chococrepe wants you to know.  Yes, they are paper thin, but they aren’t as one dimensional when it comes to their meal potential.  Walking into the Queen West restaurant on a hot summer day, the last thing that I wanted to eat for lunch was a Nutella and chocolate smeared crepe, so it’s a good thing there was so much more on the menu. 

Don’t let the name fool you.  At Chococrepe, the menu is divided into savoury and sweet options.  So yes, they do offer the obligatory Nutella crepe along with a slew of other sinfully sweet creations, but they also have an impressive selection of crepes with fillings usually associated with sandwiches or wraps.

To start off we had the Pesto ($9.25) which came with egg, mozzarella , pesto and arugula served on a buckwheat crepe.  Now I’m not an eggs anytime of the day person as I lump them into the breakfast only category, so this probably wouldn’t be my go to crepe, but it was tasty nevertheless.  The egg was fluffy, the pesto made its presence known without stealing the show, and arugula is never a bad idea. 

All of the savoury menu items come served on buckwheat crepes which are a bit similar to whole wheat wraps in their texture and consistency.  Despite the name though, it’s interesting to note that buckwheat is gluten free, so while I can’t speak for the filling, the crepe itself is a good option for those who are at least sensitive to gluten.

To round out our savoury options we tried the Country and the Chipotle Chicken (both $9.25).  The Country comes stuffed with cheddar and punctuated with wood-smoked bacon and caramelized pear.  I’m not even a huge fan of bacon (I know…sorry) but I loved this crepe.  The saltiness of the cheddar, the smokiness of the bacon and the sweetness of the pear blended so nicely into a ménage a trois of flavour. (What?  It’s French…like crepes…)

The Chipotle Chicken though, with a generous amount of tender chicken breast, mozzarella, arugula, and chipotle mayo, might have been the winner, but I like anything that comes served with a side of heat.

At this point it’s fair to say we were beyond full, and I was convinced that yes, crepes could be lunch, but it wouldn’t be fair of us to ignore the dessert crepes completely.  So we tried two.  The Berry Banana ($8.75) is the Platonic ideal of a dessert crepe.  Covered with sliced strawberries and bananas, then drizzled with dark and white chocolate, it looks like art (think Jackson Pollock).  This crepe had a nice balance of tart, thanks to the strawberries, and sweet, thanks to everything else. 

Our last crepe of the day came in the form of Crunchy Pear ($8.50), also beautiful in design with sliced Bosch pears, a generous sprinkling of crushed almonds, and painted with milk chocolate, it was a bit sweeter than the Berry Banana due in part to the milk chocolate, but won in the texture category.

All of the dessert crepes here are made with the typical sweetened wheat flour and served open-face which gives diners the artistic license to fold, roll, or just dive in as is.  And it just looks prettier.

 Oh, and I should mention that all of the crepes are huge, taking up plates that are larger than your average plate.  My suggestion is to bring a friend, or two, and sample multiple crepes like we did.

Did I forget to mention the hot chocolate?  Oh yes, we sampled a couple.  They take their hot chocolate seriously here at Chococrepe.  All flavours are made with melted Valhrona chocolate and you can have your choice of having it made with dark or milk chocolate (and in some cases, white) and with cream or milk. We really wanted to try the popular Fleur de Sel Dulce de Leche made with dark chocolate, but sadly it was unavailable, so we went with the Pumpkin and the Coconut.  The Pumpkin ($5.95) was made with milk chocolate, so as not to overpower the spice and milk instead of its heavier counterpart.  It was tasty, but I would liken it more to a chai latte than a hot chocolate.

The Coconut (also $5.95) however, made with white chocolate and cream was something else.  It was rich without being cloyingly sweet and the coconut flavour came through nicely.  I can definitely see myself going back for one of these once the temperature starts to drop, but if you’re craving one now, Truong just installed a brand new air-conditioning system that he’s very proud of. 

I would also be remiss not to comment on the excellent service at Chococrepe.  Truong himself is a living doll, and he goes out of his way to make your experience at Chococrepe a memorable one.  He obviously loves what he is doing, and says that he wants eating at his restaurant to be a comfortable and social experience, not to mention a delicious one.  Check, check, and check.

Footnote:  Why doesn’t the saying go “as flat as a crepe”?  Let’s face it, in comparison, the crepes pancake cousin from the West has a bit of a weight problem.

- Rebecca

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Kensington Cornerstone

Posted on June 21, 2012 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Kensington Market

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1 star

- The Kensington Cornerstone offers a gluten-free menu.  It has gluten-free beer.  It has a cute patio and it’s painted to look like a circus tent.  I chose it for all of the aforementioned reasons.  It checked a lot of boxes on my list.  I won’t be going back.

This past weekend found me turning another year older, and because I’ve been experimenting with a gluten-reduced diet as of late, I decided my birthday dinner should be had at the Kensington Cornerstone.  I looked at pictures.  I perused the menu.  I read reviews.  It all seemed positive.

It was a beautiful evening, so I was happy that we snagged a spot on the patio.  We had to wait awhile for our drink order to be taken, but at this point we were still taking in our surroundings, people watching (Kensington offers some of the best), and trying to catch passing bubbles being dispensed from somewhere across the street. 

Just when I was at the point of helping myself to my neighbouring tables’ pitcher of beer, our waitress appeared.  The up side to the wait was that we had enough time to choose not only our drinks but our meals, so we placed all of our orders to make up for lost time.  While we had intended to order one of their pitchers of sangria (and/or mojitos, and/or margaritas), we all ended up opting for beer.  My girlfriend and my mom split a pitcher of Upper Canada Lager, while I decided to try one of their 4 gluten-free selections.  I figured having a wheat beer with my gluten-free meal would be like washing down a pie with a diet pop, so I stuck to my guns.  I’ve had what Nicklebrook has to offer in the line of GF beer, so I was looking forward to trying a new one.  I asked our server what the most popular one was, and she pointed me in the direction of a red ale by La Messagre that operates out of Montreal.

When our drinks arrived, I took that first sip so full of hope, and for a split second I thought I was going to have the chance to gloat in the face of my girlfriend (I know, I’m nice aren’t I?) that my beer didn’t taste horrible.  I didn’t have that chance.  Did I just drink beer?  Or did I just suck on a penny?  Even I was a bit confused at that point.  It started off so well, but then finished with a strong metallic and bitter taste that seemed to coat my tongue and the back of my throat.  Bitter…just like I was at that point.

So by this time about 30 minutes had passed since we ordered.  Our thirst was quenched but we were more than peckish.  Thank goodness our server was coming our way!  But instead of food, she came bearing bad news.  My girlfriend would not be dining on the stuffed peppers that she had ordered as they had run out, and for some reason, they just thought to tell her now.  Not only would we have to wait even longer for our food, but our plan to share our meals was scrapped as we now both had the pulled pork sandwich coming to us. 

(Sound of clock ticking) 

Another half hour passed and our meals finally arrived.  As hungry as I was I couldn’t make it through my sandwich ($13).  It looked appetizing enough, but the pork wasn’t nearly as tender as it should have been (I’ve been spoiled by the likes of Fidel Gastro lately), and the sauce was a bit of a turn-off, being too heavy on the tomato and cilantro.  The gluten-free bread was quite good, and even had a bit of a cheesy crust but unfortunately it had been sitting in pork juice, so it was now more of a sponge.  Yes, a pulled pork sandwich should definitely be messy, but you should still be able to pick it up. 

My mom was impressed with her salmon ($18), but she wouldn’t complain if there was a gun to her head.  It did look good though, and the portion was generous, so not all was lost. 

Looking back on it now I wish I had just scrapped the GF diet and stuck with an old faithful restaurant.  What was I thinking trying to eliminate carbs for my birthday dinner?  Why did I go out of my way to both experiment with a restaurant and deprive myself of something I love on my special day?  Who does that?  So while I’m not taking the blame away from the restaurant, I will share some of it with them…but only some as the service was really what ruined our experience.  Maybe the food wasn’t amazing, but the fact that we had to wait so long for it was the added insult.  The servers themselves were lovely girls, but somewhere back in the kitchen, the ball was dropped. 

After we begrudgingly paid our bill, I decided to throw the whole GF thing out the window and head to Ronnie’s for a bottle of (gluten rich) 50 to end the night on a positive note. As we sat there on the patio I couldn’t help but stare across the road at The Grilled Cheese.  Oh, what could have been.

- Rebecca

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Pancho’s Bakery

Posted on March 21, 2012 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Kensington Market

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3 Stars

- I heart churros.  At least that’s what the button said that was given to me by the man behind the counter at Pancho’s Bakery.  After noticing the small collection I have attached to both my bag and jacket, he was quick to give me a new addition.  I was hesitant to let it join the ranks, after all “I heart” anything is a pretty bold statement, and to be honest, as of that moment, I had never had a mind-blowing churro experience, or at least one that would have me declaring such strong feelings for them.  The only time I ever ate a churro was at an establishment once promoted by a talking Chihuahua, so you can understand my hesitation.  I pocketed the button, as its fate would be determined later.

Pancho’s Bakery makes up a portion of what is titled the Latin American Food Court in Kensington Market.  The tiny little storefront on Augusta Avenue is deceiving, as it houses more businesses than I would have guessed.  Assuming it was only Pancho’s in the building, I was surprised (and excited) to see a stall selling tacos, another dealing in empanadas, and the infamous pop-up Agave y Aguacate.  Pancho’s itself occupies the space right up front, across from the Korean dumpling stand… I’m not sure exactly how they fit in.  Apparently the Latin American Food Court doesn’t discriminate, and why should they?  Dumplings are tasty, and well, I’m sure another vendor only helps pay the rent.

It was around twelve o’clock on a Friday when my friend and I decided to check out Pancho’s. Neither of us had eaten, but we couldn’t quite justify having churros for lunch. We are of the mindset however, that believes dinner shouldn’t be the only meal followed by dessert, so our afternoon repast that day would have a churro chaser.

Full of carnitas tacos, and kimchi empanadas (Korean dumpling cart influence!), but not too full to pass up deep-fried dough, we made our way back to Pancho’s.  I was promptly questioned as to the whereabouts of my button but I quickly placed my order as a distraction.

The churros at Pancho’s are piped out in the front window, and brought to life for all to see, before quickly being led to their delicious demise in the deep fryer.  They are served hot, either plain or filled with your choice of chocolate, dulce de leche or strawberry syrup.  We ordered four, one of each flavour, and a plain.  At my servers recommendation I also grabbed some bread pudding and traditional Mexican concha bread.  As we had lost our seats (there aren’t many to begin with) and the sun was shining, we took our treats to go.

We started with the chocolate, moved on to the dulce de leche, followed by the strawberry, and thus ended anticlimactically with the plain. They were crispy and sugar-coated on the outside, while soft and (with the exception of the plain) accompanied with a burst of sweetness from within. Churro rookies be warned… a churro is a like a deep-fried dough straw.  Any filling that goes in the top, will ultimately come out the bottom.  We left a sticky trail through the streets of Kensington that led back to Pancho’s.  If Hansel and Gretel only knew about these, they would have rethought the breadcrumb idea.

Later at home, I popped the bread pudding and concha into the oven.  Concha is a sweet bread that resembles a clam shell, hence the name.  It tasted a little of brown sugar, but overall it was bland.  I think the idea however is to serve it alongside a cup of café con leche or hot chocolate and get to dunking.  I could see this working in its favour.

The bread pudding however (traditionally served around this time of year to be eaten for Lent) was delicious.  Dense, but very moist, and just sweet enough, my girlfriend went nuts over it. Apparently she doesn’t have a problem with dessert after other meals either – and this time it was breakfast.

Now I’m not a fan of donuts, and the churro is essentially the donuts Spanish cousin, but I would take a Pancho’s churro over a donut any day, and these are what I will return for.  As it turns out, I really do “heart” churros after all.  Now where did I put that button?

- Rebecca

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Paese

Posted on February 29, 2012 by TOFoodReviews Staff in King West

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3 stars

- Relatively new to the King West theatre district, and across the street from the Bell Lightbox, is Paese.  New to the neighbourhood, but not new to the restaurant scene, Paese has been operating out of their Bathurst street location since 1989.  Serving up Italian comfort food in a casual but sleek atmosphere, Paese might give longtime district resident Kit Kat some competition.

With a monochromatic colour scheme, butcher block tables and exposed brick, Paese is very welcoming, even for someone who happened to be dining alone (see: yours truly).

My server brought the customary bread to the table…but this was no ordinary bread and oil. The bread itself was warm and chewy with a pretzel like flavour.  It came with an olive, rosemary and thyme tapenade that was rich and salty.  I tried to stop after one slice, but failed miserably.  I managed to leave one out of the four slices on the plate but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t staring at it longingly throughout dinner.

Next, came my Beet Caprese Salad ($13).  Grilled beets came topped with a generous portion of mozzarella di bufala, drizzled with pistachio pesto and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.  The combination of flavours and textures worked well together, and it was just a very fresh salad overall. If seasons were characterized by salads this one would be spring.  It was filling enough to be my main course, but I wasn’t done yet.

As full of bread and beets as I was, I couldn’t wait for my cavatelli ($13).  Hand rolled and made with semolina it had a texture similar to gnocchi but it wasn’t as filling.  The sauce was reminiscent of my grandmothers, and that’s a compliment as although she wasn’t Italian, she was married to one and had learned a thing or two over the years.

I had initially sent away the wine menu, although I’m not sure why exactly.  Maybe it was an unexpected burst of responsibility on my part as it was a weekday afternoon and I had another review to do…but those are hardly excuses not to partake.  It’s part of the job after all.  Either way, one of the resident sommeliers saw right through me and insisted on returning the wine menu to my table.  Smart man.

Paese has an extensive wine list and while most can only be purchased by the bottle, they do have a comprehensive list that is sold by the glass.  Now I’m no expert on wine, but I do drink a lot of the stuff so I know what I like, and I like Amarone.  I was given a sample of a 2004 Fumanelli Amarone before committing to a full glass, after which I gave the go ahead for my server to fill ‘er up.  Rich and full-bodied it was a great complement to my meal, but as far as I’m concerned it would be a great complement to anything…cheese, pasta, breakfast…

Because of its location, I probably won’t make a repeat visit but I don’t think Paese is having a hard time attracting other customers.  I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have a good and affordable meal with some vino before or after catching a show.

Say Cheese

Posted on February 10, 2012 by TOFoodReviews Staff in The Annex

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3 Stars

- Once upon a time I was a university student.  Without giving you an exact number of how many years it’s been, I will tell you that Gap wanted everyone in khakis, pagers weren’t quite obsolete, and Mambo #5 was tearing up the charts.  So thankfully a lot has changed, but two things remain, and will always remain the same, about student life.  Number one:  students are broke.  Number two:  they are hungry.  Say Cheese is going to make many U of T students very happy.

I haven’t met a grilled cheese sandwich I didn’t like, and I haven’t met anyone that doesn’t like a grilled cheese sandwich.  That might be why so many gourmet grilled cheese places are popping up these days, but it’s a risky business.  The people have spoken and they want grilled cheese sammies…but they don’t want to pay a lot for them.  After all, you can make a perfectly good one at home with white bread, and cheese that’s more plastic than it is dairy.  And that’s where Say Cheese comes in.  Nigel Koo, part owner and operator wants to satisfy stomachs without putting a dent in wallets.  He doesn’t see why he can’t serve up a high quality sandwich at a low(ish) cost and have customers walking out in a lactose induced ecstasy.

It was quiet when I arrived but word wasn’t really out yet, and the boys were still experimenting in their test kitchen.  I was happy to be a guinea pig.  I asked to try their most popular meat and veggie options, and this is what followed.

I started with Indira’s Pulled Pork made with Beemster.  Diners can choose to have regular cheese, such as cheddar, on their sandwich ($6.50) or upgrade to a premium choice ($8.50). My creation came topped with homemade mac & cheese (fun!) on whole wheat bread.  I only ate half as I had more coming my way, but the sandwiches here are generous, and I had to pace myself.  The different textures paired nicely, but I would have liked it more had the meat been a touch saucier, or came with something in which to dip it.

Next, came the Italian Classic.  Not that I’m taking bets, but if you put Buffalo mozzarella on anything, I will eat it.  So I was pleased when they said one of their best meatless sellers was filled with the stuff.  I like a good Margharita pizza, and this was the sandwich version.

As if that wasn’t enough (and by all dietary standards, it was more than that) I was offered their dessert sandwich.  It didn’t take a lot of prodding, and went something like this;

Nigel:  You should try our dessert option.

Me:  Wow, I don’t know.  I’m really stuffed.  Okay.

The French Grilled Toast is like a ménage a trois between a grilled cheese, some French toast, and a piece of cheesecake. It’s good.  Scary good.  Filled with ricotta, mascarpone and a berry compote, the sandwich is then dusted with turbinado sugar, and drizzled with maple syrup.  As with French toast, this needed to be eaten with a knife and fork, which probably worked in my best interest as it stopped me from inhaling it.  I will be going back for this one.  As it is now, I think about it more than anyone should think about a sandwich.

So in total I ended up eating just a little bit more than a full sandwich thanks to the few bites I had of the French toast, and I was beyond full.  So much so, that I actually skipped dinner that night. Now by my calculations, that equals two meals for the price of one, and a low price at that. This bodes well for hungry students up to their necks in debt.

Footnote:  During the week, for a mere thirty minutes between 4:20 and 4:50 you can get yourself a sandwich and side (including soup, salad and possible ramen…) for just $4.20.

- Rebecca

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The Mascot

Posted on January 27, 2012 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Parkdale

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3 Stars

- Sometimes I ride the 501 streetcar just for something to do.  It’s a fun way to people watch, without really having to watch out for them, but it’s also a great way to spot new businesses, or old ones for that matter.  The past couple of times I took this trip, I wondered what was in the chalkboard-black building on the corner of Queen and Elm Grove.  I assumed it was a gallery given it was such a big space, and I was half right.  The Mascot is a coffee shop that showcases art…or an art gallery that serves coffee, depending on what you’re going for I guess.  I myself was going for the coffee.

At first the place is a bit daunting.  It’s quite large, with a lot of negative space, and very limited seating.  There are two barstools at the counter, a few tables that can seat more than one, and a surprisingly comfy blue velvet couch in the front room, but patrons need to be ready to get creative if all of those are taken.  The back room, which houses the artwork offers up a couple Victorian chairs for those who feel like working on their posture, an old elementary school chair/desk combo, and a springy antique rocking horse (???).  I’m not quite sure if that last option is for display only, or for those who like their coffee with a little bouncy nostalgia, but I for one wasn’t about to find out.  I used to have one of those horses, and I remember getting pinched by the damn springs on a regular basis.  Luckily for us, there was a free table.

My girlfriend ordered a latte while I went with just a basic drip to see what Reunion Island coffee is like in its most vulnerable state.  I should’ve went with the latte.  Not that the drip was bad, but the latte was fantastic. It was smooth and strong without being bitter. The Rosetta adorning the foam was a nice touch as well.  (It should be noted that I went back a few days later for my very own).

As it was around the brunch hour, and breakfast had long worn off we decided to get a couple of treats to go with our coffee.  The edible portion of the menu at The Mascot is provided by OMG Baked Goods, and like the seating, selection is limited.  The cupcakes were tempting but we were in the mood for savoury, so we ordered a ham & cheese quiche along with a stuffed foccacia.

The quiche arrived looking a little bit sad and we faced off as to who would try it first.  We both agreed that it was tastier than we would have guessed, but I’ve definitely had better quiche.  The stuffed foccacia on the other hand was a nice surprise.  It didn’t come to the table looking like much… really just a bun on a plate.  But as with all things stuffed, it’s what’s inside that counts.  Filled with roasted peppers, artichokes and Asiago cheese, it was not unlike a grown-up Hot Pocket…one that got tired of all the negative attention so it moved out of its parents freezer, and adopted a healthier lifestyle.  The quiche was pushed aside, but later finished – out of hunger alone.

Food however is an afterthought at The Mascot.  From what I saw, the people of Parkdale go for the coffee, and rightly so.  There was a steady stream of people coming and going, and judging by the interactions, quite a few regulars.  With friendly laid-back staff, good ambience and amazing lattes, I would make it my local too – if only I lived anywhere near it.

Footnote:  Seating doubles in the warmer months, when it’s comfortable enough to sit on the driftwood looking bench that runs the length of their storefront.  Another good place to do some people watching.

- Rebecca

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barchef

Posted on January 8, 2012 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Trinity Bellwoods

Earls Kitchen and Bar: King Street

Posted on December 7, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Financial District

4 stars

Earls is nestled amongst the business giants at King and University and was teeming with suits and loosened ties on the Thursday night I paid a visit.  The place was packed, and I soon realized that this was not only attributed to its convenient location.  Earl’s serves up some seriously good food.

 I’ll be totally honest right out of the gate and say that I rarely frequent chain restaurants.  If I do, it’s because it’s for a birthday or office party where the show of hands wins.  Chain restaurants don’t usually sell me on coming back for more.  Earls did.

Prior to going, I previewed their menu online and was looking forward to trying some of their new items that promised “West coast flair” and seasonal flavours.  To stick with the seasonal theme (and just because it’s a deadly beer) I ordered a pint of Muskoka Brewery’s Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout to chase everything down.   It turned out to be a fine choice if I do say so myself, especially where dessert was concerned.

We started with the Tuna Poke Nachos ($11.50).  Served on crispy wontons, and loaded with cubed raw tuna, cucumber, avocado and tomato, they looked like they would be a task to eat.  I envisioned myself taking a bite and (if the toppings made it as far as my mouth without falling off) having it crumble, leaving me with half of a naked nacho, or in this case, wonton.  They surprised me though by maintaining their structure (and toppings).  The spicy mango coulis they were drizzled in leant a nice kick with some crushed macadamia nuts paying tribute to the Hawaiian roots of the dish. I’m not normally a big fan of sushi, but in this case the texture of the tuna and avocado married nicely with the crispiness of the wontons.

Next was the Gnocchi with Italian Rose Sauce ($10.50).  I love gnocchi, but it is associated with being too heavy and too filling often because, well, it usually is.  Not in this case.  Earl’s handmade potato gnocchi was the perfect consistency throughout.  Consistent consistency if you will.  And true we shared it, but it was a generous portion and neither of us felt weighted down afterwards.  That wasn’t the best part though.  The title of the dish doesn’t do it justice.  This gnocchi isn’t served in just any ordinary rose sauce… it’s served in a rose sauce made of San Marzana tomatoes, burrata cheese and fresh basil.  This, my friends, is the Margharita pizza of gnocchi.  Enough said.

Being ambitious (see: gluttonous), we welcomed the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($13.50) and Potato & Leek Soup ($7) to our table.  I’ll start with the soup…although in reality that wasn’t the sequence of events.  The soup was creamy and filled with chunks of potato (skin still on…because that’s where all the vitamins are!).  It was good, but let’s face it, it didn’t compare to the main event of this course.  Even halved, our plates were dwarfed.  This is one behemoth of a sandwich.  Piled with tender BBQ braised pork and coleslaw then dressed with a fiery chipotle mayo, this sandwich was a nice balance of spicy and sweet.  It was messy like it should be so keep the napkins close at hand.  I had almost reached my limit but I knew dessert was on the way, so I exercised some will power (says the girl on her third course) and left a few bites on my plate.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t sad to see it go.

You might think that by this point we were too full to even consider the possibility of dessert, and by daily caloric standards, we probably should have been.  But we laughed in the face of those standards and pushed onward…onward to Warm Gingerbread Cake ($8).  Rarely do I find myself at a loss for words, but this cake found me there.  It might have had something to do with the fact that my mouth was full of the aforementioned cake, but also because it was really, really good.  I could use a plethora of colourful adjectives to describe this cake (see: heavenly, divine, decadent) but it all feels so cliché, and none of them would do it justice anyway, so I’m sticking with good.  Damn good.  It was served warm (as promised), drizzled with salted caramel sauce and with sides of brown sugar apple slices and vanilla bean gelato.  Now on any given day, I’ll take a cookie over a slice of cake, but not on this day (or any day going forward where I’m given the choice between a cookie and this particular cake).  It was impossibly moist and as we ate it we debated about what made it so.  We came to the conclusion that… well, we didn’t really come to any conclusion, except that it was killer, and we would be back for more.  Whoever is slicing the cake at Earl’s isn’t stingy (bless their soul) but that was one plate that went back to the kitchen devoid of crumbs.

Now Earls isn’t the place to go for a quiet date.  The people are loud (because there are a lot of them), and the music is loud (because it fights to be heard over the people), but the food is excellent and the service, equally so.  It’s a hike from my house in High Park to the Financial District, but one I’m willing to make again.  Three words folks… warm, gingerbread, cake.  Do yourself a favour.

- Rebecca

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Mitzi’s Cafe

Posted on November 18, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Roncesvalles Village

3 stars

- For the past year or so, I’ve been meaning to go to Mitzi’s Cafe for brunch.  Weekends however, draw a big crowd and my nine-to-five job prevented me from going during the week and avoiding said crowd.  Fortunately, having resigned from my job to be a writer (see: unemployed) I am now afforded the luxury of going to brunch on say, a Tuesday…which is exactly what I did this week.

I love Mitzi’s location.  Tucked away on a quiet corner of Sorauren, surrounded by century homes, purple and yellow painted Mitzi’s is a bit out-of-place, but that’s the appeal.  I have a thing for old neighbourhood general stores, and that’s what Mitzi’s reminds me of.  Inside looked exactly how I both expected and hoped for; arborite tables with mismatched chairs, a glass display case that housed trays of muffins at the time, and walls adorned with local art.  I really, really wanted to like this place.

And like it I did, however my friend was less than satisfied with her experience.  Let’s start with mine shall we?  Mitzi’s has a small but thoughtful menu, and I had previously perused it online, so I knew exactly what I wanted.  Craving sweet over savoury, I ordered the French toast as planned ($10.95).  Made with Challah bread it is then topped with a peach & ginger compote, covered in graham cracker crumbs and generously doused with real maple syrup (the last step done by yours truly).  It was fantastic.  The bread was thick and fluffy, and the compote had just the right amount of ginger in it.  It had all the makings of a dessert…in a breakfast.  It should be noted that this dish is typically served with whipped cream, but I decided it was too much of an indulgence (says the person who used so much syrup as to make her French toast wish it had signed up for swimming lessons).

Sitting just adjacent to the expanding pool of syrup, but not completely out of its reach, were the home fries, which offset the sweetness of the French toast nicely.  Made with halved baby potatoes they were spiced perfectly.  My only complaint is that there weren’t more of them, but it’s probably for the best in the long run.  If the toast itself was the star of the show, then the home fries were the understudy.

As I had already had my morning coffee I chased all of this with a glass of their homemade orange/banana/mango juice.  It was just thick enough to know it was the real thing, and at $3 I think it was good value.

The glowing endorsement ends with my friends order.  She was so looking forward to her poached eggs (also $10.95).  Served on Portuguese cornbread, topped with wilted spinach,  and slathered in roasted red pepper & asiago sauce, it looked delicious when set down in front of her, but as she cut into the egg with her fork, the yolk failed to flow.  Her poached eggs weren’t poached at all… they were hard-boiled.  Cue the violins. Tasty yes, but it wasn’t what she wanted, and the accompanying rye bread would fail to serve its dipping duty.

This would have been a 4 star review had I made it a solo trip, but alas the poached eggs (or lack thereof) knocked it down a peg.  Mitzi’s is still worth a visit though for the French toast (and I hear the Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes are pretty killer too), but if it’s poached eggs you crave, be specific,…if only for the sake of your toast and its reason for being.

- Rebecca

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Terroni Queen West

Posted on October 25, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in West Queen West

4 stars

- So lately I’ve been on a bit of an Italian kick. Maybe its the changing of the seasons, and I’m subconsciously trying to carbo-load for the winter months ahead and preparing for hibernation. Whatever it is, this past Monday I was looking for just that at Terroni on Queen West.

The camp is divided on Terroni. People either rave about it or complain about the pretentious servers, the ‘no-substitution’ rule, or the slice-it-yourself pizza. Being a fan of this place, I have a rebuttal for each of these complaints.

While (some of) the servers may seem a bit curt at first, I owe this to the fact that Terroni is busy – always busy – and their no-nonsense attitude is often mistaken for pretentiousness. Our server, although brusque, took our order diligently while complementing our choices, had our wine to the table in no time, and managed to pour two glasses of the stuff from the awkwardly shaped porcelain decanter without dribbling it everywhere (which is something we later failed to do).

As for the no-substitutions rule, if you want to choose your own toppings, then head on down to that infamous sub-par pizza joint (you know the one…with its orange boxes and redundant title) and stuff your crust while you’re at it. Since when did slicing pizza become a chore? Just a few simple back and forth motions with a knife and voila! Freshly sliced pizza.

Regardless of the division, Terroni is always packed. Monday at 9:00 found us one free table upstairs, which was where our preference lay anyway. Although I do love to pull up to the bar, it tends to get a bit clustered on the lower level, and while the upstairs isn’t exactly quiet, shouting across the table isn’t required.

Our waiter promptly brought us the menus and we poured over the apps and the twenty-nine – yes, twenty-nine – pizzas they have to offer.

We started with the Funghi Assoluti ($12.95):  breaded and baked oyster mushrooms served on arugula, sprinkled with parmesan, and drizzled with a balsamic glaze.  It was superb, but sharing proved to be problematic, not because the portion wasn’t large enough, but because we simply didn’t want to. Social graces saved us, but I had visions of the two of us in an Animal Planet-esque showdown… circling the last mushroom with fangs bared and hackles raised.

We chased all of this down with a velvety Piemonte that was oddly served in a jug, which made it difficult to pour. Our server made it look effortless, but us? Well, we just made a mess. I did manage to solve the problem however (pour from the side, and not from the oddly shaped lip) and fortunately for us we had a seemingly bottomless half litre.

No sooner had we finished sharing the last ‘shroom was our pizza delivered to the table. We went with the Primavera ($15.95) to contribute to our daily recommended dose of veggies and to somehow convince ourselves that we were being healthy. All of the pizza at Terroni is thin crust and ours was weighed down heavily with tomatoes, red pepper, (more) mushrooms, and artichokes with a few black olives decorating the centre of the pie.

Now when I say thin-crust, I mean it.  Maybe I’m just speaking for myself here, but I have absolutely no difficulty finishing a whole pizza without any assistance at Terroni. I’m a big fan of folding slices before biting into them, and the crust at Terroni is so thin and pliable I always envision myself folding a whole pizza in half,…and then in half again…and then having my way with it.  Once again, as with the sharing, social norms seem to get in the way…

- Rebecca

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